Author: Jennifer Brazer

Long-term borrowing consists of a long application process where repayments are made for several years in order to pay off the loan. This loan is borrowed to fulfill the business needs on a large scale. However, short-term borrowing consists of a small loan amount that is available within a short period of time, as few as 24 hours.

The purpose of borrowing the loan varies; however, you must determine the specific and approximate amount you will need to fulfill the business purpose as a business owner. The decision of loan is also dependent on the repayment time. The type of loan that you borrow affects the business considering the amount of interest that you pay over the specified period of time.

Short-Term Business Loans:

Most business owners prefer to borrow short-term business loans. This type of loan makes the funds available in a very brief period of time. Moreover, with an increase in the number of banks and financial institutions, it has become easier for owners to pick out the best option for themselves. Now, they do not have to go through the strict rules and requirements of banks to borrow a loan. Effectively, it is better for business owners to borrow a short-term loan to compensate for minor setbacks that businesses face. This helps the business owners obtain funds as soon as possible.

Long-Term Business Loans:

This type of loan is sometimes necessary for varying business purposes. Mainly, when the business is looking to expand its operations or location, it needs financing, which cannot be covered by utilizing the company’s savings. At that time, business owners looking to borrow long-term business loans from which they expected enough profit to easily cover the repayments. For such a purpose, the loan is borrowed, and repayment can last for years or even for decades.

Although short-term financing loans have higher interest rates, borrowing a long-term loan means the borrower ends up paying more interest. It is often difficult for business owners to borrow long-term loans due to the hectic and lengthy procedures it requires to be approved. They have to wait for permission from multiple authorities in order to secure this type of loan.

Which One is Better?

There are several benefits of long-term borrowing. With the long-term goals of a company, long-term loans are the perfect option. They often coincide with the goals of a company. Long-term borrowing also decreases the risk of refinancing due to the fixed interest rate policy. Short-term borrowing offers floating rates which increases the financial risk of a company. Long-term finances help companies to spread out the debt maturities and control their capital needs. Hence, long-term loans are beneficial if we consider a large-scale company.

At the end of the day, everything depends on the need of the company; the purpose, the time it prefers to repay, and what type of interest rate suits it the best. Long-term borrowing should be done if the needs are on a large scale where the company is either looking to or launch a new product. Long-term loans must be considered when the company injects capital to take a step forward in the market. On the other hand, short-term borrowing should be considered if the company is falling behind in payment, facing a minor loss, or is trying to accommodate another operational activity. The decision of loan type is also dependent on the repayment time. The type of loan that you borrow tremendously affects the business considering the amount of interest you pay over time. Therefore, you must borrow the loan considering the current standing and needs of your business as well as the repayment structure.

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.

The best weapon for effective integration is a good vertical and horizontal communication system within the organization. The aim is to eliminate the enormous bureaucratic walls that, until recently, have predominated in companies, damaging good communication. Of course, all this impacted the results, bringing low productivity and a bad work climate.

With the new technologies, new tools are emerging that help us solve this problem, such as installing good Corporate Social Networks, which demonstrate that communication can flow internally naturally. The purpose of good integration and coordination of all the company departments is not more than to walk together towards the same destination creating synergies and common strengths that reduce time and costs.

But what about ourselves? Is the Human Resources Department different from the others and does not need that coordination? Of course not. As professionals, we must lead by example and be the first to apply the new techniques and strategies that match the culture and business philosophy. As in any other business, it is necessary to plan the department’s work and coordinate our teams. Here are five ways to manage human resources effectively.

1. Coordinate the Business Objectives with the Candidates’ Attitudes

First of all, it is to have very clear and defined objectives and the company’s philosophy. An organization in the creative sector will not pursue the same thing. Innovation and flexibility will be indispensable characteristics in the candidates, then a more technical company where knowledge and training will prevail over everything else. Based on these premises, we will determine the profile of the ideal candidate.

2. Analyze and Select among all the Recruitment Tools

The idea is to conduct a preliminary study to know those within our reach and those that best adapt to what we want to achieve. Today there are many options, professional social networks, specialized press, selection websites, recruitment software, etc. Surely the combination of several will give us the best result. Once chosen, the department will develop the best strategy for each of them.

