Spark Blog
BOOKKEEPING. ACCOUNTING. PROFIT.
Every other Thursday we release one new blog based on the comments and questions we receive, the economic climate, seasonal happenings and occasional business and finance events and reviews I choose to undertake.
Have an idea on a topic you’d like me to cover? Send it over to kasey@sparkbusinessconsulting.com, or let us know via our Contact Form.
5 Tips to Help Your Retail Business be Profitable in 2021
We're going to go over five really great tips for retailers, for this month, for the rest of the holiday season, and going right into 2021. This has been a tough time for retailers, and that's an understatement. But having been out there shopping over the last couple...
5 Tips for Restaurants in 2021
As we all know by now, the hospitality industry has been hit very hard by the pandemic. Forced closings, severely reduced capacities, new, strict health code guidelines and a very limited food supply are just some of the daunting tasks that these businesses face. Some...
How to Improve Your Decision Making Process
Today we're going to talk about how to improve your decision making process. This is something that comes up a lot, something that I see a lot of business owners, I would say, the vast majority of business owners struggle with. which is what to do first. Their head's...
Business Advice During Covid-19 Shutdowns
Today we’re going to talk about the rumors of another possible forced shutdown on the heels of the second wave of Covid-19. Not a super happy topic but I’m here to talk about the silver lining, or just some tips to get through that if it does happen. There are...
How to Get a Small Business Loan
Thinking about getting a small business loan? Okay, so. First of all, I want to say that I never, ever recommend going into debt. It’s NOT a fun place to be, but with that being said, I do understand that sometimes it’s necessary. Small business loans are something we...
Building a Storybrand Review
How Storybranding Helped to Create Spark Building a Storybrand was one of the best business books I have ever read. Period. What we didn't realize before reading this book was how little of a 'story' we were sharing with our clients. As a business- sure we provided...
Laura Senno
Laura Senno is a New England College Alumni who started working at Spark Business Consulting May of this year. She's one of our Lead Accountants here at Spark joining Spark Business Consulting after many years of bookkeeping and finance along with holding subsequent...
Rebuild Your Business Small Group Coaching Program
One of the things we are super excited to share with you is our small group coaching program, Rebuild Your Business. The reason we started it in the first place is that right now, everything seems pretty uncertain. A lot of our clients have come to us for a lot of...
Our Sparkly Kajabi Review
Kajabi A recent jaunt that we took into the world of online education brought us across the platform known as Kajabi. We have been using it to deliver our Profit First Lab Course, our Rebuild Your Business Group Coaching Program, and it's standalone course of the same...
Bar 43 NY
BAR 43 NY Bar 43 NY is a more recent client that we've started to work with and boy has it been interesting to watch their journey this year with all of the #coronachaos happening. Despite the social distancing measures and being located in one of the hardest-hit...
My ProfitCon 2020 Highlights!
My ProfitCon 2020 Highlights! Once again, I had an amazing and inspiring time at ProfitCon this year. Although this conference was held on Zoom, the quality of the content, the speakers, and the energy were truly out of this world! The Keynote Speaker...
Set Yourself Up for Success!
How to Set Yourself Up for Success I saw this image on Instagram the other day and I wanted to shoot you a quick email to show you, while it’s still fresh on my mind, that a picture really does paint a thousand words. Check this screenshot out: Pretty cool, right? I...
App/Software: Shopify
What it is Shopify is one of our favorite point of sale solutions for retailers due to of a few great reasons. Firstly, they offer one of the largest app stores to help you run your website and social media. Even if you have little to no background in website...
Spark Retail Calculator
The Spark Retail Calculator We are thrilled to share with you our proprietary calculator that we developed specifically for our clients. In this blog, we're going to go over how it can help you as a client better map out your pricing strategy.How it works The Spark...
Why Business Plans Still Matter
Business Plans seem to be getting a bad rap these days. They are often called outdated and people simply don't know what they are as they struggle along in their business. We want to share with you why they are not only still relevant but can make the difference in...
5 Ways to Boost Your Profitability
5 Ways Boost Your Profitability We love Mike Michalowicz and share in his passion for making businesses profitable. Here is a breakdown of what he shares in this useful clip: Realize that logic does not work. Make profit FIRST. What comes first is a priority....
YOU NEED A PLAN. LET’S MAKE ONE.
