Many future entrepreneurs are looking to start a home-based or internet business but may not have the funds necessary to get the company off the ground. We all have great ideas but few have the money to launch those ideas. Fortunately, individuals that take the time to do a little research will be pleasantly surprised by how much can be accomplished without a lot of money. The internet provides you access to a number of free or low-cost resources which can be used to help you on your journey to becoming a successful business owner. As long as can provide a marketable idea, the support systems can be provided on a shoestring budget.

First Thing's First - Keep a Low Overhead To Maximize Profits

One of the best things about starting a home based business is that the internet can be an outlet to the world and your customers. Don’t waste money on a warehouse or office space if a small area of your home can just easily do the trick. Not only will you save money on rent, but you won't need to worry about insurance, security, or employees. Along the same lines, don't waste money on hiring or outsourcing jobs that you can handle yourself. Depending on the type of business you plan on running, employees may be necessary. However, you may want to hold off hiring people until you can cost justify their presence. If you absolutely must hire someone for customer service or to answer your phone calls during certain parts of the day, consider using an answering service like Specialty Answering Service. The answering service is a great way to portray a professional image while saving money on payroll.

Create a Website

Making a website for your company can be a very intimidating task. People are often under the impression that it takes a lot of technical skill to be able to create a professional looking website. This is simply not true. Don't misunderstand, a professional website designer can make a beautiful site; but for cost and functionality, you can learn enough to create one yourself. Don't have time to learn HTML? Don't worry. Websites like freelancer.com and elance.com provide access to an international pool of designers, programmers, and even SEO professionals to create your website for you for usually a few hundred dollars. The investment for starting up a website is fairly low and is absolutely necessary to get noticed on the internet. Outside of design, you are going to need a domain name. Most domain names cost about $10 and can be purchased through a number of reputable companies. Many of these sites also offer hosting with a monthly fee ranging from $3.00 to $10.00 per month.

Once you have a domain and hosting service, you need to build your website. If you took the time to learn a bit of HTML and flash, there are high quality website templates available for free downloading if you search the internet that you can modify and upload to your new shiny hosting account. They are often very straightforward to use and will automatically give you a professional layout of your website. Think about the type of pages you will need for your site, such as an "About Us" page, or “Contact Us” page. Take the time to ensure that the website is easy to navigate so that your potential customers do not get lost and know exactly what you are offering.

If you are selling items through your website it will be necessary to create an online store. This is a bit more expensive to create on your own or to even learn how to (it involves PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, and you also need to worry about security - Yikes!). For business owners selling only a handful of items, there are shopping cart services available for as low as $5 a month, a much better deal then you designing and hosting the site yourself. Businesses that will be selling a large number of tangible goods should use something like Yahoo! Merchant Solutions which offers a long list of ecommerce services. Sometimes it may not make sense to create an online store for your products, especially if the items change regularly. Online auctions sites can be of great use to people looking to sell things to customers all over the world. Ebay is one of the most well known sites and it allows you to sell almost anything. Craigslist is a great place to hock your goods too but people are used to haggling and bargaining with vendors on Craigslist so be prepared to get shaken down a bit from your original price.

Legal Stuff and Paperwork

Every business has the headaches of paperwork. Keeping everything in order can make the difference between success and failure. Legal matters need to be taken care of whether you are making money or not. Fortunately, there are legal websites that will provide free assistance. The Small Business Administration is one of the places that offer free legal advice, mentoring, training, and business counseling. If you have questions, there are people who will help lead you in the right direction. There are also sites that will help you with contracts and other types of paperwork and preparation so that you will have the support you need like LegalZoom.com, a place where you can file corporate paperwork and incorporate your new venture for less than a hundred dollars. For a free option, you can just register through the state as a sole proprietor (you just need a Social Security #) and worry about incorporating after you start to make some money.