3. Prevent Crisis

As Human Resources professionals, we know from experience that no matter how much we plan our recruitment processes, there may always be unforeseen events that will delay us with the cost that this entails. Therefore, and to prevent this from happening, we must be proactive and include in our Planning Guide the procedure to be followed in the event of any inconvenience trying to stop the process. It’s about anticipating events. 

4. Set Deadlines and Comply

For obvious reasons of time and money, companies cannot be perpetuated when filling a job, so it is important to have previously done background work that allows us to have a good base of candidates to go every time we need them. And if we also have this base structured according to the company’s profiles, all will be easier. 

5. Analyze your results

This is the last stage but not the least important. If we stop at the previous point, how will we know if we have done a good job and obtained the expected results? For this, it may be useful to answer a series of questions such as: 

Have I obtained the expected results? Could I do better in less time without reducing the quality of the process? Has this new incorporation meant the solution that the company was looking for? Without a doubt, the answer to these questions will improve our recruitment processes of the future.

How do you plan your Recruitment processes in your company? Do you think that really good planning helps when it comes to finding the best talent? Once you have answered these questions, you will easily manage staff and enhance your company.

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.

Many tycoons that were not born into the money became a tycoon by turning their gift into a profitable company. While your gifts may not make you a millionaire, they can still be your company’s foundation and be a rewarding career you will love. Here are five strategies you need to take to turn your gifts into a profitable company.

Passion

Gifts alone will not make your company a success. You have to have a profound passion for your company to survive those first critical years and have a long and rewarding career. If your passion is passing, your company will be short-lived and fail within the first two years. Passion also motivates your pursuit of knowledge. If your company’s operation requires you to learn more or get certifications if your passion is momentary, you won’t complete the education needed, and your company will fail.

Starting and running a company is hard work and often takes up more hours than working for someone else, so your hunger is vital to drive forward even when difficult. 

Challenges

Most business owners who start a company of any kind will tell you that every phase of starting and running a company is a trial. If you have evaluated your passion and know you want to use your gifts to form a company, you will still need the endurance to work through the unavoidable challenges of running a company.

The difficulties that come with operating a company can be overwhelming and even a little frightening. You have to keep going despite these times. However, you don’t just have to tolerate the challenges. You can develop your company and come up with creative ideas to meet these challenges.

Branding

Your gifts and passion got the company started and helped drive you through the challenges, but your company’s success and permanence rely on customers. The greatest way to gain and keep customers is to grow your brand and market it.

To grow your brand, know what makes you and your company different or find your company’s focal point, which could be the gifts or a product or service your company offers. Whatever makes your company stand out from others in the marketplace is what you should build your brand around. That quality will be the most powerful foundation for your company and your brand.

Also, having a solid and established brand will make it simpler to develop marketing strategies. Think about the billionaires that built a company on their gifts and identify their brand. Their brand is likely what you thought of first, not the billionaire.

Focus

Keeping your focus on the overall running of your company is a given. If you allow outside effects and challenges to sidetrack you, your company may fail. Some of the disruptions are inevitable issues. These issues should get your attention as they could become bigger problems later. Other disruptions can be people who don’t support you or your company.

Starting and operating your own company, especially one based on your gifts, can draw a lot of negativity from family and friends who don’t see the potential you do. Despite this negativity, keep your focus. This is not their company or life, it is yours, and it requires your devotion and efforts.

Assessment

You must regularly assess your company. Assessments are meant to test how your company is succeeding and where it is failing. You can make these assessments weekly, monthly, or yearly. If you have regular assessments, it lets you and your staff make changes to grow your company.

Sometimes your company will start strong and fizzle. This is not necessarily because your passion or desire for the company has faded. You are doing some of the same things now that you did initially, and these strategies no longer work.

Conclusion

Using your gifts to start your own company is a great idea if you have a passion for owning and operating a company based on those gifts. If you decide to use these gifts to work for yourself instead of lending your gifts to someone else’s company, you will surely succeed if you follow these steps.

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.

Every company strives to be successful and wants to be the best in the business. A company invests time and a large amount of money to generate as much revenue as possible. However, some bad practices and financial mistakes that a company makes during startup can land them in a financial crisis. Here are nine mistakes most business owners make and how to avoid them.

