Accounting and Supplies

Accountants see what we call “the trail” in all kinds of businesses. From restaurants to HVAC, construction to pawn shops, and insurance to clothing boutiques, their books write the story. Accountants get to comb through those books every day. We place each expense in the category it belongs and each income item in the correct revenue category. This work is called “general ledger”. General ledger is the main work that produces all other accounting reports like profit and loss, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. If the general ledger work is not done properly and precisely, the reports and statements won’t tie out and balance like they should.

They all work together and should dovetail when all expenses and income is entered. If one expense is posted wrong, or one piece of income doesn’t make it to the right line item, the rest of the reports will not tie out correctly. Accountants do all of this work throughout the year so that they can produce a profit and loss statement, and a balance sheet in order to then create a tax return. If all the work is done properly throughout the year, producing the tax return is a breeze. There’s no questions where expense a, b, or c came from or went to. It’s all right there on the profit and loss (or P&L as we call it) and the balance sheet. And since both reports tie out, we know we can be confident in what we enter on the tax return.

But accounting businesses don’t come without a price. The pens, pencils, envelopes, postage, paper, file folders, calendars, software, etc. that is needed in order to take care of our clients is greatly needed. Thankfully, all of our office and shipping supplies can be bundled into cheap boxes and sent directly to our office overnight. The business chain is something to marvel at. Business constantly takes care of the needs of other businesses.

A farmer for example, provides the resources a restaurant needs to feed people. The restaurant is good at feeding people, but not good at the upkeep it takes to run a business. So, they call on an accountant to run the other side of the business. Accountants file reports, produce tax returns, process payroll, package up their shipping supplies, and generate reports that show the restaurant how they’re doing. But the accountant couldn’t do all that without the office supply company providing resources in order to get the job done.  

I Hate Moving

There is seriously nothing worse than having to move homes. Granted, I don’t think there is a single person on this entire planet that enjoys moving, but I particularly have a deep-seeded hatred for anything that resembles moving. From the whole process of finding a realtor, listing a home, and selling it, to the pain-staking process of researching homes and buying one, to the never-ending packing and moving process, I seriously hate it all. However, the housing market is too hot right now to not make some serious plays with my home. If you are unaware of what is going on in the housing market right now, let me just enlighten you a little bit about the current events of our market. First of all, you need to know that houses are selling like hot cakes out here. Seriously - the last time we were seeing prices for homes like this was before the big crash in 2008 (which sounds a little problematic if you ask me). So me and my wife live in our own home that we bought several years ago now. We like it there, but it is old and has quite a few problems that we haven’t gotten around to fixing; most notably, it is in need of a new roof and several heating/cooling upgrades and fixes. Either way, my wife and I have both agreed that these are problems we do not want to deal with.

So after some long conversations and discussions about this big decision, my wife and I decided to sell our house as is and live in a smaller scale apartment for a couple years until the housing market is down. The reason for this is because, since we are eventually going to want to upgrade to a bigger house anyways, it makes a lot of sense to sell the house right now. After all, we can seriously make so much money off selling the house, and get back over 100 percent of what we put into it.

Now that’s a deal! I don’t really love living in apartments at this age of my life, but we can find and afford a nice place to live that will at least be manageable for a couple years until we decide to move on. Right now we are leaning towards building our own house, but we are still waiting to see how the market is going to look in a couple years after we sell our current house. The best part about selling the house ‘as is’ is that we don’t have to do any extra work to it whatsoever - this is super beneficial and is something that you could not normally get a lot of money for unless you are selling in such a hot market like we are currently seeing.

That all being said, it is true that I absolutely hate the process of moving. We have already ordered lots of moving supplies, and started saving shipping supplies that we get in the mail in order to pack things more carefully. Why pay for shipping supplies when you can just reuse it? With all that’s going on in my life, I really don’t want to have to worry about my fragile items breaking during the transition to the new apartment. That’s why my wife and I are being extra careful with all of our stuff as we pack it up.

Make Your Next Move Quick and Easy

Moving can be overwhelming. All the packing, unpacking, and setting up can be complicated and time-consuming. Having the correct supplies can make the job easier. Buying and organizing boxes, tape, and labels, however, can also be frustrating. A professional relocation company can make your move easier. They understand all that's involved when it comes to relocation.

Advantages of the Right Supplies

Having the right supplies can save time and reduce stress. Boxes that are the wrong size or tape that isn't strong enough will make your job more difficult. If your valuables are correctly packaged you'll have one less thing to worry about when moving.

Use the Correct Supplies

Tape and Bubblewrap

Not only is it important to have the right supplies, but making sure all items are labeled is crucial. That way you'll know what is in each box and where it needs to go as soon as it arrives. It's also necessary to have bubble wrap so fragile items don't break during delivery. Finally, make sure you use the correct type of tape for packing all your items. Tape can also be used to cover labels so they don't smear or get torn off.

Slipcovers and Ties

Slipcovers are necessary to wrap your furniture to keep everything clean during the move. Everything from couches and beds to patio furniture can be covered. Your professional moving company can provide you with the slipcovers you need. Strong ties will also be needed to keep cushions from coming off of sofas or drawers from falling out of dressers. You'll need to ask the moving company about quality ties with springs, hooks, or buckles to keep your furniture in good condition during the move.

Large Boxes

Large quality boxes are always needed for moving whether it's an office or home relocation. Small items can be sorted into general categories, wrapped carefully, and then put into large boxes. Using large boxes will mean there are fewer items to load and unload during the move.

