Small businesses start with limited investments. Any help and hiring to the business will cost the owner. It is tough to decide which cost to incur and which one to curtail. The financial matters of a business are not such in which attention should be paid to save cost.

Small business owners looking to save money consider hiring accountants as an unnecessary expense. Some businessmen think that it would be expensive to hire an accountant. However, an accountant takes care of some time-consuming business activities like taxes. Comparison will likely cost less per hour pay an entrepreneur saves by utilizing his precious time and energy.

Appointing an accountant to manage business accounts allows the entrepreneur to keep his mind cool because an expert handles his business details.

Some Questions That May Clear the Confusion

Here are some of the questions an entrepreneur should ask himself when deciding on the need of hiring an accountant for a small business:

Can I Handle My Business Accounting on My Own?

How much knowledge does an entrepreneur have about accounting? Does he know about the types of bookkeeping systems? What is an Income Statement? These are questions that need genuine answers, and nobody except the businessman himself can answer these questions.

If the response to the inquiry is no, it is time to introduce an accountant to manage business finances.

Am I Tech Savvy?

Perhaps, use of computer software and apps is common in everyday life. Using some apps daily does not make the user an expert in that particular field. Accounting for small businesses is not child’s play. Today’s accounting system depends on technology. New software keeps on coming, which helps in accounting but creates confusion for some not-so-professional.

The small business owner needs software that tracks the invoices and expenses as well. Still, these apps and software cannot operate on their own and need your precious time.

How can an Accountant Help Me?

Understanding what change an accountant can bring to the business is the foresightedness of the businessman. It may help in taking a better decision whether or not to appoint the accountant. An accountant can help in financial analysis, data management, generation of financial reports, etc.

Do I Have Enough Time to Handle My Accounting Myself?

Accounting of a firm requires complete concentration. It demands your heart and soul in one direction. The nature of the business may demand the owner to be on-road constantly or have regular meetings with clients.

The owner is continuously on the phone or replying to the mails; it could be anything. Whatever the reasons are, a simple question is, does the entrepreneur have enough time to handle the accounts book himself.

It will be a great relief to hand over the responsibility to a professional who takes some amount and will do your work systematically to meet the statutory compliance of accounting practices.

Am I Acquainting with the Process of Filing Tax Returns for Small Businesses?

The new small business owners are not acquainted with the tax filing procedures. It is challenging to deal with accounting and taxation procedures along with concentrating on the business. It is one of the reasons why so many small entrepreneurs hire accountants for sole traders.

The owner’s precious time is not for filing tax returns but for making new business deals and satisfying the existing clients.

Can I Bear the Expenses of Hiring an Accountant?

There are no fixed or standard rates to hire an accountant. The fees depend on the individual requirement and paying capacity of the business owner. The work experience and education of professionals are important factors that decide their professional charges.

The average cost of hiring a certified public accountant (CPA) to file a tax return ranges from £35 per hour (for common services) to £150 per hour (for complex accounting work).

Will the Absence of Accountant have any Impact on the Business in the Long Term?

Analyze and evaluate the business conditions. What will be the condition of the business 5 or 10 years from now? How much do you need an accountant in the future? If the accountant is not with the owner, what will be the consequences?

Advantages of Hiring an Accountant

Hiring an accountant helps the business in many ways and has plenty of advantages. Here are a few benefits of hiring an accountant:

• The accuracy of books increases
• Least accounting mistakes
• The owner has more free time for other productive tasks
• Helps to make decisions in the right direction
• Minimize business expenses

Accountant for Long Term Business Prospects

Hiring an accountant helps small business owners to do business with a peaceful state of mind and achieve newer heights with accounts in the perfect position.

An experienced accountant can help the business owner during every stage of their company’s growth and development. Hiring an accountant can make life easier for the entrepreneur, and he can concentrate on what he does the best. The small business owner’s specialty is running the business. Leave the financials to the accountant.

The beauty industry is currently soaring, so there is no better time to think about putting your hairstyling skills to work. If you have a flair for hair and the desire to run your own business, opening your own salon offers a unique challenge. Before you rush into signing the lease on your premises, consider the following important steps.

Write a business plan

Writing a business plan might seem like an unnecessary step, but it can help to bring focus to your business. Creating a business plan will not only help you if you need to find investors, but it can also help to keep you on track. 

If you ever lose sight of what you are trying to achieve, you can refer back to your business plan and all will become clear again. Your business plan should include things like your unique offering, an overview of local competitors, a cash flow forecast and how you plan to grow and expand. 

