Episode 54: The Secrets to Growing Your Business, Even with a House Full of Kids

We all know that being a work-at-home mom can be tricky. Finding the right balance is key.

Set your boundaries by time blocking: this is when you set out specific time for work, the kids and family. You’re setting out blocks of time for every day, knowing exactly how much time is in the block. Take time each Saturday or Sunday to plan your week. Know when you have to be with the kids, when you want family time and therefore when you have time to work.

This is something that I have recently been doing more of and getting better at thanks to Chelsi Jo’s podcast on systemizing your life which can be found here.

When you have your work time block make sure that you use it to its fullest. Silence notifications, put your phone aside, let your spouse know that they should only contact you if it is vital and then grab a snack before you get started. This will get better with practice.

When you have any block not related to work, give your children and family 100% of your time and attention. Your kids will become fulfilled and content, making it easier for you to work undistracted as they won’t constantly be bothering you.

Knowing that some days aren’t going to be as perfect as you hope is important. Your process will constantly evolve and improve, the most difficult task is to just get started! Once you’ve begun it will become much easier.

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FLASH SALE on the Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp!! Newly added tax modules. Learn the basics of taxes you should be considering as an entrepreneur and learn how to use QuickBooks Self-Employed to get all of the tax return info directly to your tax preparer or into the TurboTax software! Use Code: FLASH SALE for $100 off!!

Episode 53: How to Ask for Help from Your Spouse or Outsource Even When You're Just Getting Started

You don’t have to have a very busy business to start considering outsourcing. It can often help to lighten the load on yourself by outsourcing things you dread doing!

The first step is to take a step back and look at what you’re bringing in, then evaluate how much you would be able to set aside to fund outsourcing.

You should make a list of your top three dreaded tasks; these could be social media and marketing to mailing and printing. This list is the tasks that you should attempt to outsource. Remember that it is a good idea to turn to friends and family who might be able to assist in one of these areas and wouldn’t mind earning some extra income on the side. You can also make use of freelancer platforms like Fiverr and UpWork.

There are so many things that can take up your time without making you any money. Look out for and consider small things that your spouse or children could help you with that would just make your life that little bit easier without needing to spend any money.

You don’t always need to give up your income. But remember that you can’t grow your business without making time to work on developing it. Paying for tasks to be done so that you don’t have to is a good way to find this time.

If you want any advice or help on this, reach out to me on Facebook, our community has lots of experience and is always willing to help.

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Today's episode includes three tips to help you through the process of preparing your business tax return on your own using tax software. Plus, FLASH SALE on the Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp featuring new tax training modules! Use code FLASH SALE at checkout here.

Episode 52.5: Bonus! Should I Do My Own Taxes or Hire Someone This Year?

In this bonus episode, I briefly talk about a very common question that I get: Should I Do My Own Taxes or Hire Someone This Year? I have discussed this in previous episodes but because we’re in tax season I decided to bring it up again.

The answer from me is: personal preference.

If your business is more complex, I would suggest hiring someone to handle your tax. The more complex the business is the more nuanced and complex the tax can become which is why I suggest a professional should handle it.

On the other hand, if your business is smaller and simpler, then there is no reason why you can’t handle it yourself using software like QuickBooks, which is great for tax and general bookkeeping for your business.

Regardless of what you decide it is important to weigh up the options available to you and decide from there. For example, if you would pay a similar amount for your software as you would for a professional, it might be a good idea to hire a professional. However, if you also were making use of all the other features of the software, then software would be the way to go.

QuickBooks

I know that it can be stressful during tax season especially when your books from 2020 are in disarray due to the pandemic. The single most valuable piece of advice I can give is to get your books in order! QuickBooks is a great piece of affordable software that I recommend for managing the bookkeeping of your business. Find out more about QuickBooks here.

Sign up for the Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp here and take control of your business financials and learn how to manage your own books!

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Episode 52: Taxes Freak You Out?! Easy Tips to Make Sure You Are Tax Savvy.

In this episode I discuss how to get on top of your taxes this year, so that next season is even easier! The theme throughout this episode is that you need to record all your transactions and make sure to keep business and personal transactions separate. A good way to do this can be to have a separate personal and business bank account. Then, you just need to make sure that everything gets recorded correctly in your bookkeeping software. For this I recommend QuickBooks.

QuickBooks

I know that it can be stressful during tax season especially when your books from 2020 are in disarray due to the pandemic. The single most valuable piece of advice I can give is to get your books in order! QuickBooks is a great piece of affordable software that I recommend for managing the bookkeeping of your business. Find out more about QuickBooks here.

The following points are common areas that you should focus on when making sure that you are recording all your transactions and differentiating between personal and business transactions:

• First and foremost, make sure that your books are structured and organized! Get into a good habit of scanning or filing all your receipts. You never know when they might be required, so getting into a habit of saving all of them is vital!
• Keep track of any trips or visits you make that relate to your business. This can be done manually, in your accounting software, or with an app on your phone. Knowing what driving or traveling was done for your business is vital for accurate tax deductions.
• Similarly, you should take note of any courses or business development programs that you took part in as these count as business expenses and are tax-deductible.
• Make sure that you pay your quarterly tax estimates. This is important because you won’t get a huge bill in April, you won’t have to pay penalties and it sets you up for a clean and efficient tax return.

Course: Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp

Remember: be current and consistent!

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Business Minded Mama Facebook Community

Instagram: @stephanieparenza

Sign up for the Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp here and take control of your business financials and learn how to manage your own books!

Let's connect!

Business Minded Mama Facebook Community

Instagram: @stephanieparenza

Sign up for the Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp here and take control of your business financials and learn how to manage your own books!

Let's connect!

Business Minded Mama Facebook Community

Instagram: @stephanieparenza

Sign up for the Bookkeeping Basics Bootcamp here and take control of your business financials and learn how to manage your own books!

Let's connect!

Business Minded Mama Facebook Community

Instagram: @stephanieparenza