KIS & Tell June 2020
Just went you thought the world couldn’t get any crazier, you find out that it can. It hurts my heart to see so many people suffering. As a nation, we’re facing an emotional reckoning and we’ve snapped. We’ve literally snapped.
The First Amendment has been a popular topic lately. First, people protested against the stay-at-home orders. Now, people are protesting against police brutality.
The protests hit home for me. As a small, pale woman, I understand what it’s like to be overlooked and written off. But, my life isn’t usually in danger. A leading cause of death for my demographic isn’t at the hands of the police.
I’ve been reflecting on what I can do to combat racism in my life. I’ve seen it in my life, so it’s likely in my subconscious. Plus, the statistics tell us it exists.
In 2016, the Federal Reserve found that the average black household has one-tenth of the net wealth of the average white household. Part of that is a lack of opportunity based on society’s limiting beliefs. Just listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s experience.
To be more aware, I’ve been listening to what others recommend. Speaking up is the least I can do. I’m reflecting on my thoughts and actions to see where I could be better.
A final recommendation I liked is to write your local government and urge them to require cops to wear a body camera and record at all times. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, at least if there’s a video, we’ll have an objective record of happens.
We’re dealing with tens of thousands of dead Americans, financial insecurity, cabin fever, social injustice, and we don’t even know what’s the way to deal with this pandemic. While some of our actions aren’t logical, like the looting and armed occupation of government buildings, our feelings are rational, natural, and heavy.
If you haven’t been rattled in 2020 so far, I’d say you’re overdue for a breakdown. For me, that looked like a few weeks of intense depression and anxiety.
We can start to ease our burdens by being good to each other. In some Eastern traditions, they call this “enlightened self-interest.” The main gist is that by helping others, we help ourselves more. So let’s be patient and kind. Now is when we lace up our shoes and prove who we really are.
If your family or business was damaged in any way by the pandemic or protests, I’m sorry and here to help in whatever way I can.
Fresh Content
Hot off the press & onto the blog, website, and beyond.
A little over three years ago, my home started to be my main office. While it took a little while to get the hang of, now I can’t think of working any other way.
You may be WFH now too, and if this is new for you, I get how much of an adjustment that can be. That’s why I compiled a few of my top tips on remote work. These tips work for me, but I can’t promise they will work for you too. Take a look, give a few a try, and see how you like ‘em.
The best tip I can give is to keep trying to find out what works for you. Your goal should be to identify one necessity at a time. There are millions of tips on how to work from home. I say you keep testing until you find what works for you. In time, you’ll piece together a comfortable routine.
App of My Eye
I'm always on the lookout for new apps that help make running business easier! Here are the best finds over the past month.
How do you track passwords? Do you have a book, Word document, or Google sheet? None of those are very secure, even if they are password protected.
The best tool for the job is a password manager. It’s an app that banks all your passwords, so you don’t have to look them up and type them in every time. It saves time, plus it protects your information.
I’ve been looking for a good password manager for a while. I’ve tried a few, but none stuck until I found this latest app. NordPass is a new app in this space. It’s by the same company that provides my VPN, NordVPN, so I decided to give their product a try even though it few reviews thus far.
It’s been about a month, and I’m happy to say that it’s brilliant! It’s super simple to set up and use. I appreciate how I can store multiple logins for one website and organize passwords into folders.
Note to self: write NordPass a glowing review!
Best Reads
I love to learn. Especially with business, there are always new perspectives and information we can benefit from. Here's my latest fav.
My word of the year is “relax.” I’m on a mission to create more ease in my business. Now that I’m a few years into running my business, I feel like I can let up on the hustle and move into a rhythm.
A big part of creating ease is how you structure your day. I’ve been experimenting with batch days (working!) and a project planning system (still refining). Underpinning both is knowing how much you can reasonably accomplish in a day.
According to research, we work way less than we think we do. In an eight-hour workday, you maybe spend three hours on your core job – as in what’s in your job description.
But, that’s the average for an employee. As you very well know, running a business means you have to juggle so many more tasks. You probably have less time available for your core work! So if you want to carve out a couple of solid hours every day to #GSD, here are five tips to get started.
Practicing Simplicity
Practical tips to simplify your business.
Practice: Batch your work
Rationale: Group like activities together because it helps you prioritize and saves time by getting into a rhythm.
Tools: create a schedule & use weekly and monthly calendars
Tax Tips
The world of tax is constantly changing. Here's what you need to know.
I bet you don't know about this CARES Act benefit!
Beyond the checks to individuals and business loan programs, the new law changed a bunch of tax laws. Buried deep in section 2206, one caught my eye. It is a direct benefit to small business owners and employees with student loans.
Up until 12/31/2020, a business can pay up to $5,250 of an employee or owner's student loans. The payments are a tax deduction for the employer and non-taxable income for the employee. Especially for the self-employed, this is an extraordinary planning opportunity!
Out & About
We're going places! Whether it's for networking, client meetings, or personal travels, I love to explore. Here's one recent stop.
The Swedish Life is quiet and the Coronavirus cases are going down here. I got a visa extension through mid-June and I’m applying for another 3-month extension. It’s tough figuring out where to go since most countries are closed, Yigit cannot enter the States (due to the EU ban), and Cami is here. Plus, I feel safer here.
Yigit and I have been watching the body count in the US. It’s incredibly humbling to see it rip through our society. While we do have advanced modern medicine, its surreal how little we know overall.
For now, that story has past, only to be replaced with an even more tragic one. Yigit’s been watching lots of Facebook Live streams of protests and we’ve been following it closely.
Kitty Corner
It's probably impossible for me to get through a newsletter without mentioning my furbabies!
Cami likes to keep me in line. After all, she is the boss. Lately, she's taken on the role of editor in chief too.
I was working on an email outline when Cami sauntered over to my desk to inspect my work. It was awful! She shredded my work! And then she shed on it!
While a good boss would whip out a red pen, that's not her style (no opposable thumbs). Nonetheless, I took her feedback as constructive and rewrote the X'd out passages. Thanks, Cami…
On the Horizon
Here's what we'll be focusing on over the next few weeks.
The SBA released rules on applying for PPP forgiveness. I'm working on a resource to help people complete the application and calculate the qualifying expenses. Congress just this week changed the program again this week, so I’ll be sure to include those updates as well.
There's also some buzz that 2019 income tax returns may be extended again. Currently, they are due on July 15th. There's talk it could go till the usual extension date (Oct. 15th) or even Dec 15th. While it's nice that the tax payments will likely be extended just like with the first rounds, this could cause a horrible cash flow crunch. I highly recommend you allocate a percentage of your net income each month for taxes and move the funds into a savings account.
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When I’m going through a bout of depression, I tell myself, “this too will pass.” But that’s just not true now. For those that have lost family or friends or are subject to micro- or major-aggressions every day, it won’t get better any time soon. In the words of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, “life is nasty, brutish, and short.”
This is an insanely difficult time, and it keeps getting worse. I don’t have high hopes for the rest of 2020.
Hang in there.