Successful Teams Lead to Profitable Business

I attended a trade show in The Midwest this week and a common lament among small to middle sized business owners was finding and retaining quality employees. I emphasize retaining because there are labor pools, staffing companies and recruiters that all help to place people in specific industries, but very few professional firms will to consult and collaborate on the accounting and tax ramifications surrounding employee retention. The staff at urBook$ handles clients with varying sized workforces, with individual ways of retaining key people.  Often times, a long term incentive plan can serve as a way of rewarding and retaining key employees, without diluting ownership, and perhaps offering tax advantages for the business owner as well. Long term plans can also serve as an excellent alternative to the standard raise, which may just be "kicking the can down the road" in the eyes of employer and employee.  The accounting aspect of a 401k or ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) can; however, be a daunting task for the business owner, likely steering them away from considering this as a means of employee retention. At urBookS, we encourage the business owner to let us shoulder that accounting task, allowing the owner to confidently discuss and offer these types of retention plans to key employees.  We collaborate side-by-side with your financial planner to implement these types of programs.  When these incentive plans are appropriately explained, outlined and administered, they become a mechanism to incentivize those key employees to become even more energized about the company and it's long-term success.

When long-term success becomes the goal of the workforce, the business owner may find them self dealing less with "fire-drills" and more with careful planning an execution. Consider visiting with us at urBook$ to discuss the financial aspects of long term incentive plans for employees and their corresponding accounting needs.

urBook$ - Accountable, Reliable & Dependable Services to Our Clients!

Moliere once said “It’s not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are held accountable.”   That principal belief is a driving force at urBook$, by which we bolster not only Accountability to our clients, but Reliability and Dependability as well.  urBook$ strives to offer the most customizable solution for the hands-on business owner, while not losing the ability to run one’s business.  This means the client truly gets the best of both worlds:  The accountability of having a business manager oversee the financial aspect of the business combined with maintaining a very tangible control of the business.  Most business owners have key employees in HR, Payroll and Accounts Payable capacities that take immense ownership in their roles.  Our boutique offering allows these professionals to maintain ground level control over timing of payments, while enjoying the peace of mind that when it comes to financial reporting, these items are categorized correctly.  Income reconciliation, Bill Payment and Taxes are all critical areas of emphasis at urBook$ when it comes to managing our clients’ business.  No detail is too small and no invoice is overlooked.  The client tells us who, what, how much and when, and we take care of the rest.  With the increasing trend of data breaches, urBook$ is continuously improving ways to not only protect its client sensitive data, but also maintain the integrity of client records.  We strive to be a reliable and dependable resource when it comes to the financial management of your business.  

Common topic business owners face today & how urBook$ can help!

To Hire? To Build? To Lease? To Expand? To Buy? 

These are the dilemmas facing business owners in today’s economy.  At urBook$, our professionals pride themselves on being knowledgeable, trustworthy and honest financial resources for their clients.   

Most business owners get their economic and financial news from mainstream media.  . .which is great if you are running a Fortune 500 company.  Most of us are running what is classified as a “Small” to “Middle Market” business.  This means we employ a local workforce, produce a good or service that supports our local and national economy, lease (or perhaps own) our own business real estate and have a significant capital investment in our company.  Chances are, the value of your enterprise is the largest asset of value to you, and urBook$ aims to help our clients make proactive decisions when it comes to finances.  The Income Statement should be a planning tool, as well as an indicator of profitability.  The Balance Sheet should be a tool for financial decision making, leverage management and working capital analysis, and not just a set of double lines that we painstakingly strive to balance.  urBook$ takes charge of your performance indicators and uses them to help you, the business owner, make prudent financial decisions.  There is a reason that among the exclusive ranks of C-Level executives, there exists a position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO).  urBook$ can provide the business owner with accounting, guidance and direction, while avoiding the payroll cost of a high level executive.  

Contact urBook$ today at 469.304.0036 or visit our website at www.urbooksplano.com for more information on becoming a valued client today! 

Affordable Bookkeeping, Payroll & Bill Pay for The Small Business Owner

urBook$ aims at guiding you through effortless services such as, payroll, data entry, bookkeeping and bill pay.  Our goal is to allow you to focus on your business and what you do best! Many business owners struggle keeping ledgers, accounts payable and accounts receivables straight simply because they are focused on their business itself, and not the ins and outs of finances.  

Don't worry about these aspects of your business and let urBook$ do the work for you.  

urBook$ is committed to assist in making your business as successful as possible.  According to blog.intuit.com there are 4 affordable ways to keep customers coming back to your business.  

1. Convenient payment systems — Accepting credit cards not only offers convenience to customers, but also can help you compete with larger companies. In a study published by the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers found that the intention to pay with either cash or credit can determine whether consumers concentrate on a product’s benefits or its cost — to the extent that they might choose different (and pricier) products when paying with credit.

