How to Get Housing for Young People?

Ongoing monetary, social and political change has brought about more noteworthy vulnerability in the lodging alternatives of youngsters in the US. The downturn has featured difficulties, for example, high youth joblessness and an absence of accessible credit.

Accessing a home is a task, each time, more complicated. Since the recovery began after the economic crisis and the bursting of the real estate bubble in 2008, the prices of houses for sale and rent have only increased.

All this puts in a bind the buyers who have to, first, calculate their mortgage; then, request it and, at the same time, have the necessary savings to meet the initial payment of the property that the bank does not lend them. On the other hand, the tenants suffer from assuming the rent as they consume more than half of their monthly income. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

In this scenario, the most disadvantaged are young people who are the ones who, in general, have lower salaries and fewer savings due to their young age. The Ministry of Development, with the collaboration of the autonomous communities, has developed the State Housing Plan 2018-2021. They intend to help children under 35 with financial difficulties access a home more easily. We collect what the keys to request these grants are.

What is the State Housing Plan?

The new State Housing Plan 2018-2021 aims to facilitate decent and adequate housing in a rental and property regime for young people with limited economic means. For this purpose, direct aids will be granted to the tenants, and subsidies will be granted to purchase the dwelling.

Who can apply for this aid?

Rent and purchase aids may be beneficiaries of the rental subsidies all natural persons of legal age who meet the following requirements: Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

  • Be the owner or be in a position to sign a tenancy contract as a tenant.
  • Be less than 35 years old at the time of requesting assistance.
  • That the rented property constitutes the habitual and permanent residence of the tenant.

Have an income equal to or less than three times the Public Indicator of Multiple Effects Income (IPREM). This requirement includes all persons who have their habitual and permanent address in the rented dwelling regardless of whether they are the rental agreement owner.

The monthly rental price must be equal to or less than $600. However, the autonomous communities may increase up to $900 the maximum monthly rent in certain municipalities when they justify it.

For the case of the acquisition of the house, the conditions are similar although with slight variations:

Be able to sign a public or private contract for the purchase of a property.

Be less than 35 years old at the time of requesting assistance.

The property to be acquired will constitute the habitual and permanent residence of the buyer for a minimum period of five years from the date of occupation. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

The housing is in municipalities of less than 5,000 inhabitants and has an acquisition price of fewer than $100,000.

Exclusions

These aids will not be granted as long as the applicant or any of those who have their habitual and permanent residence in the dwelling object of the lease or purchase contract is in one of these situations:

  • Owning a home in the UK, except those who hold property to prove the unavailability of the property due to separation or divorce or cannot live there for any other cause beyond their control.
  • Have kinship or affinity with the landlord of the property.
  • Be a partner or participant of the person who intends to rent the property.

In addition, in the case of rental subsidies, these will be incompatible with the perception of any other Emancipation Basic Income program or plan that may be granted by the autonomous communities, local corporations, or other public administrations or entities.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

How to Start an E-store?

The era we live in is the digital era that has been powered by technology. Technological advancements have improved the living conditions of the people and introduced better solutions for every problem. Ease, convenience, and satisfaction are the three factors technology bring to people. And a result of this is the facility of online shopping.

E-commerce or online shopping has revolutionized the shopping experience for people today. It is one of the greatest outcomes of technology and is on its way to replacing brick-and-mortar stores completely!

Who would want to get out of their homes, waste their fuel and time to go out and stroll through the malls when they can go through the shops using their smartphones? Shopping has never been this comfortable as it is now with e-stores!

People who have their brick-and-mortar stores and have observed a drop in their customers need to revisit their strategy. With everything going digital, why are they not working for a digital shift-over?

Here is a comprehensive guide to starting an e-store for retailers who wish to launch their online stores. Also, the people who want to try their luck with e-stores can follow this guide to establish for themselves a digital presence. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Step 1: Defining the product and the business plan

Planning is the first and the foremost step in building an e-store, and it begins with defining the niche.

(i) Identifying the niche:

Before one starts an e-store, it is best to identify a niche. What products will the store offer its customers? What will be the category of its products? These are the most critical questions that need to be answered before proceeding with an e-store.

