Yeah, but you're an amateur fry cook and I come from a long line of fry cooks that don't live past 25.

Buffy ,'Showtime'


Buffista Business Talk: I wanted simple, I wanted in-and-out, I wanted easy money.

A virtual watercooler where Buffistas in business can talk, share, exchange, bemoan, exult and assorted other power verbs associated with all areas of running/starting up a business. For existing or potential Buffista business owners of all types. Spamming is NOT ON. A list of our Buffista owned businesses is on our links page.


Strix - Jun 01, 2011 5:50:47 am PDT #25 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger

Which software do you use? Is it reasonably priced...and piggybacking onto that, is this the kind of thing I can write off if I only use it for business, not for personal record-keeping?


lcat - Jun 01, 2011 6:27:40 am PDT #26 of 1416
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

I originally used TurboTax but moved to H&R Block a few years ago when Turbo increased the price. There are people who feel strongly about one version or the other but my primary concern is price so I shopped for the best deal. This year, I downloaded H&R's Premium version for around $40 on a returning customer offer but I think you can still get it for less than $50. Since you are using the 2010 program as a tax planning aide, you might be able to deduct it as business expense but I'm not sure. If you use the 2011 program to actually compute and file taxes (which would include all of your sources of income), then it would be a deduction that is subject to the gross income limitation and so probably won't result in an actual deduction.


Strix - Jun 01, 2011 6:44:15 am PDT #27 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger

Thanks, lcat; I will check both of them out.


amych - Jun 01, 2011 7:00:51 am PDT #28 of 1416
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?

::bookmarking the ENTIRE THREAD::


Strix - Jun 01, 2011 7:27:54 am PDT #29 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger

I know, amych!

::lugs in cappucino machine and ratty, yet comfortable, sofa::


NoiseDesign - Jun 01, 2011 8:05:03 am PDT #30 of 1416
Our wings are not tired

If the business is going to be your sole source of income I really recommend finding a good accountant. It is a huge stress reliever for me to have a real face to deal with and also good peace of mind knowing I have a representative in case of an audit.


Tom Scola - Jun 01, 2011 8:56:33 am PDT #31 of 1416
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500

Midwest Haunters Convention

The Midwest Haunters Convention (MHC) is the largest Halloween show of its kind in the US serving a primary audience of Haunted Attraction Producers, Actors, Artists and Home Haunters. It features a 60,000 square foot vendor trade show with over 75 vendor booths – and provides regional businesses and residents the opportunity to shop for professional quality Halloween related products.


Toddson - Jun 01, 2011 9:09:53 am PDT #32 of 1416
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

fyi, I spotted an article about Expensify in the business section of the paper on Sunday. I can't track down the exact article, but it sounds like something useful for people who have lots of expenses and not enough time to fill in reports.


NoiseDesign - Jun 01, 2011 9:16:12 am PDT #33 of 1416
Our wings are not tired

I've considered attending the MHC a few times, but currently I don't know how I could take on much more work during the Halloween season. As it is I have 15-20 people working for me just to pull of the Universal Studios event. Still it would be fun to see what other folks are doing in smaller venues.


Atropa - Jun 01, 2011 11:27:09 am PDT #34 of 1416
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.

I have friends who go to MHC, and have a blast.

A long-shot, but that's part of what this thread is for, right? Does anyone have any suggestions for manufacturing companies (that are not sweatshops or child-labor) that will do small runs of clothing?

I'm (sloooowly) working on getting a small GCS apparel line together, and I want to start researching clothing manufacturers.