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10 Items to Cross Off Your End-of-Year Small Business Checklist by @DeborahSweeney

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10 Items to Cross Off Your End-of-Year Small Business Checklist

by Deborah Sweeney | Featured Contributor

The countdown is officially on — less than a month stands between entrepreneurs and the New Year! As small business owners look forward to a fresh slate and new opportunities, they’re also filing documents to report changes made to the business and working hard to wrap up the year’s loose ends. Think you forgot something important from your to-do list? Our checklist covers 10 items to mark off and ensure you’re finishing the year on a strong note.

  1. File a foreign qualification

Did your business expand to another state this year? Are you incorporated in one state, but headquartered in another? You’ll need to file for a foreign qualification in order to legally conduct business in that state. Remember that your corporation or LLC is only domestic in the state it is incorporated in and is considered foreign everywhere else. If you want to be authorized to do business, elsewhere, you have to file for a foreign qualification.

  1. File an annual report

Generally required by most states, annual reports keep your company information — like activities, locations, and contact information — in good standing with the Secretary of State. Be sure to check in with your state’s schedule to see when you are required to file the report. If you don’t file by the deadline, your LLC or corporation may be subjected to late fees and penalties or even dissolution.

  1. Organize documents on a cloud storage system

Where are your receipts? How about your corporate records and minutes? Rather than spend hours trying to hunt down print or digital documents, store them in a cloud based document storage system. Unlike a laptop that could suffer from hard drive issues or lose files, cloud storage allows you to access all files and even share them securely with work team members.

  1. File an amendment

Did the name of your business change this year? What about its ownership or office address? For any changes made to a Corporation or LLC, the state requires filing an article of amendment to ensure accurate corporate records.

  1. File for a dissolution

If you closed a business this year, you have to close the business formally with the state too. By filing for a dissolution, your Corporation or LLC will no longer be considered an active entity with the Secretary of State. This will keep you save money from paying unnecessary taxes and annual state fees. If you don’t file, you’ll continue to make these payments because your business will still be considered to be in existence.

  1. Review your profit and loss statements

How was your financial performance this year? By creating profit and loss statements, you can look back on your revenue for the year. Look at what did and didn’t work compared to previous years in business and use these statements as a guide for what your outlook might be like for the upcoming year.

  1. Check your cash flow

Along with a P&L statement is a cash flow statement AKA a report that shows how your money was spent throughout the year and how much cash you have on hand. Typically, you should look at your cash flow statements based off of three activities: operating (revenue and expenses), investing (any assets purchased or sold), and financial (loans).

  1. Get a head start on tax season

You can never prep too early for tax season! Take this time to schedule in an appointment with the accountant or bookkeeper for your business. Gather any receipts that could qualify for possible deductions, track quarterly estimated tax payments made during the year, and discuss whether or not you’ll need a tax payment extension.

  1. Make payroll corrections

Did anything change with your payroll this year? If so, make note of that on your records for local, state, and federal payroll to ensure you stay in compliance with payroll regulations.

  1. Celebrate accomplishments from this year and set goals for next year

Reflect back on all the standout moments from the year and take pride in all that your small business has accomplished. Reward your employees with small tokens of gratitude like bonuses or even handwritten notes that highlight their hard work. And finally, make your own small business resolutions for the next year. What do you hope to do next and what steps are needed to get there? Create a list of short and long-term goals to get everyone motivated for what’s to come. When the clock strikes midnight on January 1st, get on your mark, get set, and achieve those goals!

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Deborah Sweeney – Legal Expert, CEO, MyCorporation.com – Calabasas, CA

Deborah Sweeney HeadshotAs CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc. (MyCorporation.com), Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With her experience in the fields of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah has evolved from lawyer to business owner. She has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of businesses for MyCorporation.com’s customers.

Ms. Sweeney received her JD & MBA degrees from Pepperdine University. She is active in the community and loves working with students and aspiring entrepreneurs. She serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University and is a founding member of Partners of Pepperdine. Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in the areas of corporate and intellectual property law. Ms. Sweeney is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites.  She is a regular contributor on Forbes, American Express, Social Media Today, and BlogHer among many others.

In her ‘free’ time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin (8) and Christopher (6). Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Follow her on Twitter @deborahsweeney and @mycorporation.

A New Way to Set Goals for 2016 by @valjonescoach

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by Valerie Jones | Featured Contributor

IMG_4018Happy New Year! It’s a shiny, brand new year, and many of you will be working on setting goals for your business and your personal life this month. January is the month of new beginnings. A fresh start. Time to look at things differently, or consider how you might want to change things to spark growth over the next twelve months.

