Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Limited Liability Company

The limited liability company (LLC) is a business entity created by statute in every state. The LLC is essentially a combination of a corporation and partnership. The owners, usually called members, enjoy the liability protection of a corporation and the taxation and operation options of either a corporation or a partnership. It is also possible to have a single-member LLC which can operate as a sole proprietor or a corporation. These attributes have caused the LLC to be a preferred choice of entity for many new businesses.

Each state has its own unique LLC statutes. Some of the statutes are binding upon the LLC, such as formation issues. That is, each LLC must submit articles of organization precisely as the statute states. However, most of the statutes are merely default rules for when the LLC members either have no operating agreement or no agreement on a specific issue covered by a default rule. For example, most states’ default rule for voting provides that each member has a vote equal to his ownership interest. However, since this is merely a default rule, the members may agree to override the default rule and have a per capita system of voting.

The LLC combines desired attributes of a corporation and a partnership. Previously, anyone setting up a business typically decided between a corporation and a partnership. Some people would opt for a corporation for its liability protection while others would choose a partnership for its pass-through taxation and more informal structure. With the creation of LLCs, people can now have both.

Most states allow LLC members to determine the management structure of the company. Except for a few states that require a centralized corporate-like structure, the LLC members can choose between centralized management and management by the members. Most members of LLCs choose a partnership-like, member-managed governance structure since this system is very flexible and allows for management by committee, management by a sole member, or management by a nonmember manager.

Flexible Tax Structure
Check-the-box tax regulations allow LLC business owners to elect the desired status for federal tax classification. If no election is made, a single-member LLC is taxed as a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC is taxed as a partnership. However, circumstances may be such that a corporate tax classification will be advantageous for the LLC. In that case, the owners merely “check the box” and elect a corporate tax classification. The check-the-box regulations make tax classification a very simple matter. You can always research tax information at Internal Revenue Service.

In addition, you can contact me at marty@martymcevoy.com

Magical Thinking Will Not Get You What You Want

There is a big difference in wishing for something and actually doing what it takes to make it happen. What I have discovered is that everyone wants something greater. The problem is most of us never go after what we really want. We settle for something far short of our wants and desires. Then we create stories, excuses and reasons to prove to ourselves that everything is just fine. It is called mental gymnastics. It is the insanity of doing the same thing and expecting different results. We want to earn more money, we want our relationships to be more meaningful, we know we should lose weight or exercise more or that we should play our part in creating world peace.

What do you really want? Sit quietly and ask yourself the questions, “What would I do if I knew I could not fail” “Who would I be” “What do I really want” or “Why am I here?” You decide.

The real value in having a personal coach is that the process will take you from wishing to acting. How do I know this? I have experienced the coaching process for myself. I have used some of the best coaches in the world. Follow this link and learn what coaching is all about: Marty McEvoy - Practical Empowerment.

I remember teaching swimming lessons at age 14. I had to move the child from wanting to get in the water, to being in the water. That took a decision from the child and the action of stepping into the water and lots of support and encouragement.

No matter what you want, there is a price to pay for it if you really want it. The results you are currently getting in your life are a result of how you have been thinking, feeling and acting. If you want to have different results in your life then you need to think, feel and act in a way that will bring about those results. Magical thinking is only part of the formula. You must take action. The value of the thinking is that it will motivate you to take action. The problem is that most people do not follow through with the action because it makes them feel uncomfortable.

The easiest way to do all of this is to uncover how you are thinking and acting now to produce the results you are currently getting. Then change the way you think and act so that you get what you want. Say for example you are just getting started in real estate sales. This is what you should do. Go speak with all the successful producers in your company and area and ask them how they think and act everyday. Successful people are always happy to talk with someone who wants to learn. Spend an hour with them. You will be amazed at how they think and act.

So today, start thinking and acting in a way that will give you the results you really want. I can help you do that. Contact me at marty@martymcevoy.com. By contacting me, you are acting in a different way. You decide...

