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AProductivityGuideforSMBs:UsingOfficeSoftwaretoAchieveYourGoalsand

GrowYourBusiness

WPSOfficeSoftware3000ElCaminoRealPaloAlto,Ca.94306(650)617-3213www.wps.com

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TableofContents

GotanSMB?HowtoAvoidCommonChallengesofSmallBusinesses Page3WilliamWongChooseGoalsOverResolutions Page5ColeArmstrongHowtoStayonTrackTowardYourGoals Page7JoelFristromEffectivePresentationsforSMBs Page9ColeArmstrongSMBSecretWeaponforTeamCollaboration:FileRoaming Page11WilliamWongTaxHeadacheswithYourSmallBusiness? Page13WilliamWongMakingProgressTowardYourGoals?KeepingYourSMB’sVisionInSight Page15ColeArmstrong

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GotanSMB?HowtoAvoidCommonChallengesofSmallBusinessesThisguidewasdesignedtoteachyouwhatyouneedtoknowtogrowyoursmallbusinessstrategicallybyestablishinggoals,protocols,andpracticestostayontrack,aswellassharesomespecificproductivitytoolsandtipsforSMBs.WhatdistinguishesSMBsfromlargerenterprisesistheirnumberofemployees—whilelargecompaniesgenerallysupportmorethan1,000employees,smallbusinesseshave100orfewer,andmid-sizecompanieshavebetween100and999people.WhyisitimportanttodesignateSMBsseparatelyfrombiggerorganizations?Oneoftheprimaryreasonsisthattheyfacedifferentchallengesthanlargerenterprises.YetmanyofthemostcommonchallengesthatSMBsencounterarecompletelyavoidableifyou’reproactive.Herearefivetopchallengesthatsmaller-sizedbusinessesoftenrunupagainst,andhowtosteerclearofthem:Challenge1:Dealingwithnewhires.Largerorganizationshavegreaterhumanandfinancialresourcestohirenewemployees,whichiscriticaltogrowingthebusiness.Smallercompaniesareoftencash-strapped,atleastinitially.Thiscanmakeittoughertoallocateneededfundsforonboardingwhenallfactors—frombenefitsandequipmenttotrainingandtaxes—areconsidered.Oneapproachtomanagethisissueistoplanforslowgrowth.Ratherthanhiringseveralnewemployeesatonce,spreadoutyourhiresoveralongerperiodtoimproveyourchancesofahighROI.Challenge2:Becomingandstayingprofitable.SMBsmayhaveproblemswithcashflowthatcanhurtquarterlyandannualprofits.Moneyissuesmightberelatedtodelayedclientpayments,outstandingbills,and/orequipmentneeds.Figuringoutwaystoincreaseprofitsisacomplextaskthatinvolvescontinuouslyinnovatingtobeatthecompetition.Beyondongoingproductandserviceoptimization,however,youcanusesoftwaretoolstohelpwithmoneymanagementanddecreasethechanceofgoingtoofarintotheredwithoutmakingchanges.Toolssuchasspreadsheetscanhelpwitheverythingfrombudgetingtoadvancedmodelingfunctionstohelpsmallbusinessesimprovetheirfinancialforecastingability.

