The local job centre requires unemployed people to seek work. The job centre gets them to spend time writing letters asking for jobs. I get so many. Some posted. Some by email. Many have poor English or poor handwriting etc. They all get ignored because otherwise the amount we receive goes up dramatically. These people are given task lists which include things like sending out cvs and applying for jobs….which are either oversubscribed or totally unsuitable for the job seeker.

My mum posts jobs in the local shop window now….she will never tell the job centre about anything because she had thousands apply and nobody turned up for interview.

The local job centre requires unemployed people to seek work. The job centre gets them to spend time writing letters asking for jobs. I get so many. Some posted. Some by email. Many have poor English or poor handwriting etc. They all get ignored because otherwise the amount we receive goes up dramatically. These people are given task lists which include things like sending out cvs and applying for jobs….which are either oversubscribed or totally unsuitable for the job seeker.

My mum posts jobs in the local shop window now….she will never tell the job centre about anything because she had thousands apply and nobody turned up for interview.

The local job centre requires unemployed people to seek work. The job centre gets them to spend time writing letters asking for jobs. I get so many. Some posted. Some by email. Many have poor English or poor handwriting etc. They all get ignored because otherwise the amount we receive goes up dramatically. These people are given task lists which include things like sending out cvs and applying for jobs….which are either oversubscribed or totally unsuitable for the job seeker.

My mum posts jobs in the local shop window now….she will never tell the job centre about anything because she had thousands apply and nobody turned up for interview.

The local job centre requires unemployed people to seek work. The job centre gets them to spend time writing letters asking for jobs. I get so many. Some posted. Some by email. Many have poor English or poor handwriting etc. They all get ignored because otherwise the amount we receive goes up dramatically. These people are given task lists which include things like sending out cvs and applying for jobs….which are either oversubscribed or totally unsuitable for the job seeker.

My mum posts jobs in the local shop window now….she will never tell the job centre about anything because she had thousands apply and nobody turned up for interview.

Check how many businesses he has. There might be a few connected ones. A bankrupt business can be turned into a phoenix company once the debts are gone. In the us he could have used bankruptcy protection. There are also things like debt insurance that could have been used as well as factoring. Ask him about the business. Then have a look at the audited accounts for the bankrupt business.

Some people have a habit of starting or buying businesses so they can have a large turnover, use that to borrow lots….then pay themselves a huge wage and leave the struggling business to someone else or to let it fail or both.

The biggest issue is the difference between revenue and profit. Close family and friends see the revenue and think you are making tons of money. The second problem is they look at how much profit you make from a sale and think you are overcharging them or think once again you are making a lot of profit. But startup costs, equipment costs, insurance, rates, rents, taxes, bank fees, etc they all add up fast.

It can be really hard because they see just a small part of the picture and attempts to explain it to them just wind them up because they have watched too many movies and adverts and cannot understand or believe what you say.

The third problem is that you can lose a small fortune very fast. A 5% profit on a 40k job can kill the business when there is a big issue with a part, or if the customer’s cheque bounces, or they go bankrupt before payment is due! Even with experience and trusted customers or suppliers things can sometimes go horribly wrong….especially when deadlines are tight.

So I think the haters are mainly the greedy people who are jealous of your revenues. When you are doing well they won’t see the hard work you have put in and whatever you give them they won’t be satisfied because they want a share of the revenues and all they see is lots of money! Unfortunately, sometimes they will steal it from you. That happens a lot in restaurants which are cash rich. I have seen businesses where members of staff have stolen ten times their wages or a third of the takings. Such staff don’t care at all and are very greedy and selfish to the point that they don’t even look after themselves because they are going to be sacked when caught and could be in jail……and risk their job and the job of everyone they work with if the business goes under.

Your accountant should have the answer to this. Usually it means printing out two physical payslips with hours worked and taxes deducted etc so that the business copy of it can be signed by the employee as received in full and that the employee agrees with the hours worked.

