Spring is in the air and with the arrival of the season there is always a feeling of freshness and newness that fills us with high promise. That does not just apply to getting our houses and yards ready for the new colorful season. We can use the concept of spring cleaning to refresh our businesses, gain a new insight and get on track for the remainder of the year, because growing a business is a daily task that we need to devote time each day so it will blossom and mature. No matter what our niche is, we have to be sure to take time to reflect and make any necessary changes that need to happen. Spring is the perfect time to do this.
Here are five useful tips to spring clean your online business and give it a fresh new outlook.
1. File Your Taxes on Time
My first tip is to file your taxes on time. It does not look good for your business to file your taxes late. For businesses, the tax season is not just around April 15th, but depending on your state and country, you may be required to file your taxes quarterly, bi-annually or perhaps even monthly. It is recommended you set some money aside each month for the purposes of taxes. Take the time to research your local and federal tax laws so that you remain compliant. Otherwise, you could be hit with tax penalties.
Each state and locality has its own tax laws. Having the right knowledge of your state tax requirement will greatly help you avoid problems and your business save some money. The most typical kind of tax requirements for small online businesses are income and possibly employment taxes.
2. Get Cloud Accounting Software
Do not think you need to go out and spend lots of money on expensive accounting software. QuickBooks Online has you covered for less than $130 through Amazon. QuickBooks Online Simple Start Small Business Accounting is very easy to setup and personalize for your business. Get paid quickly by sending online invoices. You can access 20+ insightful built-in reports to understand the health of your business and where you need to make adjustments. You can seamlessly collaborate with your accountant to make tax time a snap.
3. Get Your Vision Statement Down on Paper
It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of running our business that we often lose sight of what our actual vision is for our businesses. Spring is a great time to get your vision down on a piece of paper. Next, spend time devising some strategies to further grow and elevate your business to the next level.
4. Set up an Effective Online Presence and Social Media Marketing Plan
If you do not already have a social media presence, spring is a great time to start one. Check out my tutorial on How to Create a Social Media Marketing Plan. Get a Facebook Business page like this one as well as Pinterest and Twitter. Here are some more social media marketing tutorials to help you with this. With so many people browsing the Internet, you want to be sure to have a social media presence.
You will need a website built in order to build a social media presence. If you do not already have a website, check out my video tutorial on WordPress for Beginners. You can build a website in under five minutes using this free SiteRubix builder:
5. Enjoy What You Do! Have Fun!
My final tip is to do what you love and love that you do. Enjoy and have fun with your online business. They say
if you love what you do, you will never have to work again.
If you are new to the concept of building your own business and not sure how to get started, you can check out what I began a year ago with affiliate marketing. Everyone has a right to learn new skills that will further their development and pursuit of their dreams of achieving financial freedom. It is not too late to make 2016 your year for financial success.
Please Leave Comments
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21 thoughts on “5 Useful Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Online Business”
Hi,
Id like to thank you for the useful information you have provided here in this blog especially about taxes which is everybody’s nightmare trying to understand what we are suppose to do as we don`t get a lesson in what to do once we go self employed or start an online business,
I also like your blog on the ( #1recommendation),ive been reading rather a lot of good things to be said about wealthy affiliate and i am thinking of joining up for the free membership to try it out for myself,i fairly new to internet marketing but from what i have read i WA seems to be newbie friendly ?
Great info, i will be sure to bookmark your site and returning for more info in the near future 🙂
Hi:
Thank you for commenting today. I agree that taxes can be nightmarish and especially when you go from working a traditional 9 to 5 job to a self-employed worker, no one provides with you lessons and information on how to do your taxes. It was a challenge for me as well.
I am glad you liked my post on Wealthy Affiliate. There are many good reviews on WA as you said. You will be provided with the training and community support you need to get started. I also have created many tutorials within the WA community that are specifically aimed at helping others within the community.
Thank you for stopping today. Let me know if you have any questions as you peruse other pages and posts on this website.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
yes if you want to succeed in your business you have to treat it as one that means (as you so well spoke of) you need to do your spring cleaning and from what I have read here that you have made a plan and implicated it to perfection and now you are willing to share your knowledge with others and I thank you for that .all the best David
Hi David:
Thank you for commenting. I am glad you enjoyed this article. Have a wonderful day!
Sincerely
Steph
Hi Steph, nice post about getting organized. I am guilty of leaving things to the last minute. Getting a reminder like your article is great. I am involved in affiliate marketing as well and strongly agree with your point of having fun with what one does.It doesn’t feel like I am working at all. I certainly love building my website and learning everything that’s involved in establishing a successful online business.
