Delegate: To entrust a task or responsibility to another person, typically one who is less senior than oneself. Sometimes you’ll feel overloaded, and there’s only so much you can do. One hundred things need doing, and unless you’re superhuman, it’s physically impossible to get everything done.
So what do you do? Well, you do something. Anything that makes you stressed can’t be ignored! You weren’t born to place a heavy burden on yourself all the time. Take action by delegating. The very word ‘delegate can send a shiver down your spine. But delegating isn’t a bad thing. It can benefit you and your team.
Xero does not have any tagging or flagging system that would allow you to identify a transaction that has been coded but still needs some follow-up action or investigation. However, you can simulate this using Tracking Categories.
Xero provide two Tracking Categories that can be operated independently of each other. Most Xero ledgers only use one or none of these two options. If your ledger is already using both then you can’t use this approach, but for the other 99.9% – here’s how to create a flagging system. It will only allow you to assign one flag per line, but that…
IMPORTANT: This post is specific to New Zealand. If you are not a New Zealand business/taxpayer then it is probably not applicable to you.
The suspense about whether and when a capital gains tax would be introduced to New Zealand seems to have been drawn out for well over a decade. OK, the suspense is over now. Are you relieved? The focus in this budget is on damping down property speculation rather taking a slice off the family home. There will be a two-year window for sales of residential property. If a residential property is bought and sold within two years, it will be subject to tax. This does not apply for:
There are so many social media channels available that it’s hard to keep up, but it’s important to be familiar with each platform at your disposal. And as you want to create brand awareness, you can’t afford to ignore what makes each one unique.
If you’ve found an interesting article you want to share with your ‘fanbase’, what platform do you upload it to? Facebook? Twitter? You probably think it doesn’t matter where you upload it: as long as it’s online, people might see it.
The Health and Safety Reform Bill, which started its slow progress last year, took another step forward in late July with its second reading in Parliament.
Meanwhile, tragically preventable accidents, particularly in high risk sectors such as quarrying, forestry, farming, manufacturing, transport and construction, keep the pressure on for better safety outcomes.
The lengthy gestation period of the proposed legislation has aggravated employer uncertainty about the implications of the proposed legislation and its wider definitions of who is responsible for health and safety. The Bill introduces the concept of a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking or ‘PCBU’. PCBUs will have primary duty of care for health and safety at work.
Fuel Accounting is pleased to announce that its founder, Peter McCarroll, was awarded Xero’s “Most Valuable Professional” Award at XeroCon 2013 (Auckland). Peter’s award was for his contribution to the Xero Community where advisors and Xero staff respond to question from users all over the world. Peter is the single-most frequent commenter outside Xero staff, providing valuable tips and advice to Xero users everywhere.
Working with the guy who shows up at 9.15am with the remainder of last night’s party on his breath is fun for no one. Nor is dealing with the undecider who takes days to produce a one-page report.
The economy continues to struggle, now is NOT the time to panic. In fact, if you follow our proven strategies, you can use the recession in your favour and capitalise on the weaknesses of your competitors. What may surprise you is that numerous studies dating back to 1923 (Ronald S. Vaile—Harvard Business Review) and continuing through to 2001 (notably by Malik PIMS ) have shown that in times of recession those companies that maintain or even increase marketing spend, prosper most.
One of the allures of cloud accounting is that it makes keeping your accounting records more accessible. Entering payables, managing receivables, and reconciling your bank account are now effortless. It does make you wonder whether you even need an accountant or bookkeeper at all these days!
I often liken it to having a car. You can operate the car pretty well on your own. You know how to drive, how to put fuel in it, how to fix a flat – maybe even change the oil. But unless you were specially trained you wouldn’t try doing much more than that. You know that there are lots of things that you don’t know, so you pay a mechanic to do routine (and unexpected maintenance) and give you the certificates you need to keep the government happy. Sure, you could watch you-tube videos until 4 in the morning (every morning) and work out how to do most of what the mechanic does, but you would probably never do it as well as they do.
Should your website be social? Are you looking to turn that static website into something a bit more interactive for your visitors? Keep reading to discover how to become…
A Bit More “Sociable”…
There’s no doubt that social media is a powerful marketing and communication tool for businesses and non-profit organizations that have embraced it.
Yet, for most of us, our websites are still where the rubber meets the road. It’s where you turn visitors into leads, and prospects into clients and customers. It’s where you build your credibility and sell your wares.