Inappropriate pricing

When a business sets pricing for products and services, they have to consider a few things. They have to price high enough to cover production and overhead while low enough to be competitive. The pricing also has to be in line with the market but can be at the higher or lower end of what the market can bear. Pricing can be appropriately decided by researching your product or service and the nearest competitors and other market research information. 

Ignoring Data

Market research is important when setting pricing, and it is also important when building a marketing strategy. Many businesses that fail ignored market research altogether. A business owner needs to collect and use data to run the business and be competitive in the market.

Inappropriate Budget Plans

While many businesses have a budget plan, they don’t have room for expenses that may come up. There should be a clear budget with fixed and variable expenses. The budget should also have built-in expenses for those unforeseen things that can happen.

High Fixed Costs

When setting up the business, there will be fixed and variable expenses in the budget. That is the same or fixed costs every month, and those that vary due to usage or other reasons. Fixed costs are generally the rent or lease and some fixed utility costs. When searching for a location and setting up services, you should negotiate or seek out the lowest costs possible because you generally can’t cut from these once you are locked into a contract.

Failing to Reinvest

When the business becomes profitable, it is important to reinvest those profits back into the business. A business is not truly making a profit until it fully funds operations and payroll and has money left over. Some business owners use the money for non-business-related funding and fail to reinvest, and the business struggles financially.

Self-Financing

Approximately 50% of the entrepreneurs finance the entire business with their own money. This can lead to companies drowning if they lack customers, and there is a gap between income and the payment of liabilities. It is wiser to self-finance a business if the investment is minimum. If the investment is huge, taking some loans or getting finance from someone should be considered.

Low Business Credit Score

It takes time to qualify for a business credit score, but business owners should consider it very important from the beginning. Strive to register on a business credit bureau report as soon as possible. There must be separate credit reports for business and personal credit reporting. Once the business credit is built, it will be less likely to affect the personal credit if it goes into a loss.

No Business Plan

Every business, especially a startup, should have a business plan. The business plan needs to include thorough market and financial research. This plan will be a breakdown of the business to use for potential investors or lenders. Many business owners are intimidated by the business plan because it is detailed and difficult. Still, it needs to be a part of every phase of your business and regularly updated.

No Drawing of Salary

Often business owners sacrifice, giving themselves a salary because they are trying to keep the business running and making money. Though this may seem like the right idea, the business owner must draw a salary. This salary can’t be at the expense of other employees, but it does need to be factored into the business’s expenses.

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.

Whether you are running a small business or a big one, you will face challenges while setting up your business and keeping your employees safe. One of the biggest challenges an organization will ever face is disaster management, especially natural ones. It doesn’t matter where your business is established; disasters occur in every part of the world in the form of storms, floods, earthquakes, and many others.

Businesses that are well established might get back on their feet, given the number of resources at their disposal. However, the situation is not the same for small businesses. Most of them are not prepared to handle floods, chemical explosions, fire hazards, and other disasters. Here are six reasons disaster preparedness is essential to your business.

Why is it essential to handle disasters?

When disasters are not handled properly, they can damage property, equipment, inventory, displace employees, and cause significant revenue loss. You need to make sure that you have an emergency plan to protect your business assets, safeguard your employees’ wellbeing, and minimize any interruption that can slow down your business in the future.

In case your business has suffered from a disaster, the first thing you need to do is protect your employees. It is recommended that you ask them to work from home. Then, you transfer all your data to a cloud database. Backing up your data daily can protect you from significant financial losses.

Let’s learn why disaster management or preparedness is essential for small businesses.

Making a Professional Impression

When you have a disaster recovery plan, you immediately let people know that you are keeping things professional. You don’t take anything for granted, and no matter the size of your firm, your approach is no less than a prominent business owner. When a small business protects its valuable assets and people from disasters and documents everything, it leaves a strong professional impression.

Employee Safety

When an employee works for a company, it becomes the firm’s responsibility to ensure their health and safety. When employees feel safe and secure, they work harder and perform better, resulting in better organizational productivity. If you do not protect your employees, you will have a bad reputation in the industry and lose your employees due to injuries or, worst-case scenario, death. 

