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Rodman & Rodman Announces QuickBooks Seminars in Newton and Braintree

Rodman & Rodman, P.C. , providers of accounting, tax and business services to small and medium-sized companies throughout New England, is offering four QuickBooks seminars at their Newton and Braintree locations.

Kathy Parker, CPA, MST, Partner; Bonnie Stockdale, Accountant and Leah Schlegelmilch, CPA at Rodman & Rodman are Certified ProAdvisors of QuickBooks and will lead the seminars.

The “Learning QuickBooks Step-By-Step” Beginners Seminar is geared towards individuals with little or no experience working with QuickBooks or those wishing to brush up on the basics.
This class will be held:
In Newton on Tuesday, October 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Rodman & Rodman’s office, 3 Newton Executive Park, Suite 101.
In Braintree on Tuesday, November 1st from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rodman & Rodman, Braintree Hill Office Park, 2nd Floor Conference Room.

The “Learning QuickBooks Step-By-Step” Advanced Seminar is geared towards business owners who handle their books and want to ensure they keep them accurately; bookkeepers looking to sharpen their skills and learn the latest tips & tricks and businesses considering automating their accounting to the #1 accounting software in the world. This class will be held:
In Newton on Thursday, October 20th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Rodman & Rodman’s office, 3 Newton Executive Park, Suite 101.
In Braintree on Thursday, November 3rd from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rodman & Rodman, Braintree Hill Office Park, 2nd Floor Conference Room.

Investment is $250 per class and includes course materials. Lunch will also be provided.
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat by contacting Ann Reading at 617-965-5959 or email ann@rodmancpa.com.

About Rodman & Rodman P.C.
Founded in 1961, Rodman & Rodman, P.C. provides accounting, tax and business services to small and medium-sized companies throughout New England. With a focus on strategic planning, Rodman & Rodman goes beyond traditional accounting services and takes a proactive approach when serving clients to increase, preserve and sustain clients’ financial net worth. The company has been named one of the “Best Accounting Firms to Work For” in Accounting Today for the second consecutive year and is listed in the Boston Business Journal’s “Top 50 Firms”.

From business valuations, taxation, audits, fraud detection and prevention services and succession planning to a variety of accounting IT services including software selection, implementation and training, the team at Rodman & Rodman serves as comprehensive advisors to clients. For individual clients, the company offers personal advisory services such as planning for real estate transactions, obtaining financing, estate planning and retirement planning as well as planning for college education. The Rodman & Rodman Green Team is a specialized green energy and clean technology accounting and tax services practice within Rodman & Rodman, P.C.

Rodman & Rodman, P.C. are located at 3 Newton Executive Park in Newton and 25 Braintree Hill Office Park in Braintree, MA. For more information, email greenteam@rodmancpa.com, visit their website at www.rodmancpa.com or contact (617) 965-5959.

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Rodman & Rodman, P.C. Shares Cash Flow Tips for Small Business

Statistics show that in a good economy, approximately one third of all small businesses do not survive their first year of business. Approximately two-thirds do not survive year three. The primary reason a business fails is poor financial management, which in many cases is preventable.

So how can a small business survive in a bad economy? Larry Rice, CPA, Director of Strategic Consulting of Rodman & Rodman, P.C., Certified Public Accountants and business strategists catering to small and medium sized companies throughout New England, outlines critical cash flow tips for small business owners to help them weather a bad economy and beyond.

Create a cash flow projection or plan. Every small business should measure projected cash flow one year forward. That projection should be updated on a quarterly basis. A good cash flow projection starts with a good sales projection. Use historical data and be sure to consider any changes in your environment such as competition, economic change, etc. Once you have that sales projection, then it is a matter of translating those sales into the time frames that you get paid for those sales. When you place the payment for those expenses along side the receipt of revenues, you’ve created a cash flow projection.

Plan appropriately for capital expenditures. Due to an aversion of debt, many business owners pay cash for significant corporate assets. This can lead to a cash flow disaster. A good rule of thumb is that all long term assets should be financed over the expected life of those assets. If you are going to buy a machine that will last 10 years, you should seek to finance it over those 10 years. The idea is to match the outflows (the payment for the assets) to the time you expect to generate inflows (sales) from the use of that asset.

Better your credit management. Eager to make any sales, some owners do not have strong credit policies. The worst of all cash flow problems is to expend all the resources to make a product or provide a service, and then not get paid for it. Small business can not be too eager to have just any customers; they need to have the right customers. Go after the customers you want, not the customers who will waste your energy as you chase them to get paid.

Manage suppliers. Small business often pays its bills at designated times, which often are too early. Sometimes this is for convenience but can be dangerous to cash flow. Bills should be
paid timely to maintain good customer relations, but as close to the due date as possible. Seek opportunities for taking the better discounts for prompt payment from suppliers.

Manage inventory. Sometimes owners do not want to rid themselves of stale inventory at a discount, hoping that some customer will appear to pay full price. Sometimes the best course is to get rid of the inventory and use the cash for other more practical purposes.