(ii) Try selling on a small scale:

After the category has been decided and the products are listed, it is a smart approach to selling it on a small scale. It can either be done by selling it among friends or from one’s social media profile. Selling the products on a small scale helps analyze whether the products will attract the customers’? Will they spend their money on purchasing the products? It lays down the foundation for the decision of whether to start an e-store or not.

(iii) Planning:

Once the analysis has been done, it is time to draw up a detailed plan. A business plan needs to include the name of the e-store, list of products, whether one is creating the product or getting it supplied from the manufacturer. Also, it must consist of all the costs involved in the whole setup, whether the customer will have to pay through online payment methods or cash on delivery. Even the most minor aspects must be taken into consideration while coming up with a plan.

(iv) Registration of the business:

After the plan has been drawn up, the next step is to make it official. The first step of execution includes the registration of the business with the state. The business will have to be registered with its name, and all the necessary paperwork will have to be filled out. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Step 2: Building the store

Completion of the paperwork leads to the next step, which is to set up the e-store. This phase includes the following steps.

(i) Domain name:

The first step in the execution phase is to register a domain name. The domain name must be catchy, unique, and short. There are some cases where the name is already taken. The registration service does provide alternatives. If one does not like the other options, one can be creative with the name.

(ii) Web hosting service:

The website must be fast, efficient, and user-friendly, else it does not generate traffic. Therefore, choosing the right hosting service is essential. There are free services available, but it is best to pay and get the best one possible. The ideal hosting service is the one that has an option of customization.

(iii) Design of website:

The design of a website must not be too vibrant. It must be relevant to the products being sold. It must have an easy call-to-action interface with an easily navigable structure. Choose the themes and the colors that reflect the products. It should be designed in a way that a customer gets to the required page within two clicks. There must also be a way through which email addresses can be collected to send promotional emails.

(iv) E-commerce software:

The e-commerce software is a significant step while setting up an online store. It is what provides security when a customer makes a purchase. It also contributes to the overall customer experience; therefore, it is advised to choose the software wisely.

(v) Merchant account:

To add the feature of online payments, one must set up an account in a bank. With this feature, the customers can pay through their credit cards. For small e-stores, it is not very practical to use a bank, as it will be costly. Many e-stores use online payment apps such as PayPal, as it is cheaper than a bank. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Step 3: Marketing

The next phase after an e-commerce website has been created is to start with the marketing work. The marketing strategy must be strong. Marketing helps in not only attracting customers, but it is what helps in retaining customers.

(i) Digital marketing strategies:

There are two ways to carry out the marketing of a store; traditional and digital. As we live in a digitalized world, going digital is the right way to proceed. Many digital marketing strategies can be used. The most important is Search Engine Optimization or SEO. It helps in raising the ranking of an e-store, thus, being visible to a broader audience. PPC, Social Media Marketing, Influencer marketing are the top ways to get further with the store.

(ii) Blog:

A smart way to generate traffic is by adding a blog to an e-store. There is not much content on an online store. This means that the power of keywords cannot be effectively used. A blog section can be added to include the keywords, which will, in the result, contribute to a raised search engine ranking.

Starting an e-store is not particularly challenging. By following this comprehensive guide, one can set up an e-store. The real game is the marketing and the way one spreads the word about their e-store. The first phase, an e-store setup, is complete with these simple steps, and one may proceed to the next step!

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Tips for Management During Downsizing

The term downsizing means cutting back the cost of the company by laying off the employees. A few consider downsizing a temporary measure in which workers may be rehired, while others see it as a more permanent downscaling. Downsizing can happen for some conceivable reasons. Mostly, corporate downsizing is due to the poor monetary situation. Usually, corporate organizations need to decrease the jobs with a specific end goal to bring down the expenses or retain productivity and profitability. Likewise, downsizing can also happen amid a merger between two organizations or procurement of the organization by any other organization. If the acquisition or the merger has not yet happened, an organization may downsize to look similar to a suitable competitor. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Considering the other events, if the economy gets weakened or new products are launched, downsizing occurs. Downsizing could also happen when business owners need to ‘streamline’ an organization. This alludes to corporate rebuilding with a specific end goal to ensure growth in profits and boosting productivity. One of the essential reasons behind the downsizing of the employees is to lessen the expenses. Employee payroll finances consider it a risk to the organization’s finance record and, consequently, diminishes the owner’s equity. Downsizing is a decrease in organizational size and working costs executed by the administration with a specific end goal to enhance authoritative effectiveness, profitability, and the association’s aggressiveness. Casualties are authoritative individuals who automatically lose their jobs because of organizational downsizing.

