Accounting and Bookkeeping Articles

10 Steps in Getting What You Want

In business you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. - Chester L. Karras

You must be fully prepared to lose a great deal in order to make a great deal. - Anonymous

My father said: ‘You must never try to make all the money that’s in a deal.  Let the other fellow make some money too, because if you have a reputation for always making all the money, you won’t have many deals. - J. Paul Getty

All business owners must be prepared to negotiate at some time in their careers.  In fact, successful professionals must negotiate quite often in order to increase their profitability.  To help you master the art of negotiation, we’ve designed this two-part series that will share 10 steps in getting what you want.  Last week, we presented the following five steps:

1.    Prepare

2.    Time

3.    Strategize

4.    Listen

5.    Leverage

This week we’ll cover the last five:

6. Offer

It’s important that both parties find the offer to be clear and specific.  Michael Sanibel, in his article on Entrepreneur.com, explains, “The basis of the bargain should include: offer prices (in proper denomination), statement of work (scope), identification and quantities of goods or services, delivery schedule, performance incentives (if any), express warranties (if any), terms and conditions, and any documents incorporated by reference.”  Once both parties clearly understand and agree to this offer, which should be put in writing, you can move forward.

7. Anticipate

Experienced negotiators realize that the first offer is a reference point and is rarely accepted.  You should anticipate compromise, for that is a key element in negotiation.  In your research, you should have come to understand and appreciate what the other party wants and needs in order for this deal to be acceptable.  In that, be prepared to revise the original offer until it appeals to both parties.

8. Aim

That being said, it’s important to aim high.  Sanibel suggests you shoot for a win-win solution, where both parties are satisfied.  The Sloan Brothers and Daniel Kehrer, in their articled entitled “Ten Techniques for Better Negotiation,” explain, “Another tenet of negotiating is ‘go high, or go home.’  …As long as you can argue convincingly, don’t be afraid to aim high.  But no ultimatums, please.  Take-it-or-leave-it offers are usually out of place.”

9. Hold Firm

Most people know that when buying a car from a salesman you must be willing to walk away from the car of your dreams in order to secure the best deal.  The same idea applies to your business negotiations.  Max Markson once said, “Quite often, your indifference can be the greatest negotiating weapon you have.”  While you may care a great deal about this deal, you must hold firm to those things that matter most to you and be willing to step away if negotiations stray too far from that.

10. Close

It’s important that you recognize the point at which both parties are nearing a successful close.  Be posed to shake on your deal and follow up with all the necessary documents.

Negotiation is an art that takes considerable time and practice to master.  However, following these 10 simple steps can make the process much easier, helping you navigate to a more satisfying conclusion.

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Resources

Sanibel, Michael.  “The Art of Negotiating: A Practical Guide to Getting What You Want, When You Wants It, and at the Price You Want.” 24 August 2009  Entrepreneur.com

Sloan Brothers with Daniel Kehrer.  “10 Techniques for Better Negotiation.” 2005  Yahoo! Small Business

10 Steps in Getting What You Want

Start out with an ideal and end up with a deal.-Karl Albrecht

The most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip it of the emotion and deal with the facts. - Howard Baker

Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other person will in the end prove unprofitable for you.  The bargain that yields mutual satisfaction is the only one that is apt to be repeated. - B.C. Forbes

From buying a flat screen TV to securing new clients, you must know how to negotiate the best deal possible.  Giving in too soon or holding out too long can both be detrimental.  Negotiation is about balance-it’s about risking just the right amount to achieve what’s best for you and your business.

Some professionals are born with the innate ability to work a deal while others are weary of any situation that requires skillful negotiation.  We’ll admit, negotiating isn’t for the faint of heart, but sometimes learning the necessary steps is all it takes to get your game on, and in the end, close a deal to your satisfaction.  In this two-part series we share 10 steps that can help you improve your approach to the art of negotiation.  This week we’ll examine the first five steps:

1. Prepare

It’s important that you do your research before scheduling any kind of negotiation.  Whether you’re working with a vendor, a client, or your next-door neighbor, you should know what you both have to contribute to the deal.  And what are your weaknesses?  Any good negotiator will have determined yours before the meeting.  Do you know what theirs are?  Also ensure that you are meeting with the one who actually holds the power to seal the deal.  The last thing you want to discover, after going through all 10 of these steps, is that the deal you have secured still needs approval from someone higher up.

