Under proposed new legislation, a wider definition of “tax practitioner” has been formulated to
encompass bookkeepers offering BAS services. BAS Service Providers will be governed in the
same way as tax agents, but will provide a limited range of services relating to BAS.

New Definition of “BAS Services” Will Capture Most Bookkeepers
BAS services have been more stringently defined and this definition will capture the majority
of services provided by most contract or self-employed bookkeepers. Payroll services are also
caught as the definition extends to matters involving PAYG Withholding.

Example (taken from Treasury’s Explanatory Memorandum)

Penny operates a mobile bookkeeping service for clients. She charges a fee for entering
and coding clients’ transactions into a commercial accounting programme. Penny produces
a variety of reports, including reports that assist clients in determining their BAS liability.
Penny’s clients rely on these reports to complete their BAS. The act of coding transactions
into the accounting software constitutes interpretation or application of a BAS provision.
Similarly, providing reports constitutes ascertaining liabilities or entitlements under a BAS
provision. In undertaking either function, Penny has provided a service that her client can
expect to rely on and, as such, she would be required to register as a BAS Service Provider.

Registration of BAS Service Providers
Bookkeepers who meet a ‘fit and proper person’ test, as well as stringent education
and experience requirements will be able to register as a BAS Service Provider.

For example, practically and on a personal level, we only tend to use 20% of our clothing 80% of the time.

Similarly in a business sense, 20% of our activities in business yield 80% of our results. 80% of our complaints come from 20% of our clients, 80% of our revenue comes from 20% of our clients and 80% of our profit comes from 20% of our clients.

Identifying which 20% of our clients we are talking about can be tricky, but a little effort should identify the 20% that matter most. And a little effort will lead to outstanding results for your business.

Think about how the 80/20 rule will yield incredible results in these areas:

Employees – who are your rock stars in your business. Who are your highest performers and what can you do to ensure they achieve the very best they are able day in day out? Also, have a think about who are underperforming in their current tasks… can you move them into areas where they too will become rock stars.

Clients – Who of your clients are high maintenance? What revenue are you generating from these clients? What is it costing you to service your high maintenance clients and does the return on investment justify the effort? A proper evaluation of your client database will help you to make strategic decisions as to where to expend your energy in looking after your clients.

Markets – Too many companies try to be everything to everyone. This is a highway to a beating. Find ways to be good at what is attractive to the most profitable segment of your market. Use this as a means of laser focussing your business strategically towards what is going to generate the best results.

The 80/20 rule, if applied properly, will make your business perform at its peak and allow it to compete and even flourish in any market.

Deborah Jackson of Jaxon Marketing works with successful, responsible, professional business owners who experience peaks and troughs in their income.  She helps them to understand their marketing uniqueness, how marketing intertwines with their business objectives and goals, and how to attract the right clients.

Deborah specialises in helping her clients with their strategic marketing plans, brand identity and how to communicate their brand value so they only work with great customers, charge premium prices and enjoy profitable returns.  As a result, they become passionate business owners.

Before starting her marketing consulting business, Deborah worked in advertising, sales, and strategic marketing across a variety of businesses and industries.

Deborah helps professional business owners to improve their marketing to improve their bottom line. She develops brands and marketing strategies that attract more clients.  She offers marketing assistance which includes customised strategic marketing planning sessions, brand identity, and individual marketing mentoring programs.

Ready to struggle less and achieve more?  For assistance with your strategic marketing queries I’ve created a marketing mentoring program to help business owners attract new clients.

Every now and then Procrastination rears its ugly head into my business. Sometimes I think that the to-do list is so overwhelming that I tend to go into an avoidance mode rather than a mode of just dealing with it. Does this happen to you? Realistically, you can’t ignore marketing yourself. You’ll have to just bite the bullet and do what it takes.

Let me share with you my personal action checklist that takes me from procrastination to action:

Prioritise: The best way to get moving is first sort out what your return on investment either financially, time-wise or resource-wise is for each item. Secondly, sort them in order of what will reap you the most benefits i.e. clients and revenue from the littlest output on your part and thirdly, start with that one and work down your list.

What’s getting in your way? Sometimes, procrastination is about something getting in the way. It could be you don’t have every piece of the puzzle enabling you to move forward and accomplish something. It could be that you don’t know how to do one aspect but is it absolutely necessary to your success? Whatever’s holding you back, just get clear of it.

How long will it really take? I sometimes find that I delay on a marketing task because I anticipate it taking longer than it really will. To get past this, look at the task and ask yourself realistically how long will it really take. Then, take out the to-do list and write down the time it will take you to complete it next to each item i.e. 30 minutes, 1 hour etc.

Schedule it! Open your calendar and find time slots that correspond to the time allotted for each task on your list. Schedule them as if they were client appointments you are unable to cancel.

