My initial thought regarding the new Seattle Sick Leave ordinance was that an employer that had a “Paid Time Off” policy for all employees would not be impacted much by the new ordinance. As we dig deeper into the specifics of the ordinance, I am finding more complexities and administrative burdens that employers will have... View Article
As we review the provisions of the new Seattle Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, we thought we’d provide some examples to show some of the issues and complexities of the ordinance. Anchorage Accounting is an accounting firm with its principal office in Anchorage Alaska. It has 6 full time employees in Alaska, 2 full time employees... View Article
Our Equinox Focus Event last week “Tax Update: What You Need to Know for 2012 (and 2011, too)!” was quite a success with raves from our participants. I wanted to share some of my key takeaways from the program. – Pre-Opening Costs. For folks starting or launching a business, certain pre-opening costs are tax deductible. In... View Article
Our guest blog post this week is from Connie Lewis at CliftonLarsonAllen. Connie’s practice focuses on state and local tax matters. We are seeing more Washington Department of Revenue audits with our clients as the state attempts to meet their budget needs. One area typically overlooked is the sales/use tax paid on items you use... View Article
Mike Pritchard is President of 5 Circles Research, providing full-service market research and also helping clients improve their own surveys. —————————– While there is plenty of evidence that customer satisfaction is linked to profitability (e.g. https://www.burke.com/Library/WhitePapers/B.WhitePaperVol5Iss3.pdf ) , some wonder if profits will decline by doing too much. One reason for these concerns is when... View Article
What drives customer loyalty? Customers are loyal to businesses when their expectations are met time and time again. In my opinion, the execution doesn’t even need to be exceptional – it just needs to consistently deliver on the promises made. The biggest challenge faced by business owners is how to deliver consistently every time. A... View Article
Today’s guest blog comes from Dave Shapiro, a group leader at Excell CEO. Dave mentors CEOs and business owners throughout the Puget Sound and West Coast to help them gain clarity about what is holding their company back and what will propel it to even greater heights. —————————————— One of the toughest issues to face is uncertainty…... View Article
Our guest blog post is from Bert Holeton, President of The Mastermind Group (www.the-mastermind-group.com). ————————– When it comes to choosing the right individual to join your organization, or the right individual to promote into a key position, or the right combination of individuals to form a team – it’s all about performance and fit. To... View Article
Our guest blog post comes from Julia Robinson, Managing Partner of Steller Solutions, a Seattle-area consultancy that helps clients implement changes that produce rapid bottom line results, allowing their business to beat out the competition while using fewer resources. “People don’t leave companies, they leave managers,” a colleague and mentor recently shared with me. The more I... View Article