Organizational downsizing influences the work procedures of business since the final product of downsizing is usually fewer individuals working the similar workload that was present before the downsizing occurred. The undertaking of downsizing brings about two groups of individuals: casualties, the individuals who automatically lose their employment because of organizational downsizing, and survivors, the workers who stay after the organizational downsizing happens. When an enterprise plans to cut costs, the question arises about reducing the number of employees. Without a system for managing the number of workers, the enterprise begins to face the growth of its staff costs. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

It is crucial for the management of the organization to realize the methods and procedures of downsizing. They must be aware of the methods to implement the process. It’s not just about empty offices; it’s about a radical change that affects the employees who stay in the organization. The remaining staff will experience many emotions, and employers need to make concerted efforts to keep morale up, mitigate problems of low productivity, and avoid job dissatisfaction. Employees who leave the organization will often share their experiences (good and bad) on social media and other forums, and the reputation of your company can quickly suffer.

Tips to Manage the Process of Downsizing

  1. Clear the Communication Channel

Open and honest communication with employees by sharing what you know and do not know about the impact of the economy on the organization will help reduce employee uncertainty. Use regular meetings with employees so that they have the opportunity to ask questions and reduce their stress. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

  1. Invest in training

Keep planning for the future, and show employees that they are important. Offer training opportunities such as e-learning and luncheon conferences. Encourage employees to join professional associations and mentoring programs.

  1. Engage your employees in the decision-making process

Employees can suggest alternatives to layoffs, such as a pay cut, closing the business at noon on Fridays, or other cost-saving measures. Employee support increases when they are involved in the decision-making process.

  1. Stay positive

Maintain a positive attitude by sharing good news on a large scale.

  1. Try to keep the little things

When budgets are tight, the first reflex is to cut everything that seems non-essential. If you can, try to keep the small benefits that are not very expensive to boost morale in the workplace.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Value of Workplace Ethics and its Impact on Productivity

It’s the responsibility of every business to foster an ethical work environment for all its employees. It should be inclusive of all individuals, focusing on the core values of integrity, respect, and accountability. It empowers the workforce and helps boost productivity, and earns the company their employees’ dedication and loyalty. By imposing strong workplace ethics, businesses can easily prevent discrimination and other unethical and criminal activities at their roots. It helps employees thrive in a comfortable environment where they have job security, and their voices are heard. It removes any misconceptions that may arise between them and management and ensures a transparent line of communication. Below we will provide some examples of the importance of maintaining workplace ethics and its impact on productivity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

It helps reduce turnover

Employee turnover is usually due to employees accepting positions with different organizations, either because they receive better offers or are discontented with their current company and wish to be a part of better work culture. Employees are the most valuable resources a company has, and if there is a drop in quality employees, productivity will soon follow. Creating a secure work environment means providing benefits like free coffee or a recreational pool table but investing time and money to ensure that everybody feels comfortable while doing their work. Job security is important, and it is imperative to create an environment where employees feel safe without being harassed or disturbed. If they have any qualms about the work they are being asked to do or the company’s lack of policies, they will, no matter how much they are being paid, eventually leave it. It’s a bad reflection on the company and can hurt its brand image. They could lose out on potential business deals and prospective employees unless they address their concerns. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Establish a strong HR department 

By ensuring a zero-tolerance policy and an active HR Department, employees don’t have to deal with trivial issues and efficiently accomplish assignments. Assigning an HR Head that enforces its policies is a major step in helping productivity, and they often hold seminars and events to help create awareness against workplace harassment. Having your HR as a symbolic office rather than an actual enforcing authority is all kinds of wrong and will send the wrong message to your workforce.