Keeping Track of Your Money

Financial statements are important for your internal accounting. Templates can be found online which will make them easy to track, so that you can keep up with your business. They are also necessary if you ever need to take out a loan. Quickbooks or any other type of bookkeeping software will allow you to keep track of everything financial and can be acquired for a lump sum (usually $180 dollars) or as a SaaS model for a few dollars a month via their website. Services any accounting programs you choose include processing payments, drafting checks, and sending invoices. Some bookkeeping software will have a larger learning curve than others but basic options will often be good enough to handle your business needs initially. As your business grows it will be even more important to have your books in order. Tax time will run much smoother if you have everything organized in one place.

Overall, with a solid idea and time to put in, it is not always necessary to invest money to become self employed. Your business can be successful and look professional on a tight budget. Invest your energy, work with what you have available, and keep your head above water. And always know what is going on with your business and stay in control.

Summary for People Who Like Lists

If you just skipped to the bottom, here's the breakdown of the above post:

1. Work out of your house until your significant other demands you leave the premises (FREE)
2. Hire an answering service to manage your calls ($50 Per Month)
3. Buy a domain name ($10)
4. Buy Hosting ($5 Per Month)
5. Design a Website ($200)
6. Incorporate ($100)
7. Get an Accounting Software ($9 Per Month)
8. Make A Successful Business (FREE with a Side of Hard Work & Perseverance)
9. TOTAL INITIAL BUSINESS STARTUP COST: $374

The above does not include odds and ends like office supplies, a computer, an internet connection, etc. In the super frugal model, you can "borrow" the above items from your current employer and return them when you are ultra successful. In the legal model, those things may cost you $2000.

By: Nick DAlleva

Nicolas DAlleva is the owner & CEO of Specialty Answering Service (SAS), a global telephone answering service and call center provider. For more information about this blog post or SAS, please contact Mr. D'Alleva via http://www.specialtyansweringservice.net or call 1-888-532-4794.

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Harbor Bridge in Sydney

I've been sitting here all day thinking about "What should I post at the One Hour Bookkeeper Blog?" and unfortunately, I've been coming up blank.  It's not writer's block, exactly...it's more "Upcoming Project Excitement."  There are a lot of other things I'm working on right now - things that I just realized you all might be interested in.  So, here's what's going on in my life:

• Right now, my husband and I are packing up our house and our luggage and getting ready for a trip around the world.  We are literally taking the next year of our lives and traveling with Babies and Baggage in tow.  In fact, on August 3rd (or August 4th - depending on which side of the International Date Line you're on), we will be boarding a flight for Sydney, Australia - our first stop.  The excitement I feel about this is what you would call "all-consuming."

• Because my mind is consumed with the upcoming trip, I find myself wanting to blog about it.  So I have started my own little travel blog at BabiesAndBaggage.com.  At that blog, I will be posting where in the world I am (with my family, of course), and the deals that I found to get there.  In fact, if you think I know my way around a business, you should see how awesome I am when it comes to planning travel.  My airline tickets to Sydney alone (direct from Los Angeles on V Australia) was only $382 per adult and $290 per child.  And our hotel room - only $290 a week at a 5-star resort.

• Through all the travel research I've been doing, I became frustrated that I could not find a website that listed Airlines That Fly To various regions.  So...I created one.  (I know - I'm sick and twisted, and just can't seem to stop blogging.)  Anyway, if you're interested in seeing which airlines fly to which regions, you can check it out at...you guessed it...AirlinesThatFlyTo.com.  The most surprising thing about that website is that I have not advertised it AT ALL, and I've already had 5,000+ hits in 3 weeks.  People are spreading the word about it so fast, it's surprising me.

• Since the AirlinesThatFlyTo.com website is doing so well, and since I've had many, many, many of my friends and family ask me how I've been finding such great deals, I've been putting together a free eBook called "Find Deals on Airfares NOW! - without Mileage or Upgrade Certificates."  If you would like to get a free copy when I'm finished with it, just fill out the form here and I will send it to you.

• Finally, I've been asked to teach an online workshop to my writer's group about "Making Money with Your Blog or Website" in September.  During those 30 days, I'll be teaching people how to take their website - whatever that website is - and add money-making elements to supplement any business's income.  If you're interested in joining the workshop (it's $20 to join), just email me at etbarton@onehourbookkeeper.com and I will send you some more information.

