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5 Time Management Tips for Small Business Owners

Fri, 07 May 2021 14:38:31 GMT

5 Time Management Tips for Small Business Owners

As a small-business owner, one of the most significant challenges you face is managing time efficiently and getting more done. But this one area is often neglected. Time management skill is one of the most important and yet less talked about. We decided to address this issue and show how you can manage your time better by following some easy yet practical tips.

1. Prioritize

There are a lot of daily tasks that we can easily be overwhelmed by at the onset. We can’t work 24/7, or we will be chronically stressed and unhappy. As a small-business owner, you have the flexibility to work from home, from coffee shops, or from whatever other place you find yourself working for the day. Don’t allow that flexibility to rule your time and put everything on fire. Set a task list for yourself and divide the tasks into groups based on priority.

2. Avoid Multitasking

A lot of small business owners may think that they can work more and multitask. But that can be counterintuitive and make you feel overwhelmed. And the more work you do at a time, the harder it will be to finish your work on time. If you're sitting with a long to-do list and little to no time left, it’s essential that you prioritize your tasks.

3. Delegate and Outsource

Most small businesses struggle with one problem – working too hard and trying to do too many things all by themselves. While it may seem that by doing this, you can save money, but the result is quite the opposite. You lose focus and feel overwhelmed, stressed. This can potentially damage your health and affect business revenue. Put technology to work, automate tasks, use time and project management tools, delegate and outsource certain work types like bookkeeping, accounting, payroll. This will allow you to focus better and keep stress at bay.

4. Stop Worrying Over Tasks Not Done

It’s much easier to go to bed with thoughts of undone tasks lingering in your head than to roll over to your smartphone and check your email. Think of your brain as a closet that can’t hold more objects. So if you have things left undone, tackle the next big task first and let the rest slide. You’ll be far more productive when you’re more on top of your game. When you’re pressed for time, make sure you dedicate one hour to reviewing what went well and what went wrong. It’s much easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission.

5. Maintain a Calendar

Keeping a weekly calendar on a laptop or tablet can prevent you from putting your fingers on the keyboard and miss an important task. It makes it much easier to organize your work to-do list. With calendar management, you should be able to keep better control of what your tasks are. To make the most of your calendar,

Entrepreneurs and small business owners should cultivate a workplace that promotes time management. It’s a leadership skill that takes time to develop. So stay focused, work on developing time management skills, and seek expert opinions in business advisory, management, and accounting to help you reach your business goals.

Here’s to a productive week!

The Talo Financial Team

What is Management Accounting?

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 13:59:05 GMT

Management accounting, also known as managerial accounting, analyzes and interprets accounting data into meaningful information that empowers small business owners and managers to make better decisions.

A management accountant identifies, measures, validates, and communicates financial information necessary for achieving overall business goals.

Management accountants assist the decision-makers at an organisation to interpret data related to profit and loss, balance sheets, aged debtors and cash flow statements. This information helps the stakeholders assess their company’s financial situation and take steps to further strengthen areas for business growth.

In this article, we’ll discuss the functions of management accounting and management accountants’ role and explain how that can help your business grow.

What is The Functional Aspect of Management Accounting and How Does it Help your Business?

Management acc ounting includes several aspects of accounting to improve the quality of the information provided to managers that saves time and increases accuracy. Management accountants utilize information about expenses and income from the sale of goods and services produced by the organisation.

Some of the key functions of management accountants are:

1. Forecasting and Prediction

One of the most essential activities management accountants do is forecasting. Based on statistical data, they indicate and predict future trends, risk factors to help you make decisions and answer essential questions such as:

Can your company invest more in equipment?
Should you expand your business in different markets?
Should you invest in another business?

2. Providing Insights on Purchasing Decision

Knowledge of cost accounting and product availability is an important factor in purchasing decisions. Management accounting data on purchasing can help you make operational and strategic decisions.

3. Predicting Cash Flow

It is crucial to estimate your cash flow and know how it will affect your business. Management accountants do just that. They consider the past and present trends to predict expenditures and profits. They create budget and trend maps that managers can use to determine how to allocate funds and resources to achieve projected sales growth.

4. Helping You Understand Performance Gap

Analysing business performance helps you determine the difference between what you expect and what you get. With management accounting, you will have a better understanding of favorable variances and business anomalies.

5. Analysing the Return on Investment

It is important to estimate the return on investment (ROI) and rate of return (ROR) before starting a new venture. That said, many business owners find little to no information on this and end up making costly mistakes based on faulty assumptions.

If you want to avoid making wrong business decisions, contact a reliable, experienced management accounting firm like Talo Financial . Our expert management accountants will guide you all along so you can make more profit and avert risks.

Without a sound knowledge of accounting, it can be challenging to evaluate and interpret reports that can eventually lead to loss. That’s why we advise you to hire management accountants to make informed decisions and grow your business.

Here’s to your success!

The Talo Financial Team

What Is Payroll Outsourcing and How to Choose a Payroll Service Provider?

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 09:19:04 GMT

As an employer, you pay salaries to your employees. Payroll is just that.

The payroll process includes creating lists of workers to be paid, verifying timesheet records, calculating salaries in that payroll cycle, generating payslips and crediting salaries.

It’s a long, strenuous process that involves either the human resource (HR) department or accounting department or both.

For small to medium businesses, managing payroll can be challenging.

That’s because payroll processing needs dedicated, trained and experienced payroll managers who keep abreast of the latest labour laws, finance, taxation and know how to get the job done.

Small business owners, solopreneurs, and those in the early stage-startups might not have the financial strength to hire full-time payroll experts.

So they outsource payroll services to a reliable third-party like Talo Financial to ensure an error-free, timely execution.

According to the latest report, the number of businesses outsourcing HR payroll work is increasing at a fast pace. In 2019, 26% of organisations worldwide co-outsourced their payroll services while 12% fully outsourced the work.

Payroll outsourcing by companies worldwide. Source: Statista

By now, you must be intrigued to know more about payroll outsourcing. To help you, we’ve put together all the essential information in this blog, so keep reading.

What is Payroll Outsourcing And Why Do Businesses Outsource Payroll Work?

Simply put, payroll outsourcing is the process of hiring an external service provider who manages payroll functions.

Managing payroll is indeed a complex job. It is a combination of skills that demands accuracy, expertise and efficiency. With frequent employment and labour law reforms, amendments, it can be challenging for business owners to comply with government regulations.

Operating with a payroll team that has insufficient knowledge about the current state of affairs can be dangerous. A small mistake in timesheet calculation can lead to inaccurate payment resulting in employee dissatisfaction. Similarly, incorrect tax calculation can result in compliance issues and attract unwanted penalties.

Training in-house staff is a time-intensive job and requires hiring specialised trainers that lead to more expenses. On the other side, without proper training, your payroll team might not function properly.

An easy and simple solution to this problem is partnering with a payroll outsourcing company. This gives you access to experienced, dedicated professionals who handle the work so that you can focus on your core business.

According to the Australian Payroll Association’s 2019 Payroll Benchmarking Report, 32.5% of organisations outsourced payroll work that year.

Outsourced vs inhouse payroll. Source: 2019 Payroll Benchmarking Report, Australian Payroll Association

The same report also says that in 2019, 31.5% of Australian businesses with employee strength 200 to 499 outsourced payroll.

These numbers are a testimony that payroll outsourcing is gaining momentum and more companies are choosing to work with third-party payroll companies.

How to Find the Right Payroll Outsourcing Company

With so many payroll outsourcing companies out there, it can be difficult to choose the right one for your business. But if you pay attention to the following points, you can easily find the best service provider to work with.

1. Service Offering

Service and features offered by payroll providers differ from one another. Some offer select services like data entry or payroll tax returns, while others have comprehensive, full-service payroll management. Before partnering with payroll outsourcing companies, you must know what specific types of payroll solutions you need help with and if the company deals in that.

2. Customisation and Flexibility

How many times have you wished payroll outsourcing companies offered customised plans instead of readymade packages? As every business' needs are unique, so should be payroll services. Don't hesitate to ask the service provider if they're flexible enough to personalise services that give the best value for money.

3. Compliance

We don’t need to tell you that the Australian payroll system is indeed complex. Providers in charge of payroll processing are required to research and know about the latest updates. They must conduct payroll edits, check the accuracy and ensure full compliance. So check before outsourcing payroll to a company if they’re fully compliant with the law.

4. Data Privacy

When you handover the payroll management and processing to a third-party company, you’re sharing confidential information. To avoid compliance and risks of data breaches, you need to check what preventive measurements the provider takes. Seek complete information on how they store or systematically manage client data, records and decide whether you can entrust them with the job.

5. Customer Experience

A payroll outsourcing company that cares for its brand reputation takes customer experience seriously. Make sure to research their customer satisfaction rate. Check reviews, ask locally to find out what the past and present customers have to say about that.

A good payroll outsourcing company always maintains transparency, educates customers about the process, clearly explains charges and is ready to solve queries with care.

There’s a lot to consider before hiring external payroll providers. So it’s best to take time and explore companies or services that give you the best value for money. And when in doubt, contact Talo Financial to book a free call and talk to one of our payroll experts.

Wishing you great success with payroll outsourcing!

The Talo Financial Team

Why Does Your Small Business Need a Virtual CFO?

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 10:59:44 GMT

Why Does Your Small Business Need a Virtual CFO?

Among many challenges faced by small businesses, managing finance and accurately forecasting growth can seem daunting. As COVID-19 struck small business owners where it hurts most - financial loss and uncertainty, hiring a full-time, in-office chief financial officer (CFO) can seem impossible.

