Shop Locally For Free On Small Business Saturday

Will you be a part of the Second Annual Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express? It’s as easy as registering your American Express card at https://sync.americanexpress.com/sbs2011 and using the registered card to make a purchase at a participating small business on Saturday, November 26th. You’ll receive a $25 statement credit when you spend $25, so it’s kind of like shopping local for free. 

Are you a small business owner interested in participating in Small Business Saturday?  American Express provides a free toolkit that includes $100 in Facebook ads.  Visit http://www.smallbusinesssaturday.com/ for the details.

Why should you participate in Small Business Saturday?  Because small businesses make vital contributions to the local economy.  As members of your local community, they also contribute to local teams, fundraisers, and causes of local interest so they deserve your support.

Small businesses also need your patronage in this uncertain economy, and last year’s results show that reminding consumers to shop local works.  “Last year, we saw a 28 percent rise in sales volumes for our small business merchants versus the same day in 2009,” said Mary Ann Fitzmaurice Reilly, senior vice president at American Express OPEN.  A total of 1.5 million Facebook users, 130 public and private organizations, and 41 elected officials declared their support for Small Business Saturday last year. More than 100,000 small businesses downloaded SBS marketing materials, 10,000 businesses signed up for free Facebook advertising that ran on Small Business Saturday, and 200,000 consumers registered their American Express cards to receive $25 statement credits when they shopped at a small business on Small Business Saturday.

So, will you shop local this Saturday?  If you plan to, I’d love to know what local business you’ll be supporting and why, so post your reply here.  It’s one more way to get out the word for your favorite local business!

 

Security and the Mobile Worker

I recently listened in on a very interesting presentation on the mobile workplace presented by Robert Gorby, the Global Head of Business Marketing for AVG.   The discussion centered on the opportunities and corresponding threats presented by the mobile worker, and how business owners can avoid becoming prey to cyber intruders.

Mr. Gorby explained that businesses are a target for hackers are because they are more likely to have money in the bank than individuals, and less likely to notice an unauthorized $20/month debit from their checking account.  It’s also disappointingly easy to commit cyber crime: the software is inexpensive to buy or rent, unsecured operating systems and software exist in the marketplace, and cyber criminal are anonymous and international.

However, most business owners agree that the benefits of a mobile work force outweigh the security risks, and that the mobile worker is the wave of the future.  So how does a business owner protect himself against potential security threats?  Below is a list of the Top 10 suggestions offered by Mr. Gorby during his presentation:

1. Develop strong alpha-numeric passwords for all of your mobile devices, including phones and tablets.
2. Ensure that all of your mobile devices have a remote wiping capability.
3. Do not use unsecured Wi-Fi hot spots.  It is very easy for a hacker to set up a fake WiFi hot spot for the purposes of stealing personal data.
4. Never access online banking sites or make online purchases from a public WiFi connection.
5. Make sure your security software’s automatic updates are enabled.
6. Be aware that strangers may be looking over your shoulder when you’re working in a public place, and never leave mobile devices unattended.
7. Have a process in place for dealing with stolen/misplaced mobile devices.  People tend to think that data leaks overwhelmingly come from external hackers via the Internet, but the reality is that a lot of business data is compromised when laptops are stolen or left behind in a public place.
8. Avoid giving users temporary or unrestricted access to the company network.  If a temporary worker needs access to company data, make sure to restrict access that worker’s access to only those files he/she needs to get the job done.
9. If you use a smart phone other than an iPhone, download an anti-virus app that warns you about malicious links or apps.
10. Develop and distribute a company security policy that addresses potential security threats.

Are you interested in improving the security of your network?  AVG offers an Online Security Audit to small business users.  Visit avgatwork.com, answer a few questions, and receive at IT security action plan personalized for your business.

 

It’s Time To Preview Your W2′s

As the old addage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  If you find yourself providing replacement W-2′s to employees in February of each year, it’s time to put a system in place that ensures the accurate and efficient delivery of W-2′s to your employees each and every year.  It’s easy to do, so read on.

If your payroll processor did his/her job right throughout the year, your W-2 preview process should be as easy as ensuring that your payroll processor has the most recent address for each employee that worked for your company in 2011.  I recommend pulling each employee’s Form W4 and your 3rd quarter payroll reports to ensure that the withholding information recorded in your payroll system matches the information provided by the employee.  This is also an ideal time to make sure that your payroll entries in QuickBooks match the year-to-date information provided by your payroll provider.

