Kiwitax delivers on everything you’d expect from a professional accounting team, and they specialise in the areas of small business and property investment. Essentially, they will ensure you are 100% compliant with the Inland Revenue, whilst also ensuring that you don’t pay a cent more tax than you need to. Because they specialise in small business and property investment accounting, you can be sure they really know their stuff in these areas, and more importantly, no matter how small your business, this is their niche, so you won’t get passed over for bigger business clients.

Kiwitax’s best feature in my opinion is their fee structure. Their rates are capped, based on the size and turnover of your business. These are listed on their website and can be confirmed before you commit to working with them, so you know what your costs will be upfront and ahead of time – no nasty surprises! And, talking with them is always free. So you can phone or email them anytime with questions, and you don’t get charged extra for this.

The world has become flat. The Kiwitax team is actually based in Hawke’s Bay. I have been using their services for my businesses for 6 years now, and I’ve never actually met them in person. However, they are always readily available by email or on the end of the phone, and, of course, they are always happy to see you, if you do happen to be local!

Accountants are not always known for their innovation, but the Kiwitax team likes to stay up with the play. As well as keeping abreast of legislative changes in the tax realm, they are also very much in the 21st Century in their application of available technology and software. They have a great website, with loads of useful information, and even Tweet, if you are that way inclined. They are certified Xero advisors and also use Banklink software and other, more traditional, accounting packages.

In a nutshell, the team at Kiwitax know their stuff, but that’s to be expected. The added benefits of working with Kiwitax are:

•  They’re friendly and accessible and don’t charge extra to answer your questions.

•  Their fees are set up front so you know exactly what their services are going to cost you – no nasty surprises!

•  They specialise in small business and property investors, so no matter how small your business is, you’re their important client.

For more information contact Kiwitax directly:

www.kiwitax.co.nz

Free phone: 0508 KIWITAX (549-4829)

The number one thing you need is support, so have a good think about what support network you have already, or could build, to help you bring up this child.  This could include family, friends, practical support, financial support and good childcare.

Another big question is “who is going to father this child?”  Friend?  Boyfriend?  Sperm donor?  If it’s going to be someone you know, be sure to clarify what that person’s role will be once the baby is born.

One of the biggest challenges a single parent faces is financial.  At face value, this is obvious – you need to have some kind of income to support not only yourself, but your new family.  What you may not realise, however, is just how much money you will require.  Children can be expensive, and I don’t just mean nappies and baby paraphernalia.  All of your living expenses increase when all of a sudden there is more than just you to care for.  That child is now relying on you for somewhere to live, food, warmth, healthcare, clothing, education, entertainment and the list goes on.  You have taken on the responsibility of providing that child with the best possible start in life so it’s up to you to make that happen.

What makes that even more challenging is that if you are the sole care-giver, then you already have a job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  For every hour that you are not actively caring for that child, you need to find someone else to look after them instead, and will quite possibly have to pay for this.  However it is all possible and can be made a lot easier with some forward planning.

Lastly, I think it’s worth a mention that although your timeframe to produce your baby may be urgent and you’re currently single, having a baby by yourself doesn’t necessarily mean you will always be a single parent.  Who knows when your next ideal partner may come along?  It’s quite possible that the wonderful daddy can be added to the family after the baby is born, rather than in the usual order of events.  This can actually take the pressure off potential relationships, as it takes the urgency of committing to making a baby away.  And, after the event, it’s obvious that the child is part of the package, which quickly weeds out any would-be suitors that aren’t interested in kids.

Yes, it is a challenge to bring up a child on your own, but it’s also very rewarding and certainly not impossible.  Once you’ve got them, though, they’re here for good, so if you do want to have a child on your own, do your homework first – it’s not as easy as it looks!

© Jacqui Thomas, All rights reserved, 2010

Here’s a few ideas to help you have more of it.

The first step is to get an accurate picture of your financial situation as it is now.  Know exactly what income you have, how much you spend and on what.  If you are like most people and have no idea where it all goes, keep a diary for at least a week, or ideally a month and keep track of what gets spent where.  You may be surprised! 

Now, obviously if you want more money you will need to either make more or spend less. Spending less may not sound like much fun but it’s all about your mindset.  If you think of it as changing your spending so you can have even more money, or spend it on things that you really want rather than things you don’t even notice, it has more appeal.

Look at your spending diary and see what things you could happily do without or cut down on.  How much are you spending on coffees, cigarettes, alcohol, car parking, bank fees, credit card interest?  Going without that second latte, saves you about $20 per week, giving up smoking could save you $70 per week, taking a bottle of wine around to a friends place instead of having drinks in town could save you $100!  The secret is to keep it fun.  You don’t want to become so frugal that you don’t have any enjoyment left, simply make good choices, and watch the extra dollars you save stack up.