Virtual CFO services can help you put your business together with intelligent insights but at a lower cost. If you are wondering how a virtual CFO (VCFO) can help your small business and if it's the right choice, you’ve come to the right place.

Why Hiring a Virtual CFO is a Smart Choice for Small Business

A chief financial officer evaluates financial strengths and weaknesses and proposes corrective steps that propel your business forward. The roles and responsibilities include managing and laying out the financial actions and regulating cash flow.

A CFO is also accountable for assessing the financial risks, cost, debt management and keeping records.

But there are times when small businesses cannot afford or understand how to afford this type of support.

In this situation there might be the opportunity to work with a virtual CFO, enjoy all the benefits that in-house support would bring but at a lower cost. VCFOs handle all responsibilities that a traditional, full-time, in-house CFO does but do so remotely and are responsible for their own know-how and professional licensing.

Hiring a virtual CFO will significantly reduce the financial burden and help organisations address the challenges efficiently, as s/he would provide both professional and financial advice and support.

Here are five reasons to consider if a virtual CFO would suit your business.

1. Higher Business Growth

One of the major reasons why most start-up businesses fail in the first three years is financial immaturity. According to one study, up to 90% of start-up businesses failed in 2019 and business owners cited cash flow drying up as one of the primary causes.

While this doesn’t always mean that decision makers need more financial management skills – it usually plays a very big part. Financial statements, tracking profit and loss, and budgeting play equally important roles when managing and optimising cash flow. As most small business owners are occupied with handling business and clients ignoring financial tasks, they end up hurting and limiting their business growth.

That’s where a virtual CFO comes into the picture. A virtual chief financial officer can identify financial discrepancies, provide budgeting and forecasting services and chart out the best solutions to the management for better and more strategic growth of the organisation. There job is to assess and locate the gaps and help the decision makers to understand how to solve them.

2. Access to Latest Technology

According to an article on EY, most CFOs believe their present finance function doesn’t help them meet the demands of the future challenges and changes in the marketing landscape.

Upskilling the in-house CFO is costly and time-intensive and may not be the right choice for small business owners, especially now in post-COVID times.

On-demand and virtual CFOs are self-reliant and competent; they are equipped with the latest industry knowledge, tools, and technology. They are qualified and licensed to provide financial business know-how. (We recommend you check these things at engagement for your specific VCFO). So you get access to all that just when you need it without spending time or money.

3. Accuracy and Compliance

Managing paperwork for tax and other financial compliance is one of the biggest challenges faced by small to medium-sized businesses. If it’s done wrong, it can cost your company a fortune and increase legal risks.

A VCFO will keep financial reporting well up to date so that auditing and taxation become easier. And s/he will also ensure accurate documentation to keep penalties and fines at bay.

At Talo Financial, we take all necessary steps to make your business more compliant helping you achieve a more correct business picture that ticks all the boxes.

4. More Business Opportunities

Small businesses succeed when they work hand-in-hand with virtual CFOs. They can help assess financial risks for investment and borrowing and suggest to you the right path that generates more profit.

VCFOs can recommend and suggest how the money that you’re planning to spend or borrow can be utilised and saved with proper budgeting and forecasting.

They can even validate or discourage business choices keeping the overall financial health and market trends in mind. Your VCFO should be well connected and have many recommendations to financial lenders and support should the business need it.

5. Save More Money

Small or big, every business needs highly skilled CFOs who can operate competently across business financial areas:

Transactional recording and bookkeeping
Payroll
Tracking and analysing cash flow
Develop business strategies
Financial planning
Cloud accounting
Other financial support

Finding the right person who can handle all the responsibilities is difficult and comes at a cost. And sometimes organisations need to hire more than one person for the job.

Four Business Goals to consider For 2021

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 07:56:13 GMT

2020 turned out to be unlike anything anyone expected. After all, who would’ve seen a pandemic seemingly coming out of nowhere and just shutting down Australia?

Now, however, things have gotten better, and some countries have even approved of vaccines. It goes to show you that no matter how hard things are at the moment, how it feels like everything is ending, there’s always something to look forward to.

So, if you’re an entrepreneur and want to change things up for the new year, here are a few business goals you should consider for 2021:

Create Big Goals for your Business.

2020 was a wild ride. But if you’ve ridden out this crazy wave and reached the shore, we’re glad to see you’ve survived. But that doesn’t mean you let the pandemic get in the way of your ambitions. It also doesn’t mean your goals should remain small. Only when you keep dreaming big can your business grow further and become even more successful. We’d like for you to create those BHAG - Big Hairy Audacious Goals! After all, it’s only when you - as the owner - create these big goals can your business take steps to achieve them.

Make 2021 a year of learning.

If your business is booming or even if you’ve just started your journey to calling yourself an ‘entrepreneur,’ it doesn’t mean you stop growing. Business doesn’t only comprise of the product or service you’re selling. Still, the admin, finances, and accounts can get overwhelming if you don’t know enough. Marketing itself can even become a headache. Not to mention - dealing with clients. There are so many free resources - free and paid - you can use to learn and grow as a business owner. Books, online courses, free YouTube videos - there’s a world out there that makes it easier for you to learn about business and leadership.

Figure out an invoicing and payment system.

It’s only past a certain point before using any old notebook for jotting down your financials is rendered obsolete. Finances are hard - whether it’s trying to make money or just getting an idea of where it’s going and coming from. Keeping track of your bills and payments can be so stressful. After all - you want to dedicate 100% to what you’re good at - which is the business. So allow the finances to be in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. Either get started on a bookkeeping software (XERO is our personal favorite), or if that’s still too much for you - hire a bookkeeper or accountant asap!

Can’t take one on full-time? You can always outsource it - just to let you know, we’ve got some capable hands on deck.

Consider expanding the business.

If sales have been steady and you’re looking to grow exponentially, why not include another product or service under your belt? Spice up the business and scale it by proving that extra something your customers are looking for. Or maybe, you’re so overwhelmed by the company that you need an extra hand or two? Why not either hire another employee or perhaps consider outsourcing a couple of tasks? After all - marketing, finance, website maintenance, etc., are tasks that are better off in the hands of people who know what they’re doing.

Expansion is a part of any business, so you shouldn't ever fear it.

People sometimes want to do everything by themselves. And there’s no worse victim to that than the business owner. After all, the business is your baby - why let someone else take care of it sometimes?

However, if you want to make 2021 the best year yet, you need to stop overwhelming yourself. After all, unless you’re an expert, you don’t want to be doing your plumbing. Otherwise, you might find yourself in deep trouble.

But don’t get too worked up. 2021 will be your best year as a business owner, and we hope to be there for you as you achieve your goals!

To better times ahead,

Talo Financial Team

Four Ways Businesses Should Prepare For and Increase Holiday Sales

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 08:08:36 GMT

December is here and with the silly season hot on our heels, experience says we should prepare our holiday sales strategy. Sure, holiday sales are GREAT - after all, who doesn’t like more sales, money and happy customers?

But if you’re not well-prepared, you’ll be poorly equipped to deal with the holiday rush. This will add pressure and might stop you from enjoying the holiday season too!

Here are four things businesses should do to prepare and increase holiday sales:

1. Prepare your website for the holiday shopping rush.

This is something to consider, especially if your business is prone to more sales during the holidays. You don’t want an eager customer to ready themselves with their card details only to come across a website crash. Ensure that your website is ready and loaded, with the right tools and right support. You should also consider optimising your website and product descriptions to attract more traffic. If you’re a small business, you’ll also want to have your website optimised for local SEO.

PS Don’t forget to update your trading times in google or any other market place ‘hours’- so your customers know when you will be responding and when you are enjoying a hard earned break.

2. Invest in Social Media Ads.

This is something to consider if you’ve been doing Social Media (think instagram, facebook etc) for some time and want to see more conversions come out of your page. When done correctly, ads can quite literally transform your business. Create a great post with the perfect image and description. Run this post as part of a targeted ad campaign that puts it in the feed of your ideal audience. People are more time than ever before on Instagram, and soon enough, you’ll see a surge in page visits, conversions and an increase in holiday sales.

Check out this post to understand a little more about posting on Instagram for small businesses.

3. Release Holiday Specific Listings.

Holidays are when people are more inclined to spend money. It’s the perfect time for a local business to release holiday-specific hampers, discounts and promotions. It could even be an additional service or free shipping. Essentially, it’s something special that could make your customer even happier. You can decide how your business offerings can be better modified to suit the season of gift-giving.

To do this well - think about what makes your purchases feel extra special and offer that - from a holiday email signature to hand crafted gift wrap - it’s the little things that make us love a purchase!

4. Modify your marketing for Holiday Specific Messaging

Let your audience know that you want them to celebrate the holidays with you. And this is best done through the marketing and content you put out - newsletters, emails, and social media posts. Optimise your marketing with holiday-friendly texts and hashtags. If your messaging allows for it, share festive tips that align with your brand’s message. After all, sales aren’t just about selling - adding a little more of personal touch with having your audience coming back for more. You could also let your most special customers know how special they are and give them a reason to buy from you this holiday season - through special product offers and discounts.

Let the holidays be what they are - a season of joy and giving. Many businesses, however, lose out on customers because they either don’t do enough holiday marketing or they’re unprepared for the increase in holiday sales.

Want to know how to get customers to keep coming back to your business? Check out this post.