Maintain a good relationship with a bank/lending officer. Not all credit decisions are objective. By maintaining positive communications, sometimes credit which might not be available can be secured when you maintain an open dialogue

According to Rice, “The most important financial statement is not the Balance Sheet or Profit and Loss; it is the Cash Flow Statement. Only the cash flow statement tells you how much cash your business is generating from operations. A very profitable company can still fail if the cash flow isn’t there to sustain that profit. Bottom line: more businesses fail because of poor cash flow than poor profit. Good cash flow planning is the key to small business success in any economy.”

Rodman & Rodman, P.C.

Founded in 1961, Rodman & Rodman, P.C. provides accounting, tax and business services to small and medium-sized companies throughout New England. With a focus on strategic planning, Rodman & Rodman goes beyond traditional accounting services and takes a proactive approach when serving clients to increase, preserve and sustain clients’ financial net worth.

From business valuations, taxation, audits, fraud detection and prevention services and succession planning to a variety of accounting IT services including software selection, implementation and training, the team at Rodman & Rodman serves as comprehensive advisors to clients. For individual clients, the company offers personal advisory services such as planning for real estate transactions, obtaining financing, estate planning and retirement planning as well as planning for college education. Rodman & Rodman Certified Public Accountants are located at 3 Newton Executive Park in Newton, Mass. For more information, visit their website at www.rodmancpa.com or contact Jen Reading at (617) 965-5959.

Larry Rice CPA, Rodman & Rodman

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Will work for food…New England Trade launches restaurant division

MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS…

With the economy in its current state, you might think eating out would be off the table for many small business owners. Conversely, you might think a restaurant’s plans to upgrade systems, replace carpeting or embark on a billboard advertising campaign might have to be put on hold just to keep up with necessary services like pest control. To meet the needs of both the small business owner and restaurants, New England Trade, a bartering organization serving Massachusetts businesses for the past three decades, has set up a special restaurant division.

“We have a large number of restaurants as members. These members put up gift certificates to their establishments in exchange for the services they need to run their organizations, things like upkeep of their facility, pest control, new menus, advertising, etc. We also have members who like to use their barter dollars on restaurant gift certificates to use for themselves or incentive programs for their staff or customers. The new restaurant division helps pair the members from both sides of the equation,” said Ken Meharg, CEO of New England Trade.

The practice of bartering has been around since the days of the caveman (e.g. a plumber does some work for a CPA, who in turn does the plumber’s taxes). In a bartering organization, members have access to the products and services of all the members. So, the plumber can do work for the CPA on barter, but can then choose to “spend” the bartering dollars he’s accrued on another product or service offered by other members. Like use of an ocean-side condo for a week.

There is some exchange of cash involved with barter. A 7.5 percent transaction fee goes to the bartering organization and members are responsible for paying taxes on the “barter dollars they earn. Still, for the most part, a bartering organization makes a meal out possible for many small business owners without dramatically impacting their cash flow.

For the restaurant owner, barter provides a tremendous means to attracting new business for a relatively small investment. An example of this is the New England Trade member and restaurant owner who offered $20,000 in gift cards. While those cards represent $20,000 to fellow members, the actual cost to the restaurant owner is much less. After all, the restaurant owner is probably ordering the same amount of food and beverage and keeping the same amount of staff on regardless of the gift certificates.

The bottom line in this example is that the restaurant owner was able to purchase $20,000 in billboard advertising space while attracting $20,000 worth of potential new business without spending much more than usual.

“In today’s economy, the biggest problem restaurants are facing is empty seats. By trading gift certificates for barter dollars, restaurant owners can bring in new customers, who, if they enjoy their experience, could become repeat, cash-paying customers. Short of word-of-mouth referrals, there’s really no more cost-effective way to attract new business,” said Meharg.

For more information on New England Trade, please visit www.newenglandtrade.com.

Trading up in New England
Since, 1980, New England Trade has helped thousands of businesses gain a competitive edge by expanding their revenue and reach with barter. Restaurants, auto services, travel, retail stores, and professional business services such as accounting, legal and advertising/marketing are a sampling of the numerous clients who do business with New England Trade and each other. Maintaining offices at 926 Eastern Avenue in Malden, Mass., as well as 100 West Main Street in Hyannis for its Cape Cod branch (www.CapeCodTrade.com), New England Trade has become the largest barter organization in New England. The company is a founding member of the National Association of Trade Exchanges and a member of the International Reciprocal Trade Association, New England Trade manages more than $5-million in sales annually and has a staff of 10 people. New England Trade is operated by experienced, Certified Trade Brokers who know how to make barter work for business. The company is a long-standing member of the Malden Chamber of Commerce.

For additional information about New England Trade, please visit http://www.NewEnglandTrade.com or call 781-388-9200.