I’ve never been much of a goal setter. I tend to be more of a ‘take life as it comes’ kind of gal. Life unfolds, and I make decisions in the moment. It’s worked pretty well for me, up until now.

Now, I am focused on building my business. I have some big things I want to accomplish this year, and I know that if I don’t have a solid plan, I probably won’t see them happen. ‘Take life as it comes’ just doesn’t cut it anymore.

And yet, the traditional goal-setting model doesn’t turn me on. Methodical. Logical. Choose an objective, plan out the strategy, set a completion date.

Yawn.

I’m sure this works for some of you, and if so, that’s great! Go for it! Knock yourself out with your calendars and day planners! I salute you!

I also believe there are a lot of you that are like me – you would rather stick an ice pick in your eye than set goals that way. For you, it sucks all the life out of them. It reduces your dreams and visions to a tedious schedule that you have to comply with, and it turns it into a big ‘to-do’ list.

If that’s you, then listen up. I’ve been looking at my goals in a new way, and it’s got me all fired up. Many of you have heard of Danielle LaPorte. She’s a kick-ass writer and speaker, and her book, The Desire Map, is all about setting and achieving goals in a new way. If you haven’t read her book, and you can relate to what I’m saying, then Go. Get.  It.  Her concept is awesome, and it’s revolutionized how I set goals. Here’s what I’m getting out of it, and want to share with you.

How do you want to feel?

That’s it. How do you want to feel? When you wake up? When you go to sleep at night? When you’re sitting at your desk, or driving your car, or eating your dinner? What are the feelings that you long for? Maybe it’s peace. Or passion. Or happy, exhilarated, challenged, proud, alive, or free.

Connecting with your desired feelings will help you to connect with why you are doing what you’re doing. It will bring clarity around your goals, and help you to determine if you’re chasing after the right things or not. Maybe one of your goals just isn’t lining up with your desired feelings. If not, then consider that it might not be the right goal. Sure, it might bring financial reward, or more clients, or a larger following. But if it doesn’t bring you the feelings you long for, it might be the wrong path. If what you’re chasing is fulfillment, passion, and a sense of purpose, and you are connected with that, it helps you to determine what path you should be on.

Sometimes, what seems like a logical goal, isn’t the right one. And, turning away from that goal, and setting your sights on a goal that really fires you up, but logically might not look as good, can be the key to launching your business in a new direction.

When you are connected to how you want to feel, and you are clearly focused on moving towards those feelings, you are aligning with the Universe. You will start to see opportunities that support your intentions. You will be awake to what areas of your life need your focus. And you will begin to get more satisfaction from your work.

And when you begin to get the feelings you want – when you start to see that the goals you are working towards are bringing you joy, excitement, freedom – whatever it is that you most desire – you will have more drive, more passion, more motivation than ever! Your work will become your passion, and that changes everything!

So in this New Year of blank pages just waiting for you to write on them,  consider changing your focus.

Instead of obsessing over dates, strategies, and achievements (although these are all good too!), consider taking some time to think about why you’re doing all of this in the first place. Consider shifting your focus to how you really want to feel, and choosing goals that align with these feelings. Work towards creating a life, a business, that brings you all your desired feelings, and you will start to show up different. The energy you put out will reflect this, and people will notice. Everything you do will be charged with excitement and purpose.

Enjoy your planning, your visioning, your dreaming. Go for what you want, and how you want to feel. Make 2016 the year you create more in every way. Show up with intention and purpose, and watch what happens!

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Valerie JonesValerie Jones is a Life & Transition Coach. She is passionate about helping women create the lives they’ve always wanted – not the lives they think they ‘should’ be living, but a genuine, authentic life that is a full expression of their birthright.  She brings humour, compassion and wisdom to her coaching and to her writing, and creates a safe space for others to express their truth. She is also a corporate coach, working with the United Nations and eBay.  She lives in British Columbia, Canada, and has three amazing children who are bridging into adulthood, which is a whole new ball game as a parent. Valerie loves good red wine and travelling whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.
You can connect with Valerie on social media here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

3 Ways To End The Year With A Bang! by @SandraDawes

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What-the-New-Year-brings

by Sandra Dawes | Featured Contributor 

We’re in the final stretch of 2015! Whether or not you’ve accomplished everything you wanted to for the year, it’s not too late to end the year on a high note. Even in our failures there are lessons to learn and seeds of future success that have been planted. Here are 3 ways to end the year with a bang regardless of how the year has been to-date:

