Category: Accounts

January 20, 2021 Accounts, BAS, Planning

Update Your ABN Details To Ensure Notifications In An Emergency

Emergency logo in white and red

Did you know that government agencies use Australian Business Number (ABN) details to identify individuals and businesses in communities affected by emergencies or natural disasters?

This can happen any time and any season, so we encourage you to keep your Australian Business Register (ABR) details up-to-date. This enables immediate emergency services assistance and ensures affected businesses are contacted in the event of crisis.

Details to Update

  • Check that your recorded names are correct – If you have legally changed your name, you should update that with the ATO so that the correct legal name is linked to your ABN.
  • Email address – This should be one that you can easily access from your phone or other means during an emergency.
  • ANZSIC code – It’s a good idea to check that this is correct for your business type in case your business services have changed since you registered your ABN.
  • Business address – This is essential to update, so that if an emergency or natural disaster affects your area you are contacted.
  • Telephone number
  • Postal address
  • Additional business locations – You can add multiple locations if your business operates from more than one premises.
  • Authorised contacts for the business – Consider adding more than one contact for the business.

Business, Individual and Company Names

Name changes can’t be updated on the Australian Business Register. If you need to update a business name, a legal individual name or a legal company name talk to us about liaising with the ATO or ASIC on your behalf to update your details.

Update Your ABN Details Now

Changes made to the ABR reflect immediately. It is always important to keep ABN details up to date, but for businesses in disaster prone areas, it is especially crucial as this can make all the difference with getting help quickly. Emergency services can access contact details from the ABR, which means affected businesses can get important updates and assistance from emergency services without delay.

Visit ABR to update your ABN Details or let us submit these details on your behalf.

November 24, 2020 Accounts, Bookkeeping

Christmas Parties and Presents – and Tax!

Christmas gathering

Christmas is a great time to acknowledge and reward your employees and other associates by celebrating and giving gifts. But don’t get caught out by entertainment rules! Claiming entertainment and gifts as business expenses is not always straight-forward, as there are implications for GST, income tax and fringe benefits tax (FBT).

Is it Entertainment?

Entertainment is generally not a deductible business expense. Entertainment rules can be tricky, but in general, the more lavish the meal or event, the more costly, the later in the day and if alcohol is involved then it will generally be called entertainment.

Fringe benefits tax may apply to entertainment benefits provided to employees, and if an event or gift is considered to be entertainment then you cannot claim a business deduction or GST.

A Christmas party for employees, spouses, suppliers and customers may or may not be classed as entertainment. Check with us to see if any of the party costs can be claimed.

Keep it Free From FBT

  • If you give gifts to your employees keep them under $300 each. Benefits provided which have a value of less than $300 are exempt from FBT.
  • Give gifts to employees that they otherwise would have claimed as a tax deduction. For example, you could pay for a professional development course or give new tools.
  • Give gift cards or vouchers up to the value of $300. (Vouchers are not considered to be entertainment).
  • Avoid giving ‘entertainment’ gifts over $300, such as membership to clubs, tickets to events or travel.
  • Pay a Christmas bonus. Process through payroll like any other wage payment and withhold tax. Remember that superannuation applies to bonus wages.

Enjoy the Party

Talk to us when planning your Christmas gifts and events to check how much may be claimed as business expenses. Once you know the costs of throwing a party and giving gifts and bonuses, you can put your feet up and enjoy your own party!

November 3, 2020 Accounts, Bookkeeping, Planning

Top Eight Things To Outsource In Your Business

A man is pointing his finger on the word outsource

If you’re looking to scale your business, you’ll need to spend more time working on it than in it. Finding ways to leverage your time is critical, and outsourcing your least favourite tasks is a great way to do this.

