Owners of small and medium-sized enterprises know how important it is to budget carefully. Without the safety net of a huge savings account or lots of high-dollar investments, business owners must monitor their cash flow scrupulously. If you’re just starting your SME, you understand how critical following your budget is to your business’s success. However, one area that new business owners often forget to budget for is taxes, so follow these steps to make sure that you’ve adequately prepared for tax season. 1. Get Professional Accounting Help You try to limit the number of employees in your early days so that you make more profit each month. After all, each full-time employee you hire represents 40 hours of wages every week. However, when it comes to accounting services, you must invest in professional, full-time employees. Working with a certified public accountant or an accounting firm gives you peace of mind that you’re working within your budget.  Taxes become more complicated as your SME expands, and your accounting team is ready to help you understand the wide variety of business arrangements that affect your taxes: Sole proprietorships Joint-stock businesses Nonprofit organizations Additionally, accountants help you navigate complex situations such as value-added taxes, residual taxes, and salary deductions. To avoid fines from improperly filing your taxes and to maximize your refund, find your professional accounting team today. 2. Learn About Duties Most countries require businesses to file their income taxes annually, but some taxes and duties occur more frequently. Duties are taxes charged by countries when you export or import goods. For example, if you run a restaurant chain and you import wine from France to the United States, you must pay duties on each shipment of wine’s value. If your shipments are worth less than a few hundred dollars, you probably don’t have to pay taxes on them, but you should still check the laws carefully for each country in which you conduct business. Also, remember that the percentage you’re charged varies depending on what products you’re shipping, so don’t expect to pay the same amount for all your international shipments. Because duties are charged at the border, you can easily budget for these taxes each month rather than handling the entire payment once a year. Work with your accounting team to calculate each shipment’s taxes, and include that value in your materials budget. Consider using a spreadsheet to keep track of each country’s reporting and taxation requirements.  3. File Your Paperwork Carefully Filing your taxes is a nightmare if you don’t keep track of your paperwork carefully. As a business owner, you’re responsible for many forms for your SME: Cash flow statements Investment reports Property value assessments Employees’ pay rates and hours Loan statements Customers’ invoices All of these forms combine to provide the information your accounting team needs to complete your taxes. Store each one in a secure location, and scan them so that you have copies in the cloud in case your files are damaged or stolen. If you struggle to stay organized with so much paperwork, work with your office assistant to develop a method for maintaining your forms. 4. Watch for Legal Changes Every country’s laws change regularly, but this is especially true for tax laws, which tend to change when different parties or factions gain control of the government. For example, in the US, if the Republican Party is in control, taxes tend to go down; if the Democratic Party is in control, they often go up. Whenever tax laws are up for debate in a country in which you work, watch the process carefully. Bills frequently change as they become laws, so you can’t count on any clause taking effect until the entire bill passes. For example, a politician introduces a bill that increases taxes on companies that use fossil fuels, but environmental concerns do not have enough support, so other politicians vote to remove that part of the bill. Whenever a new tax law is released, make sure that you understand it thoroughly before filing taxes in accordance with it. Talk to your accounting team to make sure they understand the changes, and if anyone is unsure what something means, reach out to a tax lawyer. Ask him or her to brief your company on the recent changes and give you advice on implementing them.  Your SME’s income varies greatly from year to year, especially when you’re just getting started. Watch out for the different income levels in your country’s new tax laws, as most nations have progressive taxes. Just because you were in a certain bracket with the previous tax law doesn’t mean that you’re going to be in the same bracket this season.  By taking these four steps, you ensure that your SME’s taxes are filed correctly, no matter how complicated your financial system is.