Even if you don’t have lofty ambitions to open multiple sites, you should think about how you can expand your business once you have reached full booking capacity. This could include things like hiring more staff or expanding your merchandise line. You could also go down the training route and offer courses in hairdressing.

Research local laws and regulations

Check with your local council to find out what rules you will need to follow for things like health and safety and taking care of your employees. The rules may differ by area, so don’t rely on advice from online blogs. You may be looking at rules and regulations from another country which aren’t relevant to you.

Choose your niche

The number one way you can guarantee success in your salon is to define your niche. Your niche is the thing that you do better than anyone else. If you are too general in your services, then you will struggle to build brand loyalty. By picking your niche, you can quickly become the go-to person for that particular service. For example, you might be skilled with hair extensions, bright and bold colours, or offer a family-friendly service. When you choose your niche, you’ll make your services more profitable.

Talk to suppliers

This is about more than just the hair products you will stock. You also need to think about software providers such as Salon Iris salon software. Suppliers may be able to offer you a deal in exchange for visibility online or in your salon. They might also be able to offer a free trial period, or samples to get you started. Don’t assume that you will have to pay for everything straight away. By approaching suppliers with your business plan, you might be able to get some freebies to get you up and running. 

Pick the right location

Your business will thrive or fail based on the location alone. A busy city-centre location will be expensive to maintain and you might struggle to compete with all of the other established salons in the area. While a remote and off the beaten track location will lack the foot traffic that can help to drive more customers to your salon. You may also need to think about parking or public transport links. Take the time to choose the correct location for your salon. Rushing this stage could leave you with a long lease on-premises that actually hurt your business.

Build an audience

You don’t have to wait until you have your premises to start making a name for yourself. Going mobile can be an excellent way to get your name out there and start building a portfolio. You can get set up with little more than a Facebook page and start offering your services in people’s homes. This can also be a great way to try out products from suppliers. Once you are ready to launch your salon, you will already have an engaged audience of fans.

Hire an interior designer

Leaving the interior design of your salon to chance is not a great idea. Even if you think you’re skilled in this area, it’s usually better to leave this to the professionals. An experienced interior designer will help you to make the most of your space and ensure you only take on the square footage that you need. They can also help you to define the look of your salon, making it a welcoming and inviting space that people will want to spend time in.

Train your team

In the early days of planning your business, you will need to choose your salon business model. You can either hire and train your own staff, or you can rent out chairs in your salon to established stylists. There are positives and negatives to both. If you choose to hire and train your own team, remember that it’s about more than just the technical skills. They will also need to be trained to use your salon software and to interact with your customers. It’s important to get these things right from the beginning so that your business appears more professional.

Create a marketing plan

If you choose to go mobile before you open a salon, this can create a strong foundation for your marketing plan. But where will your plans take you next? How will you drive more customers through the doors during the quiet months? And how will you manage demand during peak trading periods? A marketing plan that outlines promotions for an entire year ahead will give you some reassurance that you will be able to manage the peaks and troughs in demand.

Set your prices

As part of your competitor research, you will have to look at what other companies in the area are charging for similar services. If you want to set yourself apart as a high-end salon, you can increase your prices, but you need to make it clear to customers what they are getting for the higher price. For example, you might offer premium hair care products or highly skilled staff. Beware of falling into the trap of setting your prices too high and then always running a promotion. It’s far easier to set your prices at the market level and then increase them as your skills and experience improve.

TUSHY creator Miki Agrawal says she has never been embarrassed to tell people what she does. Her newest company, TUSHY, is working to make bidets mainstream by providing a small option that can be hooked to the toilet without a cumbersome setup or stress. There is also a travel-size version for people to take with them and use anywhere. Miki Agrawal’s brand is aspirational, artful, and respectful, while still leaning into the irreverent nature that really is necessary when talking about bodily functions in a way that gets people interested.

Bidets are common in many parts of the world, but in the United States, there are very few people who use them. Some avoid them because they are not sure what they really do or how they work, and there are others who are worried about the level of cleanliness they would receive. Agrawal’s site boasts the claim that a person can use 80% less toilet paper when they utilize one of TUSHY’s products, and that means she is helping the planet and advancing ideas of human hygiene at the same time.