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Challenge3:Becomingdependentonakeyclient.Smallbusinesses—particularlythosewithfewerthan50employees—canquicklyfindthemselvesintroubleiftheyputtoomanyoftheireggsinasingleclient’sbasket.IfyourSMBreliesononeclientforthemajorityofthecompany’sincome,it’sclearthatproblemswillariseshouldyoulosethatbusiness.Whileitmaynotbesimpleforsmaller,morenichedbusinessestowidentheirclientbase(particularlyintheearlystagesofgrowth),it’simportanttoworkonclientdiversification.Ifyouwantyoursmallbusinesstogrowandthrive,youmustavoidoverdependenceonyourcurrentkeycustomer.Keepastrongmarketinginitiativegoingtoattractnewclientsevenwhenyoufeelthattheteamdoesn’thavetimeforit.Challenge4:CEOfatigue.JustasSMBsareoftentooreliantononeclient,theyalsomaydependtoomuchonthecompanyfounderorleadershipteamtostayafloat.Keycompanyexecutiveswillofcourseneedtotakeongreaterresponsibilityduringthelaunchphaseandearlyyearsofastartup,butthebusinessrisksburnoutiftheseleaderscontinuetoshouldermorethanishumanlypossiblefortoolong.ThesolutionhereistosuccessfullymanageChallenges1-3above,ensuringthatnewstaffjoinatareasonableratetohelprelieveworkflowburdens,andareabletohelptheenterprisestayprofitablebycollaboratingwithawiderrangeofcustomers.Thatway,thefoundersandCEOwon’tfindthemselvesrunningoutofsteambeforetheventurehasachancetoreachitsstride.Challenge5:Toolittletime.WhenyourecognizethetollthatthechallengesabovecantakeonSMBs,ithelpscrystalizewhyemployeesworkingforsmallerorganizationsmayalwaysfeellikethey’reracingtheclockandlosing.Evenwhenputtinginthelonghoursrequiredofastartup,thosewhoworkforsmallbusinesses—employeesandfoundersalike—mayfindthemselvesstrugglingtokeepupwitheverythingthereistodoeachdaytokeepthebusinesssolvent.Thisisanotherareawherespreadsheetscanhelpviaitsproductivitytools.SMBscandesigntheirowntimemanagementsystemusingtheformulasandfunctionsavailableinspreadsheets,creatingvisualrepresentationsofhoursallocationusingbuilt-intables,customizablecharts,andwhat-ifanalysisfunctions.Officesoftwarecanhelpsmallbusinessteamssavetimeinotherways,suchasbyusingcollaborationtoolsinsuchasWPSOffice’sWriterandPresentationapps,aswellforitsSpreadsheetsprogram.ThenextchapterwilldiscusscraftingyourSMB’sgoalsfortheyear,andsharewhysettingupyourstrategyandgoalsforthecomingyearisessential.

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ChooseGoalsOverResolutionsEachJanuary,manypeoplefocusonsettingNewYear’sresolutionsthatstartoffwithpromisebutfizzlebyFebruary.Infact,researchhasshownthatonly8percentofNewYear’sresolution-settersendupactuallyachievingtheirvision.Thosestatisticsaren’tveryinspiring.Youcanbeatthosepoorodds,though,byforgoingtheinefficientresolutionsandinsteadstartoffbydesigningyouryear’sstrategyandgoals.Herearesometipsandtricksonhowtomakegoal-settingworkforyou:Makegoalstrackable.Onereasonthatsomanyresolutionsaredoomedtofailureisthattheyareexpressedaslittlemorethanawish.Resolvingto“improveyourmarketinginitiative”or“increaseprofits”maypointyouintherightdirectiontowardareasthatyou’dliketoimprove,buttheproblemwithsimplystatinggoalsasresolutionsisthatthere’snothingactionable,measureable,ortrackableaboutthem.Toincreaseyourchancesofsuccessfullyreachingyourdesiredoutcome,ithelpstosetspecificmilestonesthatyoucantackleenroutetoyourultimategoal.Forexample,ifyouwanttodobetteratmarketingthisyear,chooseaquantifiablegoalsuchas“IwanttohireanewPRfirm,”andthenlistthestepsthatitwilltakeyoutoreachthatgoal.Inthiscase,youmightbeginbyresearching10firmsandschedulinginterviewstolearnmoreaboutthembeforechoosinganewmarketingpartner.Tomakethisgoalevenmorequantifiable,youmightadditionallysetspecificgoalsinrelationtothefirm’smarketingefforts.Forexample,youmightsetagoalforthenewPRfirmtoincreaseawarenessofyourbrandamongaspecificaudienceby15percentbeforetheendoftheyear,ortoplacethoughtleadershiparticlesinthreeindustrypublicationsinthethirdquarter.

Giveitadeadline.Resolutionsalsooftenflopbecauseoftheiropen-endedness.Forexample,aresolutionlike“Iwantmybusinesstobecomemoreprofitable”doesn’ttellyouanythingaboutthetimelineforachievinggreaterprofits.Instead,bespecificbygivingyourgoals—aswellasthestepsneededtoachievethem—definitedeadlines.