Well - that's what I've been up to.  I plan on posting another Diary of a Bad, Bad Bookkeeper and Bookkeeping Money-Saving Tip this week, so stay tuned...

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Originally posted 2010-07-21 03:44:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

In my last BOOKKEEPING MONEY-SAVING TIP # 7: Ditch the Office Filing Cabinets I suggested that you ditch the filing cabinet all together and make your filing go completely digital. However, I am now going to be more realistic about this advice. While it is absolutely 100% possible to ditch your filing cabinet and index every receipt, invoice, bill, eBill and statement that ever crosses a bookkeeper’s desk, I am not so foolish as to actually believe that everyone will embrace this advice wholeheartedly. In fact, I fully acknowledge that ditching the filing cabinet is the one piece of advice that a large majority of small business owners will completely ignore. They would rather do things “the old fashioned way” and have a paper copy of everything they have ever touched crammed into cabinets and boxes in their offices and storage areas. The ever present fear that the IRS will come knocking is the biggest factor behind this choice, and it backs up the whole “not fixing what isn’t broken” belief. So if you want to ignore that last tip, it’s fine... because I still have an opinion on Filing Paperwork. (After all, it is one of my pet peeves.)

One of the most irksome things I see on a daily basis as an Independent Bookkeeper is another bookkeeper’s “Filing System.” I put “Filing System” in quotes because – quite frankly – I’m being hugely sarcastic. What some bookkeepers cook up as “Filing Systems” is just short of nightmarish to the professionals that have to come in behind them and clean things up. While I do admit that their “Filing Systems” work for them (because they know where every folder and paper is in their offices), it does not work for anyone else. Trying to find a receipt or a bill when a bookkeeper is sick or “on lunch” can turn into a huge waste of time. Just because it works for one person doesn’t mean it should be implemented or used. So here’s my philosophy: Bookkeepers should be completely dispensable at all times. The best bookkeepers will do their jobs so well, another bookkeeper can step into their shoes at any time and take over. Bookkeepers that are on top of everything don’t need people to come in and “clean up after them” because their systems are completely accessible for every single employee in the office all the way down to the janitor who empties the trash. In my opinion, that one single quality makes a bookkeeper more trustworthy than anything else they could possibly do in an office. It says, “Come in – feel free to look around. You’re not going to find anything you shouldn’t because I'm awesome!”

Now, having vented a bit, let me recap why this article is called “Dumb Down Your Filing Cabinet.” Simply put – your “Filing System” should be as simple as possible. It should not take a degree to know where things are. Instead, here is what your filing system should be (if it isn’t already):

1. Ditch the “Categories.” While it may seem important to have IRS-related paperwork in one section, bank-related paperwork in another section, credit-card information in another system, SBO Identity information in another section (etc, etc, etc) the truth is, this helps no one but you. If your SBO doesn’t know your system, they are going to waste countless hours trying to figure it out. Forget about the categories and instead...
2. Alphabetize. The simplest “Filing System” ever is the good old fashioned A-through-Z system. Anyone can find paperwork when it’s in alphabetical order, and they can find it quickly. The faster an SBO can find something, the happier they will be with you and the cooler they’ll think you are. (They might even hire you an assistant, should you ask, and then your assistant can do all the filing for you... and they won’t even need to be smart to do it). Once you start alphabetizing, the next step is to...
3. Condense, Condense, Condense. Again, under the guise of simplifying the filing cabinet, you should now be thinking of bringing everything into one place. That means, STOP putting some folders in your desk while others go in this filing cabinet or that one. Some are with your SBO while others are with other employees. Instead, put all of your Income Folders (or Customer-Related Files) into one drawer (two max), and all of your Expense Folders (or Vendor Folders) into another, and Employee Info into a third. The only files that should be in your desk are the ones that you have to access every day – like private credit card information, social security information, or things that you work with but no one else does. Your desk should be for you alone... I know what you’re thinking: But what about security? My answer to that is...
4. Get a Locking Filing Cabinet. If you are actually filing paperwork that other people in the office shouldn’t be seeing, then you should be using a filing cabinet that locks anyway. Then, when you have one, put the checks in there as well. Might as well lock those up too and help fight embezzlement whenever you can. Once you have one, then make sure that you...
5. Start Off Right Straight From Day One. By this, I mean January 1st. You see, I’m a firm believer in keeping your Bookkeeping Files separated by year. This is so much easier when it comes to setting them on fire later – after the 7 year “mandatory hold” the IRS demands. Make it simple by creating new folders every year before January 1st so that you’re ready to go and don’t have to sort anything else out later. You can then put that Old Year’s Files in another drawer or storage boxes and get them out of your way. (My general rule is to keep the past year in the cabinets – because you will be accessing those in the following year – and packing away folders that are more than two years old.) Once that is done, then you’ll want to...
6. Simplify Your Labeling System. While it may be tempting to recreate a folder for every single Vendor or Customer you have, the truth is, it’s not always necessary. In fact, it’s wasteful. You’ll waste boxes of filing folders, as well as cabinet space, if you have a folder for everything. So instead, copy the previous year’s folder names only if they had more than 5 items in them, or you know you’re going to be getting a lot more paperwork from them in the future. For everything else, create a “Miscellaneous” Folder by Letter where you can store all the items that have less than 5 pieces of paperwork. So for example, create a “Miscellaneous A” folder for items like “Apple Computer” (because how many of those is your company really going to buy?) or “Ajax Towing” (because how many times is a car really going to be towed throughout the year?). Do you see where I’m going with this? So the General Rule is: More than 5 gets a Folder; Less than 5 is just “Miscellaneous.”