The productivity of a construction team is heavily dependent on their satisfaction and happiness, especially when they’re on the clock. Contractors and worksite managers can do a lot to keep their construction teams happy while they’re working. Let’s check out a few of the best methods now. Use Timecard Apps to Enable Flexible Clocking In and Out One of the best ways to boost the productivity (and overall pride) of your construction team is to leverage timecard apps. This might seem counterintuitive at first, but construction teams are often happy having the ability to flexibly clock in and out depending on the workday’s requirements. For example, timecard apps allow your employees to track their time and accurately bill you for both regular hours worked and overtime hours. Additionally, timecard apps offer your employees the opportunity to punch out early if they complete their work ahead of time – who doesn’t like that? There are plenty of construction-specific timecard apps to choose from, allowing you to integrate this software-based solution with other software or tools your company already uses.  Be Humane with Shifts Speaking of shifts and time punching, you should always be humane when it comes to requests for punching out early or sick days. Everyone has crazy days when they have to take care of other responsibilities or duck out of work early. You can inspire an environment of trust and honesty in your construction team by being flexible and humane with these requests. Don’t deny someone the opportunity to leave early to pick up their kid from the hospital just because you have to meet a deadline. Maintain Equipment A happy and productive construction team always has high-quality equipment. Contractors or worksite managers know that buying new equipment isn’t always possible, but any stuff your guys are using should be well maintained and safe overall. Well-maintained equipment will be appreciated by a construction crew and allow them to complete their tasks ahead of schedule, which may result in overall savings for your company in the long run. Plus, no one likes to work on a construction site that seems dangerous or use tools that can harm them. Emphasize Regular Training Want to boost productivity and satisfaction in your construction team? Be sure to implement regular training exercises so your team members are always doing things as efficiently and safely as possible. Regular training sessions are excellent, both for teaching experienced construction team members about your technologies or systems and for teaching new workers who may not know what they’re doing. Using regular training programs or seminars also means your experienced construction team members don’t have to spend their valuable time teaching newcomers stuff that they can easily learn from another source. Have an Open Door Policy – Encourage Communication Lastly, your construction team members will be happier on the clock if you maintain an open-door policy and encourage active communication. If your construction team members can come to you with any problem, they’ll feel happier and more content at their jobs, which means more profits and a better workplace for you overall.

Having a good team on board will transform your business as you will receive better results. More than likely you will need to do certain things to ensure that knowledge and morale is high so everything runs smoothly. Once you have a stronger team you will notice your productivity levels will rise to improve quality of work and completion of projects. Training your staff members Providing training to your staff members will ensure that they give you the best quality of work at a rapid pace. It may be an investment now, but it will help you massively in the future by saving you time and money. Workplace training companies such as https://kallibr.com.au/ will provide the training for you so you can have the peace of mind that no key information is missed. They have loads of courses that you and your team members can enroll on to further your knowledge. Whether you have a business that requires training on-site or off-site there are courses for everyone so it is well worth putting your time and money into to allow your team to thrive in your business. When a team member has the knowledge they need, they will often work faster and more confidently. Often it can really bring out the personality in someone which can improve their overall growth within the company.  Using strengths to your advantage When it comes to delegating your daily tasks it is best to use strengths and weaknesses to your advantages. Any weaknesses that your team have should be spoken about and resolved by providing the option to enroll onto a course to maximize their confidence. This will allow them to gain confidence in the activity and it will be easier to place them on any department or task. Noting people’s strengths will make it easier to delegate your team members when you need a job doing well in a timely manner. In addition when team members get to do their favourite task they will keep the overall environment up as well as doing it correctly. If you are struggling then pair up someone who is confident in that area with someone who is unsure as they will be able to work with one another to complete it in a non intimidating way.  Good working environment Keeping the overall environment a happy and motivating space will ensure that your team keeps their passion for their roles. Hold regular team activities and bonding sessions such as paintballing or go karting and you will notice how your team will work better together afterwards. Often it will loosen up and relax the relationships between your team which will make them more confident to ask one another for assistance. Even holding a film night or a game of UNO at lunchtimes will eliminate stress and tension which will reduce the cause for mental health problems. It does not need to cost lots of money but even bringing in a box of donuts will improve everyone’s mood and will enjoy their jobs more.