Selecting Labels

Labeling all your boxes not only lets you know what's inside, but lets the movers know as well. They will know which boxes need to be handled more carefully. It's also important to label more than one side of each box so movers can see what's inside no matter which way the box is facing.

Miscellaneous Items

It's a good idea to have scissors and box cutters along with the rest of your supplies. If you forget to pack an item after a box has been sealed, box cutters can easily open the box without damaging the material. When it's time to unpack, having box cutters and sharp scissors will make the process go much quicker.

Find a Professional Moving Company

When it's time to prepare for a move you need to find a professional moving company that has the experience and expertise to make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible. Make sure to look for a company that's involved in the entire process and provides all the right shipping supplies. From the planning and initial packing to setting up your new office or home, you need a company that provides assistance from start to finish.

Let me help you with sending your Ecom products

2021 is offcicially the eCommerce boom.  This year we have seen more and more companies jump in and make millions.  It is reather awesome to see the economy shift and adapt to the world we are now in.  We all adapted to the regulations put in place to stay alive and profitable.  It is a way to get around a lot of the regulations put in place and it allows many companies to stay open and to sell online.  There are lots of things to know about starting an online company, but one area that many people skimp on research is the sending of the product to the actual customer.  The packaging is a huge deal and can be a financial breaking point if it is not done correctly.  I don't want any companies going bankrupt due to purchasing the wrong boxes and tape.  If you are a small company that was brick and mortar I want to help you in the transitition. 

If you think one box is the same as another you may be wrong.  And the same goes for bags too.  There is so much complexity that it can cost you tons of money to chose wrong.  Each different item you are going to be sending may need special packaging or it may be simple and cheap.  What I have found is that talking with the right people to determine this before you purchase your packaging items is key.  The best thing to do is not to make guesses but talk to consultants who have been doing this for decades.  You may think this will cost money, but instead, all you have to do is go online and find the customer service numbers for packaging supply stores.  This tip will save you thousands and maybe even millions of dollars.  Shipping supplies are important and you need to be aware of the differences and what you actually need.

If you chose a product and package that costs you an extra 10 bucks a sale then you could be in big trouble. That margin could cost you precious money that you need to move into other areas.  If you could use a bubble mailer that costs much less and now you don't need to buy a box and fill it with stuffing and still get the product safe to the purchaser why wouldn't you want this.  But we miss these opportunities because we are scared, feel we don't have the time, and just don't want to risk it.  Taking a little time to help find the best product could save your company.

It is fun to compare prices from, Amazon, and then these huge online shipping supplies stores.  Most of the time I see massive savings by taking a little more time and shopping a big online retailer.  Sometimes 50% versus the local shops.  It is amazing what you can save and how you can take that money and put it into say more inventory or marketing.  So just this little tip can be the difference between closing, surviving, and thriving.  So take the time and talk to the experts for free. With margins like this, it would be very unwise to not look into it.  Over time this is the difference between being a 100k business and a 10 million dollar one.

 

Top ecommerce problems that a lot of retailers face

While a lot of ecommerce businesses are growing and can manage a lot of the overhaul of the system, there are a few major problems that are coming to light. We’re going to highlight each of these here, and some of the solutions that can be used. 

Scaling the fulfillment 

This is one that’s challenging, since it does mean that you need to manage the stock that’s there, get more, fulfilled this correctly, and reduce the errors. You only have so much team to work with, and  while you may need t hire other people, a big problem, is how expensive this gets. One way to do this is to optimize the inventory through the use of shipping services. 

Keeping up with Competing Businesses 

One of the problems that people are running into is competing with the shipping. While you can usually ship out fast, the speed is what matters. Amazon and other companies are some of the major ones that offer shipping that’s expeditated. This is something that’s expensive for certain brands. If you can’t manage this, it definitely does eat into who is looking at the business, and also will make customers upset since you’ve got to charge a bit more. whatever you choose you do lose with this one. 

Leveraging Data 

Another big problem is the data leverage. A big part of managing fulfillment is making sure that the analytics, reporting, and data is correct. The problem is that a lot of employees don’t get the correct data, they log it too slow, and sometimes it’s done in a way where the information makes absolutely no sense. If you’re looking to fix this, the best solution is  to make reports of the inventory, the order history, different reports, and other kinds of information that is properly leveraged. 

Training and Getting More fulfillment Experts 

This is something that can actually be cheaper at the forefront. You’re not hiring someone specialized, so it’ll be a lot cheaper. You can always train them, right? That’s not super simple. The fulfillment of warehouses does involve a lot of processes that must be executed in a way that’s efficient, with care that’s great. This , if not done right results in damaged packaging, delayed orders, and a lot of problems. 

Because a lot of workers aren’t experienced, you’re basically letting ga bunch of inexperienced people run the shop, and that results in huge returns for many, and customers that aren’t happy. The solution is either hire something expensive, or make sure that these guys are trained. 

Demanding Inventory management and forecasting 

A big part of this is also making sure that the warehouse management is properly predicted. When do you know when something will be in low stock? If you don’t’ properly forecast this, it leads to the dreaded out of stock issue. This is one that plagues people, and it can make or break the orders that you get into. 

Fulfillment requires you to have this competitive stocking, so if you need to add more stock, you always can. Plus, there are also problems with deliveries, especially weather and whatnot, which can impact the way a person manages their shop. With all of this, you may wonder what you can do. You can get warehouse management software that’s up to date or have a fulfillment or shipping service help with a lot of this. 

These are both viable options, and for an ecommerce business, it’s definitely something that’s worth checking out, so make sure that you do proper inventory management for your business and needs.