In the UK we have had this practice for decades. About 50 years ago it was because 9 to 5 on Monday to Friday/Saturday were the regular business hours for everyone and if you were a sole trader you would struggle to visit the shops, bank, post office, solicitor, accountant etc. So a day off or half a day off was very common. It used to be called half day closing and each town or village had a different day. If the main town was Wednesday the villages nearby might be Tuesday or Thursday.

Today in the UK we have Sunday opening hours and many businesses have extended hours from 8 until 6 with some open until 8 or 9 but who wants to work all the time? So a lot of small businesses still need some time off. Some large businesses still have strict hours of 9-5 on mon to fri so sole traders, even today, have a half day off for accounting or errands.

In the UK we have VAT which means that about 20% tax has to be paid for everything we sell. However there is a threshold so if we can keep our revenue below that we don’t have to pay it. But the moment we earn even one pound more we pay 20% on everything we earn. Therefore many businesses want to stay below that threshold. They do this by reducing hours. In tourist towns it is common for restaurants and cafes to open in April and to close in mid August to avoid crossing the threshold.

Starting at 10 or finishing at 2 or 3 allows a business to make the most out of the best hours of the business day as well as making it easier for workers with children.

Every message I get is hassle. I don’t want them. However if I need you regularly for windows, pools, weeds, gardening, maintenance, testing schedules that is different. Also, if you are offering a real genuine deal because you are quiet and need the extra business go ahead but ask just once or twice a year. I have several charities and a half dozen businesses that I own, manage or work with, help manage etc….i get 100 or more mails per day so sales messages are automatically moved out of the in box and dumped in a sales folder. Gmail does this for a lot of things too.

Hardly any businesses send me sms messages. If they did I would probably block them. If you sent me a message every two weeks you would be blocked on message two.

Be aware that many jurisdictions have limits and rules on what is effectively spam and you need permission or otherwise it can cost you a lot in fines.

If you visit me regularly to do something just ask at that point in person if I want you back again to mow the lawns, test the alarms etc. Or set up a regular schedule and do a few hours work each week forever….make it easy for me but don’t hassle me.

Sometimes a business is worth nothing. Sometimes there is something better……look around to see what the alternatives are and then make sure that the current deal is better than that.

Are clients attracted to the building or the people in it? How important is location. Being fixed location means more clients less time……moving around is more money, lots of travel, less clients.

I know of several hairdressers, beauticians, stylists, make up specialists, minor cosmetic surgery etc who have set up their own personal salon in a summer house, spare bedroom etc

Look at all the options and consider carefully what the clients would do or want.

If she can place her bus there….can you fill the space with tables and chairs? Or get some other friends to park there so it’s not on you.

You will need to have a serious conversation with them. If they are your friend, how are they helping you? From your perspective it is costing you and you are getting nothing in return. They might think they are attracting trade you your business with their colourful bus. Are they selling your stuff when they go on tour? What’s in it for you?

Hey bus girl I need to tell you as a friend that your bus is killing my trade when you are here. How can we make this good for both of us because i can’t afford the drop in income, I have overheads to pay……etc

Sounds like you need a holiday. If someone else is already holding the reins a bit give them some more of that.

You could hire an administrator to reduce the pressure and this would increase sales and profits and would give you time off and time to think. An administrator could open for you, set up meetings at good times and you could spend mornings and evenings with your family.

You could get an employee owned card machine from somewhere like square or sumup that could be placed by the exit or the till for tips. It would need to be clearly labelled as such. They are typically set to take a fixed small amount with an option to upgrade to a higher amount. This can then be managed by employees and split according to shifts etc.

It was a while ago so it might have changed but when my parents owned a restaurant In the uk, anything that went through the till was counted as income and had to have the tax deducted so having the tips separate helped a lot for the staff. They had a tip jar by the till which was great because the customers would often place all their change in the jar. I think the card customer could pay extra on top of what the till wanted and then the change would go into the tip jar as cash.

If the owner wants to help the staff they will.

I always have plenty to buy but don’t buy until I need it. I think priorities are always the key, being careful to distinguish between want and need. Buying too much too early fills up precious storage space and uses up money that could be invested in a time or money saver.