Still a little scared to deal with the holiday sales by yourself? Have Talo support you with our expert team of bookkeepers and accountants - focusing on helping you understand your business.

Wishing you the best holiday season,

Talo Financial Team

The Local SEO Checklist for Small Businesses | Best Tips for SEO

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 09:31:49 GMT

The ideal scenario for any business is for customers to be able to find you. Rather than spending 100s and 1000s of dollars on paid advertising. And one aspect that a lot of businesses overlook is local SEO.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is basically optimising your business and website for local search. What this means is that anytime a potential customer in your area or vicinity looks up a product that your business offers, you should pop up in their Google search.

For example, you’re a Melbourne home baker who offers customised cupcakes. If anyone in Melbourne searches the term ‘customised cupcakes near me’, you want to be on the first page of Google to be more discoverable.

So, here is the Local SEO Checklist - the best practices to optimise your business for local SEO and local searches. We hope that this helps you to get a whack load of business in before the end of the year!

1. Set up your local business profile and optimise your listing

Set up your local business profile for Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp, Bing Local and Yahoo Local. The steps are pretty simple but you don’t want to leave it at just your business name. The customer should have all the information they’re looking for. This includes location and contact details - website, phone number, photos and videos of the products (and store), business hours and price listings. Businesses often lose out on a customer just because a detail like store hours aren’t available online and hence, go with another business.

2. Get regular customer reviews

Ratings just don’t cut it anymore! Reviews give credibility to your business. The higher the review, the higher the business listing on shows up on search engines. The difference between someone going to your business over a competitor could be one positive review. They also serve as great content for social media.

We know how difficult it can be to ask your customers for reviews. But if they like it, wouldn't they want to let others know how much they like your product(s) or services? You could maybe put in some incentives for reviews if you want to speed things up.

3. Website Optimisations

It’s important that you use industry-specific keywords on every page of your website. Add these to the URLs and to text and images. Your website should also be mobile-friendly, safe and secure (switch to SSL if you haven’t already), set up for Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Be sure to create separate keyword specific pages for each of your products and services.

4. Create SEO optimised content related to your business

Keeping a blog is so important because it not only increases the authority level of your website, it also allows your customers to find you. Create content that uses keywords your target audience searches for. Once you decide on the primary and secondary keywords, allow them to fill up 1-2% of the content, in the URL, meta description, headings and sub-headings, and in the headline. To create SEO optimised content, you should also do a bit of interlinking and get backlinks.

Optimising your business and website for SEO is pretty simple but it takes a long time to appear on the first page of Google. Constantly put out keyword-rich content your target audience looks for and more importantly, put out valuable information. Google is going to ignore you if you just stuff the content with keywords as many businesses do.

Keep working at it and you’re going to see the results!

There are so many aspects to SEO, so be sure to bookmark this local SEO checklist.

If you don’t want to take this herculean task all on your own, think about outsourcing it. We talk about the importance of delegating and outsourcing work, especially as a small business in this article.

To your success in this modern world,

Talo Financial Team.

Best Sources of Finance for Small Businesses in Australia

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 09:21:35 GMT

You have many ideas and plans for your business. But when it comes down to moving ahead, you need cash. So, what’s your next move to secure a source of finance? It

First, you need to determine the reason you require funds. Figure out if it’s a short term need (to meet certain expenses) or a long-term need (to purchase an asset). Understand if you’ll be in a position to actually repay the debt and whether you want to take up the risks of doing so.

Like we’ve previously stated, preparing a balance sheet is one of the first main steps towards getting those extra finances.

Here are the different sources of finance for small businesses in Australia:

1. Government Services and Grants.

You won’t believe just how many grants and funding are offered by the Australian government. Depending on where you’re located, the industry and the reason you need more funds - whether it’s to hire more employees, marketing or upgrading equipment - there’s a grant waiting for your application.

Click here to see all the grants and funds you qualify for. We urge you to grab at every opportunity you can. If your business has been affected by the pandemic, all the more reason to apply.

2. Ask your Accountant.

If you’re working with a good accountant, chances are that they have prior experience of referring clients to various sources of funds. Good accountants will have a strong referral network with trusted professionals. At Talo , we work with a range of amazing commercial brokers who offer big and small funding to our clients.

3. Capital Investment

If you’ve figured out the reason you need funds, let’s move on to understand what stage of the business you’re at. Are you still in the research or beginning stages with no previous sales record? You might want to consider personal savings, borrowing from friends and family or crowdfunding. On the other hand, you’ll want to go the route of angel investment, ie., if you have a proven sales record over a period of time.

Irrespective of which stage of business you’re at, you can consider raising venture capital or selling equity (if you’ve watched Shark Tank, you know this means bringing in shareholders or business partners). There are plenty of Australian networks that connect entrepreneurs with investors.

4. Secured Borrowing (borrowing money against assets).

You could either put up your personal assets as security – but we recommend talking to advisors (like Talo Financial) before you do this – to ensure your best chance at success. Consider looking into equipment finance against machinery/vehicles, debtor finance – if you want to utilise customer billings faster, or commercial property finance against property. You also have the option of leasing out equipment and property.

5. Unsecured Borrowing (borrowing money without assets)

However, if you’re in the beginning stages of the business, chances are you don’t have any business assets as collateral against the debt. Or you don’t want to risk your personal assets. If you’re doing this, be sure to focus on building assets and repaying the debt.

While the amount will be much lower and interest higher, you can consider the following sources of finance for small businesses:

- Online small business loan (Fintech)

- Unsecured Term Loan

- Unsecured Overdraft

- Business Line of Credit (LOC)

- Merchant Cash Advance

- Credit Card

- From friends and family

Some of these will depend on how long you’ve been in business, credit score and could take a bit of time to secure funding.

There’s still a couple of questions to consider when borrowing money. Ask if you really want to the risk and if it’s worth it. Analyse which source of funds makes the most sense for you.

Factor in the business timelines with regards to repayments and interest payments. After all, debt servicing - paying it back without crippling your business is key!

You might be tempted to do this on your own but you’ll want to consider speaking to an experienced accountant. You need to see not only how it helps you to have the debt, but what it costs you in dollars and opportunities. Then, you’ll need to know how to track the debt and repayments. Finally, you’ll understand your business and cash flow so that risk is reduced and return is increased!

If you would like accountants who specialise in cashflow forecasting and helping you see your debt servicing to make better decisions – have a chat with us – we might be a great fit for you!

Here for your funding worries,

Talo Financial Team

Four Things Small Businesses Should Do in the Slow Months

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 08:43:51 GMT

Coming off the peak season can be really demotivating for a lot of small businesses. Especially when it quickly transitions into the slow months.

That’s the thing about being a business owner, isn’t it? To go through periods where you’re processing so many orders every day to being lucky if a single order comes through. And it’s why so many small businesses fail. Struggling through the slow periods as a small business is hard on revenue and motivation .

However, just because it’s the slow season doesn’t mean your small business comes to an end. Business isn’t just about selling things - it’s so much more than so here we have it. Four things small businesses should do in the slow months:

1. Focus on the Tasks You’ve Ignored

We know, we know. The admin work is so much more boring compared to actually processing orders and raking in the cash. But you have to stop ignoring the supposedly ‘monotonous’ tasks. The website updates, taxes, marketing, content, financials, etc. You’ll thank yourself for it when business picks up again and you can’t make time for it.

2. Amp up Your Marketing in the Slow Months

The thing about marketing is that it’s a long-term process. You can’t expect the seed planted today to grow into a tree tomorrow, right? In taking the steps forward in your marketing and social media, you’ll reap the benefits through consistent effort.

Let more people know your business exists and they’ll become a community committed to your brand. And then, they convert into customers who make repeat purchases. Make use of social media and email to encourage a community ready to buy your products when they’re looking to buy.

3. Create off-Season Special Offers

This isn’t a tip you should take often. Rather, do it when it’s right - on a special holiday or during seasons when customers in your niche are looking buy similar products. Create a limited time offer - either, a one day sale or a flash sale that’ll encourage purchases. Do one better by offering it to solely your loyal customers. This will boost word of mouth and encourage in the joining of your community (social media and email).

4. Plan for the Next Season

Just because business is slow now doesn’t mean it’s going to be this way forever. Unless of course, your product is obsolete or out of touch with the new generation.

What you need to do now is immerse yourself in planning. By planning for the busier months, you’ll be able to raise your profits and increase sales. If you take in our tip about amping your marketing, you’ll even be able to make a lot of loyal customers. After all, loyal customers are who you should be aiming for so that a ‘slow’ season never comes after you again.

Just because the months are slow doesn’t mean you stop putting in the work. How you get through your business’ slow season is what determines the sales for your busier months.

Can’t make head or tail of your taxes and financials? Check out this article about managing small business finances .

Or you just can’t figure it out on your own? How about you run your questions by us and we’ll be happy to help!

To getting through this together,

Talo Financial Team.

How to Get Customers To Keep Coming Back To Your Business

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 08:37:22 GMT

When you first start your business, one of the best feelings is getting that first sale. That first customer who believes in your product and is willing to pay actual money for it.

People always say the first customer is the hardest. But, something that’s still kind of hard is getting customers to make repeat purchases. For customers to keep coming back to your business.

The answer lies in the things you do beyond the actual sale. In how you interact with your customers and audience.

So, here’s how you get people to keep coming back to your business and become loyal customers:

1. Respond to every message a customer sends your way

An email or message left without a response could mean a lost customer. You have to make it really easy for anyone to reach out to you. Fewer barriers to communication mean that the message reaches you faster and the sale becomes easier to convert.

