Google Search Campaigns are one of the most popular forms of online advertising. If you’ve always wanted to run a Google Search Campaign of your own but didn’t know how this article will help you get started. Even if you don’t know what a Google Search Network ad is, know more than enough to run …
VP of Product Marketing We are looking for a product marketer with previous top-down product marketing experience from a startup who is ready to step up and lead product marketing at Etleap. About Etleap Etleap’s mission is to transform the way businesses drive analytics projects. We started Etleap out of frustration with the exorbitant amounts …
VP of Product Marketing We are looking for a product marketer with previous top-down product marketing experience from a startup who is ready to step up and lead product marketing at Etleap. About Etleap Etleap’s mission is to transform the way businesses drive analytics projects. We started Etleap out of frustration with the exorbitant amounts …
This mantra has seen millions of freelancers turn to the internet and become location-independent.
That’s not all.
Over the last decade, service marketplaces have sprung up and distributed how we work and live.
For instance, Airbnb, a marketplace for vacation rentals, has over four million hosts who have welcomed over 800 million guests. Food delivery service marketplaces are expected to reach $154.34 billion in 2023.
The success of current platforms is one of the main reasons entrepreneurs are looking to get into the business.
In this post, I’m breaking down everything you need to know about service marketplaces and how to launch one people will use.
What Is a Service Marketplace?
A service marketplace is a website or app for buying and selling services. Freelancers, private individuals, or companies in various industries can advertise their services and get hired by people who need their help.
The most successful service marketplaces cater to a specific market and redefine how we manage our lives.
For example, Upwork and Fiverr have changed how companies find freelancers for gigs. These online marketplaces have also made remote work more accessible to millions of people around the world. Meanwhile, Uber and Airbnb have disrupted how we travel, created more jobs within the gig community, and given homeowners a way to make extra cash on the side.
If getting a slice of that pie isn’t enough to tempt you, here are some of the top benefits for creating a service marketplace.
You don’t need to be a professional: While understanding the industry you’re helping is a must, you don’t need to do the work. As an owner of a services marketplace, you only need to focus on attracting sellers and buyers. For example, you can start a website for personal trainers without having the skill.
It’s easy to build: These days, there are various marketplace software providers to make the process of launching your site quick and simple. Some of the top providers are Sharetribe, Shopify with Multi-Vendor Marketplace Extension, and Arcadier.
It may be more profitable than an e-commerce marketplace: Unlike Amazon, when you provide services rather than goods, you don’t need to figure out things like shipping and inventory. Fewer costs mean higher commissions for you and your sellers.
You can outwit, outlast, and outplay the competition: Sites like Upwork and Thumbtack are wildly successful because they make finding and buying services faster and cheaper. In a world where time is a scarce commodity, creating this level of convenience could give you the upper hand over your competitors.
How to Create a Service Marketplace
Curious about how to start your marketplace? Here are the top four things to keep in mind if you want yours to become successful.
Do Your Research to Find a Niche Service Marketplace Idea
The trick to finding a winning service marketplace idea is understanding the needs of sellers and buyers.
Apps like TaskRabbit and Postmates are successful because both companies figured out how to solve a problem by making it easier and cheaper to sell and buy those services.
Here are some tips for researching your niche to find a business idea:
Identify inefficiencies: What tasks are time wasters? What services in a marketplace would help people save time?
Improve trust: Are there tasks in your niche that people want to delegate, but a layer of trust is needed from both parties?
Costs: What services would help people save and make money if available online?
Overcome hurdles: What hurdles does your niche experience? How would a marketplace eliminate these hurdles or make the process smoother?
Bring fragmented markets together: Are people offering certain services on places like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist? Would a marketplace for that service improve the user experience for buyers and sellers?
Build a Website for Your Service Marketplace
Once you have an idea for your service marketplace, the next step is to create your website.
There are a few places to do this, including:
WordPress: Buy a WordPress service marketplace theme or build your site from scratch. If you go with the latter, check out my guide on the best e-commerce site builders.
Marketplace Platform: As I mentioned earlier, there are sites specifically made for this purpose.
Whichever option you go with, there are some key features you need to include to make sure it’s a great experience for everyone involved.
Buyers and seller profiles: User profiles for sellers and buyers help to build trust and credibility. Both parties will feel like they’re dealing with a real person, and it can help the seller build a reputable brand on the platform. You should consider adding fields like descriptions, testimonials, certifications, and photos.