Things you should consider outsourcing in your business:

  1. Digital marketing.
    From your content strategy to your social media accounts, if this is not a strength of yours, outsource it! There are many freelancers who have multiple clients at this level, who’ll likely be more knowledgeable regarding SEO and much more effective and efficient in general.
  2. Graphic design.
    Your brand is a key reflection of your product offering. If you don’t have the skill, software and time to do this well, you’ll potentially damage your brand.
  3. Scheduling and administrative tasks.
    A Virtual Assistant can help you manage anything from your appointments to flights, emails and beyond (virtually anything admin). At a lower level, consider adopting software that’ll automate or minimise processes, such as self-booking appointment apps where your clients can schedule a meeting with you, e.g. Calendly.
  4. Customer feedback.
    Many businesses miss this valuable opportunity to connect with customers and improve their experience. A Virtual Assistant can help, but there are also apps (such as Ask Nicely) that automate the process of asking for feedback; directing happy responses to leave you Google reviews and negative responses back to you to quickly resolve!
  5. Inventory management.
    Too much stock can cause cashflow issues and affect sales price (due to resulting discounting), but not enough equals lost sales. Outsourcing inventory management can help you minimise stock-carrying costs and allow you to focus on more important things.
  6. Payroll.
    This task is best left to the professionals. Outsourcing payroll will minimise the risk of inadvertently getting it wrong, while saving you time and, most likely, reducing the cost of this task. Utilising a payroll product is another great option.
  7. Bookkeeping.
    Do bookkeeping tasks often infiltrate your evenings or weekends? Does the stress of these tasks piling up occupy your mind? Outsourcing these tasks (and the stress) to someone else can be liberating and cost-effective.
  8. Virtual CFO.
    If you find budgeting and forecasting a struggle, a virtual CFO can wear this important hat for you. They’ll monitor the financial health of your business and provide a fresh perspective which will help you make better strategic decisions and improve your results.

Tempted to start outsourcing some of your tasks to free up your time? We can help by taking the last three roles off your hands! We work with a number of our clients in this way, allowing them to focus on what they do best.

While outsourcing takes a little bit of setting up, it’s worth the short-lived pain for massive gain. We don’t have to be jacks of all trades. In fact, this thinking often leads to begrudgingly doing many things poorly rather than doing a few things really well – and enjoying doing them.

Work to your strengths, outsource the rest! Need help? Get in touch.

October 1, 2020 Accounts, Bookkeeping, Planning

Demystifying Your Balance Sheet

The concept of balance sheet written on a blackboard

Do you understand the story your Balance Sheet tells about your business? It’s important you understand the components of your Balance Sheet and the key ratios that measure the health of your business.

1. It measures the net worth of your business.
Your Balance Sheet is made up of all of your assets and liabilities; your net worth is your total assets less total liabilities.

  • Current assets are assets which are expected to be converted into cash within 12 months; current liabilities are expected to be paid within 12 months
  • Non-current assets aren’t expected to be converted into cash in the short-term; non-current liabilities are long-term liabilities which aren’t expected to be paid within 12 months
    Your net worth is the owners’ interest in the business. In other words, if your business was to be wound up this is how much you’d be left with as the owner of the business.

2. It tells you if your business is solvent.
Solvency is the acid test for survival. If your business is insolvent, without immediate action to remedy this, it’s unlikely to survive for long. There are two components to solvency:

  • Current ratio greater than 1 (current assets / current liabilities)
  • Positive net assets (total assets – total liabilities)
    If your business is insolvent, you’ll struggle to pay bills on time and you may be personally at risk. It’s imperative you seek help immediately if your business is insolvent.

3. It allows you track the strength of your business.
By comparing your Balance Sheet to previous periods, you can track whether your net worth is increasing or decreasing. The stronger your Balance Sheet, the easier it will be for your business to survive a downturn. For example, if your retained earnings are diminishing over time, it’s clear that you need to take action to strengthen your Balance Sheet to ensure you’ll receive value upon the wind up or sale of your business.

4. You can calculate key ratios.
Key ratios not only allow you to compare your results year on year or to industry benchmarks, they also highlight areas for improvement.

For example, calculating your debtor days may show that it takes on average 35 days for customers to pay you. If your payment terms are within 7 days of invoice, it’s clear that your debtor processes need to be strengthened.

Perhaps you calculate how long it takes inventory to sell and see it’s taking twice as long to sell this year than it did last year. Or, maybe a specific product is taking a lot longer to sell than others, which may indicate you should discontinue it. Key ratios calculated using your Balance Sheet can tell a us a multitude of things.

Every business owner should be able to read their Balance Sheet and understand what it’s telling them. If you need help demystifying your Balance Sheet and identifying key areas for improvement, get in touch now!