2. Time

Timing can be everything.  If you schedule a meeting with a company at its busiest time of the year or after a sudden downturn in the local economy, you will be at a disadvantage.  When scheduling an appointment, ensure that you have selected a good time for both you and the party with whom you’re negotiating.

3. Strategize

Negotiation is all about strategy.  Remember that your first offer sets the tone for all future conversations.  In his Entrepreneur.com article entitled “The Art of Negotiating,” Michael Sanibel explains, “The first offer is usually the most important and the benchmark by which all subsequent offers will be judged and compared.  You’ll never get what you don’t ask for, so make your first offer bold and aggressive.”  Remember that negotiation can be a professional dance where offers are often padded with extra, but unnecessary, amenities that help build price so that it can be whittled down again.  Understanding what, exactly, you want, will help tremendously as you move forward.

4. Listen

On the other hand, it’s equally important that you know what the other party wants, and this can only be achieved when you listen to what they’re saying (this includes body language).

5. Leverage

Know and believe in your own strengths–what you bring to the table.  Only when you have confidence in what you’re offering will you be able to use that as leverage in securing the deal you want.

Complementary Services Act as Great Leverage

Your business will become so much more appealing when you add tax preparation services to your menu; this alone will give you more leverage in closing deals with prospective clients.  In just two short months, tax season will be upon us; that’s just enough time to become a Professional Tax Preparer.  Learn everything you need to know about tax preparation in UAC’s Professional Tax Preparer program.  We’re so confident that it will work for you that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee:

If, after completing all of the learning activities,

you do not feel that you have received your money’s worth,

simply return the materials to Universal Accounting Center,

for a complete refund.

There aren’t many universities out there that would make that promise to its graduates.  Don’t wait another day to enhance your business and change your life.  Enroll today!

Join us next week when we talking about closing the deal with final five steps:

6.    Offer

7.    Anticipate

8.    Aim

9.    Hold Firm

10. Close

Resources

Sanibel, Michael.  “The Art of Negotiating: A Practical Guide to Getting What You Want, When You Wants It, and at the Price You Want.” 24 August 2009  Entrepreneur.com

Sloan Brothers with Daniel Kehrer.  “10 Techniques for Better Negotiation.” 2005  Yahoo! Small Business

Most of us assume that we can increase our energy levels by getting the proper amount of rest, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly.  Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and author, would argue that’s only partially correct.  While that may help increase our physical energy, we also need to attend to our mental and emotional energy levels, which can be easily depleted.

Mental Energy

Tracy claims that mental energy is what powers your ability to be creative, solve problems and make decisions.  You draw from this energy as your manage your clients’ accounts, accruing those all-important billable hours.  The more efficient your use of this energy, the more productive, and ultimately, the more profitable you will be.

Emotional Energy

This is where you will find your enthusiasm and passion for what your do.  Not only does this energy power your business, but it’s also what makes your personal life enjoyable as well.  You can power-up your emotional energy by ensuring that you spend quality time with those you care about, doing the things your love.

The Connection

Physical energy, mental energy and emotional energy all power your business.  And a reduction in any of these energy levels affects the others.  It’s important that you recognize this connection and conserve energy when possible.  We can quickly burn through emotional energy by expressing negative emotions.   Of those who do this, Tracy explains, “Negative emotions are like a fire that burns up their energy so quickly they have very little left with which to think positively and constructively.  In fact, one five-minute uncontrolled outburst of anger can burn up as much energy as an average person would use in eight hours of work.”

He offers three tips in ensuring that you have a healthy supply of these interconnected energy types:

1. It’s an old standby because it’s true: the better you attend to your physical needs, the more energy you’ll enjoy.  While it may sound redundant, getting the proper amount of rest, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly will power your throughout the day and enable you to feel equal to the challenge of your daily To-Do lists.
2. Recognize how you’re depleting your energy levels and which type of energy-physical, mental, emotional-you rely on most.  Consider ways you can better balance your energy levels and recharge and conserve when possible.
3. Plug up those energy leaks by better managing your stress.  You will also build your energy levels when you practice positive thinking and focus on living a more relaxed and optimistic life.

