Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bookkeeping Basics for the Small Business Owner

Presented by Diana Sheltra of Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC.

Can you prepare your financial statements?

Do you know the bottom line?

Are you making a profit?

Do you know the difference between your bank balance and how much money you are making?

Can you prepare a cash flow report and why is it different from your Profit and Loss Statement.

Are you wondering what is tax deductible?

You will learn that and more.

Diana Sheltra is owner and operator of Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC. She has been in business for over nine years in Essex Junction. She opened a second office recently in Morrisville. Diana has worked in the field for over twenty years.

Diana has been a member of WBON for nine years, has served as board president for four years. She is currently Vice President of the National Association of Tax Professionals Vermont Chapter, as well as on the executive committee. She is also the founder of Lamoille County Business Network, LLC.

Diana is from the NYC area and moved to Vermont in 1995. She lives in Wolcott with her husband, Tom. She has a bachelor's degree in management from St. John's University and an associate degree in accounting from Champlain College.

Where:Tegu Hall, Morrisville, VT

When:Friday January 27, 2012 from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM EST

To Register: www.lamoillecountybusinessnetwork.com

Diana Sheltra
Lamoille County Business Network, LLC
diana@lamoillecountybusinessnetwork.com
802-851-8015

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Lamoille: The Bounty of the County: Oh Honey...Really?

Lamoille: The Bounty of the County: Oh Honey...Really?: My husband was asking me the other day about why the honey we buy is called “raw.” What’s the big deal? What’s the difference between this ...

Sunday, November 20, 2011

New Business - Lamoille County Business Network, LLC

Lamoille County Business Network, LLC provides networking and educational opportunities to Lamoille County and surrounding areas.

Getting ahead in business involves relationship building and support from other professionals. LCBN will assist you in reaching your personal and professional goals.

LCBN will host at least two networking events a month. No membership fees! A nominal entrance fee is charged for each event.

Visit our website to view upcoming events www.lamoillecountybusinessnetwork.com

We are seeking speakers on various business topics. Please email Diana at diana@lamoillecountybusinessnetwork.com to apply.

The first mixer is December 9th at 5:30 to 7:30pm at River Arts. The first educational meeting will start January 27th at 8 to 9:30am at Tegu Hall. Diana will kick off the first educational meeting by presenting Bookkeeping Basics for the Small Business Owner.

Diana Sheltra is owner and operator of Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC and Lamoille County Business Network, LLC. Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC has been in business for over nine years in Essex Junction. She opened a second office recently in Morrisville. Diana has worked in the field for over twenty years.

Diana has been a member of WBON for nine years, has served as board president for four years. She is currently Vice President of the National Association of Tax Professionals Vermont Chapter, as well as on the executive committee.

Diana is from the NYC area and moved to Vermont in 1995. She lives in Wolcott with her husband, Tom. She has a bachelor’s degree in management from St. John’s University and an associate degree in accounting from Champlain College.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Lamoille County Business Network

I am proud to introduce my new business venture - Lamoille County Business Network. The mission of this company is to provide networking and educational opportunities to businesses in Lamoille County and people who do business here.

There will be monthly mixers as well as monthly networking/educational meetings. The first mixer is scheduled December 9th at 5:30 - 7:30pm. Working on a location for our mixers. The first education meeting is January 27th, Tegu Hall in Morrisville 8am - 9:30am. The first speaker will be announced by mid-December.

Please find my page on Facebook - Lamoille County Business Network - and my group on LinkedIn (same name).

You can help by just spreading the word.

I am also looking for volunteers to help me get this off the ground and to help at the meetings. Let me know if you are interested!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

WBON October Morrisville Chapter Meeting

At October's WBON meeting, Connie will be leading a workshop, “Women and Wealth”, inspired by several published authors and the work of Dr. Christiane Northrup who said “You are truly prosperous to the extent that you’re experiencing health, freedom, happiness and plenty in your life.” Based on a holistic perspective on wealth and abundance, women will:

• Learn the truth about money and cash flow
• Discover three proven ways to increase your wealth
• Uncover the most common myths about women and money
• Delve into today’s financial reality and discover how you can be the
exception to the statistics
• Find out how to create optimal wealth and health simultaneously

Connie Livingston is a consultant, coach, facilitator, and strategist with a background in financial services and Community Economic Development. She has worked with individuals and groups for 19 years toward achieving their goals. She started her practice two years ago because she believes that as she helps clients improve their financial, personal, and economic lives, healthy, stable communities are created.

One of her specialties is helping people navigate successfully through transition. Change can be scary; she knows because she has been through so many transitions in her own life. She has started several businesses, left a career in order to raise children, re-entered the world of paid employment, and experienced a number of career changes. She did this using a positive, systematic approach and landed on her feet successfully through the changes as well as in the financial realm. She loves to show her clients how she did this.

Date: October 21, 2011
Time: 8:00am - 9:30am
Location: Union Bank Conference Room – 20 Lower Main Street, Morrisville
RSVP: Rhonda Bennett – Rbennett@unionbankvt.com

Sunday, September 25, 2011

A Payroll Service You Can Trust

We can provide you with a full-service payroll experience at cost effective rates. We can guarantee that your payroll will be accurate, timely and hassle free. Our high-quality payroll service is customized for you and your business. There is nothing better than personal attention.

We complete your federal and state payroll filings for you, including quarterlies, year end forms and W-2's

State new hire and employer registration forms

On payday, paychecks can be handed out, or they can be electronically deposited into employee bank accounts with our Direct Deposit service

Your employees will love Direct Deposit. No more trips to the bank!

We provide professional pay stubs detailing the current as well as year-to-date amounts

All common pay types such as hourly wages, tips and commissions are supported

Voluntary deductions are also handled, such as insurance, retirement plans and many others

Double Entry Bookkeeping Services, LLC is a full service bookkeeping firm owned by Diana Sheltra. Ms. Sheltra is a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor.

Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC is in its ninth year of business with offices in Essex Junction and Morrisville.

For more information about our services and products visit our website:
http://www.doubleentrybookkeeping.net/

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Remote Data Backup

No time to back up?Why not set it & forget it!

Still manually backing up your important data to tape, CD, DVD or Zip? If so...

How often do you actually back up?

Do you really take your backup media offsite?

How much time does it take you every week?

Have you done a practice restore to make sure you can quickly and easily recover all your files?

Face it, manual backups are time-consuming, tedious and unrewarding, but you know backups need to be done.

That's why you need an easy, automatic and affordable offsite backup solution, so all you need to do is "set it and forget it".

With Remote Data Backups, your data is always safe.
Deleted files, viruses, hard drive crash, corruption, fire, flood or theft? No problem. Files restores are fast and easy.

Take a FREE 30-Day Trial (http://www.RDBUP.com?id=DoubleBook) and eliminate one annoying task in your busy work day.

You've got better things to do than worry about backups, like taking care of clients and growing your business.

Diana Sheltra
Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC.
802-878-0990
diana@doubleentrybookkeeping.net
http://www.RDBUP.com?id=DoubleBook

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Updates – Vermont Department of Taxes


Homeowners received the Notice of 2011 Property Tax Adjustment calculation letters the week of July 5.



NOTE: It is very important for homeowners to review the information used to calculate their adjustment. While household income can be amended, changes to values for housesite and property taxes, and ownership interest is available only until September 1.




Last week the Department mailed 12,000+ notices to homeowners who filed a 2010 property tax adjustment claim but have not filed a 2011 claim. The law changed where the homestead declaration is no longer required to be filed annually. Filing trends for the claims raised concerns that some homeowners may believe the property tax adjustment claim also did not need to be filed each year. Homeowners who filed a 2010 property tax adjustment claim last year that generated an adjustment but had not yet filed a 2011 claim received the letter. Some of you may have received a letter where their household income is too high this year.



The IRS warns that tax scams are on the increase. The scams include phishing for taxpayer information as well as promoters of filing schemes that charge taxpayers to file returns with the promise of easy refunds. The IRS describes the most prevalent scams in their



And a new scam aimed at tax practitioners - The IRS says it is now finding phishing schemes that preys on tax practitioners who want to attend one of the summer IRS forums. The email supposedly comes from IRS Tax Forums and requests that recipients register for an event for tax professionals by using an attached registration form. IRS makes registration forms available only through the web, not through emails.



Yet another new scam reported. Scammers are sending out emails to employers that report a payment has been rejected by the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). Clicking on a link downloads malicious software that takes personal and financial information from the computer. IRS never initiates email communications, whether on EFTPS or tax account matters.



It is correct that the extension for the income tax return does not apply to the claim and the last time to file an original 2011 property tax adjustment claim is September 1, 2011. However, household income can be amended for up to three years. Preparers have taken two approaches to determine household income for extended income returns – 1] file the claim with estimated household income using the best information available, or 2] file the claim showing the $97,000 maximum household income.



Remember, that the procedure to file amended household income changed for the 2011 claim. Complete Form HS-145 and check the box on Line 11 to show you are amending the household income. Then complete Schedule HI-144 with the correct information. This can be efiled or filed by paper.



