What a profound short little paragraph that says it all!!!
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.."
~~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931-2005
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Make Each Day A New Beginning, By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what
you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in:
forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day:
begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is
good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Words of Wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi
A single sunbeam is enough
To drive away any shadows.
Saint Francis of Assisi
you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in:
forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day:
begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is
good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Words of Wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi
A single sunbeam is enough
To drive away any shadows.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
THE IMPORTANCE OF BUDGETING GOES BEYOND MONEY.
Budgeting is a skill that is needed by all individuals. We all think of budgeting as a plan to manage our money which is important and needed, but we also need to budget our time and energy. All things in our life that we have a limit amount of needs to be budgeted. If we want to get the most out of our money, time, or energy, we need to budget.
Money needs to be budgeted to make sure we take care of all of our expenses and have enough left for our future. We need a plan to keep us on track and going in the right direction. For me, I need to be in control of my resources and the budget gives me the power that I need.
Time needs to be budgeted to make sure we spend it on the things that count in our life. If I fail to budget my time, a lot of important task are left undone at the end of the day. And I end up listening to complaints from my clients or family. Budgeting keeps me in control and insures accomplishments that without time budgeting probably would be left undone.
We need to budget our energy which means taking care of our health, and having the get up and go to take care of our family and our self. I find myself focus on the task of the day and by the evening, I am exhausted with nothing left. It is important to take some time during the day to relax. Even if we only have ten or fifteen minutes to walk away from our daily task, it is needed to give our body’s time to rest. A walk around the block can do wonders for the body and the mind.
By realizing the importance of budgeting our money, time, and energy, we can accomplish our task and enjoy our life.
Money needs to be budgeted to make sure we take care of all of our expenses and have enough left for our future. We need a plan to keep us on track and going in the right direction. For me, I need to be in control of my resources and the budget gives me the power that I need.
Time needs to be budgeted to make sure we spend it on the things that count in our life. If I fail to budget my time, a lot of important task are left undone at the end of the day. And I end up listening to complaints from my clients or family. Budgeting keeps me in control and insures accomplishments that without time budgeting probably would be left undone.
We need to budget our energy which means taking care of our health, and having the get up and go to take care of our family and our self. I find myself focus on the task of the day and by the evening, I am exhausted with nothing left. It is important to take some time during the day to relax. Even if we only have ten or fifteen minutes to walk away from our daily task, it is needed to give our body’s time to rest. A walk around the block can do wonders for the body and the mind.
By realizing the importance of budgeting our money, time, and energy, we can accomplish our task and enjoy our life.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
What is the best accounting software for you small business?
Accounting software is an excellent tool for knowing where you are at all times with your business. It is an essential tool for success, but which one is best for your type of company? Two that I have used and liked are QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete. Each one offers a conversion utility to switch to their software, and they both offer demos which helps to be able to try it out before you buy.
QuickBooks Pro is user friendly. It is great for setting up a new business and also easy for an established business to use. To begin just choose under set up a company the type of business you have and QuickBooks sets up the chart of accounts which can be customized for your business. It offers bill paying by writing a check or electronic bill pay. Invoices for customers can be customized to suit your company. You can print Financial Reports with a professional look. QuickBooks Pro offers several Payroll options; there is an additional charge for the payroll software and an annual charge for the updates to stay current with the IRS and the state tax codes.
Peachtree Complete accounting software is used a lot in CPA firms for doing the accounting for small businesses. Peachtree Complete offers a simplified set up for new businesses, with a large number of companies to choice a chart of accounts that matches your business. You can also prepare invoices and pay bills, and it offers a simplify payroll. It offers features like Cash flow management tools, budgeting, and forecasting sales. Both QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete offer similar features, therefore it comes down to the one that feels comfortable to the user.
Both QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete offer excellent accounting software and both are affordable. The Accountant for your business may prefer one of these over the other. If you use the same accounting software as your Accountant, it will be easier to communicate and exchange data.
I recommend trying both demos for QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete and pick the one you feel most comfortable with. Accounting Software that makes life easier and gives the information needed based on the data entered is a good investment.
QuickBooks Pro is user friendly. It is great for setting up a new business and also easy for an established business to use. To begin just choose under set up a company the type of business you have and QuickBooks sets up the chart of accounts which can be customized for your business. It offers bill paying by writing a check or electronic bill pay. Invoices for customers can be customized to suit your company. You can print Financial Reports with a professional look. QuickBooks Pro offers several Payroll options; there is an additional charge for the payroll software and an annual charge for the updates to stay current with the IRS and the state tax codes.
Peachtree Complete accounting software is used a lot in CPA firms for doing the accounting for small businesses. Peachtree Complete offers a simplified set up for new businesses, with a large number of companies to choice a chart of accounts that matches your business. You can also prepare invoices and pay bills, and it offers a simplify payroll. It offers features like Cash flow management tools, budgeting, and forecasting sales. Both QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete offer similar features, therefore it comes down to the one that feels comfortable to the user.
