Have you ever thought that you can make the world a whole lot easier for yourself with some online business tools?

They are cool! They save you a lot of time and help you sync your business activities seamlessly. It means you don’t have

to worry about trivial paperwork and other issues. You can automate them and leave it to themselves. I have collected three of my favourite online tools for business that will save you trouble,money and of course,time.

#1 Shoeboxed

Fed up with book keeping before it’s begun? Shoeboxed is an automated filing system for business receipts and paperwork. You can upload your paperwork through their free online and desktop uploaders, via email or with one of their free mobile phone apps. Simply scan and send, and let shoeboxed compile the rest. Ideal for start ups, and competitively priced, I think it’s a great way of keeping organised, and takes the headache out of hoarding papers, tickets, business cards, invoices and receipts.

#2 PR Web

Looking to get the word out about your business? Choose PRWeb as your news release distribution service.  PRWeb press releases deliver your business news to all the search engines such as Yahoo!, Google and Bing, putting your business right where your customers are looking. Their packages start small, and as the price increases, you can send your story to all the major local and national news websites, as well as PR Web’s database of over 30,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers looking for stories like yours.

 #3 MOO

Moo.com is and online business printing and stationery service. With hundreds of business card templates, your cards can be designed and ordered in minutes. MOO also supply cards, notecards, greeting cards, stickers, accessories and gift cards for your business.

Printing over 6 million cards every month, MOO has hundreds of thousands of customers in over 200 countries. Their excellent turnaround times and delivery makes them the number 1 choice for business start ups and growing businesses alike.

Have you found any great online business tools for your start up? What online business services do you find saves you the most time and money?

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Many small business owners are reluctant to hire an accountant for their business. They shy away from hiring an accountant for fear of the fees associated with professional accounting advice.

Some business owners believe that hiring an accountant is redundant and that they can handle all their accounting themselves.

However, after taking into consideration the financial damage that can be caused if a non-specialized person tries to deal with the complexity of tax, finances etc., it is clear that employing a good accountant is imperative to your business success.

So while it is a good idea to save money by painting your office, collecting your newly printed cards from the printer service or going out to distribute your latest promotional leaflets yourself it isn’t always a good choice to try saving money by doing all your accounting work yourself.

Why hire a prefessional accountant? Here are some important reasons:

1. Advice on Startup

If you are starting a new business an accountant will guide you on your business plan and tax issues pertaining to setting up a new business. They will guide you through the initial maze of company structure, personal assets and tax management, including book-keeping.

2. General Bookkeeping

A certified accountant is trained to maintain all financial records and to produce accurate financial reports. To create these reports, a certain amount of paper work is needed to be kept in a certain way, depending on your business structure. This financial bookkeeping is essential both from both a legal and business point of view.  Your accountant will advise you on the best way to keep records in order to create reports and financial snapshots of your business. The reports will help you better understand how your business is doing over a particular period of time and what measures you need to take in case any issues are identified.

3. Compliance with Government Legislation

Government legislation is complicated; also it is constantly changing. A certified accountant is familiar with all the intricacies of tax and corporate laws. He will make sure that you aren’t breaking any tax related rules that could land you in trouble and jeopardize the welfare of your business.

4. General Business Consulting

Besides maintaining financial records an experienced accountant can offer you consultation on cash flow, price control, inventory management etc. This expert consultation can help you in making right and timely decisions for your business. Also an expert accountant can offer advice on appraising viability of future projects and possible adjustments for losses or gains.

5. Advice on Tax Planning

Apart from tax reporting, a good accountant could offer expert advice on how to maximize tax deduction. Because they know tax laws inside out they could guide you on what to claim and what not to claim; this is especially beneficial to small and home-based businesses which are not fully aware of tax rules and legislation.

6. Save Time and Money

Irrespective of how well you understand figures, an accountant will better advise you on finding ways to save extra money. He will also save you lots of time and the hassle of keeping track of all the figures. The extra money your accountant saves you can then be spent on things in your business you are good at!

From the above you can see just how important it is to have your own accountant for your business in order to run it smoothly and successfully. You can also consider outsourcing your accounting. There are online accounting services you can hire for your business. This means that you can outsource you whole accounting process to a service provider and let them worry about the nitty-gritty of it. Best Online Accounting is an excellent online accounting service provider. Founded by a group of experienced chartered accountants the company provides a variety of accounting solutions and lets you choose the one that best suits your criteria.