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Aswiththestrategyabove,themoreaccuratelythatyoucanquantifyyourgoals,thebetterchanceyou’llhaveofachievingthem.Sofortheprofit-increaseexample,youmightwanttotargethittinga5percentincreasebytheendofeachquarter.Writeanactionplan.NewYear’sresolutionsarealsofrequentlyexpressedonlyasverbalstatementsratherthanwrittenplans.Bycommittingyourstep-by-stepgoalstopaper(orbetteryetcreatingafileinanapplikeOfficeWriterorOfficeSpreadsheets),you’llbehelpingtoholdyourselfaccountable.Officeapplicationscanfacilitateyourgoal-settingeffortsinotherwaysaswell,whenitcomestocreatingyouractionplan.YoucanuseWritertocustomizeyourdocumentinmanyways,fromaddingimagesforinspirationtocustomizingchartstovisualizeyourprogress.Forevengreatertrackingabilitywithyouractionplan,youcanuseSpreadsheetstosetupyourownformulasandfunctionsbycategoriesthatcorrespondtoyourspecificgoals.TheSpreadsheetsappallowsyoumaximumflexibilitytoorganizethestepsinyouractionplanandassigngoalsandothervariablestothem.Youcanevenusetheapp’sadvancedmodelingfeature,whichcomeswithwhat-ifanalysisfunctionsincludingGoalSeekerandSolver.Thisallowsyoutoimproveyourforecastingability,whichisparticularlyusefulifyourgoaliscomplexanddata-driven.Thenextchapterlooksatgoalplanningwithafocusonwhyestablishingprotocolsandpracticestostayontrackisfundamentaltoyoursuccess.We’llalsoshareafewcommonobstaclestoavoidandsomestrategictoolsandtemplatesthatwe’vefoundtobeindispensable.

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HowtoStayonTrackTowardYourGoalsAswecontinueourlookathowsmallandmedium-sizedbusinesses(SMBs)canreachtheirgoalsandgrow,let’sturnourattentiontowardsomespecificpracticesthatcanhelp.Establishingreliableprotocolstoapproachthebusiness’sgoalssystematicallyisafundamentalpartofstayingontrack.Tocreateyoursystems,productivitytoolscanbeveryhelpful.Templatescanbeinvaluableinhelpingtocreatethesestrategictoolsinacustomizedwaythatfitswithyourspecificgoals.Templatesessentiallyprovideyouwith“blueprints”thatyoucanuseasastartingpointforyourwork,butthencanchoosetoenhancewiththeexactbellsandwhistlesthatyoupreferorneedtoalignwithyourworkfloworprocesses.Lookforanofficesuitethatoffersawiderangeoftemplatesdirectlywithinitsapps.Whetheryou’recreatingacalendar,budgetspreadsheet,orgoalpresentation,usingtemplatescanhelpsaveyoutime,createconsistencyacrossyourprojects,andreduceyourexpenses,allofwhichcanhelpyoureachyourobjectivesthisyear.Inadditiontotemplates,someotherindispensibletoolsforgoal-settinginclude:

• Collaborationtoolscanhelpyoucommunicateyourgoalswithcolleaguesacrossthecompanyorworld.

• Digitalplatformsthatyoucanimplementtoenhancegoaleffectivenessbyallowingyoutokeepplanningwhetheryou’reusingyourlaptopordesktop—orsmartphoneortablet.

• Productivitysolutionscansupportyoureffortstomeasuredatarelatedtoyourgoals,whetherit’sprojectscompleted,hoursspentworking,etc.

• Spreadsheetsallowyoutouseformulasandchartsthatyoucancustomizetohelpyoutrackthespecificvariablesthatyou’vedefinedforyourgoals.

• Pivottablesfacilitatequickandeasyanalysisandsummarizingoflargeamountsofdata,whichcanhelpyouimprovetheefficiencyofyourgoal-settingefforts.

• Advancedmodelingviawhat-ifanalysisfunctions—includingWPSOfficeSpreadsheets’GoalSeekerandSolver—allowsyoutogetbetteratforecastingandfindingsolutionsforevenyourmostcomplexanddata-drivenchallenges.