Both QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete offer excellent accounting software and both are affordable. The Accountant for your business may prefer one of these over the other. If you use the same accounting software as your Accountant, it will be easier to communicate and exchange data.
I recommend trying both demos for QuickBooks Pro and Peachtree Complete and pick the one you feel most comfortable with. Accounting Software that makes life easier and gives the information needed based on the data entered is a good investment.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Building A Home Based Business
Building a home based business requires a commitment of time, energy, and determination that goes beyond any job you have ever had, but the satisfaction and the advantages will outweigh all of the work you put into it. Home based businesses are popular among women, because it allows them to be a stay at home mom with a career.
Being an accountant, I had firsthand knowledge of what I needed to do to set up my Accounting Service Business, and I was confident that I could make it work. I had worked as an accounting office manager for over twenty years and I decided to go back to college. I graduated a few years later with a BBA with my major in Accounting. After graduating, I contacted an Accountant that I had worked with during my employment as an Office Manager. This Accountant sent me clients that needed Accounting Services that his firm did not handle. I also contacted other Accountants and previous employers that I had worked with. In a few months my client list had grown and my business was underway; I had a home office, a computer, accounting software, fax machine, and a telephone. For less than $5,000, I had a successful business. The next step was to manage my time well, and to keep my work up to date.
A Few things I learned about being a successful home based business.
It is essential to have knowledge of your service or product.
Network and stay in contact with others in your field.
Treat your customers with respect and go the extra mile when needed.
Have a comfortable place to work.
Have the tools and equipment you need to do your job.
Set aside time for yourself to plan and evaluate your service and the needs of your clients..
Do not forget the reason you decided to have a home based business; make time for family and remember you are the boss; you can take a day off.
Dreams do come true for those that work hard and have a planned strategy for success.
Being an accountant, I had firsthand knowledge of what I needed to do to set up my Accounting Service Business, and I was confident that I could make it work. I had worked as an accounting office manager for over twenty years and I decided to go back to college. I graduated a few years later with a BBA with my major in Accounting. After graduating, I contacted an Accountant that I had worked with during my employment as an Office Manager. This Accountant sent me clients that needed Accounting Services that his firm did not handle. I also contacted other Accountants and previous employers that I had worked with. In a few months my client list had grown and my business was underway; I had a home office, a computer, accounting software, fax machine, and a telephone. For less than $5,000, I had a successful business. The next step was to manage my time well, and to keep my work up to date.
A Few things I learned about being a successful home based business.
It is essential to have knowledge of your service or product.
Network and stay in contact with others in your field.
Treat your customers with respect and go the extra mile when needed.
Have a comfortable place to work.
Have the tools and equipment you need to do your job.
Set aside time for yourself to plan and evaluate your service and the needs of your clients..
Do not forget the reason you decided to have a home based business; make time for family and remember you are the boss; you can take a day off.
Dreams do come true for those that work hard and have a planned strategy for success.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
DO YOU HAVE A MARKET STRATEGY?
A market strategy is basically goals of how you will market your business. When you come up with your strategy, your plan of action, then you will know how you will increase sales and make your company a profitable business.
Later, when you have made the decisions about the strategies you will use to promote your product or service, you can use this information to write your marketing plan. The market plan is your written mission of how you will market your business to your customers.
The market strategy is a goal to increase sales by advertising, promotions, internet marketing, and public relations. You will also include your shipping method or how you will deliver the product or service to your customers. Gather your team of managers and throw out some ideas: Can you deliver your product faster or more efficient than your competitor? Can your sales staff follow through and do what is expected of them? How will you maintain customer satisfaction? Will you designate a staff member to do follow up calls to customers? Is your product or service the best quality?
You may choose to advertise your product or service in the newspaper, telephone directory, billboards, radio, internet, telephone marketing, or television ads. You have to choose the best way to market your business with the resources you have set aside in your budget. You also need good public relations with the community as well as with your employees. Your business reputation will be an asset in increase sales and making your business profitable.
You may choose to promote your business at trade shows or by a special promotion that you advertise or offer through coupons. You can also set up a webpage for your business as an advertisement and a way of selling your product or service.
When you have answered the questions, and have your Market Strategy goals then you can write your Market Plan. You are ready to put your plan into action. The most important goals to remember in your Market Strategy are to increase sales and promote customer satisfaction. Always remember that the Market is a changing environment and your Marketing Strategy will need to be flexible enough to make the changes necessary to keep sales up and cost down.
Later, when you have made the decisions about the strategies you will use to promote your product or service, you can use this information to write your marketing plan. The market plan is your written mission of how you will market your business to your customers.
The market strategy is a goal to increase sales by advertising, promotions, internet marketing, and public relations. You will also include your shipping method or how you will deliver the product or service to your customers. Gather your team of managers and throw out some ideas: Can you deliver your product faster or more efficient than your competitor? Can your sales staff follow through and do what is expected of them? How will you maintain customer satisfaction? Will you designate a staff member to do follow up calls to customers? Is your product or service the best quality?