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Cash takes a holiday…New England Trade launches travel division

MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS…

With the economy in its current state, you might think a summer vacation would be off the table for many small businesses. Thanks to bartering organizations like New England Trade, a summer getaway is still a viable option without laying out serious cash. In fact, trading products and services for vacation getaways, condo rentals and other travel-related services has become so popular, New England Trade has set up a special travel division to accommodate the demand.

“We have a large number of members in the travel industry–hotels, time shares, ski lodges, boat rentals, travel agents, etc. These members put up gift certificates to their establishments in exchange for the services they need to run their organizations, things like upkeep of their facility, IT and advertising. Conversely, many of our members are looking to use their barter dollars to get away. The new travel division helps pair the members from both sides of the equation,” said Ken Meharg, CEO of New England Trade.

The practice of bartering has been around since the days of the caveman (e.g. a plumber does some work for a CPA, who in turn does the plumber’s taxes). In a bartering organization, members have access to the products and services of all the members. So, the plumber can do work for the CPA on barter, but can then choose to “spend” the bartering dollars he’s accrued on another product or service offered by other members. Like use of an ocean-side condo for a week.

There is some exchange of cash involved with barter. A 7.5 percent transaction fee goes to the bartering organization and members are responsible for paying taxes on the “barter dollars they earn. Still, for the most part, a bartering organization makes a vacation possible for many small business owners without dramatically impacting their cash flow.

“In today’s economy, many people are cutting back on vacations. By trading gift certificates for stays at their establishments, our hospitality business members are filling rooms and booking reservations. That helps keeps your staff busy and provides an opportunity to create new business, which hopefully leads to return business and strong word-of-mouth referrals,” said Meharg.

For more information on New England Trade, please visit www.newenglandtrade.com.

Trading up in New England
since, 1980, New England Trade has helped thousands of businesses gain a competitive edge by expanding their revenue and reach with barter. Restaurants, auto services, travel, retail stores, and professional business services such as accounting, legal and advertising/marketing are a sampling of the numerous clients who do business with New England Trade and each other. Maintaining offices at 926 Eastern Avenue in Malden, Mass., as well as 100 West Main Street in Hyannis for its Cape Cod branch (www.CapeCodTrade.com), New England Trade has become the largest barter organization in New England. The company is a founding member of the National Association of Trade Exchanges and a member of the International Reciprocal Trade Association, New England Trade manages more than $5-million in sales annually and has a staff of 10 people. New England Trade is operated by experienced, Certified Trade Brokers who know how to make barter work for business. The company is a long-standing member of the Malden Chamber of Commerce.
For additional information about New England Trade, please visit http://www.NewEnglandTrade.com or call 781-388-9200.

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AAFD to host annual 17th anniversary Franchisee Leadership Summit in SanAntonio

San Diego, CA…

The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers will host this year’s Franchisee Leadership Summit and Annual Meeting at the Crown Plaza Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, April 29 to May 2.

“Our annual summit has traditionally been a great event for franchisees and franchisee association leaders to meet, network, share ideas and learn how being part of a franchise can empower them, particularly in today’s economy,” said AAFD President Peter Hanson. “This year’s conference at San Antonio’s beautiful Riverwalk features the annual Total Quality Franchising Awards Banquets and Gala and a number of other ‘can’t miss’ events for franchisees.”

Some of those ‘can’t miss’ activities include the following seminars:

  • The Power of the Network in Financially Difficult Times
  •  The 5 Top Reasons Associations Succeed or Fail
  •  Mastering Cooperation and Unity
  •  How to Really Negotiate a Fair Franchise Agreement
  •  Best Practice Round Tables

The conference will also include the Franchisee Leadership Council Session, The AAFD Market Power Trade Show and AAFD Annual conference luncheon among other traditional events.

“The Total Quality Franchising: Harnessing the Power of Your Collective Voice truly is an event everyone associated with a franchise should attend. Beyond what you learn, just meeting and getting to know other franchisees and franchisee association leadership is an invaluable experience. And to do it in a great place like San Antonio is really something you’ll remember for many years to come,” said Hanson.

For complete conference information, please visit www.aafd.org or call 800-733-9858. You can also e-mail benefits@aafd.org.

About the AAFD
The AAFD is a national non-profit trade association representing the rights and interests of franchisees and independent dealers throughout the United States. Formed in 1992, the AAFD is focused on market driven reform to achieve its mission to define and promote collaborative franchise cultures that the AAFD describes as Total Quality Franchising. Since its formation the AAFD has grown to represent more than 50,000 franchised locations throughout the United States. The AAFD has members in all 50 states and represents more than 100 different franchise systems.
The AAFD’s Fair Franchising Standards, Fair Franchising Seal, Trademark

Chapters, and emphasis on Marketplace Solutions led to the Association’s recognition as a growing force in franchising. The AAFD’s Branded Partner programs add a new dimension to the value of AAFD membership. The AAFD provides a broad range of member services designed to help franchisees build market power, create legislative support of interest to franchisees, provide legal and financial support, and provide a wide range of general member benefits.
For more information about the conference or the AAFD, please call toll free – 800-733-9858 or visit www.AAFD.org.

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