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Nowthatyouhaveanideaaboutthediverserangeoftoolsthatcanhelpyousetefficientprotocolsandpracticestoboostyour2017goalplanningandachievement,let’sthinkabouttheotherhalfoftheequation:commonobstaclesthatcanhamperprogresstowardgoalsforSMBs.First,asarefreshertoourlastchapter,ifyourbusinessgoalsaren’tmeasurableandtrackable,thenthey’renebulousnesscankeepyoufromreachingyourgoals.Withthisinmind,makeyourgoalsasspecificandquantifiableaspossible,usingthetoolsabovetohelpyoutrackmilestonesasneeded.Second,ifyoudon’tsetadeadlineforgoalachievement,you’relimitingyourchancesforsuccess.Usecalendaringtoolsandtemplatestohelpwithschedulingactionstepsthatcankeepyoufocusedonmovingsteadilytowardthebusiness’sgoals.Third,failuretowriteanactionplancankeepyourvisionintherealmofwishesorresolutionsratherthanconcretegoals.Writedownyourstep-by-stepgoalstohelpholdyourselfaccountable.Thesesolutionscanalsogiveyouaclearforumtovisualizeanddocumentyourprogress.Armedwiththerighttoolsandtheknowledgeaboutwhatsmallbusinessesshouldavoidwhenitcomestocompanygoals,you’reinagreatplacetostartmakingyourdreamsarealitythisyear.Andremember:justbecauseyouhitafewroadblocksalongthewaydoesn’tmeanthatyouwon’tultimatelyreachyourgoals.Staypersistent,positive,andwillingtopushforwardafterasetback.Yourtoolsplusyourattitudecangoalongwaytowarddetermininghowyoufeelaboutyourgoalprogressatthistimenextyear.

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EffectivePresentationsforSMBsWenotedearlierthatSMBssharemanycommonchallenges.Yetmanyoftheseissues—frommanagingaconstantinfluxofnewhirestokeepingabreastofprofitabilityissues—canbesolvedusingaPresentationapp.SMBsneedthepowerofPresentationtohelptheminfluenceothersinrealtime,whetherit’sthroughaslideshowtotrainnewemployeesorconvincenewinvestorsthatyourcompanyhaswhatittakes.Withtheseneedsinmind,smallbusinesseswoulddowelltoconsiderfindingamobileofficesoftwaresuitethatisnotonly100%compatiblewithMicrosoftPowerPointbutalsoallowsthemto:

• Workrightfromasmartphoneordevicetoinsertimagesapresentation• Writeonslidesdirectlyusinganinkfeature• Viewnotesusingthepresentermode• Useatouch-controlledlaserpointerforprofessionalpolish

Ifyouhaveamobileappthatallowsyoutothesethings,suchasWPSOfficeforiOS,you’rereadytogetstarted.Followthesetipstobuildapowerful,effectivebusinesspresentation.Tapready-madetools.Whetheryouneedtocommunicateyourpointstoanaudienceoftwopeopleor2,000,dynamicvisualscanenhanceyourskillasapublicspeaker.YetexecutivesatsmallerbusinesseshavelittletimetospendtinkeringwithaPowerPointtogetitjustright,whethertheyhavetechnicaldesignskillsornot.BycallingontheWPSOfficePresentationapp,youcandrawonawiderangeofcapabilitiesthattakealltheguessworkoutofpresentationcreationsothatyoucancomeupwithsomethinggreatinahurry:

• Notgraphicallyinclined?Noproblem—theappcomesequippedwithanimpressiveselectionofslidetemplatesthatareprofessionallydesignedandreadytograbandgo.

• Overwhelmedbyformattingissues?Yourpresentationswilllooklikethey’vebeencraftedbyagraphicdesigner(evenifyouaren’tone)simplybyworkingwiththeapp’sfamiliarandintuitivearrayofformattingtools,fromcolors,shapes,fontstyles,tableformatting,andevenWordArttexteffects.

• Prefertocustomize?Theapphasyoucoveredsinceyoucanusetheready-madetemplatesasastartingpointforyourownoriginalwork.Betweenthetemplatesuiteandcountlessformattingoptions,you’llbeabletotailoryourmessageanddeliverytoanytypeofcustomer,client,orindustryaudience.

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• Wanttoavoidboring?Ifyourskillsaremorebasic,yourpresentationmightlooksimplisticandho-hum—unlessyourappsuppliesthebellsandwhistlesforyou.WithWPSOfficePresentation,you’lllooklikeaproatallofyourbusinessmeetingswhenyourslideshowsfeaturemultimediafiles,slidetransitions,orevenadvancedanimationifyouchoose.

• Keepitclearandcompelling.Whenyouhavetherighttoolsbehindyou,itmakesitmucheasiertofocusonwhatyouwanttosay.Abestpracticewhenusingtheappistothinkabouthowtoconveyyourmessageinawaythat’sstraightforwardandsimple.Lessisdefinitelymorewhenitcomestocapturingtheattentionofyouraudience,socraftyourslidelanguageinshortbulletpointsthatwillbeeasytoabsorbasdigestibletake-aways.Afewwell-placed,compellinggraphicsfromcharttophotoscanreelpeopleintoyourmessageandhelpkeepeyesgluedonyourscreen.