This also means answering uncomfortable emails - the customers who want to return their purchase or had a bad sale experience. The last thing you want is for a customer to have a bad experience with your brand. Irrespective of whether they like the product or not.

Got too many things on your plate and don’t have the time to deliver the best sales experience? You might want to start thinking about outsourcing your customer support and social media channels.

2. Remind them that you and your business exist

The digital age is both good and bad for businesses. It’s good because no matter how small of a business you are, thanks to social media, you can get your name out there. However, it’s also because of the sheer number of choices customers have that brands are quickly becoming forgettable. Remember the reason why the internet exists for businesses - to create an audience. A community you can interact with through newsletters and social media channels. The content you put out should have a purpose and align with your business product so that the audience finds value in it. This way they always put you at the front of their minds.

3. Create a community passionate about you.

Carrying on from the previous section, putting out content your audience will want to engage with is so important. What this does is create a community of fans who’re always ready to see what your business is up to and get excited about your products. This is so that the next time they want to purchase a product in your niche, your business is the first they think of.

4. Plan out the customer experience

If you have a sales team, sit down with them and map out everything you’re currently doing for the customer. Right from attracting them to your product(s) to the post-sales experience. Analyse what it is that your business needs to be doing to enhance their sales experience. Find out what you can do to improve.

Maybe your customers love your aesthetic packaging but it's hard to remove. Maybe you need to train your sales personnel better so that your customer feels like royalty. You know, small things.

So, ask yourself this: what small touches can you add to take customer experience to another level? To the point where they only want to be doing business with you.

There’s no one-stop solution to getting customers to return to your business. The key lies in your product, how good it is and if your business is good enough to get your customer to keep coming back. And luck. A lot of good-timed luck.

A reason why small businesses fail is that there’s just so much to handle and only so much of you. Which means you don’t want to be making any mistakes. Especially with the stuff like your financials and taxes - no matter how hard it is, you’ve still got to do it. If you’ve been thinking about outsourcing your financials to expert bookkeepers, contact us using this form.

We're always ready to answer any questions and work together in chasing your business goals.

To happy and loyal customers,

Talo Financial Team

Bookkeeping Saves Your Business Money. Here’s How.

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:23:39 GMT

Financial transactions involve the flow of money in a business. This includes any purchases and sales, payments, invoices and payroll.

The actual process of recording these financial decisions is determined as Bookkeeping.

When we first start a business, the scale of transactions is pretty small. Maybe one to ten sales a day and a few expenses. Recording these small transactions is a breeze.

But that breeze can quickly turn into a cyclone as your business grows bigger. It’ll get to a point where you need to prepare a Business Activity Statement (BAS) each quarter and the tax office keeps texting you that a ‘lodgement is overdue’. Then the scramble begins and you regret not starting earlier.

However, it isn’t just about how much time and effort you’re saving with your taxes. This is how bookkeeping becomes important helps save your business money:

1. Bookkeeping helps you catch Financial Errors.

Mistakes happen every day - you knock over your tea or you forget to take your vitamins yet again. And so do the financial mistakes - whether it’s that double invoicing error or an accidental bank charge - these can easily escape your eyes.

Which is why not being up to date with your bookkeeping can be a costly mistake. After all, you don’t want to be on the side of a financial error that could’ve been easily avoided. By recording all financial transactions involving the business, you’re able to catch any errors that can occur and rectify them.

In Australia, bookkeeping by a non-employee is a professional service requiring a license - why? Because there are so many rules and guidelines for the transactional taxes, it’s so easy to make a mistake that costs you later. One you didn’t even know about.

2. Bookkeeping helps you get more money by way of a loan or investment.

Lenders, investors and banks will require an income statement - i.e. a record of all your revenue, incomes and expenses over a certain period of time. If your accounts don’t make sense, why would anyone give money to your business?

The reason why your income statement becomes important is so that others can gain an understanding of your business’ financial health and if you’d be able to pay back the loan amount you’re asking for. Which is where bookkeeping comes in and becomes necessary to help you prepare this statement.

Now even more so with the advent of short term lending based on your Xero file!

3. Bookkeeping helps you catch more tax deductions.

Because bookkeeping involves recording every single financial transaction, you’ll be able to figure out which transactions are tax-deductible.

Any expense that contributes to your business is potentially tax-deductible. Not bookkeeping means you might add in the wrong thing and have to pay it back AND leave out the right thing and never claim it.

If you focus on recording your transactions only during tax season, one or more tax-deductible expenses are bound to escape you - which is why bookkeeping becomes a money saver.

4. Bookkeeping allows you to be a calmer and focused entrepreneur.

We’re sure you’ll relate when we say that one of the worst feelings a business owner can have is being overwhelmed and struggling to make sense of things. This holds especially true for your business finances.

Bookkeeping allows you peace of mind. Because now, your accounts make complete sense and give an understanding of the financial status of the business. Best of all, you won’t have any issues with the ATO. Did you know that your bookkeeper can ring the ATO on your behalf? And negotiate payment plans, access specialist advice and rulings and have different lodgement due dates?

5. Bookkeeping gives a clear picture of where the business is headed.

By making sense of the status of your business financial health, monthly revenue and expenses, you’ll know the decisions you need to take for your business.

Like we mentioned in our article about managing small business finances , by keeping track of your transactions, you’ll be able to budget better, take a step back to look at your cash flow and understand your business performance.

Bookkeeping is deceptively simple – it requires time and effort.

You can do it on your own or with accounting software as we’d mentioned in this blog post. Or even better, you can outsource all this heavy-duty stuff to our experienced bookkeepers.

We want you to focus on the more important stuff - like your business - rather than on trying to figure out if a particular transaction is in the right spot.

Still unsure?

Feel free to contact us using this form and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

To good financial decisions,

The Talo Financial Team

How Entrepreneurs Stay Motivated and Get Stuff Done

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:11:55 GMT

When you start running your own business, you'll probably start off as a one-man army (or a small army).

There are days where your motivation is at an all-time high. You’re on top of the world and chase those business goals you’ve set out to achieve.

But that isn’t every day.

You’re going to have days where things aren’t working out and you’re even questioning whether you’re meant for this path. Then you might enter this rut, this period where you’re demotivated and don’t feel like doing anything.

You question the gods - asking why you don’t the power bestowed on other successful entrepreneurs. The power to stay motivated every day and get stuff done!

Of course, we jest a bit. But, we understand where you’re coming from. Being motivated every day sounds hard and nearly impossible - but we like to look at it from another perspective.

Here are four ways entrepreneurs can stay motivated every day and get stuff done:

A) Have another look at your goals.

Like we’ve highlighted in this blog post , you must understand the ‘why’ behind your goals. To the point where you know exactly why you’re doing certain everyday tasks - however boring they may be.

Set out a few minutes every day to look at your goals - remind yourself why you started and why you'll continue to work hard. Irrespective of whether you’re motivated or not.

B) Reward Yourself

When it comes to goals, you should also reward yourself when achieving those goals.

Have a look at how far you’ve come since you started the business. When was the last time you appreciated all that you’ve done and accomplished?

Sometimes, we forget to stop and smell the roses. Take a look at all that you’ve achieved since the mere conception of your small business. Have you rewarded yourself with a break at the very least? After all, the secret to good work-life balance is a good break once in a while.

Why don’t you figure out some rewards for the future goals you want to achieve? This way, you'll have something to look forward to, however demotivated you are.

C) Stop Multitasking

As entrepreneurs, a lot of times you’ll find yourself bogged down by menial tasks. Rather than giving your focused attention to the business - you’re juggling emails, note-taking, client calls, customer calls, finances and marketing - all at the same time!

Being an entrepreneur and business owner sounds fun but achieving your goals takes hard work and discipline. The discipline to avoid distraction by the menial tasks and focus on the task at hand.

Multitasking helps no one, especially not your business. If you’re struggling with a couple of tasks - you might want to think about outsourcing them . This way you can focus on the important stuff and give your 120% to the business.

D) Don’t allow your inner critic to succeed.

Most small business owners will only have themselves to turn to.

When it comes down to it though, no one is harsher than your inner critic. They love to bully you for the slightest mistake. So, make sure that you learn to see where your inner critic is coming from and try to push through that negativity. After all, the only person who can chase after your goals is you.

When you find yourself unmotivated or stuck in a rut, take a step back and look at where it’s coming from. Is the cause completely out of your control? What steps can you take now to reel in a bit of that control?

We’re going to repeat this - the only person who can turn your business into a blazing success is you.

The only person who can achieve your goals is YOU.

Sending positive thoughts,

The Talo Financial Team

Five Ways to Manage Small Business Finances

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 13:08:11 GMT

One of the most exciting things about starting your business is money. Especially when you see the sales from those first orders trickle in. But the thing about money and finances in a small business is that it can quickly get out of control.

It’s all quaint and dandy until you lose track of yet another invoice and you’re spending more time trying to keep track of all the payments and expenses than on the actual business.

So we’re coming at you with a couple of tips to help you manage your small business finances:

Keep Business and Personal Accounts Separate

It’s important to open a separate business account.

For starters, you don’t want to mix business with pleasure. It can be easy in the beginning stages where the money rests all in one account, but as the months go by, things are going to be hard to keep track of.

You don’t want to struggle with figuring out the full extent of your personal stash.

Adding on to this point, you need to pay yourself a salary.

