Today the case of a small husband and wife owned company ‘Arctic Systems’ was finally over.

After many years battling against the HMRC attack Geoff and Diana Jones of Arctic Systems Ltd can finally move on, but at what cost?

For the last four years, not only accountants and tax advisors, but also many other small husband and wife owned limited company’s will have been watching this case with a vested interest in its outcome.

So what now I hear you ask, well what indeed, I guess we will have to wait and see what HMRC and/or the Chancellor do next in the next budget?

For the full judgment please click here.

Tags: small business, limited company, SME, OMB, HMRC, Arctic Systems

…. or my Journey to $1′000 a Month Online. More and more people are putting their path into business on the web.

This story is even better, Graham (Husband) is building a business so his wife can quit her hated job. This is one of the greatest stories I have read in quite some time.

” …and I, being the good husband that I am, want to get her out of it. $1,000 will make it possible for her to quit her job and start working somewhere part time doing something she enjoys, and it will give her plenty of time to take her dance classes she loves so much, ….”

Here is something to be learned from someone who is doing it for real. If you have stories like this I would like to hear from you. I wish Graham all the best with this and will follow his progress with interest.

He then writes about his wife: “….and still have some energy for me!”

That is a very strong incentive, I think he can do it.

Tags: BoomerPreneurs, Bootstrapping, Business Start Up, Contractors, Entrepreneur, Free Agents, Freelancers, Home Business, Lifestyle Business, MumPreneurs, On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure, Outsourcing, Personal Business, Self-employed, SMB - Small Medium Business, SME - Small Medium Enterprise, SocialPreneurs, SOHO - Small Office Home Office, Virtual Assistant, VSB - Very Small Business, WinWeb

I just found a nice post on OnStartUps.com and it talk about how to start a business - in this case a software business - but it is absolutely relevant for any start-up.

I especially like the bit about bootstrapping. You should have a look, it is nice to see how more and more people begin to build a business before they actually spend any money. But, I’m not to sure what Darwin had to do with it?

Our On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure is all about bootstrapping, too.

Tags: BoomerPreneurs, Business Start Up, Business Success, Contractors, DIYPreneurs, Entrepreneur, Free Agents, Freelancers, Home Business, Lifestyle Business, Micro Business, MumPreneurs, On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure, Bootstrapping, Self-employed, SMB - Small Medium Business, SME - Small Medium Enterprise, SocialPreneurs, SOHO - Small Office Home Office, Virtual Assistant, VSB - Very Small Business, WinWeb

Here is new website I like the idea of, MBA by Blog. You do NOT get an MBA, but what you will get is some useful links to some stuff you may need from time to time.

Maybe you run a small business, especially VAs, etc. they should write some information and have it listed there - it could turn out not only a great information tool, but also a great marketing tool.

Check it out!

Tags: AccountsOffice, Blogging, BoomerPreneurs, Business Idea, Contractors, CPAs, DIYPreneurs, Eco-Friendly, Entrepreneur, Free Agents, FREE Business Tool, Freelancers, Home Business, Lifestyle Business, Marketing/PR, Micro Business, MumPreneurs, Office/IT, On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure, Outsourcing, Personal Business, SaaS-Software as a Service, Self-employed, SMB - Small Medium Business, SME - Small Medium Enterprise, SocialPreneurs, SOHO - Small Office Home Office, Virtual Assistant, Virtual Office, VSB - Very Small Business, Web 2.0, WebOffice, WinWeb, WinWeb AccountsOffice, WinWeb CashBook, WinWeb Live, WinWeb OnlineOffice, WinWeb Virtual Assistant

Surveys are unique statistical and analytical tools that can help a business discover a developing trend or attitude amongst its customers and also provide insight into the manner in which its target audience thinks.

Sadly surveys are usually confined to larger companies and SMBs seem to lose out on crucial information that surveys can provide and can make a world of a difference to their business. This is especially true for small and medium businesses that have online shops and e-commerce is crucial to their business. After all understanding the needs and demands of customers is the hallmark of any successful business.

