Our Prayer for You and Your Efforts This Holiday

By: Stan Washington
December 25, 2014


May your day be focused on those you love

May the things that brought you worry be taken care of.

May your efforts be blessed beyond your expectations.


              May you feel the love GOD has for you in 2015!

It's Year End Time - Prep for a Brighter 2015

By: Stan Washington

Date: December 23, 2014

 "Merry Christmas" and Happy Holiday's, but don't stop yet. Have you prepared for taxes yet? Calculating year end is a great way to plan for 2015. Here are a few tips:

Keep a record of your transactions

Always keep an accurate record of your transactions. Whether it’s for an annual tax payment, a yearly audit, or just assessing your balance sheet, keeping a record of your debit and credits can prove to be very important further on down the line.

Keep personal and business accounts separate

Separating your personal accounts from your business accounts will save you from confusion and protect your business in case of a tax audit. By keeping everything separate, you will be able to manage bills and taxes more efficiently.

Protect your personal assets

It’s important that you take action to protect your personal assets, failure to do so may give creditors access to personal assets such as your house car etc. to pay for any debts. Many entrepreneurs put all of their assets on the line, and if their business fails, they don’t recover anything. But there are a number of ways to minimize any risk; you can do this by formal a legal business entity that will provide you with liability protection.

Save as much as possible

You should try to save as much money as possible each month, whether it’s in a bank or assets to recoup any unfortunate liabilities which may arise in the future. Investing in assets that will provide a return will also make your money work for your business.

Plan your finances

Financial planning is more important than ever. It will determine how much money you will need to meet your financial goals and objectives.Accountants are your closest allies when it comes to strategically planning and managing your finances. If you don’t have the budget to hire the services of an accountant, consider using online accountancy software.

Know your financial situation

You should monitor the financial progress of your business on a weekly basis. You should also know exactly how much money you have in the bank, the amount of sales your making and how much stock you have left. At the end of every month you should review your financial position against the targets that were set in your business plan.

Find a reliable bank to partner your business

If you have a limited amount of capital, you should find a reliable bank that are able to provide you with the right financial help without paying high interest rates. It’s also recommended that you open a checking account. But only use the checking account for business purposes.

Charge what your worth

This can be tough for some businesses. Don’t try to undercut other businesses just to get extra work in, charge what you feel your products or services are worth.

Meet tax deadlines

Failure to submit tax returns and payments on time can be very costly as you’ll incur hefty fines and daily charges. These are unnecessary costs that you can avoid via forward planning. There are a number of ways that you can reduce your tax reliabilities and it’s important that you get the correct tax advice to ensure you take full advantage of them.

Chase any unpaid debts

If you have any unpaid debts, don’t just leave them. It’s your money that’s tied up in someone else’s business and it’s likely that you’re not in business to finance theirs. You can write your own first reminder and final demand letters, but if this doesn’t get you anywhere you may need to use a debt collection service.

Tabulate Your Cashflow, Payables and Income

Have you calculated your cashflow on a regular basis. In other words, how much cash do you have in the bank? For those of you who use Honor Services Office, you can run annual cashflow, income and expense reports to start the year knowing how much you have. Use the auto bookkeeping to understand where you are financially in 2015.

Helping church leads women to Christmas business - Washington Times

By : Stan Washington
Date December 20, 2014

See the full Story:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/30/helping-church-leads-women-to-christmas-business/

By CHARMAINE SMITH-MILES - Associated Press - Sunday, November 30, 2014

IVA, S.C. (AP) - The small shop where Barbara Campbell and Jean Fleming work smells of warm air and dust, but these two women have spent countless hours in their little shop in Fleming’s backyard.

“Time just slips away out here,” Fleming said. “We have spent hours and hours out here. Sometimes, my husband comes out here with my dinner.”

There is a large, slab roller in one corner. Wooden shelves line a couple of the walls. A small table sits in front of the shop’s one window, and a small, round wooden table in the middle of the shop takes up most of the room.

This is where these two women create the white porcelain, trimmed in gold, ornaments that tell the story that is most important to them: the story of Christ and salvation.

It is something that this veteran teacher and factory-floor worker never thought that they would be doing.

For 27 years, Campbell was a substitute teacher for Anderson School District 3. She helped with study hall and worked in the library at Starr-Iva Middle School and taught the 4-year-olds and the children in kindergarten at Iva Elementary School. Fleming worked for 37 years in the spinning room at Mohawk Carpets in Lowndesville.

The need for new ornaments on their church’s Christmas tree has led them into this completely unexpected mission.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/30/helping-church-leads-women-to-christmas-business/

Home Based Business Ideas - Veteran's Affairs

By: Stan Washington

Date: December 10, 2014

Full story on: http://www.usveteransmagazine.com/article/top-home-based-small-business-ideas-2014

Whether it is your first business venture or a new one, finding the right business to invest in is crucial. Many successful business owners started out small and then branched out to become multimillion dollar enterprises. Every successful business starts with an idea, and any idea can be worth billions of dollars.

However, before starting any type of business, it is always a good idea to check the market. What are consumers looking for? Is there a high demand for the product or service you are offering, and what kind of return can your business expect over time? These are normal concerns any business owner will have before investing in a new business.

Our "Do it Yourself" Marketing Book - Plans to Prosper is NOW available

Plans to Prosper: Strategies, Systems and Tools for Small Business Marketing Success

Our Marketing Book is NOW available. 

Learn how to choose a marketing strategy that’s right for you. Market in a short period of time on a small budget while increasing visibility, raising buyer awareness, and growing sales using our step-by-step High Achieving Marketing Process ™. Take out the guess work and save money.

Many business owners often feel as though they’re “winging it” as they carry on day to day. They lack a plan or resources to keep them focused. Also, they aren’t reaching their financial goals.

Does that sound familiar?

Plans to Prosper: Strategies, Systems and Tools for Small Business Marketing Success is a step-by-step guide to growing businesses through effective marketing. We take the guess work out of marketing strategies in order to help save you money. In this book, you will learn how to:

Choose a marketing strategy that’s right for you.

Market in a short period of time on a small budget while increasing visibility, raising buyer awareness, and growing sales.

Profit from the marketing mistakes small business owners have made and how to avoid making the same mistakes.

We also provide examples, tips, resources, and warnings to help guide your business toward focused growth.

Victoria Cook, founder and managing director for The Center for Guilt-Free Success, helps women entrepreneurs grow their businesses through coaching and training. Known for her proprietary 7-step Guilt-Free RESULTS™ process, Victoria often is in demand as a speaker. She was named a "Business Brick Builder" by the International Coach Federation Chicago Chapter in 2013. Her innovative approach reflects her commitment to building the strengths of her clients as she helps them market their businesses more confidently and easily.

Stan Washington, a McDonald’s executive turned entrepreneur is founder and president of Honor Services Office, software that helps small business grow sales, market businesses, and process invoices easily. He has helped thousands of small businesses achieve sales into the millions. His leadership of operations and technology enabled multi-billion dollar corporations to increase sales and he is ready to share their tips. Stan also is the co-author of Peaceful Selling: Easy Sales Techniques to Grow Your Small Business.

Victoria and Stan met while serving on a local board of the International Coach Federation, an organization with 22,000 members. After discovering they shared a similar approach and mindset to marketing, they became passionate about working together to create a tool business owners like you could use to save money and grow a business simultaneously. The result is this resource.