September 16, 2020 Accounts, Planning

Thinking of Buying a Business? Things to Consider.

Buying an existing business can be a great way to get started as a business owner or to expand operations.

Established businesses have already done the hard work of setting up; so you can get up and running on day one without a lengthy formation process.

Things You’ll Need

  • Why is the business for sale – it’s important to understand the motivation for the sale, whether strategic or whether an emergency sale. There may also be hidden reasons for the sale which your research can uncover.
  • Research – do more than you think you need to! Market research, investigation, learning and questioning about the potential business, the locale, the industry, the customers, the suppliers, the competitors, the market and the nature of the goods or services being sold will ensure you don’t rush into a decision just because it looks like a good deal.
  • Due diligence – you’ll need to see detailed financial records, contracts, licenses, supplier agreements, lists of equipment, assets and inventory, lists of liabilities, loans and debts, and all employee records before making your decision.
  • A good business plan – that covers one year, two to three years and possibly five years as well. This will help you to look at the longer term and big picture, assess the potential of the business and give a realistic picture of what you are committing to.
  • Independent advice – from your tax agent and other business advisors such as an industry expert, business broker or lawyer. You might think a business looks like a great potential, but objective observers may pick up issues or queries that you have not.
  • Finance – whether it’s your own funds, a business loan or short term finance options, you will need to work with your advisors and refer to the business plan to assess how much you will really need for the initial purchase, transition period, and future investment.
  • Commitment to the work – Being prepared for responsibility required to run a business. Running a business does require certain skills, as well as time, energy and money. You need to be clear about your reasons for going into business and to be sure you are up for the challenge!

When considering a business, we can help you to analyse the financial reports, activity statements, tax returns and sales and purchases records to give you an independent overview of the financial performance and potential of the business.

We can assist in understanding the financial performance and benchmarks of a business you are considering buying, so that you make the best decision possible!

September 9, 2020 Accounts, Planning

Succession Planning For Small Businesses

It takes guts to start a business. It also takes a strategic mindset to succeed.

Business owners are no strangers to weighing risk and navigating uncertainty, but the current climate has dialled everything up. Many business owners face the uncomfortable position of having to remap carefully thought-out succession plans and exit strategies and to consider selling their business before they’re ready and, possibly, for less than it’s worth.

Transition may be a better option

Rob Young, Managing Director of Platform 1, works with business owners on ensuring they get the best possible return when selling their business. Rob’s advice is to start by thinking about what options you have first.

There are five different ways to sell:

  1. Close the business down and sell the assets
  2. Sell to a family member
  3. Sell to an employee
  4. Just a straight sale to an outside party
  5. Gradual buy-out; The Platform 1 model.

The Platform 1 model is a gradual buy-out program. It involves finding a manager to take the reins early on. Gradual buy-out a process that involves:

  • Figuring out what kind of individual would be right to run the business; finding that person and developing them.
  • Creating a plan where the new manager buys in gradually over three to six years. The objective is to get the owner out of the business physically as quickly as possible by transferring relationships and processes to the incoming person, so the owner becomes more of an investor rather than a manager.

Preparing for sale – what’s important

  • Get your house in order – Ensure you have systems and processes in place so the business isn’t reliant on you, but can run as a standalone entity.
  • Maximise your profit – Make sure that you are not taking decisions to minimise your tax liability – because what you’re trying to do is create a profitable business.

Don’t put off your succession plan, even if you are not ready to sell

It’s a good idea to think about this long before you need to sell so that you maximise the value of the business and achieve a better outcome. It’s also worth remembering that retirement doesn’t need to be doing nothing. If your business can run as an asset without your involvement you don’t have to sell it completely, so not selling down 100% of the business is a viable option.

Talk to us today about your succession plan

If you don’t already have a succession plan in place, we can help so that you have options when you need them.

August 12, 2020 Accounts, Bookkeeping

Increasing Your Stock Turn In A Slow Moving Economy

If you sell stock or inventory, it’s essential you understand stock turn and how to increase it.

