Home Business Legal Requirements – Are You Protected?

Posted on July 4, 2018July 4, 2018 by Edna Crane

If you’ve made the wonderful decision to start your own work-from-home business, there are several legal issues you need to consider. Legal mistakes can doom your business, especially in the early days.

In most cases, you will need business permits, but these laws vary far and wide between states and communities. You may need articles of incorporation. If you have workers, you may need workers’ compensation insurance. There’s a lot to consider! Here are a few legal things to think about as you start making money from home:

Know What is and isn’t Permitted in Your Community

Before you start working from home, you have to ask yourself whether or not you have the right permissions to do so. If you’re just sitting at a computer all day, there’s a good chance you’re not breaking any neighborhood rules. All the same, not having any permits, licenses or certifications you need for your field of work is one of the easiest ways to get your business shut down early or face serious fines.

Depending on where you live, you might need zoning exceptions to be able to run any kind of business from home, regardless of what it is. Check with your town or city hall, and look up guides for new business owners in your industry to see what is and isn’t required of you.

States also have their own, specific requirements for registering a business, incorporating a business, and filing sales and service taxes. Most counties have a business incubator that can help you navigate regulations so you can set your business up for success, legitimately.

You’re still Responsible for the Workplace

If you invite clients or workers into your home and they end up getting injured, you could be in serious hot water. You could face a premises liability case and you might get sued—just the same as if you were a large business with a fancy office building.

Keeping the home free of health and safety risks is one important step in coping with that threat, but you should also invest in business liability insurance. Consequently, you might simply reconsider whether or not you welcome clients to the home at all. You could save yourself a lot of headache if you visit them instead or find a neutral ground, like a coffee shop, as a meeting place.

You can also rent meeting space at hotels, conference centers, and even county offices. Check your local community centers to learn about low-cost meeting place options.

Don’t Fudge the Numbers

Even a small tax accident can inspire the tax authorities to start raking through finances with a fine-toothed comb. An efficient, organized bookkeeping system is essential. Most home business owners take care of their own taxes, but when your taxes start getting complicated and include multiple expenses and potential tax breaks, you might want to consider hiring an accountant to help you. Accountants don’t just make sure the numbers are all organized. They are also qualified to offer real legal advice on how to deal with your taxes and avoid audits.

Don’t let any of the potential threats put you off your efforts to get your own home business up and running. There’s risk inherent in running any kind of business; you simply have to ensure you’re taking the right precautions to deal with them.

Home Business Legal Requirements Checklist

It’s impossible to create a one-size-fits-all recommendation for your home business’ legal requirements, but here are some things you absolutely must research before you start your business:

What business licenses do I need? State? County? City?
Am I violating any home owners’ association rules with my business?
Do I need to incorporate my business to protect my assets?
Do I need business insurance?
Have I registered my business properly with the IRS? (if you aren’t sure, ask an accountant)
Can I safely meet clients at home, and if not, where can I meet them?
If I have a virtual assistant, what legal steps do I need to take as an employer?

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Hiring an Accountant Can Save Your Small Business Money

Posted on July 2, 2018April 24, 2020 by Edna Crane

One thing that many small business owners and even freelancers who just earn a little on the side worry about is whether or not to hire an accountant. Some avoid it all together and try to manage their accounts themselves. Others avoid accountants until the week before their tax return is due, only to find that they’ve made a huge mess of their finances up until this point and their accountant has an enormous task trying to sort things out and avoid a costly fine.

Some business owners hire an accountant straight away, have regular meetings and know that their accounts are in great shape all year around. These people have less financial worries and have no sense of impending doom when it’s time to file their taxes. Still other business owners aren’t quite sure whether an accountant is worth the money or not.

Well, in truth, unless you’ve studied an NEC Online and have some formal accounting training yourself, which could save you an absolute fortune and be well worth the investment, hiring an accountant is one of the easiest ways to save money. Yes, there’s a cost, but hiring a professional accountant could save you thousands every year. Here are just a few of the ways an accountant could save you money.

Accountants Help you Avoid Fines

The first and most important way that an accountant saves you money is by ensuring that you avoid what can be hefty fines. If you miss the deadline to fill your tax return, miss payment due dates or file incorrectly, you can face penalties and find yourself in trouble with the tax office.

This might seem simple, but these dates aren’t always the same. Filing online has a different deadline than filing by post. There are varying payment dates, and sometimes, getting it right is much harder than you think—especially if you haven’t done it before. Many people find themselves so stressed out when it comes to preparing their tax returns that they make silly mistakes and get themselves into trouble. Hiring an accountant can be cheaper than just one of these fines.