Listings and searchability: How your listings will look on your service marketplace depends on the type of services your users are listing. Besides providing tools to showcase offerings, you also want to make sure it’s easy for buyers to search and filter through your listings.
Bookings: No matter what you’re selling, a solid booking management system is essential for your marketplace’s success. You want to give providers the ability to control their availability and workflow. On Upwork, users can decline gigs, and on Fiverr, you turn a gig off to prevent unexpected bookings.
Payments: Another crucial factor in running a successful service marketplace is how you take payment from buyers and pay your providers. Most sites usually take a commission from each transaction and pay the seller after the deduction. If you plan to do the same, you need to set up a transaction flow to ensure the process is as seamless as possible.
Reviews: Reviews build trust and are essential to making sure everyone feels safe using your platform. As the marketplace’s owner, you can use feedback to kick off any users who are harming your platform’s trust.
Optimize Your Service Marketplace for Local SEO (If Applicable)
Want to create a niche service marketplace for your city, region, or country? You’ll need to optimize your site for local SEO.
Local SEO is similar to organic SEO, but it focuses on the geographical element and is aimed at a group of people from a specific area.
To grow their market share and start attracting users, local traffic is a top priority for anyone selling in a certain market. In fact, 46 percent of Google searches are local, which means you’re potentially leaving a lot of money on the table by not optimizing for local SEO.
When creating your website, think about the search terms people in your area would use to find the services you offer. For example, “need help moving in [city].” Another thing to consider is the keywords service providers would use to find a gig, such as “freelance writing jobs in [city].”
While Google usually automatically assumes people are searching for services or products in their area, making sure your location’s name is involved is essential in case someone is coming from out of town.
Create a Marketing Strategy for Your Online Service Marketplace
Below, I’m breaking down the simplest marketing considerations to think about when you want to open your online service marketplace.
What Problem Do You Solve?
You can have the best marketplace with all the bells and whistles and still not succeed if you don’t have a specific problem to solve.
You need one to stand out from everyone else and make sure you’re attracting the right people to your platform.
For example, the problem Upwork solves is finding reputable freelancers quickly.
Who Is Your Audience?
Your marketing strategy will flop if you haven’t taken the time to understand who your target audience is. This involves determining what demographics you’re targeting, including age, background, consumption habits, and more.
Google blogs in your niche, and read the comments to see what questions people ask and how they talk about their problems. Hop onto Quora and see what questions people are asking.
If you want more information, create a market research survey. Send it out to people in your network who would be a good fit. You can take it a step further and post your survey in relevant Facebook groups to get even more feedback.
How Should You Grow Your User Base?
Your next step in your marketing strategy is finding sellers and buyers to join your marketplace.
Luckily, there are quite a few ways you can do this without investing in paid search or social media advertising. You just have to know who your target audience is and where they hang out online.
Facebook and Reddit: Find relevant groups in your niche and engage with users by answering their questions. Some groups even have self-promo days, which you can use to get more eyeballs on your site.
Craigslist: Are your sellers hanging out on platforms like Craigslist already? Find them and tell them about your marketplace. This is how Airbnb initially grew its listings.
Link building: Research blogs in your niche where it would make sense for them to link back to you. Once you have a list, send out a personalized email and ask for the link.
SEO: Traffic from organic searches is free and incredibly valuable. People searching the phrases you’re ranking for are leads who have the problem you’re solving. Don’t skimp on investing time in researching your keywords and optimizing your site for SEO.
Paid advertising: If you have the budget for paid ads, take advantage of the different platforms. Google AdWords and Facebook Ads are highly targeted and can help you get in front of the right people with minimum effort.
Examples of Service Marketplaces
Here are some of the most well-known and successful marketplaces:
Upwork:Upwork is one of the biggest service marketplaces for freelancers. You can use the site to find writers, designers, web developers, and more.
Talkspace:Talkspace is an online therapy portal. You can use the site to connect with a therapist who matches your needs instantly. The marketplace makes mental health care more convenient, accessible, and affordable.
TaskRabbit:TaskRabbit is a same-day service marketplace platform. It connects its users to skilled labor who can help with various tasks like furniture assembly, home repairs, or basic errands. It saves you time trying to find the right person for the job and allows you to compare reviews, ratings, and prices.