Obsolete or ‘dead’ stock will harm your cashflow and your ability to increase profit, particularly in a slower-moving economy. The longer stock takes to sell, the longer you have your cash tied up in the stock before it can be sold for a profit. The older the stock, the less likely it is that you’ll be able to sell it for its original retail price.

Use the below formulas to calculate your stock turn:

Stock turn = cost of sales / average stock held

To calculate cost of sales: opening stock + annual purchases – closing stock (where purchases includes all variable costs that show in your trading account).

To calculate your average stock:(opening stock + closing stock) / 2.

For example, where your cost of sales is $150,000 and average stock is $45,000, your stock turn will be 1.33 ($150,000 / $45,000). This means that on average, you sell each item of stock 3.3 times per year.

So, how do you increase your stockturn to sell items faster, free up cashflow and increase your profit, particularly in the current economy?

  1. Reduce your stock levels. In the above example, if stock was reduced by $10,000, stock turn would increase to 4.3, you would free up $10,000 of cash, and increase your margin.
  2. Buy stock on consignment. This means you only pay for it when it sells.
  3. Order ‘just in time’. For example, if it takes two days to receive an item after the order is placed, and you sell an average of five items per day, only hold a maximum of 10 of that item in stock.
  4. Use display stock. If a customer wants to buy the item, have it delivered straight from your supplier to the customer instead of holding multiple items in store.
  5. Use a catalogue. Reduce the stock held in store and provide customers with a catalogue to order from.
  6. Reduce ordering levels. Ideally, calculate the stock turn per item (use the above formula for each item). You’ll then be able to identify the slow-moving stock so you can reduce how often you re-order it.
  7. Stop stocking slow-moving stock altogether. It’s just tying up your cash for longer. Reassess whether you should be selling these items at all.
  8. Encourage your sales team. Tell them which items sell more quickly and encourage them to sell more of these items.
  9. Get rid of obsolete or dead stock. You’re better off to have cash from a discounted sale reinvested in faster moving stock.
  10. Ask us for 10 more ideas! There are numerous ways to increase your turnover, get in touch and we’ll help you identify the best ways for your business.
July 15, 2020 Accounts, Bookkeeping, End of Financial Year

The Fundamentals of a Business Budget

A business budget is one of the essential tools in managing your business finances and actively building your business.

A budget shows what you plan to do with your cash over the next year.

For a complete picture of your business health, you need to review the profit and loss statement, the balance sheet, the cash flow forecast and the budget. Taken together, these reports allow you to make informed business decisions and monitor performance.

Why have a Budget?

  • Forecast sales and expenses according to monthly or quarterly variations.
  • Evaluate performance over time, including changes or patterns.
  • Get really familiar with where your money goes and where it comes from.
  • Clarify targets and goals and use the budget to help you focus and achieve those goals.
  • Comparing actual figures to budgeted figures allows you to see potential problems early and plan for unexpected costs.
  • A budget will help you to see the big picture and stay motivated over the long term.

Where to start

A basic budget takes known income and expenses, then makes certain assumptions about the timing of income and planned expenditure. The basic budget is based on cash in and out of the business.

Over time, as you start to see the benefits of using a budget, your budget should evolve into a more sophisticated version that includes non-cash elements such as provisions and depreciation.

Most businesses will start with one budget but soon move to having three budgets.

  1. Business as usual – the next year’s budget is based on current year income and expenses, with perhaps a small adjustment for consumer price index increases.
  2. Worst case – budget is based on a pessimistic view of next year’s performance.
  3. Best case – budget is based on an optimistic view of performance over the next year.

A budget is usually for a financial year, but you can also set up budgets for two to five years.

Once you have one budget (or more) set up, you can then run your current financial reports against the budget to see how you are tracking. This allows you to make rational business decisions in real time to adjust accordingly.

You can run your financial reports monthly and adjust your budget as needed.

What Next?

Now is a great time to put a budget into place for the coming financial year. Book a time with us to help you create a meaningful budget in your accounting software so that you can use it as a proactive part of your business management, strategy and your success.

July 1, 2020 Accounts, Uncategorized

Understanding Your Revenue Drivers

For your business to make money, you need to generate revenue.

You produce revenue through your usual business activity, by making sales, getting your invoices paid or taking cash from paying customers. So, the better you are at selling your products/services and bringing money into the business, the higher your revenue levels will be.

