It’s hard to believe that summer is just about over. It’s a great time to be an entrepreneur, with the economy and technology offering plenty of new opportunities to earn money and strike out on your own. In August, hopefully you did a little review, checking into your options regarding additional tax savings for the rest of the year, as well as looking into your costs to make sure that you are on track.
For September, it’s all about getting ready for what’s next. Here are some items for your September entrepreneur to-do list:
1. Pay Quarterly Estimated Taxes
It’s that time again: Quarterly estimated taxes. Your payment is due by the 15th of September. If you can make prepayments on your state taxes, that might not be a bad idea, either, even if all you do is put your “payment” in an interest bearing account. However, remember that this won’t work for federal taxes. You pay quarterly — or be charged interest penalties.
2. Shop Around for Auto Insurance
If you have decided to buy a car for your business, you will probably need to get auto insurance for that car. Starting a fleet can be a very exciting move for your entrepreneurial efforts, but you will also need to make sure those cars are insured. Shop around for auto insurance that is aimed at business cars. If you have multiple cars, you might find that you can get a discount.
3. Check Your Emergency Preparedness
There have been a lot of disasters in the news lately. Earthquakes, floods and hurricanes have been rather prominent this year. And as hurricane season gets underway, it is important to check into your emergency preparedness for your business. Even if you don’t live in a hurricane prone area, it is a good idea to check on your level of preparedness. You will need to be ready with a back-up plan in place.
4. Holiday List
A lot of entrepreneurs find that they want to give gifts to clients, or that they want to provide other perks, such as holiday office parties for employees. Now is a good time to think about what’s coming up for holidays, and to get ready for those expenses. It’s better to plan for the holidays ahead of time so that you can ease the impact on your budget. Make a list of the extra holiday expenses your business is likely to incur this year, and start planning to make room in the budget, or start planning to buy what you need a little bit at a time.
5. Consider Your Personal Budget
You do want to keep your business and personal expenses separate, but the truth is that your entrepreneurial income impacts your personal budget. Your money flows from your business and into your personal bank account. Take a look at your personal budget, and see what needs tweaking. When you are an entrepreneur, your budget can be variable, and you want to plan for that. You can budget with a variable income, and you should take a look at where you stand. This can be a good idea for your business as well — especially if your business income has been fluctuating lately.
Miranda is freelance journalist. She specializes in topics related to money, especially personal finance, small business, and investing. You can read more of my writing at Planting Money Seeds.