Listen Consultants

Posted on July 20, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

According to the Iowa Policy Project in 2005 an estimated 26% of the U.S. workforce had jobs that could be considered “nonstandard.” Jobs which include, independent contractors, temps, part-timers, and freelancers. A recent Business Week article The Disposable Worker discusses how popular the temporary staffing has become and how organizations and businesses have leveraged.

Here is the new reality.

Ntroduction - Consultants! New Reality

From Ntroduction team’s perspective, this is the new reality. The notion of “temporary help” will be here to stay for quite some time.

Our advisory team consisting of HR executives, CEOs and CFOs suggest that this will remain pattern before employment really starts to pick up. Temporary help will be leveraged to ‘try’ new approaches of keeping costs low as well as maintain low commitment to initiatives. Once the market demands more quality and reliability, companies tend to hire permanent help. In addition to this they suggest that the consulting rates, which have hit rock bottom, will slowly start picking up. This will also help drive the motivation to hire full time help. If you see your rates going up or a demand for additional roles, this might be a sign of good things happening!

In the meantime, Ntroduction team suggests that you

Take good care of your health
Keep yourselves abreast of changing trends and best practices
Be flexible in role; be adamant in life-style changes that may impact your health
Lastly, push your networking capabilities further – reach out beyond your friend’s circle. Shameless plug-in, Try Ntroduction.com risk-free – there is money back guarantee.

The 20 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions – Part Two

Posted on January 14, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

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Earlier this week we began out two part series on the blog, 20 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions. Here are the second set of ten deductions you may not be taking advantage of come tax time. Remember though, it’s always a good idea to talk to tax professional (especially if you’re self-employed). So get your printer ready and keep your receipts on hand!

Gambling losses. Speaking of vices, did you lose big in Vegas this year? The IRS feels your pain. Since the IRS makes you pay taxes on your gambling winnings, they will also allow you to deduct some of your gambling’s losses as well.
Natural disasters and theft. Though the IRS can’t quite make up for being a victim of a natural disaster or theft, they do allow you to claim a deduction.
Charitable contributions. That doesn’t just mean the check you write for your local church, but everything else including the cost of ingredients for the beef stew you made for the soup kitchen down to the stamps you purchased for your child’s school fundraiser.
State sales tax. Even though everyone has a chance to take this deduction, it makes more sense for folks in states that don’t have a sales tax. The choice must then be made between state income tax and state sales tax. Even though the IRS gives folks who live in states with sales tax a clear table of what they can deduct, that’s not always the end. You can add the sales tax you paid on a vehicle, boat, or airplane that you purchased. In some places You can even add home building materials. Check with your tax person to see what you qualify for.
Job related. This is another category that includes numerous deductions. Things like education to improve your skills, clothing needed for work, tools, union dues, are all fair game. If you spend money out of your pocket on something work related, ask your tax person and see if you can deduct it.
Owning a home. The deductions that fall under the category of home ownership add up, and shouldn’t be missed. Keep track of your entire home owner expenses and again, go over all of it with your tax preparer.
Last years lost deductions. Did you not qualify for certain deductions last year because of income? Maybe a technical glitch kept you from claiming one. In most cases the IRS will let you have this year.
Investment Expenses. Investment advisory fees, Fees for a safe-deposit box to hold investments, Margin account interest expense, IRA trustee’s administrative fees, Worthless stock or securities, as well as Theft or embezzlement losses are only some of the legitimate deductions related to investment.
Mom & Dad. That’s right, if you furnish more than half of the support of your parents, you can claim them as dependants.
Last year’s preparation fees. So are ready to make your tax preparer earn their money this year? Don’t forget to deduct the money they earned last year too!

Now that your armed with a wealth of information about what you may or may not be able to deduct this year, what are you going to do with it? Keep clear track of all your expenses and if you plan on taking advantage of these deductions it’s always best to have a tax person you trust to help guide you. It’s your job to make sure they have all the information, but it’s their job to make sure that information is used to your full advantage.

