New business owners become overwhelmed by expenses, taxes, and financial issues in a short time. With so much to do and manage, it is challenging to keep tabs on expenses. But, if you want to stay in business, you must keep your spending in check, stay on top of your tax responsibilities, and prioritize tasks and expenses. Our tips will show you how to do it all.
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Hire a Financial Advisor Specializing in Small Businesses
It seems strange to emphasize keeping expenses in check and then suggest hiring a financial advisor, but it is the best way for you to comply with tax laws, make smart purchases and investments, and protect your assets as your business grows. Your best move is to choose a financial advisor who has ample experience in assisting small businesses and who understands the ever-changing tax laws.
If you work from home, you especially need a financial advisor to help you determine whether claiming your home office is the best way to proceed with your taxes. It also is more challenging for small business owners who work from home to keep their personal and business expenses separate, and a financial advisor will ensure you do things by the book to avoid penalties or fees. Your financial advisor also will help you find areas to save costs and prevent you from using too much of your personal money to grow your business.
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Create a Budget… and Stick to It
Your financial advisor also will help you create a budget for your small business or your home office. It is critical that you stick to your budget because you don’t want to stretch your new business too thin in the early stages.
In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that about 80% of businesses with employees survive their first year in business, 66% survive their second year, and about 50% will survive their fifth year. However, only about 30% survive their tenth year. Why do so many small businesses fail? For many of them, the answer is lack of sufficient capital and cash flow problems. One study shows that 82% of businesses fail due to cashflow problems.
The lessons new business owners must learn are that they need to manage their expenses wisely, and they need to have enough capital to grow. The solution to these common issues is to prioritize your needs by creating and sticking to a budget.
If working from home is the best way to start your business, do so to save overhead costs. You’d be surprised by how much you can accomplish with the perfect workspace in your home and the right technology. You’ll likely be able to get off the ground with reliable, high-speed internet, a laptop or tablet, and a reliable printer and phone. There are even online payment systems that allow remote business owners to receive one-time or recurringclient payments from the comforts of a home office. Reliability and convenience are much more important than spending too much for the latest technology, phones, or gadgets.
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Make Priorities
As a new business owner, the bulk of the work will fall to you. Because your time is money when you’re in charge, you need to be as productive as possible and make time for yourself and your family. That may be easier said than done if you work from home, so set your hours based on when you are most productive and make time for your family to strike a work-life balance. The perk of working from home is setting your schedule, so do so wisely.
You’ll also need to prioritize your workday tasks. While answering emails is an important part of your role as a new business owner, other tasks will suffer if you spend too much time checking your inbox and replying to emails that are not urgent.
To spend less time on email, set up an automatic response and take advantage of canned responses. You’ll still respond to customers promptly, but you’ll also be more productive if you schedule time for email throughout your day. It’s also important to prioritize record keeping for tax purposes and to create a system for filing receipts and other documents that will support your business expense claims each quarter.
New business owners succeed when they make smart decisions about expenses. Make it easier on yourself by hiring a financial advisor specializing in small business, creating and sticking to a budget, and making priorities.
Guest post: About the Author
Ms. Fisher has spent more than 20 years as a CPA, and is currently working on a book about financial literacy (due out in 2018). She also runs Financiallywell.info.