It can lead to lawsuits and other legal issues

Companies that do not enforce their policies and have an unsafe work environment are usually subject to lawsuits and other legal issues. Employees who were harassed discriminated against, and ignored complaints by management may seek legal counsel, take them to a court of law, and demand restitution for their pain and inconvenience. Companies would then have to hire legal firms and in-house lawyers to defend them from it, and the result would be an embarrassment. Keep the drama to a minimum, and the best workplaces are quiet ones with professionals. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Theft and fraud

They could be leaving themselves exposed to fraud and theft, as employees might take advantage of the companies lack of ethics and steal physical items and even confidential information. Their attempts to steal business assets and secrets could be catastrophic for the company. Even trivial theft of office supplies is detrimental, as it sets a precedent for other criminal activities to occur. Have HR speak to the employees about the negative effects on the company’s welfare and impose strict fines and penalties for people who don’t follow the guidelines. It sounds harsh, but the fact of the matter is that the office is a professional environment where such behavior cannot be tolerated.

Workplace ethics must be followed and enforced for the welfare of the company as a whole. It affects client relationships, revenue, and the future of your business. Your work culture defines your company, and the structure of how it works is a reflection of how far your business can go. A workplace that fosters employee growth and comfortability is the best investment an entrepreneur can ever make and is directly related to its productivity.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Traits of Leader and Manager

Knowing how to delegate

One of the main difficulties for a manager is in the delegation of tasks. For some managers, the delegate is a synonym for losing control over the project. That is why they end up doing many tasks that do not correspond to them or bothering their team doing micromanagement.

Coordination and collaboration capacity

The ability of a manager to promote these behaviors is essential if you want your team to achieve the objectives without wasting time or resources.

Coordination and collaboration help avoid overlapping work, align efforts in the right direction, innovate more, identify problems more quickly, and find the best solutions for them.

To encourage coordination and collaboration, the leader must establish the techniques and tools to channel such coordination. Until recently, the possibilities were small; teams communicated through meetings or email, but in recent years platforms such as Slack, Tribe Scale, or Basecamp have emerged as more advanced technological alternatives. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Strategic planning

Strategic planning is the ability of a leader to know the company’s current state, the human team, and the resources available to develop a “route” that allows your team to achieve the objectives set for the project.

Strategic planning is composed of various skills such as intuition, creativity, and of course, strategy. If a manager is immersed in his day-to-day purely executive tasks, he may lose the company’s general vision and therefore cannot develop this planning. For this reason, it is important that from time to time, you move away from these tasks and take time to contemplate the situation from a bird’s-eye view.

Communication skills

Without good communication skills, it would be difficult to develop other skills. Great leaders have always been differentiated by having great oratory skills but make no mistake; communication is as important as knowing how to listen.

Pay attention, be concise, or have good control over non-verbal language, are some of the keys to improve our communication skills.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to perceive what another person feels, that is, the ability to put yourself in the place of other people (psychologically speaking). A good leader should always be an empathic person since, thanks to this, he will be able to modulate and adapt his speech depending on the person or persons with whom he is communicating.

If we can put ourselves in the shoes of our colleagues, clients, or potential users, it will be easier for us to understand their situation and to be able to develop good communication with them aimed at achieving our objectives. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Motivation and Inspiration

A motivated team is not only a team that works at a superior performance but is also happier and helps attract and retain the best talent. There are cases such as the open contracting war between Tesla and Apple in which the salary is no longer a sufficient reason to retain talent. It is the motivation inspired by the projects and the people who lead them who determine who is left with this talent.

One of the objectives of a good leader is to motivate his team and to assume an inspiration important enough for the rest of the members to follow his example. A manager who is not capable of transmitting this inspiration will never become a true leader.

Value

Courage is one of the skills that differentiate a manager from a leader. A leader demonstrates value when he makes difficult decisions, when he assumes the responsibilities of his mistakes and those of his team, or when he must leave his comfort zone to perform tasks that are beyond his duty.

A courageous leader does not imply that he must make decisions lightly; he will always make an exhaustive calculation of risks, but what he will never do will remain blocked before an important decision or a complicated task. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Commitment

The commitment manifests itself in many ways; commitment to the company not to leave in good times or bad, commitment to the team to lead effectively, commitment to customers to offer greater value in the product, and commitment to continue to improve.

