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Financial management is a vital part of running a successful business, but often entrepreneurs start their business with little understanding of how to make solid financial decisions. Managing your finances is about more than bookkeeping and paying taxes—although those are also important to a sustainable business. It’s about managing cash flow, preparing for income fluctuations, and having the resources to take advantage of opportunities. Here are 6 money management tips…  Read more

When it comes to the overall success of your business, one of the most important decisions you’ll face is how to price for the work you do. Charge too much and you could scare away potential customers. Charge too little and you could run yourself out of business. Figuring out how much to charge is stressful, but it’s worth it. If your business doesn’t bring in enough money to pay…  Read more

Online reviews are an important marketing tool for many small businesses. They give potential customers and clients a chance to see how effective your goods or services are, how responsive you are to your clients, and what other people’s experiences of your business have been. The vast majority of people check online reviews before making a purchasing decision. When reviews are great, that’s a fantastic thing. It’s when you get…  Read more

Most entrepreneurs find a time in their business when they need to access financing. It may be in the early stages of their business, when start-up costs for offices, equipment and employees must be covered. Or it may be later on, when they have to relocate, purchase more inventory or equipment, or market their business more aggressively. Financing a business can be scary, but there are many options for entrepreneurs…  Read more

Many entrepreneurs start their business with the goal of earning an income for themselves, but they often think of the business only in terms of them running it. In truth, there is a huge benefit to starting a business either with the goal of selling it or at least setting it up so it can be sold at some point in the future. You don’t have to plan on making…  Read more

With the end of the financial year approaching, debtors should be reviewed to see if any of them are bad and can be written off. A tax deduction is available for bad debts written off. To claim a deduction for a bad debt it must be written off in the books of accounts prior to 30 June.  It is important that all reasonable steps to recover the debt have been…  Read more

eCommerce is growing rapidly, and recent research estimates that it will make up over 22% of global retail sales by 2023. With these statistics and the changes COVID-19 has brought, it’s more important than ever to take your retail business online if you want to stay competitive. It adds another revenue stream and keeps your business humming even while your brick and mortar doors are closed. In this article, we…  Read more

Living a debt-free life is one of the dreams of many people. However, paying down your debt is easier said than done. Some people struggle to keep up with their monthly bills and become overwhelmed with the amount of debt they have to pay. In these circumstances, it’s easy to “stick your head in the sand” instead of tackling the issue head-on. This approach only means you’ll be off track…  Read more

At face value, it seems like a great idea. If you’re a small business owner with just a few employees, you probably think that hiring a payroll specialist is an expense that you can avoid. You feel that you can handle it yourself. You have the best intentions to keep your staff paid right and on time. What could go wrong, right? Well, lots actually. Below are the reasons why…  Read more

Some small business owners find themselves in the difficult position of running a business that appears to be profitable, but still having no money in the bank. It’s an important situation to address. After all, a lack of adequate cash flow is one of the main causes of small business failure. Here are three reasons profitable businesses have little money in the bank, and what business owners can do to…  Read more

If you’ve just started working with Xero, it is normal to make a few mistakes while you’re learning. We see mistakes that are quite common – and unfortunately costly – so you should be aware of them if you want to get the most out of Xero’s powerful cloud accounting system. 1. Not connecting all the bank and credit card accounts dedicated for your business Make sure that you keep…  Read more

Nobody wants their business to fail. Although it’s impossible to predict the future with 100% accuracy, a cash flow forecast is a tool that will help you prepare for different possible scenarios in the future. In a nutshell, cash flow forecasting involves estimating how much cash will be coming in and out of your business within a certain period and gives you a clearer picture of your business’ financial health…  Read more

Everyone wants to achieve financial independence. However, until you have enough income-generating assets, you are unfortunately dependent on someone else such as your employer. Investing in properties, when done right, can provide an ongoing income stream and a cash lump sum when you decide to sell it. If you are a first time property investor, check out these five tips that can help you along your journey towards financial independence.…  Read more

  Owning a small business in the construction industry can be incredibly stressful. In addition to the long days and difficult working conditions, you have to worry about cash flow issues. It can take a long time to collect on payment from your clients or contractors who hired your business, and in the meantime you have to pay employees, cover fixed expenses, buy supplies and pay your own subcontractors. Here…  Read more

Running a business isn’t exactly a walk in the park. It is definitely hard work, but a rewarding journey at the same time and you can probably attest to this yourself. Sometimes, things also don’t go as planned and you may find your business under financial distress. Suddenly you find yourself falling behind on due dates, suppliers are chasing for payments, and your stress levels are skyrocketing. Regardless of the…  Read more

  Good personal finance skills are important in life, but this seemingly simple concept can be difficult to master. Without having a good grasp of how to manage your money effectively, you run the risk of making financial mistakes that could significantly impact your life. Forecasting can help avoid money traps and help to manage your finances better. 1. Not all ‘tax effective’ investments are good investments. The term ‘tax…  Read more

Sophisticated Forecast modeling used to be the domain of big Companies with big budgets. However with the evolution of cloud based software, forecast modeling has become economical even for small and medium sized businesses to use to run their business. Seeton Consulting using Futrli Forecasting Software can forecast for a business owner figures for past and present, and most importantly expected future figures by creating forecast items. Each customizable forecast…  Read more

Many small business owners tend to handle their own accounting and bookkeeping, especially when they’ve just started out. However, keeping track of the tax and finance-side of the business– everything from income to expenses to tax compliance– can be overwhelming. Mistakes can happen quite easily and can have costly consequences to your business. Below are five of the most common DIY accounting errors that you should avoid. Unorganised Records It…  Read more

  The omnibus tax bill passed in October 2020  contained the temporary loss carry-back provisions that will allow Corporate Tax Entities only to carry back tax losses from the 2019–20, 2020–21 or 2021–22 income years to offset against tax paid in a previous income year as far back as the 2018–19 income year. The tax refund will be limited by requiring that the amount carried back is not more than…  Read more

When you’re a small business owner, you get used to people giving you advice. Sometimes you seek out their insights while other times they share whether you want them to or not. While the advice is almost always well-intended, it’s not always good. In fact, sometimes it’s downright awful. Here are some tips that well-meaning people give to small business owners that definitely should not be followed. 1. Never turn…  Read more