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Your Imagination


Napoleon Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich Think and Grow Rich! The Original Version, Restored and Revised, says “The imagination is literally the workshop wherein are fashioned all plans created by human kind.” He goes on to say, “It has been said that anything can be created which a human being can imagine. The only limitation is that which one sets up in one’s own mind.” This means that anything that you can create in your marvelous mind can be created on the physical plane.

Everything in the room that you are sitting in, from the clothes you are wearing to the chair you are sitting in, was at one time, only a thought in the mind of an individual. You can literally create the life you want by first creating it in your imagination.

Your imagination is your ability to build big, beautiful, wonderful pictures in your life. This is really the workshop of the mind. Thomas Edison had carved into his desk, “imagination is more powerful than knowledge.” We are always imagining something, but we are not always imagining the right way. See most people imagine all the reasons why things cannot be done. They imagine all the obstacles and why things will not work. We have not used our imagination properly in most cases since we left the sandbox. What we want to do is focus on what it is we want and to build it in our imagination, over and over. We want to decide right now the income we want to earn, the home we want to live in or the relationship we want to have and start building it in our imagination.

You should go and read about Nikola Tesla. He had developed for himself an incredible imagination and used it to create all his inventions. He would literally create an invention in his mind, start it running and come back weeks later to see which parts had worn out. You can do the same thing.

Here is a practical method to really improve your imagination. Look at an object, then close your eyes and remember all the details of the object you were just looking at. Then, open your eyes and look again for something you did not see before. Then close your eyes again and picture all the details again. Do this a few times on one object and then go to another and do the same thing. Do this everyday for a few weeks, and you will develop an incredible imagination.

Put your imagination to work today and build the life you want. If you have any questions, please contact me at marty@martymcevoy.com

Monday, August 27, 2007

Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness

We have been told by every great spiritual teacher to forgive. In the bible it says, ‘And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye.” So let’s look at forgiveness from a very practical viewpoint. When we don’t forgive it robs us of our free attention and it is our free attention that we need to create what we want in our lives. The definition of attention is the creative energy that brings about reality.

So how do I forgive? It is a process and starts with a decision. I realize that forgiveness is better than holding a grievance. I realize that the power of decision is my own. I realize that happiness is a choice and is up to me if it is going to be. I realize that an unforgiving thought is focusing on what I do not want versus what I want.

Once I make the decision to forgive, I then realize that I might have to forgive not 7 times 7 times, but 70 times 70 times. I have found the following prayers to be very helpful and were given to me by some of my greatest teachers.


TRUE FORGIVENESS

A thought process example

From: The Disappearance of the
Universe

By Gary R. Renard

You’re not really there. If I think you are guilty or the cause of the problem, and if I made you up, then the imagined guilt and fear must be in me. Since the separationfrom God never occurred, I forgive “both” of us for what we haven’t really done. Now there is only innocence, and I join with the Holy Spirit in peace.




Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free.


There is a very simple way to find the door to true forgiveness, and perceive it open wide in welcome. When you feel that you are tempted to accuse someone of sin in any form, do not allow your mind to dwell on what you think he did, for that is self-deception. Ask instead, “Would I accuse myself of doing this?”

40 Day Forgiveness Prayer
By Carol Canova

Must be done for forty consecutive days or the soul knows you need more time, so you start over if you miss a day. Do the prayer before bedtime.

Get completely relaxed, until you feel as though your body is floating – Relax – allow now your muscles to open and the tension to float free – now tell your heart to open and to allow all the hurts you’ve felt to be encapsulated in little balloons and to float freely to the Father to be blessed and healed.


Visualize now the face of the one you’re forgiving – and know that you’re speaking to their very soul. Visualize your soul speaking through you to their soul and know that this is so. Then speak inwardly (or aloud if possible), saying: “_____, I forgive you for all the times you’ve hurt me consciously and unconsciously since the beginning of time, and ______, I’m asking forgiveness of you for all the times I’ve hurt you consciously and unconsciously since the beginning of time.”

Let your soul turn and look at your own self and say to yourself, “______,

I forgive you and I love YOU.”