Don’t neglect all the work you put in. When running a small business, it’s easy to become invested to the point of overworking. As an entrepreneur, you'll be wanting to put every cent back into the business but you shouldn’t forget about yourself. At the very least, you need to pay yourself enough to support a decent lifestyle.

Track Your Invoices and Bill Payments

Just the other day you realised with horror that an invoice you sent three months ago remains unpaid to this day. And you never followed up?

Or worse, you forgot to invoice a customer because you just have too many? On top of all this, you just received notice from a lawyer for an unpaid bill.

Okay, so the good news is that your business is growing. So yay, good for you!

Which also means you need to create a really good system or a way to track all these incomes and expenses.

For both invoices and bill payments, you want to create a proper set of steps to follow - or a really good system.

A good system takes a lot of effort and time. Time that you would rather devote towards the actual business.

Which is why you definitely want to leave your finances in the hands of experts.

Set Financial Goals

The first step is to create projections for a target you want to hit every month.

The second is to ensure that you set aside time every week to see if you’re on track to meet your goals.

If you’re cashflow negative, what are the extra measures you need to take going forward? Is there an expense you can do away with or are you spending too much time on the unnecessary stuff? You must be frugal where you can - do you need that third $5 coffee today?

Or, if you’re cashflow positive, what steps can you take to add even more value to your business? Can you add someone to your team? Or are there are a couple of tasks you can outsource such as marketing and finance?

Make Plans for an Emergency Fund.

We don’t really need to say much after the whole fiasco that’s been the pandemic. Which is why you need to make a list of everything that you’d need to manage monetarily when the time for an emergency comes. And how much money you’ll require.

It’s always great to have a stash to fall back on so that you're not too worried.

Start small - work out what it takes to run your business for one month and aim to put that aside in savings and not touch it. Over time, add to that and build up to three months of running expenses.

Don’t Struggle with Your Compliance.

Right from billing the client, ensuring that you’ve received all payments to tracking and recording the flow of money, you still have to keep aside the right amount for the range of taxes in your business.

You don’t want to struggle at the end of a business year and spend days breaking your head because your accounts just don’t make sense. After all, who remembers the reason behind the $20 you spent in November?

Time is of the essence as a small business. And managing small business finances isn't the easiest.

Keeping track of where and how your money comes and goes can be difficult. Sure, it’s easy to do it yourself in the beginning. But when the business starts picking up, the easy stuff can quickly become chaos and before you know it, you’ve lost track of an invoice.

At Talo, we aren’t just experts to whom you can outsource your financials. We want to see you succeed, accomplish more and become your work family. Let us help you streamline, move on to a simple accounting system (XERO!) and make better decisions.

There for you always,

The Talo Financial Team

Differences between your Tax Agent Accountants and BAS Agent Bookkeepers

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 12:53:47 GMT

In our other blog post, we speak about how to manage your small business finances. Now, if finance and money weren’t hard enough when managing a small business, you’ve got to figure out this difference: The difference between your accounting firm doing your income tax and your bookkeeping firm doing the BAS.

After all, their work is pretty much the same, isn’t it?

It is true that in the line of duty their job descriptions and responsibilities tend to blur.

In Australia, we have BAS Agent Bookkeepers - that is, persons who are legally able to charge a fee for providing bookkeeping services as a business.

These people are qualified and experienced and authorised with the tax office to provide a range of transactional based activities.

Plain English?

Bookkeepers ensure that every financial transaction is accounted for.

This includes recording the flow of money, daily transactions, production expenses, payroll, and every financial decision your business needs accounted for.

Yes, this even includes the $5 you spent on pencils.

From that information they prepare and lodge things like Business Activity Statements (BAS). This calculates and remits the transactional taxes that you have in a business - like GST and PAYGW (the common ones) and then … FTC, LCT, WET … it's a long list.

Bookkeepers often do alot of work in helping businesses keep their cashflow steady, organise their expenses and keep an eye on the business costs. Some bookkeepers are registered accountants and also work in management accounting, cashflow and advisory (like us!)

So you think - what is a Tax Agent?

Tax agents ensure that the accounting rules and regulations are adhered to in the classification and reporting of your business data and that your tax returns and official financial statements adhere to the requirements of the Australian Tax law and the Australian Accounting Standards.

They advise and help with ensuring that you have effective tax strategies, that you distribute income to yourself in the most efficient way.

They help when you buy and sell assets and properties and businesses.

They also help and advise on a myriad of other accounting issues.

You’re thinking - isn’t that a bit too complicated?

What does my business need?

There are similarities between Accountants and Bookkeepers.

And for obvious reasons. Their roles involve money, accounting and keeping track of transactions while also analysing the financial data.

If you’re wondering which you need right now - look at:

(you can also ask us…)

1. if your business is new and you want help to learn how to create invoices, record bills, use Xero - BOOKKEEPER

2. if your business is up and running but you are out of time and trying to do everything yourself - BOOKKEEPER

3. if you are looking at buying a property and behind in your tax returns - ACCOUNTANT

4. if you are thinking of selling your business and worried about capital gains tax - ACCOUNTANT

5. if you are ready to hire your first employee and have no idea how to make sure they are paid on time and compliant - BOOKKEEPER

6. if you have multiple companies and need cashflow strategy and advice - BOOKKEEPER OR ACCOUNTANT - just check if they offer this type of advisory

7. behind in old GST and old income tax - ACCOUNTANT OR BOOKKEEPER - get a quote from both

Honestly?

It’s situation specific. Ask us. That’s the quickest way.

If you still have any questions, what you should do is drop us a message and we’ll get back to you. We’re always happy to help out.

If you feel like you have no time anymore to ‘keep the books’ (keep Xero up to date) or you aren’t getting enough information from your data (Xero) leave it to us at Talo Financial to make things easier for you.

To good financial health,

The Talo Financial Team

5 Things Small Business Owners Should Outsource and Delegate

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 08:07:54 GMT

5 Things Small Business Owners Should Outsource & Delegate

Like we’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, there are so many benefits to delegating. You’re handing it over to the experts and it frees up your time to do the actual, important stuff. You know, the business stuff.

For Small Business Owners, delegating and outsourcing becomes practically the same. But what is it that you can outsource and delegate?

In this blog post, we’re here to help you decide what would best fit your business and give you an idea of what you can perhaps delegate in the future.

Hence, here are 5 things small business owners should outsource and delegate:

1) Website Design and Development:

If you’ve never designed or developed a website before, it’ll be a waste of time for you to try and do it on your own. Even if you want to do it on your own, you’ll end up at the first basic step, spending hours just trying to understand what on earth hosting is.

Your website is important because it’s one of the first links that appear on the search engine that represent you. And if it doesn’t run smoothly or look good, forget about ever converting a visitor to a customer

By outsourcing and delegating website design and development, you can be assured of having a smooth-running website.

2) Marketing

In this day and age, every business needs to gain control over how they’re doing marketing and ensuring that they’re marketing the business to the right target audience.

How many times have you handed out flyers with the best discount, only to have them thrown away almost immediately? Well, it’s because you were probably not going about marketing your business the right way.

You need to understand your target customer, know-how and through what mediums you need to market your business. Not to mention, in this day and age, social media is a huge platform, and if you used correctly, you’ll have tons of phone calls.

So, for the sake of your business, ensure you hand it over to the right freelancer or agency to take care of your marketing. Work hand in hand with them to get the best for business. Here are a few ways you can take advantage of instagram marketing.

3) Design

They say “don’t judge a book by its cover?” but you do realise that we still will judge how a book could be based on your impression of its cover?

How did you create your last Instagram advertisement or blog post thumbnail? Did you just take a random photo, maybe used a free app to put some words on it? And for some reason, it didn’t turn out so great? Well, this is where an expert is best needed. Learning the art of design and illustration is a skill perfected by freelance designers and agencies over the years. They know what colours best suit your post, the kind of lettering and background work that would go into it and attract your customers.

This isn’t to say that it isn’t a part of marketing and that you cannot use a free app for designing your posts. But if you’ve got the budget, you should definitely be looking into outsourcing and delegating your design work.

4) Customer Support

Many businesses will find that their growth rate starts to stagnate after a certain point.

That certain point is when they start gaining traction, their office is getting orders one after the other, and it should be the starting point of even more growth, but the problem? The boss is fielding calls left and right?

Ask yourself this: are you (or your employees) spending too much time on customer support rather than the business?

Then, it isn’t a question at this point. You HAVE to outsource your customer support so that you can focus on what’s important - gaining more customers and delivering quality to those customers.

5) Accounting & Bookkeeping

Do you find yourself struggling to keep track of accounts by the end of every month? Did you pull out hair at the end of the last financial year trying to file taxes? Are you still unsure of how your accounts are really supposed to work?

Finances are the lifeblood of every business and if you’re unable to get a hold of it, it’s time to consider outsourcing it? You, more than anyone else, know how important financials are for your business, so wouldn’t it be better to delegate it to someone specialised in it?

A beauty salon had this to say about us, "Highly recommend Talo Financial. Cindy is a total gem. Such a positive and helpful approach. It’s clear that Cindy had the best interest of your small business at heart."

At Talo, we’re only on the lookout for our clients, especially for those who’re struggling with their accounting and bookkeeping.

So why not let us do it for you?

We’ve got you covered,

The Talo Financial Team

How To Use Instagram to Market your Small Business without spending a $

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 07:59:56 GMT

Do you know what the great thing about social media apps like Instagram is? It allows small businesses to market themselves and reach a wider audience without spending too much money. The question then is why aren’t more businesses taking full advantage of this? Why aren’t there more success stories out of Instagram?

