Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
We’re on Thumbtack!
Check out our newest listing here on Thumbtack at Ledger & Pen's Thumbtack Page.
Thumbtack is a great tool that links professionals and clients. Here’s what
they’re about: http://www.thumbtack.com/about. Want to know that your business finances are OK, but don't have the time, know-how, or energy to figure them out? Check us out at www.ledgerandpen.com
or call us at (319) 450-0249 to set up a free consultation for us to help you
with your business’s accounting needs!
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Duplicate yourself
You know you should. You know you need to. But oftentimes, you don’t know how to go about running your business more effectively. Duplicating yourself, by hiring correctly, using technology efficiently, and outsourcing tasks, can save you time, money, and most importantly, your sanity as a business owner.
We at Ledger & Pen know that you didn't start your business so you could do books, you started your business because you wanted to make a living, change the world, and create value. Please contact us for a free consultation on how we can help you with your accounting.
Outsourcing
Outsourcing tasks is probably the single greatest way you as a small business owner can flourish. Let’s face it, you have far more important (and profitable) tasks to do other than, answering the phone, scheduling, doing accounting. Small business accounting is the repetitive task that I want to hit on most of all: it’s tedious and time-consuming if you’re doing the accounting, and a ticking time-bomb if you’re not.We at Ledger & Pen know that you didn't start your business so you could do books, you started your business because you wanted to make a living, change the world, and create value. Please contact us for a free consultation on how we can help you with your accounting.
Hiring
If you’re a small business owner and don’t have employees currently, hopefully you’re looking forward to the day when your business takes off that you can hire others who share your vision to continue your work. Finding someone who shares your zeal for your industry and yet wants to work alongside you in your pursuits is difficult, but realistic. There are many hard-working people out there who crave the challenge of working in an entrepreneurial venture without being the person in charge. Here’s a great article from Entrepreneur.com regarding hiring your first employee: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/83774.Technology
Technology is great, but it does have the tendency to take over your life. The Internet was once touted as a great time-saving mechanism—and indeed still is—but it has taken on a sinister quality in that we have a tendency to spend even more time playing around on the Internet rather than using it to help us get work done. Ironic, right? There are some great resources online for keeping track of your business data, such as QuickBooks Online, Wave Accounting, and Mint.com.Take off the cape
In regards to a “superhero syndrome,” Chris Ducker, in his book, Virtual Freedom writes, “After all, your business is your baby, and who better to take care of it than the person who gave birth to it—you! However, this will all eventually catch up with you, and the strength that you possess as an entrepreneur will start to backfire. Your superpowers will ultimately begin to control you, eating away at your energy levels and stumping any potential for freedom in your life. They will leave you stressed and overworked, and ultimately you will be no good to anyone or anything—including your business.” If I haven’t mentioned before, Virtual Freedom is an incredible resource on how to hire and work with virtual assistants (VAs) to leverage your time and resources as a business owner. You can find his book on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Freedom-Become-Productive-Business/dp/1939529743Monday, June 2, 2014
Idea machinery, the lifeblood of the entrepreneur
Idea machinery, the lifeblood of the entrepreneur
A business acquaintance pointed me to this blog by James Altucher, and it's pretty awesome! But don't take my word for it, the link is below!http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2014/05/the-ultimate-guide-for-becoming-an-idea-machine/
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
You're not as dumb as you think you are
Seriously, who actually stops learning? Even those who just stumbled out of college with a foam hat still askew about their ears knows that education goes on. Learning continues with your first round of interviews for your career. The first things you learn are what NOT to say in interviews. I would argue that most education happens on an experiential level. I defer to psychologists more on this vein, but it seems that humans are pretty good about running up against something, bouncing a few times, and trying something different the next time.
That's exactly what it takes to be an entrepreneur. You try something, you "fail", then you try something else. You figure out what works.
Ironically, entrepreneurship is a lot like life.
What does an Entrepreneur's education look like?
When I was in community college, I worked full-time. Why? Because I wanted to learn how a business ran. I was also starting up a small business at the same time. Yikes! And a girlfriend on top of all that! But, the lessons I learned about balance, keeping all the plates spinning, how business works (especially the retail world), helped me immensely in my endeavors.
I also learned that taking Accounting 1 and 2 concurrently is not for the faint of heart, but I digress.
Steve Jobs did much the same thing. He dipped into a few college classes after dropping out, most notably a calligraphy class that inspired his idea to make the Macintosh's text graphics look appealing.
Free college? Why yes, I will take a slice.
Saylor.org and (my alma mater), Thomas Edison State College (TESC) have teamed up to open free course content to prepare students for TESC's Associate in Science in Business Administration. TESC's credits can be actually earned in a variety of ways, from the CLEP, DANTES, and their own TECEP tests. Also, they have Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for those who have life experience (perhaps what you've done for a career for the past decade) that they can translate into college credit. Most of Saylor's program falls into test prep for TECEP tests and PLA.
Pretty awesome, right? If nothing else, perhaps just spending some time listening to online content (even educational content) can be extremely helpful in running your business.
Some of the other business educational resources that I've found (though I haven't tried them all), are:
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