If you mail the original 2011 property tax adjustment claims or amended household income claim, it must be received by the Department within three business days of the deadline. The goal is to get these filings processed so the adjustment amount can be transmitted to the town by September 15. For claims processed after the September 15 transmission, the homeowners receive the check for the adjustment amount.



The Legislature eliminated the requirement to file a homestead declaration each year. The new procedure allows the 2010 homestead declaration to remain on record until the property is sold, or the business or rental use of the property changes from the declaration on record. The following are questions that have been asked about this new process:



If you sell your home and purchase a new home, can you withdraw the declaration on the sold home and declare the new home on the Department's online filing?



YES. Withdraw the homestead sold first. At the end of the withdrawal screen you will be asked if you want to file a declaration for your new homestead. NOTE: You still need to fill in the SSN and Span and name.



Have lawyers, banks and real estate agents been notified of the homestead withdrawal requirement?



YES. The Department sent notification of the change to the Vermont Bar Association and Vermont Association of Realtors in 2010. In May 2011, the Department mailed the guide for property transactions and homestead declarations to Vermont banks, credit unions and licensed realtors. The guide is also located on our website.



Is there delayed processing if a homestead withdrawal was not filed?



The property tax adjustment claim may experience delayed processing as the same SPAN may not be declared by a homeowner with different Social Security number (the Social Security numbers of a joint filing are considered one identification unit). When a withdrawal is not filed, the examiner must research the status of the property through our property transfer return records and/or with the town.



Do multiple or unneeded filings of the homestead declaration cause problems for the Department?



It causes additional work. Declarations filed after the original filings do not automatically post and must be reviewed by an examiner.



What is the process for contiguous land that is part of the homestead (whether in the same or different town) to be classified as homestead?



There is no change to this process. A homestead declaration must be filed for each SPAN in the appropriate town.



If the owner changes from the 2010 declaration, how do you change the owner?



When the home is sold, the seller filed a withdrawal and the buyer files a declaration.
If there is an additional owner being added to the existing owners or an existing owner is removed, file a new declaration.



Do I file a new homestead declaration if the use of my homestead changed after April 1, 2011?
YES. File a new homestead declaration and indicate the date of the change in the section provided on the form. Declarations with use changes after April 1, 2011 will be held and transmitted to the town for the 2012 grand list.
What is the due date for filing a homestead declaration?
The due date remains the same as in the past. A declaration for a new homestead is timely if filed by April 15th and a late-but-can-still-declare is filed by September 1st. A declaration to report the change in business or rental use of the property can be filed on the April 15th/September 1st schedule. NOTE:
The declaration can be filed earlier at the time of closing or the date of the use change. The Department will hold the declaration and transmit the information to the town for the appropriate grand list.





Friday, July 22, 2011

Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC. is seeking a Full Charge Bookkeeper

We are a busy office located in Essex Junction. We are seeking a part-time client oriented team player. Minimum of 5 year's experience required with emphasis in AP/AR, payroll, adjusting entries, and financial statements.

Intermediate level skills in QuickBooks and Excel required.


If you are a professional who is accurate and flexible, please email your resume with salary requirements to:

diana@doubleentrybookkeeping.net

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

WBON July Morrisville Meeting

Topic: Turning Your Business Ideas into a Reality

Starting your own business can sometimes feel overwhelming. "My goal has always been to help the business owner breakdown the steps and putting them in touch with the resources to help achieve their goals.” This session will provide an overview of how to take that idea and/or plan and turn it into a “bankable” solution.

Rhonda is a commercial lender with Union Bank. She specializes in working with the Small Business Administration and other organizations to provide financing alternatives for her clients. Rhonda has 30 years of banking experience. She began her career as a teller and eventually became a member of the Senior Management Team of Union Bank. During her professional career she attended Johnson State College through the External Degree Program, received several certifications through the Center for Financial Training and later became an instructor for CFT.

Date: July 15, 2011, 8am - 9:30am
Location: Union Bank 20 Lower Main Street
Cost: $12.00 Members, $14.00 Guests
RSVP: steph@honeybeesoaps.com
or online at http://www.wbon.org/

Chapter Coordinators:
Rhonda Bennett - Union Bank
Stephanie Craig - Honey Bee Soaps
Diana Sheltra - Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

WBON May Morrisville Chapter Meeting

Blogging and Facebook and YouTube, Oh My!

Presented by Lisa Wood
Sprout New Media

With the explosion of social media in the digital marketplace, we're faced with a dizzying array of tools we can use to promote our businesses online. How are we supposed to keep up? Join us for an interactive discussion designed to help you cut through the clutter and focus on what's important for you and your business.

