Next month we are offering a workshop to give Tairawhiti small business owners some guidance and tools for building a flourishing business. This complimentary session will provide you with a road map for creating sustainable growth as well as some great examples of businesses using these techniques today. A Clear Pathway to Success We have established a clear pathway to success which we will be sharing with participants in this… Read more
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value (metric) that demonstrates how effectively a business is achieving its key objectives. Businesses use KPIs at multiple levels to evaluate their success at reaching targets. High-level KPIs may focus on the overall performance of the business, while low-level KPIs may focus on processes in specific departments such as sales, marketing, HR, support and others. But before we get into using KPIs… Read more
Our heart goes out to all those affected by this news, especially those in Auckland as they enter Level 3. The rest of New Zealand including us will at level 2 as at midday today (12th August). What this means for us: Our office remains open but we prefer to communicate by phone or email plus we can offer Zoom meetings online. We have a contact tracing register in place… Read more
-As published by Accounting Today Xero has fast-tracked the release of two new features on its online accounting platform to help COVID-affected businesses stay on top of cash flow and their business health. As businesses across New Zealand seek relief from government loans and otherwise, accountants and accounting tools remain of paramount importance in getting them through this crisis. Xero has been working on expanded reporting tools, and accelerated the… Read more
Xero Tips & Tricks Wed 20th May 7pm This is a free learning session hosted by James Burn & Associates, in this webinar you will learn all the tips and tricks of Xero to help you become more efficient in managing your business accounting. There will also be an opportunity at the end to ask any questions you may have regarding Xero. Click the link to register:Register Here Read more
As we move into Alert Level 3, we thought it timely to update everyone on our health and safety procedures for providing a safe and compliant service to our clients through this next stage of the pandemic. Over the next few weeks of Alert Level 3 our team will continue to be working from home. We are not able to meet face to face but we have found Zoom meetings… Read more
We are all living in crazy times. It’s really tough for businesses right now. You’ve got Covid-19 support information coming at you from all directions and it’s hard to figure out how some of that support works in practice to ensure your business survives. On Wednesday April 29, 2020 at 11 am, join us for a 75 minute complimentary webinar, where we’ll cover the most important Covid-19 Government support available,… Read more
This is a stressful time for us all and particularly every business owner throughout New Zealand most of whom have no or very low sales coming in, still have overheads going out and no certainty as to how long this will last nor what will happen after the lockdown period ends. As your trusted business advisor, we are offering free webinars to help you through this period and put a… Read more
Important notice In May 2019 Kiwibank announced that it was going cheque-free from 28 February 2020. As a customer of Kiwibank, we will no longer be able to accept cheques from 28 February 2020. Please contact us to discuss other payment options or if you have any questions or concerns – James 06 8671905 For more information on this change visit www.kiwibank.co.nz/cheques Read more
Planning Holiday breaks are a great time to spend with friends and family and have a chance to recharge for the year ahead. But, for a business owner this time can be stressful without careful cash flow planning. Even if you do continue to operate through the holiday shutdown season, your customers’ financial behavior may not remain the same. It can be pretty disappointing to work hard all year only… Read more
You know what you want from your business; it’s time to plan how to get it. Start by deciding what you want personally from your business. For example, if you need $100,000 a year to cover your living costs and a family holiday, and your overheads are $100,000, then your profit from your business needs to be $200,000. If your current profit margin on your sales income is 50%, then… Read more
Defining exactly where you are now is crucial to building a better business. This step is often overlooked, but you must know your starting point to create the best road to success. It sounds so obvious, but many business owners plan for the future without knowing where they are now. Answer the following questions honestly to help define where you are now (warts and all): 1. How aligned are the owners and… Read more
Its amazing what we, as humans, don’t even know that we don’t know. Being open to change and new learning is a crucial step to building a better business. New learning opportunities are everywhere, and in this digital world, there’s simply no excuse not to learn. Consider how many new things a five-year-old learns each day. Children enthusiastically embrace the world of possibility and the desire to learn.… Read more
What does a better business look like to you? Before you can start building a better business, you need to define success. Be clear on exactly what you want from your business. Remember, your business is there to serve you, not the other way around. Life is too short to be stuck doing things we don’t enjoy. The average person spends 40,000 hours at work over their lifetime. Make the… Read more
Hiring new employees can be extremely time-consuming, but it’s important if you want to grow your business. If you get the process right, you’ll ensure you hire the right people. And if you look after your employees, they’ll stay with you longer and your business will perform better. Here are 12 steps to follow before you hire your next employee: Create a clear job description Determine who will be interviewing… Read more
Bringing on another pair of hands? It can be a big decision to commit to having a new member on the team but the right person will bring in the skills you need to grow the business and give you more time to achieve your goals, even if that is to get more balance back in your life and spend some time with family. Before advertising the role, spend some… Read more
The fourth cause of poor cashflow – Your debt or capital structure Often a reduction in your bank interest expense as well as significant cashflow improvements can be achieved with a regular review of your existing debt. A good place to start is to list all your bank loans, mortgages, finance company loans, hire purchases, credit card debts, and any other debts (don’t include amounts owed to suppliers in this… Read more
The third cause of poor cashflow – Your stock turn Carrying stock for too long means full shelves but an empty bank account. Similarly, if you’re a service provider and are taking forever to invoice your services, then you’re carrying too much stock in the form of work in progress (WIP). Consider that work in progress as a form of virtual stock. You can calculate your ‘stock turn’ by taking… Read more
The second cause of poor cashflow – Your accounts payable process The second cause of poor cashflow relates to when and how money is spent in your business, including your terms of trade with suppliers. Do you have spending budgets in place? It’s best practice to prepare a budget every year, usually before the start of a new financial year. It’s also best practice to make sure that team members… Read more
The first cause of poor cashflow – Your cash lockup There’s a massive difference between profit and cashflow. Profit increases when you create an invoice for work you’ve done or goods you’ve sold; cashflow only increases when you actually bank the money. Your lockup equals the cash that isn’t in your bank account because it’s either in work in progress (you’ve done some work but you haven’t yet billed for… Read more