Now, if you implement all these strategies into your filing cabinet, you will begin to save tons of time searching for documents. And as the old saying goes, “Time is money.”

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Originally posted 2010-04-09 06:27:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here at the OneHourBookkeeper.com, we are working hard to prove to our readers that we're more than just another blog about bookkeeping.  We honestly believe we can help Small Businesses save money on their bookkeeping with simple tips that can save time, stop embezzlement, find discounts, etc.  In that spirit, we have written a book called "How To Do A Year's Worth Of Bookkeeping In One Day."

With the newsletter, you will get tips that you won't see on this blog, and you will also be offered discounts on all of our future products.  For example, we currently have a video in the works called "The One Hour Bookkeeping Method:  How To Do Your Books In One Hour."

Having said that, here is a sample of the eBook:

***********************************************************************************************

INTRODUCTION

What This Book is NOT

This book is not a replacement for a day-to-day Bookkeeper.  It does not discuss Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll Procedures, or Tax Reports of any kind.  It is not about writing checks, making deposits, or dealing with money.  It is not meant to replace day-to-day Bookkeeping Data Entry in any way, shape or form.

The Mission of This Book

Now that you know what this book is not, I’ll tell you what this book was written for.  This book was written for small businesses who may not be up to date on their bookkeeping, or that may never have done any bookkeeping.  It is written for Small Business Owners (SBOs) who have no bookkeeper and need to enter their own bookkeeping data entry, or for bookkeepers who may be behind and need some ideas on getting caught up fast.  It is written with the assumption that the reader has little or no QuickBooks knowledge, so it may bore those who already know the program inside and out.  This book is all about fast, dirty, no-holds barred data entry that will get a small business’s books up-to-date as quickly as possible so that an accountant can do the business’s taxes in a timely fashion.  (In that vein, it will also work for anyone who needs to get their income and expenses ready quickly for their personal taxes.)  By the time you are done with this book, you will have an up-to-date set of business books that you can continue to use in the following years.

What You Need to Use This Book:

In order to use this book, you must have QuickBooks.  It does not matter what version of QuickBooks, just that you have QuickBooks.  Although there are many bookkeeping programs available today that can do a company’s books, in the opinion of the authors, QuickBooks is the best by far.  It is one of the only programs that can “talk” to your bank / credit card accounts and download those accounts’ details into an easy-to-post file.  It is also one of the only programs out there not designed for bookkeepers, but for everyday users.  The first fact will make data entry fast and easy, while the latter will mean that anyone can do what this book teaches.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE QUICKBOOKS, you can actually download the Simple Start version of QuickBooks and try it for free for 30 days. If you plan it right, you could download the free sample, do your Day’s Worth of Work, and then submit all the paperwork to your accountant without buying the program.  However, I’m pretty sure that once you do buy the program, you will want to keep it.  Especially because you can do this 12-Step Program year after year and thus keep your business’s taxes up-to-date...