Then say, “Father God, forgive me for everything in this situation and relationship and release me. Thank You for this beautiful forgiveness. Thank You for this release from the memories and distorted perceptions.”

Amen and Amen.

Have a great day - Marty



Monday, August 20, 2007

Unity Church Presentation

I drove to Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Sunday to do a presentation to the Unity Christ Center. Lots of rain on the drive, but still incredibly beautiful. If you have never been to Wisconsin, you should plan a visit.

The title of my presentation was "Practical Empowerment…Seek what lies within you now". The purpose of the presentation was to remind each and every person that they are as God created them….made to perfection and in the image and likeness of God. To tempt each person to rediscover their purpose and vision - the one that lies within them– without barriers preconceived notions, or limits. And then to give each person some practical tools helping them realize your greatest desired potential, which is infinite and unlimited.

I thought the presentation went well and I received lots of compliments after the presentation. I really enjoyed meeting everyone at the church.

If you ever are near Eau Claire, Wisconsin on a Sunday, you should make it a point to attend the 10 am service at Unity Christ Center. The minister is Rev Sandra J. McKinney and she is a beautiful person. You will be welcomed with open arms from my friends in Eau Claire.

I will be in Eau Claire, Wisconsin again on September 15, 2007, speaking at the First Annual Wisconsin Wellness Expo. Wisconsin Wellness Directory I hope to see you there.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

A quote from: The Dore Lectures on Mental Science

“My mind is a center of Divine operation. The Divine operation is always for expansion and fuller expression and this means the production of something beyond what has gone before, something entirely new, not included in past experience, though proceeding out of it by an orderly sequence of growth. Therefore, since the Divine cannot change its inherent nature, it must operate in the same manner in me; consequently in my special world, of which I am the center, it will move forward to produce new conditions, always in advance of any that have gone before.”

-Thomas Troward

Quote by U.S. Anderson


“When you paint success pictures in your mind, you initiate an inner process whereby your attitudes, hopes, aspirations, and enthusiasm are elevated in response to an image of a more promising future. Every person who aspires must first sell themselves hope, the promise of a better life.”

Monday, August 13, 2007

Law of Compensation by Raymond Holliwell


Crowd out all inferior thoughts by superior thoughts, evil thoughts by good thoughts, ugly thoughts by beautiful thoughts, distressing thoughts by pleasant thoughts, and you will begin to overcome the growth of all negative and confused states of wrong and discord. In other words, learn to think constructively of all persons, all things, all events, and all circumstances. Appraise them from the ideal point of view. As you do this you will gradually transform your whole existence for the better. These are the means whereby you may steadily promote your welfare and advancement.

As you train yourself to mentally look for the good, you will move towards the good; and, as you form higher and larger conceptions of the good, these elements will begin to find expression in your words, acts, character, person, talents, powers, attainments, and achievements; that is, all things in your life will commence to improve as the direct result of your improved thinking.


This process does not imply, however, that you are to ignore the wrongs of life, the empty places, and the undeveloped states of being; but that you are to think right through and beyond them towards the hidden good or the principle within that is ever seeking a higher and fuller expression. You will, therefore, cease to condemn and to criticize in a destructive manner; instead you will seek to bring out the good in yourself and in others, and to discover and develop the greater possibilities everywhere.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Commonly Missed Tax Deductions

Many business taxpayers fail or neglect to deduct otherwise eligible business expenses or fail to fully deduct qualifying business expenses. As a result, millions of dollars are overpaid to the Internal Revenue Service every year. Below is a listing of some commonly missed deductions or deductions that you may not be fully utilizing. You may wish to carefully examine your records to determine if you may be missing any of these deductions.

Home Office Deduction: If you use part of you home as a home office, you may be entitled to deduct expenses related to the home office based on the percentage of square footage the home office occupies. Related expenses include mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, and repairs, etc.

General Business Expenses: If you use your personal funds for business expenses such as office supplies, these are qualifying business expenses, which you may deduct.

Meals and Entertainment Expenses: If you have used your personal funds to pay for meals and entertainment expenses, these expenses qualify as a business deduction, subject to limitations. In addition, you should keep detailed records on each expense.

Personal Assets Converted to Business Use: If you have contributed personal assets, such as a computer, the fair market value of these assets qualify as a business deduction, subject to depreciation limitations, beginning with the date of conversion.

Self-Employed Health Insurance: As a self-employed taxpayer, you may deduct 100 percent of your health insurance premiums.

Communications Expenses: Expenses related to the business use of your personal telephones, cellular phones, and internet connections may be deducted.

Automobile Expenses: Mileage and other related automobile expenses might be deducted when your personal vehicle is used for business purposes.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Universal Flag

Around the globe, hundreds of millions of people go to bed hungry every night. Over a billion have inadequate access to water. Tens of thousands of children under five years old die each day due to poverty related causes. Why is it that the richest nations allow the poorest ones to suffer any lack at all? According to Brian McClure, creator of the Universal Flag, the answer lies in “our perception, which is the only thing that we can ever change.”


In order for us to heal the planet and evolve as a species, we must shift our perception to one of inclusion rather than exclusion. This requires a remembering of who we are and what our place is in the world. A visit to the Universal Flag’s website will provide you with some food for thought on these issues. It outlines five fundamental “Truths” shared by all humans: 1) You are One with All, 2) You are Divine Presence, 3) You are Eternal, 4) You are Truth, 5) You are Interdependent on All.


By displaying the Flag, we remind one another of these greater Truths. When people ask what the Flag means, we tell them. In so doing, we extend an invitation to consider new possibilities. Without making anyone wrong for their beliefs, we offer a kinder, more expansive lens through which to view the world.


The power of symbol cannot be underestimated. Our dreams guide us through symbolic language. Politicians use symbols to gather and mobilize support. Ancient healing arts such as Reiki use symbolic hand signs to restore balance and flow to the physical body. And, corporations have made good use of their logos to create effective, very profitable brand loyalties. (
Who can think of golden arches and not reminisce about their favorite way of eating a french fry?) Now, the world has a new symbol and it is one that calls forth our greatest promise and potential as a species. The Universal Flag is a beacon of our future.


The end of global poverty will come when each of us understands the Truth of who we are. That we are each inextricably connected to one another, to our earth and to our divine Source. When any one being suffers, it has an effect on all beings. Every time we see a Universal Flag symbol, the part of ourselves that desperately longs for peace is stirred awake and given greater legitimacy to exist. When we see the Universal Flag flying outside of any home, anywhere in the world, we know that we have found a friend. Instead of being greeted by limitations, we meet each other in an endless horizon of opportunity; and thusly, the world is changed.


McClure, intends for the Flag “to serve as a reminder, or a sign post, of our Oneness with All.” Rather than representing any one particular group, race, religion or nation, the Universal Flag represents
all of life. Woven into its design are elements that express a commonality all beings share. The white background represents the purity from which we come; the colors signify vibrations of energy common to all (think chakra system); the waves represent the ups and downs of life; and, the gold band encompassing the symbol reminds us of the Golden Rule, “Treat others as you want to be treated.”

If you’re wondering why we need a universal flag, since it will never be used to distinguish us as separate from anything else….Well, that’s exactly the point. Let’s consider the consequences of a separated humanity by revisiting a few scenarios from our recent past: Hundreds of soldiers with swastika armbands marching the streets of Nazi Germany…The Israeli government banning the Palestinian flag and forbidding use of its four colors in artwork…Students in California protesting proposed immigration laws by raising a Mexican flag over an upside down American one. Not one of these situations led to greater peace or abundance for the parties involved. The world is filled with symbols of our human differences, when instead it could be enhanced by expressions of individual gifts or fortified by testaments to our collective strength. We all seek a sense of belonging, yet we’ve forgotten that our ultimate belonging is to each other.