  1. Make a list of lessons learned this yearThere are things that worked out better than you imagined, and others that didn’t unfold as expected. What lessons did you learn from those experiences? What will you do differently next time? Many of us choose not to revisit programs or product launches because they weren’t a success the first time around. There are a lot of situations where a bit of tweaking and better planning and identifying gaps can turn a flop into massive success! It’s just a matter of taking the time to reflect and a willingness to be honest with ourselves.
  1. Review your resourcesAre you still trying to do it all on your own? Whether it’s a team, a better website or hiring a coach to work on specific areas of your business, it’s always a good idea to take inventory of what you have and what you need. If you want different, better results in the New Year, it’s important to identify what your needs are and develop a plan to acquire the resources needed to take your business and your life to the next level. It’s one thing to know what you’re lacking; it’s a completely different thing to have a plan in place to make sure you get what you need. Nothing is more disheartening that feeling like a year has passed and no progress or changes have taken place.
  1. Ask yourself: what else is possible?Sure you achieved a lot this year. That doesn’t mean that you can rest on your laurels. If 2015 has been an awesome year, what is possible to 2016? You’re not the same person you were at the start of the year. You’ve experienced new things, gained knowledge and wisdom. Taking the time to appreciate the good, bad and ugly of 2015 to-date provides us with the starting point to map out an awesome new year. Even if things didn’t work out the way that you wanted them to, you’ve learned from those mistakes and will do things differently next time.

2015 isn’t over yet. There’s still time to get things done, including laying the foundation for a successful 2016. Don’t wait for January to start thinking about your goals for the New Year. Celebrate your successes, big and small. Consider what resources you need to make things even more awesome in the coming year and don’t limit yourself to what’s possible. A new year is a fresh start and the offer opportunities to do things like you never have before. Here’s to making 2016 your best year yet!

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Sandra Dawes, Founder, Life Coach, Embrace Your DestinySandra Dawes is a recovering control freak and excuse maker, as well as founder of Embrace Your Destiny, her life coaching practice. Her work involves teaching women how to stop making arguing for their limitations so that they can create the life that they want. Sandra’s inspiration to help others in this area comes from her own journey and experiences in dealing with the heartbreak of losing her father. She published her first book Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve, a story that outlines her personal journey, in November 2013.

In her down time, Sandra loves to read, do yoga and spend time with her partner Satnam and their dog Lulu. For more information on what she does, visit www.embraceyourdestiny.ca.

New Year, New Tax Laws: How They May Affect Your Small Business

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Photo Credit: msjacoby via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: msjacoby via Compfight cc

by Deborah Sweeney | Featured Contributor 

Happy New Year! Hopefully you had a relaxing and calm holiday season, because January is going to be busy. Most of us still need to wrap up everything from last year, get all of our bookkeeping in order, prepare for the quarterly payment due January 15th, and then the big April tax deadline. And, with all of this extra work, it can be hard to stay on top of how taxes are actually changing this year. Luckily, 2015 shouldn’t be too shocking, but there are some adjustments that you should be aware of.

It’s now easier to save for retirement

The IRS increased the contribution limit for 401(k)s by $500 to a grand total of $18,000/yr. If you’re over 50, your catch-up contribution limit has also increased by $500 to $6,000/yr. And while this may not sound like much, an extra $500/yr over the course of your career could yield significant returns. The IRS also upped the lower-income limits for those eligible for a ‘saver’s credit’ – the amount of this credit depends on AGI and filing status. And, finally, a new type of retirement account called MyRA has been set up by the US treasury to offer those without an employer-sponsored retirement plan a way to more easily save for their golden years.

Nexus standards are being clarified or lowered

Different states have different standards for what constitutes a ‘nexus point’ – the point where a business has enough of a physical presence within a state that they should collect sales tax. 2014 was rife with nexus-related controversies, with Amazon fighting tooth and nail to keep from having to collect sales tax in the states it ships to. Because of this, a few states have either clarified or lowered their nexus point. In New York, any business doing more than $1 Million in sales to New York customers now has to collect sales tax for the state. Last year Texas forced a Utah-based computer and digital program firm to pay 8-years of sales tax after the comptroller proved ‘sufficient contact with, or activity with, the state.’ Nexus laws are broad, and are moving targets, so if you do a significant amount of sales within an outside state, meet with your accountant to ensure you’re meeting any tax-collection requirements. Even an act as innocuous as web-based advertising could be enough to establish nexus in some states.

