by Joyce M. Washington, CPA
Outsourcing doesn’t have to be a chore… it’s actually one of my go to when it comes to growing and scaling my business. The step that I recommend taking before hiring a more permanent team (aka employees).
But before you go on a team building spree, you have to know the 3 tests that defines an independent contractor relationship…and pass them.
Once you’ve passed the test…all systems are go. Go forth and team build to grow. Get back into your zone of genius, your core activities… by doing less (yourself) so that you can play more.
Mentioned in today’s episode:
- What is outsourcing? What’s the difference between an employee and an independent contractor?
- Advantages of Outsourcing
- Disadvantages of outsourcing
- Examples of general tasks
- Examples of accounting tasks (note: not every accountant does all of these tasks and this isn’t an exhaustive list).
- Who should outsource their accounting
- Why you should outsource your accounting
- How to outsource your accounting
- How to work with us
Additional resources:
Attorneys That Can Help With Service Agreements for Independent Contractors:
If you’re hanging out on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter…as @thecommoncents.
by Joyce M. Washington, CPA
Starting and growing a business is a bit of a dance… and a bit of a game. Imagine a seesaw, one that balances time and money. At the beginning, and throughout the dance of business ownership, there’s a constant strive to balance them.
There will be times when you have more time than money…and times when you have more money than time. But what about when the seesaw is broken and you have limited reserves of time AND money…
This episode is all about being a master bootstrapper. Taking the time and money that you do have and making the absolute most of it…
Mentioned in today’s episode:
- What to do instead of running to your credit cards (especially if you’re not sure if your business idea is a profitable one)
- Why you may need to say no to a few things
- How being laser focused will help you with time
- How to get over your procrastination + check out Episode 17
- Why documenting things now will help you in the long run
- How to decide when to invest and when to defer
- How much of cash reserve is recommended
- Invitation to chat with me – schedule a consultation
- My personal reading list…especially excellent for bootstrappers
Well that’s it for now…if you’d like to work with me and iron out the kinks of balancing time and money in your business, let’s chat about it – you can schedule a quick consultation by going to thecommoncents.com/consult.
If you’re hanging out on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter…as @thecommoncents.
by Joyce M. Washington, CPA
What do chess and business strategy have in common? A heck of a lot if you ask me…
In this episode, I walk through my process of treating strategic business planning like a game of chess…thinking more than 3 moves ahead and you’ll win at successfully achieving any business goal you set for yourself.
Mentioned in today’s episode:
- Why strategic planning is a lot like planning and playing a game of chess
- What 3-4 moves you’ll make to set and achieve your business goals
- Why you need to start with your long term goals
- Why you need a WHY as your starting point
- Why the B-word (budget) shouldn’t freak you out
- How to break down your goals into a strategy and an action plan
- How often you should check-in and when you should pivot or stay the course
- Where you can get reinforcements
Additional resources:
Remember, this is an open discussion. If you have a question that you’d like me to answer on an upcoming episode, send an email to [email protected].
If you’re hanging out on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter…as @thecommoncents.
by Joyce M. Washington, CPA
My very first guest episode is with my gal pal, Nikki Tucker for The Fiirm Approach.
She’s a personal finance phenom and we talk about all things credit, including how to handle the recent (and not so recent) credit breaches that have impacted millions… maybe even you.
In this episode, we’re talking about everything from personal credit, how the breaches not only impact your personal credit but your business credit as well, and what you can do about it… to proactively protect yourself.
This is definitely an episode where you’re going to be taking a lot of notes.
Mentioned in today’s episode:
- What data points are hackers typically go after in a data breach
- How to get a copy of your credit report at least once a year for free
- What you should be looking for during your annual review of your credit report
- What is the most important factor to your credit score is (it’s probably not what you think it is)
- When, why and how you should take action if your information has indeed been compromised
- How your personal credit (or lack thereof) impacts your business
- The various levels of actions you can take to proactively protect your credit
- The data points that are important to monitor on the business side of the coin
- What steps you can take to protect your business accounts & data points
- The importance of using a credit card versus a debit card…especially when making online purchases
Additional resources:
If you’re hanging out on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter…as @thecommoncents.
You can find Nikki Tucker on her website, The Fiirm Approach and on Facebook.
by Joyce M. Washington, CPA
There are few things that kill momentum and cost you more money than procrastination.
Lack of planning, and lack of productivity don’t exact;y help the cause either.
I know because I admit it, I’m a recovering procrastinator.
For instance, it took me a week longer than it should have to get off my axx and batch record the podcast episodes for August (including this one).
So I guess that this episode is sort of a case study in my own attempt at getting back on track, recovering and reminding myself how to be a lot more productive and get stuff done…so that I can actually outsource a few things, spend a lot less time working and more time hanging out with my friends and family.
Tips that you can use if you’re a newbie, a side-hustler or veteran business owner.
Mentioned in today’s episode:
Additional resources:
Remember, this is an open discussion. If you have a question that you’d like me to answer on an upcoming episode, send an email to [email protected].
If you’re hanging out on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter…as @thecommoncents.
by Joyce M. Washington, CPA
Bank reconciliations aren’t just for bookkeeping and accounting professionals.
They aren’t some useless report that we like to do for the heck of it…
This is a report that can actually save you for losing money… so I bet you’re wondering…
What the heck are bank reconciliations? And why do you need to do them? (yes, NEED)… and since you NEED to do them, when should you do them…
Mentioned in today’s episode:
- Answers to all those questions
- briefly touch on for how you can get it done
- with the help of accounting software (if you’re already using it).
Additional resources:
Remember, this is an open discussion. If you have a question that you’d like me to answer on an upcoming episode, send an email to [email protected].
If you’re hanging out on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter…as @thecommoncents.