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In our age of ‘no win no fee’ law firms and agencies, it is imperative that you take the time to select the correct business insurance cover for your industry.

Having the correct and comprehensive insurance cover you require is possibly one of the most important aspects you will have to consider.

Having your business insured means that you have your business covered against any disasters or unforeseen circumstances and potentially any lawsuits or claims that may arise in the future.

Business insurance may seem redundant or a waste of money to many people; they may consider not bothering to pay monthly premiums when they start a business, thinking “why pay extra expenses?”

While it may seem a waste of valuable startup capital best spent on other, more profitable aspects of the business, when you really look closely, you can see what an essential part of your business it really is.

Take into consideration all the factors that could have a negative effect on your business.

Consider, for example, if an employee or customer, sues you for injury or loss; who would cover the cost of legal expenses and compensation?

How would you manage the extra expenses incurred and would your business be able to survive the financial impact?

Another scenario: what would you do if, unfortunately, you happened to suffer damage to your business holdings; your office, your shop, your premises, property, or indeed any tools or equipment? How would you manage if damage was caused by a disaster such as fire, earthquake, flood etc?

Could you carry your business on forward in the same way as you were before the disaster?

How long could it take you to recover from the financial loss?

You need a guarantee to rely on so that you can run your business smoothly and without any concern whatsoever of your business coming to a stop in case a disaster strikes.

That’s where the right kind of business insurance for your business is important. In the first place, it presents you as a respectable business that cares for the health and safety of its staff.  It is also a credential that creates a positive image of your company.

While the chances of your business being struck by a disaster such as a fire or a flood may seem too thin, but when you take into consideration the actual disruption they may cause to the flow of your work you can see the importance of risk cover.

It is important to choose the right type of insurer for your business. For example, if you are in the motor trade business – you earn your living by selling, buying, repairing cars or are in some way related to the car business – you need to choose a specialist insurance service provider. An example of a specialist motor trade insurance cover provider in the UK is Much Motor Trade Insurance.
Another example of specialist insurance cover is the manufacturing insurance offered by Northern Counties Insurance. Their expertise in the manufacturing industry insurance cover takes care of the individual needs of businesses from the production line to the transit of products.

Summary

Whatever business you are in, it is essential that you seek professional advice from an insurance agent or broker, who can guide you through the maze of business insurance and will be able to seek a competitive quote.

Make sure you have the right kind of insurance policy and ensure your business is protected against any unforeseen circumstances, specific to your niche or industry.

Stuck on what to blog about? Give your business blog a content  makeover with these 10 simple business blog post ideas.

We are all aware that content marketing is working for businesses now, and has become a really important part of your business website. But how can you keep creating content and thinking of new things to write about?

Here are 10 business blog post ideas to help you generate some new content.

#1 Ask A question

Ask questions about your audience. Encourage interaction and let your customers help define your future business blog posts!

#2 Review a book

Find an industry or topic related book and write a review for everyone to discuss.

#3 Discuss current trends

Talk about how things are evolving in your industry and how your company is tackling this.

#4 Discuss Future plans

Let your audience in on future plans for your business and ask for their opinions and ideas.

#5 Write a Link Digest

Post links to your most helpful blog posts and write a short description of how each post will benefit your audience

#6 Relate your post topic to celebrity news

Create familiarity and encourage your customers to identify by mentioning or relating to a celebrity – how they do something, something they have (or haven’t done) or how they can teach something about your industry or topic.

#7 Discuss fun ways to use your product or service

Mix up the posts and Use fun images together with some great new angles for it’s use.

#8 Discuss current affairs or news

Relate your business blog post to current trending topics on the news and display your own angle.

#9 Create an FAQ List

write an FAQ about your industry and share the knowledge!!

#10 Highlight your employees

Talk about your staff and their position in the company. Tell your audience what they do and how they work hard to improve the business.

Any more business blog post ideas? Please share

With businesses growing and expanding into more and more complex systems resulting in a wide range of investigative procedures, forensic accounting services are increasingly required to deal with financial and business related issues. Read on to find out exactly what Forensic Accounting is and when you may need it.

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What is a Forensic Accountant?
So what is a forensic accountant and what does he actually do? Well, a forensic accountant is someone whose job is to investigate financial fraud and embezzlement – in short, they are financial detectives. They also provide support to law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating financial crimes. They are trained to analyze complex financial issues and present them in a comprehensible manner. They are employed privately as well as by the government agencies.