But what actually drives these revenue levels? And how do you get in control of these drivers?

Knowing where your cash is coming from is more crucial than ever

As a trading company, you face the multiple challenges of a global recession, an increase in online consumer buying and a ‘new normal’ when it comes to trading, markets and buying expectations. The better you can understand the nature of your revenue and its drivers, the more you can flex, manage and control your ability to generate this income.

This helps your medium to long-term strategic thinking and your decision-making, allowing you to be confident that you’re focusing on the business areas that deliver maximum revenue.

Import areas to consider will include:

  • Revenue channels – where does your revenue actually come from? Do you create income from online sales and ecommerce, through retail sales in bricks and mortar stores or through wholesales to other businesses? You may focus on just one of these channels, or it could be that you use a mixture of two, three or more.
  • Revenue streams – your total revenue will be made up of a number of different ‘streams’ So, you might be a coffee shop, whose revenue streams include coffee sales, cake and pastry sales and lunch sales. Knowing which revenue streams you rely on, which are most productive and what return they are delivering allows you to make decisions. If 80% of your income comes from 20% of your products, perhaps you need to tighten up your product range and ditch some of the poor sellers. If you’re selling more services to one particular industry, perhaps you should focus more marketing in this specific niche, or downscale your sales activity in less profitable niches.
  • Product/service split – Do you know which products/services are the most profitable in the business? Which products/services have been resilient to market changes (giving you some revenue stability) and which have adapted well to change? The more you can dive into your metrics and find the most productive and adaptable products and services, the greater your ability is to provide constant and evolving revenue for the business.
  • Value vs volume – Is your revenue based on selling a high volume of products/services at low margin, or low volume at a high margin? Based on this, can you move your margin down to create a more attractive price point (and more value for customers)? Or are their ways to push volume up, shifting more units and boosting total revenue? By diversifying into new channels, new streams or new products/services you can aim to balance value and volume to create brand new sales – and higher revenue levels.

Talk to us about exploring your revenue drivers

If you want to boost revenue and increase your overall profitability, come and talk to us. We’ll review the numbers in your business, help you to understand your revenue drivers and will give you proactive advice on enhancing your total revenue as a company.

Get in touch to kickstart your revenue generation.

June 3, 2020 Accounts, BAS, Bookkeeping, End of Financial Year

Get Your Business Records Ready for Your Tax Return

EOFY

Whilst it is not exactly business as usual right now, you still need to prepare for your business tax return. Organising your documents now will mean you can get your tax return completed earlier and access any refunds due or start planning for tax payments.

Getting your business records up to date and accurate will allow us to work with you proactively to plan for the coming year, which will continue to be unusual (and possibly difficult) for many.

It will also be one less thing to do when your normal business activity resumes later in the year.

What Records do you Need to Have Ready for the Tax Agent?

  • Have you bought or sold assets? If so, you need full details of acquisitions and disposals.
  • Have you taken out a new loan or other finance? You must have details of the finance arrangements and statements of monies owing at 30 June.
  • Check that any bonds or deposits paid or received have been allocated correctly.
  • Have you prepaid for insurance or other large business expenses that need to be apportioned to the following financial year? Make note of the portion applicable to the current financial year.
  • Do you carry stock? If so, you need to perform a full stocktake at 30 June (unless you qualify for the simplified trading stock rules).
  • List any doubtful or bad debts to be written off.
  • Review your debtors and creditors (accounts payable and receivable). Is the list current and correct?
  • Do you have loans with related entities? Reconcile the loans to and from each entity to ensure the same value is reported in the accounts of both entities.
  • Ensure that all payments to company directors have been correctly captured. Talk to us now if you want to make director payments before 30 June.
  • If contact details of business owners and key personnel have changed let us know.

We will let you know if there are other matters to discuss with us before completing your tax return, such as capital gains, vehicle usage, private usage apportionment or superannuation. This year, there may also be new elements to discuss if you have received refunds, credits or deferrals of business expenses and liabilities.Remember you need to keep all your business records for seven years, so store everything securely and where possible electronically for safety and ease.

Once you have all your records for the 2020 financial year, make an appointment with us to schedule in your tax return for prompt lodgement.

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