Beyond merely accepting credit cards, consider the inherent value that your payments processor can bring to your customers’ experience. For example, because Intuit’s GoPayment system is mobile, you can handle transactions anywhere, eliminating the need for people to wait in line at a cash register.

2. Customer loyalty programs — According to Nielsen, loyalty programs are critical to driving engagement. Your small business needs tools that allow you to deliver an organized program that customers perceive as a benefit.

With a system like QuickBooks Point of Sale 2013 Pro, you can experiment with different rewards scenarios to gauge which ones actually boost your customers’ purchase behavior. You can also manage the expiration dates for various promotions to ensure that customers stay engaged in the earning and redemption process.

3. Real-time customer service — You may think that first-rate customer service requires a large team and significant operational budget, but it doesn’t. With the help of affordable technology tools, you can provide the same customer experience that service leaders like Zappos have built their reputations upon.

4. Targeted content and promotions — Your marketing messages stand out when you focus on topics that customers want to hear more about. Instead of sending a blanket email marketing message to everyone in your database, target what you say and who you say it to based on customers’ past purchase behavior. QuickBooks POS allows you to mine data for this information.

Read more: http://blog.intuit.com/marketing/4-affordable-ways-to-keep-customers-coming-back/#ixzz36FEtkEfO

Brand Strategy

To urBook$, BRAND is key.

urBook$ investment in its client's businesses goes beyond posting payroll, managing vendor accounts and routine bookkeeping.. . We are invested in your BRAND.  Your brand is what differentiates you from your competition.  Its what makes a consumer or business choose you over the hundreds of options they are faced with daily.  Your brand doesn't only define what your business stands for; it also determines the likelihood of success, failure, market endurance and profitability.  urBook$ helps the client protect this valuable business resource so that it may continue to provide long-term dividends and returns on one's investment.  

According to an article written in the Harvard Business Review, "Having a brand strategy in place ensures that your internal team is aligned around the same goals, and helps determine how you plan to differentiate your product and win loyal customers." urBook$ shares and bolsters this philosophy within its financial team. urBook$ is committed to steadfast financial management so that you, the client, can focus on doing what you do best; being an innovator and managing your brand.

Blissfully Embellished - A Client Testimonial

"We started our business in March of this year.  My partner and I were so excited to get our products out to the marketplace, but we knew the financial component was also a crucial part of the business.  Unfortunately, neither I nor my partner had any experience in accounting.  We turned to urBook$ because the concept of completely outsourcing the function to an expert team of bookkeepers and accountants appealed to us.  After all, we rely on party planners to outsource their material and decorative needs to us! 

Our experience started with an on-boarding specialist who guided us step-by-step through the process.  Before we knew it, our accounting function was up and running.  Best of all – it was completely behind the scenes!

Recently, we heard about the Heartbleed bug.  Concerned that much of our sensitive information was stored in the urBook$ Vault, we checked to see if our documents could be compromised. Thankfully, we learned the urBook$ Vault used the most up-to-date security measures and was not vulnerable to that bug.  It was so satisfying that the urBook$ promise to use the best-in-class technology was actually true when it really mattered most!" 

                                                                                 - Owner, Blissfully Emberllished

The "Secure" urBook$ Difference

 

Utilizing safe and secure document transfers is one of urBook$ most important priorities.  The days of visiting your bookkeeper with physical files / ledgers, faxing them and even 

e-mailing them are long gone.  We now know that e-mailing documents with secure items is not a safe way of communicating, yet, it is vital for our company to maintain constant communication with you regarding up to date information for your business. 

The urBook$ Client Vault utilizes Smart Vault’s safe and secure technology and portal system to save your documents in a cloud storage system that is secure and accessible to both you, the client, and urBook$ at anytime.  This provides flexibility for you to upload current data when it is convenient to you, and know that it reaches urBook$ without needing a “reply” to ensure the correct person received your personal secure data. 

urBook$ Client Vault offers these advantages to it’s clients: 

• Authenticated log-ins and AES-256 bit encryption in transit and at rest.  Meaning, your files are safe and secure during both transfer and while being stored.

• Compatible to view with most mobile devices such as: iPhone, iPad, Android and many others. 

• View in browser functionality, meaning you can view documents without having to utilize data on your mobile device by downloading them. 

• Benefits of Smart Vaults integration with Quickbooks, Microsoft Outlook and more. 

The urBook$ Client Vault offers the highest security and safety when it comes to your data and documents.  It is urBook$ goal to ahead of the game when it comes to security, and proudly utilizes technology that is certified secure according to industry standards. 

Experience the urBook$ Client Vault today and become a urBook$ client.  Serving Plano, Frisco, DFW Metroplex, Oklahoma City and many surrounding areas with bookkeeping, payroll services and bill paying services that are a step above the rest.  Not only do we offer a high level of service; we also understand the need to be easily affordable and accessible to our clients.