I have shared your post on Pinterest. I am sure it will be helpful to others as well.
Cheers Anke
Thanks for the guide on social marketing plan, needed it very much. And I will try to enjoy my journey. 😉
Hi Axion:
You are very welcome. Thank you for visiting and yes, do try and enjoy your journey. 🙂
Steph
Another great article Steph! I have been doing lots of spring cleaning but your right, why not spring clean my business. I need to really take some time and get refocused.
I’ve actually been spending a lot of time cleaning up my websites, revisiting old posts and checking them for spelling or Grammar item. And I’ve been looking for broken links.
But I really need to take some time and revisit my social media sites. I especially should stop by Facebook and set up a business page for my latest site.
Thanks for the reminders.
~Wendy
Hi Wendy:
Thanks for checking out these useful tips on spring cleaning your business. I have been doing the same as you lately and going back to my websites and restructuring the navigation, changing some of the old posts, and moving things around. And yes, creating a Facebook business page for each of your websites is important especially if there are in different niches.
Sincerely
Steph
Very usefull tips. # 3 is my favourite as people tend to forget to look into the future and set a goal and a vision to work towards. Rookie question… How strongly do you advice an accounting software for a very beginner in online marketing? Are there any free accounting softwares online ?
Hi Dylan:
Thanks for visiting my website and for checking out this article. One recommendation I would make to someone who is in the very beginning stages of creating an online business is to begin organizing your assets and accounts using Google Spreadsheets. It is free to use and offers versatility. You definitely want to research the current tax laws in your state and/or region because one mistake beginners sometimes make is to think that they do not need to worry about taxes until they are making good money which may not happen for a couple years. The reality is that many states require you to file and register your business the same year you begin it, regardless of your income. So do your homework and make sure you stay on top of your tax obligations.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
Hi, Steph, all very good points. oddly, I was just talking to someone last night who asked me about my vision and goals. Being honest, I seriously need to reassess them. I have to make a conscious effort to keep my goals in front of me… so, need to go work on that now!! I always say do what you love and love what you do. It can be a trick to make that happen, but we should all be making strides to do that, no matter what. Thank you, again. pJ
Hi PJ:
I believe having your vision statement clearly laid out and written down will help anyone focus better. They will know where to place their efforts and what there goals are. I am glad this article was like a reminder of your conversation from last night on your goals and vision. I wish you much luck in seeing those goals and vision come forth and become a reality. Have a wonderful day and please visit again soon.
Sincerely
Steph
Great post Steph!
I already use Quickbooks online to file my taxes and have filed them. I already have a bunch of social media for my website and I definitely enjoy what I’m doing so seems like the only thing I’m missing from your list is the vision statement. I guess I have some homework to do.
It’ll definitely keep me focused on what my goals are. Thanks for this!
Hi Andy:
Thank you for visiting my website today. It is important to have a clear vision statement that you write down. Once you have it written down, keep it by your computer at all times and refer to you on a regular basis so to keep you focused on what you are wanting and working towards. I am glad to hear you already use Quickbooks online. It is a useful program.
Steph
I got so much out of this article. Being new to running an online business can be overwhelming. I was actually just thinking about a software for accounting. For Quickbooks is that a one time fee or is that something you have to pay monthly? It is hard to choose the right one with so many on the market.
Hi Heather:
I am glad you were able to find some useful information in this article. Thanks for the kind comment. To answer your question, the Quickbooks Online is a software that you can purchase through Amazon for either a PC or MAC. It is not a monthly charge. You purchase it once and then possibly the upgrade every year when new tax laws are introduced. I use for my business and I find it to be very valuable.
Sincerely
Steph
Great tips and all I will be taking on board, in particular the quick books online, the world of tax is a scary one but not one to be avoided! I also need to build my knowledge of social media so your tutorials will be really useful to me. Thank you.
Hi Dawn:
I am glad you found my tips on spring cleaning your online business to be useful. I agree taxes can be scary and so overwhelming, but like you said, they are not to be avoided. They are a necessary evil. I am glad that you found the social media marketing tutorials to also be of usefulness to you. It is important to know how to create a social media marketing plan so you know how and where you should focus your efforts.
Thanks again for visiting and please come back soon.
Sincerely
Steph
As soon as I saw the post, #1 applies to me right away. Deadline is coming soon and I havent filed my taxes still LOL
Thanks for the reminder Steph! Keep it up!
Hi Von:
Thanks for reading and I am glad I was able to provide a good reminder to get those taxes done. Good luck with them.
Steph