Postmates:Postmates is similar to UberEats, but there is a core difference. While both apps offer food delivery from restaurants, Postmates takes it a step further. You can use the app to get groceries and other goods delivered straight to your door.
VIPKid:VIPKid connects English teachers with students around the world. What sets the site apart from other marketplaces is its application process. VIPKid screens teachers before they are allowed to work on the platform to ensure they’re knowledgeable and will give the children a good learning experience.
Conclusion
A service marketplace can be a profitable business model if you’ve done your homework. Before investing in hosting plans or platforms, make sure you have a problem your marketplace can solve.
Despite the competition you’ll face, if you have a solid niche and you market your platform to the right people, you can achieve the same success as the Upworks and TaskRabbits of the world.
What problem do you think a service marketplace will solve in your industry?
Remote work is going from an occasional perk to the norm. As long as you have a computer and internet connection, you can perform your job anytime, anywhere.
For marketers, creating promotional materials, meeting clients, and completing projects from home, hotel, coffee shop, library—basically anywhere with an internet connection.
While working remotely has many benefits, employees who regularly worked in the office may have a difficult time making the transition to exclusively working this way.
In this article, we’ll talk about the how’s and why’s of remote work for marketers.
The Rise in Popularity of Working Remotely
Remote work has been around for years.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it unexpectedly the norm for many businesses, and both employers and employees are realizing the work-from-home system can be successful.
The survey also found employees call in sick less often and feel empowered to work independently while also increasing collaboration. Importantly, many people are less likely to report unemployment due to workplace discrimination or lack of transportation.
These numbers show remote work is likely here to stay.
Employees prefer the convenience of working from their desired location. Meanwhile, employers can enjoy a more productive and efficient workforce. It’s a win-win-win situation for everyone.
The Benefits of Working Remotely As a Marketer
There are a ton of benefits to working remotely as a marketer. For many, there are feelings of freedom and improved work-life balance that didn’t exist when going into the office every day.
Here are five of the top benefits of working remotely as a marketer.
1. Working From Anywhere in the World
Gone are the days when employees had to issue a leave of absence to go on a vacation.
As long as you have a laptop and WiFi access, you can create promotional content from a beach in Thailand or a coffee shop in Japan. As long as you work during your expected hours, where you’re working from generally doesn’t matter.
While this isn’t allowed by every workplace, working remotely may allow you to have more control over your hours.
If you’re a morning person, you could start your day at dawn and be done by the afternoon. If you’re a night owl, you could start and end later.
This type of work also frees you up to use your breaks however you please. For instance, if you want to hit the gym, you don’t have to worry about showing up back at work with wet hair—or showering at all, if that’s your thing.
3. More Time for Loved Ones
You know the feeling: You get up early, commute, are “on” all day at work, commute home, and are just spent when you walk in the door.
If you have a long commute, you may be out the door before your kids even finish breakfast or feel unable to go out with friends at the end of the day.
With working remotely, you may have more time to help the kids prepare for school or have conversations with your significant other.
Upon finishing your deliverables, you don’t have to spend an hour in traffic. Instead, you can just walk out of your home office and transition to your “real life.”
4. Take Advantage of Time Zones
While being in different time zones could make finagling meetings a bit challenging, there are also some benefits. Your end of the day is the beginning of the day on the other side of the world, meaning you could send a project from your desk in New York to a worker in Singapore at 5:00 pm your time, and they’ll instantly receive it—at 5:00 am their time.
While you sleep, they can work, and it’s almost like your project traveled through time to meet your deadline.
5. Save Money
Remote work can help you save money.
You don’t have to spend money on gas, a professional wardrobe, or an expensive lunch in the cafeteria—which can amount to $4,000 per year.
A FlexJobs study found the average commuter spends $2,000 to $5,000 annually on gas, vehicle maintenance, and insurance (which can cost less if you drive less). If you work from home, that money can stay in your pocket.
Besides transportation costs, households spent $1,866 a year on clothes and $3,459 on “food away from home.” As a remote marketer, you may only need to dress up during video calls and cook from your kitchen.
Challenges of Working Remotely as a Marketer
Not everything is perfect, including remote work arrangements. Here are a couple of hurdles marketers may encounter when they’re far from an office.
1. Reimbursement for Office Equipment
Marketers creating video content and editing images may require a high-end computer and software. You may also need to purchase a home office setup. Who would foot the bill?