Business Continuity

One of the most important reasons for having a concrete disaster recovery plan is for business continuity. Many types of business disasters occur naturally, and you need to make sure those disasters don’t have a significant impact on your business; otherwise, your business would not be able to recover ever. If you want to continue your business operations, then it can be as easy as asking people to start working from home for a while.

Cost-Efficiency

Disaster plans are not for issues that take place at hand. Even a business that doesn’t have a recovery plan can handle a disaster. The point is how to get things back to normal once the disaster is over. Small or big, your business will suffer certain losses, so how you recover from that loss is the bigger question, and a recovery plan can give you the direction. If you don’t have a plan, you would be spending thousands of dollars on things that might not be so important in the first place.

Improving B2B Relations

Every company not only has to look after its customers but also its business partners as well. If you are facing a disaster, you might be prepared for it in advance because it ensures your business partners that you are not taking things for granted, and it gives a positive impression of you.

Conclusion

Before they expand into the market and find a stable position, small businesses are always walking on thin ice. Even a minor disruption can cause a significant ripple effect causing a business to collapse if it is not prepared. Having a disaster recovery plan helps business owners protect their valuable assets and ensure no harm is done to the business from which they cannot recover.

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.

Improper hiring practices, conflicts of interest, discrimination, harassment, unethical leadership, and misuse of company perks are among the most common ethical issues in a company. By adopting a good strategy, ethical conflicts can effectively be resolved.

When two employees of a company are eager for one promotion, and both take credit for one piece of work, suppressing each other gives way to an ethical conflict. In such a situation, their leadership needs to find a way to figure out who deserves credit for the work and decide accordingly.

Ethical conflict in a company can lead to big financial loss in a penalty, litigation, employee turnover, or negative PR.  The most desirable option for a business is to keep away from any of such problems.

Have a strong HR policy in your company

Maintaining healthy and clear communication with your company employees in context with their employment and job must be prioritized. Make sure that all employees are treated equally and fairly. Plan and manage their expectations. Organize regulations and guidelines for company managers and superiors to follow.

Prevention from harassment and discrimination

Among the greatest ethical conflicts that affect a company are harassment and discrimination issues.  If they occur, the result is adverse. They put a company’s reputation at stake and lead it towards financial loss. 

Anti-discrimination laws and regulations are to be followed in a company to protect its employees from being unfairly treated. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines various harassment and discrimination issues that severely affect a company.

Physical or mental disability: It is very important to treat disabled employees equally and without discrimination. Professional business environment plans and follows a strict policy, particularly for their disabled employees.

Race or ethnicity: All company employees have the right to be treated fairly regardless of their race, color, or ethnic differences.

Religion: Equal treatment is provided in a good company to all its employees within grounds despite their religious differences.

Old age: This rule applies to overage employees for their equal treatment. Organized businesses strictly abide by ageist policies with other rules and regulations.

Equivalent Pay: Regardless of religion, ethnicity, sex, and race, all employees are righteous to receive equal pay for their work.  

Health & sickness: Equal treatment is provided to the company’s sick and pregnant employees without discrimination.

Sex and Gender: Despite their sex or gender identity, all company employees are treated with equality.

Avoidance of conflicts of interest

A proper company policy must be established to avert interest conflicts between employees, board members, or contractors. Firstly, identification of situations that create conflicts is necessary. The policy must clearly state the eventual actions the company is righteous to take in response to a conflict regarding any employee.

Unethical behaviors

Unethical behaviors are also a source of damage to the reputation of a company.  They can cause a company to lose its valued customers and shut down its operations. Nevertheless, the company management must work together with the employees to avoid unethical behaviors.

To serve the purpose, the company must create a written code of conduct for its senior, middle, and junior level employees. This protocol must state the discipline and behaviors expected to be displayed by the employees.

Improper hiring practices prevention

To safeguard your company from the eventualities of improper hiring practices, regular training of the human resource department is mandatory. Each HR department employee must be fully aware of company policies and anti-discrimination rules and regulations. Thorough training must be provided to them regarding discrimination in the hiring process. This proves to be very resourceful for having the HR and everyone related to the hiring process updated with the quickly swapping perspective of discrimination laws.