When you make a conscious effort to increase your energy, you’ll find that your business responds in kind.  Take measures today to ensure that you recharge your battery and your business.

Universal Accounting Center (UAC) Makes It Easy

Confidence is a key energizer.  It can increase your energy levels more than just about any other emotion.  And if it’s confidence you’re looking for, UAC can help.  Our graduates leave our programs with the confidence necessary to start and/or grow their own businesses.  Read what they’re saying about our Professional Bookkeeper Program:

This course has literally changed my life. When I started I hardly knew the difference between a debit and a credit. Now I have the confidence to tackle almost any type of business and do their books.-A. Moody

Great practical course providing you with the skills and self-confidence to go out and build your own bookkeeping/accounting service.-B. Pace

The subject matter covered in your course has been invaluable. I have worked in the accounting field for the past six years; your course gave me the training and confidence I needed to advance in this area.-G. Morton

This course is definitely NOT just an introductory course, although it is wonderful even for beginners. It is a comprehensive accounting and bookkeeping course that truly taught me everything I would need to know to start my own accounting business, and gain clients with confidence.-J. Young

What makes this program so special?  Taught by seasoned professionals who understand the unique demand for small-business accountants, this self-paced program will train you using a hands-on instructional approach designed to give you the experience necessary to start a business’s books from scratch.  Whether you’ve been working in the accounting profession for years or have little experience at all, this course will help you gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to start and/or grow your own accounting practice.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

This course is comprised of four modules contained on DVD so you can view them again and again.

• Module 1-Accounting Made Easy
• Module 2-Practical Small Business Applications
• Module 3-Advancing your “Account-Ability”
• Module 4-Building a Successful Accounting Service

Each one comes with its own manual where you are expected to practice the concepts and skills you learn.  Upon completion, you will take an exam through which you can earn professional certification, demonstrating your expertise to prospective clients.

In addition to all that you will also receive two additional months of follow-up support, your own customize business website, and two additional practice sets.

Get the training necessary to boost your emotional energy by developing greater confidence-your accounting practice depends upon it.  Order today!

Resource

Tracy, Brian.  “Increase Your Three Types of Energy.” 30 June 2008.  Brian Tracy International

Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself. You may be surprised at how easily this happens. Your doubts are not as powerful as your desires, unless you make them so. — Marcia Wieder

The term “overachiever” generally has a negative connotation.  Some talk of overachievers as workaholics with no personal lives to speak of, while others imagine annoying professionals that are somewhat arrogant and a little too full of their own accomplishments.  However, Webster defines “overachiever” as “one who achieves success over and above the standard or expected level especially at an early age.”  If that’s the case, I’m guessing most of us wouldn’t mind becoming overachievers, again and again and again.  But what does it take?

1. Recognize your passion

Truly successful athletes can practice their sport for hours because they become lost in the game.  Some describe it as finding their groove, getting in the zone, or achieving “flow.”  This is a somewhat magical experience where skills are heightened and physical limitations cease to exist, as does time.  This same thing can be experienced by professionals who truly find their passion; they can achieve “flow” by working optimally while losing track of time because they simply enjoy what they’re doing.  If this is a common occurrence at your practice, then you’re on your way to becoming a true overachiever.

2. Recognize the tedium

It’s common to experience boredom every now and then, regardless of how passionate you may be about your work.  There’s always paperwork to be filed, reports to be run, and tasks on your To-Do list that don’t inspire.  However, that tedium should not consume your day.  If that boredom causes you to dread going to work each day, it may be time to reevaluate your career choice and point yourself in another professional direction.

3. Stay a little longer

In his Entrepreneur.com post entitled “5 Tips to Become a High-Achiever,” Scott Halford  shares this tip in outlasting, outsmarting and overachieving the competition.  He explains that in 1984, when Peter Vidmar led the US men’s Olympic gymnastics team to gold, the one thing Vidmar did differently from everyone else was stay and practice a little longer.  In order to become the premier accountant in your area you must do the equivalent.  Read that extra article, participate in that specialized training, call that one last client.