Subscribe in the fields to the right to download the eBook and read more.

___________________________________________________________

Click Here to Read Excerpts from this Ebook:

• QuickBooks Shortcuts

• BOOKKEEPING MONEY-SAVING TIP # 3: Edit Your Preferences

• How To Manually Download Your Bank Transactions into QuickBooks

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Originally posted 2010-02-11 00:29:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Kenneth Reid is an accountant with over 25 years experience. His blog - http://mastertype.blogspot.com - contains mostly income tax tips, but also contains some accounting and/or bookkeeping tips. During "tax season", his blog will contain more tax tips than anything else. The rest of the year, his blog contains a combination of tax tips, accounting and bookkeeping tips, including some tips related to .

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I had a client who went through a very difficult period of time a number of years ago due to a bookkeeper (and a few other employees) who were literally robbing the business blind. The owner of the business had no idea what his bookkeeper was doing because he NEVER double checked any of her work. It was a small business – the owner and his wife, a bookkeeper, and 5 other employees. Here’s the story, as told to me by the business owner.

Crime # 1

The business owner (we will call him Jack) owned his business for about 20 years. He hired a new bookkeeper who was good at her job. So good in fact, that Jack felt he didn’t have to check her work after about one year.  (We will call the bookkeeper Lisa.)  18 months after she started working for Jack, Lisa began to embezzle.

Jack had 5 employees whom he provided cell phones for, as well as one phone for himself, for a total of 6 cell phones. Lisa had a good friend who worked for a cell phone competitor. Between Lisa and this friend, they got another cell phone (similar to the ones used by Jack), and had this cell phone put on Jack’s business cell phone account.  These charges were added for about 3 years before Jack accidentally stumbled onto the situation by accident. Lisa had left a recent cell bill on her desk and Jack saw the bill.

Jack immediately contacted the phone company regarding the 7^th phone and was told he did not have authorization to remove it from the bill. The phone company did not believe that Jack was the owner of the company, or that he was the only person authorized to add or remove phones to his business account.  This resulted in a 6-month battle between Jack and the phone company before Jack was able to have the additional phone removed.

Crime # 2

During the 6 month cell phone battle, Lisa convinced two other employees to help her steal products from the company.  She would order 100 items of a product the company normally ordered, when the company only needed 50 or 60 items.  The other employees would then receive the 50 or 60 items into the inventory, while the remaining items were placed in the employees vehicles (including Lisa’s) when the owner was not on the premises.  With Lisa’s help, the employees would sell these products to Jack’s business customers at steeply discounted prices (often for less than what the product actually cost).

Jack’s Stand

Jack had noticed that during Lisa’s employment, business had been slowing down – that sales were not as high as they had been in previous years – but he never knew why.  He trusted his bookkeeper, and his CPA never verified any work done by the bookkeeper either.  Jack NEVER took inventory, or compared vendor invoices to items received.

Needless to say, Jack got wise to the bookkeeper as a result of the cell phone bill he found on her desk. He asked her on a weekly basis whether she had taken the additional phone off the bill (which she always said she would get to, but never did anything about).  Jack finally fired Lisa and all other workers involved during that time.  However, before he did, Lisa destroyed all evidence linking her to any embezzlement (including hard copies of invoices) and ALL computerized accounting records. She destroyed this information in such a way that there was no way to recover any of it.  Because of this, Jack was unable to prosecute Lisa or prove anything else.