Deciding to close doors can be a defining moment for retail stores. It signals the end of its existence and the beginning of its liquidation process. Businesses use liquidation stock procedures as an exit route to efficiently do away with their leftover stock and pay off any remaining obligations before calling it quits and filing for bankruptcy. Retail stores undertake liquidation proceedings with one final attempt to inform the public it’s going out of business. The huge closing sign becomes its last-ditch effort to dispose of merchandise for some profit before eventually retiring the business.  When retailer stores close their doors to the public, they unlock other channels to unload inventory. They no longer sell items in pieces to consumers but instead offer them as package deals and bulk to interested back channels planning to resell them online or in flea markets and thrift shops.  Where Stock Goes Retailers who still have a lot of inventory left after their final closing out sale need to dispatch of them as soon as possible as these goods’ value will just continue to depreciate. They also need to remove all of these products before their lease expires, so they use several means to dispose of their remaining merchandise through: Post-Closing Sale  After customers scour aisles for best deals, hosting a post-closing sale allows retailers to sell inventory in bulk. This way, they can get rid of their merchandise at markdown prices to provide considerable profit. Another difference between the closing out and post-closing sale is that the latter sets a minimum amount for purchases. It also specifies operating hours when the wholesale prices are available.   Other alternatives for post-closing sales include selling online through the retail store’s website or via e-commerce sites, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. Selling closing out merchandise online can also allow flea market vendors, nonprofits, and thrift stores to take advantage of the discounts and resell them back to consumers for profit.  Liquidation Auction  If there is still stock remaining, retailers can organize a business-to-business liquidation auction or use this online auctioneer to dispose of it. They can host online auctions for retail liquidation stock and sell them in pallets or truckloads, making disposal quick and efficient.  Employee Shopping Day Retailers going out of business can also reward their employees and relatives with discounts and allot a special shopping day to enjoy the store’s products. This offer serves as a farewell incentive for staff and a token for their immeasurable contribution to the company. Return Products to Vendors There are times when vendors allow retail stores to return products. While these sell at prices lower than what retail stores initially paid, selling them back to the vendor is advantageous. It allows retailers to unload part of their inventory while vendors may be more than willing to accept product returns to resell them to other customers.  Contact Competitors  Contacting competitors is also one way retail stores can dispose of part of their remaining items. They can also offer resale and thrift shops their merchandise and have them place bids for the items they want. This way, businesses can profit from its closing by assuming products they can use in their own companies or establishments.  Donate to Charity Donating leftovers to charitable organizations helps retailers distribute their products in a humanitarian way. These organizations can use donations of clothes, shoes, and appliances to help impoverished individuals and communities. They can even use your donated items to raise money to support their causes.  What’s good about donating to charity is that retail stores can obtain receipts from beneficiaries and use them for tax purposes. Apart from the tax break, donations elevate business by helping retail stores fulfill their social responsibility to the community in spite of the closure. Sell to New Owner There are also instances when retail stores do not close entirely but rather regroup by transferring ownership to another business entity. As one of the steps in dissolving the business, the retailer or owner, under the guidance of a business attorney or an accountant, can sell inventory to the new owner as a part of their turn-over agreement. Conclusion  Business closures pose several challenges for stock disposal. Retail stores need to undergo several sales methods to effectively dispatch remaining inventory.  In-store and online closing out sales help reaps profits despite discounted rates, while post-closing and liquidation auctions provide ways to sell merchandise in bulk. Selling leftover stock to new owners or competitors and returning them to vendors ensures that products are disposed of properly. Retail stores can also use this opportunity to acknowledge their employees’ immense contributions by holding a special shopping day. At the same time, it can fulfill its social obligation by giving away products and items to support charitable causes. Retail stocks make their way to alternate market venues despite the physical store closing its doors. Although such events are always sad, products will eventually make their way back to the market as resale items on online sites, flea markets, and thrift shops.  Now that’s something customers can smile about.     