The individual commitment of a manager will be amplified when his team also acquires that commitment and works hand in hand to take the project to success.

Problem resolution

A manager must also be a decisive person, a person with resources and knowledge to unclog and solve problems. And sometimes, certain blocks can only be solved by a manager, and that is where the problem-solving ability comes in that allows the team to keep moving forward.

Resilience

Finally, although we have talked about the ability to solve problems, it is always inevitable that problems that cannot be solved will arise. For example, if our team arrives late to the delivery of a project and we cannot avoid it, we will have to be able to manage the consequences, absorb the responsibility and not let it splash on our team if he has not been at fault.

Resilience is precisely the ability of people to overcome adverse situations and quickly recover from them. A good manager cannot allow problems and adversities to prevent him from working; he must overcome them quickly and continue working in difficult situations.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Before Investing in Real Estate Think About This to Avoid Taking Risks

Not everything is easy

As in other investments, you must be realistic about returns and how they balance with funds invested. Real estate investments are not get-rich-schemes.  They take time and effort, so be thoughtful and cautious when deciding to invest in real estate.

Do not leave anything to chance

Complete an analysis of the market and think about when you are going to lease or sell the property.  This will let you know if you can find renters or buyers in the area and receive the offer you want for the property.  It is better to do research early and appropriately price the property than be unrealistic and be burdened by a mortgage if you cannot lease or sell it. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Check with experts

Get advice from experts on each aspect of real estate investment.  They can make projections and inform you according to different variables as to whether the investment is a good decision or not. If you ask the right people the right questions and complete the necessary research, you are more likely to have a good return on your investment and not be surprised by the investment process.

Below are some questions to consider before investing in real estate:

Is it possible to lease a property taken with a lease?

Many people who consider sub-leasing wonder if, as tenants, they can rent the property since they are not yet owners of the property.

According to reliable sources: Leasing is a financial system where the person is paying a monthly fee for housing, including the payment of capital and interest. To make use of the real estate lease, which can be applied for new or used housing, you must first cancel an ‘initial fee’ equivalent to 20-30% of the property’s value. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

What happens if a written lease was not made?

Decades ago, business agreements were generally made verbally where a person’s word was respected, and only a handshake was required to authenticate the agreement. While times have changed, a landlord and a tenant can still make a verbal contract where the concept of good faith prevails.  However, experts recommend having a lease agreement made in writing for probatory reasons. According to Law 820 of 2003, in article 3, “The lease for urban housing can be verbal or written. In either case, the parties must agree on at least the following points:

  • Name and identification of the contractors.
  • Identification of the property object of the contract.
  • Identification of the part of the property that is leased, when applicable, and the areas and services shared with the other occupants of the property.
  • Price and method of payment.
  • List of services, things, or related and additional uses.
  • Term of the duration of the contract.

Designation of the contracting party in charge of the payment of public services of the property object of the contract.”

At the end of a lease, what condition should the tenant deliver the property? Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

When leasing real estate, and to avoid future complications, you initially make an inventory of the property accompanied by a film or photographic record.  This inventory is proof of the state of property elements, such as the state of the walls, windows, doors, ceramics, and others. This document should be part of the lease to validate the condition of the property and must be signed by both parties, who can each keep a copy.

Should the landlord paint the property?

According to the Civil Code and Law 820 of 2003, the owner must maintain the property in optimal conditions for the tenant’s enjoyment, including the condition of the walls if they are damaged due to humidity, dilatations, rainwater, or deterioration.

Obligations of the tenant

According to the provisions of Law 820 of 2003, in article 90, the lessee is committed to taking care of the property and the things received in the lease. In cases of damage or deterioration, other than those arising from normal use or wear over time and attributable to misuse of the property, timely repairs or replacements may fall to the tenant to complete.

Obligations of the landlord

In the Civil Code, in chapter II in its article 1985, the obligation to keep the leased property in good condition consists in making, during the lease, all the necessary repairs, with the exception of the leases, which generally correspond to the lessee.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Small Businesses – 8 Steps to Boost Your Business

There are times in the year when the business stability is lower compared to the other days. Some months are weaker than others in terms of activity for companies in specific sectors. However, you still must keep paying your expenses!

