Stop Worrying, Create a Calendar

The calendar is definitely one of our favorite planning tools, which may explain why we chose this as a topic we could discuss for a month! Now that you are in the groove of calendar planning why not expand the benefits with a financial and administrative planning tool. Stop worrying if you are getting things done on time, just check the calendar instead. Keep reading for our tips on scheduling your financial and administrative tasks throughout your year.

Payroll processing got me started creating a financial calendar due to the critical deposit and reporting deadlines required by the IRS. Adding other key financial tasks to my calendar streamlined my financial system and actually helped improve profits.

I even created pre-printed labels for the ongoing financial events so I just peeled and stuck them on the new due dates each year. That may be a little too OCD for you, but please keep an open mind to getting these recurring events on a calendar so you can quit worrying about remembering them all.

Keep in mind even if you outsource financial tasks, like payroll, to others you are still responsible for the filing so be sure to get confirmation copies for your records for each due date.

Financial Calendar Events to Schedule

• Payroll tax deposit due dates
• Payroll report due dates (federal and state)
• Year end reporting due dates (W2’s and 1099’s)
• Federal and state income tax report due dates
• Sales tax reporting and remittance due dates
• Service Rate Review – at least annually & increase some rates each year
• Calculate profitability by service – at least annually to ensure profit goals are met by each service type and company overall
• Vendor Contract Review – at least annually & negotiate for lower fees you pay on services (e.g., merchant processing, utilities, alarm monitoring, etc.)
• Employee Wage Increases – plan one or two times per year and set a budget for total amount available
• Create next year’s operating budget
• Monthly financial review sessions when you compare actual results to your budget or same period from prior year
• Quarterly review sessions to adjust budget for remaining year based on results to date

Late in my ownership of Urban Tails I created an administrative calendar as a training guide for my new general manager. In hindsight this would have been a great tool for delegating tasks earlier and staying proactive versus reactive in my business.

Administrative Calendar Events to Schedule

• Employee Performance Reviews (monthly, quarterly or annually depending on your process)
• Manager and Team Meetings (weekly or monthly depending on your process)
• Continuing Education Sessions (in house)
• Pet Industry Seminars & Events that you or staff attend
• Staff uniform orders placed (e.g., seasonally as weather changes or peak periods when increasing staff)
• Seasonal facility services started or supplies ordered (e.g., lawn, snow removal, AC/Heat system checks, pest control visits, etc.)
• Seasonal retail merchandise order dates (e.g., holiday, puppy, life vests, coats, boots, etc.)
• Equipment maintenance schedules
• Facility maintenance schedules

Some of these items may be combined into one calendar or delegated to responsibility supervisors or managers. Once you document your ongoing routine items into a calendar it’s easy to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Every year just create your new calendar…oh, be sure to add that to your administrative calendar, LOL!