 
How are Forensic Accountants Important?
Unfortunately, in today’s society moral integrity is becoming more of a secondary matter – the ultimate aim of the majority of the people is to accumulate wealth which is leading to illegal means being blatantly used for financial benefit: accountants in large as well as small businesses are involved in fraudulent financial report; theft of cash and property – physical as well as intellectual is becoming more common; corruption is getting widespread.
Check out an instance of such business fraud here.
This sorry state of affairs necessitate the role of forensic accountants who are trained to prevent financial wrongdoing by working with large companies and managers and by making sure that the internal accounting system is transparent.

When Could a Forensic Accountant Benefit?
With their unique blend of accounting education combined with investigative financial skills they can be relied on in several complex financial situations.
They can be employed in commercial fraud investigations, for example, their opinion can be sought regarding profit dispute, breach of contract, product liability, illegal competition, construction claims and so on.
They can also assist in personal injury claims. They are able to deal with the many issues related with understanding and calculating the losses resulting from road accidents and clinical negligence.
Forensic accountants are also engaged to analyze company accounting records to help settle disputes regarding benefits and compensation among partners and shareholders.
Their role is also of key importance in tracing misappropriation of funds in business, identification of property and its recovery and examination of suspects through interviews etc.
Their assistance is also sought in settling matrimonial issues, for example, the division of assets when people decide to divorce etc.

In short, forensic accountants could be employed in almost all instances of financial fraud and litigation regarding financial and economic litigation and compensation.
Larger accounting practices have an in-house forensic accountant, but there are specialist companies in the UK who can help. When choosing a company to work with, look for a company such as Frenkels Forensics who have a strong track record and experience. Choosing the wrong firm could result in a damaging experience for both you and for your company.

This fantastic free to download guide contains 50 tried and tested business tips where Sage business experts and their customers share their unique perspective on what it takes to be successful in business.

Download your copy HERE

The guide contains everything from time management and planning through to employing staff and motivating them.

Sage recognise that every business owner is an expert. They also know that running a small business can be isolating, and have created a fantastic guide with 50 awesome tips to help business owners and entrepreneurs.

The guide contains first hand advice on everything from starting your business, keeping your finances under control and growing your customer base via e-marketing, through to helping you keep a healthy balance between
your work life and home life.

I am really happy to have been included in the Sage business guide.

Make sure you download your copy HERE.

Here’s my business tip as featured in the guide;

Encourage employees to focus on the company… not you

Although your intention is not to come across as a pushover, presenting yourself as an authority figure only opens up room for resentment between you and your employees. The key in such relationships lies in being smart and showcasing your ability to build a successful company.
During meetings make the company the focal point rather than you – using the company in the forefront will help employees feel a sense of belonging and a desire to seek the company’s best interests. Besides ensuring that your employees are strategically aligned with your company’s goals, it is equally important to provide incentives when the company has achieved a particular goal.
Motivating your employees is one of the business tips that will save you a lot of time, hassle, and frustration in the long run.

Here’s a little about Sage;

Sage create software and services designed for small businesses

• Over 800,000 businesses in the UK trust Sage to help run their business

  Sage have been helping small businesses like yours for over 30 years, so they know how important good, reliable software is for your business, and how much time you can save with the right software.

  Whether you’re a sole trader or an established business, you can trust Sage to help run your business. They pride themselves on easy-to-use software combined with world-class support. And you can rely on Sage to be there as your business grows – they will always there to offer practical advice and support.

  Find out more about Sage software for business

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If you are operating a business with a lack of cash flow, chances are there is money to be found if you know where to look for it. Many SMEs just aren’t aware of all the options available to them when it comes to finance and funding and this is exactly why so many are faced with insolvency. Instead of continuing on your current path, take a few moments to explore ways in which it is possible to obtain that extra influx of cash to meet your day to day expenses. This brief guide to finance and funding for your business in 2013 should help you see that cash flow doesn’t need to be a problem. You simply need to understand what is out there and how to go about cashing in on it.

