I Hate Numbers: Simplifying Tax and Accounting

What has Planning your Arts Event got to do with business? Well, arts and businesses share a lot in common. There are differences, but also common ground between artists and private businesses. nevertheless.Artists are full of creativity and energy, delivering inspiring work for their audiences This is no different for your business, except you may use the term customers, and not audiencesIn this week’s podcast episode of ‘l Hate Numbers’ I share 4 tips into how arts businesses plan their events. Lots of parallels and takeaways for your business.PlanningPlanning in the arts is crucial, lessons to learn from the world of business and vice versa. Success in the arts and the business world is down to planning.Planning in the arts is like planning for any type of business. What's the first thing you've got to do? You have got to✅Set yourself a goal✅Get your house in order✅Figure out where you're going and how you are going to get there.Create the event storyWhen planning an arts event, get the story straight. Think about the type and shape of the event. What do you want your audience to experience? No numbers at this stage, just the story says from the here to the eventual event happening.ResourcesMake a shopping list of what you need to plan, rehearse, and deliver your event. Include artists, venue, marketing assets, people, skills. Think of the event in stages, the beginning, the middle and the end.Work backwards from the actual event. There are several weeks, several months’ worth of activity, energy and enthusiasm going into making it happen.Cash and financesLet us get down to the actual money side of things. One key and critical document is cash flow. Produce this as quickly and as early as you can. What does that require in terms of money going out in cash terms? Not just the amounts, but when it happens, timing s everythingRevisit and read your cash story. What does it show? Now is your time to make some powerful decisions with your powerful insights. Remember, at this stage, you're not reducing their ambition. You are not modifying your story yet. You are waiting to see what the cash flow story looks like.Collaboration Artist or otherwise, you cannot do it on your own. Collaborate, delegate, outsource. Find the experts in the field that will help you deliver an excellent event. And typically plan, think about the execution, but do not lose the passion and the actual event itself. That's what is driving you forward.What NextGrab a coffee, make yourself comfortable, sit back and listen to this episode on Planning your Arts Event.I love doing this podcast and sharing my love of Numbers with you. Check out the link to subscribe and do not miss an episode, contact me for help with Number love in your business.In This EpisodeLearn what we can apply from Planning your Arts EventAppreciate the benefit of creating an event storyHow the events story helps write the financial storyCollaboration and co-operation Developing your own Numbers confidence and decisionsTake more control of your numbers to help make you money, survive and thriveLinkshttps://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/proactiveresolutionss-podcast/id1500471288https://play.google.com/music/m/I3pvpztpjvjw6yrw2kctmtyckam?t=I_Hate_Numbershttps://open.spotify.com/show/5lKjqgbYaxnIAoTeK0zinshttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/proactiveresolutionss-podcasthttps://tunein.com/podcasts/Business–Economics-Podcasts/I-Hate-Numbers-p1298505/ 

Working together with others on your business is good for your well being, growth and bottom line. Don't forget that making money separates a hobby from a business.In this week’s episode of ‘l Hate Numbers’ I share four reasons why you should work with others. This episode was inspired from building and launching our Business Growth Club. I used the word our, because it’s me and my friend and colleague Dr Joe North who went from idea to launch on this.TLAF sums this up. TLAF, love a mnemonic, don't you, stands for✅Team✅Learning✅Accountability✅FrequencyTeamMany businesses work on their Business Growth in isolation. You staff team, whatever their motivation and talent will not be invested in your business as you are. To be fair, you should not expect them to, it’s not their business, they do not have the financial equity or ownership.Work with others who have a similar mindset to yourself. Communication, collaboration, bouncing around ideas are great ways to learn and grow.Learning If you think that you know everything in business, that there's nothing more to learn, then you are wrong. Everybody has experiences to share. Everybody can learn from the successes and mistakes of others. And this all helps us and helps you in your own business development,AccountabilityHaving the right people in your support network gives you a group of accountability coaches and friends. Once you've committed to something, you've told somebody you're going to do it, you’re under a bit of pressure, you're committed, but it's powerful to have a bunch of people who are in a similar situation to yourself, making you accountable.They will encourage you., keep you on track, and ask you questions. It may sound like being in school where you are expected to hand in your homework. But it's all there done in terms of making you move your business, going forward. Accountability also makes you more responsible.Frequency Having a regular catch up with your group reminds of what your commitments are. You are reminded of what your tasks are, what you must do. This frequency of meeting up is a great opportunity to reflect on where your progress is taking you. How you are doing against the objectives you’ve set yourself. Make small adjustments if you need to.Business owners work in isolation. Working together on your business includes catching up with your peers. Check out how others are doing, checking your progress and their progress. Once a week, typically is enough to keep you on track. It is not overwhelming. It's not over time consuming and therefore your time commitment is not stretched.What NextGrab a coffee, make yourself comfortable, sit back and listen.  Click the link if you want to find out more about Our Business Growth ClubI love doing this podcast and sharing my love of Numbers with you. Check out the link to subscribe and do not miss an episode, contact me for help with Number love in your business .In This EpisodeUnderstanding why working with others is good for your businessKnowing the benefits of continual learningWhy accountability is a positive thing for you and your businessDeveloping your own Numbers confidence and decisionsTake more control of your numbers to help make you money, survive and thriveLinkshttps://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/proactiveresolutionss-podcast/id1500471288https://play.google.com/music/m/I3pvpztpjvjw6yrw2kctmtyckam?t=I_Hate_Numbershttps://open.spotify.com/show/5lKjqgbYaxnIAoTeK0zinshttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/proactiveresolutionss-podcasthttps://tunein.com/podcasts/Business–Economics-Podcasts/I-Hate-Numbers-p1298505/.