4. Focus your energy

As a child you may have focused the sun’s energy through a magnifying glass in order to start a small flame.  When you focus your own energy in the same way, you can accomplish great things in your professional life.  Try not to get bogged down by the tedious and unnecessary.  That’s distracting and will limit your potential.  Continually focus your energy on the big picture and where you want your business to go.  You’ll be amazed at how this alone will magnify your practice’s success.

5. Take action

You’ll never accomplish anything if you spend all your time just thinking about it.  Overachievers act again and again.  In fact, after a time it becomes a habit-creating business strategies and then acting on them.

6. Continually improve

The truly successful recognize the need to continually improve their skills which enables them to maintain that competitive advantage.  Seek opportunities to become the expert in your field.  It’s impossible to have too much expertise.

UAC’s Training Can Help

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program is just the course you need to hone your skills and become specialized in small-business accounting, the most lucrative market for contract accountants.  In less than 60 hours you can learn everything you need to know to start your own accounting practice or improve the one you’re currently running.  The time is right to overachieve.  Take action today and enroll in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program.

Resources

Halford, Scott.  “5 Tips to Become a High-Achiever.” 29 June 2009  Entrepreneur.com

Whether you need a book to read on your family vacation or you’re looking to fill some leisure hours after work, you need a good list of recommendations from which you can refer, over and over again.  Here are 5 recommendations designed with the small business owner in mind:

Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki (Portfolio, 2008)

Guy Kawasaki is well known as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, popular public speaker, and best-selling author.  His newest book provides useful, humorous, and in-your-face advice about thriving in today’s market.  This book will share (among many other things) the art of schmoozing, the top ten lies of entrepreneurs, and pointers for creating a community.  If you’re interested in knowing how business really functions and how you can take advantage of that knowledge, Kawasaki’s book belongs on your nightstand.

The Illusions of Entrepreneurship:  The Costly Myths that Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By by Scott Shane (Yale University Press, 2008)

Mark Hendricks, in his review of this book in “Entrepreneur Magazine,” explains, “Business scholar Scott Shane debunks popular theories with research-based answers to questions such as why people start businesses, which industries are most popular for startups and what are the most common characteristics of the typical entrepreneur.”  This book, which garnered many such rave reviews, demonstrates just what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.

The 7 Triggers to Yes: The New Science Behind Influencing People’s Decisions by Russell Granger (McGraw-Hill, 2007)

For those looking to hone their sales skills and use techniques designed to better secure clients, you might be interested in Granger’s book, which argues that logical strategies are not as persuasive as emotional ones.  Using research in neuroscience, this book outlines a sales approach designed to help you take advantage of the brain’s 7 natural triggers for making decisions.  Listed as number two on Small Biz Trends Best Small Business Book List, this book is certain to provide practical advice on applying a new and effective approach to sales and marketing.

Smart Networking: Attract a Following in Person and Online by Liz Lynch (McGraw-Hill, 2008)

If you need a timely book that will help you take advantage of the online social networking craze while fine-tuning your face-to-face skills, this just might be the book for you.  Author Liz Lynch shares business strategies that will enable you to take advantage of opportunities in a wired world, launching your practice to new heights by making valuable connections, both online and in person.

Red to Black in 30 Days by Allen Bostrom (Universal Accounting Center, 2008)

The recession is hitting small businesses hard, and many are failing right and left; we hope yours is not one of them.  Red to Black in 30 Days enables readers to learn the Universal Project Management Model that will enable them to save failing businesses.   This book is a guideline for financial professionals who work with disheartened small business owners in need of a good turnaround plan.

Each chapter focuses on a crucial aspect of the turnaround process. Simple steps are outlined from initial contact through stabilization and profitable growth. This can be the guide through your first turnaround experience or it can enhance the management skills of even the seasoned contract accountant.  You may find that in offering turnaround services your business (and those of your clients) will be the few that thrive in these difficult financial times. For the cost of this one book you can enhance your value to current and prospective clients.  Order your copy now.

