CREATIVE CHAT CAFE - Tools that will help you green up your business and put money back in your pocket.

discussions include:

• Transitioning into a paperless business, what does it mean for you?
  
• How going paperless affects our time, money, and the environment.
  
• The important role of cloud computing in a paperless business and how it can help us save money.

Save time and skip ahead to the information that is important to you using the video's table of contents (TOC) in the video description on YouTube!  
Table of Contents (click on the minute timeline for the specific content): 
00:45 - Greetings & introductions.
01:33 - What's in this episode. 
03:41 - Transitioning into a paperless business, what does it mean for you.
06:49 - How going paperless affects our time, money, and the environment.
10:17 - Quick reminder of what 's in this show. 
12:01 - 3 money saving tips on how to green up your business.
18:17 - Money saving tips for your paperless business. 
22:48 - Optimize automation to minimize errors in your business.
24:03 - How you can benefit from passing on some savings to your clients!
27:12 - What innovative companies are doing to help simplify our business processes. 
28:01 - The important role of cloud computing in a paperless business and how it can help us save money.
32:17 - Cast contact info and let's get connected!
35:07 - Let's get social!

the conversation:                                                                        your hosts:

SONDRA: Today we are reviewing and discussions of tools like Wave to help manage finances.
Paperless options in managing finances and tips on how to utilize to prepare for tax season - NEXT WEEK - April 15th! Great last minute tips.

ZEF: Speaking of tax season Sondra, I think many of us busy people in the business world who are last minute folks, are probably working on their taxes right as we speak. We are in April - the Earth Day month and I thought it would be great for us to talk about how we as business owners can be responsible towards our environment, and maybe put some money back into our pockets!
Though it may be last minute to be talking about it, I still think the value in what we are discussing today may even help those last minute folks!
So, I am certain you’ve got some great tips for us all today Sondra, especially in talking about the tools that will help “green up” our business and the term GREEN here that I would like to talk about is going PAPERLESS. 

Going Green

ZEF: Sondra, going paperless can be a huge transition for many people especially for those who are not fans of technology but how do you think you can help your clients benefit from the paperless transition?

SONDRA: I put all my clients on auto-recurring payments so they never have to lift a finger or open an invoice.

ZEF:  Sondra. have you discovered any best practices that have helped you manage your finances better?

SONDRA: I use online invoice program which makes it so easy to get an invoice done, It’s green,  convenient and better than piling up so many papers. Also using good old Pay Pal is so easy and helps me get paid for my work. 
But overall, going paperless has helped my business operate better, especially using “Google package”: Gmail is a great asset, and all my docs are accessible from anywhere through Google docs.  I can also use Evernote, which has so many great apps and programs that makes business day to day work accessible and efficient and green. so It’s a win-win situation.

meet zef here

LIRONE GLIKMAN
 www.LironeGlikman.com  
"Lirone Glikman is an energetic  
business networking coach,  
blogger and international  
speaker. She shares her  
networking knowledge and  
philosophy in order to help  
others take control of their lives, 
 reach their goals, succeed, and  
most importantly, enjoy doing it!" 

SONDRA FIRESTEIN
www.PursuitOfSeattle.com  
"Sondra is the founder of  
PursuitofSeattle.com, which  
offers concierge, lifestyle  
management, and personal  
assistance services. 'I work hard  
so I can play harder. When I'm  
not helping others find balance in  
their lives, you can find me  
eating delicious food,  
paddleboarding, or dancing like  
nobody is watching." 

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Evernote

ZEF: In my professional opinion and also from my personal experience with working with clients, going paperless helps my clients to save time and money.
Imagine using bookkeeping solutions and apps like Quickbooks, Wave, or even payment solutions like Paypal, Square, all those tools, when used properly, will even help you even when you are in a rush.
And since TIME = MONEY, saving every little minute counts and there is less of a chance of having that  anxiety attack. 
Everything is ready at the click of a button - everything is ON DEMAND - viewable, shareable anytime and anywhere!

• No more mailing receipts in shoe boxes to the accountant.
  
• Just need to download reports from those bookkeeping tools and you can email it out.
  
• Less charges from the accountant for the headache!

Quickbooks

Wave App

ZEF: Speaking of bookkeeping and stuff, how do you account for all the purchases made by your clients Sondra?

SONDRA: I knew I didn't want to bear those costs so I have my clients use Akimbo Card, a prepaid visa card for all their in-person purchases. This keeps my accounts clear of anything that isn't my own transactions.

Akimbo Card

SONDRA: I have a great example for this subject, Cloud Computing. I have a friend who spilled a glass of wine on his computer and lost everything because he did not have Cloud backup. He now uses the Cloud for everything. 
ZEF: Well ladies, it's that time again. Time flies when you're having fun! See you next week!

tips to remember:

ZEF: Going paperless is a big time saver, especially if you are a last-minute kind of person. Are you one of those types of people who has all their tax papers in a box and then a week before the deadline you are digging receipts, invoices, and all the other PAPER TRAILS? That would probably cause you an anxiety attack!

SONDRA: The best part about paperless systems is they can usually be automated. You lose a significant margin for error when you're not dealing with snail mail but it also makes things easier to just get paid. No more hassling, a lot more automating.

LIRONE: Exactly, look into the future! Different companies such as Citibank are creating apps and tools that help us work more efficiently. I really think you should stay tuned for better things to come in the future.