Start-up Businesses: It is ok to ask for help, to achieve your goal

During our visit to Brisbane for Xerocon, we spent the mornings walking and exploring. One morning we came across the "Ella Bache". For those who remember, this 11.78m boat was sailed solo around the world by Jessica Watson, who at the time was 16 years old. She set sail on 18 October 2009.

The ‘why’ Jessica did this is very inspiring. She wanted to challenge people's expectations of what they thought young people, particularly young girls, were capable of. Her early struggles with dyslexia have been overcome and allowed her to become a storyteller, blog writer and publish a bestselling book. On her return, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared her a hero! Jessica did not consider herself a hero, "just an ordinary person who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible."

As business owners, we should all do the same. Have a dream, work hard and prove anything is possible.

Curly Girl Numbers works with start-ups as a mentor and guides them to ensure that they make the most of the technology and understand the basics and value of bookkeeping.

Our Future
As a Bookkeeper, we love working with young business owners as the passion they have for their business beams through them. These business owners are our future and the technology we use needs to work the way our young business owners operate. The technology needs to be mobile, easy to use and able to provide live information as needed.

The Challenges
The reality of owning a business is that the decisions you make influence your family, friends and lifestyle. The work/life balance isn’t always balanced. We see a lot of new businesses who want to do everything themselves, due to cashflow. They spend long hours working on the business and just as much time trying to work through the bookkeeping, HR queries and ATO compliance.

The most common questions a business owner asks are: Do I need to decide what software to use for my Bookkeeping? What apps/software do I need for my business to operate? Do I need Point of Sale or inventory product tracking? Does the software allow for integration with any other software? Does the software allow for online payments and recurring invoices?  The seamless integration will help the flow of your business.

Compliance
Compliance with the ATO is also a minefield for new business owners. Should I be registered for GST? What happens when we bring on staff? Which award is used? Do I need insurance for the business and my staff or contractors?

It is ok not to know everything about business and the compliances, but it is important to want to find out what is required.  We can support you to meet these compliances, guide you into picking the most suitable software for your industry, whether you are a new or existing business.