Home Based Business Advice

The prospect of leaving a regular 8-hour job in favor of a flexible home based business is so inviting that quite a number of people have been making the shift. Nonetheless, there are risks or pitfalls, which you should avoid, when contemplating the idea of putting up a home based business. It is imperative that you stay focused with your vision for your business and be organized in running the day to day operations.

On what kind of home based business to venture into, you are presented with a number of selections. Surveys are constantly being conducted with the reports released on what are the top-ranked or the best home based businesses. From among the cited businesses, choose the one that most interests you and where your strength lies. The ranking signifies only a business? viability and you may pick a business that may not be on the list but which you may think offers potential as a home based business.

To keep you in focus, try to have a business plan as well as a financial plan. By creating such plans to serve as your guide, you will be able to monitor your accomplishments and compare them with your targets. A financial plan could likewise assist you in tracking down your expenditures and keeping them at reasonable levels. While in the process of setting up your home based business, comply with all the legal requirements immediately in order that no legal impediment will disrupt your future operations. An organizer should help you keep organized for your daily schedules and activities. As much as possible, maintain a paperless office and print only when necessary. Keeping your files in your computer system means less paper works for you. However, if unavoidable, your important files will be more accessible and organized if you place them in the appropriate filing cabinets.

Setting up a home based business is certainly a whole new experience for you but keeping it organized and staying focused will help you operate it better.

How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

A Few Home Based Business Tax Advantages

You already know how wonderful it can be to work from home, but do you realize how many home based business tax advantages there are? Here in the United States, many people operate home based businesses just to take advantage of the numerous tax deductions that can save them money.Claiming the use of your home in your business can give you some hefty deductions on your tax return. As with anything tax-related, you must meet certain requirements determined by the Internal Revenue Service. However, if you use one room or part of a room in your home specifically for your business, you can receive a significant home based business tax deduction. This can include portions of your utility bills specifically related to that area of your house as well as any relevant home improvements.The telephone and other office related services can provide you with a substantial home based business tax deduction. If you maintain a separate fixed phone line or cell phone specifically for your business, then all costs related to those phone lines can be tax deductible. However, if you use equipment or services in both personal and business environments, it is more difficult to establish a tax deduction. There are many benefits to running your business from home but you must meet some fairly strict requirements and maintain good records of your activities and individual deductions.Using your car in your business gives you the potential for another good home based business tax deduction. Of course, you must keep excellent records but you can deduct mileage and car-related expenses that you incur while conducting your business like tolls, gas and car repair fees.With any type of business, other incidental costs come up. You can also take deductions for purchases of items such as office supplies, postage, advertising materials and other costs. You can potentially deduct even more by hiring your friends and family members to work as employees for you. When you run your business from home it can benefit in many other ways but one of the most satisfying, is not having to participate in long commutes back and forth outside the home and you are able to spend more quality time with the ones you love at home.