CPA 2.0 The Next Generation

10 WAYS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS THIS SUMMER

Does your business slow down in the summer months?  In an article at Manta Small Business Tip of the Week Ingrid Cliff offers the following ten suggestions for you to take advantage of the extra time on your hands.  

1.  Take a holiday and get away.  You deserve it.  Your clients will understand and consider it normal this time of year because they are also taking vacations themselves.  Take this time to recharge. 

2.  Get a massage, healing and take care of your health.  Contemplate the thought that your business relies on you being healthy.  Take this time to let go of the stress you have been carrying around and get an annual checkup.  Visualize how energized you will feel when you come back to work.

3.  Take a business-planning day.  The act of taking time to plan and set goals creates a culture among your staff - including the business owner - increases the likelihood of success and motivation.  Bring in a professional or do it yourself.  Reflect on what is good, bad and ugly; reflect on business processes, marketing plans and goals.  Then create an action plan with a timeline. 

4.  Update your website.  Websites can get stale.  This is a good time to review and critique what your website says about you.  Do it yourself or get some help, either way, step back and judge if the site portrays the image and information that you think are important.

5.  Refresh your marketing material.  "In a down economy you need to market more than ever to attract and retain new business."  Review all your materials and get professional help with photos and written profiles.

6.  Clear the clutter.  Have a declutter day (or days).  Clean the office thoroughly, go through file cabinets and stacks of paper, pitching what is no longer needed and scanning and archiving what you want to keep, "delete old emails (it helps to free space on your server in the process)."

7.  Write articles.  "Articles are a great way to help boost your businesses credibility.  Put pen to paper and share your ideas with customers and potential clients.  Create a store of articles you can match to your marketing calendar throughout the year."

8. Computer maintenance.  "All computers need maintenance.  Take the time to defrag your computers," test your back-up system" and generally run a system tune up."

9.  Update your emergency procedures.  Recently there have been devastating tornados, floods and fires.  Here in Houston it is hurricane season.  We do not like to think about it, but it has happened here and it could happen again.  If a fire or other disaster would hit your place of business in the next month, have you done what needs to be done beforehand and do you have a plan to restore and restart your business after an event?  Review your insurance.  Review your data backup system.  Now is the time for disaster recovery planning.

10.  Touch base with your contacts.  "Take time to reconnect over coffee or phone calls" with key clients, colleagues and alliance partners   Working with trusted colleagues is a great way to gain ideas, share resources and grow your business."

Enjoy and recharge this summer!

HOW IDENTITY THEFT CAN AFFECT YOUR TAXES

When you think of identity theft, the first thing that may come to mind is someone stealing your credit card number or opening a credit card in your name. Although this crime is a common form of identity theft, thieves may also use your social security number to obtain employment.

If your social security number is given to an employer by someone other than you, their income will be linked to you. It will appear that you did not report all of your income on your tax return. How will you know if someone used your social security number to get a job?

If you receive a letter from the IRS indicating that more than one tax return was filed for you or if the letter states you did not report income from an employer that you did not work for, your identity may have been stolen. In this case, respond to the IRS letter immediately. How can you avoid the hassle of identity theft?

According to the FTC, 9 million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. Unfortunately, not all of these cases could have been avoided, but the best thing you can do to avoid identity theft is to safeguard your personal information. The easiest ways to prevent identity theft are: not carrying your social security card, not giving anyone on the phone or internet your personal information, shredding confidential mail and not providing personal information on unsecured websites. These tips may just help you be one less American whose identity was stolen. What should you do if you think you might be at risk?

If you believe you may be at risk due to questionable activity on your credit report or lost or missing information, you should submit a copy of your valid government issued ID along with a police report and/or Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, to the IRS. The FTC has guidance on how to report identity theft at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.