Tax Time !

April 15 is around the corner and I've once again managed to squeeze in a year's worth of accounting into a couple of weeks so I can rush the information off to my magical tax attorney and have him figure out what the government gets to steal from me what I owe this year. Every year after I do this I swear I'll be better next year. I will do it differently and be so much more prepared! I'll keep records and be up to date throughout the year!  So far, nothing has changed. However, this year, I did discover a great resource: The SF Small Business Development Center offers tons of classes for very cheap, one of them being a Basic Bookkeeping class for $25, which, after you attend, qualifies you for 4 free hours of one-on-one counseling with an accountant. So, back in February, I begrudgingly took myself over there, did the boring class, and got my 4 hours. I got all set up on the Quickbooks, and have a system I can now use throughout the year.  Wish I did this 3 years ago. Word to the wise: Find a way to get your books set up correctly before you even begin. It makes things a whole lot easier. Tax time will never benefit the small business owner--unlike the days of being an employee when earning very little meant owing very little, owning your own business requires you to pay taxes out of the ass, even if you've barely been able to pay your rent all year--but at least the rest of it doesn't have to be a nightmare.
See SF SBDC's list of classes and events here.