Though surveys require planning and investment, they are well worth the effort. It is important that the focus of the survey is determined before the format and questions are decided. The survey should ideally take not more than 2-3 minutes to complete and should provide the respondents scope to express their views and opinions. In an online shop it is important that the survey is targeted at visitors who have bought products and services and had a chance to experience them.

Finally the data collected from the survey needs to be analyzed to provide insight into the minds of the customers and prospective buyers.

Tag:Business Success, E-Commerce, On-demand Small Business Infrastructure, SMB - Small Medium Business, Online Shop, VSB - Very Small Business, WinWeb, WinWeb Live!, WinWeb Virtual Assistant

Saas or Software as a service is fast becoming the choice of large corporations as well as of smaller and medium enterprises. In a McKinsey survey of North American companies it was revealed that a dramatic 61% of companies with a turnover of $1 billion plan to adopt SaaS this year as compared to the 38% who intended to put it into action in 2005.

The McKinsey survey covered some of the CIOs and senior IT executives of the biggest companies in the U.S. and Canada. The respondents reported several reasons for their choice, and this included lower up-front costs, total ownership expenses, and efficient implementation than conventional licensed software. The executives who were part of the survey expected high returns because of the adoption of SaaS.

According to the survey the increased accountability on part of the SaaS vendor was an important reason for choosing SaaS. With SaaS the vendors are held responsible for both the infrastructure as well as the application. And hence the companies who invest in SaaS don’t have to worry about being left in the lurch if they run into technical problems with their software.

The study also revealed that the most popular SaaS business application were sales management, billing and order entry and HR management.

Tag:On-demand Small Business Infrastructure, SaaS - Software as a Service, SaaS business application, SaaS vendor, McKinsey, WebOffice, WinWeb, WinWeb AccountsOffice, WinWeb CashBook, WinWeb Live!, WinWeb OnlineOffice, WinWeb Virtual Assistant

Potential clients translate into more revenue and profits for the small business. So then why are many SMBs turning away work? A recent research study found that almost half of SMBs have turned down work at some point or the other.

Some of the most common reasons that the survey found for this trend was that the business did not have the required expertise. In fact 30% of the respondents stated this as the main reason for refusing potential clients. 13% also reported that they did not have enough time to cater to potential business.

Some of the best ways to handle resources effectively to pave the path to growth and success includes investment in on-demand small business infrastructure that helps business owners focus on their core business activity and takes care of essential business processes such as bookkeeping and accounting.

SMBs should also consider outsourcing as a good way to reduce the time they need to put into certain processes such as customer support, accounting, etc. Having an online office also increases the efficiency of the business and allows employers and employees access to their office and clients, even if they are away from their desk.

Tag:Entrepreneur , Home Business, On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure, Online Office, Outsourcing, SMB - Small Medium Business, WebOffice, WinWeb, WinWeb AccountsOffice, WinWeb CashBook, WinWeb Live!, WinWeb OnlineOffice, WinWeb Virtual Assistant

Virtual offices provide small business owners and home business owners an opportunity to hire a professional office address and reception services without actually renting the physical work space. Virtual offices are an asset to entrepreneurs who work out of their home and have no official or registered work space.

A virtual office in essence handles everything that your office would have such as directing calls, handling customers, etc. There are many advantages to using a virtual office and these include reducing conveyance time and related expenses, avoiding pollution, being able to spend more time at home, a less stressful lifestyle, being able to manage time effectively and being able to hire many employees without having to worry about physical work space

A report by the Committee on Applications and Technology of the Information Infrastructure Task Force also mentions these benefits of telecommuting and utilizing a virtual office.

However there is a flip side to the situation and it includes the increase in the chances of miscommunication with clients, lack of a feeling of camaraderie and inability to distinguish between work time and leisure time.

It is important that small businesses consider on-demand small business infrastructure that can help get a grip on the situation at work.