Why you need a plan As many of you know, we have been very busy over the last couple of weeks assisting our clients with navigating the ever-changing rollercoaster of government lending (if you can call it that yet). For instance, we've been completing applications...
6 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself
6 Questions To Ask Yourself Sixth Division is an amazing company that one of my mentors, Brad Martineau, runs. Through his work, he helps businesses create a full-proof system for every person that comes into your business eco-sphere. “The Client Journey” and “The...
Client Spotlight: Petit Peony
Who is Petit Peony? We have been working with Petit Peony since 2017 and having watched them grow over the years, we have felt SO lucky to be a part of their journey. Witnessing the founding of The Peach Project which is a children’s brand inspired by Georgia, the...
Your 5-Step Action Plan
We always want to make sure we're being a part of the solution for our clients and readers. The action plan we have created for you will help you navigate not only the chaos that coronavirus has created for small business owners more effectively but pretty much any...
The Recession Response
Download "The Recession Response"” one-page pdf from Mike Michalowicz. There is so much chaos and uncertainty happening in our world today, especially in our small business world, that it is important to keep in mind some business-saving tips to stay steady...
A Game Changing Piece of Business Advice
I want to share with you the best piece of advice I have ever received in my business life that was from a speaker and mentor that I really look up to – Mike Agugliaro of CEO Warrior. This game-changing piece of advice created the fastest yet most controlled and...
Restaurant Websites
Restaurant Websites - Everything You Need to Know Download your nifty PDF here At the risk of dating myself, when I owned and operated my restaurant, websites were not the “thing” they are now. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we did HAVE a website that was...
Financial Freedom for Entrepreneurs
Today, we'll cover the 3 myths about money that all entrepreneurs MUST break away from in order to achieve financial freedom. Getting your mindset right is the #1 thing you have to achieve if you really want to succeed in business. As the popular saying goes, "You are...
Drivers of Success in Business
The 3 Main Drivers of Success in Business If you’ve been paying attention, you know by now that we are fired-up business success strategists, financial mavens and we may have a hint of wonder woman, or at least it feels like it! We help people like you visualize and...
Our 2020 Goals!
Our 2020 Goals! As they say, time stands still for no one. The year 2019 is over, and 2020 is here. Another year has come and gone. For those of you who have been with us since last year, we really appreciate having you in our tribe! It’s the time of the year again...
APP/SOFTWARE: Toast
Toast POS Toast is a great software that many of our clients use because of its flexibility and useful features. As a POS (point of sale) system, it also has the capability of to manage your team and payroll, online orders and delivery and provide reporting and...
The Spark RR Package
Spark Restaurant Reporting Package Our custom Spark Restaurant Reporting Package gives a clear, concise snapshot of all the Prime and need-to-know costs. On our first page “Flash Report,” we highlight the prime costs, bank balances, accounts payable update, and any...
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT: Bree
Bree Kelley Bree is a Staff Accountant who specializes in data entry for several of Spark’s clients. She started working at Spark in August of 2018 after making a drastic career change to pursue her dreams of working in the accounting industry. Eager to learn and grow...
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: The Quarry Restaurant
The Quarry Restaurant The Quarry Restaurant has been a long time client of Spark utilizing our full-service “Success” package. This means that we handle all of the sales coding, prime costing, and payables for the restaurant and everything in-between. Many say that...
A Christmas Shopping Hack
A Christmas Shopping Hack You likely have kids, or maybe even brothers and sisters, or any ‘group’ of people who you buy gifts for, (but most likely your kids). You know you are faced with the inevitable ‘she got more than I got.' Maybe it's ‘why does he always get...
Love the Space You’re In
Love the Space You're In The Interior Designer Myth Growing up, I always assumed that the use of an Interior Designer was for the rich and famous. The rest of us made do with hand-me-downs, thrift store finds, a friend’s ‘good eye’ or maybe an idea from a magazine. I...
Who’s Your Designated Motivator?
A Designated Motivator There were many amazing Keynote Speakers at this year’s event but one of them truly stood out to me – Dawn Brolin, CPA. Dawn Brolin, CPA Now, Dawn is definitely not your typical CPA. She looks, sounds, and acts almost exactly like the actress,...
APP/SOFTWARE – BE IN THE KNOW: Clio
Clio We have tried almost every law firm practice management software out there and we have all found that Clio is super user-friendly. It is easy to use from both the law firm side as well as the client side. It has over 200 integrations, 24-hour support, and mostly...