Just do it! Once you’ve got the task appointments schedule in your diary, just do them. You’ll power through them like you’ve never done before. It’s actually pretty cool.

When marketing yourself, take notice of when you start slipping into procrastination mode – it happens to everyone, believe me. Prioritise the tasks on your to-do list and focus on the ones that’ll get you the highest return on investment. Make note of what’s getting in the way or what piece is missing and solve the issue accordingly. Establish how long it will take to get each task done and then schedule tasks into your diary. At this point you’ll have no excuses for not doing it.

Remember with marketing there is never a point at which you can say, “I’m successful now so I don’t have to market any longer.” You’ll notice that every successful entrepreneur never stops marketing. In fact, they are always adding new things to their existing marketing plans. Do the same. Always be marketing and you’ll always have clients.

For help to facilitate your strategic planning, please contact me.

Deborah Jackson of Jaxon Marketing works with successful, responsible, professional business owners who experience peaks and troughs in their income.  She helps them to understand their marketing uniqueness, how marketing intertwines with their business objectives and goals, and how to attract the right clients.

Deborah specialises in helping her clients with their strategic marketing plans, brand identity and how to communicate their brand value so they only work with great customers, charge premium prices and enjoy profitable returns.  As a result, they become passionate business owners.

Before starting her marketing consulting business, Deborah worked in advertising, sales, and strategic marketing across a variety of businesses and industries.

Deborah helps professional business owners to improve their marketing to improve their bottom line. She develops brands and marketing strategies that attract more clients.  She offers marketing assistance which includes customised strategic marketing planning sessions, brand identity, and individual marketing mentoring programs.

Ready to struggle less and achieve more?  For assistance with your strategic marketing queries I’ve created a marketing mentoring program to help business owners attract new clients.

Realistically – that’s not going to happen is it? Most of us get in the car with a clear understanding of where we are going and what we are likely to face on our journey.

Driving without a bit of forethought is going to end in tears somewhere along the way – either with no fuel left in the tank, hopelessly lost or in a ditch somewhere.

Sadly, it is not unusual for small business owners to launch in to the journey of a new year in precisely this way. Any wonder that so many businesses run out of fuel half way through, lose their way or, worst of all, end in a figurative ditch.

If you want certainty in 2010, to arrive at your destination and to do it in style, you need to plan things. Sure you have a business plan that you gave to the bank so they would give you your loan, but is that a precise set of milestones that will guide you through 2010?

A business plan is a great overview but a strategic plan is a clear step by step guide for this year. A business plan sits on your shelf and is dusted off for presentations and where you need to communicate the overall vision and mission of your business and as such it is a vital tool in your business arsenal. A strategic plan is a detailed road map to grow your business.

A strategic plan should never be far from your finger-tips. It should address the three vital questions:

• Where are we now?
• Where are we going?
• How do we get there?

Where are we now looks at your mission and core values, where are we going considers our vision and the competitive advantage we have identified and how do we get there addresses the key considerations of goals, objectives, strategies and scorecards.

Questions to ask:

• Where do you want your business to be in 5 years’ time?
• What does your company do best?
• Are you passionate about your business?
• Who are your competitors and what are they up to?

Involve your key people in the planning, get outside help to facilitate the process, ensure everyone has the information needed to plan properly, take into account different thinking styles during the planning process and most importantly ensure you end with agreement on the way forward.

Finally and vitally, agree on actions, responsibility and ownership for those actions and the timeframes and milestones for achieving the strategic plan.

The strategic plan is a vital and powerful tool for success and should resonate throughout your organisation. From the largest company to the smallest home-based operation every business should have a strategic plan if they want to succeed.

A strategic plan allows you to reconnect with why you started your business. Successful entrepreneurs don’t leave anything to chance. Growth is their choice and they plan every step of the way. A strategic plan is the start of a new, bold and exciting chapter in your business calling.

As we launch into 2010, look closely at what your company is, what you want it to be and how you are going to get it to its destination by the end of 2010.

For help to facilitate your strategic planning, please contact me.

Deborah Jackson of Jaxon Marketing works with successful, responsible, professional business owners who experience peaks and troughs in their income.  She helps them to understand their marketing uniqueness, how marketing intertwines with their business objectives and goals, and how to attract the right clients.

Deborah specialises in helping her clients with their strategic marketing plans, brand identity and how to communicate their brand value so they only work with great customers, charge premium prices and enjoy profitable returns.  As a result, they become passionate business owners.

Before starting her marketing consulting business, Deborah worked in advertising, sales, and strategic marketing across a variety of businesses and industries.

Deborah helps professional business owners to improve their marketing to improve their bottom line. She develops brands and marketing strategies that attract more clients.  She offers marketing assistance which includes customised strategic marketing planning sessions, brand identity, and individual marketing mentoring programs.