Resources

Danielson, Diane K. “Top Shelf Reading Picks: Book and Blog Reviews for Savvy Entrepreneurs.” Entrepreneur.com Blog Network

Taylor, Ivana.  “Best Small Business Books.” 6 Jan. 2009  smallbiztrends.com

Brian Tracy, professional trainer and Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, offers business advice in his article entitled “Strategic Thinking.”  In it, he suggests approaching strategic thinking with a “two-prong” technique.  In doing so business owners can generate a higher return on their personal and professional energy, which in turn will create greater profitability.

Brain Power

While you may be a master accountant, when it comes to improving your business the most valuable tool you have is your mind.  Your ability to think strategically and plan for a more profitable future is your greatest asset.  Unfortunately, many feel too busy and overwhelmed to take the time to think about their businesses; they spend all their time managing it instead.

The best thing you can do for yourself and your business is to schedule time to think and plan for the future.  Tracy recommends a “two-pronged” approach in which you focus on increasing the return on the energy you invest in both your professional and your personal life.

Energy Investment

Everything you do requires energy; some activities require more and some less.  When you can optimize your return on this valuable investment you not only increase your longevity, but you increase your business’s effectiveness and your personal satisfaction.  Strategic thinking requires you to consider ways in which you can increase your return on this energy investment.  Tracy explains, “…your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.”

Action Plan

In order to see the results of your strategic thinking you need to develop an action plan through which you implement your well-measured thoughts.  First you must consider those services that bring the highest financial return to your business.  Tracy recommends that you do more of these things.  Second, consider those actions that bring the highest return on your personal energy.  Again Tracy recommends that you do more of them.

Using QuickBooks to Increase Your Business’s Effectiveness

In strengthening your professional appeal, you want to find those opportunities with a low initial investment and a high return.  One such opportunity is found in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks.  With a modest enrollment fee and a reasonable investment of your time and energy, this product can help you attract more clients while increasing your service offerings and billable hours.  Or if you’re currently employed, it will enable you to enhance your promotion-ability.

QuickBooks has cornered the small-business market with over 80% of owners using this accounting software to manage their financials.  And upon course completion you could earn the QuickBooks Specialist designation, enhancing your professional standing while bolstering your resume!

This training will enable you to master QuickBooks.  We teach you how to do the basic transactions, how to reconcile accounts, where the data goes, and a basic understanding of fundamental accounting principles. We have also included about 18 hours of bookkeeping instruction and a complete, detailed presentation of QuickBooks fundamentals.

This QuickBooks training program stands above others on the market by offering the following:

• Training targeted for all user types
• 16 CDs with 15 hours of training
• 4 books with over 800 pages of instruction
• Full color

In addition, when you purchase the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks, you will receive six months’ worth of free e-mail support with the program. This gives you an additional lifeline if you can’t solve a client or employer’s problem.

In less than one month you can increase your effectiveness by mastering a skill that will help you advance your career.  Don’t wait to improve your future.  Enroll in the PBG program now!

Resources

Tracy, Brian.  “Strategic Thinking.” 6 January 2009.  Brian Tracy International

Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics, offers regular business advice in a segment entitled “At the Whiteboard” on Bnet.com.  In one segment he shares tips on how managers can help employees change their behavior with 6 easy rules.  Following his advice can help you approach employee improvement in a genuine, non-threatening way.

Before he begins, Muzio shares an acronym to help you easily remember the 6 rules: Crazy Corporate People Just Love Acronyms.  Here are the steps represented by each letter in his acronym, CPJLA:

1. Current state

First you tell your employee about the current, ineffective behavior.  The description of the behavior should be short and fact-based.   This avoids a judgmental and threatening tone that can frustrate and even frighten your employee.  For example, you can accommodate this rule with the statement, “I notice that you’re consistently arriving to work at 9:30 in the morning instead of 9.”  The statement is purely factual and only acknowledges your awareness of that specific behavior.

