​Over 3 years in business I've learned a lot the hard way... You know the feeling I'm sure! Today I'm sharing my top business tips to save you a headache or two:

Benjamin Franklin said, “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” Are you aware of the little expenses in your business? Or do you wonder what happens to your income each month? Don’t dismiss even the smallest expenses because they all add up!

Keep your workspace clean so you can focus on your projects without distraction. It is harder to focus with piles of paperwork and other messes on your desk.

If you are a business owner, having a planner (digital or paper) is a lifesaver. It keeps you organized, on schedule, and sane. Often, stress comes not from having too much to do, but from worrying about forgetting something. Writing everything down frees your brain up to do what's important.

You are not alone. It is easy to think that everyone around us has success and we are the only one struggling with failure and doubts. But the reality is that behind each successful business is a lot of dedication, hard work, failure, disappointment, and (most importantly) persistence. So if you've fallen down the rabbit hole of looking at everyone else's success and comparing it to your failures and disappointments, stop. Get up. Dust yourself off. And remember that the highlight reel is all you’re seeing... 

Do you ever get caught up doing things that aren't really moving your business forward? Me too. Make sure every task counts. Don't do things just because other people do them. Instead, focus on the work that will actually move your business in the direction of your goals.

 Genuine community is essential for our businesses to thrive. You cannot hide behind your Instagram account hoping people will notice and buy your product or service. You need to build a community: genuinely comment on people's posts, DM people you want to get to know better, and reach out to set up virtual meetups. Remember that you are not reaching out to people with the goal of them becoming a client. Your goal is to build a supporting community.

In my life I've been trying to be more intentional about the things I keep around. You know those clothes in the back of the closet you haven't worn for a year? I've been learning to let those kind of things go. In my business, I've simplified my discovery call booking process by using Acuity. It holds all my appointment openings so people can schedule at their own convenience! (btw, if you want to simplify your bookkeeping process, schedule a free discovery call using my Acuity link!).

Does your desk ever get messy? Mine does quite often. One thing I've used to help cut the clutter is file boxes to keep near my desk. In them are pretty file folders to hold different categories of paperwork. I have one for each client, several for my personal business, and some for courses I am taking. I always have one folder in the front labeled "in progress." That way if I haven't finished a client's project by the end of the day I can clean off my desk and put the client's folder in there for easy access the next day.

You know those things you dread doing and put off for months? Maybe it's cleaning out your desk drawer or filing your taxes or doing last month's (year’s!) bookkeeping. This week take the first step to accomplish it. You can also choose to delegate the task so you don't even have to worry about it anymore. Schedule a free discovery call today if you want to delegate your bookkeeping.

How many entrepreneurs are thinking of tax season now? Very few. But how many should be? Every single one! There are three things you can do today to make tax season a breeze:

Save Your Receipts. Whether you save them in a file folder or in the cloud, it's up to you. The important thing is that all your business receipts are saved. Why? Because they are required by the IRS if you are audited. They want to see the receipt from Target showing you actually bought office supplies and not a new wardrobe. The burden to prove all those transactions in your bank account are business related will be on you. Taking the time to file receipts today will save you a lot of stress should you be audited later. ​

Setup a Bookkeeping System. I highly recommend QuickBooks Online. It's a cloud-based accounting program. Before you run away because you're scared of numbers, let me tell you how QuickBooks Online has helped my clients!

• Tracking income and expenses, simplifying tax season
• Sending professional invoices
• Easily collecting payments
• Storing receipts using QuickBooks Online’s mobile app
• Tracking sales tax

Is this something you need? Click here to get 50% off for your first three months. 

Tax Plan. I highly recommend all my clients (and you too!) find a local CPA to work with. A good CPA will offer tax planning services. This is a meeting before the end of the year to help you take tax-saving actions such as identifying deductions, making charitable contributions, or buying new equipment. It is best to schedule this meeting sometime between mid-October through December. 

How prepared do you feel for tax season?

​Recently, QuickBooks Online rolled out an update to its receipts feature and you need to know about it! It will save you time and even money by eliminating the need to subscribe to other receipt storage systems. You have three options to upload receipts. 

Using QuickBooks Online Desktop.

• Login to QuickBooks Online on your desktop.
• Click the Banking menu, select the Receipts Tab. 
• Drag and drop receipts directly into QuickBooks Online, or select Browse to upload them. 

Using email.

• Setup a custom email address. Go to the Banking menu, then select the Receipts tab. It'll walk you through the steps.
• Email or forward receipts to your customized email address. Attach receipts to the email—receipts sent in the body of the email will not work. If you send a file it should be a pdf, jpeg, jpg, gif, or png. Note: You can send multiple receipts in one email. But the total file size should be under 20 MB. Also, be sure each image or file contains only one receipt.​

Using the QuickBooks Online app on your phone.

• To scan a receipt, install the "QuickBooks Accounting" app on your phone. 
• Open the app and tap the menu button. 
• Select Receipt Snap and take a photo of your receipt. 
• It will automatically appear in the Receipts tab with any other receipts you've added. 
• Use your computer to manage your receipts from there.

Bonus Tips: 

• No matter which way you choose to upload receipts, you'll see them under For Review in the Receipts tab. From there match each receipt with it's transactions in QuickBooks Online.
• Be sure that each image or file contains only a single receipt.
• ​File size cannot exceed 20 mb.
• Processing might take a few minutes. If something didn’t quite work, you’ll get an email that lets you know.