Stop Emailing Me!
Stop it. Stop emailing me. Well, sorta. Stop emailing me most things for both of our sakes.
How Do You Fill Your Funnel?
I was sitting here cooking up new and improved marketing strategies for my business (and an accompanying action plan) when the curiosity bug hit me. I began wondering what other folks are doing, folks like you – Mr & Ms Reader… what are you doing to ‘fill your funnel’…
I know it may seem a little random for an accountant/accounting blog to be concerned with such things but at the beginning and end of the day – I’m a small business owner too.
Affiliate Marketing – Strategic Alliance – Joint Ventures – Pay Per Click/Adwords – Cost Per View/Pay Per View – Referral Programs – Directories – SEO Strategies
So I ask: How do you fill your funnel? What’s working for you (and what’s NOT)?
(post a comment to let me know)
How To: Correctly Setup Sole Proprietorship
Before delving into the topic, I think it would be helpful to actually define what is a “sole proprietorship”. It is a business represented by a single individual without benefit of a separate legal entity (for example, corporation).
This business “entity” type tends to be somewhat popular because of the ease in which it can be “formed”…
- Determine if you will use your name (example John Doe) or a fictitious one (JD Photography).
- If you will be using a fictitious one, you will need to register it with your state (or city, if required) by filing a “DBA/Doing Business As” or Tradename form.
- Apply for a FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) – go to www.irs.gov. Not necessarily a requirement per se but your accountant and/or tax preparer will thank you later. (If you are a contractor of some sort, you will use this number when filling out W4 Forms).
- Open a separate bank account. Again not necessary but extremely helpful when managing your company finances…your accountant/tax preparer will thank you.
- Acquire any necessary licenses. If your business is one that requires it, make sure you are compliant from the beginning (for example, hair salon requires cosmetology licensing).
As with any business entity type, you should review the pros & cons to decide if that is what is right for you and your business. I thought about going into the pros & cons for this particular business type but decided against it. Instead I have provided a few related topic links that should cover that base pretty accurately.
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney nor is this to be taken as tax or accounting advice. Please seek the advice of a professional for specific insight on your particular business situation.
topic suggested by Malik Alex: Painter & Aspiring Gallery Owner
Related Topics:
Why You Should Never Operate Any Business As a Sole Proprietor
Sole Proprietorship: The Right Business Structure?
Q&A: Need Help With Client Engagement
Q: I have a client who has asked me to help him prepare financial statements. In looking at his books, they are completely a shambles. He has 7 (!) checking accounts, and not one of them can I reconcile in Quickbooks because it appears deposits were randomly recorded, or not recorded, checks were recorded with incorrect check numbers or not recorded, transfers were not recorded, etc. Soooo….. my thought, since they’ve been in QB for only 7 months, I might start from scratch and just record everything fresh. My question is, is there any way I can do this while they’re still working in QB? This job will take me a few weeks to complete, and I don’t want to tie their hands while I’m working on straightening out their financials.
A: Before I respond, I have a question for you: will this be an ongoing client where you will review their file and prepare financial statements on a monthly or quarterly basis going forward? The answer to this seemingly benign question will dictate part of how you move forward and the type of engagement you have.
In my opinion a few things need to happen.
First: train whomever is doing their data entry so that it is done correctly going forward. If they are not trained adequately, you will find yourself in the same boat in a few months. The only difference is you will have the added pressure of getting it done quickly because the client will need the year-end statements done for tax time.
Second: decide if anything in their file is salvageable. Was anything set up correctly (vendors, clients, COA)? Can you make heads or tails of any of the transactions? If not, you may need to throw in the towel and start afresh.
Third: the client can work in the file while you review historic information. If you are setting up the new file, set it up, create an accountant’s copy for yourself and send them a copy, make sure the dividing date is one where they can still work and input transactions. Keep in mind there are a few limitations for you (mostly payroll related). I’m not sure if that will create a real problem for you or not since you didnt’ mention if he had payroll transactions for you to reconcile.
Fourth: is there any reason they have SEVEN bank accounts??? If they don’t have a ready explanation, you may want to advise them to cut back on that. Even if they are all free business checking accounts, it’s costing them time & money in the long run. Trying to keep them all straight is obviously creating a problem for their staff person handling the input of deposits and processing checks and may be the source of a lot of the reconciliation/messiness of the client file.
Hope this helps,
Joyce
Post asked & answered on Quickbooks Forum
Q&A: Importing Transactions From Online Merchant Account
Q: We have a software division that charges people monthly on subscription plans. It’s all done automatically. What’s the FASTEST way for me to manage this? I don’t really want to manually enter thousands of monthly charges into QuickBooks every month, but at the end of the year, my accountant will want detailed records. any suggestions?
We’re using authorize.net and cybersource. I can look into importing them. I can import them from the bank, but that seems to a big pain too, as QuickBooks asks me to do each one individually pretty much.
A: Look into what your choices are available regarding the various formats that you can download the information from authorize.net & cybersource. A lot of companies offer a way to export your transactions in a way that’s ready to import them directly into your QB file. It may take some effort on your part to set it up correctly on the front end but will be well worth it not to post transactions one at a time.
I use another payroll provider that allows me to do exactly what I’ve described to import the information with no problem.
If you have additional questions regarding setup, I really think you should seek the advice of your accountant. If they aren’t available or versed in this kind of set up, shoot me an email. (remind me of our forum discussion)… I’d be happy to help.
Good luck! ~Joyce
originally asked & answered on QuickBooks Forum
Q&A: Self Employment Taxes
Q: I have started a small business. How do I report (tax purposes) payments to me as the owner? Is that considered income for self-employment or is the net profit from the business used for self-employment taxes?
A: For tax purposes, if you are a sole proprietor, the net profit of the business is used to figure out your self – employment taxes. Other types of organizations have different rules, but most use the amount actually paid to you to figure self-employment tax upon. This can vary from one geographic area to another.
However, no matter what business structure you have, corporation, LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship, you should accurately track amounts that the business pays directly to you or to others for your personal items as these are paid out. Create an equity type account, use your name & the word “draws” as the account name (example: “Joyce Washington – Draws”), record these payments in this account.
In the long run, it helps to keep better track of how your business is performing if you input the payments as they are paid. Then when it comes time to figuring out your self-employment tax, you will have everything you need to determine the tax amount in one easy location.