Factoring and Invoice Discounting

By far the most common method of obtaining funding in today’s economy is factoring and invoice discounting. This is quite popular amongst small businesses because a loan is made to the company based on outstanding accounts receivable. The factor or discounter will take a look at your books to see exactly what is owed to your company and will lend an amount up to 85% of what is outstanding. Bear in mind that these must be B2B accounts (business to business) and not a ledger full of outstanding invoices to the general public. In factoring the lender will take over your accounts and collect payments where is in invoice discounting the business maintains control of their books.

Trade Finance

Although trade finance is not optimal for all businesses, it can be a viable solution for those companies that meet certain criteria. For example, sometimes a trade financier will lend money over a short period of time to a business that has a solid history of meeting orders and the profit margin is relatively high. Perhaps there is not enough money to meet the current order so the lender is willing to make an advance against expected profit once the order is filled. Usually trade finance is sought when there is a lack of more conventional loans because of the current credit crunch where banks are holding tighter reins when lending.

Asset or Equity Finance

When a company is in need of a quick loan, asset or equity finance can be the ideal solution. Sometimes there is a slump in business due to unusual circumstances. Seasonal demand may be low or there could be other reasons why products are not moving at the moment. A lender will sometimes make a loan based on the value of merchandise ready to be sold. It should be noted that this particular type of financing is contingent upon the lender’s ability to see value in your products. This would not be a loan for the service industry as there has to be some tangible (equitable) goods to guarantee or secure the loan.

Business Angels

In recent years, business angels have become prominent in the world of finance. A great number of investors are out there looking for somewhere safer than the markets to place their investment capital. These are usually private individuals looking for a good return on their money who are willing to invest in viable businesses. They can be thought of as a type of silent partner in that they are usually not made directors of the company, but they inject much needed capital to keep the business trading. It will take a solid business model and proof that the company has the potential to show a profit, but there are an astounding number of investors out there willing to take a risk.

Government Grants

Depending on the industry, there are also government grants available which are intended to help stabilise and grow the economy. Certain industries are more apt to qualify for government grants such as construction and building enterprises. A good financial adviser will be able to help struggling businesses research grants available to them and this is money which may or may not need to be repaid. Often there is very low interest on those loans needing repayment so if you qualify this may be worth your time and effort to investigate.

Some Final Thoughts on Finances

Rather than struggling from day to day waiting for that first creditor to petition a winding up order, take the initiative to find finance and/or funding. If there simply seems to be no way to qualify for a loan, talk to an Insolvency Practitioner about keeping creditors at bay with a Company Voluntary Arrangement. No, this is not a loan but it may enable you to pay pennies on the pound towards outstanding debt. It is not the same thing as bringing in a quick influx of cash but it would certainly reduce your monthly repayments which in turn would free up money for day to day expenses. You can survive the current credit crunch so don’t give up just yet.

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How To Protect yourself and your customers – is your business site secure?

Unlike a brick-and-mortar store, an e-commerce site never shuts down. Though this is an excellent advantage for late-night shoppers, it also leaves you more vulnerable to online theft.

Hackers can find virtual “back doors” and access emails, client information and even financial records. Fortunately, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to secure your business site and protect it from unwanted intruders. Below are three tips and new technologies all ecommerce providers should consider implementing immediately.

Change your password

One of the best ways to keep your information safe is completely free and takes under a minute. Have you changed your password lately? The most popular passwords in 2012 were password, 12345 and 123456. Even if yours isn’t quite that bad, it probably doesn’t have the ideal combination of length, symbols, upper and lower cases, and numbers. Attaching it to a personal interest, hometown or pet’s name is another bad idea—much of that information is easily found on social media. To create an impenetrable password that you won’t have to leave around on a sticky note, create a silly sentence and use the acronym. For example, “Selling four english muffins can bring in lots of money” becomes “S4emcbilo$”. You won’t forget it, and no one will ever guess it.

Consider switching to a VPS

As businesses grow (and space becomes limited), many turn to cloud servers to host and store data. A virtual private server, or VPS, provides a similar service with one key difference — your site is not shared. As a result, it is considered more secure and you can implement unique firewalls and protections. Companies like Rackspace offer isolated cloud networks and charge per data used, making it an affordable switch for businesses of any size.

Protect emails with SSL

Most email providers, even unpaid services, now offer an SSL option. Secure Sockets Layer is a protocol for encrypting information sent online. In layman’s terms, this means that your emails are scrambled to avoid eavesdropping. If your email is associated with your business site (yourname@business.com), then you can contact your web host to work through an SSL instead. Recent problems with the system have prompted businesses to turn to add-ons to verify network connections when visiting new sites. For most people’s purposes, the best way to prepare for that situation is trusting your email to a company with 24/7, easy to contact tech support.