Health insurance restrictions are harsher

The penalties for not having health insurance are set to increase in 2015. Whereas last year the penalty was the greater of either $95 or 1% of your total income, this year it has been pinned at the greater of $325 or 2% of total income. Further, as of 2015, any employer with fifty or more full-time employees must offer coverage to the company’s employees, and their dependents. If at least one full-time employee receives premium assistance after purchasing health-care on the open exchange, the employer will have to make an Employer Shared Responsibility payment.

Some deductions and credits were extended

Congress once again waited until the eleventh hour to extend over 50 tax breaks that individual filers and small businesses have enjoyed over the last few years. People are again allowed to deduct state and local sales tax, rather than just state and local income tax. Research and new market credits were approved through 2014, as were the 50% bonus depreciation and the $500,000 Section 179 limit. Now there is no telling whether or not any of these breaks will be extended through 2015, so if you can take advantage of them when filing 2014’s return, make sure you do.

2015 shouldn’t see to many radical changes to tax and business law. But it’s important to know what has, and what could, change – otherwise you might find yourself with some serious fines. As always, I strongly recommend you meet with your accountant or another tax professional to review your records from 2014, and to make sure you’ve paid what the IRS and state agencies expect. Then you can start focusing on making 2015 one of your business’s best years.

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Deborah Sweeney – Legal Expert, CEO, MyCorporation.com – Calabasas, CA

Deborah Sweeney Headshot

As CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc. (MyCorporation.com), Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With her experience in the fields of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah has evolved from lawyer to business owner. She has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of businesses for MyCorporation.com’s customers.

Ms. Sweeney received her JD & MBA degrees from Pepperdine University. She is active in the community and loves working with students and aspiring entrepreneurs. She serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University and is a founding member of Partners of Pepperdine. Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in the areas of corporate and intellectual property law. Ms. Sweeney is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites.  She is a regular contributor on Forbes, American Express, Social Media Today, and BlogHer among many others.

In her ‘free’ time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin (8) and Christopher (6). Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Follow her on Twitter @deborahsweeney and @mycorporation.

5 Ways to Make 2015 Your Best Year Yet! by @SandraDawes

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Charles Kettering quote for SOI

by Sandra Dawes | Featured Contributor 

Tis the season to wrap up the year coming to an end and get ready for a brand new one! I love the New Year because I always feel like it’s a fresh start, a clean slate to do things differently, better, than the year before. Please feel free to share your tips for a fabulous New Year in the comments below. Here are my 5 suggestions to make 2015 the best year yet.

1. Celebrate your accomplishments

This is something that I started to do several years ago. On New Year’s Eve, before any festivities begin, I grab my journal and list all of the things that I accomplished during the current year. They don’t all have to be monumental goals, but you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by all that you’ve done, even if you think you didn’t have such a stellar year.

2. Review what worked and what didn’t

We’ve all heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. If we don’t take the time to look at the systems and strategies that worked and evaluate the ones that didn’t we might end up making the same mistakes again next year. Don’t beat yourself up about the failures, but do learn from them. What can you do differently next time?

3. Identify at least 3 things you intend to accomplish in the New Year

What would an article about the New Year be without talking about setting goals? They don’t all have to be about your business. Throw some personal goals in the mix too. When we’re at our best, we do our best. Achieving personal goals can help you be more effective in your business as well so don’t forget to take care of yourself when setting your intentions for 2015.

4. Choose at least one skill to upgrade or learn

If we’re not learning, we’re not growing. I’m a firm believer and strong supporter of continuing education. We can never possibly know all there is to know, even in areas that we’ve mastered. Whether it has to do with your business or not, learning a new skill or learning how to do something you already know in a different way, expands our minds and opens us up to new opportunities that we might not have known existed otherwise. My 9 year-old lab/border collie mix is a constant reminder that you’re never too old to learn and you actually can teach an old dog new tricks!  😉

5. Create a 90-day action plan

If you work out regularly, I’m sure you’ve witnessed the popularity of your local work out spot in January and the decline in attendance as we head into February. It’s why I no longer believe in New Year’s Resolutions. We can’t just say we’re going to start doing, or stop doing something; we have to figure out how we’re going to do it. In addition to that, we have to make sure we’re committed to our goals and make sure that it’s a goal that is important to us, and not something someone else wants us to do. The action plan doesn’t have to be perfect, but it definitely helps to have one. If you want to increase the effectiveness of the plan, share it with someone you know will hold you accountable.

The end of the year can be a bittersweet time for many of us. It’s easy to focus on the things that didn’t go the way we hoped or expected rather than on the things that worked out, sometimes even better than we had planned. Whether this year was phenomenal or lackluster, celebrate the fact that you survived another year and know that the coming year can always be better.