Moral of this story (especially for small business owners):

• NEVER trust all of your bookkeeping to be done by just one person without periodically checking the work yourself. As a business owner, you have every right (as well as the responsibility) to know how your business is doing financially. You have the right to see all vendor invoices and to check those invoices for accuracy. Furthermore, you should be the person who authorizes all payments to vendors (or to anyone else), including payroll for employees.
• If your business carries any kind of inventory, you should perform an annual inventory count. (This is required for income tax purposes anyway.) When you purchase products, you should periodically spot check the products that arrive with the vendor invoices and other shipping documentation to verify that you are receiving everything that was ordered.
• If your company receives services of any kind (cell phone service, etc.), periodically look at the vendor invoices to see what services you are being billed for. Sometimes vendors will charge you for services not properly authorized by you.
• Bookkeeper theft is not always easy to catch, but will never be caught if the business owner or other company officials NEVER check the work of the bookkeeper — especially in small business settings. Small businesses do not always have the ability to segregate duties in the “accounting” function of the business, so almost all work is done by one or two people, with no way to separate certain functions to other employees.

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Originally posted 2010-03-04 19:28:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Working for oneself is often the preferred option when times are hard.  Traditional types of employment can be hard to find and in some areas, self-employment can be the best way forward for those who want to achieve independence and flexibility.  Women and men who are just starting out as self employed can benefit from the help of an umbrella company.

Administrative support for a new business is vital but knowing where to begin is difficult and tackling the vast amount of administration involved can be very daunting and time consuming.  Opting for the help of an umbrella company can often be the best option for women who are just starting out in business.

Women who want to work for themselves will know that there is a need to find the time to market the business and find new clients as well as carry out the actual work.  This can leave very little time for the actual administration of the company, which can make it much harder to get a new business off the ground.  An umbrella company can deal with much of the administration work on behalf of the contractor so that they are able to focus on the actual business rather than the red tape.

An umbrella company will deal with business expenses, time sheets, invoicing of the client and chasing any outstanding payments.  Freelance contractors also do not need to worry about dealing with the tax office and any related paperwork.  Some umbrella companies register their clients under the PAYE system so there is no need to worry about putting money to one side to cover the end of year tax bill.  In addition, an umbrella company can offset any expenses incurred while working against the tax paid, so this helps to maximize the potential earnings.

Every umbrella company is slightly different and will offer different benefits to the contractor.  This can include essentials such as pensions, life insurance and public liability insurance.  The latter is necessary for those who are self-employed as it protects them from liability claims against them.

The service provided by an umbrella company is a time saver that should not be dismissed lightly.  Women who are just starting out as self-employed contractors or starting a new business will find that the administration side of the business can quickly eat in to the time they would normally spend with family and friends or pursuing their profession.  Chasing an outstanding payment can mean spending time on phone calls and sending reminder letters and statements whereas having an administrative service on hand that can perform this function on their behalf can save hours each month.  Using an umbrella company can offer a freelancer all the benefits of a regular employer/employee relationship while allowing them to retain their independent status..

Opting to use the services of an umbrella company and registering with them is very easy.  There are business advisors on hand to simplify this process.  These advisors can answer any questions that the contractor may have about the service and in the event that they make the decision to move on and become a limited company, the umbrella company is able to help with the process so that the transition is smooth.         

By: Aimee

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Great leaders are great delegators. Any person in authority knows that you can’t simply say, “Do this job” and expect it to be done like you want it. Since you, as a freelance bookkeeper, are asking a completely different personality to do the work, they’re going to use their knowledge and skills to accomplish the task.

If your team member, such as another bookkeeper or virtual assistant, doesn’t possess your same level of expertise, the job isn’t going to be done to your standards. If you don’t instruct your team member in detail, it isn’t his or her fault that the job is below your standards. The fault lies in your communication skills. You have failed in the crucial element of successful delegation…

The key to successfully delegating to a team member lies in a freelance bookkeeper’s ability to clearly communicate your expectations.

Ask yourself, “If I delegate this, how will I be satisfied that it’s done? What is my expectation?” The onus is on you as the delegator to communicate clearly how you want it done. You may have to make a list of exact steps that you want your assistant to take, in order to handle it the way that you want it handled.

The people on your team want to do a good job. Your job is to give clear instructions and expectations and have a routine so they know what to do. In other words, you need a system.

If your team member can’t do it from the beginning according to the way that you want it, then you need to look at what you didn’t communicate. You also need to question the person, “These are the steps that I gave you. Was there something that you didn’t understand?”