• Leverageyourtechnique.You’vegottheplatform,technology,andmessagereadytogo.Nowit’stimetobringitallhomebytuningupyourdeliverytechniqueasabusinessspeaker.Thinkaboutthebestpresentationsyou’veenjoyedinthepast—oftenthemostdynamicspeakersunderstandthehumandesiretohearrelatablestories.Evenashortanecdoteaboutyourownexperienceoraclientcasestudycanbringhomethelessonsofyourlectureandmakeyourdiscussionmorememorable.Storiescanalsohelpyourviewers’mindsfromwandering,especiallyifyoutellthemduringmoredryer,data-intensivepartsofthelecture.

Ifyou’restillgettingyoursealegsasanSMBpresenter,remembertopracticetheslideshowonceortwicebeforeyougolive,totestoutyourequipmentandseehowtheappworks.Youcanrelyonyournotesinthepresentermodetohelpguideyouthrough,andtryoutthatcoollaserpointertoguideyouraudiencewhereyouwantthemtogo.Remembertostayasspontaneousaspossibletoavoidsoundinglikeyou’rereadingverbatim.Ifyou’veneverusedtheappbefore,expecttobesurprisedbyhowmuchmoreyoumaylikepresentingtoacrowd—andhowmuchithelpsyoursmallbusinessgrow.

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SMBSecretWeaponforTeamCollaboration:FileRoamingLikelargercompanies,manyoftoday’ssmalltoSMBsrelyondistributedworkforces.It’sasvitalforsmallerorganizationsasforbiggeronestobeabletocollaborateproductivelyandeffectivelyfromdifferentofficesandlocations.Wementionedearlierthatsmallandmid-sizeenterprisesfaceuniquechallenges,includingover-relianceonasingleexecutive,particularlyinthestartupphase.Businessescanavoidthisproblemwhentheyareabletoworkeffectivelyasagroupacrossbordersusingdifferentdevices.FilesandprojectscanbesharedinthecloudusingafeaturecalledFileRoaming,offeredthroughWPSOffice.FileRoamingcanhelpconquerothercommonSMBchallengesaswell,suchasbeingcrunchedfortime,sinceitmakescollaborationonsharedfilesmuchquickerandeasier.FileRoamingissimplyanautomaticdocumentbackupservicethatallowsallteammemberstoaccesstheirdocumentsinmultipleways:

• Throughtheprogramitself• ViatheInternetathttps://account.wps.com• FromiOSorAndroiddevices

Thefeatureworksbysavingdocumentstothecloud.WhenFileRoamingisactivated,anytimeyouopenorcreateadocumentinWPSOffice,itgetssavedautomaticallytoWPSCloud.YouandyourteammemberscanthenaccessthedocumentwhenloggingintoWPSOfficeonlineorthroughamobiledevice.Thismakesiteasyforyourcolleaguesindifferentlocationstocollaboratewithyouremotely,eithertovieworeveneditthesamedocumentsthatyou’reworkingon.

Inadditiontotheauto-saveofopenfilesintotheWPSCloud,otherhighlightsofFileRoamingincludetheabilityto:

• Synchronizedocumentsfromdifferentdevices,whetherPCoriOS/Androiddevices,withtheWPSCloudwebsite.

• Saveeachandeverychangeyoumaketoyourdocumentsandviewtheminthedocument’shistory.

• Useyoursocialmediaaccounts(Facebook,Google,orTwitter)tologin;youcanalsosignupwithyouremailaddress.

It’ssimpletoactivateFileRoamingwithjustafewstraightforwardsteps.Youhaveyourchoiceofhowtologin—eitherbyopeningoneoftheWPSOfficeapps(Writer,Spreadsheets,or

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Presentation)andclicking“SignIn,”orbygoingtotheOfficeSpacetabintheprogramandselecting“FileRoaming”andthen“UseNow.”Otheroptionsasmentionedaboveincludelogginginwithyoursocialmediaaccount,orevensigningupwithyouremailaddress.That’saboutallthereistoit,sinceonceyou’reloggedin,FileRoamingactivatesautomatically.Oncethefunctionisenabled,thefeaturetakescareoftherest,uploadingeveryfileyouopenoredittothecloudwhereyourteamcanalsologintoFileRoamingandseethem.TheyarehandilystoredundertheOfficetab,thenFileRoaming,oryoucanalsoviewthemontheWPSCloudwebsite.Justkeepinmindthatifyoulogout,theFileRoamingfeaturewillbedeactivatedandwillnolongeruploadthefilesthatyoueditoropenintothecloud.HelpyourSMBteamsachievealignmentoftheirdocumentsandfileswithFileRoaming—theultimatecollaborationtooltoimprovecommunicationandproductivityforcompaniesofallsizes.