Ready to struggle less and achieve more?  For assistance with your strategic marketing queries I’ve created a marketing mentoring program to help business owners attract new clients.

Now, more than ever, you need a proven marketing strategy to attract ideal profitable clients.

So how do you attract ideal clients? No matter what the economic conditions are you need to have three vital elements in place to make sure your business succeeds:

1. A clearly defined business and a marketing message that communicates the benefits of your service to your protential clients.  Your message must create attention, interest, desire and action from your prospective clients.

2. Knowing exactly who you are selling to and articulating why should they be interested in what you have to offer.

3. Clearly designed and implemented marketing programs that are intended to build awareness and convey vital information while building a positive relationship with future clients.

Put all three of these together and you have an unbeatable formula for building your business.

By developing your strategic marketing plan will help you to clarify and identify your ideal clients, how to attract them and persuade them to buy from you.

Having a strategy and a strong brand is incredibly important to the success of a business.  By working together we will clearly clarify your brand and what that means to your customer and articulate your unique competitive advantage throughout your entire business.

You can continue to do what you’ve always done or you can call me today and organise your FREE consultation and then decide if owning a strategic marketing plan can grow your business.

Deborah Jackson

Marketing Strategist

www.jaxon.com.au

deborah@jaxon.com.au

Please find attached a monthly premium guide for $400,000 Life Cover or $400,000 Life Cover with $400,000 Trauma Plus Cover. 

Trauma Cover provides a lump sum payment on the occurrence of a listed illness or injury whether caused by flying or otherwise.

If you require further information, please contact me on:

Phone: 07 3220 3960
Mobile: 0418 885 752

Email: johnmellis@telstra.com

PILOT’S INSURANCE GUIDE – MONTHLY PREMIUM

• $400,000 LIFE COVER, or

• $400,000 LIFE COVER with $400,000 TRAUMA PLUS

CHARTER FLYING – up to 250 hours per year

CHARTER FLYING –Greater than 250 hours per year

PRIVATE FLYING – up to 100 hours per year 

PRIVATE FLYING – 100 to 300 hours per year

AG FLYING – MUSTERING/CROP DUSTING – up to 500 hours per year

AG FLYING – MUSTERING/CROP DUSTING – 500 to 750 hours per year

For a personalised quote please contact John Ellis at johnmellis@telstra.com or on
Ph 07 3220 3960      M 0418 885 752

Smooth sailing in a business is hard enough without adding the complications of injury, illness or even the death of a business partner or key person.

The probability of at least one partner dying before the age of 65 for a two-partner business structure is a significant 34% climbing to 71% if your business has six partners. And the chance of a partner becoming disabled is higher with 51% likelihood for a two-partner business structure, and 88% for a business with six partners.

That’s why every business should include business insurance as a matter of choice.

When asked who is a good referral for them will say something like…”anyone in the ………………. business”! Or on a similar track….. “someone in the …………….. business”!

In all my years of networking and the thousands of people, I have yet to meet a person called “someone” or “anyone”.

You might say isn’t that being a little pedantic?

If so, ask your networking group to name the specific people they think of when you ask for “someone” or “anyone” and see who they come up with – most times there are no names.

So what do you do?

1. Make a list. List all the specific people by name, title and company that you would like an introduction too.
2. Make another list. List all the business categories where someone in that category would a potential client or source of clients.
3. Start asking. When next you are given the opportunity to say who is a good referral for you, name someone on your list.

You will be amazed at the connections your network has if you just help them target exactly who you want to meet!

The Referral Master®

Yet it is a skill sadly lacking in the business world today.

Somewhere along the road of experience I learnt the skill of valuing others. Of recognising something in others that was worthy of praise… and then giving it! And here is where many of us let ourselves down and miss a marvellous opportunity to build better relationships.

An enduring memory of mine is a BNI chapter with serious businessmen in suits literally running out the front to get their 5 year pins. They wanted the recognition and were not afraid to show it.

So what are you doing to incorporate a recognition programme into your word of mouth marketing efforts?

Here are some ideas……

1. Find a way to capture birthday information and send a birthday card – it’s an old idea that the internet makes easy through companies like SendOutCards. Give me a call and I can show you how?
2. Phone a client and ask them to tell you one success they have had in the past week or month… and then send them a congratulatory card or present.
3. Write to 5 of your top clients telling them about the success of another client and cc that client.

One of the reasons many people do not acknowledge others is that they themselves rarely get acknowledged. Unfortunately this is exactly the wrong thing to do. The best way to start being acknowledged is to start acknowledging others. The law of reciprocity ensures that it will come back to you.

So if you currently don’t acknowledge people in a planned, positive and personal manner now would be a good time to start!