admin

Heather Mahoney Announced as Client Relations Manager for World Advisory

Announcement from World Advisory:

We are excited to welcome Heather Mahoney as a Client Relations Manager for World Advisory!

In this role, she will be helping to expand our presence in the South Florida small business community and will be hosting and participating in events to inform people about our consulting services.

In addition to her work with World Advisory, she has 15+ years’ experience in HR and Organizational Management and provides business coaching services to help people gain clarity, revitalize their vision, and improve workplace culture.

She also is a distinguished Toastmaster, is President of the Board of the South Florida Organization Development Network and sits on the African American Advisory Committee in the City of Hollywood.

We are very pleased to have Heather on board and look forward to working with her to help people succeed and reach their full potential!

5 Tax Time Tips for Stressed-Out Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Being an entrepreneur requires determination, tireless devotion to your business, and being open to growing your company. And never is that dedication needed more than during tax season.

Tax time offers a great opportunity to review how your business did the previous year, but it can also bring copious amounts of stress. Here are a few tips for making the most of tax season while keeping your stress level to a minimum:

Take It One Step at a Time

A lot of prep goes into getting ready for your appointment with your accountant. So, take it one step at a time. The best course of action is to make a list and make a plan. For example, you might spend your lunch break one day organizing the year’s invoices and another calculating your mileage. Don’t be a hero.

There’s no need for you to try to figure all of this stuff out on your own. Take advantage of available tax software that will make things like prepping employee W-2s a lot easier. And if you haven’t already, download an app that will calculate your mileage for you. That will make things a lot easier come this time next year.

Aim for Good Health

If you aren’t taking care of yourself, how can you truly take care of your business? It’s easy to let things like healthy eating and exercise slide when you are busy getting your taxes ready and managing your business on a daily basis. But your health should always come first. By exercising regularly and eating healthy you not only are taking care of your body, but you are working towards cutting back on stress.

Exercise is one of the top ways to relieve stress. Besides, a lot of successful people have their best ideas when they’re working out.

Consider the Future

Preparing your taxes shows you how your business did the previous year. But it’s also a great time to see where you might make improvements for the next year. Are there credits or deductions you could be taking advantage of? Did you overspend in any areas? Could you be distributing your revenue in a more “tax-friendly” way? These are all questions to discuss with your tax preparer. Once you have your answers, put a plan in place for making profitable changes that will give your company a boost in the coming months and make tax time next year a little more painless.

Step Away

When you own your own business, it’s very difficult to step away, and that’s especially true during tax season. But time off to decompress is necessary for your health and your stress levels. Take breaks. Tax Day is still weeks away, and you’ve got time to prepare. Marathon days in your office running numbers and searching for receipts will only increase the chance that you’ll make a mistake. Plan, use your time wisely, and then, go home.

With some careful planning and by taking advantage of all available resources– including helpful software and your CPA– you can get through tax time without having a breakdown. Get started now, and you can take things at an easy pace that won’t leave you frazzled and will minimize the chances that you’ll make a costly mistake.

Author: Julie Morris

Interview with Alice Abiya of Abiya’s Art

We recently had an opportunity to sit down with Alice Abiya, an artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. Through Abiya’s Art, she creates a variety of beautiful masterpieces inspired by her African heritage. She told us about her art and experiences as a small business owner.

Can you tell us about your business and what you do?

My business Abiyas’Art focuses on western and African cultural styles. We express these styles through the artistic composition of each item and through the way we name them as well.

The uniqueness of these items, the names, and the materials are what make Abiya’s Art one of a kind in the market place. I make paintings, t-shirts, greeting cards, beautiful jewelry and more!

How did you get into this business?

When I was little, I had a chance to be around folks at home in Cameroon who were using their hands and crafting was one of the major occupations. Art in general was a main inspiration for anyone who was falling in love with creativity and expression of his or her own mind. I wanted to create something beautiful.

I found that this gives character to a group of people to cultivate their own roots as cultural art. A saying comes to mind, “There is no culture without art and there is no art without culture.”

When I moved to the U.S., I took a couple art classes, specifically for painting, even when my concentration was more in business. I also developed other skills to be able to do what I do today.

So by having these elements together, this was my motivational point to start with something unique for the first time, in my life here in US, my own business.

What is the most enjoyable thing about this business?

Most enjoyable thing in this business is that from out of nowhere, I can come out with something beautiful, unique and artistic to present to the market place. And in addition, I enjoy seeing folks appreciating my works, which gives me a pleasant desire to do this business.

What are some of your greatest challenges?

Well one of my greatest challenges in this business I believe is to make the public know about our product. The marketing point still and need to be developed so that we could create as maximum as possible a lot traffic in our website, and to generate more sale…!

If you could provide any advice to fellow business owners, what would it be?

Never give up on your dream no matter what! Sometimes, failure brings with it a seed of a valuable advantage. I once heard, “fail and fail better!” So for my fellow business owners out there, do not give up! Ever!

How people can find you online?

You can visit my website at www.AbiyasArt.com. In addition, you can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Brought to you by: