Header Right

Reviewing Last Year’s Business Records Gives You an Idea of What Worked and What Didn’t

by

M. Jeffrey Martin, CPA, LLC - Reviewing Last Year's Business RecordsBusy is good. Most small business owners would rather things were too hectic than too slow. As the year winds down, though, let your staff handle the busy-ness while you look at the business — where you are, what you’ve accomplished in the past year and where you’re headed in the new year and beyond.

Your Bottom Line

The quickest way to figure out where you are is to check your bottom line. Are you making money? Are profits better or worse than they were last year at this time? Are you meeting your expectations? If not, why not?

Your Business Plan

Change is inevitable. And businesses have a way of outgrowing their business plans. But if you don’t have a current plan, you don’t have a way of measuring your progress. So if you’ve been “off road” without a plan for a while, it’s time to formalize a plan that reflects past growth and sets new goals for the next several years.

Your Competition

The more you know about your competition, the better. Who are they? How are they different? How are they the same? Where do you overlap each other? Understanding their business model will help you prepare strategically for possible changes in the marketplace.

Your Secret Weapon

Your workforce is your secret weapon, especially if you’re in a competitive market. Dedicated, well-trained employees providing top-notch customer service can help put you out front of even the largest competitor. A rich, competitive benefits package will help you attract — and retain — a high-caliber workforce. Health insurance and retirement plans are highly valued benefits. You can offer a variety of other benefits to suit your employees’ needs and your budget. Ask your financial professional for information.

Your Future

Do you have a formal succession plan? Are you grooming someone to take over? A well-trained successor could help in the successful — and profitable — transfer of your business. And you can use life insurance to prefund all or part of the sale.

Don’t get left behind. Contact us today to discover how we can help you keep your business on the right track. Don’t wait, give us a call at 912-634-7722 or request a free consultation now to learn more.

Could Your Sales Invoices Be Better? How QuickBooks Online Can Help.

by

M. Jeffrey Martin, CPA, LLC - QuickBooksEvery interaction with your customers can enhance your image. Here’s how QuickBooks Online contributes to that.

Getting paid by your customers—on time, and in full—can take some effort on your part. You set smart due dates and enforce them. Price your products and services so they’re both reasonable and profitable. Accept online payments.

But are your invoices working for you here? QuickBooks Online provides sales form templates that you can usually use without modifying. But it also offers tools that support multiple kinds of customization. It helps you shape the content and appearance of your invoices and their accompanying messages to be consistent with your company’s brand.

These may be cosmetic changes, but they can affect the way customers react to communications from you. You have few chances to make an impression, so anything you can do to enhance and personalize every interaction will have impact on their impression of you. Neat, well-designed sales forms convey professionalism and attention to details.

Here’s a look at what you can do.

Editing Fields

Unless you use every single field in QuickBooks Online’s default sales form template, your invoices will look sloppier than they might otherwise. The site gives you control over much of the content that your customers will see. To make changes, click the gear icon in the upper right of the screen and select Account and Settings, then Sales. You’ll see Sales form content in the left column. Click on any of the fields to the right to open a more thorough list of options.

QuickBooks Online lets you turn fields on and off in your sales forms and specify other preferences.

Click on the status (On, Off) in the right column to change it. When you’re satisfied with your selections, click Save. Then close that window by clicking the X in the upper right corner.

You have more options than these. Click the gear icon again, and then Your Company | Custom Form Styles. You’ll see that there is already a “master” form. You can either edit it or create a new one. We recommend leaving the master form alone so you always have a clean copy to consult if you get tangled up while you’re working.

Click the down arrow in the New style box in the upper right and select Invoice. In the screen that opens, enter a descriptive name for your template in the field at the top and then click Content. A graphical representation of your invoice will appear in the right pane, grayed out. It’s divided into three sections: header, footer, and table (the middle of the invoice where you describe what you sold). Each displays a small pencil icon on the right side of the screen. Click the one in the middle to make that area more visible.

It’s easy to specify which fields should appear on your invoices, what the labels should say, and how wide the space should be.

As you check and uncheck boxes to indicate what content should be included, your invoice on the right will change to reflect your actions. You can Preview PDF by clicking that button in the lower right. When you’re satisfied with the changes you’ve made to all three sections, click on the Design tab.

