The Business of Being

So as I continue to move forward (always forward, trudging, trudging) with the Bliss Body Soul business I have come to realize that it might just be time to get serious about all the things necessary to get and keep a business running, you know the little things, like keeping good records, bookkeeping, filing and updating client records (she hangs her head in shame, not as good as she otta be about client records). Ahhh the fun stuff.

I have been training, teaching and yoga-fying my local community for many years, mostly on a part-time basis, through fitness center & studios. But over the last few years I have also started training clients in their homes and have sold my services directly to clients at a few of the places where I teach. So I have a lot more income coming in from ‘other’ sources. The facilities where I teach & train all provide me with a 1099 so I didn’t need to track the income as diligently, don’t worry I kept my pay stubs to compare them at tax time. But now I have payments coming in that “I” need to track and a lot more expenses too, and there’s the need to track the clients I barter with, yep folks the IRS considers that income, go figure. So as I sit here 2 weeks out from tax deadline, my husband breathing down my neck, sorting through the shoe box full of little bits ‘O’ paper and going over my calendar for 2011 trying to track mileage, I have decided I really need to get serious about this shit. It’s time. That’s a good thing, business is picking up, I booked another long-term client this week, and I have several new clients doing 1 or 2 sessions and I had to turn down 2 events in May because I am booked solid (I hated that, they were gigs that would have given me a great deal of quality exposure). I have been putting a lot of effort and time into developing a business plan and a timeline for the next 2 years, that includes marketing and branding.

But I need to spend some time on my spread sheets and on creating a filing system that will work with all the running around and coming and going I have to do. And I need to establish the system now while the business is still small. Part of the challenge is that I practically live in my truck. Going from Client to client & class to class and then on to special events.  I have been involved in all kinds of office work for years from being an office manager and loan officer to being the GM of a rather successful fitness facility. So getting it up and running isn’t the problem, I actually like to organize spaces & stuff. But it is a challenge to stay that way. So I thought you lovely bloggers out there might have a few tips or ideas for me. What’s worked for you?

 

So to you I pose the following question….

How does a yogi who travels with her office in her truck and has a dedicated office at home as well, keep her shit together?

Om Shanti

Cheryl