By Susan Guillory
I, like you, cringe whenever I have to pay for something for my business. I want to pocket more money so I can go on awesome vacations! And yet, some things I’ve found are totally worth paying for.
1. An Annual Subscription to [Insert Software Here]
If you subscribe to software like Dropbox or Evernote, you probably pay a monthly fee. But did you know that if you pay for a year, you’ll often save money? For example, I was paying $9.99 a month for Dropbox, but recently caved and paid $99 for a year, saving about $20 (two months’ worth of service!). It’s not a ton, but every little bit counts.
2. Stock Photo Subscription
Speaking of services I subscribe to, having a stock photo subscription has been one of my best investments ever (I use Photospin). Because I’m in content marketing, I use a ton of images to accompany my blog content, as well as that of my clients’. Previously, I’d been using free stock photo sites, and while they can be okay, sometimes they are a headache. I had a client who was being sued by the photographer of an image that was supposed to be Creative Commons (free for public use)! Who wants to be sued
3. Payroll Software
Even though I am the only salaried employee in my company, I still pay $40 to Gusto each month. Why? Because the company makes it easy to pay my payroll taxes, and they file my tax forms for me quarterly. That alone is worth the cost of admission.
4. A Mailbox
I’ve moved a lot over the 11 years I’ve been in business, and it’s always a hassle to get my clients to update my mailing address. That delays me getting paid, and I don’t play that. So last year, I invested in a mailbox at my local UPS Store (conveniently located steps away from my home office). Now all my business mail goes there. If you work from home, it’s nice to be able to use this as your physical address so you don’t risk crazy customers showing up out of the blue (you never know).
5. An Accountant
I balked at this expense for years. Like, until this year. But now that I found my dream-come-true accountant (who lives in Hawaii, lucky duck), I feel more on top of my tax situation, and am assured that my taxes will be filed properly. He also advises me on how to categorize my expenses in my accounting software.
So there you have it. Some business expenses can make your life a lot easier!
