Tax Season Prep – How did you do this year?

Posted on 18 April 2012 by

Taxes? Forms? Receipts? Wha?

Before I begin this blog post and as I do with any blog post that might discuss finances of any sort – it is always highly suggest, recommended at, pointed to, and nodded at the belief and suggestion that you should always consult an expert when dealing with your finances at any time. Especially at tax season!

So this year in the US (Where I am) – today is the last day to file your taxes. If you are an owner of your own business like I am, no doubt you know how hard it can be to get motivated to deal with it all. Each year I have more and more friends, even family, that come to me in frustration, pulling out their hair and screaming from the top of their lungs that they haven’t…

  • Had time to prepare..
  • Had the chance to gather all their information…
  • Don’t know how to file for their income bracket..
  • Don’t know how to file deductions..
  • ..Insert reason X, Y, and Z here…

Because of this, I wanted to talk about the best ways to be prepared for your tax season. So regardless of if you are beginning, ending, or in a mad rush to meet with your tax expert on the last day of tax season (and you know who you are) – you finally have some great methods for ensuring that you are doing what you can to prepare. Here are some of the things I do:

Make a pre-tax season checklist

Each year, at the end of the current tax season and the beginning of the next one I make a pre-tax season checklist and either post it to my computer or post it on a corkboard by my computer. This checklist is helpful because as I go along the year, I am able to list the items and forms I will need at the end of the year, and I can check them off as they are collected. When tax season comes, guess what? That checklist is there to help guide me and show me what I do and do not need for that year.
No running around like a chicken with my head cut off. No fuss.

Collect and Sort

After I make the checklist I start to collect and sort through any receipts from that year that I am going to need at tax season. I grab each and every receipt that I know will be needed and I pile it up in front of me, categorizing it and then storing it in it’s own folder. After these are categorized I then scan them all and make copies, storing them on my hard drive and in a closet.
By the time tax season comes – I’ve got it all done and dusted.

Keep up with EVERYTHING

I see too many of my friends scrambling to get through tax season and look in 823234234 billion places for information on what they are able to deduct or what credits they may be eligible for. To reduce this, I admit I am diligent. Because I am in the states I check out the internal revenue service website and consult a tax professional. I make sure I keep up on the news and whenever I hear of a potential credit or a change to the laws I note it on that checklist and then investigate.

The point of this post is to tell you that a successful and RELAXED tax season all comes down to preparation. It doesn’t have to be hard, it doesn’t have to end in tears, it doesn’t have to have you run screaming down the road if you’ll only remember that preparation is key.

Monday Mindset: Are you a Multiplier or a Diminisher?

Posted on 02 April 2012 by

Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter I’ve just finished reading a GREAT book: Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown.

The book is written primarily for leaders in corporate organizations – but the messages and lessons are equally applicable for you as a coach, if you have any kind of team. (And if you’re a Mum with any number of kids, as I’m finding out in my own household!)

The main premise of the book is that managers who work with people by being Multipliers get 2.1 times MORE from their people than people who think and behave as Diminishers.

Now don’t get me wrong – I know I need to work on many of these myself so I’m not sharing this with you from a place of ‘this is what I do’ but I’m certainly determined to progress along this path from this point forward. In fact I’m even a little nervous of my team reading this post as I know they’ll recognize many of the Diminisher traits in me right now – but that’s great – I’m up for being challenged on them as I grow into  Multiplier.

My hope is that you get this book and decide to join me on this journey.

Are you up for it?

So with that said – here are the main beliefs and assumptions of a Diminisher – (the other end of the spectrum of the Multiplier) – see if you recognize yourself in any of these…

  1. “Really intelligent people are a rare breed and I am one of the few really smart people.”
  2. “Other people will never figure things out without me.”
  3. “People who don’t ‘get it’ now never will therefore I’ll have to keep doing the thinking for everybody.”
  4. “I need to tell people what to do, make all the important decisions and jump in and take over when someone appears to be failing”

And the results of these assumptions? You will almost always be right because your assumptions cause you to manage in a way that produces subordination and dependency.

