By Sheila Askov Putting Personality in Print The wonder of a solar eclipse is about to visit us. Oregon is privileged to be in its direct flight path. Along with the excitement comes the warning, “Don’t look directly at the eclipse without protective glasses.” One of my aunts, now deceased, looked at an eclipse when […]

By Sheila Askov Do you adjust your business practices to accommodate the weather? Successful retail and service providers always do. They take into account what people are likely to want, need, and respond to when the hot weather rolls around. Sometimes expanding the hours of operation to match the longer days is a smart move. […]

By Sheila Askov The 4th of July is gone, but the pursuit of freedom and independence continues. As a small business owner, that’s part of your motivation for getting up in the morning and working those long, hard hours. Isn’t it interesting that the road to independence is in fact dependent on being mindful of […]

by Sheila Askov When the sun peaked briefly through the rain-drenched clouds this week, I felt my spirits soar in response. I couldn’t wait to go outside and see what was blooming in the yard and neighborhood around me. Sure enough, the plants appeared unfazed by the prolonged downpours and many of the bushes and […]

LESSONS FROM A GROUNDHOG When the groundhog makes his appearance on February 2nd and we watch the TV to see if he casts a shadow, humans begin predicting how many more weeks of winter are on the way. Depending on whose stats you use – the groundhog’s shadow is right about 50% of the time. […]

BETTER QUESTIONS = BETTER ANSWERS Maybe we all need to stop arguing about the answers we’re getting and start focusing on asking new and more productive questions. Einstein knew better than to waste time and energy lamenting over unsuccessful results. He welcomed them, knowing you have to eliminate what is NOT effective in order to […]

November 8th in Our Review Mirror I’m still grateful I live in America, although this election year has been an extraordinary example of family dysfunction running rampant with the curtains drawn back for all the neighbors to see. OUCH! I feel bruised and beaten up for watching. But in real life…Thanksgiving Day is on its […]

According to Sheila… They both make people VERY uneasy! Here at The Bookkeeping Company, LLC…we understand your discomfort. Much of our day is spent communicating with government agencies loaded with regulations devoid of common sense. Our search for tangible answers generally transports us to a ‘ghostly’, ever-changing environment where we need to contact some illusive […]

by Sheila Askov If your life isn’t adding up, consider the wisdom of mathematical language. Imagine the joy you might experience if you subtract things that suck the energy from you each day.  Can you feel the difference? Instead of running around in circles, compounding conflicts, and trying to become the first person to actually […]

by Sheila Askov The sad truth…the most common reason taxpayers lose their deductions for business mileage during an IRS audit is because they failed to produce adequate records. Avoid the trauma and drama by following these record-keeping guidelines: Write down your mileage Note the dates of your business trips Identify the places you drove for […]