IMPORTANT: This post is specific to New Zealand. If you are not a New Zealand business/taxpayer then it is probably not applicable to you.
Vehicle licensing
On 1 July 2015 the ACC vehicle licensing levy is being reduced. The cost of relicensing most vehicles will drop by around $130 a year. If you need to renew your vehicle’s registration before then, you can save money by renewing your registration to expire in July 2015. Note that the relicensing form and online renewal allow you to specify the number of months, and is not confined to three and six monthly periods only. When your vehicle licence expires after 1 July 2015 the reduction will automatically be applied to your renewal.
We often get asked about what records you should keep, in what format, and how long you should keep them for. So here’s a quick guide to record-keeping for your business. What to Keep
It is probably better to ask “what should I throw away?” The short answer is nothing. It is best practice to keep almost everything. From an expense perspective, you need to keep adequate records that prove that the expenses you have claimed were real, recorded correctly, and justifiably incurred in the process or pursuit of earning taxable revenue. For the first two parts, an invoice or receipt is usually sufficient. Additional notes are a good idea to help with the third. Who did you meet with? Why? What was the outcome? Common areas for the challenge here are entertainment, travel, and obscure training (that yoga retreat is only going to be deductible if you are a yoga instructor).
Inventory often accounts for a large portion of your business's current assets. Knowing how much to have on hand is a complex task. The very best of forecasts are seldom accurate and occasionally unforeseen problems do occur.
Inventory management impacts different functional teams within the organization. Each team will have competing priorities and differing needs regarding inventory levels.
Manufacturing staff will be looking to streamline processes to increase the efficiency of plant and machinery. While at the same time, the activities of the sales team can result in short-term delivery commitments and frequent rescheduling of the production plan.
A Manufacturing Bill of Materials (MBOM) is like a recipe that provides all of the parts and assembly details of a product. Like a recipe, the more accurate and definitive the details, the better the finished product.
Every type and quantity of part and raw material will be listed, as well as every process, assembly and sub-assembly direction. The MBOM includes details on which parts are Off-the-Shelf (OTS) or Made-to Specification (MTS) and even lists what items or processes are needed for packaging and what equipment is used for assembly. If it is used in or for the manufacturing of the product, it will be included somewhere in the MBOM.
We are now well on our way through 2015 and already talking about the end of the year. But setting goals is a positive step to changing your future. Everyone wants more Twitter followers. Some make the argument that numbers don’t mean anything, but each number is a person, who could be a potential client.
Having hundreds, thousands, millions of people recognizing YOU is not only an ego boost but good for your professional reputation too.
Imagine someone clicking on your profile and seeing 10,000 followers. Immediately that shows a user that you have something interesting to say, you’re an expert in your industry, people like you, and people know who you are.
Running a social media strategy as well as being a business owner will only lead to stress and sleepless nights. But everyone is on social media, right? Even the Pope.
You need to strike the balance between informative and annoying. Studies show the optimal postings for the two most popular networking sites are:
If you’ve been exposed to any of our own media pieces (ads, letters, etc.) you’ll have noticed a high level of ‘personalisation’ in all of them. There’s a big reason for this…
Adding any kind of ‘personalisation’ increases response significantly.
Why? Because the recipient of your media piece gets the impression that you sent it to them – personally, rather than to 5,000 other people. Plus it helps your media piece stand out from the crowd, automatically giving it more attention.
IMPORTANT: This post is specific to New Zealand. If you are not a New Zealand business/taxpayer then it is probably not applicable to you.
Are you worried about paying your terminal tax bill on 7 April?
We understand how terminal tax can sometimes put pressure on your business’ cash flow. Even more so, if it’s worked out that you also owe Inland Revenue (IRD) for interest and late payment
penalties on the unsettled liability. And, if you add into
the mix that looming provisional tax payment due on 7 May (the final installment for the 2015 year)… well, it can add up to a few sleepless nights, right?
IMPORTANT: This post is specific to New Zealand. If you are not a New Zealand business/taxpayer then it is probably not applicable to you.
Minimum wage
The minimum wage will increase to $14.75 per hour. Training and starting-out minimum wages will increase to $11.80 per hour Child support
The amount of child support some parents pay or receive may change. Inland Revenue’s new formula for calculating child support now includes both parents’ incomes and circumstances, and recognises a wider range of care.