They Set up Systems

Many new business owners or freelancers struggle to find an efficient way to keep track of their income. They don’t know what to record, they don’t know how to send invoices, and they don’t know what can and can’t be declared as a tax-deductible expense. Not having a clear system makes things a lot harder than they need to be. This can leave you confused, spending money that you don’t need to and losing even more.

An accountant doesn’t just send your tax return. They’ll also help you to set up systems and offer you advice on how to keep a better track of things, how to earn more, and how to manage your money better. Even if you just hire someone for a short term, they could help to save you a lot of money for the years to come.

Accountants Know Tax Deductions

Tax-deductible expenses are one of the most confusing things for new businesses. Many incorrectly believe that when they declare something as an expense, they get the money back. This isn’t the case. If you buy a computer for your business, you don’t get back what you spent. You just take the amount off your taxable income at the end of the year so that you pay less tax. Basically, if we say the tax is 20%, the saving means that you pay 20% less for all business purchases.

But, knowing what you can and cannot declare can be difficult. Not declaring enough can mean that you pay much more tax than you need to. Declaring things that you shouldn’t or not keeping your receipts or recording your expenses correctly can mean that you face a fine and find yourself in trouble.

An accountant will ensure that you declare everything that you can. This can include things like utilities, even if you work from home, entertaining, food and drink, internet costs, stationery, heating, charity donations, equipment and machinery, office supplies, travel costs, building repairs, insurance and almost anything else that is for your business. An accountant will be able to make sure you are getting it right and give you more information on what you can and can’t declare.

Your Time is Valuable

Remember, your time is money. All the hours that you spend recording income and expenses, filing your return and managing your money is time that you can’t spend earning money elsewhere. Hire an accountant to give yourself more free time to make money.

5 Uber Smart Things to Do to Supercharge Your Rideshare Side Hustle

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Katie Evans

Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies can turn anyone with a driver’s license into an entrepreneur. Driving for money is a great side hustle for college students and anyone else who needs extra money.

Of the rideshare companies, Uber is the largest. As of 2018, Uber is a $70 billion company that employs 2 million drivers! According to money.cnn.com, 750,000 of those drivers are making money in the USA. The chance to choose working hours and shake off “the boss” make this is a dream career for many people.

Even if you work for a rideshare company, you are still responsible for your own profits. Not all Uber drivers are created equally, and while Uber has some guidelines, you will need to go the extra mile for your customers if you’re going to make real money.

1. Dress Appropriately

While no one at Uber is going to tell you what to wear, no one is going to get in a car with you if you look like a bum. This is not the time to wear leggings as pants or cut off shorts with a tank top. It’s not about fashion—it’s about sending the right image to your customers, and the image you want to portray is that you’re serious about your Uber gig.

Gentlemen, try wearing khakis and a polo shirt. You can also wear a button-up shirt. You don’t need to dress in a suit and tie, but do wear a shirt with a collar. Make sure you’re well-groomed, too. Save and comb your hair at the very least.

Ladies, business-casual is always trickier for us. You can sport the khakis with a polo or button-up shirt like the guys, but you can also throw on a skirt or casual dress. The idea is to look professional, and not in the “escort” sort of way.

2. Clean Your Car

If you are going to make money driving people around, you have to have a clean car. This should be a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at the reports we’ve read online about dirty Uber cars. Ick.

The outside of your car should be clean, and the inside should be cleaner. Vacuum out your car after each job. You can find nice portable vacuums that plug into your car’s cigarette lighter, or you can use your home stick vac. I clean out my cars with the Dyson stick vac, and while it’s the best thing ever, it’s also pricey.

Make sure your car smells good, but avoid perfume air fresheners of any sort. A lot of people have allergies. Instead, work on making your car smell clean. Wipe down the inside of doors and your dashboard with interior detailing wipes. Wash your floor mats once a week or so. Become an expert at car detailing.

3. Offer Extras

The Uber drivers who make the most money offer their customers something that other drivers don’t. Sometimes it’s as simple as candy. Other times, it’s a full-scale party van.

Ridester suggests offering your passengers complimentary bottles of water. You can buy big packages of bottled water at bulk stores or have Amazon deliver them.

4. Be Friendly and Helpful Your Customers

If you’re helpful, people will leave you good tips and good reviews. Think about your customers’ needs and how you might help them. If you drive in a high-tourist area, print out a list of “can’t miss” attractions or local restaurants that deliver to hotel rooms. Keep a stack of the free coupon books in your car, too.