It’s important, also, to have an open door policy so your assistant is comfortable coming to you and saying, “I don’t quite understand this step. This is how I would do it. Is that what you meant? Do you want it done a certain way?” Then you can elaborate on the details that need clarification.

It’s also vital to set time limits for job completion for your team member. If it’s a new process, build in quality checks along the way. You can say, “The first time you do this show me when you get to X point and when it’s done.” Then you know that they get your system and instructions.

Yes, it will take some time up front to document the process you want your team members to follow for each specific task. But in the long run you’ll save so much time and money, because everyone will have a solid reference point to work from.

Successful freelance bookkeepers must have systems or processes. Winging it just won’t do. That’s why I’m so excited to introduce everyone to my new Freelance Bookkeeper’s Business Blueprint Program. It contains business-building secrets, tools, and systems – everything to make your freelance bookkeeping business flourish.

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• Bookkeepers – What Should You Do When the Prospective Client Says “No”?
• Bookkeepers – Should You be Available to Your Clients 24/7?
• 5 Reasons Freelance Bookkeepers Shouldn’t Be Afraid of E-Accounting
• 5 Reasons Savvy Bookkeepers Love Their Mastermind Group
• Build your Bookkeeping Business in Just 30 Minutes a Day

Why You Should Use Google Adsense

photo credit: Search Engine People BlogGoogle Adsense is the first way to make money when it comes to making money on your blog. Yet, a lot of people seem afraid of Google Adsense. They either think it’s too complicated, or that everyone (absolutely everyone) is using it these days. The latter statement often leads people to ponder, “If everyone is using Google Adsense, wouldn’t it be better for me to use something else?” The answer is...Google made over $19 BILLION in advertising revenue last year. Many, many bloggers got a fat chunk of that money. Why aren’t YOU one of them? (If you’re not, of course.)

Here are other reasons why you should use Google Adsense:

• Google Adsense is one of the only programs that will make you money without you having to do anything (other than place the ads). All you have to do is create a few ads, position them in a few discrete places, and you can start making a couple dollars every time you post a blog. While a couple dollars may not seem like a lot of money, it can easily become enough money every month to pay for something like...hmmm....Aweber.
• Google Adsense will TARGET your ads to your customers. They do this by searching for the keywords you put in your title, your tagline, your blog post, your categories, and in your Meta tags. By doing this, it can suggest ads that compliment your information, thus adding to your blog instead of detracting.
• Every time someone just “clicks” on one of your Google Adsense ads (notice I say “clicks” and not “buys”), you make money. That is one of the best things about Google Adsense. Your readers don’t have to buy anything. You get the money simply because having the ad on your site makes you a “lead” for Google. Then Google pays you for the potential income they could make from your readers versus the actual income they get make from your readers. Sure, it may only be a few cents per click, but that’s still better than nothing. And the more readers you have that click on those ads, the more money you make.
• And again – relevant ads will allow you to help your readers, thus making your blog an expert site in their eyes. Why not get paid for being the expert you are (and for recommending relevant products)?

Before you can proceed, however, you must get a FREE Google Adsense account. To do that, simply go to www.Google.com/adsense. That’s it. Simply sign up and link to any existing bank account for payment, or have them send a check to your home. (Quick Note: You will have to pay a “Check Fee” if you choose to have the money sent to your home instead of paid to your bank account. It’s $3, which isn’t much. Also, Google will only send you a check monthly AND only when you’ve reached $100. If you’re under $100, they carry the balance from month to month until you hit $100.)

Creating Discrete Google Ads

The key to having Effective Google Ads that will make you money is actually to be “Discrete.”  In other words, you want your ads to “blend” into the article and your blog.  The more your Google ads blend, the more your readers will think the information is part of your blog, and the more they’ll be willing to click on any links.  To make this happen, you need to:

1.      Use “Adlinks” whenever possible.

2.      Make any Google Adsense links in your blog match your “Other” links.

3.      Place Your Google Adsense Adlinks in Discrete Locations.

4.      Use Your Prime Real Estate for Banner Ads.

5.      Utilize as many types of Google Adsense Ads as you can.

Tomorrow, I will post how to do each of these steps for anyone who would like to know how to use Google Adsense effectively on their blogs.