Well, the truth is that most small businesses just don’t know how to make full use of Instagram marketing. Not like big companies where they have specialists in teams dedicated to dominating social media with their campaigns.

But that’s the thing. If you can make use of Instagram to its fullest potential, you will be able to capture your target customers. And, without spending any money in the beginning.

Here are four tips to help you use Instagram marketing to market your small business without spending any money:

1) Engage with your Audience!

A lot of businesses just don’t make full use of this. When someone does the bare minimum and likes your photo, engage. When someone comments, engage. When someone follows, engage.

Now, you might ask, “What do you mean by engaging with someone on Instagram?”

It’s like making a new friend. When someone likes a photo, comments on your post, and/or follows you, it’s because they’re at the very least interested in your business/product. And when you reply to their comments, engage their own posts, they’re more likely to become more curious about your product.

And curiosity leads to conversion which means a new customer!

And if they post a picture with your product, you might even want to DM them, thanking them for their patronage!

The more you engage with your audience, the more likely they’ll engage with you as a customer.

2) Make use of Industry-specific hashtags

Let’s say you’re a small business that sells homemade cupcakes.

Look up hashtags that are popular in your area that have anything to do with your product - in this case, it could be #cupcakes #frosting #aussiecupcakes #homebakers, etc..

You can even look up other competitors and engage with their followers, letting more people know that your business has the same products that they’re interested in.

3) Make full use of Instagram ‘stories’

Ever notice that a lot of people enjoy watching ‘behind-the-scenes’ videos of their favourite movies?

They’ve already watched the film so why do they need to watch the bus?

Well, isn’t it because they want to know more?

Small businesses have an even bigger advantage. When followers see behind-the-scenes ongoings of the love and hard work that goes into making the product, even the most reluctant buyer turns into a first-time customer.

From the production to the packaging, document everything. Even laughter in the office because of something one of your team members did is always fun to watch.

Obviously, you should also use emojis.

4) Publish customer testimonials

What gets that reluctant follower to buy your product? Customer testimonials!

Imagine one of your followers scrolling through their insta feed when they see a customer testimonial post. Maybe it’s a photo of the customer with their product and their raving words in the post description or it could even be a screenshot, directly putting the testimonial in front of your follower’s faces.

It’d be even better if the customer was on Instagram, so that you can tag them in the post.

That follower will go on to stroll towards placing an order.

It’s also important that you take risks with Instagram marketing and also track what’s working for your audience and what’s not; what’s attracting more customers and what works for your brand as a whole.

Instagram marketing takes a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it’s sure to be worth your time as a small business owner.

And if you’d like to focus more on social media marketing and Instagram marketing instead of taking on dreary tasks like your accounting and financials , why not let us that burden off of you?

The team at Talo is always looking to help you succeed at what you do best while we do what we’re best at, and that’s bookkeeping.

Always got your back,

The Talo Financial Team

5 Steps to creating a Happy and Productive home workspace

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 13:18:23 GMT

Working from home can come with many distractions and temptations, and one can often find themselves dividing their time between actually getting work done, versus trying to get rid of those interruptions!

However, working from home also has many advantages – like the freedom to create a personalized space that you wouldn’t necessarily have in a public office. It’s important to create a work space that encourages productivity, and Talo would love to share some tips with you on how to ensure that your home office space will do exactly that!

Designate a dedicated work zone

While some people need absolute silence, others need a bit of background noise. Before you create your work space, you need to think about what type of environment you work best in. If you create a workspace that caters to this, you will be much more likely to be happy and productive in that location. Separating your home office space from where you do your day to day living will help you with switching between work and life mode.

Make the space "yours"

Even though it is yours as it is in your home, it may not feel like your workspace. Try to find a quiet corner of the house and personalise your space with something that inspires you to be productive, such as a framed picture of your loved ones. Keeping a to-do-list in constant view can also be incredibly motivating and helpful to ensure that you have a clear vision of what you’re missing and how your day is progressing!

Put comfort first

It’s hard to be your most productive self when you are constantly straining your eyes or rubbing your aching back! We encourage you to invest in a supportive chair and position your computer to eye-level. If your eyes are straining from the constant painful glare from your screen, try investing in an anti-glare screen cover for your computer, or even a more affordable option like blue light glasses. This may sound small, but you would be amazed at the difference it can make. You spend the majority of your day working, so make sure that you set a comfortable environment that will inspire you to be your most productive self!

Get it organised

Things have a habit of piling up in home offices, so it’s important to reserve your desk for everyday supplies. Make it a habit to remove anything that is taking up space and not serving a purpose, like those three empty coffee mugs and empty snack packets! Take a few minutes every day to clean your workspace. Invest in simple storage methods such as floating shelves or file dividers to reduce distractions. To further reduce worries and distractions, why not allow Talo Financial to keep track of all of your financial and accounting needs? With our management accounting service, we can help you to keep your business organised and on track!

Take productive breaks

When it’s time to step away from the screen, most of us instantly switch to another one and begin scrolling through social media or turning on the television. Try to break up that routine, even if it’s only a couple days a week, by doing something a little bit more productive. Breaks that include reading a newspaper article, or going for a walk around your block are much more helpful ways of recharging your battery. Make sure that you are choosing a break time that best works with your schedule, and that you aren’t taking breaks that are long and ineffective – the goal is always to come back feeling refreshed!

Your home office space should be a separate space that you look forward to working in every day, so put effort into creating something that meets your needs and encourages you to get things done. We get it – with so much to organize and prioritize in your day to day life, it can be hard to keep yourself motivated and productive, especially when you add the extra burden of financial and accounting stress to the mix. So why not let Talo take this burden off your hands? Give yourself some extra free time and simplify home-work life by letting us handle your bookkeeping work!

Let’s work together to make sure your business is exactly what you dream of.

Warm virtual hugs,

The Talo Financial team

Seven Tips to Ensure Your Business is a Success

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:39:21 GMT

The world we live in is constantly evolving and changing, and so are our work environments and company cultures. There are thousands of books and articles written about how to ensure your business is a success, and if you compare them you will notice a few key business fundamentals that are always mentioned. Talo would like to share with you some of these business tips that have been created to work in any business climate!

Put your plan in writing

Without a plan, it’s just a thought! Writing it all down is the ultimate and most essential first step. It doesn’t have to be a three hundred page book, but it needs to cover a few essential points such as outlined objectives, strategies, financing, budget as well as a sales and marketing plan. Having a business plan in place will allow you to experiment with the business strategy on paper before you start implementing it!

Remember your plan might change

Even the best plan sometimes has to be reinvented or thrown out from time to time. The key to being successful is taking calculated risks to help your business grow, as well as making sure that you are continuously growing as a leader. A good leader will determine what they do best, what their weaknesses are, and who to put where in order to ensure that their business is a success.

Take advice from others

You need people to overlook what you're doing, in order to give you advice from a different perspective and push you in a better direction. Team members are crucial to bounce ideas off of and to hold you accountable for your business decisions. However, this doesn’t just include employees, but who you partner with and shake hands with too. Once you reach a certain level of success, it’s an incredible feeling to be able to share it with all of those who helped make it possible. Talo is here to help you with this through our monthly advisory services that offer advice around business management, cash flow planning, strategy, and growth!

Keep track of everything

All successful businesses keep detailed records. By keeping everything on record, you will have a clear indication of where your business stands financially and what potential challenges you may be facing. It can also help in picking up on possible threats before they occur! With everything you need to keep track of – let Talo Financial help you by keeping track of your books, and provide you with certainty of where your business is headed.

Avoid micromanaging your employees

Create a training program and company guideline manual so that your employees know what is expected of them. A manager’s job is to train and teach, and then inspect the progress. If you treat your employees well, engage them, and make sure you create an environment that they will thrive in, you will be left with employees that give their all to anything that comes their way.

Prioritise great service

Customer service is absolutely key because it leaves your customers with a clear perception of your business. If you are consistently keeping your customers happy, treating them with respect and keeping up to date with their needs and wants, they will be more likely to remain a loyal customer, instead of turning to your competition.

Be flexible

To have a successful business you need to be flexible. It’s crucial to always stay open to new ideas and approaches to your business, even when your business is on the top of its game!

We know the building a successful business doesn’t happen overnight – that’s why Talo is here to accompany you on this journey, and do whatever we can to make your life a little less complicated. Let us relieve you of the stress of keeping up to date with your c ompany’s finances and accounting , allowing you to focus on what really matters – growing a successful business!

If you think we could work together to bring your vision to life, lets chat!

Warm virtual hugs,

The Talo team

Boost Your Productivity By Avoiding These Four Things

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:31:15 GMT

Time’s disappearing faster than we can count it. Believe it or not, four months have already whizzed by in 2020. We’re here to achieve our business goals for the year, but there are still things we can do to up our productivity levels.

Do you partake in certain things that might be inhibiting your productivity? Well, we’re here to make you aware of what you should be avoiding.

Here are four things that you need to avoid to boost your productivity:

1 Avoid Multitasking

We like to think that we’re good at everything and that we should be the only authority involved in our business. But does that mean you need to take care of EVERYTHING - from the financial management to the marketing?

Yes, you’re a fantastic entrepreneur and business owner. On the other hand, if you overwork yourself, you’ll be providing poor quality of service to your clients and customers. Which is definitely something you don’t want.

Avoiding multitasking doesn’t just mean focusing on the task at hand. It also means that you need to learn to delegate work to people who are experts in their respective fields. This way, you’ll be so much more productive and your business will continue to grow.