2. Change

Next you state the change you would like to see.  Again, be short and sweet.  Do not lessen the impact of your request by injecting any unnecessary emotion into the discussion.  Consider something simple like, “Would you come to work by nine from now on?”

3. Pure

It’s tempting to reduce possible tension is this conversation by averting your employee’s attention to something more positive.  While that tactic is understandable, it diminishes your attempt to change undesirable behavior.  Avoid softening your request with phrases like, “I think you’re a good employee,” or “You have a good work ethic.”  While those statements may be true, they’re more powerful when they accompany a genuine compliment of positive behavior.  Otherwise they ring false.

4. Just before

You should approach your employee before the anticipated behavior is to reoccur.  For example, if you notice that an employee makes inappropriate comments during staff meeting, the best time to address this is before the next staff meeting rather than after.

5. Limited

Whatever behavior you’d like to see changed, it should be limited in scope.  When you inundate your employees with long to-do lists of behavioral changes, they feel overwhelmed and will have difficulty focusing on modifying their performance.

6. Ask for feedback

You should call your employee in after some time to provide him/her with feedback (for example, “I’ve noticed that you’ve been very punctual these past three weeks”).  Ask how the employee feels about his/her performance and see if there’s anything you can do to assist in continued improvement.

As a manager, your job is to help your employees achieve their full potential.  This won’t happen if you don’t ask them to improve their behavior when necessary.  While this may require additional time and energy, it will pay off in the end with a strong and vibrant staff.

Build a Business with a Strong Support Staff

If you would like to grow you business so that it can support a larger support staff, consider adding tax preparation services to your menu.  Doing so will increase your value to current and potential clients while enabling you to earn $100 plus per hour filing taxes during tax season.  Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Tax Preparer (PTP) Program will help you to become certified in filing individual and business returns, all while becoming a full-service financial provider.  It can also give you the confidence that you have the skill and expertise necessary to prepare personal and business returns with ease.  Now’s the perfect time to learn tax preparation.  Spend some time this summer preparing to make more money next tax season.  Learn more today!

Resources

Muzio, Ed.  “At the Whiteboard.” Bnet.com

Take Steps to Prevent Injuries Cause by Repetitive Movements

Accountants generally spend the majority of their day at a desk, working on their computers.  While you may not expect white-collar workers to experience any serious work-related injuries, the repetitive movements required by a computer can cause any number of symptoms and/or injuries, including carpal tunnel, tenosynovitis (trigger finger), tennis elbow, and thoractic outlet syndrome (TOS).

Brian Bentow, author of The Computer Athlete’s Handbook, explains that many of these ailments can be prevented when small business owners take the initiative to ensure computer safety.  He says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In more extreme cases, there could be permanent nerve damage. Treatment depends on the type and severity of your injury. [This can range from] rest, physical therapy, massage, and time to medical intervention. It is much simpler and less expensive to avoid and prevent injury than it is to treat it once you, or one of your employees, are injured.”

If you spend more than 5 hours a day on the computer, you are at risk of developing computer-related injuries. In fact, you may already be experiencing symptoms like wrist and elbow pain, tingling in the fingers and forearms, numb and cold fingers, neck, shoulder and back pain, and insomnia. While these symptoms are not conclusive evidence that your ailment is computer-related, it could be a signal that you need to take care in how you approach desk-time.

Bentow’s books focuses on 5 different areas that will enable you to alleviate, and in many cases prevent, these computer-related injuries.

1. Equipment and Usage

Ensure that your working environment is ergonomic, meaning that equipment is designed to provide workers with comfort and safety.  Ergonomic chairs, desks and keyboards provide users with the ability to alter the equipment so that it fits their height and size.  Your keyboard should be neither too high nor too low, causing unnecessary straining.

2. Self-Awareness and Self-care

Bentow recommends that you listen to your body and notice when you’re uncomfortable or in pain.  To prevent injury, one of Bentow’s biggest tips is to keep your body in a neutral position.  He explains, “In general, the neutral position for a joint is the most natural position for that joint. It also requires the least amount of effort and is typically the midpoint in the range of that joint. For your wrists the neutral position is straight, in line, and roughly parallel to the floor. For your elbows and knees, it is at a 90-degree angle. When all your individual body parts (head, shoulders, knees, hands, wrists, forearms, back, hips, etc.) are in a neutral position, then you have reached the goal of having your body in a neutral position.”

