How to Convince Your MD to Switch to Fuel Cards

March 3, 2012 By

If you work in finance for a haulage company or in fact any company which has a large amount of mobile staff, or even if you are one of the mobile staff, petrol receipts are probably really annoying for you.

Switch to Fuel CardsIt’s an inefficient system really isn’t it, drivers paying for their own petrol and submitting receipts each month and getting reimbursed in their salaries. What a pain for everyone involved. It takes a lot of time to process and surely your finance team has better things to do than this? And isn’t it silly for drivers to have to make sure they have enough cash up front to pay for all their expenses?

Fuel cards can sort this problem out for you by creating an account that you pay off each month – your drivers simply use their cards to pay for fuel and it gets charged to you. There’s lots of different options available so you can work out the best system and choose a fuel card that’s right for you, but one of the biggest challenges might be getting your Managing Director to agree to the change. Here are some key points: [Read more...]

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How to Process Small Business Payroll – Tips

February 28, 2012 By

small business payrollProcessing small business payroll is done in various ways. Some businesses choose to hire affordable payroll services for small to medium businesses. Other use small and medium business payroll software for the job. Payroll for small and medium businesses is an inevitable task that must be handled on a regular basis. Handling payroll accurately is important to avoid tax issues and keep employees content.

Companies and Individuals Providing Small Business Payroll Services

Most small businesses hire a small and medium business payroll service. Some handle the job in-person and others provide small business online payroll services. It is a cost-effective way to take care of payroll. Hiring a bookkeeper means paying a regular salary and possibly covering the cost of benefits. Using a payroll service is affordable and gives companies access to seasoned professionals.

Payroll for small and medium business managers and employees needs to be properly processed to avoid tax problems. People depend on their paychecks and are not pleased if problems arise. Businesses also rely on payroll services to get the job done correctly. [Read more...]

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7 Easy Free Marketing Methods for Small Business Owners

February 1, 2012 By

Small Business OwnersWhen you run a small business every penny counts and you need to watch what you are spending. However the old saying that you need to spend money to make money is true to a certain extent.

Marketing can be expensive and it is easy to burn your whole budget in a couple of weeks if you aren’t careful. But it doesn’t need to be this way; there are easy ways to market for free. Find seven easy free marketing methods below.

1. Never underestimate word of mouth. If you offer a great service then word of mouth will bring you more customers but you need to push it and push it until your business is the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of your service. [Read more...]

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The 3 Main Aspects of a Strong Web Presence for Your Business

January 1, 2012 By

web presence Small Business OwnersHow do you establish a strong web presence for your company? This seems to be the timeless question asked over and over again by startups and small businesses. Well, first you need a well developed website, and if you already have one up and running you need effective web marketing solutions to drive your target market towards awareness, interest, desire and action. Third, you need an evaluation system to track your progress – or lack thereof.

Let’s take a look at the three aspects of establishing a strong web presence starting with website content development. This means textual, audio and visual content. These should complement each other which mean that five pages of flashy graphics should be accompanied by a well researched and expertly written content. Visual images such as photos and videos should have meta-tags using one or two keywords for optimization purposes. Your content should showcase your expertise in the industry which makes you the “go-to” person in your field. In a nutshell, this is what web content development is all about. However, industry expertise takes time to establish – offline and online. People don’t just take your word – they want proof, case studies, white papers and testimonials from customers. Thus you can say that to build and develop good quality content would take at least three to six months. It is never done in one day and is in fact always a work “in progress.” [Read more...]

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