Here are five tips to restart the quarter energetically: Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Decide on Your Strategy

Defining a strategy is not just a financial plan, a marketing plan, or a business plan. Profitability is not a strategy in itself! To determine your strategy, start by asking yourself this question: How could I maintain and develop a definite advantage over my competitors in my field of activity?

Then to know the answer, here are other questions to ask yourself. Do you know the long-term mission of your business? Have you identified your competitors and your market to highlight your advantage? Does your offer attract new customers?

So many questions to ask yourself to restart calmly and confidently to achieve your goals. To ensure the sustainability of the business, you must define and review your general policy regularly and define your business mission.

Your overall strategy will then begin to take shape. Indeed, before embarking on the action, you must know where and why to go!

 Set Clear Goals

It is essential to set clear objectives and measure them over time to implement a competitive advantage in your field of activity. A spreadsheet can be an excellent place to start if you do not have a system to measure your goals.

Start by defining the main actions to take to reach your goal: to develop the business. Then plan each goal and assign tasks to a member of your team.

At this point, you will have an action plan with goals to follow. The nature of the actions may be based on direct marketing, web marketing, and prospection. You can also consider training to have an advantage over your competitors. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Inspire and Motivate Your Team

The richness of your business rests on the diversity of the people who compose it. As the head of a department or business manager, you must inspire your team and find and act on the motivational levers of each. To do this, start by taking an interest in them!

Welcome and Value Your Customers

5-star customer reception – that is what your customer deserves! As soon as your client comes face to face or on the phone, it would be best if you made every effort to listen to him, welcome him well, and meet his expectations.

You must be wondering how your current customers perceive your products and services. Are they satisfied? What can you improve in your welcome? Will your customers recommend your products?

Communicate New Ideas

Developing your business requires regular communication with your employees. Give new ideas on the company’s direction to meet your customers’ expectations. It will help you to deal with new challenges to be taken up to develop the spirit and the culture of the company. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Keep Financial Score Good

Some small businesses are experts in maintaining their routine tasks, and they know what financial trends your business is practicing. They spend all their vital time on improving cash flow. If you do not have the financial skills, hire an accountant, as you should stay very much in the loop.   

Use Social Media

Social media lets you catch infinite clients’ attention and introduce your business to the world. You can get valuable insights through social listening. This listening lets you find clients’ reviews about you, gain insight into their behavior, and recognize keywords and trends. All these sources appeal to your targeted audience, and then your client service improves. This way, you can publicize your business profile and drag new clients.

Initiate a Blog

Today, most people prefer the internet to find any knowledge. People love the variety of e-Commerce websites that helps them in any way, whether by gaining information or purchasing something. Here, using blogs and publishing them on e-Commerce serve the same purpose. According to Impact learning center, the blog using the activity of B2B marketers achieves around 67% extended leads as compared to those that don’t have blog sections.

Website visitors move towards a blog section right after landing on the eCommerce website. First, they will read all your blogs and then decide what to purchase. Having blogs on the website or any other digital platform means conveying your message and defining your enterprise. Hence, there is no excuse to initiate blogs for businesses. Take out some time and write high-quality content that pertains to your enterprise. This practice can consume your time, but the payoff is worth it.

 

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Prevention of Harassment Based Activities In Organizations

Sexual harassment must be considered a serious offense. Whether it is a flirting activity or a touch on the should, if inappropriate, should be considered as harassment. Sexual harassment, along with other harassment, should not be allowed in any workplace. No matter what type of harassment is there, it must not be found in the office. An employer subject to federal anti-discrimination laws is bound to keep its workplace free from insult, intimidation, mockery based on gender, religion, color, race, or national origin. An employer must also be concerned with stopping harassment as it could lead to getting sued in state courts depending on the state’s laws. Many companies ruined their image by neglecting the sexual harassment cases going on in their company. 

Any employer must keep such things under check if there is any sexual or other harassment present in the workplace. It affects the tendency of employees to work and might put an employer under legal manners.  Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

What is The Definition of Harassment?