Next, look at reducing your debt.  Credit cards, store cards and hire purchases, can seem like a wonderful idea at the time but if you can’t afford to pay them off, you spend huge amounts on fees and interest.  Get out your credit card statements and see how much you have been paying the bank for the privilege of using their money.  See how it all adds up.  Isn’t there something you would rather have used that money for?  Use the money you’re saving from cutting down on your spending to pay the debt off for once and for all and then get rid of your card or at least try and save it for emergencies. 

Also, shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal on bank fees and charges.  Know what your fees entitle you too and what gets charged as an extra.  Make the effort to use ATM’s less if you get charged per transaction, and use your own bank’s ATM machine, rather than other banks.  The same goes for service charges such as phone, mobile and internet usage.

Some Ideas to Save Money and Still Have a Life:

• Take your lunch to work

• Stop or reduce the amount of coffee you buy

• Pay off your debts so you don’t pay interest

• Shop around for the best bank deal and reduce your bank charges

• Take public transport or walk instead of paying for petrol and car parking

• Have friends around for dinner, BBQ’s, DVD’s, instead of going out to restaurants, bars and movies

• Quit smoking

• Only buy as much fresh food as you know you will eat

• Start growing your own vegetables, and trade the extra supplies with friends

• Make sure you have the best mobile phone, internet and toll call plans for your usage.

• Cancel subscriptions for newspapers, magazines and Pay TV and make the most of free information

• Enjoy the outdoors for some free entertainment – go to the beach, go for a walk, go fishing, take a book to the park.

• Swap babysitting services with other parents.

• Join the local library

© Jacqui Thomas, 2010 All rights reserved

These businesses are largely service type businesses such as media publications, business coaches / consultants, graphic designers, copywriters, web designers/ developers, etc.  At a time when businesses need to innovate, learn and grow, develop and try new strategies, promote themselves, advertise their goods and services, they are instead hunkering down because they can’t afford to spend in these areas.  Not only does this mean that businesses aren’t moving with the times, it also means that other small businesses that in turn are reliant on these businesses as clients, also slow down, and so on it goes.

A simple idea could be for government to introduce some kind of small business incentive / subsidy /grant that allows small businesses to spend on training and development  and /or marketing and promotion to drive their businesses forward, as long as they spend this money with other NZ businesses. 

I know it’s very trendy to look at bigger business and the ability to export out of New Zealand, but at the heart of New Zealand lies a helluva lot of talented individuals who are self employed or running small businesses.  That equates to a big waste of skills & experience when their businesses go under and they can’t find jobs, and a huge loss if they decide to go overseas because they can’t earn a living here.

I’m not a politician, or particularly a strategist, so I’m certainly not suggesting this would solve all the ills of the economy.  But, I do think this simple initiative could turn around a downward spiral that I am seeing every day.  Let’s get our talent moving forward again, in a positive way, that will benefit us all.

© Jacqui Thomas, 2010, All rights reserved.

Feeling stuck, being stuck in a rut, groundhog day, going through the motions…. they’re all euphemisms for the same phenomena, and often stem from needing to do something different and making a change, but not doing it.  It could also be thought of as resisting the flow of life.

Change can be scary, even when we want to change, and/or know we need to change… even when we realise the benefits of change will leave us in a much better space.  Because of fear we try and prepare ourselves well in order to ensure the change is successful.  Such preparation is useful to a point, but it is easy to overdo it and end up stuck in the no-man’s land known as ‘paralysis by analysis’.   Spending too much time preparing for every possible outcome and trying to get all your ducks in a row, is actually a pointless exercise – the ducks always move. 

And so it is with life.  Everything is dynamic, constantly moving.  Like a game of chess, every move has the potential to completely change the game.  To plan all your moves at the beginning of the game would make it necessary to play entirely by yourself and control all the conditions.  Not only would this be boring and lonely, but you may miss out on better opportunities that are only made possible by another player’s moves.

So all you need to know is the first move.  Then you assess the best move to make next once it is your turn to move again.  The possible moves change all the time and can’t necessarily be planned in advance.  If you don’t know what the first move should be, or feel like you can’t make a good move, then just make any move.  This is kind of like a reshuffle.  Sometimes there are no great moves to be made, as in any game.  But by at least making a move, even if it is sideways, then you keep the game moving and change the dynamics which may open up a better move for the next turn.

So if you’re stuck, move!  Any move is better than staying stuck.  Take a leap of faith and do something.  Movement builds momentum.  The first step is often the hardest and requires the most energy.  Once you are moving it is easier to keep going.

© Jacqui Thomas 2010, All rights reserved.