If you are a QuickBooks Assisted Payroll customer, you can preview your 2011 W2′s in the Payroll Tax Center until December 16, 2011.  The W2′s provided includes wages through September 30, 2011, so these W-2′s are strictly for review purposes.  Even though QuickBooks Assisted Payroll entries are automatically entered in QuickBooks, it is still a good idea to ensure that the year-to date information in QuickBooks matches the Quarter 3 payroll reports.  If the wage, tax or company information does not appear as expected on the preview, corrections can be submitted by using the Submit a Preview W-2 Correction link on or before December 31, 2011.

One final note on former employees that received paychecks from your company at any time during 2011: you need current address information from them too, or they will call you in February looking for a replacement W-2.  I suggest sending a short letter to each former employee asking them to contact you if their W-2 should be mailed to an address other than the one indicated on the letter.  If you get any letters back stamped “Return To Sender” by the post office, expect calls from those former employees in early 2012.  The others should be covered.

Do you have any year-end payroll tips to share with QuickBooks users?  I hope you’ll add them to the discussion!

 

Just In Time For Opening Day: Snow Apps!

From snow reporting to run tracking, these apps are a powder hound’s new best friends:

Ski & Snow Report by OnTheSnow.com provides snow cams, weather reports, and season snow totals for most resorts in North America.

iTrailMap by Big Air Software allows you to download high resolution trail maps so they can be used without cellular service. The also offer a 3D version that includes GPS tracking and 3D maps of over 750 resorts.

Runkeeper is an app thay uses GPS technology to track your physical activity. Use it to gauge your speed down the mountain, your total distance skiied, and calories burned.

So the answer is yes, ladies and gentleman, there is an app for that.

 

Finding the Right Replacement for QuickBooks’ Discontinued Time Tracking Products

Intuit recently announced that both the Time Tracker and Time & Billing products will be discontinued as of December 1, 2011. The discontinuation of both products means Intuit will no longer provide a time tracking solution, and that got me thinking about the alternatives available to QuickBooks users after December 1st.

Intuit mentions the eBillity Time Tracker in the discontinuation notice, but that isn’t the only option available to QuickBooks users. Big Time Launchpad, SpringAhead, and TimeClockOnline.com all provide web-based time tracking services that integrate with QuickBooks Financial software. Below is a quick summary of each offering:

eBillity Time Tracker automatically syncs billable hours with your QuickBooks company file. Time entries can be created on your PC, Mac or mobile device, either online or offline. Time can be captured in one of three ways: with a built-in timer, auto-calculator, or manual entry. Employees can enter time and submit time sheets for approval and, once approved, the time is synced to QuickBooks. After the free trial period, eBillity Time Tracker costs $10/month for 1 user, $25/month for 6 users, $50/month for 11 users, and $75/month for 21 users.

Big Time Launchpad is tailor made for the small services firm. The product includes time entry, budgeting, project status & employee availability tools that transform a time and billing system into an entry-level practice management system. Easy-to-follow road maps, overviews on every screen, lookups and pop-ups help guide users through each task. After the free trial period, Big Time Launchpad costs $50/month for up to 5 users, $75/month for up to 10 users, and $150/month for up to 25 users.

SpringAhead is a web-based time tracking, billing, expense reporting and project accounting solution that integrates with QuickBooks and the SmartVault Document Management Solution. In addition to a host of other features, timesheets and invoices can be created in QuickBooks without data entry, and time sheet data can be exported to almost any payroll provider. SpringAhead costs $5 per user license per month. Time licenses and expenses licenses are sold separately, but approvers and administrators are free.

TimeClockOnline.com is a web-based time tracking service that allows employees to clock in, review timecards, check time-off available, and enter expense, mileage or project data from any location with an internet connection. Supervisors can access and adjust employee data in real-time, manage individual employee permissions and security settings including physical location restrictions. TimeClockOnline.com also includes HR performance documents to help manage your workforce. After the free trial period, TimeClockOnline.com costs $12/month for 2 users, $25/month for 5 users, $45/month for 10 users, $65/month for 15 users, $80/month for 20 users, and $95/month for 25 users.

If you have specific questions about what solution is right for your business, email info@balancebooksonline.com and we’ll be happy to help you find the right fit.

 

How to Dump Bank of America Like A Bad Habit

Fees for using your debit card are bogus. There. I said it.

I could go on for paragraphs about why you shouldn’t even consider banking with an institution that charges you to hold your cash, but I think David Lazarus says it best in his article, “With debit card fee, Bank of America reaches deeper into customers’ pockets.”