The Universal Flag Foundation is a 501C3 company. To purchase a flag, or to learn more about upcoming projects and ways to get involved, visit www.UniversalFlag.com

Brian McClure can be reached at Brian@universalflag.com Brian is a personal friend of mine and an incredible individual.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Developing Loyal Clients and Customers


The 6 reasons people do not buy products and services is no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust and no value. Do not get into objection answering games to try to finesse people to buy your services. You may gain the sale, but you will lose a customer and referrals.

There are two types of services, a pleasure providing service and a problem solving service. A pleasure providing service is fun, provides escape, excitement, amusement and reward. A problem solving service on the other hand, should provide fast, easy, solutions to nagging tasks that people have to do, hate to do, do not know how to do, do not want to do and are afraid to do. The secret is to research and design your pleasure providing or problem solving service so it is ideally matched to your specific target market.

You can then confidently and persuasively present your services with impact and conviction because you have done your homework. You will not have to sell. Your prospect will want to buy. You will have lifetime clients and advocates and not just one time sales. You will also have referrals. You will earn them with superb advice and service.

The Art of Blessings

I Am There by James Dillet Freeman

Do you need Me?
I am there.
You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by.
You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice.
You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.
I am at work, though you do not understand my ways.
I am at work, though you do not recognize My works.
I am not strange visions. I am not mysteries.
Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know me as I am, and then
but as a feeling and a faith.
Yet I am there. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.
When you need Me, I am there.
Even if you deny Me, I am there.
Even when you feel most alone, I am there.
Even in your fears, I am there.
Even in your pain, I am there.
I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.
I am in you, and you are in Me.
Only in your mind can you feel separate from Me, for only in your mind
are the mists of “yours” and “mine”.
Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me.
Empty your heart of empty fears.
When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.
You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all. And I am in all.
Though you may not see the good, good is there, for I am there.
I am there because I have to be, because I am.
Only in Me does the world have meaning; only out of Me does the world
take form; only because of Me does the world go forward.
I am the law on which the movement of the stars and the growth of living
cells are founded.
I am the love that is the law’s fulfilling.
I am assurance.
I am peace.
I am oneness.
I am the law that you can live by.
I am the love that you can cling to.
I am your assurance.
I am your peace.
I am one with you.
I am.
Though you fail to find Me, I do not fail you.
Though your faith in Me is unsure, My faith in you never wavers,
Because I know you, because I love you.
Beloved, I am there.

A copy of “I Am There” is now on the moon…carried there on the Apollo XV voyage by Astronaut James B. Irwin and left on the moon for future space voyagers.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Deliberately Creating Community


I created my company Practical Empowerment, LLC to show individuals, families, business owners and organizations how to create what they really want. Our purpose of is to inspire and touch people in such a way that they make the decisions and take the actions necessary to transform their life. Our mission is to make a meaningful and positive difference in peoples’ lives so that they can be more, do more and have more of life. We do that through a seven step process we call Practical Empowerment. The seven step process shows people how to gain power and control over their lives so that they can decide and create the life they really want. Practical Empowerment is a multi-dimensional process that is capable of being put to use, practice or action, is workable and gets the dramatically improved results that every individual, family, business owner and organization wants.

One of the steps is community. Community is defined as a unified body of individuals with common interests living in a particular area. It can be a group linked with a common policy, history, social, economic or political interests. Community is about joint participation.

How do you get involved in your community? You can join a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship? You can volunteer at your local coop or food bank. You can be part of your community foundation Viroqua Area Foundation or local charity. This is where we can get meaning and connect with others. This is where we realize we are really all the same.

One way I have found to create community is to attend my local farmer’s market every Saturday morning here in Viroqua, WI. Search - LocalHarvest. It is a chance for me to buy organically grown fruits and vegetables that were grown by my neighbors. It is a chance for me to meet and talk with people and stay connected. I also know that I am helping the environment because my purchases are not shipped thousands of miles from the producer. I also know that I am supporting a small business grow and prosper in my community.

If you are looking for other ways to create community, go to Tools for Creating Community Sustainability Goals and read the information.