What is a rental application? It is a type of application that is written by the people who want to rent a property. The recipient of these applications is usually landlords. For a landlord, it is not easy to decide who should be chosen as a tenant. Therefore, the rental application is written for making it easy for them to take this decision. Writing a rental application: There are different ways in which a rental application is written. The format and the details to be added vary from state to state. However, every tenant is required to provide information such as rental history, personal information of the potential tenant, and much more. The tenant should try to be accurate and concise at the same time Guidelines for writing the rental application: Collect all relevant documents: Before you apply, one should be prepared for it. Paperwork is important for every legal process. You can never get away with the process of submitting the supporting documentation along with your application. The documents attached with the application act as proof that whatever information has been provided can be verified from the documents attached with the application Fill the application form: Many landlords provide a form for application. In case you want to apply, you don’t have to be different and start using a different way to apply. Fill the form and then if you feel you could not explain several things, go for the written application.   Design a cover letter: A cover letter for the rental application can play a major role in making this application a successful piece of writing. The cover letter is used to make an impression on the reader. Additionally, it also makes the reader know some very basic things about the application it covers. The design of the cover letter should be attractive which can compel the reader to read the entire application. Dull and boring applications are usually discarded Create an outline: There is no such application that can be written effectively without outlining. Many people think that outlining wastes time and is not necessary. However, this is not the case. Before you start writing the rental application, you should be aware of the period of the tenancy. Furthermore, the specifications of the property should also be known so that you can determine whether you need to rent that property or not. Making a rough draft of the application turns out to be a turning point and you end up deciding something completely different. Don’t add ambiguous details: Sometimes in confusion, people add ambiguous details. This often gives the impression that you are trying to tell a lie in the application. Therefore, you should be clear about what you want to say in the application and then start writing to eliminate the chances of adding ambiguous details to the letter.

With the stamp duty holiday set to end on 31st March, many homebuyers are rushing to take advantage of the tax break while sellers are making use of the increased demand to get higher prices. The scheme is eligible for first time buyers and those replacing their existing home to buy a property valued up to £500,000 without the need to pay stamp.  In the run up to the deadline property owners looking to extract the highest price have been deploying a range of tactics to make their homes as appealing as possible. According to property buying agents ‘Spring’, the quality of the kitchen plays an important part in the valuation process when considering a property for purchase. 65% of homeowners renovate their kitchens before selling the house according to industry sources. The cost of a full kitchen makeover can easily stretch into tens of thousands of pounds, but for a small budget, a touch of paint and replacing broken fixtures and fittings can make a big difference too. First impressions are important. Ensuring the outside of your home is welcoming as possible can often be the difference between a buyer passing over your property entirely or taking a closer look. Many successful sellers have noted that cleaning up the approach to the property as high on the list of areas to improve. Addressing factors such as rubbish or fallen foliage in the walkway, fixing broken paving tiles and touching up aging and cracked paint can help with the sales factor. Going further with the exterior theme – a well-designed garden is another common factor that home sellers look to exploit. Trimming borders, overgrown bushes and clearing pathways can all help showcase what is often a major selling point. Even in the instance where an outdoor space is not landscaped, removing clutter can help provide a prospective buyer with a better understanding of its potential. Smart homes are becoming more commonplace and a home that is already integrated with a hive heating system can be a relatively affordable upgrade that can increase a property’s desirability.  Minimising surface items in your rooms can increase the sense of a space, and can make a smaller property appear roomier. The optics of space are known to place a big part in informing a buyer’s decision making. Other methods of making a property feel bigger are to use light pale colours on walls, allow in as much natural light as possible and to considering the careful placement of mirrors. Much like the kitchen a well-presented bathroom can offer significant appeal.  Renovating the bathroom is among the best ways to add value to your home. Eliminating unsightly mould, steam cracked paint or peeling sealant are quick wins for home sellers. As the stamp duty deadline approaches and the time frame shrinks, bigger renovations may become more difficult to achieve, but simple quick wins like decluttering, cleaning and touching up paintwork will help you achieve the best price possible. Sources https://hoa.org.uk/2020/09/stamp-duty-holiday-2020/ https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/i-am-buying/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-stamp-duty/ https://www.ft.com/content/7c7d1b57-cbe8-4e96-b7bb-e36ae53d1758 https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/stamp-duty-holiday

