Category Archives: In Depth

A SOHO Nightmare: Payroll

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I’m fortunate; I work from home, and my business is small enough I need no employees (OK, in THAT context it’s fortunate, but of course I’d enjoy running a multimillion dollar conglomerate as much as the next person, even if it meant hiring employees!)

However, employees open up a nasty bit of financials (at least to me) – payroll. Of course, all accounting is annoying to me, but payroll has added pressure: making sure employees pay what they need to, but still get what they deserve; navigating through the incredible bureaucracy surrounding tax and payroll law; and still running a business!

So, yes, for a Small Office/Home Office business (SOHO) owner, I’m delighted to say I don’t have employees – or payroll headaches. But I’m in the minority – and for those others, it makes perfect sense to offload your work to another company. Yes, you pay extra, but as we know, governments are very unforgiving when it comes to mistakes in taxes. And annoying your employees with payroll delays or mistakes can affect morale, and thereby the bottom line. Long story short, it’s not something you should spend your core strengths dealing with – better to stick to your main business!

Years ago, payroll was a local thing, and you dealt with either a small accounting group locally, or with a remote, large payroll company, and expected delays (checks were commonly a week to two out of date, so as to make sure the employee times reached the company early enough to send checks back). This often meant a local firm would be more responsive. However, with the Internet, the situation is reversed; a large, national company has both the speed and resources to do a better job, and quite likely at a lower price.

So, no employees? Join the club! Got employees? Then search around ASAP for a better payroll program, and give up managing it locally and focus your manpower and resources where it needs to be – making money for your company!

Lenzr For July: Heat, Water, Hair, and Motion

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OK, I’m really summarizing the July Lenzr contests with this title – in fact, they need a lot more detail to explain what they are – and how you can win big with each.

So first off: What is Lenzr?

It’s a contest – and a skill test.

You enter photos – good photos – and people vote on them.

The end result? If you win, a nice prize, and a lot of recognition.

Heck, you still get the recognition even if you don’t win, since people everywhere are taking note (and making votes) on your pictures.

To see this in action, visit Lenzr, go to a contest, and look at the entries – better yet, take a moment and sign up too while you’re there (I’ll wait).

So, for budding photogs, or veterans who want more exposure, what are your choices?

Here’s the contests for July:

Heat: We’ve had quite a few heat waves this summer – and no one is thinking of their fireplace or furnace right now. But you should, because this contest is for a great house scene using a fireplace (candles or lanterns are fine to). Why? It’s because of the sponsor, a company that wants to remind you that when it’s hot outside, THAT’S when to get your fireplace or furnace checked out. You save a bundle in money and time (that’s why you should buy your fans in winter, too). These thoughtful folks at ZoneLife are ready to help you with your furnace – and they’re ready to help you win a Sony Laptop if you’re the top pic!

Water: A nice contrast to the heat – and around Toronto there is plenty of water to help with that heat! Sponsored by a top-notch downtown (and dockside) Toronto bed and breakfast, this contest is all about Toronto sites – the kind of photos you’d expect (and want) in a sightseeing guide. Make Toronto look better than ever, and you could win a Sea Eagle Inflatable Kayak, perfect for continuing that tour out on the water.

Hair: Wind in your hair, breeze on your face as you’re boating… still thinking of that ‘boatel’? It’s time to change gears and think about hair – and not just any hair. Haircuts and Hairstyles is the contest about hair that you take notice of – unusual, impressive, unique, even beautiful styles. Not surprisingly, the sponsors are known for their Yorkville salon and are leaders in the Canadian hair industry – and your photo’s perfect for that. Fittingly, the winner of this contest ends up with something for their hair: high quality tools from the experts in the hair industry.

Motion: If I told you that this contest is sponsored by an International Air Freight Company, you’d understand how motion is connected, right? And if the goal of your photo was to capture motion (and where it’s going), that would make sense, yes? Well then, get going! The winner gets a Sony Laptop – not too shabby a prize for throwing things around (or watching things move) in front of your camera!

Another four fascinating contests, with photo opportunities for every area. Heat, Water, Hair, and Motion – there’s bound to be a theme for everyone to snap a picture, and the prizes are (as always) amazing – even more incredible when you consider it’s a free to enter contest. Couple that with the exposure for budding artists I always talk about, and this Lenzr contest is shaping up to be one of the best yet!

Take Your Picks (AND Take Your Pix) With The Newest Lenzr Contest…

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Lenz has a new set of contests happening – and if you’ve been paying attention, the benefits are getting a lot bigger…

For those not in the know, Lenzr is a free to submit photo contest (actually, a bunch of photo contests). You visit their site, pick a contest, and take the appropriate photo. You win (and win big – just see below); plus, you get not only the fun of a nice prize, but acknowledgment from your peers that you can really ‘click’!

Here’s some details about the contests running right now:

What does a Sony Laptop computer and construction have in common? If you’ve taken the ideal construction photo, then the laptop is yours! This contest, called Construction Sights, is all about interesting construction projects. So if it grabs you, share the photo so others can get caught up as well. This contest is sponsored, appropriately enough, by a company that makes its fair share of interesting construction sites – Nuden, which specializes in Ottawa roofing and windows (but of course they do many other things, like doors and siding).

With the contest Best Office Staff Party, no doubt there will be lots of photos of charades, karaoke, and Twister – because office parties are ALWAYS tame affairs. However, in the off chance you get a picture or two of a really FUN office party, then this is the contest to show them. Again, the best pic gets you a Sony laptop. And if you don’t have enough staff where you work for a decent office party? Fortunately for you, the sponsors of this contest just happen to provide I.T. Staff and other high tech personnel for the Toronto area – and as we all know, Geeks really know how to party!

