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Forecasting cash flow

Why you need to forecast your cash flow Cash flow is the lifeblood of your business. And when it comes to cash flow management, preventing cash issues is far easier than trying to solve these issues after the event.Positive cash flow comes from balancing your income (the cash inflows) against your expenditure (the cash outflows). If you’re in control of this then the business will always have the liquid cash needed to cover your liabilities.Forecasting your cash inflows and outflows Forecastin...

6 secrets to getting prompt payment

If you’re struggling with late payments, and about half of small businesses are, here are some simple tips to try. Invoice without delay Your customer can’t pay until you've invoiced them, so make sure you send your bill promptly. Customers are also more open to paying when they've just received the goods or services that you delivered. Cash in on the goodwill by invoicing as soon as possible, there's no reason to delay. Include all the information Make sure your invoice has all the right in...

Five ways to save time with job costing software

For a lot of clients, doing job-costing calculations takes hours on spreadsheets and there’s a lot of room for error. Job costing software streamlines the process and automates the calculations, to make everything easier and faster. And saves you from endless spreadsheets!It allows you to:Price jobs accurately - By working out the specific costs for each job, you’ll have far more confidence in the final estimate.Avoid customer conflict - An accurate upfront estimate reduces the ris...

Is my accountant a cost or investment?

Accountants tell their clients to reduce their overhead costs as one of the seven ways to grow your business. One of your overhead costs is your accounting fees. So, is what you spend with your accountant an expense which needs to be reduced, or is it an investment?An expense is a necessary evil. It can’t be avoided and is a grudge purchase with very little value add.An investment is about the return on your spend - what you get back as the benefits of the service; more cash, more discretionar...

Profit vs Cash

There’s a massive difference between profit and cash. Let’s explore the differences to make a better plan to increase both. 1. Sales. Profit increases when you increase sales; cash increases when you collect the money from customers.  To increase both your profit and cash from sales: Delight your customersGenerate more leads and referralsConvert a higher number of quotes or proposalsIncrease transaction frequencyIncrease transaction value 2. Invoicing. Profit increases when you send an ...

2019 Law Changes Summary

A brief summary of law changes taking affect in 2019 - make sure you are up to date. For more info follow the link https://www.business.govt.nz/news/2019-law-changes/ Drop in ACC Work levies When: From April 2019 What: Employers and people who are self-employed will on average pay 6.9 percent less for their ACC Work Account levy over the coming two years. Why: This reduction comes after standard public consultation. What you need to do: Nothing. If you’re a small busin...

The pros and cons of hiring an independent contractor

Whether it's for a couple of weeks or a few months, hiring a contractor could help your small business to grow in a more flexible way. But contractors aren't suitable for every role. Here are some important points to consider before you decide whether hiring a contractor is the right move for you. What defines a contractor? A contractor is someone who works for you on a short-term basis, usually on a project. The most important thing to remember is that a contractor is not an employee. Contracto...

What’s the point of market research?

A successful small business needs to have customers making purchases, ideally over and over again. You can make that an easy decision for them, by finding out (and providing) precisely what they need.Market research is the way to do that. It will help you ensure that your product or service meets your target customers’ needs and that your marketing connects with target customers in the right way. Research is also your chance to find out who you’re selling to and learn what they value, how th...

NZ launches R&D tax incentive legislation - What’s in it for you?

From April 2019, your business could be eligible for a tax incentive based on R&D expenditure. The New Zealand Government launched the inventive program to boost (R&D) expenditure to 2% of GDP over 10 years.Under the scheme there will be a number of criteria and compliance obligations to meet.Here are the main features of the R&D tax incentive:a credit rate of 15%a $120 million cap on eligible expenditurea minimum R&D expenditure threshold of $50,000 per yeara limited form of refunds for the fir...

Keeping your tax and expenses in check when you are self-employed

Contracting or freelancing requires you to wear a lot of hats. Relationship-building, keeping track of your time, marketing your skills and actually doing the work. But one of your priorities should also be establishing how you handle your income and setting the groundwork for good habits and record keeping. Understand your deductions Before you start, it’s essential to understand what expenses you can and can’t claim. This means you’ll keep the right receipts and track the right expenses....

Setting the right growth goals for your business

If you’re going to grow your company in the right way, pinning down your goals and having a clear vision for the business from the outset is vital.You may want to increase profits and create an income that supports your lifestyle, or you are looking to increase market share and aim for hypergrowth. You may even be aiming to increase the overall value of the company to get the best return when exiting the business.So, how do you define the goal that’s right for you?Driving your performance ov...

6 ways to measure the health of your business

When you’re running a business, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activity and lose sight of the big picture. Taking stock of the health of your business is important. Knowing where you’re allows for more effective planning, early warning about any issues, and the chance to better chart a course for success. There are some quick ratios that will help you in order to gauge the health of your business. We can help you to assess your business health and show you how to calculate th...

Xero Payday Filing - April 2019

From 1st April 2019 employers must send employee and contractor payment information to Inland Revenue each pay day instead of each month. One of the reasons for this change is to supply Inland Revenue with more accurate and up to date information about employees and their pays, in a more timely manner. Using payroll software will also simplify the process of filing for employers. Payday reports will be filed by Xero as soon as a pay run is posted each pay period. There will be no need to fi...