Prevention from misuse of company perks

There are people in a company having more influence and power. If these powers are used judiciously, power can influence others positively. And, If not, the outcome is reversed. In a company, the pecking order generally incorporates employees with their reporting authorities, like managers and supervisors. Organizing a fair and just working environment lessens the chances of misuse of power in a business.

Ethical issues linked with social media

Ethical conflicts in a business and social media are problematic because such conditions fall in the gray area. Refraining from perplexity or unclarity between the business and its employees is a wise step. The initiatives to be applied are regulations and procedures for employees that narrate what to/what not to do on social media.

Instructions for the employees regarding their social media usage could be implied with training programs, board notices, and regular emails. Adoption of this policy is a virtuous chance to redirect the concern with other employees in case of misconduct or violation of social media by one or more, leading to termination.

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.

Every business looks to improve its staff productivity by integrating various training and growth strategies. Time management is an important skill that is not often found in the staff. It is a skill that isn’t essentially innate but instead develops over time with proper management, processes, and training. With so many disruptions occurring in an average workplace environment, focusing on important tasks can become quite tricky. Here are four great ways to improve time management and increase productivity.

Maintaining timesheets

Keeping a record of how and where time is spent on a regular day can provide great insight into how time is being utilized at the office. Maintaining a timesheet will clearly show periods of productive work and areas where time was spent doing work that wasn’t entirely necessary and didn’t bring any value to the business. Even maintaining a timesheet for a few weeks can provide all the information one needs to figure out where time can be better utilized and what activities are consuming too much time that doesn’t benefit the business or its overall goals.  

Working on a fixed schedule

A fixed schedule of tasks and activities to be carried out within the day is another method of increasing productivity. Fixed schedules can be a useful tool for time management, but only if the business is well versed in knowing how long each task should take on average per staff. Fixed schedules can be used in the manufacturing sector. Still, it isn’t easy to implement in businesses that are continually changing as such businesses require flexibility in their workforce that a fixed schedule does not allow. Fixed schedules, however, are beneficial to many businesses. It must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Set milestones and objectives

Another way one can improve staffs’ time management skills is by setting fixed deadlines, milestones, and objectives. This helps ensure that staffs know the most critical tasks and how to best divide time to accomplish each task individually in the desired period. This is a relatively autocratic form of management where staff feels empowered to make their schedules long as targets are being met. However, this method can be both a plus point and a drawback depending on staff etiquette and work ethic. If you are in a business that adheres to strict deadlines, this may be an effective way of managing staff as it ensures that no matter what work is being concluded on time.

Coaching, training & business

The best to consolidate time management skills within the staff pool is by training and coaching. Training sessions that outline the importance of effective business and time-saving techniques can improve and enhance staff time management skills. Personal coaching for staff who may be struggling to hit desired targets can also be extremely beneficial. Keeping an eye on staff activities within a workplace environment can explain where and how their time can be better utilized. Teaching staff how to maintain a proper calendar, to-do list, and even a time journal can positively connotate their productivity and output.

Conclusion

Time is the world’s most precious commodity, and it is one of the few things in life that can only be spent, not saved. Effective use of time, both from a professional and a personal standpoint, is of utmost importance to get to a person’s fullest potential. Encouraging staff to practice time management and mandating specific time management procedures like keeping a time log can lead to a more productive and efficient workforce. Staff must be aware of how valuable and useful time management skills can be from a personal and professional standpoint.

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.

If you are a small business owner, you possibly push a lot of focus on your efforts with the day-to-day tasks to keep the business going. You may not have thought about how you could save for retirement, even if it is fast approaching. More than two-thirds of small business owners do not plan for retirement, either for themselves or for their staff.

While some workers profit from a pension plan or a supplemental pension plan, this is not the case for many small business owners. It is you who has to plan your future and decide how you will finance your retirement. Here are some questions that will help you build a retirement plan even though the business is small.

How soon would you like to retire?

It is a good starting point for planning your outlook when it comes to your retirement. Even if you have only an ambiguous idea of ​​when you will retire, the important thing is to have a goal to achieve. This will help you think about the number of years you want to continue working, what you would like to do after retirement. It will also help you determine how much you can save by then.

There are many factors to consider, such as your physical and financial health, when determining the date that is best for you, your family, or anyone else with whom you plan to retire.