Remember when you were a kid and learned to count? Everything was a chance to practice your number skills. And now you get a second chance to revisit that time of youth with this contest, A Counting Exercise. Just take a photo of repeating patterns that could be counted. Pickets in a fence? Cars in a row? If it can be counted, then it’s an entrant – but of course your winning photo will have that extra “something special” in order to win the Sony laptop grand prize! This contest is sponsored by Cunningham Accountants, Toronto Accountants who know the web well – for service you can ‘count on’ (wow, I’m surprised they never used that as a tagline)!

Have you ever seen a beam of light that was so strong it looked solid? Maybe something coming through a cloud after a rainstorm? Then grab your camera, because that is the type of photo they want for this contest, Shafts of Sunlight. And if you get the best of the best, your reward is appropriate – a Sony DSCH70 Camera so you can use to take even better photos! The contest sponsor fits right in with the topic, too: they encounter a lot of sun in their workday, since they create spectacular sunrooms for houses and cottages in Ontario (plus, they’re known for efficiency and high quality).

I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but these contests all fit in well with summer – office parties, outdoor construction, and sunlight. Oh yeah, AND the accounting contest – because you’ll need to use them on ‘account’ of all the fun you’re having taking pictures this summer! (Sorry about that, but it’s late at night when I wrote this!)

And as I’ve mentioned before, these contests are a great way to get your photos into the public eye. I have a friend who takes pictures – and contests like this are fantastic for exposure that doesn’t otherwise come his way. And once you’ve won for your outstanding photo, then you’ve got bragging rights – after all, who doesn’t want to call themselves an “award winning photographer”?

And it’s only a single click away – so get started people…

A Bright Idea: Xenon Project For RC Cars, Boats,… Well, Anything!

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What is guaranteed to cut your age in half?

Skin cream? Exercise? Dating a 20 year old?

All of these things might help, but a much cheaper, and more fun solution, is at Xenon Project.

I recently was asked to drop by and look around this RC (radio controlled) vehicle website. Well, within five minutes, I was dreaming of taking a radio controlled helicopter for a spin. Imagining what one of those nitro-powered cars would be like revving around a track. And checking out the tanks – yes, they have tanks that not only shoot, but that puff out smoke when they do!

I dare you to take a look at their site and see if you can look at one page, and one page only. I couldn’t – it’s just that addictive.

Of course all the cool toys are great, but what also sets them apart is the pricing. One chopper they had, a mini gyro, was less than half the price than I found at a store in town ($25 for them versus $60 locally). And that’s not including tax, which only California or Delaware residents pay, apparently (yes, I really browsed their website!)

Another feature I liked were the videos. When I’m looking to shop, I want to know more about the product, and XenonProject took care of that too. Each product I checked out had a YouTube video on the page, showing me what it looked like in action. It helped: for instance, the mini gyro looked pretty stable when in the air, and perfect for a newbie to Radio Controlled flying like myself.

Many years ago, we bought a RC Boat for my in-law’s anniversary (we like eclectic anniversary gifts). Not only did they play with it on the water themselves, but they ended up buying an electric car for another family for their anniversary…

…which was a big hit – because after all, who doesn’t feel like a kid when they’re playing with an RC toy?

Check out Xenon Project, and save – and enjoy!

Lenz: The Refrigerator Gleans Brightly During the Storm At The Cottage

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The title? I wanted to start ‘it was a dark and stormy night’, but that’s been taken. But what I did do was combine Lenzr’s four contests this month into a single title line – not a contest, but fun nonetheless (try it yourself after you’ve looked over the contest themes below).

What’s Lenzr? Regular readers of my blog know of Rob C’s photo contest site, and (hopefully) have even entered into it. The prizes are great, the exposure for a budding photo bug is great, and it’s a chance to get feedback from your peers.

Of course, each theme relates to INTERESTING pictures – the kind of photos that make you say “mmmh” – and still stick in your brain a day later.

In my case – and I’m no great shakes as a photographer – I have two tricks which make photos jump out: unusual angles and high saturation. Tweaking with these can often add interest to my pics.

But likely you have your tricks to make photos pop – and you can use them during this month’s contests:

This year has already been incredible weather-wise, with floods, tornadoes, and tsunamis. The contest Weather The Storm is for photos that reflect that. Weather is powerful, and a pic or two of extreme weather has a way of humbling us. Get a great shot, and let others feel that same power. Not surprisingly, the contest sponsors (who are offering a digital camera) are experts at extreme weather, since they provide commercial roofing.

Best Cottage Moments is the contest for photos of cottage life – family and friends gathering by the lake for the good life. The goal? Show how great cottage life is (and by the way, the sponsor’s website shows Muskoka cottage locations, showing how really good the good life can be). Winners get a camera – a great incentive to go out and click some more!

What’s In The Fridge? $500 dollars worth of groceries, if you’re the winner of this contest. The goal is to make your fridge the best possible, as jazzed up as possible: colorful arrangements, mouth watering food shots, and more. The sponsor of course works with food – easy to use printable coupons ideal for food shopping (and getting supplies for your photo shoot).

How long have you caught yourself staring at Shiny Metal Surfaces? They ARE mesmerizing, and the subject of this contest, by the company that makes shiny objects, metal panels that enhance and improve any building. If you’ve tried to work with chrome surfaces then you know how finicky a good shot can be – and a GREAT shot is a challenge. Give it a try and get a chance a a new camera.

So get your camera and give it a workout and get a reputation as a creative photographer by entering these contests, running from April 1st until May 15th. And if you win? Well, at the very least you’re now an ‘award winning photographer’. Heck, you might even qualify as a professional photographer – so start shooting and expand your resume!