3. Nutrition

You’re familiar with all these tips, but it’s helpful to recognize that good nutrition can help prevent computer-related injuries as well as ensure good health.  Get adequate rest, eat well, and remain hydrated.  And while caffeinated beverages may trick you into thinking you have more energy, they really dehydrate your body and prevent proper healing.

4. Strength and Conditioning

Strengthening your muscles will enable you to maintain a good posture, which is paramount in preventing computer-related injuries.  Slouching, sitting on your legs, or working from your laptop in bed, all compromise good posture which negatively impacts your spinal alignment.  When you exercise regularly, you ensure muscle elasticity and strength which support your physical frame even when working at your computer.

5. Stress Management

Countless studies have shown that emotional health is directly tied to physical health.  In fact, stress itself has been named the culprit in numerous illnesses.  When you effectively manage your stress, you manage your health.  Take the necessary steps to ensure that you acknowledge and release stress before it compounds any sickness or injury in your body.

Final Tip: Bentow warns that “…one of the worst things to do is take anti-inflammatories or pain medication when you’re in pain from using the computer. Taking medication may let you work past your normal pain threshold but that can lead to serious injury or even permanent nerve damage.”

Taking the necessary precautions to ensure that your computer-time doesn’t turn into sick leave will work to your advantage in the end.  Following these five simple tips just might save you from pain, sleep deprivation and nerve damage.  It also may help you secure peace of mind and greater prosperity in your business.

QuickBooks Made Profitable

Knowing how to make the most of your accounting software could save you hours of working on the computer.  Consider purchasing Universal Accounting Center’s QuickBooks Made Profitable (QBMP).  For next to nothing you can use your QuickBooks expertise to attract more clients and increase your bottom line!

80% of small businesses use Intuit’s QuickBooks software.  Once you complete QuickBooks Made Profitable, you will be able to use our proven system to attract more clients with your QuickBooks expertise.  Not only that, but when you add QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services to your menu, you enhance your financial service offerings and widen your customer appeal.

Take advantage of this marvelous opportunity to increase your bottom line.  Order now!

Resources

Lesonsky, Rieva.  “Is Your Computer Killing You Softly?” 23 April 2009.  The Small Business Blog at allbusiness.com

“The Computer Athlete Central.”  http://computerathlete.net/

Preparing for the Worst

A few years ago it was avian flu; currently swine flu is the most visible threat.  The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that regardless of the form it takes, we are in danger of encountering a pandemic reminiscent to the one experienced in 1918 where nearly 50 million people died.  Whether it be this year or next, or maybe even 5 to 10 years into the future, such a threat might cause travel bans, fear of sickness or contagion, possible quarantines and widespread illness, all of which could severely damage a small business if caught unawares.

If that were to happen, how would your business fair?  Are you prepared to respond to such a threat, and would your practice continue to function even in the worst of these circumstances?  Here are four questions you might ask to determine how ready you are:

1. Have you encouraged employees to stay home when feeling ill?

Many employees are willing to suffer through illness at work, and often it’s the employers who encourage such behavior.  Unfortunately, that’s the perfect environment for a pandemic, where the infected population intermingles with the uninfected.  In this scenario, it won’t take long before the entire office is sick and out of commission.  To prevent widespread illness in your office, it’s important that you encourage employees to stay home when they’re feeling sick.  While this may seem to threaten productivity, especially during flu season, it will ultimately save you money in the end, with fewer overall employee absences.

2. Have you made good personal hygiene a priority?

The WHO reminds us that personal hygiene can go far in helping us avoid sickness.  Frequent hand-washing can ensure that harmful germs never invade the body in the first place.  You can make this a priority by ensuring that your office stocks plenty of antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer.  And like most professional establishments, you can even include a reminder over your bathroom sink that employees properly wash their hands after using the restroom.

3. Do you have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP), also known as a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)?