Plenty of big companies provide quality equipment for marketers, but small agencies and startups may not offer these privileges.
If you’re interviewing for a remote position, don’t be afraid to ask them about these costs before you accept the position: Who will pay for the internet connection, software, or equipment? Will your employer provide a home office stipend?
2. Difficult to Establish Relationships
Marketers based in an office may find it easier to establish genuine relationships with their teams or bosses.
As they fulfill tasks together, they can make small talk and get to know each other better. In contrast, remote work means you may talk to co-workers only during meetings. (Though off-topic group chats aren’t uncommon.)
Moreover, you’re not exactly working closely with your boss. Hence, it may be challenging to set yourself up for a promotion or improve your professional relationship with your boss. You have to take extra steps to build camaraderie.
Tips for Successfully Working Remotely
How can you succeed as a remote worker? Let’s take a look at these tips which could help you out.
Minimize Distractions
As a remote marketer, you don’t get to be monitored by your boss or co-workers. You can work anytime and anywhere as long as you finish your deliverables.
The downside is you may also be prone to distractions. It’s easy to get sidetracked by a social media notification when no one is watching your back.
How to minimize distractions? Some practical tips include the following:
Put Your Phone in a Different Room
While chances are you’ll need your phone at some point during the day, consider putting it in a different room when it’s not necessary for your work. Otherwise, you may find yourself scrolling through Twitter instead of staying on task.
Plan Your Break Time
Most marketers have a ton to accomplish in a day, such as blog post writing, SEO optimization, and planning marketing campaigns. The hectic tasks may tempt you to take an unplanned 30-minute break which quickly becomes a one-hour break.
To help yourself avoid this, plan your break time and length of the breaks before beginning the day. Set alarms and timers to force yourself to remain focused.
Understand Your Most Productive Time
When are you most productive?
According to BBC, 11 in the morning is the most productive time of the day. Of course, this may vary by person.
Determine when you’re at your peak productivity and tackle difficult tasks then. For instance, a morning person could start with high-priority tasks in the morning and switch their attention to less important tasks in the afternoon.
Time Yourself
Setting timers isn’t just for breaks. You can also use it to set self-imposed deadlines or give yourself permission to step away from a stressful task.
For projects needing to be done soon, you could set yourself a 60-minute timer, telling yourself you can’t even check your email until that timer goes off. You can come back to it later, but returning with fresh eyes could help you improve what you’ve created.
If you’re working on something mentally exhausting, like a very emotional piece, you could also set a timer for yourself. If you know you’re going to need to step away from it for your own wellbeing, it may be much easier to stave off the negative feelings if you know you only have to look at it for one hour right now.
While you could use your phone timer, there are other time tracking software options that could help you reach maximum productivity. Plus, these may make it easier to keep track of what time of day it is so you don’t suddenly look up and realize you were off work an hour ago.
Create a Workspace
Having a dedicated workspace is the key to maximizing productivity and focus. The ideal workspace can help you get in the mood to get the work done.
Here are some tips for creating a good workspace for marketers.
Pick a Good Spot
In a perfect world, you could set up an office in a space no one else has much access to, like a spare bedroom. An ideal workspace should help you concentrate on your current marketing campaigns. Hence, pick a quiet area free from distractions.
For example, Li-Chi Pan’s workspace keeps it simple with a desk equipped with an iMac and lamp. Her entire setup is beside a panoramic window which provides ample lighting and a gorgeous view of Sydney’s rooftops.
However, this option isn’t available to everyone.
If you don’t have a spare space, set yourself up in an area that’s as distraction-free as possible, even if that means facing a wall at your kitchen table. Avoid setting up a space in your bedroom, as that may make it harder to view it as a place of rest.
Change Up Your Remote Work Scenery
Even when your workspace looks gorgeous, sometimes working a long time from home can lead to boredom. After all, when you’re around others at the office, what you see is constantly changing.
I highly recommend working in a coffee shop, library, or co-working space when possible. This could not just stave off boredom from looking at the same stuff all day, but if you’re someone who thrives with company, it could help prevent feeling isolated.
Have a Board for Your To-Do List or Ideas
Marketers often have plenty of sticky notes for their various tasks or marketing campaign ideas. The nice thing about being at home and not the office is you can arrange this however you want because you’re in control of the space.