2 Avoid Constantly Checking Your Inbox

Email is one of the best things to come out of the internet. We no longer have to waste any resources unlike previously where we had to send out letters via post.

What this also means is that many of us have become victims of constantly checking our inbox.

“But what if someone important finally replied to that email I sent 5 minutes ago?”

We can promise you this - the only thing coming out of you constantly checking your inbox is anxiety and the severe wastage of your valuable time.

Instead, carve out time during the beginning and end of your workday, and stick to those time slots to check your emails. You won’t believe how much time and stress you’ll be saving.

3 Avoid Saying Yes (all the time)

How many times have you regretted saying ‘yes’ to something?

Maybe you thought it might be beneficial for your business. But, did you forget to also factor in overall costs and time that might go into doing that something?

A lot of us fall prey to long meetings and unnecessary calls just because we think it might benefit our business. But it’s important to take into consideration whether the time spent could be shortened and/or if it’s going to add any value to us or the business.

There’s only so much time in the day so it’s important that we spend it wisely.

4 Avoid Undervaluing Yourself

As a small business owner, you’re on shaky terrain where you’re trying to establish yourself.

Nevertheless, you’re an Entrepreneur. A Business Owner. Avoid the feeling of absolute failure that comes with risk and the lack of surety. You’re way better at this than you think you are , and so, you need to stop undervaluing yourself.

We totally get it. Being a small business owner is scary. You’re scared of making mistakes. We’re not going to lie to you - making mistakes is inevitable. But, we’re here to help you avoid as many as you can.

Like we’ve already stated about delegating work to experts, why not delegate the tough work i.e. your financial management to the experts - to us at Talo Financial.

Let us accountants take the burden off of you so that you can concentrate on more important tasks.

Here to accompany you on this journey,

The Talo Financial Team

4 Steps to Achieving Work-Life Balance

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 22:00:00 GMT

We’re part of a generation that values productivity and hard work over anything else. As entrepreneurs, if you’re not hustling and spending every waking hour on the business you love, you feel anxious that you’re not doing enough.

Being productive and achieving your business goals IS important. However, working too hard can sometimes lead us to forget that we aren’t just the business. It's only to a certain point we can continue to overwork ourselves before burning out and/or worse, hating the business.

The result of overworking: your body begins to crash and you end up burning out to the point of exhaustion. No matter how much you love the hustle, you never want to reach a point in your business journey where you’re tapping out because all that work is sucking the soul out of you. Nothing, and we mean nothing, is worth your physical and mental health.

It just isn’t sustainable in the long run to push through every hour of the day. You’ve got to make time for your friends, family and most importantly, for yourself. Because you aren’t just the business, you’re a human being.

So, here’s how are four steps to creating a work-life balance that helps you achieve your business goals while making time for yourself:

1. Plan out time for both your Business and Personal Goals

Like we mentioned in an earlier blog post, it’s important that you list down the business goals you want to achieve and the dates that you want to achieve them by.

Why not extend this to your personal goals as well? Ideally, you should cover personal development, health, and loved ones. Achieving your business goals is great, but do you really want to miss out on yet another birthday or wedding?

Your personal goals could be as simple as spending more quality time with loved ones to going to that yoga class once a week. You’ve got to make time for yourself and loved ones.

2. Plan out your Breaks

You have to look at your brain as a computer. Yes, it works efficiently and sure, it won’t lose battery if we constantly charge it. But, if we don’t let it take a break, it’s going to overheat.

The same goes for us. Getting burnout is the worst possible thing that could happen, which is why taking breaks is so important.

From something as small as 5-minute breaks in between work (we recommend the Pomodoro Technique) to taking some time off every few months, scheduling breaks to get yourself rejuvenated in between tasks and projects is important.

3. Stick to a schedule

Make a to-do list that you have to complete for the day. Don’t have a crazy number of tasks and figure out how much time each task will take. Use scheduling tools such as calendars and reminders to plan out these tasks (we recommend using it for your personal goals as well!).

Here comes the tricky part - don’t go over these time blocks you’ve created. We love to agitate over the smallest of things and by sticking to a schedule, you’re far more likely to complete work quickly and efficiently.

4. Reward Yourself

When was the last time you appreciated yourself after completing a project?

We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the work we do, nor do we take the time to appreciate all the hard work that might’ve gone into completing a project or business goal. So, just as you’ve created a list of goals you want to achieve this year, create a list of rewards for each of these goals. Maybe you’ve been wanting to buy a certain product for yourself or a weekend getaway has been on your mind for the longest time. Great! Looking forward to the rewards that come with achieving your business goals is a great way to motivate yourself!

Creating work-life balance as a business owner sounds hard, but as you can see, a bit of planning goes a long way. With these small steps, you can create the ideal work-life balance and become a happier business owner!

We know - being a business owner is hard work. There is so much to take care of and you’re still not sure if you can take care of everything at once. So, why not let us take care of your finances and accounting? Work-life balance will be much easier to achieve and it’s all that we at Talo Financial want for you.

Warm Hugs,

THE TALO TEAM

How to Manage a Remote Team

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 09:21:44 GMT

How to Manage a Remote Team

The number of digital entrepreneurs is currently on the rise, and so is the need to have a remote team. Now, there are a big number of reasons why remote teams may or may not be right for you… But…That’s a topic for another day!

One important part of the success equation is to hire the right remote employees. This is followed by their management to ensure that you get what you need, which can be a difficult process in itself! How would you ensure that every member of a remote team understands their responsibilities? Are they putting in their maximum efforts on the assigned task? What can you do to manage a remote team effectively?

In this article, we discuss some simple yet highly effective tips for managing remote teams.

Ensure transparency

Transparency is the first major key to smooth operations! As a leader, you need to begin by setting up an example. So, share all your company's objectives and visions with the remote team and get everybody involved. With that, put forward very clear expectations and make sure that everybody resonates with them.

To establish trust get to know your employees. This can be a simple as adding a “how are you today?” or “I hope you had a lovely weekend?” or even asking about something they had mentioned. Being human with your employees goes a long way. Remember to share something about yourself too!

Make use of time-trackers

Some companies use time trackers when monitoring full-time but remote workers. A time-tracker is an extremely important tool in your arsenal. It comes very handily when you want to review the performance, keep the remote team on track, increase productivity, and to set objectives.

But first, make sure that you have properly introduced this important component of technology to your team. Essentially, your team should understand how this tool will improve their time-management too. So, at the end of the day, it is a win-win situation..

Time-trackers also allow both remote employees and managers to spot weak areas and unproductive activities. Once these small issues are spotted, steps can be taken to resolve them to increase productivity.

Stay Organized

It's not easy managing remote teams with employees spread throughout the globe! Not knowing what everybody is doing with their time can easily turn your entire work into a big chaos. Try have a project management system. Create better procedures, set clear rules, and communicate effectively with the team.

For starters, make sure that all data is properly categorized and is always accessible by every team member. With that, set very clear deadlines and ensure that every team member knows what to do next. This way, you will save yourself a lot of headaches and your team from any frustrations!

Maintain a Strong Culture

This is difficult enough in a brick and mortar office! But it is do-able. This can be done by getting to know your employees and asking them to interact with each other too. While working with you, your remote employees should feel respected, valued, and motivated at all times. A few words of praise and encouragement can go a long way!

We hope you found these pointers helpful! We know how important the happiness of a team is and we want that for your company too! If you feel that your business needs accounting, bookkeeping or other financial help to get it healthy and on track, get in touch with our firm so that we can assist in making your business a happy talking point.

Sending happy and prosperous thoughts,

The Talo Team

Tips to Develop a Growth Mindset

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 09:13:12 GMT

Tips to Develop a Growth Mindset

Growth mindset’ – we are sure this is a term you have heard thrown around a lot lately! It’s not hard to imagine the concept but sometimes it’s difficult to try to develop one. A growth mindset requires one to systematically re-train their thought process.

Keep going

Growth is not a one-time action, sometimes we give up on things sooner than we should. To continue growing, recognize the fact that you are designed to thrive! It’s important to focus on all that the challenges are 'adding' to you rather than focusing on the action.

Remember that you are going to hit obstacles along the way. View it as part of the growing and respect the journey.

Embrace ‘So-Called’ Failures

Failure is just a matter of perspective - in order to achieve any growth we must take risk and move outside our comfort zone. Whether you are running a business or trying to maintain a relationship, there is always a chance of things not going as planned.

None of us can truly get through life without experiencing ups and downs, so there is no point in being cautious all the time. Know that in your life, several doors will open while others will close. And, chances are that in the turmoil, you may even make some bad decisions. You will learn from them!

Making mistakes and taking considered chances gives you a new perspective that you can use to get where you want to go. Sometimes, the most practical and usable insights come after a seeming failure. Embrace a growth mindset and try to learn from these insights.

Stay Open to Feedback

By staying open to feedback, you can increase your chances of success ten-folds. For every comment or piece of feedback, first think where it came from (do you respect this person enough to appreciate their comment) and then think what opportunity does this give me to improve my performance.

Refusing feedback is a sign that your ego may be getting in the way of your success… Criticism can be a hard pill to swallow, but if taken the right way, you can use it as a stepping stone to greater things!

Celebrate Others

Success is not a destination, it's a journey of a million steps in the direction of our dreams. We need to focus on our unique challenges and abilities, rather than feeling intimidated, jealous or judgmental of others. Take every chance to congratulate other people sincerely for their success, even if they are in direct competition with you!

