As with many “Frivolous Friday” posts, this one has a serious undertone…to act as a timely reminder to everyone who is trained in first aid to ensure you keep your qualifications up to date!

Many of you will know that I teach first aid on a regular basis for a local non profit organisation, this t

eaching as well as my instructing at the gym requires me to hold a current first aid and CPR qualification (somehow I feel like I’m stating the obvious…)

My diary tells me that my CPR qualification is due to expire in the next fortnight, so I’ve booked into a course before then to ensure it doesn’t lapse…and this is the reason for my post!

The qualification HLTAID003 Provide First Aid is valid for 3 years from the date of your certificate, however the qualification HLTAID001 Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) expires after a 12 month period – I think this fact is often forgotten or unknown by many with first aid qualifications.

If you are trained in first aid, and especially if you are a recognised first aider in your workplace or volunteer agency…please check your records and diarise your expiry dates.  It’s also a really good idea to book into a course well in advance to secure your spot!

Have a great weekend!

Regards

Following on from last weeks “Are you in the blogosphere?“…if you’ve determined that your blog is in fact a business, you may be asking…what now?

Operating a blog business is no different to operating any other business – you need to keep records and meet your obligations with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

First you will need to decide on a structure to determine if a separate Tax File Number (TFN) is required – although I expect many of you will operate as a sole trader and as such there will be no need to register an additional TFN.

You will also require an Australian Business Number (ABN), and you’ll need to review your proposed turnover in regards to Goods and Services tax (GST).

Finally, it is imperative that you maintain adequate records of your income and expenses.  I recommend opening a separate business bank account and ensuring that all income is deposited into this account and all expenses are paid from this account.

Most banks offer start up enterprises some sort of fee relief for an initial period of time, and most also have cost effective solutions which provide for internet banking and a debit card facility (I use my debit card almost daily as it acts in much the same way as a credit card but uses my own funds – it makes it so easy to pay for expenses from my business account rather than paying for them privately and having to reimburse myself!)

If you’d like some help setting up your blog business, or assisting with your record keeping, please get in contact!

Regards

It’s hard to believe, but by the end of this week…it will be August…already!  And in August in Victoria – it’s the Small Business Festival.

The promotion by Business Victoria is to “Get inspired and learn new skills to help you start or grow your business at Small Business Festival Victoria. There are hundreds of amazing events across Melbourne and regional Victoria between 1-31 August 2015.”

The beauty of this event is that there are many sessions for free or a relatively small cost, and they are at different times of the day and night and some are online, so there really is something for everyone!

I’ve already reviewed the festival program, and the events I’m aiming to attend are:

• Webinar on Thursday 6th August presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network “Beyond the City – Grow your business from anywhere”
• o2 Media BizFest in Warrnambool – I’ll definitely be at this one as I’m presenting a workshop “Update, Understand and Analyse your Accounts”
• Presentation by Naomi Simson of Red Balloon “Amplify your Success”

I’ve got a few others earmarked too, but with a very full diary in August I’ll have to see what else I can fit in!

If you are interested, you can find out about the festival and look for events in your area here.

Please let me know if you decide to participate – I’d love to hear if you are attending any events and your thoughts on them afterwards!

Regards

Beautiful Accounting Software – who knew there was such a thing?

In a world where flexibility and convenience are first and foremost in many of our minds, Xero is certainly leading the way on this front in the area of accounting software.

Earlier this year, The Tax Chic became a Certified Advisor in Xero, and more recently I certified as a Payroll Specialist – and I love it!

Based in “the cloud”, Xero can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection.  You can use a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone – any device that allows you to access the internet – given that I travel all over for work (…and play), can you see why this excites me?

Plus – Xero is not just for business…there are tools available through Certified Advisors (ie: me!!), that are very cost efficient and great for use by households!

Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll be hi-lighting a few of the benefits of using Xero, but in the meantime, if you are interested…or just curious…I recommend you take a look at their website, or Contact The Tax Chic to see how using Xero may benefit YOU!

Regards