We'll discuss today's popular tools and brainstorm ways to drive traffic to your website. You'll learn how to identify the tools that work for you so you can focus on those and ignore the rest.

Lisa Wood is a WBON member and small business owner with over 15 years experience marketing on the web. She started Sprout New Media (formerly Performance Web Solutions) in 2008 so she could help small businesses and entrepreneurs grow their businesses online. Prior to that, Lisa worked in the hospitality & tourism industry for over 25 years. Lisa lives in Stowe with her husband, two teenage children, two dogs, and a cat. She enjoys snowboarding, cycling, and vacationing with her family at the beach. Lisa provides digital marketing services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Her services include web design & development, social media coaching, and web marketing consulting. You can find her at SproutNewMedia.com and on twitter as @lisawood.

Lunch will be catered by J.D. Delicious - Applecheek Farm of Hyde Park.
Cost: $16.00 Members, $18.00 Guests
RSVP: diana@doubleentrybookkeeping.net or online at http://www.wbon.org/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

WBON April Morrisville Chapter Meeting

Our speaker for the April Morrisville Chapter Meeting will be Suzanne Johnson former owner of Tilley's Cafe.

Life Challenges with a smile

So you don't think that you can handle yet ANOTHER challenge in your life?! Join the crowd! Just HOW do you decide HOW you are going to react?

Join me as I describe my journey over the past ten years and enjoy how I try to make the most out of life in spite of the unexpected left hand turns. Life is about juggling or family and our careers along with our unexpected challenges in love, health and in our businesses. Come listen to what makes me continue to move forward with a never ending love of life, family and friends. You will walk away with thoughts and goals that could change your life! It has mine!

RSVP to Diana Sheltra diana@doubleentrybookkeeping.net or online at http://www.wbon.org/

Fee is $16.00 for WBON members and $18 for guests.

Meeting will be catered by JD Delicious - Applecheek Farm - of Hyde Park. Applecheek Farm is a certified organic, diversified and sustainable family-owned farm. Their farm produces organic dairy, grass-fed beef, humanely raised veal, pasture-raised poultry, raw milk and emu oil

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

QuickBooks Training

Double Entry Bookkeeping, LLC offers individual or group training classes at our Essex Junction office on Mondays and Fridays. Call Audry at 802-878-0990 for more information.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

Full-time Bookkeeping Position

Small, busy Essex office is seeking a FT client oriented team player for on-site work with local area businesses. Minimum five years experience bookkeeping required with emphasis in AP/AR, payroll, adjusting entries, and financial statements.

Position will also include client QuickBooks training. Intermediate level skills in QuickBooks and Excel required. If you are a professional who is accurate and flexible, please send your resume with salary requirements to Diana@doubleentrybookkeeping,net, or fax to 802-316-3890

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Winter Business Fair

CEDO is pleased to join with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity Micro Business Development Program and the U.S. Small Business Administration to announce the 3rd

Winter Business Fair
Wednesday February 9, 2011
10 am to 3 pm
Contois Auditorium
City Hall
Burlington, Vermont

In addition to exhibitors we are also offering workshops for business owners on several topics including the basics of borrowing money for your business, listening to your business and the benefits of being a green business. The event is open to the public and free to attend. Due to popular demand, the Zero to 60 business open mic, brought to you by the Radiator, and the O-Zone networking space, presented by Office Squared, will be back. Building on these the success of the 2010 Winter Business Fair, brand new this year will be the offering Legal Corner and the Accounting Corner. Sign up at either for a brief, free consultation with a tax or legal professional

Please register your organization and join us as an exhibitor. This year we will be charging a nominal exhibitor fee of $75.00. This money will be used to videotape all of the workshops and some of the main event and edit this content which will be available on DVD. Register and pay by January 19 and pay only $50. Please contact Jon Adams-Kollitz at CEDO to register: jadamskollitz@ci.burlington.vt.us or(802) 865.7187

Set up for vendors starts at 8:30am and some limited vehicle access to Church St. in front of City Hall will be available. Please keep in mind this Church St. access is only available in the morning and you will be on your own for takedown in the afternoon.

This year’s featured workshop is the two hour Greening Your Business featuring Peter Crawford of the Small Business Development Center . Other workshop topics include: business lending, venture capital/angel investing/grants, and Listening to Your Business with the SBDC’s Steve Densham, Dream to Reality with Jodi Whalen of August First (and others)

Please register your organization and join us as an exhibitor. Remember, register and pay by January 19 and pay only $50.


Save the Date!
the Winter Business Fair
Wednesday, February 9th, 201110 AM - 3 PM Burlington City Hall