10 Weeks & Cinderella

10 Weeks to 2010

OH NO - the holidays are just around the corner! Often when the decorations go up, the marketing goes down the tubes. Maybe it is seasonal overwhelm, maybe it is just the belief that the next year will be great and why waste your time at the end of they year. Stop fighting yourself and realize that it has been a rough year, so planning now could be great.

Take some time to analyze what worked well in 2009 for your business.
Start by making a list of:
--What you spent money on for advertising and promotion AND the resul
--How much time you spent on social media and networking AND the results
--When did you have your best marketing results
--Why did customers give you repeat business.

From this frank discussion, evaluate your target market to be sure that they know you, remember you and are of a financially rewarding market. Ask yourself if there is a more desirable ideal customer.

Use these answers to set a 10 week action plan to get more customers before the end of the year. Don't forget to review your core message for clarity and appeal to your ideal customer.

Next step: Develop your 2010 marketing plan and the activities that will help you achieve them. Start planning now - email Linda to get started on your plan for 2010.

Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/


Cinderella and the Stroke of Midnight
We're all familiar with Cinderella's story. Her fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a gorgeous carriage to take her to the ball -- with a strict warning to be home by midnight, lest the carriage turn back into a pumpkin!

Tax planning works the same way. That's because at midnight on December 31, some of the most valuable tax breaks turn into pumpkins. In some cases, you miss the chance to take advantage of them this year. In others, they expire entirely and you lose them forever.

In recent years, Washington has made taxes even more complicated than usual. Strict budget rules mean that new breaks come and go. This year, there are 22 tax breaks expiring on or near December 31. Some of them may be renewed before the end of the year. But it still makes sense to look at them now to make sure you don't lose anything the law offers:

* The deduction for sales tax you pay to buy a new car or truck
* The "First-time Homebuyer" tax credit (this one actually expires November 30, although it may be extended)
* The itemized deduction for state and local sales taxes (as opposed to income taxes)
* The special deduction for state and local property taxes for clients who don't otherwise itemize
* The $4,000 deduction for "qualified tuition and related expenses"
* The increased exemptions for calculating the dreaded alternative minimum taxable income
* The $100,000 exemption for IRA distributions paid by the trustee directly to a qualified charity

Several valuable business tax deductions also expire this year:
* The 50% "bonus depreciation" for new business equipment
* The expanded "first-year expensing" dollar limit of $250,000 (which drops to $125,000 in 2010)
* Accelerated depreciation benefits for certain tangible assets (including "qualified leasehold property," restaurant property, retail space improvement property, and "qualified machinery and equipment" used in farming businesses)
* Expanded first-year depreciation benefits for business vehicles
* Special credits for "COBRA" continuation subsidies for laid-off employees

None of us want to miss any of these breaks. But the only way you can be sure not to is to ask! If you're worried about missing valuable deductions -- especially if you own your own business -- call us. And if your friends, family, and colleagues are worried, have them call us too!

Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
6601 Lewis Ave.
Temperance, MI 48182
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
http://www.accounting-centers.com/