Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Planning can Reduce Risks for your Business

Any business you own is going to have risks. Limiting the number of risks is the important factor. There is no need to have senseless risks flooding your business. You have probably heard the saying that having more than one pair of eyes is better. It is true in almost everything including running your own business. Your company can definitely benefit from an expert looking from the outside in, while you look at it from the inside. This is where Rochester consulting can be beneficial. A consultant with a Rochester CPA firm can be on hand to help you with financial and tax planning.

CPAs are experts in the financial realm from everything involving taxes to gaining financial assistance for businesses. The right Rochester accountant can offer you financial assistance services in which they help you draft your business plan, fill out the bank applications, and help you choose the best local bank based on their relationships with them as well as what your business needs.

You may have a business plan which you wrote three years ago. Is it on target? Did you reach the goals you specified or perhaps something changed taking you in a new direction? It is a good rule to look at your business plan each year to determine what needs to change. Planning is all about looking at where your company is at and where you want it to go, based on your current situation.

When you analyzed your accounts including retirement and expenses was something costing you money? Perhaps you see a loss where you thought there would be a profit? Your Rochester CPA can help suggest some changes to your business for better profit. They are not experts in all businesses, but they can look at your financial spending to determine where you might be able to modify things, thus lowering your current risks.

Through Rochester consulting your advisor has the ability to examine your business each quarter. They look for the profit and loss you experienced. Perhaps you decided to purchase new equipment thus lowering your savings, which created an issue when your sales lowered due to a seasonal issue such as a slower tourist season in your area. The expense you created might have been better suited towards the end of the quarter or next year. Do not look at this in a negative way or that everything in a business would have a negative effect. It is just an example of why planning can be a help to you. It could go another way in that you made a purchase, which helped increase your business therefore as a positive move it lowered your risk. You can now look at what happened, expected or unexpected, and decide if your current plan can be revised for the rest of the year. Adding in another perspective from a financial advisor such as your Rochester accountant often helps put another opinion on the situation. Playing devil’s advocate can sometimes be the best way to see the whole picture too.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Financial Plans for Increased Profitability in 2013


Anyone can run a small business these days with all the internet startups and home based business concepts which exist. The downside is most of us are not accountants. Business tax planning is a lot different than your individual taxes. In your personal life grabbing onto Turbo Tax might be an option, especially if you live a simple life. When you have a simple home business, you still need a Rochester accountant. Tax deductions, liability, and laws change often. You have probably heard about the tax hikes which were being proposed for 2013 and other tax related news. Issues like this are what accountants are paid to keep up with. They know what can and cannot be deducted, which translates into better financial planning for you. To prepare for a better business with more profits it is time to seek Rochester consulting.

With the right Rochester CPA you can start putting money away for your personal retirement, as well as getting your business in a better financial position to grow. There are eight things you can do to ensure you have a proper financial plan. The first is creating a financial plan in terms of the expected revenue you will bring in each month and project what your possible expenses are going to be. Chances are you have been in business for a year or two already, so you should have an idea of what you bring in each month and what the constant expenses are.

Every month you need to review your plan. Did your projections on revenue and expenses meet or exceed your outline? What happened if you lost profits? Lost profits are not something you can recover, so ensuring you do not lose anymore is important. If there are losses it is up to you to make adjustments as soon as possible to reduce the loss for the next month.
A Rochester CPA can help you with this by bringing it to your attention when one month or quarter has not earned as it should have or as per your plan. They may be able to suggest some of the areas you need to improve on. Perhaps you are spending too much on entertainment/dining to try and win new clients. Mileage or fuel expenses can also be high, but something you might be able to reduce. Overhead costs might have increased for some reason, thus you may find ways to reduce them again.

Before you spend any money in your business think about it. Do you need to make this business expense? Is it truly going to help increase your profits? Sometimes you can delay expenses as a means of increasing profits.

For financial planning you cannot be afraid of hiring the help you need like Rochester consulting. A consultant can help direct you towards better expenditures and profits.