You may never need to use it, but having a BCP can help your business successfully endure most disasters, including a pandemic.  Things to include on your BCP are personnel who perform daily necessary functions, employees who could telecommute, critical business documents, and a contingency location should your business become inaccessible.  Once you have a plan in place, you can test it to see how well it works and determine what needs to be altered.

4. Are your clients prepared to interact with you during a potential crisis?

An accounting practice is simple to manage from home.  If you’ve already devised a process through which clients can transmit necessary information to you electronically, chances are you could continue to work through even the worst-case scenario of swine flu.  If not, you should device such a process now.  Not only will it enable your business to plow through a pandemic, but it could make your current procedures more productive and efficient as well.

Online Forums

When it comes to topics like this one, it can be difficult to find a group of small business owners with whom you can ask questions, share insights, and offer advice.  Luckily there are online discussions groups, listservs and forums to help you connect with these individuals.  Universal Accounting Center has developed a forum for accountants and tax preparers to provide just that community environment you may have been searching for.  Please join us and make our community stronger, and to “talk” about issues that matter to you.  Members are free to ask questions, provide resources and take advantage of the resources others may offer.  Join us today!

It’s easy to get sucked into all the negative talk about the recession.  But if you do, before you know it, you’ve prescribed to a new and pessimistic attitude that negatively impacts your management style and, quite possibly, your profitability.

While fear and worry may be all the rage right now, allowing those emotions to influence your business approach will only undermine your efforts.  If you continue to think negatively, you’ll find yourself battling a mental current that’s not conducive to financial success.  But how do you turn those negative thought patterns around?  Here are five tips in changing your attitude so that you can experience success amidst the economic recession.

1. Consider what’s working.

While your business may have been impacted by the recession, we’re guessing that you’ve learned a thing or two as well.  Look back on the last six months and ask yourself, what’s going well?  Have you acquired new clients?  Or perhaps you’ve learned new marketing approaches that work better in the current economy.  Maybe you’ve streamlined your budget so that you’re spending less money.

2. Examine your thoughts.

Have you prescribed to this fatalist mentality that the economy is sliding into oblivion?  If so, your daily and even hourly thoughts probably reflect that.  Consider how this must impact your decision-making process.  You may be more tentative about taking risks, growing your business, or contacting prospective clients.  Practice thinking more positive and uplifting thoughts.  Get into the habit of expecting good things to happen to you and your business.  You may be surprised how this step alone can turn your business around.

3. Avoid gloom and doom discussions.

It’s almost vogue to discuss just how bad the recession is.  Newscasts, radio programs, and even water cooler discussions seem propelled by these frenzied conversations about how our nation is on a fast-track to poverty and despair.  If you want to avoid the negative energy associated with these discussions, don’t participate.  You can leave, try to change the subject, or refuse to engage in derogatory conversations that will only point your business towards failure.

4. Consider the opportunities.

Some believe that the recession is only opportunity in disguise, that economic failure is the perfect springboard to small business success.  By exerting more energy and thinking out of the box, you can use this time to grow your business while your competitors lay low.  Adding new services, strengthening your marketing strategy, and streamlining your business processes can all enable you to become the premier accounting firm in your area, regardless of the recession.

5. Practice positive affirmations.

We know, we know.  Looking in the mirror and telling yourself, “I am experiencing great business success,” may sound a little campy.  But the truth is, when you actively fill your mind with positive affirmations, you’re better equipped to rid yourself of negative thoughts and the impact they will absolutely have on your business.  Write a few statements down and consider how they make you feel when repeated.  Eliminate the weaker statement and continually repeat those that are empowering.

Just because your friends are jumping off mental bridges doesn’t mean you have to follow them.  In fact, your business will thank you for maintaining a positive attitude regardless of the economic downturn.  After some time, your positive attitude will certainly be reflected in your business’s success.

Visit Universal Accounting Center (UAC)

There are countless ways Universal Accounting Center can help you take advantage of the recession in order to advance your accounting practice.  To find out how, visit our website and take an electronic tour.  You’ll learn more about our programs, our products, and other services we offer.  Don’t wait to find out how UAC could change your professional future for the better.  Take a tour today!