You may choose to advertise your product or service in the newspaper, telephone directory, billboards, radio, internet, telephone marketing, or television ads. You have to choose the best way to market your business with the resources you have set aside in your budget. You also need good public relations with the community as well as with your employees. Your business reputation will be an asset in increase sales and making your business profitable.
You may choose to promote your business at trade shows or by a special promotion that you advertise or offer through coupons. You can also set up a webpage for your business as an advertisement and a way of selling your product or service.
When you have answered the questions, and have your Market Strategy goals then you can write your Market Plan. You are ready to put your plan into action. The most important goals to remember in your Market Strategy are to increase sales and promote customer satisfaction. Always remember that the Market is a changing environment and your Marketing Strategy will need to be flexible enough to make the changes necessary to keep sales up and cost down.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
AN ASSET TO PROTECT: YOUR CREDIT REPORT AND RATING
These are difficult times with mortgage foreclosures and people struggling to pay their debts for one reason or another. Credit reports and credit rating will be destroyed by foreclosures and over extended credit; a good credit report and rating takes years to rebuild but it can be done. For a young adult with no credit, it is difficult to get credit, and when they finally get credit it takes awhile to build it into an asset. There are a number of people who do not realize how important and valuable a good credit rating is until they have damaged it or lost it. To rebuild and improve your credit rating takes patience and persistent. The first step is to obtain a copy of your credit report.
How to get a free copy of your credit report: Go to the official website www.annualcreditreport.com. This site was set up by the three Nationwide Consumer Reporting Companies (Equifax, Experian, Trans Union). You will be asked to provide your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. There are so many other sites with similar names that you may want to go to www.ftc.gov and click on the official site. There is a toll free number (1-877-322-8228) and an address Annual Credit Reporting Request Service, P. O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 that you can call or request by mail your free annual credit report. The government requires the three reporting companies to provide you with a free report every twelve months, but you have to request it. When you receive your report, you need to review your report. If you find errors, you can dispute them. It is much quicker to go to the company reporting the data to the Crediting Reporting Companies and resolve it through them. If you are unable to resolve, you can have a one-hundred word statement attached to your report explaining you side of the argument. If your report is bad, you can work to repair it by paying your bills on time. Negative information can be reported up to seven years and bankruptcy information up to ten years.
You may have some good credit history that isn’t on your credit report. Some department stores, bank credit cards, gasoline credit cards and credit unions may not be included on your report. You can request, for a fee, that these companies be added to your report.
Your Credit Score: Your credit score/rating was set up to help creditors make a decision to give you credit or not, and how much interest to charge you. The credit rating system gives points for factors, such as; bill paying history, late payments, outstanding debt, and types of accounts, etc. You can get your score from the three nationwide consumer reporting companies, but you will be charged a fee.
You should monitor your credit report and know what is being reported about your credit. If you are not on a budget, set one up. A budget will help you to be constantly on top of your resources: if your bills are paid on time, it will improve your credit report and rating. It takes patience and time to rebuild your credit report and rating, but stay the course. It will happen and you will be rewarded for your efforts. Your credit report and rating is an asset you will want to protect, because of the doors it opens to you.
How to get a free copy of your credit report: Go to the official website www.annualcreditreport.com. This site was set up by the three Nationwide Consumer Reporting Companies (Equifax, Experian, Trans Union). You will be asked to provide your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. There are so many other sites with similar names that you may want to go to www.ftc.gov and click on the official site. There is a toll free number (1-877-322-8228) and an address Annual Credit Reporting Request Service, P. O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 that you can call or request by mail your free annual credit report. The government requires the three reporting companies to provide you with a free report every twelve months, but you have to request it. When you receive your report, you need to review your report. If you find errors, you can dispute them. It is much quicker to go to the company reporting the data to the Crediting Reporting Companies and resolve it through them. If you are unable to resolve, you can have a one-hundred word statement attached to your report explaining you side of the argument. If your report is bad, you can work to repair it by paying your bills on time. Negative information can be reported up to seven years and bankruptcy information up to ten years.
You may have some good credit history that isn’t on your credit report. Some department stores, bank credit cards, gasoline credit cards and credit unions may not be included on your report. You can request, for a fee, that these companies be added to your report.
Your Credit Score: Your credit score/rating was set up to help creditors make a decision to give you credit or not, and how much interest to charge you. The credit rating system gives points for factors, such as; bill paying history, late payments, outstanding debt, and types of accounts, etc. You can get your score from the three nationwide consumer reporting companies, but you will be charged a fee.
You should monitor your credit report and know what is being reported about your credit. If you are not on a budget, set one up. A budget will help you to be constantly on top of your resources: if your bills are paid on time, it will improve your credit report and rating. It takes patience and time to rebuild your credit report and rating, but stay the course. It will happen and you will be rewarded for your efforts. Your credit report and rating is an asset you will want to protect, because of the doors it opens to you.
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