Consider having a board where you can place your schedule or creative schemes to help you stay organized.
For example, this workspace by Oh Happy Day has a transparent glass board where a marketer can place their weekday priorities.
Get the Right Office Equipment and Office Supplies for Remote Work Success
Ask your employer to provide your equipment such as monitors, a mouse, and a keyboard. You can also inquire about reimbursement for office supplies or even needed furniture like a desk.
While much of your work may be possible via video conferencing tools, some clients prefer talking on the phone. If this is the case for you, ask your work about getting you a work phone so you don’t have clients calling your personal number.
Unfortunately, these expenses are often not tax-deductible anymore, though some states allow this, so be sure to check on your laws and talk to a tax professional if needed.
Ensure Your WiFi Works Well Enough
Whether you’re working from home or on the beach, make sure your internet connection is strong. You don’t want work to delete just before it backs up or for a client’s call to be dropped.
I highly recommend using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to guarantee you’ll have a secure and private connection. Some marketing agencies may also benefit from a VPN because it helps them determine the organic search results, peek at YouTube ads, and conduct competitor analysis when browsing from a specific country or region.
Celebrate Your Remote Work Wins
Did your marketing campaign generate record-breaking results? Have you gotten a new client? Every groundbreaking achievement is a cause for celebration.
Sadly, your wins and successes may not be as visible when you’re working from home or a remote location.
A potential solution is to encourage teammates and employers to set-up an announcement system whenever you and your teammates have a win. This can be as simple as announcing the achievement through a dedicated group chat or sending an email with a list of successes.
Conclusion
Just like everything else, working as a remote marketer comes with perks and drawbacks. Productivity may go up, and money may be saved—both for employees and employers—but it can get a bit lonely.
As long as you can minimize distractions and have a dedicated workspace, you could efficiently accomplish your projects and marketing campaigns. Don’t forget to ask your employer for the right equipment and to ensure you have WiFi access.
Whenever you and your digital marketing team experience big or small victories, celebrate your successes. This way, everyone is motivated to do their best even when they’re apart.
Local Business Credit Card– Benefits Business Owners
For those factors, an organization credit report card or a tiny company credit scores card can come in useful, provided the advantages used for company proprietors in certain. If you have the economic understanding to handle your cash as a service proprietor, service credit history cards can provide you the versatility you require to handle day to day expenditures. Company credit rating cards utilized with treatment can be simply the point you require to assist you handle your expanding company.
One distinction in between individual and also organization bank card is the procedure of acquisition monitoring. Your acquisitions are tracked under your business name, not your name, therefore the advertising supplies that you obtain for your company would certainly be based upon what you have actually bought with your service bank card, not your individual cards. An advantage of this monitoring would certainly be that your business would certainly have an organization background which might verify to be an excellent possession.
Your service debt card declaration ought to come with an in-depth listing of purchases, damaged down by kind of cost. When you are organizing your month-to-month budgeting, or your quarterly or annual economic estimates for tax obligation repayments, these declarations would certainly come in convenient when figuring out which costs need to be billed to which accounts, as well as which expenditures are tax-deductible.
Practically 75% of company specialists evaluated have actually insisted that company bank card as well as small company charge card verify to be a simpler means to take care of costs than a bank account. Inspecting accounts call for the hand-operated recording of purchases, and also when individuals make errors or perhaps fail to remember to videotape those purchases, undesirable shocks can show up in the kind of over-limits. Your month-to-month declaration will certainly consist of every cost carefully.
Organization debt card accounts additionally have some edge advantages that individual credit scores cards do not constantly have. These additional cards will truly come in helpful as soon as your service begins to expand. Considering that your company credit report card would certainly come with in-depth expenditure monitoring, you would certainly really feel the convenience of handing over these types of acquisition choices to others, leaving you even more time to concentrate on expanding your company.
Utilizing the best bookkeeping software program, you can combine your online declarations with your existing account documents to instantly match costs with allocated accounts. Why pay an accounting professional to rest as well as match those expenditures up when you can make use of a software application plan would certainly do the exact same task at half the time and also expense possibly a great deal much less than the income of an accounting professional?