What lifestyle do you want to have in retirement?

It is important to consider the lifestyle you want to have in retirement when determining the amount you will need to take full advantage of it. Consider how often you would like to travel and ask yourself if you would like to volunteer or stay home. Retiring does not mean that you have to stop working completely. You could delegate specific responsibilities, work part-time, or act as a consultant while your successor becomes familiar with the business’s inner workings.

How will you finance your retirement?

The good news is that you can choose from many options to finance your retirement. Government programs such as the Pension Plans, the Old Age Security Pension Plan can provide you with basic income. And during your working years, you can take advantage of the tax benefits offered by the registered retirement savings plan and the tax-free savings account to save for retirement.

The individual pension plan and the retirement agreement are also options available to business owners who finance their retirement themselves.

If some owners count on their business’s sale to finance their retirement, this strategy is not without risks, the unknowns being numerous. An important question is whether someone will be ready to buy your business when you put it up for sale. It would help if you also had it appraised to find out its fair market value before you start looking for potential buyers.

Financing your retirement involves many important decisions. It would help if you spoke to your advisor about what to do to diversify your retirement income sources.

What future do you want for your business?

Every owner has to leave his business sooner or later. However, to be in good financial health at retirement and protect your assets, establishing a succession plan is important.

Here are some scenarios to consider:

• Transfer or sell the business to a family member
• Sell ​​to a partner or employee
• Sell ​​to a third party

Even if you know who will take over your business, it will take time – perhaps a few years – to help them prepare to take over. Your successor may need to acquire specific skills and build relationships beforehand, in addition to having to become familiar with all aspects of the business.

It would help if you did not answer all these questions alone: ​​your advisor, accountant, and lawyer can help you with your planning, be it estate planning, tax-efficient investments, or retirement savings plans.

Knowing that you are ready for various situations can save you many worries and focus on your business. Even if retirement is still far away, having a plan means that you can cope with any eventuality. It is merely a good business strategy.

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.

Anyone in business today understands that the face of business is greatly different than it was a few years ago. One of the greatest advancements in business marketing has been the internet and social media platforms. When it comes to your small business marketing, you must use every opportunity available to you, and having an online and social media presence is crucial. However, there are some errors that small business owners make when using social media. Here are the five online marketing mistakes to avoid.

Posting Frequency

No matter the gist of your posts on social media, you can post too much or too little. It would be best to find the balance between staying connected to your customers and followers and not over or under posting.

Inundating your feed with business-related posts will flood your follower’s feeds, and because they are only getting eye-fulls of your content, they may choose to unfollow you. If this is the case, when they need your product or service, they may not think of what you recommend, what they are looking for, or worse, they remember that you were annoying with your posts and decide to give their business to someone else.

On the other hand, many business owners get off to a great start by setting up social media and gaining followers and interacting a bit, then go completely silent or post too little to make an impact. You are using your social media to connect with your customers, but it is an essential part of your branding. Social media platforms are where people get to know you, your staff, and your business, so you need to post often while holding back from posting too much.

Aggressive Sales

Aggressive or pushy sales strategies can backfire and often have the opposite effect on your sales and the desire to use your products and services when a need arises. If you ask most people how they feel about having a pushy salesperson approach them when they walk into a store or on a lot, they will tell you it makes them uncomfortable. The same can be said about using similar tactics when using your social media.

When representing a product or service of another company, those companies will push you to be pushy and center all their sales tactics around an aggressive approach. These people often get unfollowed when they are doing nothing but trying to push their products and services on you.

To avoid this, use soft sales approaches. Make videos that add value to someone’s life and connect them to you as a salesperson but don’t necessarily have to do with the product. This approach will make it easier for potential customers to approach you about what you offer. Or even if you approach them, they will be more receptive to what you are selling.

Customer Service Issues

It is no surprise that many people use social media platforms to speak their views. Hiding behind a keyboard makes it far easier to say things we might not say if we were face-to-face with someone. Having said that, if a person gives a negative review or speaks badly of your company, you can use it as a customer service moment. No matter the customer’s attitude, you should always react with thoughtfulness, understanding, and professionalism

Ignoring Followers

Your followers are those who have opted to connect to you on social media. They are prospective customers or future business associates. Many business owners who use social media neglect engaging with their followers, leaving them feeling unconnected, and eventually, they will stop following you.

