Bookkeeping for Entrepreneurs or Small Businesses

I have the philosophy that if you do not LOVE what you are doing, get some else to do it for you. It has been proven that if you do not have passion for what you are doing, you will not be truly successful. You might succeed for a while, but unless you have a drive or passion to keep you going, it won't last.

Studies have shown that most small or home based businesses fail in the first few years. Why? I believe it is because most business owners try to do everything themselves. I have made that mistake myself. My first business venture 15 years ago was an electronic publishing and consulting firm. I found myself working 18-20 hours each day. Not only was I doing the sales, but I was fulling contracts, writing business plans, hiring employees, managing payroll, filing taxes, and maintaining the office. I was doing about 8 full-time jobs and most of them I did not enjoy. I have learned from my mistakes and hope you will take some advice from a fellow entrepreneur -- find someone to take over aspects of your business which seem to zap your energy. If there is something you are putting off, or dread doing -- don't do it -- find someone who loves that type of work and hire them as a consultant or contract worker to do it for you!

I have a good friend (Kristy Godinet) who runs a bookkeeping service for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Her rates are very reasonable and if you have a business it would be well worth your time to discuss options with her. She offers packages from doing all your accounts payable and receivable to simply filing quarterly reports, to payroll and billing. If you are interested in her services, email me (romayallen@yahoo.com) and I'll put you in touch with Kristy.

Back to School and Learning New Things

It seems that each time I am determined to get back into school, I get a job offer I can't refuse. I wonder if it's opposition to my education, or if I'm tempted because I get bored sitting in class and just want to be out there "doing". This time I'm trying to be firm with myself and keep reminding myself that it's only 4 months of full-time school and then I'll be free again. (haha). I actually love learning, but fighting traffic, finding parking, and having to sit in lectures are not my ideas of real learning. However I am taking a class from Paul Allen at BYU about Internet Marketing which I am very excited about. If any of you can get into his class, do it! He is brilliant and I've learned almost everything I know about internet development from him. He is one of the leading thinkers in this century and every time I hear him speak my paradigms change and the universe opens up in new ways. Amazing man!

I'll still be working full-time as well at several business ventures, so perhaps my blog will suffer. But it might be interesting to blog about what I learn in class, who knows. Only time will tell.

Taking a Step Back

Once in a while it's important to take a step back from our daily routine and personal status -- to look at ourselves, our families, and our lives from another perspective. If we can objectively look at the patterns we have created, perhaps we can find new ways to resolve old issues.

Vacations can be a perfect time to step back and remember what is really important in your life. It's vital to personal mental, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being to analyze your life and take steps to get back on target to your ultimate goals.

Humanitarian Service

For those of you interested in humanitarian service, there is an incredible story about Mohammad Yunus and his work at the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. A PBS special is to be aired on Yunus on Tuesday, August 16th and nationally in October. It shows what can be done to help “the poorest of the poor” through micro-loans they repay, rather than through hand-outs. I have found Yunus' work to be inspirational and motivational. I hope you'll watch and get inspired to make a difference in your corner of the world.

Vacation Time

I will be on vacation until August 12th and will not be blogging during that time. Have a great summer!