A tiny organization credit scores card might finish up being not simply a resource of economic adaptability, yet likewise a surrogate accounting professional. When you figure in the various other advantages of a company credit scores card, such as benefit regular leaflet miles for airline companies, or from incentives that come with cash money refunds for acquisitions, the benefits of company debt cards start to standout considerably. The trick is to bear in mind to pay your equilibrium as well as your charges in a prompt fashion, so that your credit report ranking as a company continues to be solid.
For those factors, a service debt card or a little service credit scores card can come in useful, offered the advantages supplied for service proprietors in specific. Your acquisitions are tracked under your business name, not your name, and also so the advertising and marketing provides that you get for your organization would certainly be based on what you have actually acquired with your company credit rating cards, not your individual cards. Practically 75% of company specialists evaluated have actually insisted that company credit report cards and also tiny service credit history cards show to be a simpler means to handle expenditures than a monitoring account. Because your company credit history card would certainly come with comprehensive expenditure monitoring, you would certainly really feel the convenience of passing on these kinds of acquisition choices to others, leaving you even more time to concentrate on expanding your company.
When you figure in the various other advantages of a company debt card, such as incentive constant leaflet miles for airline companies, or from incentives that come with cash money refunds for acquisitions, the benefits of company credit report cards start to standout considerably.
SIRUM is making medications affordable for all. We’re a small (~25) but quickly growing team that’s passionate about our mission of reimagining healthcare access for those in need.
We like to work hard, solve tough problems, and are determined to improve healthcare access for families who have trouble affording the medications they need to stay healthy.
We’re currently hiring for both our Palo Alto and Atlanta offices, as well as some fully remote roles. We have opportunities for senior software developers, software architects, sales, communication, and many other positions and are especially interested in anyone with pharmacy experience.
If you want to work in healthcare, love mission-driven work, and thrive in a startup environment, then we may be a good fit. Check out our open roles at https://www.sirum.org/about#careers.
Even if you don’t see something that’s the right fit right now, email adam@sirum.org – we love hearing from folks on Hacker News who share our mission.
Fundability is like a puzzle. There are many different pieces that make up the complete picture. Financial statements are part of that, both business and personal. Business tax returns are just one piece of the puzzle.
The Basics of business Tax Returns and How They Affect Fundability
According to the IRS, except for partnerships, all businesses have to file an income tax return. There are different forms. The one you need to use depends on the business structure you choose. In addition to partnerships, there are sole proprietorships, corporations, S-corps, and LLCs.
Business Tax Returns for Beginners
If you are a new business owner, there are some things about paying business income taxes you need to know. They are not exactly the same as paying personal income tax. One of the major differences is that you may have to pay estimated tax.
Estimated Tax
Federal business income tax is pay-as-you-go. You have to pay the tax as you earn or receive income.
Sole proprietors and S-corps that expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when they file their business tax return, will generally need to make estimated payments. For corporations, those that expect to owe $500 or will need to pay estimated taxes.
Documentation
You are going to have to track expenses, asset purchases, income and more. The absolute best way to do this is to implement an excellent bookkeeping system from day one. HIring a bookkeeper or bookkeeping agency is best. If you cannot do this, at least choose one of the many great accounting software options available.
With these options, you can print reports at the end of each tax period. Then just hand them over to your tax preparer.
Learn more here and get started with building business credit with your company’s EIN and not your SSN.
Tax Preparation
Do nottry to prepare tax returns for your business on your own. Just hire a tax professional. The cost will be well worth the time and money you save. You reduce the chances of a mistake, and you have back up if your business has to undergo an audit.
Note that your tax preparer should not be the same person as your bookkeeper or accountant. Whoever keeps the books should not do the tax returns. Larger corporations are not even allowed to have the same firm handle bookkeeping and taxes. With smaller businesses the same firm is ok, but it is not wise for the same person to do both. This helps deter and detect fraud.
This means, even if you have an in-house bookkeeper or accountant, they can prepare everything the tax preparer needs. However, they should not complete the tax forms themselves.
Other Choices You Have to Make Before Filing Your First Business Tax Return
When it comes to filing tax returns for your business, you have some choices to make. Discuss these with your tax professional thoroughly before making any decisions.
Cash vs. Accrual
You will need to choose your method of accounting. You can choose either cash or accrual basis. With the cash basis, you count income as revenue when it is collected. In the same way, you count expenses when you pay them. With accrual basis accounting, you record income when you earn it. You count expenses when they are incurred.
For example, using cash basis accounting, you don’t necessarily count revenue as soon as an item sells. You count it when you get the cash. That means, unless the buyer pays cash on the spot, you do not record revenue until the customer pays the invoice. You do not carry receivables on your books.
Using accrual basis accounting, you will record revenue when the item sells. A receivable for the invoice will go on the books..
If your business is new, you may have more unpaid expenses and more uncollected income at the end of the year. Then, it looks best for you to take those outstanding expenses as a deduction. That’s accrual basis accounting.
Yet, later on when your business is profitable, your outstanding receivables will likely be higher than outstanding expenses or payables. If you are using the accrual method, you will be recording more net income and thus paying more in taxes under the accrual method. Consider this when making your decision.
Learn more here and get started with building business credit with your company’s EIN and not your SSN.
Once you decide which method to use, you will have to stick with it through the life of your business. Although, there are exceptions that allow for changes to be permitted. Also, certain businesses, like those with larger revenues or that carry inventory, do not have a choice. They must use the accrual method.
Depreciation
There are a few different options about depreciation. Discuss this thoroughly with your tax preparer to ensure you are doing what is best for your business. The first choice will be about first year depreciation. Typically depreciation on assets is written off over the course of 5 to 7 year. However, the IRS allows a first year deduction of up to $100,000 for equipment and most furniture instead. This is an election most business owners take.
However, if you do not make a profit you cannot take the $100,000 deduction. You can carry it forward to a year that you do make a profit.
Early on, you might want to think about using the slower depreciation method. Then, you can use the deductions later. At that time, there will likely be more income. You may be in a higher tax bracket than the startup phase. The depreciation deductions may come in handy.
The most important thing in making any tax decision is to discuss it with your tax professional.
Business Tax Returns and Fundability Crossover
Fundability is, in the most simple terms, the ability of your business to get funding. For a business to be fundable, it needs to be fully recognizable as an entity separate from its owner. There is a lot of crossover between fundability and business taxes.
Fundability, Business Tax Returns, and Entity Type
Take the business entity choice for example. You can choose whichever you want for you taxes, but you do have to choose one. Generally, that choice will depend on your budget and needs for liability protection. Your tax advisor will be able to help you decide. However, the decision you make affects fundability as well.
For fundability purposes, you do not need to operate as a sole proprietorship. Your business needs to operate as a completely separate entity from you as the owner. To do that, you need to choose to operate as either an S-corp, LLC, or corporation.
Fundability, Business Tax Returns, and the EIN vs. SSN Saga
If you are operating as a sole proprietor, it is possible to use your SSN to file your business tax return. For fundability, you should not file a business tax return using your social security number. This is also a vital part of setting your business up to be fundable. You need an EIN. You can get one for free at IRS.gov.
Learn more here and get started with building business credit with your company’s EIN and not your SSN.
Business Bank Account
To fully separate your business from yourself as the owner, you need to have a separate, dedicated business bank account. This is also helpful for tax purposes. It makes tracking business expenses much easier.
What Lenders are Looking for in Business Tax Returns
Why and how do business tax returns affect fundability? There are many factors that affect the overall fundability of a business. Credit Suite identifies 23 core principles of fundability. We break these down further into 125 fundability factors. Business financials is one of the core principles of fundability. Business tax returns are one of the factors included in this principle.
Lenders want to see that you pay your taxes, and that you are reporting things accurately to the IRS. They may not always request business tax returns. Still, if they do and you do not have things in order, it will definitely cause a problem.
Even if they do not request tax returns, they may do various background checks on your company. If they turn up that you aren’t handling your taxes responsibly, it won’t bode well for your ability to get funding.
Business Tax Returns Are Only One Piece of Fundability
Some factors affect fundability more than others. For example, consider if your business taxes are in order, but your business credit score stinks. You may struggle to get the funding you need to run your business. The same is true for how your business is set up. Say you have your taxes completely handled, but you are operating as a sole proprietorship. You are not separating your business from yourself. You use your SSN and personal contact information to file your taxes. This will cause issues with your business credit profile. That in turn causes fundability issues.
You need a tax expert to help you with your business tax return. You need a business credit expert to help you with overall fundability. Our experts can ensure you’re hitting all the core principles of fundability, and help you figure out what to do to ensure all the factors of fundability are met as closely as possible. This will give you your best shot at funding your business now, and in the future. Get a free consultation now to find out how Credit Suite can help you.
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