Find ways to interact with them, whether it be by following back and interacting on their posts or answering comments they make on your posts. Also, making your posts engaging can positively affect your followers and potential customers or partners.

Poor Writing

Having properly written posts on behalf of your business should be a given, but it is surprising how many don’t take the time to check before publishing. Since all content you post to your business followers represents you and your business, make sure you check and double-check spelling and grammar. A few spelling and grammar managers can be turned on within your chosen browser and used every time you post or comment.

Conclusion

While marketing is a living, breathing thing, you should work to avoid mistakes in marketing online. These tips can help you avoid these mistakes and ensure that your online marketing plan will be effective and inexpensive.

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.

Investing in a rental real estate property will involve buying a home to rent out to receive additional income and build wealth.

Investments can be optimized through tax breaks that reduce income taxes. The legislator or the government will authorize tax deductions in exchange for a rental commitment. Any taxpayer who pays taxes can benefit from adapted tax exemption solutions. The rental investment is the only investment that will build wealth financed on credit, less paid by the tenant, and the balance is regulated by a tax saving and a reduced savings effort.

1. Select a promising geographic area for your rental investment and study the market

Choose a city characterized by a continuous increase in population, a district well served by public transport, a municipality with commercial infrastructures, etc. Before buying four rooms, for example, check the proximity of schools or even universities to offer it to rent to a family or colocation students.

Check the listings for vacancy rates in the selected neighborhood and rental rates. A property that is too expensive is more difficult to rent compared to less expensive properties. Also, consider the large industries that can be located nearby as this can be a guarantee to rent your property.

As in any rental property investment, the fundamental rule to follow is the strategic choice of the location of the property: it must be a sector where the rental demand is strong, the only way to sustain the investment regarding occupancy and surplus-value on resale. Compare the perspectives of surplus-value between the regions as they may be less interested in some areas where the price of m2 is already high at the time of the acquisition.

2. Buy a home

Do not involve your emotions in the selection of your property. The residence that you choose to rent out will not be your main residence. Becoming emotionally attached to the property can cause you to lose sight of the primary objective: the search for a profitable income. Beware of properties in a disaster zone. The prices may be attractive, but you will lose money in the end. Be sure to go on-site before buying.

3. diversify your investments

Your monthly effort must remain low with a reduced contribution (10%) and a loan limited to 20 years. The price per square meter of smaller areas will be higher for purchase as well as renting. This precaution, combined with diversification of investments, will easily handle problems such as unpaid rents.

Regarding real estate investment, remember that the added value is made on the purchase price and not on the resale price! It is therefore essential to buy well!

4. Do not look for excessive profitability and think tax exemption instead

Given the performance of conventional investments, a return of 3 to 4% is very suitable. Also, a real estate investment is always worth the long-term. With the Pinel system, you will deduct a portion of your taxes over six, nine, or twelve years: an interesting calculation, even if the rents of these dwellings, capped, are a little lower than the average. The financial packages will then allow you to study the interest rates, the different types of loans, use the various laws of property tax exemption, as well as find the appropriate investment taking into account the possible hazards (especially in the investment in the old, works are often expected).

5. Select your tenant and your promoter

To find the “good” tenant who will regularly pay his rent, the landlord must ask for certain supporting documents to minimize the risks. This will help give you the proper knowledge you need to make a decision.

For rent less than one-third of the income, you can ask for a joint guarantee. In the case of a roommate, ask for a deposit for the entire rent from each tenant.

6. Put your rental investment into management

Rental management is a service that comes under the jurisdiction of real estate agencies, notaries, or trustees. It can be defined as all activities that aim to optimize a real estate asset’s economic return. Hiring an agency will help relieve you of worries and help with procedures more efficiently.

7. Subscribe a guarantee

The Rental Guarantee is insurance that guarantees the payment of the rents of your property. You are thus assured of making your investment profitable.

You must take out a Rental Guarantee for each property you wish to insure. You can opt for classic unpaid rent insurance or the new universal guarantee of rental risks. Contact an insurance company and plan to spend 1.5 to 2.5% of your rent on it.

 

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.