Harassment can be physical or verbal behavior that shows negativity or rudeness towards a person due to his skin color, religion, age, race, birthplace, disability, or for any other reason and that:

  1. It has to do with the creation of an unfriendly, offensive, daunting working atmosphere.
  2. It has to do with the creation and unpleasant behavior of the office worker.
  3. Puts a negative effect on the employment opportunities of a person. 
  4. Harassment can be a negative behavior towards an individual’s privacy.   Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

What Involves in the Definition of Sexual Harassment? 

Unwanted sexual advances, demand sexual favors, and different kinds of physical or verbal issues of sexual nature give rise to sexual harassment when any one or more of the issues stands true:

  1. An individual feels dominated by the burden that if such demands aren’t fulfilled, it would be hard to keep up with the job or get the job. 
  2. An individual thinks that such conduct is the cause of promotions, demotions, increments, and necessary for the job.
  3. The approach affects an individual’s work performance or builds an offensive, hard to resist environment for an individual.
  4. Few important points to keep in mind about sexual harassment include:
  5. Both male and female can be a victim of such conduct.
  6. A male or a female can be the harasser. In some cases, the conduct can be from the same sex. 
  7. The conduct is not necessarily taking place with the complainer; it might be directed to another individual.
  8. Such conduct can take place at workplaces, events sponsored by a company, or even between colleagues away from the working environment. 
  9. The conduct can take place anywhere from the working place, and it has multiple situations to occur.
  10. The harassment being conducted is of many different types. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Common conditions that might include sexual harassment are:

  1. Pinups in the office: Pinups might be passed personally having sexual material, which is liable for creating an unpleasant surrounding for working. Don’t let such things take place.
  2. Asking a colleague for a date: These are not considered harassment. If the offer is refused by an individual, it can become one when continuous pressure is forced on the person to go on a date even after a complaint is made. 
  3. Treating women rudely: A supervisor treating women unjustly or rudely and always puts women down and criticizes their ability to work can be guilty of offending women sexually as hostile actions are being taken based on the gender of the employee.
  4. Abusing verbally or through jokes: Passing statements about the appearance of an individual or jokes being passed down of a sexual nature can build harassment, especially when such actions are not being appreciated by the individual. 

What is gender-based harassment?

Harassment against women is a common practice in companies. Such an unethical act is mainly based on gender s gender-harassment. It is the job of an employer to make sure such actions are not being conducted in the workplace. Gender-based harassment is the one that is conducted on the sex of the individual has no such sexual motives. Such type of harassment lacks the explicit sexual content by is usually raised on the gender of the person it could be conducted on a male or a female.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Top Investment Management Software & Apps of 2020

In today’s world, the advancement of technology is ever on the rise, and no country goes without feeling the effects of this new age revolution. Smartphones have been integrated into our lives as a valued tool that can help with a multitude of activities, such as controlling personal finances or investing in property online. Technology has been so integrated into modern society that a study conducted by eMarketer showed that in 2016 a total of 7.9 million civilians have smartphones and laptops, which translates into 45% of the population. The country with the highest penetration rate was America, with the forecast for 2018 predicting an increase by 52% of the US population. This data has led to the development of many apps and software that help people control their personal finances. Listed below, we have the best mobile applications and software to plan and manage finances. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

1- Fintonic

This is one of the most famous applications to control finances and is totally free. Fintonic allows users to record the movements of their accounts, check your available balance, and matches you with a personal assistant who advises on how to dispose of your finances. It is available for iOS and Android.

2- DollarBird

If you are looking for a mobile application that manages money along with a personalized calendar, this is the app for you. The personalized calendar helps with programing and totaling expenses and income depending on the date. This application is also incredibly user-friendly. It is available for both Android and iOS.

3- MoneyWiz 

This application allows you to control your accounts, create expense receipts, form budgets, record income and expenses, manage balance transfers between accounts, and provides you with insight into financial behavior in the future. This is one of the most complete and efficient applications to manage personal finances with ease for many people. It is available for both IOS and Android.   Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

4- iGasto 

This exclusive application functions on an IOS operating system and allows you to organize personal finances through its simple design. The user can organize expenses and receive daily, weekly, monthly, or annual summaries.  