You may be thinking, Do KPIs mater? Absolutely, they are a big deal. If you are in business, you need to understand what is going on.This week's episode is about measuring your performance, making judgements, and getting opinions. From the cradle to the grave we make judgements, we express opinions, we tell people what we think, we act, we behave from the cradle to the grave.That does not stop when you run your business, does it matter what people say? Does it matter what their opinions are, how they behave, what their actions are. Should we care? Absolutely yes you should care. If you're in your business, whatever that business is, whatever shape or size your business is, to survive, thrive, and prosper, then it's absolutely critical that you get a gauge that you measure all those interactions with your suppliers, your employees, and more particularly your customers.Why KPIs matterWell, they matter for several reasons.They are a framework to measure your businesses performanceYou become more accountableThe truth is revealed about how your business performanceKPIs help give you actionable ways to achieve your business goalsMaking judgments, adjustments and staying on track.What KPIs?It is said that you cannot manage what you cannot measure. You measure what is important for your business. Do not use measures for somebody else's business, but important for you.Remember that every business is different, with a different shape and goal. Consider what is important for your business to succeed.Typically, this could be gross margins by product or overall, cash flows, and efficiencies. However, do not just measure financial stuff. Take a balanced approach in your business and look at the entire ecosystem.Customer and employee satisfaction are critical. Customer feedback and staff retention are 2 useful KPIs.Pick four to six KPIs that matter help you reach your Northern star, your end goals.How to use KPIsThe managing is just as important as the measuring. If you don’t do anything with the data, there’s no point having it. Once you have the information, you can act on it. Having the information enables you to drill down and learn more. Ask questions of the numbers, and decide based on it.There are lots of different types of software out there to help you manage KPIs, but you might do just as well with a spreadsheet or your own Google dashboard.Whatever kind of business you have – service, manufacturing, sales, solopreneur – KPIs matter.What NextGrab a coffee, make yourself comfortable, sit back and listen. If you want to join out business growth club then click the link to find out more.I love doing this podcast and sharing my love of Numbers with you. Check out the link to subscribe and do not miss an episode. Help me spread that Number Love by downloading it, listening, and acting!In This EpisodeUnderstanding what Key Performance Indicators, KPIs areKnowing what KPIs to use for your businessLooking at how to use KPIsDeveloping your own Numbers confidence and decisionsTake more control of your numbers to help make you money, survive and thrive Linkshttps://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/proactiveresolutionss-podcast/id1500471288https://play.google.com/music/m/I3pvpztpjvjw6yrw2kctmtyckam?t=I_Hate_Numbershttps://open.spotify.com/show/5lKjqgbYaxnIAoTeK0zinshttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/proactiveresolutionss-podcasthttps://tunein.com/podcasts/Business–Economics-Podcasts/I-Hate-Numbers-p1298505/Get in touch with us to find out more about the Business Growth Club.  For more business and finance, news, advice and tips, don’t forget to watch our weekly broadcasts.