Well what a predicament some of us seem to get ourselves in. Whether it’s selling onions or trading on the stock exchanges there’s always a stack of admin to be done at the end of the day , or if you can put it off, until the end of the year . Wondeful ! The latest software tools are coming to our rescue aren’t they? According to the major software it’s all getting better every day. Your Home Based Franchise bought a couple of months ago on the Franchise For Sale market is going really well and sales are coming in . But you seem to be devoting a lot of your energy on the paperwork – in fact much more time than you would generally like to. There’s the customer accounts to be maintained , chasing the invoices, maintaining the records for the Inland Revenue, filing annual returns, sending in your Franchises paperwork, doing the VAT etc. Anyone out there running a home business or a Home Based Franchise will know what I mean. Some days it really seems like you can’t get any work done at all.
If you have purchased one of the Franchises on the Franchise For Sale market then they will have their own way of working and the accompanying paperwork, or more probably computer work to accompany the franchise. There is very little you can do about this but accept it and set aside a little time to do it. The Franchises will have built in a certain portion of computer work into their system and it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s not in their interests to keep you behind the computer when you should be out cleaning ovens , fitting tyres or whatever your Franchises subject is. If you discover that you are being asked to do too much paperwork then it may be worth bringing this to the notice of the franchise or having a word with other franchisees to see how they are managing .
The way to get around this seemingly insurmountable hill of paperwork is Little and Often. Two small words that should help you in the long run even if it means an ongoing commitment.No one , or at least very few people, can stand a long period cooking the company books after a long day out on the road or dealing with a challenging customer. It’s not such a good idea to forget it all, though, as absence really does not make the heart grow fonder when dealing with the paperwork. Say to yourself that you will do up to one hour every three days if it’s required . That way it won’t seem such a huge chore but more of a regular slight nuisance. If you can imagine it’s a bit like shaving every day as opposed to having to chop off a forest of beard once a fortnight! If you have an accountant then keep him as your friend by keeping the accounts in order yourself. Accountants charge less for nicely presented spreadsheets than they do for a box of unsorted receipts!
The Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise assume things are be in order and it’s your job to make sure that they are. You can’t really delegate the responsibility of this to somebody else as if somebody else gets it wrong then it’s actually you they will come after not a third party. Keep your eye on this as these guys have the power to ruin your life if you make even an honest mistake.
The message is that putting aside a little time every few days can mean that you avoid a hill of hassle at the end of the year!