According to a 2005 article by techies at IBM, online security is based on confidentiality, availability, and integrity. Not much has changed in the years since then. Your site needs to be hard for outsiders to access, easy for you and your customers to access, and it needs to maintain its information and look. Sadly, the most common way to determine the areas worth securing are when they cause problems. A compromised email or crashed server gets immediate attention. The three preventative measures above, however, are a good start on a blanket security check that will cover most of the common offenders. From there, you can determine what other steps you’ll need to completely lock down the shop.

Networking comes in many different forms. Face to face networking events and meetings are very effective, but can take a lot of time and money in some instances. Online networking is flexible and has lower costs but may take longer to see any tangible outcomes. Networking works best when all parties are following some simple rules. So many businesses get a large percentage of their clients from networking and building the right relationships.

Face to face networking

A great place to start is your local council or small business centre. They will often hold networking events or be able to put you in touch with local organisations. Private business may hold events that can be really good sources of new contacts but there also might be a hidden agenda to sell their own product or services.

Generally speaking, it is a good idea to get yourself on the mailing list for several organisations and then pick and choose which events suit you the best. If you are interested in particular events, call the contact number provided and before you book your place ask the organiser how many people they expect to attend and what industries will be represented at the event.

When you do attend events, remember the golden rule: What can you offer others? Instead of trying to push your business down the throats of everyone you meet, think how you can help them. Maybe they mention the need for a great accountant and you met someone at the last event who had just opened their own practice. Exchange details and follow up within a few days. Both contacts will remember your kindness and hopefully return the favour one day.

If the event serves food and drinks, enjoy yourself and remember it is a professional event so stick two one or two wines rather than the whole bottle!

Follow up with new contacts within a few days. Invite them to coffee, ask to add them to your email database or simply send them an email saying it was nice to meet them.

Online networking

There are dedicated networking sites such as LinkedIn. Keep your profile professional. Don’t post about your personal life too much. Aside from these specific sites, look at other online networks such as local community boards, Facebook business pages and industry specific online networks. You can usually add a company profile and your company website, an image or logo and location maps.

Online networking requires the same general etiquette rules as face to face networking. It is not a place to constantly push your own agenda. This will quickly annoy others and you won’t get much in return. Instead online communities are a place for discussion, legitimate business and sharing of ideas.

With networking, whether face to face or online, you get out what you put in. And like most friendships or business opportunities, things often take time. Relationships need nurturing and effort on both sides. Networking does provide real and true opportunities all over the world so get in and enjoy your journey.

Throwing your own event can be daunting, unless you work in event management! But for a lawyer, accountant, copywriter or baker it might seem out of reach. It’s actually easier thank you think with a bit of planning and help, and the benefits can be enormous. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Launch party

If you are just starting out in your own business, then you may consider throwing a launch party. This won’t work for all business types, so really think this through and sound out a few friends first. But if you do decide to go ahead, a launch party can be a great way to kick-start the business. Invite, friends, family and past work colleagues if appropriate. Ask them to bring at least one other person along. Whether you cover the full cost or charge a small ticket fee doesn’t really matter. But pick a good venue such as a bar, café or local park and put on some food, drinks and entertainment whether that is a local band, MC or picture slide show.

The two major benefits of this event: it gets the word out in a very tangible way about your new business, plus it also shows that you are serious and can help generate leads straight away.

Birthday Party

So you’ve been going for a year now, or five? Why not throw a Birthday Party for your business? This type of event follows all the same principles as the launch party above, but this time the focus is on the growth and success of the business rather than the start. You can mention any big wins over the lifespan of the business and thank key contacts that have helped you succeed.

The two major benefits of this event: you can thank people who have really helped you along the way, plus you can get some momentum going in the business again if things have slowed down recently.

BIG WIN Party

This is when you win a major job. So again, it might not be relevant for all business types but if you win a major contract you could consider throwing a party similar to the ones already mention but the focus is on the project win. You can give free publicity to the client (if they agree to me named) and you can show others that you are doing so well as to win this contract.

The two major benefits of this event: You can give free publicity to your client (if they agree) and you can show the world that you mean business!