Changing the Look

You don’t have to be a graphic artist to have QuickBooks Online forms that look attractive and consistent, which highlight your brand. The site provides tools that give you control over the appearance of your invoices, not just their content. Click each link below the Design tab to:

  • Choose a template.
  • Add your company’s logo.
  • Select a color scheme and fonts.
  • Change the printer settings to accommodate letterhead, for example.

Choosing Your Words

You have control over the messages that go out with your invoices.

Finally, click the Emails tab. Options here let you customize the emails that are sent to customers along with their invoices. Again, changes you make in the left pane will be reflected in the graphical version on the right side.

When you’ve completed all of your modifications, click Done.

We gave you this whirlwind tour of QuickBooks Online’s invoice customization options so you’d know what was possible. We expect you might need some assistance when you sit down to apply the concepts you’ve learned about to your own company’s sales forms. We’re available to help you present a polished, carefully-crafted image representing your brand to your customers.

Social media posts

Are you satisfied with the image you convey to customers through your QuickBooks Online sales forms? We can help you make them more customized and effective.

You have few chances to interact directly with your customers. Make sure your QuickBooks Online sales forms convey the image you and your brand deserves.

QuickBooks Online comes with sales form templates that may work for your company, but did you know you have control over their appearance and content?

Your customers pay attention to the sales forms you produce for them. QuickBooks Online lets you improve on the default templates it provides making a better impression to your client.

Ready to get started with a Certified QuickBooks accountant? Call us at 912-634-7722 to schedule your free initial consultation.

Family Businesses and the Next Generation

by

Portrait of an extended familyHaving your children work in the family business is a great way to teach your kids about work ethic and money management, and to kick-start their retirement or college savings plan. Click through for tips on bringing your children into the family business.

Is having your children work in your family-owned business a blessing or a curse? Here are five tips for making it a blessing and preventing it from being curse:

Have them work elsewhere for at least five years. They need time to mature, becoming their own individuals, and to gain confidence learning and doing things as distinct human beings rather than just children of successful parents. Kids need to learn how to work, to be punctual, to earn their own money and to be held accountable. Everyone wins when potential successors have excellent training and gain skills and confidence outside the nuclear family.

Consider this scenario: A family-owned restaurant in a small town occasionally has three generations working together on a Friday night. The children are under the age of 16. Assuming that child labor laws have been taken into account, the family is content that they are passing on a tradition and family trade. The kids work one or two nights during the weekend.

In this example, the family is limiting the number of hours, and their expectations are reasonable. It’s a way for children to learn the family business and helps them gain self-respect. Indeed, one adult who remembers working with his mother in a greenhouse when he was 12 and 13 recalls that the job was hot, dirty and exhausting. However, he recalls he got paid for the work he did, and it gave him a greater appreciation for the work his parents did to support their family.

Understand generational differences. Today’s young people are far more likely to want to work to live rather than adopt their parents’ “live to work” attitude. That’s why your adult children don’t want to work 80-hour workweeks. Younger children and other employees are most probably looking for a different workplace experience.

Give psychometric assessments to make their personalities/capabilities fit their jobs. One child may be temperamentally unsuited for a position demanding detail and strict deadlines; he or she may be more of a big-picture, laissez-faire personality. Assessing such things will go a long way to improving both business function and family harmony.

Hold them accountable, but not to an unreasonable standard. Give your kids crystal-clear roles and responsibilities and regular reviews so they know whether they’re living up to their job descriptions. The biggest morale killer in small businesses is underperforming or dysfunctional family members who are allowed to meander through various roles with virtually no accountability and to inflict themselves on others in your organization. In that case, pruning the family tree almost always results in improved business productivity.

Communicate formally and regularly with a third-party facilitator. Virtually every family employee thinks he or she works harder and contributes more than anyone else and stews over this. Family businesses have a greater need for formal communication to resolve perceived contribution issues, especially if you decide a family member is ill-suited to working at your company. You need to be able to discuss volatile topics constructively and productively. Seek the help of a talented facilitator to get the most from your family business.

It can be a wonderful experience for all involved to have your children work with you. Just remember that it’s a delicate balancing act that needs your attention.

Call us now at 912-634-7722 to learn more or request your free consultation online to get started.