You’re a new residential construction business. You have the manpower, the expertise and some prospective clients, but you need to win contracts. What you’re looking for are the tools and services that could give you an edge in the market, and help your business succeed.  Luckily for you, there is a wealth of options available to new construction companies, many of which will be alien to your more entrenched competitors. By being open to new ideas and ways of working, you can adopt these tools successfully, and benefit from the efficiencies they provide.  1. Sustainability forecasting One area in which your business can overtake others is the adoption of sustainable practices. While sustainability has been a tenet of new builds for some time, the focus is often on the building itself, and not on the process of building it. With action against climate change, pollution and other environmental damage accelerating, many clients are likely to seek assurances about the impact of your projects, and the carbon footprints they accrue. With so many different aspects of a project to assess – including tools, labour, materials and transport – this can be an intensive and time-consuming endeavour. Yet without doing it, you will increasingly be missing out on business, and increase your own costs. The increasing urgency of climate change is likely to see a rise in audits for things like waste transfer, which could lead to expensive penalties. Thankfully, tech companies are beginning to step into the breach, and provide all-in-one solutions for sustainability forecasting. Apps such as Qflow allow you to automate the environmental data collection process, and predict how your actions on site may affect your environmental impact. As well as telling you what’s wrong, it also advises you on how to fix it, helping engineers to implement improvements. Using both an app and browser interface, Qflow gives you a holistic view of the sustainability of your project. While the data is being analysed on desktops, operatives on site can use the app to log information, and ensure that they comply with building and safety regulations. Other apps such as Fieldwire show promise in offering simple digitisation of worksites, and address the more fundamental issues of management and communication. Online estimating One of the biggest timesinks for new residential construction businesses – and one of the easiest ways to slip up – is planning your costs and build times. These aspects of construction are critical in order for you to deliver results on time for your clients, and not lose money in the process, or be caught short through a lack of resources. This planning isn’t for everyone, though, and can easily become muddled as a project develops. The other aspect of estimating and planning a build is communication with the client. You want to deliver on time for them, but you also want them to be involved in the process, and to maintain full transparency about what you’re planning and what you build. This can be difficult to manage in the middle of a project, and presents a logistical and administrative burden, as you try to marry what happens on site with what happens in your offices. For residential construction businesses looking to outsource this process, online estimating may be the best option. Services such as ProQuant Estimating combine expertise with in-house software to deliver precise estimates, costing everything from materials to plant and labour. Each quote is timed and priced using regional rates, which are constantly updated to give you the best value for money. Such online estimating tools are extremely valuable for reducing your costs, allowing you to invest in other areas and grow more quickly. They will also increase the trust between you and your clients, and drive repeat business. The ability to accurately cost a project, provide a more competitive price and give an accurate completion date are all aspects that will improve your product, and help your business get a leg up on others. Safety training As much as you may want to get out there and get stuck in, modern construction gives you a lot of hoops to jump through. One of these is health & safety, and making sure that all operatives on site are kept safe, along with anyone else in proximity to the site. This means not only meeting the minimum standards for training (e.g. through the CSCS Green Card), but also instilling a positive safety culture in your organisation. Operatives on your site will likely have completed some site safety training as a basic prerequisite, but this is something you need to be mindful of when hiring. Taking safety seriously will also start your business off on the right foot, and ensure you have a safety culture at the heart of your business, which grows and adapts along with you. This is something you can then evidence to clients, and turn into a key part of your tenders. Safety training may not be at the top of many construction companies’ priorities, particularly given the lingering fears about the coronavirus. However, the training industry has gone to great strides to increase accessibility, and make training available remotely. In many cases, this has lowered the cost of delivering courses – making this a great time to improve your safety practices, and protect your business and your employees. Course providers including NEBOSH, IOSH, the CITB and Qualsafe have all made courses available for remote learning, which often takes place over Zoom calls. These are delivered live by qualified trainers, with materials emailed or physically sent out to accompany them, depending on the complexity of the course. In some cases, you can also then take the test or tests online, allowing your employees to qualify entirely from home. Bolstering your employees’ safety credentials has several benefits. By helping them spot risks and deal appropriately with hazards, you’ll improve your reporting and avoid any costly fines or injuries. You’ll also provide peace of mind to operatives, and a sense that you care