Contrast this with the mindset and behaviours of the Multiplier:

  1. “People are smart and they will figure it out and get even smarter in the process.”
  2. “People get smarter by being challenged.”
  3. “If I can find someone’s genius I can put them to work.”
  4. “I give full ownership of the task to this person AND allow them to experience the natural consequences of their actions, whether good or bad – I don’t step in and ‘rescue’ them”

Phew! A pretty tough challenge eh? Especially if you’re a bit of a ‘recovering lone ranger’ like me! The authors have a great 30 Day Challenge to help you move along the continuum to become more of a Multiplier – go check out the book.

There’s also a test you can take right here to see if you’re an Accidental Diminisher – love to know what you find out! http://multipliersbook.com/accidental-diminisher/

JigsawBox Tip: Starting off Your JigsawBox

Posted on 16 March 2012 by

 

Start JigsawBox Off Right!This week’s Tip is all about and for the new JigsawBoxer. Because we have so many new coaches coming into JigsawBox (and we LOVE that!) we wanted to ensure that you had the best “starting point” you possibly could have.

So here is my little starting guide to getting the most out of your Jigsawbox:

1. Add us to Facebook and Twitter so you can keep up to date with the latest information and announcements from JigsawBox.

2. Once you are started with your JigsawBox account – it’s time to fill out your information and get past the account screen. Here’s how you can make it past the “My Account” Screen and start working on your modules:

First, complete the required information on the My Account page. The following fields are required:

  • First name
  • Surname
  • Email address
  • Website URL (if you’re site isn’t up yet, you can enter any URL as you can modify this later)
  • Business name
  • Short company name

Then, after you’ve completed everything that is required, click “Save” at the bottom of the page. You are now able to access the multiple areas of JigsawBox! We encourage you to start looking through your tabs and especially your “My Packages”, “My Modules”, and “My Forums” areas.

3. In order to get more familiar with how JigsawBox works – make sure that you bookmark the JigsawBox blog – it is an amazing resource that can help you immensely when you are starting your JigsawBox Journey.

From here you will find:

  • JigsawBox Tips and Tutorials
  • Monday Mindsets to get you back into the mindset for success
  • Featured articles on the best ways to bring out the best in your coaching skills.

4. Reach out and join the JigsawBox affiliate program – there is no better way to support JigsawBox by not only being one of the family, but also by getting paid to support it! We encourage this. To join up as an affiliate, go to: http://www.jigsawbox.com/affiliates.

JigsawBox Tip: Adding Images to Your JigsawBox

Posted on 24 February 2012 by

Using Pictures - A Great Way to Make the Point!JigsawBox already has fantastic built-in features that give the Coach a way to personalize their coaching program. Past tips have included how to add media like video and audio, how to brand your package so that it looks professional and stays consistent with your brand, how to incorporate forums so that there is an increase in interaction between coach and clients, and more.

This week’s tip involves the use of images in your content – and how you can not only incorporate them into your JigsawBox, but how you can use images to build up the integrity of your coaching packages.

So how do you add an image to your Jigsawbox?

Images can be uploaded directly into your JigsawBox content and here is how:

  • First, select the image you want to upload and make sure it is in an appropriate format – I like to select images that are either .jpg or .gif – these are the most common image formats.
  • Next, log into your JigsawBox account and select your desired module (or the one you are currently creating) and then go to the text boxes where you are able to input your texts, video, audio, and images.
  • Once there, click on the little “image” icon (you can find these next to your audio and link symbol!)
  • From here you may select your image and then customize it to your own preferences for alignment and size.

Then – you’ve done it! You now have an image with your content.

Now that you’ve added the image, how can you use it?

Images, when accompanied by text, provide that stimulating visual component that might inspire your clients to keep going with their programs. Insert those visual pieces whenever you want to:

  • Inspire
  • Engage
  • Place emphasis
  • Encourage
  • Give a “living” example

Also – it never hurts to add a bit of personalization by inserting a picture of yourself! That little bit of connectivity does make a dent.