Invoices - What should you include?

When you’re running a small business or working for yourself as a freelancer or contractor, getting paid will generally rely on sending an invoice. And because getting paid, and on time, is essential to staying afloat, it’s important to make sure that you’ve got all the important info included.If a customer asks you for a tax invoice, provide one within 28 days. Your invoice needs to contain the following:The words ‘tax invoice’, ideally as a heading.Your business or trading name.The r...

B2B tips for working with big companies

Landing a large client is an exciting milestone but servicing them can be demanding. If you’re more used to working with smaller clients how do you make the transition to servicing larger ones?Don’t over-promise - Many small businesses are tempted to go beyond their core competencies to win a big contract. Avoid that if you can. Focus on delivering only the things you do really well.Be prepared to adopt their systems - You’ll probably need to change the way you work to fit with y...

The Five A’s of Change - a conscience process to achieve continuous improvement

Whether it’s a new focus, a new venture or a new year… consciously recognising the process required to change can vastly improve your outcome. The Five A's of Change breaks it down simply: 1. Awareness: First we must be aware of what needs to change. Perhaps we want to work smarter, not harder, so we can have more family time and better financial returns. 2. Acceptance: We have to accept that in order to work smarter we will need to do things differently. There is no magic bul...

Five accounting tips to give you more time to focus on creativity

While few people love the accounting aspects of their business, my creative clients dislike it more than most. That’s why I’d like to recommend a few ideas to keep your clients and suppliers happy while streamlining processes for yourself.Create realistic estimates. This will help you keep clients happy and expectations in check. Have a look at past projects, add up the costs, and compare to current requirements to get an accurate picture of how much to charge.Simplify time recording.&n...

Setting up the right legal and financial foundations

You've got the idea and the business plan ready to roll. But what are the main legal and financial areas you need in place to keep your new business compliant? Whether it's registering as a limited company, or setting up an accounting system that meets the latest digital requirements, it’s important to get the basics right. How to tick the right compliance boxes As a director, it’s your job to make sure your new business meets its regulatory requirements and stays compliant with the latest b...

Get paid online, straight into Xero, and improve your cash flow

The easier you make it for customers to pay you, the faster you'll receive payment – that’s good news for both your cashflow position and your aged debt levels!There’s a wide range of online payment services that link directly with your Xero system – making it quick and simple for customers to settle their bills. And many of these payment methods can be linked straight into Xero to automatically update and reconcile your accounts.A more connected kind of paymentWith Xero at the heart of ...

Remote work is on the rise - given it much thought?

Remote working has become more and more common as developments in technology have allowed us to communicate and collaborate no matter where we are. In fact, most of us are already logging on from home or holiday already. In May 2018, Swiss serviced office provider IWG released a study that found that 70% of professionals work remotely at least once a week.Sometimes called ‘telecommuting’, remote work is on the rise, and it’s challenging traditional ideas about where and when work should ta...

What to look for in a small business mentor

Whether you’re starting your first small business or you’re a serial entrepreneur, you’ll probably do better with a mentor. Not because they have all the right answers, far from it. The best mentors make a ton of mistakes – which is why they’re so valuable.Mentors are really good failures. ‘Failing fast’ is a popular notion in business. If you’re going to make a mistake – and everyone does – you might as well get it over with quickly. Learn the lessons and move on. But thereâ...

Working for yourself? Have you got your Super sorted?

When you’re employed, your employer makes compulsory contributions to your superannuation. When you work for yourself as a sole trader, or you’re in a partnership, making super payments isn’t mandatory. But, it’s still an important thing to consider.Retirement savings contributions are there to set you up in retirement. Generally, investing money into super will give you better investment returns than just putting it into a bank account. Plus, because the money is effectively locked away...

Keeping yourself, your business and your customers safe online

Access to the internet is now second nature for those of us working online every day. It has fast become a business imperative to connect to customers, transact business and network across geographies and industries. Likewise, a concern for individuals and companies operating online is keeping sensitive data and information secure from cyber-criminals and hackers. Supporting customers with security The day to day impact of cyber-crime has become a fact of life and a permanent reality for busines...

Why use Xero? The benefits of cloud accounting

Xero offers your business a simple, yet powerful, way to manage all your finances in the cloud. With Xero as your core finance system, you get real control over every element of running your business, from basic bookkeeping right through to efficient online invoicing, live bank feeds and detailed financial reporting. And that’s not all...  A beautiful business platform Xero is also a fully functioning business platform, with an open architecture that lets you plug in online payment s...

Is AIM right for your business?

The Accounting Income Method (AIM) is a new way of working out your provisional tax. It means that you’ll only pay provisional tax when your business makes a profit. AIM was introduced in early 2018, with the goal of making it easier for taxpayers to budget for their payments. Opting to use AIM may help your business to avoid cash flow issues. Plus, should your business make a loss, you won’t have to wait until the end of the year to get your refund. To use AIM your business needs to have an...