But why do we put off doing the things that we DO want to do?

Generally, this type of procrastination is linked to our attachment to a desired outcome. The fear of getting something wrong, or not achieving our desired outcome, can stop us from taking any action at all. As long as we do nothing, our desired outcome is still a maybe, it’s possible. The fear of that ‘maybe’ becoming a ‘no’, prevents us from taking the action that could turn the ‘maybe’ into a ‘yes’.

We place too much value on how we think things need to pan out, in order to get ‘where’ we want to go, or ‘what’ we want. We micro manage our actions to the point where we stall, we get stuck, we’re too scared to move, in case we make a mistake.

The trick is to trust in the process. Trust that any action is a step in the right direction – even if it doesn’t seem so at the time. Trust that you are heading to your desired outcome, even if it seems like you’re given a U-turn, a detour, or even a dead end.

Getting somewhere requires movement. And each movement changes the state of play. You literally need to move one step at a time, and each step will be subject to factors and variables that you may be aware of, but that are outside your control. Pre-planning all the steps to your desired outcome is a waste of time and energy as the best steps may not even be apparent yet.

If you’re clear on your desired outcome / your end result, don’t put off taking a step towards it. Any movement is positive, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time – it may just be shaking things up to make the next step possible.

© Jacqui Thomas, 2010 All rights reserved.

This is the difference between feeling and thinking.  If you over think something, you can literally feel your brain whirring around in over drive.  Conversely, if you go with what you “feel” is right, decisions and a course of action come comparatively easily.  Put simply, brain power is limited, heart power is limitless.

Of course the head (mind and brain) has an important role to play.  It is useful for putting structures and plans in place to make things happen effectively.  The trick is to use it for its intended roles without letting it completely take over the show!

This is why you are much more likely to achieve goals you actually want to achieve, to be successful in a business you actually enjoy, to have a long lasting relationship with someone you really love.  This is why you hear stories of people beating incredible odds to achieve their dreams, of mothers lifting cars to save their children, people with no legs climbing Mt Everest.  The thing is you can pretty much have anything you really want.  Not because it just happens with the wave of a magic wand, but because if you really want it, your heart will unleash an amazing force of energy to help you do whatever needs to be done in order to make it happen.

So what you do really want for yourself?  What would you love to do this year?  Who would you love to be?  If you are truly honest with yourself and your heart is fully, 100% involved, then anything is possible.

© Jacqui Thomas, 2010.  All rights reserved

A certain amount of independence is a good thing.  It’s useful to be capable of looking after yourself and to be responsible for your actions.  But being completely self-sufficient is counter-productive.  Being totally self reliant cuts you off from community which is essential for us to “thrive”, rather than merely “survive”.   

As humans we have needs beyond basic food and shelter.  We have an emotional need for community – to share, to love, to feel, to contribute.  Being part of a community is a two way street – you need to be able to “give” and to “receive”.  In order for the process to work effectively, receiving is equally important as giving.  One can’t happen without the other.  So it’s important to take your turn at both.

Sometimes we feel like we have to do it all, that there is no help available.  There is always help available, but you have to be willing to allow it.  Maybe you need to create some space to let the help in?  Allow yourself to receive.  Stop doing it all, so there is room for others to help you.  Ask for help and accept it graciously when it comes.  Let go of needing to control everything yourself, so other people can help you.  And remember that receiving help is just as valid as giving it.  Both sides of the equation are crucial to the process – so we all need to do our fair share of both!

© Jacqui Thomas, 2010 All rights reserved.

A great movie!  So refreshing to see an original storyline – probably because it is true.  It brought back fond memories of my travels off the beaten track in Asia, and also reminded me how precious our freedom is, and how lucky I am to be born in a country where we simply take this for granted.

A moving true account of the life so far of Li Cunxin – a Chinese born ballet dancer of international acclaim, currently living in Australia.  This movie managed to make me laugh AND cry – the measuring stick of a good movie in my book.

Here’s a strategy that I find very helpful for tough choices.  It’s a simple process involving four questions.  They are known as the Cartesian Questions and were developed by a famous metaphysician called Rene Descartes.  You’ll need some paper to keep track of your answers. 

The questions are:

*  What will happen if you do?

*  What will happen if you don’t?

*  What won’t happen if you do?

*  What won’t happen if you don’t?

If you like you can divide your piece of paper into 4 quadrants:

* WILL / DO

* WILL / DON’T

* WON’T / DO

* WON’T / DON’T

You’ll find this really gets you thinking about the pros and cons at a deeper level, helping you make the best decision for you.  When you see the answers you’ve jotted down for each question, the decision becomes very clear.

© Jacqui Thomas, 2010.  All rights reserved