5- Spendee 

This application allows users to record expenses on a timeline, which facilitates the management of income and expenses more visually and caters to people who have less than perfect financial knowledge and wish to organize their accounts. This app is available for both iOS and Android.

6- Control of expenses 

This totally free application is available for Android and allows the users to optimize control over daily expenses. The differentiating detail of this app is that users can attach images that justify or relate to each of their expenses, which assists in building awareness of personal financial habits.  

7- Whallet  

This app assists in managing finances easily and quickly. With it, users can organize expenses and income to categorize them and compare their evolution month by month. It can be downloaded from iPhone or Android phone. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

8- WiseBanyan

WiseBanyan is a free (with paid extra features) computerized robo-advisor. This software administrator is awesome for new investors and business owners who wish to contribute while keeping tabs on their development. Wisebanyan’s central goal is to enable users to handle investments and finances in a better way. WiseBanyan provides users with many options and advises them on monetary objectives and business plans. This software balances everything from adjusting your investment portfolio to profit reinvestment, with an individually valued menu featuring additional highlights. This service is a totally online investment management service, and it is not intended to handle daily income or expenses. The free version of WiseBanyan includes the following features:

  • Investment management
  • Trades
  • Dividend reinvestment
  • Portfolio rebalancing
Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Why Financial Statements are Important?

Even if you can see a pile of cash being generated from your business as a result of success, you are still not safe from making financial statements. You need to show the proof to the creditors, investors, and the tax authorities. Moreover, no matter how much money you receive in your bank account, you will need to see the figures and facts in a reported manner to get the peace of mind that your business is on the correct path. A financial statement is formed following the formats and principles mentioned in GAAP and IFRS. It is created for its users to serve different purposes;

  • Managers require the Financial Statements to measure the performance of the company’s current procedures and take important decisions. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers
  • Shareholders use the company’s financial statements to analyze the return they will receive upon the investments they have made in the company. It also helps them in making future investment decisions in the company.
  • Prospective Investors need financial statements to make sure that they are investing in the right place. They need an estimate of the return they will be receiving from their investments in the company. Moreover, they need financial statements to analyze the risks associated with the company’s investments.
  • Financial Institutions need financial statements to assess the credibility of the company. Whenever a company approaches a financial institution to borrow a loan for its project, it assesses the company’s credibility. The company’s current standing and the risks can be assessed through the financial statement. By lending the loan, financial institutions are technically investing in the company. Therefore, they need their financial statements to assess whether the loan will be beneficial for the institution and whether the company will repay it. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers
  • Suppliers need financial statements to assess the creditworthiness of a business where they are going to supply goods on credit to the company. Suppliers formulate the terms and conditions based on the company’s financial standing as specified in the financial statements.
  • Customers use financial statements to make sure that they can rely on a supplier (the company) to provide them the specialized component of their production process regularly. The customers use it to sign the contract where they assess and evaluate the standing of the supplier company.
  • The government uses financial statements to check the credibility of the tax declared by the company. It also helps the government keep track of the country’s economic progress by assessing the rate of growth of the companies.

As a whole, it also profits the company in several ways. Some of the major uses of financial statements are listed below.

  • Better Decision Making: Financial statements provide you the ease of making a proper decision related to businesses where all the information is reported in front of you. All the main information is used in making the appropriate decision. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers
  • The Tax Time: Through financial statements, you have control over the finances of the company. It helps you to report your profit in return easily and accurately. You do not need to make the efforts of gathering the receipts of expenses to claim the deduction. Everything has been done for you. You will only need to fill out and submit the return.
  • The Proof of Your Success: Even if you know or the world knows that your business is flourishing, you need financial statements. Why? Because you need proof of your success. You cannot simply tell people that your business is a success and attract them to it through words only. Facts and figures support your claim more than anything else.
  • Catching the Mistakes: Financial statements help you in catching errors, fraud, and mismanagements. It helps you identify the theft that is being done in your company. The department of finance does not always contain faithful people. Financial statements help you with that.

There are several other benefits of a financial statement. However, these are the major ones. Financial statements help a business in every way possible. It holds a business together and helps the business owners in getting the attraction of the public.

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers