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Family business owners often share a similar goal – to grow the business and pass it on to the next generation. While keeping the business in the family and getting to work with your parents, siblings, or children can be rewarding, managing and growing a family-owned business isn’t without its challenges. Conflicting views on business and family matters such as succession of power, rivalry, favoritism, and disposition of assets often…  Read more

Since the government announced the $70-billion JobKeeper program to support businesses and their employees, many businesses have relied on the scheme to stay afloat. Others have been grateful for the cash boost that made the way for smoother sailing. Phase one of Jobkeeper comes to an end on 28 September and not all businesses are eligible for the next relief package. According to a recent survey by the Australian Institute…  Read more

Tips to Adapt Your Small Business During the Pandemic As COVID-19 continues to impact the way businesses operate and consumers shop, many small businesses may struggle to stay afloat, let alone thrive. Below are some of the simple, yet effective, ways on how you can build a stronger brand, earn more sales, and survive in these uncertain times. Showcase locally-made products Now, more than ever, consumers want to buy from…  Read more

Technology is a tool and a means to an end. How does it help you? make your business run better make your life easier give you control information at your fingertips access to real time support from our team option for our bookkeepers to do it all for you We are here to help. What is cloud accounting? Accounting moves from your desktop computer to your fingertips. Cloud accounting software…  Read more

We’ve heard this before: the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health and financial crisis that has caught many off guard. While the threats to human life are very real, the damage to the health of businesses is really just starting to show. The seriousness of the disease and the lack of a vaccine (at the time of writing this) have prompted governments around the world to impose strict measures…  Read more

If your small business operates on a tight budget you might be tempted to eliminate costs that you think aren’t necessary. Often small business owners choose to go without business insurance as a way of saving money, but doing so can be incredibly costly in the long run. Business insurance is something that may seem like an unnecessary expense in the short term, but is worth the cost now in…  Read more

The introduction of Single Touch Payroll (STP) has meant that tax time this year will be a little different. Under the new system employers must report pay, taxes and superannuation information directly to the ATO every payday through STP. Employers using STP will not give employees a payment summary as they usually would at this time of year. Instead, employees will get an end-of-year income statement in ATO online services…  Read more

The pains caused by a recession can be brutal and most of us dread the thought. A recession can mean massive layoffs, fewer jobs and wages frozen, which means consumers spend less and in turn worsening the economic slowdown. If we look at the effects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008, between December 2008 and December 2010, about 1.8 million small businesses closed. According to Investopedia one decade…  Read more

As small business operators emerge post COVID, there are some important business questions to ask. These questions will help determine whether your business model is working and if there are additional changes you want to make to protect your business through future economic downturns or volatility. Will you remain the same old caterpillar or a change and improve like a butterfly? 1. What worked and what didn’t work in my…  Read more

You run a business, you take a risk. The aim is generally to provide income to support your lifestyle and family and freedom to be your own boss. For too many business owners, their business is a harder task master than any boss they have ever reported to. We know there is a better way… Too many businesses fall over or fail to achieve their potential because the owner has…  Read more

Good news! This week the government announced that the Instant Asset Write-off has been extended for six months, taking the initiative to 31 December 2020. Australian businesses with less than $500 million annual turnover will be able to take advantage of the write-off and invest in assets to support their business. This government initiative is designed to help the economy reopen and boost economic growth. The instant asset write-off applies…  Read more

Image from The Spirit Business If you’re like many business owners you’re probably astounded by how the world changed in a very short time, and now it seems to have changed all over again! While we can all hope that the pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime scenario, the truth is there is a lot in life and in business that is uncertain, and there is a great deal we can learn…  Read more

Seamless bookkeeping and accounting You want to avoid paying more than you should come tax time. Part of that is ensuring you have well organised and recorded financial records. When tax time comes around, are you ready or scrambling last minute for missing financial records? Business owners have a lot on their plate and can easily lose track of an approaching tax deadline or financial data needed to submit returns.…  Read more

Your “war chest” is the financial reserve your business has built up. Your war chest helps you take advantage of opportunities or cover unexpected costs or emergencies such as the current Covid pandemic. Building a cash reserve when finances are tight, however, can be difficult. You need money to continue running your business while attempting to keep your reserve account healthy. To begin you should download a cashflow scenario planner…  Read more

A market update from joint venture partner Knight Financial Advisors To say it has been a volatile month in markets would be an understatement. From their recent highs to recent lows US shares have fallen 13%, Eurozone shares have lost 16%, Japanese shares have fallen 14% and Australian shares have lost 13%. Emergency central bank intervention saw bond yields plunge to new record lows in the US and Australia. Commodity…  Read more

Risk management should be central to every business. At Porters CA – Chartered Accountants we see two key imperatives – (A) achieve your goals; (B) manage the risk of not achieving your goals. Simple really. Invest in solutions that will improve your business performance and resilience in all cases such as remote working capability, duplicate supply options, multiple unrelated revenue streams, strong client communication channels, robust funding arrangements, documented operating…  Read more

Join the small business train. You’re working all hours, making sales, invoicing clients but it seems that all of us ask the same question, “Where does all the money go?” When you own a small business, it’s vital you understand how money flows into and out. At a basic level, you need to know where your income comes from and what your expenses are. At a deeper level, knowing how…  Read more

Small business owners can enjoy diversity and job satisfaction by being involved in all aspects of their business. Involvement in all areas of your business allows you to use a variety of skills which challenge you and keep work interesting. Very few operators however, enjoy doing the books. Many business owners do their own bookkeeping under the assumption they will save money. Time spent on the books is less time delivering…  Read more

When you run your own trade business, your life involves long days on job sites managing projects, staff and clients. Often we see successful business operators working so hard they find no time for invoicing and bookkeeping. Thanks to a variety of online software companies, running your business is now a lot easier. You can efficiently manage your projects, employees, finances and records on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone.…  Read more

With Christmas at hand it is time to think about payroll and staff leave over the Christmas break. Getting ready now will take some of the stress out of payroll over this period. Are you closed over Christmas? Do your staff need to put in leave requests for this period? If so get them in early to help with smooth processing. Discuss expectations with your staff. Those who don’t have…  Read more