TUSHY’s Marketing is Always Changing

The latest marketing campaign is focused on human poses and body language, on a scale that Agrawal believes everyone will start using. Serial disrupt-her Miki Agrawal intends to make sure her campaigns are inspirational and offer more information in ways that get people to gain more interest in why they should choose TUSHY products over standard toilet paper. Another thing that Miki Agrawal is very proud of is the brand’s voice. The funny, irreverent nature of it brings people’s guards down.

Why is this important? Miki Agrawal believes that otherwise, it gets boring. When things get boring, people lose interest. With TUSHY’s marketing campaigns, there are frequently things that people are not expecting. That is true to the brand, and the visuals that come with the campaigns are always artful. The goal is not to offend, but to push the boundaries enough to get people talking about what the company and the product have to offer, and how TUSHY can help their cleanliness and protect the planet at the same time.

Logos and Public Relations Both Matter

The logo, featuring a human bottom in a water drop, is designed to showcase the “shower for your butt” that Agrawal says the company offers. Getting people to move from using toilet paper to a bidet is not an easy task, especially in a country and culture where bathroom habits and needs are often taboo. Miki Agrawal is out to break those barriers. Admittedly, however, raising money was not easy at first. People did not want to invest in such a product. A couple of early investors funded Agrawal for $400k, and that was enough.

Commercials and Influencers are on the Radar

Asked about where the company’s marketing money should go, Agrawal is often quick to suggest influencers. The mid-sized influencer who has a 10% engagement and around 150k in followers is what she looks for. Those kinds of influencers work with enough people to bring in more interest for a product, and they have solid engagement that helps Agrawal feel confident that sales will rise by working with them.

Miki Agrawal has several commercials she really likes for the product, but her favorite is somewhat niche. The artfully shot commercial featured people washing things with the TUSHY nozzle, and Agrawal believes it will be the company’s best ad once people have a more mainstream understanding of (and interest in) what a bidet can do for their personal hygiene and for the planet.

Long-Form Video is Helping to Mainstream TUSHY

TUSHY Founder Miki Agrawal also uses along-form videos in her company’s advertising. When asked why, she explained that many people still are not clear on what bidets do, how they work, and the benefits they offer. Because of that, the company makes explainer videos that help people understand the value. She also wants to showcase how it takes 37 gallons of water to make a roll of toilet paper, and that 15 million trees are cut down for toilet paper every year.

One of the biggest goals of TUSHY is to bring bidets to the mainstream, and right now, long-form content educates and converts interested parties into loyal brand ambassadors. “May the best ad win,” says Agrawal, when it comes to long-form or short-form options. She also accepts that there will be some people who just will not use her product, no matter how it is advertised, and she knows she cannot please everyone.

One of the brand’s most popular videos features a friend of Agrawal’s, sitting on a toilet and reading reviews of TUSHY. While the ad cost nearly nothing to make, a lot of people seem to love it. It is performing well, and it shows that the company does not always need to spend a lot of money to get people interested in what they have to offer.

What’s the “Bottom” Line?

Asked about what was most important to success for the company, Miki Agrawal cites strong management. When maintaining her WILD restaurants, she finally brought in an operations professional and found that it made a huge difference. With TUSHY, she did not waste any time and brought in operations professionals right away, so the company could start out strong. Her goal is to elevate humanity and protect the planet, all at the same time, and she believes to do that she will need to break some societal preconceptions.

Agrawal points out that there is a lot of societal control, based on how people believe they should do things. She says it feels arbitrary and old, and it is time for something new. People can create their own reality, and as the Chief Creative Officer of TUSHY, she is out to focus on disruptive innovations and social enterprises in order to help people create what matters most for their lives. That might sound like a lot to ask of a bidet, but Agrawal is out to change the world, one tushy at a time.

About Miki Agrawal

Miki Agrawal is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of TUSHY. The company has created bidets for household use, hook up in less than 10 minutes, and cost under $100. Over one million satisfied customers are already using TUSHY’s products. Agrawal is also a wife and mother, and an identical twin. Before starting TUSHY in 2014, Miki Agrawal launched WILD, a farm-to-table sustainable pizzeria chain, and THINX, which makes period underwear and donates to help children in impoverished countries go back to school.

TUSHY focuses on helping people have better hygiene while simultaneously protecting the planet and reducing the impact of toilet paper. Along with her work there, Miki Agrawal has published two books, with a third on the way. She is dedicated to challenging the status quo in ways that can help improve life for people around the world.

The year 2016 saw Agrawal listed among the Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs by INC, along with Crain’s 40 Under 40. That same year, she made the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine. In 2017, Agrawal was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She is clearly dedicated to her tasks, and a force to be reckoned with.