May 2015 be a year filled with great health, peace and prosperity! ♥

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Sandra Dawes, Founder, Life Coach, Embrace Your DestinySandra Dawes is a recovering control freak and excuse maker, as well as founder of Embrace Your Destiny, her life coaching practice. Her work involves teaching women how to stop making arguing for their limitations so that they can create the life that they want. Sandra’s inspiration to help others in this area comes from her own journey and experiences in dealing with the heartbreak of losing her father. She published her first book Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve, a story that outlines her personal journey, in November 2013.

In her down time, Sandra loves to read, do yoga and spend time with her partner Satnam and their dog Lulu. For more information on what she does, visit www.embraceyourdestiny.ca.

How to Give Your Start-Up a Head Start in 2014 by @DeborahSweeney

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by Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation.com | Featured Contributor

Most people tend to feel a bit lethargic around December. The year is drawing to a close, and holiday plans take us away from the worries of business. The owners of start-ups often approach the end of the year as the end of the first chapter of their business – they’ve had a few months to iron out the kinks and, starting January, can throw themselves into the company and turn it into the business they’ve always dreamed of running. Unfortunately, if you don’t use December to get ready for January, you’ll wind up spending months trying to play catch-up. Rather than let December float by, use this checklist to give your business a head start on January 1st.

Incorporate or Form an LLC

Turning your business into its own separate, legal entity is almost always my top tip for start-ups. Forming an LLC or incorporating may have seemed like a waste of time and money back when you were first starting out and weren’t sure if you’d still be in business in a week, but now that your business is really starting to get going, you need to separate your business’s debts from your personal assets. It takes a lot of money to get a company started, and you’ll probably be looking to grow even more in the New Year. Creating a limited liability company or a corporation puts your business in the perfect position to receive loans, without the new debt threatening your own personal assets.

Remember Your Renewals

The state should send notice when legalities like a DBA name or a business license are coming up for renewal, but you shouldn’t depend on the state to remember every little thing when it comes to your business either. Whenever you file for anything that can come up for renewal, you should write down the date you have to renew by. So, if you haven’t already, look up those renewal dates, set aside the fees you need to pay, and don’t let your company fall into non-compliance because of your forgetfulness.

Draw up Employee Agreements

If 2013 went well, you’ll probably be looking to hire in 2014. Remember that you need an EIN before you hire any employees, and you’ll be responsible for any state and federally mandated tax withholdings. You should also look into drawing up an employee agreement or contract so that anyone you hire is aware of their responsibilities, any benefits that are offered, and the grounds for termination. An official employee-employer agreement may seem like a lot of work to create, but it does wonders for protecting your relationship with your employees, and ensures everyone is on the same page.

File for Intellectual Property Protection

Do you have a logo? A jingle? A company mascot? Have you built up any sort of branding? If you have, you need to file for intellectual property protection. You automatically have rights to any intellectual property you’ve used to market your business, but it can be difficult to enforce these rights without registering with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or the US Copyright Office. Filing a trademark or a copyright can take quite a bit of time, so it is important to get started now, or to contact an attorney or other professional to help.

Prepare for Investor Meetings

Angel and venture capital investing is seasonal, and most firms see January as one of the key months for finding new investments. If you are honestly looking to bring on an angel or VC firm, you need to prepare your business before January starts. That means incorporating so you can offer a share of the company for any investments, and getting your pitch ready. How well did you do in 2013? How do you know 2014 will be any better? The idea behind your business will be important, but you need to show solid numbers before anyone invests in your company.

The New Year offers new beginnings, and if you are looking to really grow your start-up, 2014 is a good year to do that. However, that means you need to get your business ready before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. The month of December should be a month where you take the proper steps to choose a business entity, stay on top of renewals, create an employee agreement, protect your intellectual property, and, if necessary, prepare for January investor meetings. Make it a proactive month, and you’ll be able to hit the ground running come January. 

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Deborah Sweeney – Legal Expert, CEO, MyCorporation.com – Calabasas, CA

Deborah Sweeney Headshot

As CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc. (MyCorporation.com), Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With her experience in the fields of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah has evolved from lawyer to business owner. She has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of businesses for MyCorporation.com’s customers.

Ms. Sweeney received her JD & MBA degrees from Pepperdine University. She is active in the community and loves working with students and aspiring entrepreneurs. She serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University and is a founding member of Partners of Pepperdine. Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in the areas of corporate and intellectual property law. Ms. Sweeney is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites.  She is a regular contributor on Forbes, American Express, Social Media Today, and BlogHer among many others.

In her ‘free’ time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin (8) and Christopher (6). Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Follow her on Twitter @deborahsweeney and @mycorporation.