Let’s say you want to start any small business – like making dog Christmas sweaters made out of organic cotton, kale and love. You are excited. Your middle-aged dog Andy and your neighbour Sue with the blonde, curly hair thinks it’s going to be a hit. But you don’t know where to start. Well my friends, here is a little handy dandy small business guide that will get you on… Read more
A lot of things have changed lately. The weather was awesome – now it’s rainy. Dogs and kids were running free – now they are in patterned raincoats. And the federal government had so-called loopholes for small biz owners. Now the rules may be changing. What are the proposed tax changes? Tax changes are being put in place for small businesses that are incorporated. In July, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced… Read more
9 Surprising Stats about Why Small Businesses Are a Big Deal in British Columbia Take a stroll through Vancouver’s eclectic Gastown on a weekday and you’’ll see a number of fresh faced entrepreneurs meeting for coffee. Gastown – which is Vancouver’s latest hub for tech accelerators and start-ups is a bustling example of British Columbia’s biggest business – small business. So why are small businesses such a big deal in… Read more
How BC’s New Government Will Affect your Small Business Summer is here. You’ve bought a new glow-in-the-dark BBQ. Your fluffy dog has been shaved. And the NDP and Green party have formed a minority government. If you are wondering how the new BC government will affect your small business, we’ve got the answers for you here…. Check out these 2017 BC Government changes that will affect your small business: 1.… Read more
3 Ways To Be Authentic Like Oprah In Your Business Did you know we all have inbuilt BS detectors? We have mirror neurons in our brains that make us mimic other peoples’ body language. So if they don’t believe what they are saying – neither will you. For example – think of a time where you truly believed what a person was saying. It’s very likely the person’s words matched… Read more
This One Exercise will Improve your Emotional Intelligence AND your Bottom Line… Surprisingly, studies show that the biggest factor that influences a company’s bottom-line is the leader’s emotional intelligence (EI). This is their level of self-awareness, empathy and rapport with others. This makes sense. A leader’s mood, psychopathic or motivational, can sweep through an office like wildfire affecting productivity and turnover. For instance, according to HBR’s 10 Must Reads On… Read more
What Jay Z Can Teach You About Succeeding in Business “You could be playing outside with your friends, having fun – then next thing you know men with uzis would be in the playground, and we had to run back inside.” This was a typical day for Jay Z in his youth growing up in one of the toughest project houses in New York. The entrepreneur, rapper and founder of… Read more
Small Business Accounting Intentions to Help You Make Money in 2017 You’ve made it through the hype of Christmas and the getting-back-into-work-mode of January. Now it’s go time. You want to accomplish suave goals and make this a 2017 full of grace and success. If you are looking for some motivation to make 2017 one of your most successful years yet, check out these intentions: 1. Focus On Quality over… Read more
5 Rad Ways For Your Biz To Increase Employee and Client Happiness This Christmas It’s nearly time to sip drinks with nogs in them and get together for big gatherings with odd family members – because it’s going to be Christmas soon! The cool thing about Christmas is you can use it as a tool to increase employee and customer happiness. As happiness is really one of the biggest gifts… Read more
Why you might want to sell your business before 2017… If you’ve been looking for the right time to sell your business, you may want to do it before 2017. Here’s why Some of the most valuable business assets that can be sold are the awesome intangibles such as goodwill and customer lists. These types of assets are presently classified as “Cumulative Eligible Capital” (CEC). When sold, there is often… Read more
4 Uncommon Ways to Save Money Like A Boss In Your Small Biz Being an entrepreneur can be really rad. You can schedule your own hours, do work that feels soul-fulfilling and choose the plants you put in your office. (We are really digging cacti currently). However the first few years can also be quite a drag when it comes to saving money – especially when you haven’t established a… Read more
3 Ways to Make Accounting More Fun Like Pancakes On A Sunday Morning Accounting can really suck for people who don’t enjoy it. In fact, ask entrepreneurs what they dislike most about running a business and a large number of them will admit it’s the accounting side of things. If you are a business owner, you probably became one to do more of the things you enjoy and have more… Read more
Keep An Ear Out for CRA Scammers Tax season is over and you can finally take a breath. If you get a call from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) claiming that you owe money or that you are eligible for a refund or benefits, be aware that it could be a scam as there have recently been reports of scammers impersonating CRA collection agents. How to know if you’re speaking… Read more
7 Interesting and Quirky Facts About Accounting Now that tax season is coming to a close, it’s time to put away the laptops, bring out some margaritas and learn some fun facts about accounting. Why? Because you’ll never know when you might need this information at a party or at an impromptu game show. You are welcome. Here they are… If you were wondering where the word accountant comes from,… Read more
Accounting Stuff You Should Know When Starting A Small Business You’ve bought a blender, you are growing pineapples in the back of your van, and you are ready to start a piña colada food truck. (Or this doesn’t describe you at all, but your business is as awesome as a piña colada food truck.) If you are like most new small business owners, you really don’t enjoy the accounting side… Read more
Three Cheat Routine Actions To Take Control Of Your Work Day Work can be like an intense game of ping-pong. Every day, calls, emails and texts are flying towards you grasping for your attention. You can be in reactive mode and respond to your environment by hitting these metaphorical ping-pong balls back to anyone or anything that’s calling for your attention. Or you can put down the bat, walk away… Read more
4 Important Tips For Small Business Budgeting (Image credit: Bigstock/RaStudio) You’ve done it. You’ve got an amazing business idea and you are super excited to implement it. Now it’s time to plan your business budget. This helps you figure out how much money you have, how much you need to spend and how much you need to sell to meet your business goals. Here are 4 important tips to follow… Read more
3 Quick Tips to Expense Christmas Like A Baller It’s coming up to Christmas. Angels are singing, reindeers are not, and small business owners are prepping for Christmas parties, gifts and holiday meals. If you want to have a smooth sailing holiday season this year, check out these three quick tips to expense Christmas like a baller… 1. Christmas Gifts To Employees Christmas gifts are an awesome way to show… Read more
How to choose the right accountant for your small business Accountants can vary as much as men’s moustaches and kale smoothies in Vancouver. So how do you pick the right one? Well my friend, I am glad you asked. Here are some simple questions to ask yourself when choosing an accountant for your small business: Are they qualified? Until recently, accountants could have three different designations: Chartered Accountant, Certified General… Read more
How To Make Decisions In Business And Life at 11 Million Bits a Second Kimi Werner spun around and saw a great white shark staring back at her. See Kimi was a free diver and was used to diving huge lengths into the ocean and holding her breath for a cool 4 or so minutes, but she had never seen a huge beast lurking behind her. Her mind told her… Read more