Sadly, way too many Bank of America customers I know have accepted defeat and are ready to suck it up and pay the fee because changing banks is too much of a hassle. And, for that reason, I feel my “ink” is best spent explaining the exit strategy I would take if I were a Bank of America (or any bank with a debit card fee) customer.

1. Open up a new bank account at an institution without debit card fees. Regional banks and credit unions are a good place to start.
2. Evaluate items on auto-pay with your bank. Add up the individual charges deducted each month to get a monthly total for all auto-pay items.
3. If you have your paycheck auto-deposited into your bank account, have the funds split between your new account and your old account for the meantime. Have the funds needed to cover the auto-pay items deposited into your old account, and the balance deposited into your new account.
4. Start using exclusively using the new account for debit card purchases.
5. Move your auto-pay items over to the new account, making sure to deposit funds into the new account to cover the new auto-pay items.
6. Once all of the auto-payment items have been moved to the new bank account, have 100% of your paycheck deposited into the new account, and close your old bank account.

You don’t have to pitch a tent and join the ninety-nine percenters to stage a protest. Vote with your feet and move your precious dollars. If enough consumers move their cash away from banks with debit card fees in the coming weeks, other banks will think long and hard before enacting similar policies.

 

How To Handle Bounced Checks In QuickBooks

No one likes dealing with a bounced check from a customer, but the reality is that every business has to handle one from time to time.  Here’s the quick info on how to ”make it go away” in QuickBooks.

If you haven’t already created the Items necessary for tracking bounced checks and the associated charges, do this now:

• Go to the Lists menu, and select Item List.
• Select Items at the bottom of the list, and then select New.
• Create an Other Charge item titled “Bounced Check.”
• In the Amount field, leave a zero amount.
• In the Account field, choose the bank account affected by the NSF (usually your checking account).
• Click Next.

Create a second Other Charge item titled “Bounced Check Charge” to account for the charge you will assess the customer for the bounced check.

• In the Amount field, leave a zero amount.
• In the Account field, choose an income account, such as Bounced Check Charges. If this account doesn’t exist in your QuickBooks file, create this Income account now.
• Click OK.

Use these Items to re-invoice the customer for the bounced check and any bank fees you want to recover. FYI: this step also backs out the original transaction on your books.

With any luck, you won’t have to deal with bounced checks often.  But at least when you do, dealing with QuickBooks won’t be your biggest headache.

 

I Feel Like A Broken Record: CA Sales Tax Rates Change Again On 10/1/11

I honestly cannot believe I’m writing about sales tax…again…but the topic is apparently a moving target in CA at the moment. For retailers in CA, this means changing your rates in QuickBooks Point-Of-Sale software…again…before the holiday season begins.

Thankfully, if a retailer doesn’t change the sales tax rate in their POS software by October 1st, they will overcollect taxes. But if a retailer overcollects, the bad press could have a noticeable impact on business in the age of social media. Refunding overcollected taxes is also a hassle, so changing the rate in your POS software before the deadline is certainly preferable.

Click here for instructions on how to change the sales tax rate in QuickBooks POS software when it is configured to exchange data with QuickBooks Financial software: http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/articles/HOW12378.

For info on the sales tax rate in your area, click here for more information: http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pdf/Pending_Rates-10-11.pdf

 

Navigating the Amazon: The Great Internet Sales Tax Debate

If you’re a California resident, you’ve probably been approached by someone collecting ballot signatures for Amazon. Amazon does not want to collect tax on sales to California residents, and California residents don’t want to pay more for anything in this economic climate, so it’s an easy signature as far as I’m concerned.

But should it be easy to sign on the dotted line? I know people who shop at brick and mortars to make sure they like an item and then log in from home to make the same purchase online at a discount. Most consumers don’t understand that they are supposed to pay Use Tax on internet purchases, so the applicable taxes are significantly under-collected, and this negatively impacts state revenues.

Ten years ago, I would have been susceptible to the argument that internet retailers needed a helping hand in order to attract consumers and foster innovation, but I can’t make that argument in good conscience today. If internet sales were taxed at a federal rate that minimized the difference between the price paid online for a product and the price paid for the same product in a local store, consumers might resist the urge to login from home to save 2-3% on the purchase. Or maybe states should step up enforcement of Use Tax on internet purchases to level the playing field between online and local retailers.

Do you have an opinion? I’d love to know what you think!