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TaxHeadacheswithYourSmallBusiness?Smallandmedium-sizedbusinesses(SMBs)areresponsibleforpayingtaxonanyrevenuetheymake(minusdeductibleexpenses)inacalendaryear.Ifyou’reheads-downfocusingsolelyonbusinessoperationsanddeliverables,you’llfindyourselfhavingtoscrambleanddoextraworkasthetimetofiletaxesapproacheseachspring.There’sasmarterwaytogoaboutyourtaxplanningandpreparation:utilizingthepowerofspreadsheets.IfyoufearadditionalheadachesatthethoughtofaddingproductivitysoftwaremanagementtoyourlistofSMBto-dos,worrynot.LookforaspreadsheetsappsuchasSpreadsheetsthatisnotonlyextremelyintuitive,evenforthenumbers-shy,butisalsofullycompatiblewithMicrosoftExcel.HowexactlycanSpreadsheetsmitigateyourtax-prep-relatedchallenges?Inshort,byallowingyoutocompileandeffectivelyorganizeallofyourdatarelatedtobusinessrevenueandexpenses,sothatitwillbeeasytosummonwhenit’stimetofilloutthosetaxforms.HerearesomepointersonhowtogetstartedusingSpreadsheetsforyour2017taxessothatyoucanleveragethisvaluabletooltobestadvantage:Chooseyourtemplate.TheSpreadsheetsprogramcomesequippedwithahostofpre-formattedtemplateoptionstotakethefrustrationoutofexpensetracking.Simplylaunchtheappandtheseoptionswillautomaticallydisplay.Youalsohavethechoicetousemultiplesheetstorecorddifferenttypesoftax-relatedvariables.Forpreparationtofiletaxes,werecommendusingonesheettotrackyourSMB’syearlyexpenditures,andonesheettotrackthebusiness’searnings.Youcanevenselecttousebuilt-incharts,whichwillhelpyouvisualizeyourcategoriesandstayontrackwithyourbusinessbudgetthroughouttheyear.

Trackyourbusinessexpenses.You’llneedtoknowhowmuchyourbusinesspaysoutofpocketeachyeartohelpdeterminetheamountoftaxesthatyoursmallbusinesswillowe.Somecommonnecessaryexpensesareconsideredtaxdeductibletobusinesses,soyoucantracktheseusingSpreadsheetsaswell.Theprogramcontainshundredsofformulasthatarealreadypre-programmed,sothatyoucaneasilysetupatrackingsystemthatwilltallyyourmonthlyandyearly

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expensesbycolumn—andyoucanflagdeductibleexpenseswithcommentstoacellorcolumn—togreatlysimplifyyourjob.Chartyourbusinessearnings.Onaseparatesheet,youcanchartallmoneyearnedbyyourSMBfromJanuarythroughDecember.Simplyselectatemplateandformulatoallowyoutotrackexpensesbycolumnsthatyoucancustomizeperyourbusiness’sneeds—forexamplebydayormonth.Youneedtocarefullytrackyourbusinessincomebecauseasasmallbusinessowner,you’reresponsibleformakingquarterlyestimatedtaxpayments.Onceyourstartupmovesbeyondthefirstyearofoperation,youmustbepreparedtomakethesepaymentsaccuratelythroughouttheyear.Thismeansthatyou’llbeabletorelyonlastyear’sSpreadsheetstohelpyoucalculatetheamounttopayinthenewyeareachquarter.PullupSpreadsheetsattaxtime.Thevalueintrackingyourmonthlyexpensesandearningswillbecomefullyapparentwhenit’stimetoprepareyourtaxfilings.Insteadofaheadache-producingscrambletounearthreceiptsandrecreatepapertrails,you’llbeaheadofthegamewithallofyourtaxdataautomaticallyandproperlyaccountedfor.You’llbeabletohandoveryourSpreadsheetformstoyouraccountant,whowillthankyouforyourdiligence.WithSpreadsheetsinyourtax-preptoolkit,theprocessoffilingquarterlyandannualtaxesforyourSMBbecomesanautomatedbreezeratherthanapainfulburden.Andthatmeansthatyoucankeepyourfocusonwhat’smostimportant:growingyoursmallbusinessintoasuccessfulcompetitiveoperation.