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Sunday, August 5, 2007

My Grandchildren

This is a picture if my 2 grandsons, Charles and William and my Daughter Anna. It is Williams first birthday.I think life is wonderful. I will be going to see them next weekend.

What gift has Providence bestowed on man that is so dear to him as his children?
-- Cicero

Saturday, August 4, 2007

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm
gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life. You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You
BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you
BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60 ..

You've built up so much speed that you
HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You
get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92"

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!


HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning Learn more about the computer, crafts, music, art, stock, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge
.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.


Friday, August 3, 2007

If by Rudyard Kipling


If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “HOLD ON!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that is in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Measuring Your Performance

I have been a CPA since 1974 and a CFP since 1989. I have worked with individuals, families, business owners and organizations for the past 35 years helping them produce greater incomes, save money in income and estate taxes, increase sales, start and sell their business, create vision and mission statements, do planning, produce meaningful and timely financial information and increase their net worth. I have worked in just about every industry there is and with both large and small companies. I have developed an expertise in helping companies increase their bottom line. I have started, operated and sold many successful businesses. So with all this experience, I have developed some practical ideas that can be used by anyone to transform their business and personal life.


One of the most important ideas I share with my business owners is the need for meaningful, accurate and timely financial information. This is the one idea that can transform your business, because it will measure your performance and show you exactly where you are positioned financially. A runner would never run a race without a watch and trying to run your business without financial statements is the kiss of death. Your balance sheet details assets, liabilities and net worth, while the income statement tells the story of your performance showing revenues and expenses. In addition, the cash flow statement explains how the cash was received and spent.


Ideally you should have your financial statements completed by the 10th or 15th day after month end. This allows you to make adjustments before it becomes too late to make adjustments to your operations until the next month. Having meaningful, timely and accurate financial information will let your banker know you really are serious about success and they will want to be part of your team. If you need help completing your financial statements, please let me know


I have found that one of the best software programs for doing your accounting to be QuickBooks and you can find more information at Accounting Software – QuickBooks. In addition, I like the QuickBooks Online program because there is no need for backups, you have access to it anywhere in the world and I can be in the program giving you advice from my office while you are in the program at your place of business. You can find more information at Online Accounting Solutions and Professional Internet Accounting Software - QuickBooks OE | Home


If you want to purchase regular QuickBooks, you should call me because I usually can get a discount on the program at 608-637-6898 or email me at marty@martymcevoy.com In addition, if you would like to purchase QuickBooks Online, you should call my friend Patrick Gillogly at QuickBooks Online at 520-407-6759 or email him at patrick_gillogly@intuit.com If you tell him I said to call, he will give you a 40% discount off the purchase price.


Decide today to have meaningful financial statements. Success and decision are partners.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Your Definite Purpose


Author James Allen says that ‘until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment.” You must decide what you want. You must decide on your definite purpose. Only you can decide that. Most people go through life trying to find their purpose, only to realize that it can be whatever they decide it to be. It is an intention, resolution or determination. Purpose is the focus of your attention and attention is the creative energy that brings about your reality. Purpose is a settled determination and comes about from a decision. You can make a difference in the world. What is your purpose? If you fail to determine and decide on your definite purpose, everything else will feel wrong. Your purpose gives you direction in life. It is why you get out of bed in the morning and it is the fuel that will transform your life. It could be you might want to work with. Without a clear purpose, you will wander through life, not sure which way to go, and usually living someone else’s dream. Your purpose should be to do something that you love. When you have your purpose, everything else will fall into place. You will focus less on what is wrong and more on what is right. You will be happier. Your purpose may be something you would be willing to trade your life for. The psychologist Alfred Adler once said, “I am grateful for the idea that has used me.” Martin Luther King said, “If you do not have a life worth dying for, you are not living.” Mr. King died so others could live. What is your purpose? We live in a world of abundance, where you can have anything your heart desires. There is nothing standing between you and your desires except lack of definite purpose and the plans that will derive from it.

A Self Empowering Message - Esther Hicks Abraham