Do You Have to File an Information Return?

by

accountant is working at deskIf you made or received a payment in a calendar year as a small business or self-employed individual, you most likely are required to file an information return to the IRS. Click through to learn what this means.

If you engaged in certain financial transactions during the calendar year as a small business or self-employed (individual), you are most likely required to file an information return to the IRS. Below are some of the transactions that you have to report.

  • Services performed by independent contractors — those not employed by your business.
  • Prizes and awards, as well as certain other payments — termed other income.
  • Rent.
  • Royalties.
  • Backup withholding or federal income tax withheld.
  • Payments to physicians, physicians’ corporation or other suppliers of health and medical services.
  • Substitute dividends or tax-exempt interest payments, and you are a broker.
  • Crop insurance proceeds.
  • Gross proceeds of $600 or more paid to an attorney.
  • Interest on a business debt to someone (excluding interest on an obligation issued by an individual.
  • Dividends and other distributions to a company shareholder.
  • Distribution from a retirement or profit plan, or from an IRA or insurance contract.
  • Payments to merchants or other entities in settlement of reportable payable transactions — any payment card or third-party network transaction.

Being in receipt of a payment may also require you to file an information return. Some examples include:

  • Payment of mortgage interest (including points) or reimbursements of overpaid interest from individuals.
  • Sale or exchange of real estate.
  • You are a broker and you sold a covered security belonging to your customer.
  • You are an issuer of a security taking a specified corporate action that affects the cost basis of the securities held by others.
  • You released someone from paying a debt secured by property, or someone abandoned property that was subject to the debt or otherwise forgave their debt to you (1099-C).
  • You made direct sales of at least $5,000 of consumer products to a buyer for resale anywhere other than in a permanent retail establishment.

Keep in mind that information is for businesses. You will not have to file an information return if you are not engaged in a trade or business. You also will not have to file an information return if you are engaged in a trade or business and 1) the payment was made to another business that’s incorporated, but wasn’t for medical or legal services or 2) the sum of all payments made to the person or unincorporated business was less than $600 in one tax year.

This is just an introduction to a complicated topic, and the mechanics of filing such a return are filled with essential details. If you’re running a business, even a small one, be sure to discuss the details with a qualified professional.

Call us now at 912-634-7722 to learn more or request your free consultation online to get started.

Home Office Tax Tips

by

M. Jeffery Martin, CPA, LLC - Individual Tax ArticlesWorking from home can potentially deliver some attractive tax advantages. If you qualify for the home office deduction, you can deduct all direct expenses and part of your indirect expenses involved in working from home. Note, however, that qualifying for such deductions became harder under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). If you previously claimed a home office as a miscellaneous deduction on your individual income tax return, the TCJA eliminated that deduction for tax years 2018-2025. You must now file a Schedule C on Form 1040 to be eligible for the home office deduction.

What Space Can Qualify?

Direct expenses are costs that apply only to your home office. The cost of painting your home office is an example of a direct expense. Indirect expenses are costs that benefit your entire home, such as rent, deductible mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and homeowner’s insurance. You can deduct only the business portion of your indirect expenses.

Your home office could be a room in your home, a portion of a room in your home, or a separate building next to your home that you use to conduct business activities. To qualify for the deduction, that part of your home must be one of the following:

Your principal place of business. This requires you to show that you use part of your home exclusively and regularly as the principal place of business for your trade or business.

A place where you meet clients, customers, or patients. Your home office may qualify if you use it exclusively and regularly to meet with clients, customers, or patients in the normal course of your trade or business.

A separate, unattached structure used in connection with your trade or business. A shed or unattached garage might qualify for the home office deduction if it is a place that you use regularly and exclusively in connection with your trade or business.

A place where you store inventory or product samples. You must use the space on a regular basis (but not necessarily exclusively) for the storage of inventory or product samples used in your trade or business of selling products at retail or wholesale.

Note: If you set aside a room in your home as your home office and you also use the room as a guest bedroom or den, then you won’t meet the “exclusive use” test.

Simplified Option

If you prefer not to keep track of your expenses, there’s a simplified method that allows qualifying taxpayers to deduct $5 for each square foot of office space, up to a maximum of 300 square feet

Want to discuss our individual tax services in more detail? Contact M. Jeffrey Martin, CPA, LLC at 912-634-7722 to schedule your free initial consultation today.