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MakingProgressTowardYourGoals?KeepingYourSMB’sVisionInSightEarlierwediscussedindetailhowsmallandmedium-sizedbusinessescansetupspecificgoal-settingprotocolsandpractices.Theseincludeusingtherighttools,platforms,andsolutions—includingaSpreadsheetsapp—tosystematizeandautomatetheprocessofstayingontrack.Readinguptothispoint,younowalsounderstandtheimportancefromabusinessstandpointofdetermininggoalsratherthanresolutions.Aprimarydifferencebetweenthetwoisthatgoalsaregenerallymoreactionableandtrackablethanresolutions,whichareoftenstatedasavaguevisionofthefutureratherthanaspecificendpoint.Butwhenitcomestoactuallyachievingyourgoals,thedevilisinthedetails—andthefollow-through.Sonowthatyou’vehadthelastmonthtogetaccustomedtoyournewsystem,let’sseehowwellyou’restayingontrackwithyourgoal-relatedplanning.Answerthefollowingquestionstoseeifyourcurrentpracticeswillensurecontinuitythroughmonth-endreportingandfiscalyear-end:HaveyousuccessfullytrackedyourSMB’sgoalsoverthepastmonth?We’veadvisedthatyoudeterminedefinitemilestonesforyourSMBtohitenroutetothebusiness’slong-termgoals.Thismightbeexpressedintheformofmonthlydeliverablesthatfurtheryourprogresstowardannualgoals,orweeklycheckpointsthathelpyougaugeifyou’reontargettoreachmonthlybenchmarks.Checkthatyou’veaccuratelyidentifiedappropriatemilestones—andifso,besurethatyouhaveeffectivetoolssetuptotrackandcapturerelevantdata.Forexample,ifyouwrotedownyourgoalsinWriter,buthaven’tgottenaroundtotrackingyourSMB’sspecificweeklyormonthlymilestoneswithSpreadsheets,thenyouaren’tfullyutilizingthepowerofyourproductivitysolution.

AreyouholdingyourselfaccountableforyourSMB’sannualactionplan?Ifyoufiguredoutanactionplanthatrelatestospecificannualbusinessgoals,whathappenedafteryouwrotedownyouractionplanusingthefullpowerofanofficesoftwaresuite?Areyouusingittoguideyourbusinessdecisionsandholdingyourselfandyourteamaccountabletoachievingresults?Ordidyougetembroiledindailydemandsanddroptheball?Theendofeachmonthistheperfecttimetoregroupandrevisityouractionplan,aswellasyourmilestones,tomakesurethateveryoneisstayingalignedwithyourSMB’sgoals.

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Areyouleveragingthefullrangeofgoal-settingtoolsavailabletoyou?SinceSMBfoundersandemployeesareoftenchallengedwithtoomuchtodointoolittletime,it’seasytokeeplimpingalongwithsubstandardpracticesratherthanmakingthesmalleffortittakestousethebesttoolsintheirarsenal.That’samistakesincewhenitcomestosettingandtrackinggoals,productivitytoolscanmakeahugedifferenceinyourexperienceandultimatesuccesswithgoalachievementbymakingyourlifemucheasier.Soifyou’restilltrackingyourgoalsonpaperorPost-ItNotesratherthanemployingtheintuitivetrioofanofficesoftwaresuitesuchasWPSOffice,considerhowmuchtimeandaggravationyoucouldsavebetweennowandyear-endbysettingupapropersystemtoday.TheSpreadsheetsapphasbuilt-informulasandfunctionsthateasethepainofnumber-crunchinginrelationtoyourgoals,andtheprogramevenallowsyoutoseehowyou’redoingateachstagethroughcustomizablechartsandwhat-ifanalysisfunctions.AsanSMB,astrategyof“wingingit”withyourgoaltrackingisn’tprudent.Dowhatittakestosavetimeandimproveresults,andthenkeepclosetabseachmonthtoseehowcloseyouaregettingtoreachingyourannualgoals.Byincreasingyourawarenessofincrementalprogressachievedversuswhat’sstillneededasyoumoveforward,you’llknowwhatminoradjustmentsyoumayneedtomakeinyourstatedgoalstoensureyouhitthemarkattheendoftheyear.