Growth is what we should do our whole lives - it’s a way of living. Start today on developing a growth mindset and set up a great tomorrow.

We hope you enjoyed exploring how to develop a growth mindset with us! If you feel that your business needs accounting, bookkeeping or other financial help to get it healthy and on track, get in touch with our firm so that we can assist in making your business a happy talking point.

Sending happy and prosperous thoughts,

The Talo Team

6 Tips to Create a Happy Workspace for You and Your Team!

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:59:40 GMT

Be more ergonomic

Yes, a trendy pin leg chair is pretty… but how does it make your back feel? Investing in the right chairs, desks etc will have a direct link on productivity. There is also some evidence that suggests that changing one's posture during the work day reduces the odds of injury. Having chairs that adjust in multiple ways will have your employees and your back thanking you!

At Talo employees have standing desks - where they can choose to stand or sit. We originally thought it was just going to be a forgotten initiative, but everyone here has found the flexibility of adjusting to your personal style is wonderful. Have a think about

Speaking of your back…

Before you splurge on new furniture consider this: If your back faces an open door or window, your natural instincts will be on high alert. If you do have to sit with your back to a wall or door, try hanging a mirror so that you don’t have to turn around to see what is going on behind you.

Add a splash of colour

This is what Chris Bailey says about how colour affects the mind "The four psychological primaries are: red, blue, yellow, and green. And they affect the body (red), the mind (blue), the emotions, the ego, and self-confidence (yellow), and the essential balance between the mind, the body, and the emotions (green)."

So have a look online for what colours would best suit your team and your office. There are many free resources which outline the best colours for the mood you are trying to achieve.

Worth a mention is asking your team how they feel about certain colours. You will have mixed reactions about wanting to paint a main work area orange… for example!

How about a plant?

Who doesn’t love an office plant? Plants help to purify the air and have many psychological benefits. There are many studies that back this up! Here are a list of some easy going indoor plants you can try add:

• English Ivy

• Aloe

• Bamboo

• Peace Lily

• Parlor Palm

• Snake plant

• Boston Fern

Get rid of clutter

Life gets busy and so does the office. Every now and then, these little corners crop up that need some sorting. Getting rid of them will help rid your office of some stress and leave your team feeling a little less overwhelemed. This might mean setting aside some time for your team to dedicate to go through their work or clutter.

Take a break!

Having a decent break room for you and your team to clear their minds in will help with their productivity and happiness. If it is by a window – even better! According to the Google book of culture, These spaces help to encourage collaboration and to inspire creativity.

We hope that this helps to bring some happiness to your day at your office! If you enjoyed this, have a look at our LinkedIn and Facebook pages. We regularly share articles and tips for a happier work life! If you feel that your business needs accounting, bookkeeping or other financial help, get in touch with our firm so that we can assist in making your business into the dream that you always wanted it to be!

Happiness and smiles,

The Talo Team

A Few Ways You Can Plan for the Year Ahead

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:51:55 GMT

It can be very difficult to plan six months from now! Unless it’s for that well-deserved holiday, right? Yeah… We feel you completely! But imagine how much better you will feel planning for that holiday knowing that your business is taken care of (at least on paper!) for the next few months.

Get ready for December.

Yes, we know its February, but whether you plan for it or not, Easter and Christmas come around the same time every year. Think about what you would like to offer. Do you need ads? Will you need imagery or videos? How much is your budget? What is your ultimate objective? Depending on your audience and objective, you will be able to decide between print or digital media.

Will your store/service hours change? Will you be adding a new holiday themed product? What holidays are you going to include exactly? Deciding now will help you plan better financially and mentally for the rush.

Meet with your financial advisors today!

Send an email off today letting them know you would like to have the conversation earlier rather than later. It will alleviate so much pressure for you and your employees if you have a set plan ahead of schedule.

Think of your bookkeepers, advisors, tax accountants, business coaches, financial pleanners - even your insurance broker!

You should also have a look at your previous year to see where you fell short or exceeded your financial expectations. Ask them what would change the game for you!

Also check what type of financial compliance obligations you have - from income tax to employee tax to workers insurance.

Plan for a reduced cash flow season.

Most businesses experience a lull at some point during the year. Have you identified which one is yours? Many service-based businesses experience a slow down around the holidays. Others are slow in January-February-March. If this is the case with you, will you have the cash set aside by the end of November to help you push through period when you are not generating enough sales to pay all your expenses and staff salaries?

This is part of cashflow forecasting - if you haven’t got an advisor in this space in your business - we recommend you get one. Make this the year! We offer services in and around this area - helping you keep the business healthy!

What other issues could you be better prepared for?

All businesses are different, even one’s in the same industry! What issues could you be better prepared for this coming year? Sitting down with a team member could also help you to identify them.

By doing this, you won’t simply be on react mode when issues crop up. You will have a set plan ready to implement when the time is right! Plus, you can now go plan that holiday with a guilt free conscience knowing that your business is taken care of.

If you feel that you could do with an extra set of eyes on your finances, our team at Talo is very happy to help you out! Does your business need accounting, bookkeeping or other financial help? Why not get in touch with our firm so that we can assist in making your business happier and more prosperous.

Sending happy and positive thoughts,

The Talo Team

Objectives That You Can Set for Your Business in 2020

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:45:09 GMT

New year, new start! At Talo love the prospect of a new year… there are so many great opportunities ahead and along with them a good challenge or two! It’s the perfect time to set new goals. Of course, it’s great to look at setting goals and revisiting them regularly! Here are a few to keep in mind and look at adding to your companies’ goals.

Goal #1: Get your finances in order.

Reviewing the financial health of your business is an important step in knowing where to take your business. If the numbers aren’t quite doing what you thought they should, it’s time to talk to a business advisor (like Talo) who can help you navigate your numbers. We believe that ‘unless you understand your business, it cannot thrive’.

Goal 2: Review and update your marketing plan.

Usually in your business, you are so busy with day-to-day tasks that this is one that can fall by the wayside. The new year is a great time to review them. Update your plan and get specific about what you want to achieve and why.

Goal 3: Plan to meet your compliance commitments on time.

Compliance. It’s the last thing you feel like doing! We get it. But being organised and having accountants and bookkeepers that are proactive on behalf of your business - that can make such a difference in your comfort levels. As a business owner, doesn’t a “little less stressed” sound amazing?

Goal 4: Up skill yourself!

Running your own business means that you need to wear many hats. It might be that your hats need updating. The beginning of the year (while other companies are waking up) is a great time to get a few new skills and short courses under your belt.

Here are a few ways you can up-skill yourself:

-Work towards a certain qualification or accreditation within your industry.

-Attend a seminar or conference to keep up-to-date with your customer needs, suppliers and other industry information.

-Learn new ways to market your business that you haven’t used before.

-Learn more about the financial side of your business, including bookkeeping, accounting, cashflow and strategy (our favourite part!)

-Think about which skills could take you further in your business.

Goal 5: That one thing you have been avoiding...

It’s there isn’t it? As soon as you read that sentence you felt that niggling feeling in your chest… wouldn’t it be great to never think about it again? Often these small things take up precious space in our consciousness that can be used for something else. Just get up and go make time to do it now. You will feel so good when it is over and done!

We truly hope that this short article helps you to focus your goals and objectives for 2020! If you feel that your business needs accounting, bookkeeping or other financial help to get it healthy and on track, get in touch with our firm so that we can assist in making your business run smoother.

Sending happy and prosperous thoughts,

The Talo Team

How to Set Business Goals for 2020 so That You Can Stick to Them!

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 05:08:15 GMT

We know it’s that time of the year where expectations are high and so are the goals we set! But let’s face it… how it usually goes is that somewhere between February and March, those goals seem to feel further and further away until you inevitably end up feeling like a failure. Which is the exact opposite of how goals should make you feel!

Here are 4 ways to set Goals that allow you to actually achieve them.

Figure out the “why” behind your goals.

Knowing why you are setting goals will help to motivate you. For example, are you setting aside more money each month so that you can expand your business by one employee by June in order for you to have more time to spend with your kids? Then you have your why. To spend more time with your kids.

Break those goals down.

Looking at the list of goals can make you feel very far away from achieving them. Try breaking them down into actionable points that you can tick off as you make your way closer to your goal step by step. This is super rewarding as well! When you are breaking down your actionable steps, try set dates that you are going to have these done by. You will have set yourself a bite-by-bite way of breaking down your goals.

Get an accountability partner!

Be accountable! It can be easy if you have a business partner, executive or other team member to report to or who relies on you. But if you work independently goals can easily fall by the wayside as your year gets busy. It might be a good idea to ask a trusted friend and family member to check in on your progress and push you when you are feeling unmotivated.

Plan out time for your goals.

Now that you have done all of that, actually set out the time to achieve them! No, you probably won’t have the time or the motivation to do them… and you probably never will. Change is hard! (Read the 5 second rule by Mel Robbins). Find way to double up on tasks. Can you listen to a podcast while sitting in traffic? Can you take a short e-course by downloading the resources before you hit the gym? That hour (or two!) you spend watching series, can that be saved for the weekend so you can get to organizing those files you have been promising yourself you would? You will be surprised how much time is wasted!

We hope that this gives you the push that you need to get some if your financial and business goals achieved this year! If you enjoyed this, drop a comment, myself and the team would love to hear it. If you are looking for assistance with payroll, bookkeeping, cashflow or business advice this year - our team will be happy to help!

Sending happy and prosperous thoughts,

The Talo Team