How QuickBooks Online Can Improve Your Company’s Financial Health

by

M. Jeffery Martin, CPA, LLC - QuickBooksQuickBooks Online is more than just an online bookkeeper. It can help improve your cash flow, your customer relationships, your inventory readiness, and your future.

 

If you’re already using QuickBooks Online, you know how much impact its bookkeeping abilities have had on your company’s accounting operations. You’re saving time, which in-turn saves money, and you’re reducing errors. When a customer or vendor calls with a question, or you yourself need to track down a critical detail to solve a problem, you’re able to find solutions quickly.

 

You may already have learned, though, that QuickBooks Online’s benefits include much more than simply getting the numbers right. When you take advantage of all it can offer, you’re likely to notice more far-reaching effects.

 

The Specifics

 

Let’s look at how QuickBooks Online accomplishes all of this. You can do much of it on your own, but we’re trained to help small businesses get the most out of QuickBooks Online. We can help you maximize the effectiveness of your accounting time so your company can:

 

Better balance between income and expenses.

QuickBooks Online provides quick, real-time overviews of your sales status.

 

You can’t begin to improve your company’s cash flow until you understand where the financial bottlenecks are. QuickBooks Online provides that information for both income and expenses in a variety of ways. In the image above, you can see that there are seven past-due invoices. Click on the orange bar to see a list of them, and you can automatically send reminders. QuickBooks Online also automates the process of sending statements.

 

You can also run accounts receivable and accounts payable reports that will show where you stand with customers and vendors, like Open Invoices, Uninvoiced Time, Unpaid Bills, and Accounts Payable Aging Detail. If you determine that one of your consistent problems with cash flow is late customer payments, you can set up a merchant account through QuickBooks Online to support credit card payments and bank transfers.

 

More repeat business because of improved customer interaction.

 

Your customers are like gold. To build the best relationships possible with them, you need a clear, updated picture of their transactions, their payment details and history, and your interaction with them. QuickBooks Online provides templates for Customer Information records that provide all of that, along with their contact information and a real-time update of the status of their invoices and payments, estimates, time activities, etc. The latter is provided in the form of an interactive list with links to immediate actions you can take.

 

A more stable, profitable inventory of products.

 

If your business sells products, you know that you have to be smart about inventory levels. Stock too much and you have too much money tied up unnecessarily. Too little, and you’ll be turning customers away and possibly losing their future business. QuickBooks Online’s inventory-tracking tools help you achieve and maintain that balance, so you know both when and how much to reorder.

It’s easy to evaluate your inventory status very quickly in QuickBooks Online.

 

QuickBooks Online also offers multiple inventory reports, like Inventory Valuation Detail, Physical Inventory Worksheet, and Sales by Product/Service Detail.

 

Readiness for growth.

 

You may never want to acquire another company, or move into more spacious offices, or employ dozens of individuals. However, it’s not often that a company doesn’t want to be in a position to grow. And you never know when an opportunity will present itself that would require additional capital. Would you be ready?

 

If you’ve never applied for a business loan or tried to attract investors, you don’t know how much financial information you’ll need to provide, or in what format. There are very specific reports your potential lenders or investors will want to see, standard financial statements. QuickBooks Online includes templates for these, which include a Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss, and Statement of Cash Flows.

 

Like the reports we mentioned earlier, they’re easy to generate on the site, thanks to intelligent, customizable templates. Analyzing them, though, and making sure they’re ready to be seen by third-parties takes professional expertise. We can provide that for you. We can also help you better understand and use other elements of QuickBooks Online so that you’re taking advantage of all of its benefits. Contact us soon to set up an initial consultation.

 

Social media posts

 

Cash flow problems? Before you can solve them, you need to learn where the bottlenecks are. QuickBooks Online can help. Contact us to find out how.

 

Is your company ready to grow? You’ll need reports to show lenders and investors. QuickBooks Online can create them, and we can analyze them for you.

 

How well do you know your customers? Could you assemble a quick, thorough overview of their history with you? QuickBooks Online can, and we can show you how. Are you dealing with product inventory problems due to overstocks or insufficient orders from vendors? QuickBooks Online can help.

Ready to get started with a Certified QuickBooks accountant? Call us at 912-634-7722 to schedule your free initial consultation.