If you pick someone up at the airport, offer to help them with their luggage. Make sure your trunk is always clean and ready.

If you pick up a group of ladies, always get out of the car and open the car doors for them. Don’t flirt, gentlemen. This is about being courteous, not picking up a date.

Make polite conversation, unless your customer seems like he/she doesn’t want to talk. Always verify where they want to go, too—just in case. For example, we took an Uber to the Orlando airport awhile back to pick up a rental car. If our driver didn’t know we were going to the rental car pick up, she could have dropped us anywhere at the airport and we might have walked miles before finding the rental car office. Communication is important!

5. Set Reasonable Hours and Take Breaks

Any freelancer knows the importance of set work hours. But, this is even more important for Uber drivers. As you earn based on fares, there’s a temptation to work ridiculous hours. The trouble is, when you’re on the road, working too long can lead to fatigue. And, if that happens, you’re a risk to yourself and others.

You’re even at risk of coming under fire from attorneys like those found at www.ubercaraccidentlaw.com if you cause an accident. That would spell the end of your side-hustle, as well as big legal trouble for you. Even if no accident occurs, overworking could lead to burnout, and issues such as stress and anxiety. So, it’s crucial you draw lines. Anything over 9-hours per day is probably pushing the limit.

It may even be that your issues with time fall the other way. While some overwork, other freelancers struggle to motivate themselves at all. While money should be enough to get you out of bed, it isn’t always the case. Having set hours that you’re committed to working should help motivate you to reach your financial goals.

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4 Things Smart Business Owners Do to Keep Ahead of the Competition

Posted on June 13, 2018February 27, 2019 by Katie Evans

Being the boss of your own company doesn’t give you an excuse to stop learning. If you are going to stay ahead of the competition, you have to exist in a constant state of research. The best business owners never stop thinking, planning, and talking about the state of their industry.

No matter how experienced you are, you can never know everything. Even the richest men in the world look for ways to grow. Here are four habits of smart business owners:

1. Smart Business Owners are Always Learning

Learning never stops for smart business owners. They attend conferences where they listen to seminars from other people in their industry. They attend workshops to learn new skills.

Even if you don’t have the money to travel to conferences and workshops like a rockstar CEO, you can still take online training courses to keep learning. You can learn anything, from negotiation skills training to a niche skill like how to use 3D Printer. Online courses come in all formats, but most allow you to learn at your own pace, at whatever time of the day you have time.

We take online courses all over the place, from Lynda.com to MIT. Think of them like “mini-courses” instead of full-blown semester-long courses like you took in college. There are a lot of certificate programs online, too, but do your research before committing to one. Make sure the certificate is worth something to other people in your industry.

2. They Outsource Professional Advice

Smart business owners hire consultants. The truth is, even if you’re a super genius, your business is going to grow to the point that you can’t do every single task alone. You need professional advice from financial advisors and legal advisors, at the very least.

You can find consultants for absolutely anything. Our parent company, Escape the Classroom, consults with corporations, colleges, schools, and even homeschool parents on learning topics from how to engage modern learners to crafting transcripts for homeschool students. Perfectly Employed offers both individual and corporate career coaching sessions.

Hiring a consultant is a great way to both learn from an expert and broaden your network. In a lot of cases, you can barter services with consultants if your business offers something their business needs. For example, if you build WordPress templates you might redesign your legal consultant’s website in exchange for legal advice.

3. They Hire Smart Employees and Learn from Them

Structuring your team is the most important thing you will ever do as a business owner. Good employees aren’t subordinates—they are teammates. They become like family for a small business owner. The trick to hiring good teammates is to hire people you respect for their skills and intelligence, and take their advice when they offer it.

A good team of employees are like built-in consultants. They should feel free to propose new ideas and teach you about the things they know an continue to learn. Respecting your employee’s knowledge also makes them more loyal to you, which again, is like building a family.

4. Smart Business Owners Read Constantly

If you spend any time at all studying the habits of the world’s richest CEOs, you’ll see they all have one thing in common: They read.

If you don’t know what to read, check out Bill Gates’ seasonal reading lists or UpLead’s list of 37 sales books. You should also read reviews in finance magazines for recommendations. Steer clear of books more than 10 years old (other than The Art of War and How to Win Friends and Influence People—the classics never die). Try to read multiple sources so that you’re always getting a good cross-section of advice on a topic – it’s easier to trust an opinion shared by multiple people than it is to trust an opinion held by one source.