Corporate Year End

by margento | October 6, 2016

TAXATION Before choosing a date for your year end, think about the date that works best for your kind of business. When entrepreneurs incorporate their businesses under their respective provincial articles of incorporation, often, little thought is given to the date for the fiscal year end. Many company founders unconsciously identify the company’s fiscal year …

Trademarks for Your Business

by margento | October 5, 2016

TRADEMARKS Protect your business by registering proprietary names as trademarks. If you want to protect the unique name of your business, website or domain name, logo, product or service name, or company slogan, you may wish to apply for a trademark. What Is a Trademark? According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office: “A trademark is …

Where Am I Headed?

by margento | August 8, 2016

MANAGEMENT Make time for strategic planning. Strategic planning is not usually a strong suit of most entrepreneurs. They have a great initial idea and know how to turn it into a business. But then, they become too involved in day-to-day affairs and do not take the time to plan where they have to be in …

For the Record

by margento | August 7, 2016

TAXATATION Complete, accurate and readable records will make a CRA audit less onerous. Regardless of whether your business is a proprietorship, a partnership or an incorporated company, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires the business to maintain financial books and records. Here are a few of the CRA’s record-keeping requirements you should know. Only in …

Tech Stress…It’s a Pain

by margento | August 6, 2016

HEALTH AND SAFETY Bad posture and overuse of smartphones and other devices can cause unexpected health problems. A recent British study of smartphone use showed that young adults checked their smartphones 85 times a day and used them for a total of five hours of use per day. The long-term effects of such constant smartphone …

You Need One of These

by margento | August 5, 2016

TECHNOLOGY Good low-cost printing is now available for small businesses. Even though the amount of printing being done today is declining because so much data can be stored for instant retrieval on hard drives or the Cloud, every small business should still have a printer. Today’s multi-function printer (MFP) provides an owner-managed office with most …

Tax Planning for 2016

by margento | June 8, 2016

TAXATION The new Liberal government has proposed a few minor changes to personal income taxes for 2016 and beyond. The election of a new government in Ottawa is often accompanied by changes to the way income is taxed. The last federal election was no exception. The changes announced in the March 2016 budget that will …

Business Apps You Must Have

by margento | June 7, 2016

TECHNOLOGY These apps may help you optimize your work when you are mobile. TeamViewer Two similar and occasionally underrated tools for business are remote control of other devices and screen sharing. Screen sharing is a critical tool, not just for one-way meetings and presentations, but also for interactive collaboration among colleagues in different locations. Remote …

Workplace Literacy

by margento | June 6, 2016

MANAGEMENT Improved employee literacy is essential to meet the challenges of changing markets. Literacy Literacy: “The ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities, at home, at work and in the community — to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” (Definition provided by the International Adult Literacy and Skills …

Protecting Your Future

by margento | June 5, 2016

MANAGEMENT Simple precautions will protect your personal and corporate information if natural disaster strikes. The fires in Alberta show how quickly natural catastrophes can totally disrupt personal and business life. Technology is now available to protect you from losing important information when disaster strikes. On a Personal Level Financial institutions need tangible evidence of your …

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