Tips for Dealing With a Difficult Coworker

Posted on October 7, 2009 by meghan_ntroduction

We’ve all been there. No matter how much you love your job, where you work, and your coworkers, there is always one person in the group who just gets under your skin. It’s the inevitable fact of working life. Whether it’s the office gossip, the joke guy, or the mean boss. There’s always one. These particular annoying office types can go from being slightly annoying to almost unbearable.

Here are a few tips with dealing with a difficult co-worker in your office.

Take Him or Her With a Sense of Humor. Movies like Office Space along with TV shows like the Office have found success in making fun of daily office life. It may seem silly but sometimes changing your perspective just a little and seeing that difficult coworker as a character of themselves can make it easier to take whatever their difficult personality trait is with a grain of salt.
Let it out. If you have a close friend at work or even your spouse or a friend at home, use them! It’s important when trying to survive office life that you have someone who you can vent to about the people and things that drive you crazy during the day. Letting things build up just won’t work.
Avoid the person. This may not always be easy depending on your specific situation. If you don’t work in the same department as the difficult coworker try and avoid running into he or she in the other places you could possibly run into him or her. Skip the break room when he or she is in there and go out to eat your lunch if you have to.
Is It Worth it? Ask yourself this all-important question. How miserable is the coworker really making your life? If you can live with it then follow the above tips to help just let it go. If it gets to a point where it’s no longer worth it and something needs to be done, follow these steps below.
Confront the Person. Try to be polite and diplomatic but explain to the person your problem. Try and get them to just agree to disagree or live and let live. Hopefully the person will tone down the behavior or just stay out of your way.
Take it to HR or the Boss. If talking it out with the person hasn’t worked, take it to HR or your boss to see if you’re the only one with a problem. Ask them what steps you can take to resolve it. Sometimes a meeting with an unbiased third party who is trained in conflict resolution (as your HR manager should be) is all it takes to make things right.

Good luck!

Study Shows Happiest People are the Self-Employed Ones

Posted on October 5, 2009 by meghan_ntroduction

3278662048_15331d9e24 Recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data collected in the first eight months of 2009 had some surprising and some expected results when announced last week. Taking the top spot as the happiest occupation? Being self-employed/business owner. This was a bit surprising coming off the heels of another poll last month, which found self-employed people work more hours than any other profession. But at the same time it makes sense. Being your own boss, working your own hours, and for many self-employed individuals those long hours are worked from home.

This is good news especially since under the current economy being self-employed is looking better and better. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of self-employed individuals is on the rise. The census reported that in 2007 the number of businesses without employees (self-employed individuals) grew 4.5 percent to 21.7 million. They also reported that m ore than 19 million (88 percent) were sole propietorships, 1.4 million were corporations, and 1.2 million were partnerships.

You can see where your profession ranked in the poll here.

So if you’ve been thinking about leaving your office job to go into business for yourself, now may be a good time to think about it. Based on research,

You won’t be alone.
You’ll be working horrible hours.
You’ll be working those hours happily.

Do I know you…….?

Posted on July 21, 2009 by admin

Do I know you?

During 1999/2000, when the market was booming, I played a role of Director of Business Development for about 6 months. I was part of several organizations where I would meet people, handshake and exchange business cards.

In one such event, I happened to exchange a business card with a Director of Marketing at Siebel. I called the gentleman next day or two and introduced myself on the phone. He immediately says “Do I know you….? Are you introduced to me by anybody?”.

Fair enough. We just met in an event and it is a two way street – he may need our product/service – but let’s put ourselves in his shoes – maybe, he had a bad day or it is his policy to speak to people that are introduced to him only.

But after years , I realize – I have been in both places – Buyer or a Seller and I have learnt to ask the same question “Do I know you…? Are you introduced to me by anybody?”. If we have met in an event, I will simply answer the call with “Please send me an email – if I have budget, I will let you know”.

However, if I had been introduced first hand by somebody, it would have made a difference – he would probably have said “You know, I have a very bad day and I do not have budget. Can we discuss this on phone a month or two later?”.