If You Like This Article, You Might Like:

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Originally posted 2010-10-02 22:18:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Not too many years ago, bookkeepers had to make the nerve-wracking change from the hand-written ledgers to entering data into a computer.  Some were afraid, while others willingly embraced it, quickly seeing the advantages, and prospered.

Freelance bookkeepers today are facing another business-changing decision.  Will you embrace new technology and take your freelance bookkeeping business into the internet cloud?  Or are you going to fight this change because you fear the unknown?

When you’re not a techie, it’s normal to feel nervous about new things. So, here are some impressive things about e-accounting that may help you embrace this new technology.

Ease of use.  E-accounting simply means using internet technology to do your accounting.  It’s as easy as sending e-mails.  Sure, the first time you signed up for your e-mail account you probably were hesitant and unsure.  But don’t you find e-mails indispensable in your business?  You’ll find e-accounting to be as indispensable.

Affordable. Today, services are available at a very competitive price for people who freelance. Bookkeepers will actually find that they save a lot of time and make their businesses more profitable.

Flexibility of how you work. When you’re using software products like Peachtree or QuickBooks desktop editions, you can use PC-to-PC remote control solutions like GoToMyPC or LogMeIn. It allows you to sit in your office and use the internet to literally connect to your client’s computer and do your work.

Provides multi-user access when you use an internet hosting company. Securely store information where everyone authorized can access it at any time. It tracks everything that each user does. It’s very secure, and regular data back ups are made. It’s on a monthly subscription fee that takes care of all the technical stuff.

Keeps you up-to-date with the changing world of accounting. In the past, you entered data as it came in, so you were always playing catch-up.  Now, everything is happening in real time.  It puts you more in the role of interpreting the data and giving your clients really useful, up-to-the-minute advice. The difference between record keeping and accounting is becoming very distinct, requiring new skills and knowledge.

On Thursday, April 11th The Bookkeeper’s Club will learn all about e-accounting in their Ask the Expert Call with Joanie Mann. For over a decade, she has specialized in internet technologies for business finance and accounting.  Joanie will share her cutting edge knowledge when discussing “What Is e-Accounting & Why Is It Important?” You’re not going to want to miss this!

Not a member yet? Click here to review all the benefits, including the not-to-be-missed information from Joanie that helps freelance bookkeepers quickly, confidently, and profitably use the internet.

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Dear Diary,

Today was payday – the second since I’ve been here.  I figured it was about time to test the Double Payday Scam – to see if my boss would actually catch me.

So, I started the day by doing the .  Just like two weeks ago, I created and took all of the paychecks to the boss to sign.  He signed them, with only the occasional request to see a corresponding timecard...then he signed mine without question.

I took the back to my office and set mine aside.  Then, I printed up another paycheck that I took back to him.

“What’s this?” he asked me, glancing briefly at my double payday.

“It’s a replacement check.  I double-checked my income and realized that I had entered my withholdings incorrectly, and took out too much in taxes.  So I voided the other one and reprinted this one.”

“Okay,” he said, shrugging and then signing my check.

And just like that – Double payday.  If he had asked me to produce the voided check, I would have gone back to my office and voided the first check... but since he didn’t, he’ll never know.  Even if he opens the bank statement (which let’s face it, he probably won’t), he’ll see the extra paycheck and think he’s just looked at the same check twice.

*****************************************

How to Catch the Double Payday Scam:

All a small business owner has to do to catch the Double Payday Scam is to ask to see the voided check, or to insist that you will void all checks personally.  They can then refile the checks, and you have protected yourself... it’s that simple.

*****************************************

Click Here to Read the previous entry:  Diary of a Bad, Bad Bookkeeper (Day 14) – The Carnage Begins

Click Here to Read the Next Entry:  Diary of a Bad, Bad Bookkeeper (Day 40) – Stealing the Boss’s Identity

If You Like This Article, You Might Like:

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• Diary of a Bad, Bad Bookkeeper (Day 40) – Stealing the Boss’s Identity

Originally posted 2010-03-29 23:15:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter