Contractor Success Map With Randal Dehart | Contractor Bookkeeping And Accounting Services

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0193 And It Will Be About Leveraging Credit Increases Your Contracting Company Cash Flow Accepting Credit Cards Can Immediately Increase Sales And Profits* Contractors Accepting Credit Cards Make More Money *We do not provide merchant services. We suggest you start by contacting you bank and doing your own research. I know from many years while we were contractors it paid off handsomely so I am simply passing on a mere "scrap of information" to help you get more cashflow and profit. Unplanned Emergencies - Are stressful now add "how am I going to pay for this" to the mix and the anxiety increases exponentially! For most people cash in short supply which leaves using a credit card, getting a bank loan or selling something to raise cash as their best options? For Example - Homeowner with leaking roof is going to get it fixed right away because rain water is damaging the interior of their home including some irreplaceable sentimental treasures including items passed down from p

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0191 And It Will Be About Special Thank You To All Contractors This Thanksgiving Holiday The time flies between each of the holidays. It is a time to reflect on the years so far and catch up.    The magical time of year begins with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas then finally New Year’s Eve. Halloween is a time to see Happy Children out trick or treating. Randal and I go to the local Mall, sit at the Food Court and watch babies, toddlers, and bigger kids enjoy the night of Trick or Treating. Fantastic to see parents dressed up and having as much fun as the kids.   Thanksgiving is when we give Thanks for being an American.   Taking a moment to think back to the challenges for the Pilgrims coming to America. They decided to make the journey with no guarantee of success. To build homes, plant crops, take care of animals. Then later everyone who decided to move West by wagon train, horse or on foot. I am Grateful For Them! I think about my Grandparents, my Great Grandparents (

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0191 And It Will Be About Contractors Need Bookkeeping Beyond Get-Me-By Picking A Get Me By Contractor’s Bookkeeping Solution in many cases is using an Excel Spreadsheet and a shoebox, file folders all dumped into a file box and looking at the Online Banking once in a while. This accounting method is the “I still got money so I must be okay.” When You Are Using Today’s Job Deposit To Pay For the material, labor and subcontractors from the last job. It is also known as “Rob Peter To Pay Paul” Cash flow is never a problem until the sales stop; then it doesn’t matter if it is the economy (you customers get laid off), domino effect (their customer didn’t pay them) or you are unable to work due to being hurt on the job or get sick (flu or a more serious illness).    Problems Arise When You Want To Do Any One Of The Following: Get a Line of Credit at the bank to expand or buy equipment Attempt to get a commercial lease for equipment Setup a 30 Day account at a major supplier Buy a

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0190 And It Will Be About Contractor CFOs Struggle To Achieve Valuable QuickBooks Reports Contractor CFO’s are in a constant struggle between having all of the documents needed for data entry and providing the tools for the Office Manager | Bookkeeper need to do the job. Owners want answers to the following questions Am I making any money? Where am I making any money? Why isn’t there a report that at the push of the button gives me all the answers? When Your Company Was New, The Answers Were Not As Important As They Are Now The CFO wants to provide the answers; goes to the Office Manager | Bookkeeper and asks why don’t we know the answers to these questions. Depending on the answers received whether the CFO goes away happy or just goes away. If the CFO is happy then goes back to the Owner and gives the explanation as to why the reports are accurate (based on information in QuickBooks) If the CFO may realize there is a problem and discusses with the Office Manager | Bookkeeper

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0189 And It Will Be About Office Manager Becomes Overworked Contractor's Bookkeeper Who Cuts Corners You are a small contractor and needs someone to answer the phone. You hire someone for the office. Calls are coming in and the Admin Assistant has some free time between calls you want to make use of that famous Standby Time so you ask them to do a little more. Being nice; you now give them the new title of Office Manager.  As the Office Manager; that person is in control of the bookkeeping, customer invoices, vendor payments and more. As the contractor, you are excited because you are handing off responsibility of the day to day activities. From your side; you have checked off the box called Office Manger DONE, phones DONE, bookkeeping DONE and material pickup and delivery person DONE. Everything is solved. Good now you can go back to work and start doing the work. This is the part you are good at and like to do.  Are you expecting Too Much from your Office Manager? Does the Off

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0188 And It Will Be About The Top Marketing Tactics Every Contractor Should Be Utilizing If you are on our present blog post, you’ll find that today’s guest Hannah West of Home Improvement Leads.com offered a few essential pieces of advice for how to be more visible to potential customers, how to strengthen your brand, and how to garner more business. If you haven’t been to our site yet, it’s fasteasyaccounting dot com forward slash blog and the latest post is right on the top. She mentioned about Using Social Media Platforms that Make Sense. And I couldn’t agree more! Today, I will talk about three fast and easy marketing platforms that I think every construction company owner should sign up for. All you need is a smartphone and three social media accounts. Keep your credit and debit cards away because creating business profiles for these platforms doesn’t cost a thing. You heard that right, I said three. In doing this, consistency is key. I promise to be less technical. Let’s

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0187 And It Will Be About Construction Contractors Mad Dash To The Year End Mad Dash To The End Of The Year And I Can’t Remember Last Week Let Alone January, April, July’s Stuff! The year is almost over. It is now the (4th) Quarter and year end deadlines are approaching. Have you given your bookkeeper, wife, partner), accountant or tax accountant the information need to complete your reports. Accountants need good information to be able to create detailed reports and save money on your taxes. Here is truly where the expression “Garbage In Equals Garbage Out” comes into play.  It is impossible to create QuickBooks Job Costing Reports when all anyone knows is the amount of a deposit on the bank statement.      It’s the Mad Dash To The End Of The Year as a contractor recently described their Year End Madness to get his documents ready for the Tax Accountant. Are You In This Cycle Of Chaos Too? It’s Preventable! Paper, Paper, and More Paper Bookkeepers and Accountants are unable

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0186 And It Will Be About When Being A Licensed Contractor Is Not Enough When You Hire A 1099 Contractor They May Actually Be Your Unplanned Employee! Having a contractor’s license is not proof enough you are a business versus an employee. If you hire a 1099 Contractor (Specialty or Trade Contractor), they just become your employee in the eyes of the tax agencies. When you hire 1099 contractors, you need to know that their state contractor’s license, bond, and insurance are active. If you are doing construction work in Washington State You can start here https://fortress.wa.gov/lni/bbip/Search.aspx When a being a licensed contractor is just not enough! During audits state, agencies are now looking to check about the bond and insurance.  Anytime a contractor’s license is suspended the state may reclassify that person as an employee on your jobs. Contractor's License Suspensions Are Computer Generated Did you mail your renewal to the wrong mailing address? Did you send your liabi

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0185 And It Will Be About Handyman Marketing Machine With Dan Perry Today's podcast guest is Dan Perry, founder of HandymanStartup.com Tell us about your background and how you came to be where you are now. I started my handyman business back in 2011 and was a complete novice when it came to business. But, I was determined to learn because I didn’t want to have to go back and get another 9-5. So, I invested in learning sales and marketing from other industries since the stuff for handyman and contractors seemed outdated. I applied and tested these strategies in my own handyman business, and got great results and quickly had a full schedule while charging a premium. Since, I’ve continued to learn, but I’ve turned a lot of my focus to helping other handymen and contractors through online training, so they can apply these strategies to grow their profits. What are some differences between you and your competitors? There are very few people doing what I’m doing for the handyman

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0184 And It Will Be About Unique Tips To Avoid Bookkeepers Who Will Destroy Your Construction Company This podcast was recorded in late September 2016 in response to a trend we see all across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii. It is likely happening everywhere in the world. When the world economy collapsed beginning in 2008, a lot of companies went out of business, and one of the hardest hit sectors was construction. Thousands of bookkeepers were suddenly out of a job, and many of them began to freelance taking on a few clients in order to pay rent and keep food on the table. As the economy continues to improve a lot of them are finding jobs with contractors like you because of the security that comes with having a stable income. The problem is they have been accustomed to having lots of free time during office hours to chat on their cell phones, surf the web, spend time on Facebook and other social media sites; not buckling down and getting work done, right and on time. In ad

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0183 And It Will Be About The Truth Behind Our Live Chat With Construction Contractors   I have been working as a Webmaster at Fast Easy Accounting for over a year now and I can truthfully say, I enjoy my job. I have been exposed to researching and reading all about the construction industry and were given the right tools and resources to expand my skillset. You, our visitors coming from this trade, must be thinking what do I know about this profession considering I am a web developer (if you haven't listened to Randal's podcast with me or would like to read my pilot blog post, please click here). Since my working hours are primarily dedicated to our online business presence - mainly website and social media, I took over our live online help for a couple of months. This experience, although not new to me, is something I look forward to and appreciate doing. It made me realized the purpose of my work in maintaining the website. I welcomed visitors and established a firsthand rela

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0182 And It Will Be About A Unique Faucet Of Qualified Leads Just For Contractors Like You! Today's Guest Article Is From Tomer Applebaum Tomer was interviewed for the Contractors Success M.A.P. Podcast and was very generous with his time and provided some extremely valuable insights for how you can generate Job Leads as easy as turning on a faucet. A Faucet of qualified leads You are a master craftsman You have spent years learning and plying your trade to get where you are. If you’re an electrician, you can run wires in your sleep. You don’t have to think about wiring the electric box, you know.. If you’re a plumber, you know just how much dope or tape to wrap for the seal to be tight. You don’t have to do it twice to prevent leaks. You do it right the 1st time. Whatever your trade, whether you're a painter, a carpenter, a handyman, whatever it is, you know it well. You can serve people and help them. And now you’ve started a business… Oh oh… The number 1 challenge As every

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0181 And It Will Be About Annual Taxes and Job Costing from the view of The Contractor The first question is why doesn’t the tax accountant help me with Job Costing? The reason is they are Tax Accountants, not Construction Accountants. If you say "I want to go to ONE Place to all my answers. Have a dedicated person be available whenever I call." You are not likely to find what you are looking for because someone with those skills will cost you several hundred dollars an hour. Maybe you think they are The Accountants and they should know the answers. They are just keeping it a secret. Maybe they don’t know what they are doing, and I need to get a new tax accountant. My Advice is Stop, take a deep breath. Is your tax accountant doing a good job with your annual taxes? If the answer is YES. Please keep them, they are doing what they are supposed to do. Annual taxes is like a job site at the end of the project. The Tax Accountant has a “Punch List” with loose ends everywhere, fi

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0180 And It Will Be About Annual Taxes And Job Costing From The View Of The Wife Of A Contractor The First Question You May Ask Yourself Is Why Doesn’t My Tax Accountant Help Me With Job Costing? They are Tax Accountants, not Construction Accountants and may not know the answers. You may think they are just keeping it a secret. Sometimes you may think they don’t know what they are doing, and maybe I need to get a new tax accountant. My Advice is Stop, take a deep breath. Is your tax accountant doing a good job with your annual taxes? If the answer is YES. Please keep them, they are doing what they are supposed to do. Annual taxes is like the game of “Pick Up Sticks” Details are everywhere, and all need to be gently picked up and placed on your tax return in a specific order. Not all of the items on the table are actual tax deductions. Your tax accountant must be up to date on the latest changes made by Congress and implemented by the Internal Revenue Service. Remember a few y

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0179 And It Will Be About Start-Up Your Contracting Company With Equipment Auctions You Started Your Cоnѕtruсtіоn Company, And Now You Need Tools, Equipment, Trucks, And Vans And You Are Dismayed By What Everything Costs The соѕt of ѕtаrtіng a Cоnѕtruсtіоn business саn be daunting and scary, tо ѕау thе least. Nо mаttеr whісh part of this wide wonderful іnduѕtrу you choose or hоw profitable іt may bе, еvery Contractor fасеѕ the same оbѕtасlеѕ fоr асԛuіrіng hand tools, power tools, truсkѕ, vans and heavy equipment. The bіggеѕt оbѕtасlе you will face is getting the money to buу what you need. So еԛuірmеnt аuсtіоnѕ can bе a grеаt hеlр to a Contractor like you. Considering the retail cost of properly outfitting one work van with the tools and equipment to open a skilled trade business like Plumber, Electrician, HVAC, Carpenter, Framer, Drywaller, Flooring, Roofer or any of the other dozens of skilled trades can cost over $25,000 then wouldn't it make sense to save money where you can

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0178 And It Will Be About Are You Trying to Find a Bookkeeper for Your Contractor Company? Construction Contractors Have Experienced The Worst Economic Times In The Past 100 Years And Now That You Are Getting Busy You Cannot Find A Decent Reliable Bookkeeper Four Things Contractors Are Saying About Bookkeepers: #1 I've been trying to hire a bookkeeper for my contracting company for a while and none of them are worth a darn! #2 I Tell Them "Your Job Is Make QuickBooks Give Me Reports I Need To Make Informed Business Decisions!" #3 I've hired four of them in the past few years and none of them have a clue about what I do as a contractor! #4 I am getting ready to hire bookkeeper number five, and I just can't take it anymore, and I am near meltdown! The Next Set Of Problems Is Related To Cash Flow #1 Now I am way behind on Invoicing for the work we have done, and I am having a hard time collecting the money. #2 I want to grow my company, do the stuff I am good at and see the money c

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0177 And It Will Be About Pain Free Lien Waivers For Contractors, Lenders And Title Companies Geoff Arnold, Luis Trejo And Sean Richardson were interviewed for the Contractors Success M.A.P. Podcast, and were very generous with their time and provided some extremely valuable insights for how you can streamline your lien waiver process. The article below is a recap of how it all works. Tell us about your background and how you came to be where you are now. In January 2016, Geoff Arnold, Luis Trejo and Sean Richardson started lienwaivers.io with the simple vision of creating a better way for all parties involved in a construction project to collaborate in the disbursement process. With their combined background in construction, finance, technology and product marketing, the team is uniquely suited to solve this problem. Their solution is a simple, intuitive, cloud­-based platform that integrates directly with common construction accounting software without requiring users to re­-e

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0176 And It Will Be About How Paper Invoices Are Bad For Your Construction Company Cash Flow By Anastasia Harold - Coolfront Affiliate Manager - Western Region You might be afraid to “go mobile” and ditch your paper work orders. I’m here to tell you there’s nothing to fear. In fact, it’s the paper invoices you should be afraid of. Here're the top ways that paper invoices are hurting your business: #1 They Get Lost Paperwork gets lost. Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) estimates finding one piece of paperwork can cost a company about $122. That could be your profit from an entire service call! PWC also estimates 7.5% of paperwork is lost forever. That could be 7.5% of your revenue from unbilled invoices. Customers agree too - they would rather have it in their email inbox. That’s one less receipt to keep track of. Storing your invoices digitally, or in the cloud, is the best way to eliminate lost paperwork and keep more information stored forever.   It's also estimated that 20% o

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0175 And It Will Be About Why Construction Accountant Is The Best Bookkeeper For Your Construction Company Experts Have Increased Knowledge And Skills. This is true whether you are talking about general bookkeeping, tax accountants, your mechanic, your doctor or other business professionals. “You’re Just the Bookkeeper” Yes in its most simple term – I’m just the bookkeeper. Of course, my clients look at it a little differently when we talk about the details of their business. What they do, how they do it, when do they bill, do they collect a job deposits.  If and when they should take payroll for themselves and how much should they take. And all of the “What About” questions that can come up – I’m an Ear – I’m a Resource! The list can go on for hours as I chat on the phone with existing clients, new clients from weekend warriors to brand new contractors to those who have been it the trades forever. Between all of the paperwork, taxes, and forms; bookkeeping is more complex than

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0174 And It Will Be About  Four Simple Steps To Make Your Contracting Company Great Again What Separates Wealthy Contractors From Poor Contractors • It's not lack of opportunities to bid jobs or get leads because getting leads is easy • It's not lack of ambition because every contractor I know is strong and ready to get busy • It's not lack of intelligence or the ability to develop a production method and follow it to the end • It's not lack of money because if you follow my method you know how to overcome that, just use O.P.M. The Answers Are Simple, But Not Easy • Wealthy Contractors begin with the end in mind and knowing what to do • Wealthy Contractors know who they are and what they believe to be true • Wealthy Contractors know what type of Contracting they are good at doing • Wealthy Contractors know how to generate more leads than they can handle Do You Want To Know How They Found The Answers? Step #1 Begin With The End In Mind  "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Peop