SERVICE: 3-Way Reconciliation
3-Way Reconciliation If any practice manages trust accounts, they need to know what a 3-way bank reconciliation is. As a trust administrator they are required to perform this balance periodically, most likely every thirty to sixty days. These reconciliations are...
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT: Jaclyn Torrey
Jaclyn Torrey Jaclyn Torrey is one of our Lead Accountants and is also Spark’s Lead Trainer and Firm Manager. She handles a variety of clients in various industries. For instance, these include construction, legal, retail, specialty services, not-for-profit, IT, real...
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: Elder Law Care
Elder Law Care Patrick Kelleher of Elder Law Care was one of our first clients to experience our full service Profit First package. He was also one of the first to give both Spark and Profit First raving testimonials! Furthermore, Patrick and his team work with their...
Back to Basics: Gearing Up for the Holidays
Some people thrive on the chaos of the holidays. Some people do their best work “under the gun” so they say, “last minute Larry’s” or “deadline divas”. I am not one of those people.But if you are, this may not be the article for you… I thrive when everything is well...
Guarantee Profit from your Restaurant!
Guarantee Profit from your Restaurant! Enjoy this free webinar helping you understand how to guarantee profit from your restaurant, with Kasey and Eric! Who's Eric Cacciatore? In his own words: As a student dual majoring in Hospitality and Marketing, I created this...
Credit Card Savings
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SAVE (OR MAKE) MONEY? HERE’S ONE FOR YOU, AND MORE TO COME! WAY #1 HOW TO LOWER YOUR CREDIT CARD INTEREST RATE It’s okay. You can admit that you were sucked in by that 0% introductory interest rate. It happens to the best of us. But...
The Life-Changing Magic… of Budgeting!
Creating a Budget In her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondō says, “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” The same can be said for creating a budget. The question of how you choose to...
YNAB! Be in the Know w/ YNAB
YNAB YNAB stands for 'You Need A Budget' but in a really good way! This software app is easy, logical and actually kinda fun. We highly recommend it for your personal finances - I have been using it myself and loving the results! Here’s how it works… 1. Give Every...
SERVICE: Profit First
Profit First I was first introduced to Profit First when my husband mentioned he heard about it at a Power-Washing Convention he was at a few years ago. So, on our honeymoon, in July of 2017, I purchased the audiobook. How I Found Out About Profit First It was an...
CLIENT: Wicked Good Cupcakes
Wicked Good Cupcakes One of our first clients and still one of the best. We started working with this amazing mother-daughter duo even before they had their first store-front in Cohasset, Massachusetts. We had a front row seat to their first whiff of celebrity when...
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT: Amy Salvatori
Amy Amy was the very first Spark employee and will always be one of, if not the, best decisions Spark has ever made. She came into Spark with plenty of bookkeeping knowledge as she is the financial wizard behind her husband's construction and property management...
Money & Fitness – Oh the Similarities…
On Money and Fitness This may or may not be the first time you’ve heard this: there are many similarities between the fitness industry and managing your money. As a matter of fact, it was a fitness infomercial that inspired the best-selling book and wildly popular...
APP/SOFTWARE: Quickbooks Online
Why we Love Quickbooks Online Did you know that 80% of new QuickBooks users are choosing QuickBooks Online versus QuickBooks Desktop? It’s the way the world is moving. So many platforms are cloud-based, and it’s hard to beat the convenience and ease-of-use. However,...
SERVICE: JOB COSTING
Job Costing How does a small business owner know how to price a job? Or fire a client? Or where to focus their marketing efforts? To make these types of important decisions, an owner must be able to know their numbers and measure what jobs/clients/ads will drive...
![Stephanie Morin [Employee Highlight]](https://sparkbusinessconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/FB-Staff-Stephanie-400x250.png)
Stephanie Morin [Employee Highlight]
Stephanie Stephanie is a Profit First certified lead accountant and team development coordinator who truly loves what she does. A Umass Amherst Alumni, she hails from the North Shore and is a veteran of the hospitality and service industries. In addition to having...
Financial Literacy for Children
Financial literacy for children is highly important. Before we go there however, let's talk about my experience; being in business for myself for the last 20 years, and helping other business owners before that, I have learned that everybody has their own unique...