Tag:Business Mentoring, Business Start Up, Business Success, Entrepreneur , Government, Home Business, International Virtual Assistants Association, Lifestyle Business, MumPreneurs, Office 2.0, On-demand Small Business Infrastructure, On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure, Online Office, Outsourcing, Personal Business, SaaS - Software as a Service, Self-employed, SMB , SMB - Small Medium Business, SME - Small Medium Enterprise, SOHO - Small Office Home Office, Committee on Applications and Technology of the Information Infrastructure Task Force, Virtual Assistant, Virtual Office, Web 2.0, WebOffice, WinWeb, WinWeb AccountsOffice, WinWeb CashBook, WinWeb Live!, WinWeb OnlineOffice, WinWeb Virtual Assistant

Like a lot of mums across the world you have decided to start your own venture and it is exciting and fun. But a business, whether it is small or big, requires to take into consideration certain basic business processes such as bookkeeping and accounting. If you thought that since you worked from home and may have turned an interest into a job your business does not require bookkeeping, think again.

There are many reasons that mumpreneurs need to take bookkeeping and accounting seriously and not take each job as it comes.

Bookkeeping gives you a clear idea of the cash flow in the business and the state of its finances. If you need to make some crucial business decisions, including whether you need to alter the products and services you are offering, then bookkeeping is the first step in gaining such knowledge.

Of course for tax purposes it is essential that your bookkeeping is up to date so that you don’t have to pay more tax than you need to. Also bookkeeping reduces the work for your accountant and also the fees you would be paying him or her.

Bookkeeping is also essential when you decide to sell your business or are being audited.

Tag:Accountanats, Bookkeeping, BoomerPreneurs, Business Mentoring, Business Start Up, Business Success, Cash-Flow, Entrepreneur , Home Business, Micro Business, MumPreneurs, Office 2.0, Office/IT, On-demand Small Business Infrastructure, Online Office, Personal Business, Self-employed, SMB , SMB - Small Medium Business, SME - Small Medium Enterprise, SOHO - Small Office Home Office, Virtual Assistant, Virtual Office, Web 2.0, WebOffice, WinWeb, WinWeb AccountsOffice, WinWeb CashBook, WinWeb Live!, WinWeb OnlineOffice, WinWeb Virtual Assistant

An increasing number of people are starting their own small businesses because of three very important reasons. Firstly these entrepreneurs are thrilled to be working for themselves and not having to report to a boss, secondly the start up gives them the opportunity to build a business based on passion and dedication and thirdly they have more freedom in the manner in which they live their life and spend their time.

Start-up costs are very important as most people don’t have too much of money to begin with and thus it is vital to spend the money carefully and with a lot of consideration. Some of the basic business start up costs include office furniture, equipment such as a computer, promotion, interviews and employee compensation.

It is important to concentrate of the basics and then build the business.

Bookkeeping and accounting should be given importance from the very beginning, not just  for tax purposes but so that the entrepreneur understands the cash flow in the business. Investment in an on-demand small business infrastructure is an excellent idea.

It is important to have a good business plan that is put into action only then can success be assured. One for the main reasons for small business failure is inadequate cash flow. And so it is important for entrepreneurs to understand the start up costs of a business and allocate funds according.

Tag:Bookkeeping, Business Failure, Business Mentoring, Business Start Up, Business Success, Cash-Flow, Entrepreneur , Home Business, Micro Business, MumPreneurs, Office 2.0, Office/IT, On-demand Small Business Infrastructure, On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure, Online Office, Outsourcing, Personal Business, Self-employed, SMB - Small Medium Business, SME - Small Medium Enterprise, SOHO - Small Office Home Office, SMB , Virtual Assistant, Virtual Office, Web 2.0, WebOffice, WinWeb, WinWeb AccountsOffice, WinWeb CashBook, WinWeb Live!, WinWeb OnlineOffice, WinWeb Virtual Assistant