tips – Paragon Payroll & HR

March 12, 2018

Top 10 Reasons to use a Payroll Partner

Working hiring a Payroll Partner can save you valuable time and money. Below are the top ten reasons to work with a Payroll Partner:

Save Time and Money – Payroll is an essential part of business, working with a payroll partner will save you time and money as it cuts cost to train employees and develop a payroll department within your company.
Improved Company Focus – As a business owner or manager with more time and money at your fingertips, your focus can be on what really matters – the success of your business!
More Internal Resources – With a payroll partner in place, you can free up your employees in-house to do more important tasks directly related to your business.
Access to Professional Payroll Expertise – Your Payroll partner will be there to assist with payroll matters as quickly and easily as possible.
Increase Accuracy – Payroll specialists are trained to make sure your information is done and processed accurately and timely for you.
Access to Several Payroll-related Functions – The right choice in a payroll partner also gives employers access to other payroll-related functions, such as timekeeping solutions, human resources support, mobile pay stub delivery, etc.
Peace of Mind – Letting someone else handle your payroll can mean less headache and less worry for you. Leave it to your payroll company to deal with any payroll-related issues. You have better things to do!
Less Liability – The last thing you want to deal with is a penalty from the IRS or state. Partnering with a payroll company means you have less risk of your taxes being paid late, and thus avoiding penalties. If you receive a notice, forward to it us, and we will take care of it.
Compliance – With the constant changes in governmental rules and regulations, outsourcing your payroll will give you that advantage of staying ahead and keeping your company compliant.
A Partner – You get a strong partner working for you to make sure your payroll is accurate and your employees get paid in a timely manner making your job easier.

March 1, 2018

Power Up Your Productivity without A Cup of Coffee!

It’s Monday morning, and you’ve just arrived at the office. Although rested from the weekend, you need a little something to give you a boost for the day. A cup of coffee – that’ll do the trick. Yes, it’s true, a morning cup of coffee will improve alertness and productivity. Whether your an employer or employee, if you want to optimize your productivity, here are some helpful tips.

Remove Distractions: After your coffee has been freshly brewed, practice minimizing distractions and social media/phone notifications. This includes logging out of social media accounts. Keep your personal phone twice as far from you as normally would. Constantly reaching for your phone and clicking on that Facebook tab will lessen significantly and in turn, you find yourself more productive throughout the day.

Set Personal Deadlines: Mentally keep track of how much time you’d like to spend on a task, as well as the actual time spent on them. This will eliminate spending too much time on a task that should require less. Obstacles happen and delay completion, but personal deadlines and goals will help guide your work progress, as well as prompt a task review if necessary.

Prioritize, Reorganize and Master Multitasking: High-priority tasks should be completed before low-priority tasks, obviously. But what about a task that requires less than 3 minutes? It is helpful to get those quicker tasks done sooner, rather than saving it for later (and possibly even forgetting about it). As far as multitasking goes, consider your environment and task at hand. Know your limits and when it is appropriate to multitask.

Reward Yourself: It’s time for a well-deserved break! Go outside, take a stroll with a co-worker, or now that you’ve got time for social media, log into Facebook! Taking scheduled breaks increases productivity, and it is also good for physical and mental health. It is valuable to step away from the work environment, so leave your desk for breaks and lunch. For lunch, think about good nutrition. Instead of foods that slow down productivity and make you sleepy, eat healthy foods that stimulate productivity. Get back to work, ready to finish what you’ve started.

Get Ready: Before you head out the door, prepare for the next day. Whether that’s rearranging the piles of paper on your desk, updating your lists of “to-dos,” responding to emails, etc, set up processes in place that will get you ahead for the next day (or the next week, if it’s Friday!).

Whoo! It’s the end of the day. You made it and it was productive! Who knows, maybe you won’t even need that cup of coffee tomorrow. 😊

Whether you’re an employer or employee, I hope these tips will bring a more productive day for you today! For time-saving, productive payroll solutions, contact Paragon Payroll & HR today!

March 6, 2017

Tips for First-Time Business Owners

“What do you wish you knew before you started your business?”

Successful, Portland small business owner, Sam Thannickal, shares his insight on what he wishes he knew before he first started his small businesses years ago. Sam has over 30 years of experience in payroll, tax, and consulting.

Find a Structure that Fits. Partners, S-Corps, & LLCs…oh my! How do you know what’s the best fit for your business? Once you choose a businesss structure, it’s relatively difficult to shift to another type of structure. Do the research to find the best form of ownership & organization that will benefit your situation for liability protection and tax savings. Contact your accountant or attorney for professional advice.

– Sole Proprietorship
– Limited & limited liability partnerships (LLP)
– C-Corporation
– S-Corporation
– Limited liability companies (LLC)

Monitor, Modify, Repeat. Your business plan is all about effective strategy and communication. It is an important document presenting the company’s strategy and expected financial performance for the future years. It’s what you do in your business and how you plan to carry it out. As you move along in your business, it is important to monitor its progress, making sure company goals and benchmarks are being met. Update it regularly, as needed.

Think Proactive. Set your business up for success! At the initial stages of your business, plan and implement forward-thinking. Instead of reactive measures after issues arise, it’s a good idea to account for potential issues, as much as you possibly can. Remember, it’s okay to fail and make mistakes. That’s how we learn. But do it with a proactive approach, and think ahead. Creating documentation for business practices by safeguarding your business value is vital to the success of a small business is an example of how you can succeed at business proactively.

Outsource as an Option. To outsource or to keep it in-house? Before you dive deep into your business, it is important to know your options to outsource certain business functions. When making your decision, be sure to weigh in the cost, resources, control and location. Outsourcing makes sense when it increases efficiency and effectiveness in your business. We know outsourcing your payroll functions to us will save you time and money! Call us today to find out more about our services.

Learn to Love Networking. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an extrovert to be good at networking! Introvert or extrovert, it is vital to your business to build a support network of like-minded business peers in your local area. Share what you do best in your industry, creating conversations and thus, opportunities to build up your business. Remember it’s not about who’s the best at small talk; it’s about building strong, beneficial relationships and connections within your business network.

If you are a new business owner, we would love to come alongside with you. Contact us today!

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