Blog

Are your jobs or projects actually making money — and how do you know? Effective job profitability tracking is the difference between guessing and growing. For service-based and project-driven businesses, success isn’t just about landing work, it’s about making each job profitable. Too often, business owners don’t know how much profit (or loss) they made on a job until long after it’s completed. Clear budgets and estimates Accurate budgeting is…  Read more

Welcome to our Profit First blog series, where we explore effective strategies to maximize your business’s profitability and financial success. As Profit First Advisors, we believe that prioritizing profit is key to sustainable growth and long-term prosperity. In this article, we will guide you through practical steps and advice from the Profit First perspective to help you transform your business into a profit-generating powerhouse. Reevaluate Your Expenses: One of the…  Read more

When it comes to running a small business, maintaining a healthy cash flow is essential for sustainability and growth. Your business can be incredibly profitable but still ultimately fail because of improper cash flow management. To prevent that from happening, here are some best practices that can help you better manage your cash flow and maintain the financial health of your small business. Remember, the key to success is to…  Read more

The process of onboarding employees is often lengthy, but it’s important. New hires need to learn your company’s culture, policies, and procedures. You also need to get some critical information from them so that they can legally work for you. The onboarding process is typically long and a little dry. It may include training, equipment distribution, benefits orientation, and security policies, just to name a few. There are many benefits…  Read more

When it comes to hiring seasonal employees, business owners tend to fall into two groups. Some look forward to hiring temporary workers, knowing that the need for seasonal workers reflects a business season. Some feel that it’s a necessary evil to get through times where the workload is heavy and the permanent workforce is lean. Unfortunately, the attitude is that seasonal employees are temporary, and are therefore not as skilled…  Read more

The end of the year tends to be a bit chaotic for business owners, but it’s actually a good time to get some extra housekeeping done for your business. Read on for some tips to help you finish the year neatly and feel prepared to face the new year. Review your goals and KPIs A lot has likely happened for your business over the course of the previous 12 months.…  Read more

When you start a small business, it’s usually only you behind the whole operation. You wear many hats, from CEO to clean-up crew. As you pour your heart and soul into your business and it begins to grow, the amount of work involved grows with it. Because a small business is so focused on survival, you pay a lot of attention to the bottom line. This makes a lot of…  Read more

Depending on the nature of your business, you may have workers who are employees or contractors, or you may have both. Each has their merits, but it’s important to review which are which in order to meet your tax obligations. When you have an employee, you must withhold income tax as well as report on additional benefits. Contractors generally look after their own tax obligations. It’s against the law to…  Read more

When starting a small business, business owners often think about things like the storefront, branding, and displays. They think of smiling employees and happy customers. It’s not usually the image of the shelves and cupboards in the back stockroom that fill their heads. But inventory is a critical component of your business. Sales are made and lost because of inventory control so it can’t be overlooked or left to sort…  Read more

The holiday season is without a doubt the busiest time of year for many retail businesses. It’s a great opportunity to showcase all that you have to offer and bring in new products to see how they do. But, the excitement probably wears off when you think about managing all that inventory. Don’t despair. With a bit of preparation you can manage your inventory during the holiday season, and glide…  Read more

Upgrading or changing your payroll system comes with a ton of wonderful benefits. Saving time and money, making everyone’s lives easier, and better integration are all good reasons to consider a change. But if the switch is mishandled, the results can be catastrophic and lead to long-lasting problems. Read on for some tips on how to avoid a disastrous payroll system migration. 1. Give the project the time it needs…  Read more

A business that involves inventory is exciting to set up, but it also comes with its share of challenges. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by inventory management. Adopting some helpful tools and strategies will make the inventory management process much easier. Read on for some tips on how to improve your inventory processes. Use barcodes It’s typical for a small business to start out with simple price tags because they’re…  Read more

Few business owners enjoy breaking the news of an upcoming price increase. However, when you own a business you have to deal with ever-increasing costs. Although inflation is an unpleasant part of life, it is still part of life. Price increases are inevitable for a sustainable business. If you want to stay afloat, you’ll have to do them – and regularly. Read on for some tips on how to determine…  Read more

Few business owners enjoy breaking the news of an upcoming price increase. However, when you own a business you have to deal with ever-increasing costs. Although inflation is an unpleasant part of life, it is still part of life. Price increases are inevitable for a sustainable business. If you want to stay afloat, you’ll have to do them – and regularly. Read on for some tips on how to determine…  Read more

Upgrading or changing your payroll system comes with a ton of wonderful benefits. Saving time and money, making everyone’s lives easier, and better integration are all good reasons to consider a change. But if the switch is mishandled, the results can be catastrophic and lead to long-lasting problems. Read on for some tips on how to avoid a disastrous payroll system migration. 1. Give the project the time it needs…  Read more

When starting a small business, business owners often think about things like the storefront, branding, and displays. They think of smiling employees and happy customers. It’s not usually the image of the shelves and cupboards in the back stockroom that fill their heads. But inventory is a critical component of your business. Sales are made and lost because of inventory control so it can’t be overlooked or left to sort…  Read more

When you start a small business, it’s usually only you behind the whole operation. You wear many hats, from CEO to clean-up crew. As you pour your heart and soul into your business and it begins to grow, the amount of work involved grows with it. Because a small business is so focused on survival, you pay a lot of attention to the bottom line. This makes a lot of…  Read more

Meetings are often a source of contention in the workplace. Have too few meetings and people feel disconnected. Have too many meetings and people feel that their work is being interrupted. Meetings that are too short might not accomplish enough, while those that are too long lose people’s attention. With some planning and preparation, you can easily turn your meetings into a productive, pleasant experience. Your attendees will come away…  Read more

When you start a business, you’re typically your only employee and payroll is about as simple as it gets. But as you grow, you hopefully find yourself in the position of needing to take on more employees. Before you know it, what was once a very straightforward task becomes a giant undertaking that’s sucking up most of your time. This is when it makes sense to outsource your payroll. While…  Read more

Setting up your business and getting started is definitely an exciting time for any Michigan small business owner. When you have a great business idea, or are passionate about something, it’s easy to get carried away with big ideas and forget about what you need to do to make them happen.  But, it’s important to take your time and make a complete budget first. The survival of your business depends…  Read more