• Last year's tax return
• Original W-2 Forms
• Schedule(s) K-1 from any partnerships, S-Corps, estates or trusts
• Copies of other compensation documents, such as any 1099's
• Any retirement or pension documents, such as any 1099-R's
• Brokerage Statements
• Any 1098's including those for Mortgage interest
• Personal Property Taxes Paid

More information and an expanded list is available on my blog.  kdhbusiness.blogspot.com

View the entire article here

You can also view my website at www.kdhbookkeeping.com

Wishing a less stressful and happy tax season!

The other way is to have a transfer switch installed. Then all you do is plug in a larger cord from your generator to a power inlet, and flip a few switches. Now your gas furnace, well, lights, outlets, refrigerator etc. are running safely. This type transfer switch is fairly inexpensive to have installed properly by a licensed electrician! Be ready for the next storm. We give Free bids on every job.

1. Commit to a plan for at least two seasons
2. Start small- lots of color in a small area right by a entry has more impact than small plants scattered about.
3. Find a reputable nursery with good healthy stock. It's worth the extra money than to buy what's on sale at the end of the season at the big box store.
4. Understand that there will be some maintenance i.e watering, dead-heading and maybe  a little fertilizer
5. Use a couple different types of plants- maybe some contrasting colors, different heights. Don't be afraid to experiment a little bit.
6. When the season turns and those plants start to look poor, by all means, get 'em out and start fresh again.

Over 8 years ago, with the help of some techie-friends, we launched OlympiaHomePages.com. It was very much the same format as RelyLocal is today.  However, without Smartphone technology and Social Media to propel the idea, we were waaaaay too early into that market and failed miserably. That was then and lessons were learned.

Fast forward to 2010 - Once I had a few dozen clients on board, I continued to research ways to increase exposure for them. Since we only charge $25 per month, I really didn't think much would happen too quickly. However, much to my surprise, customers began calling/emailing me and letting me know that they were getting more phone calls and Internet traffic to their websites than they had in the past. Some were excited to say that they had even reached the 1st page of Google! Hmmmm, I thought, could this be from my efforts?

Month after month, at network meetings and Chambers, I would hear similar stories from clients. That Google was now indexing our site more often, and client's page rank was increasing, made me hunt for even better ways to increase their exposure;

• Better use of key words,
• better content and copywriting
• more pictures
• coupon marketing
• and now, adding video.

All of those elements coax Google into pointing at our directory more often and raising their listings organically (free).

This post is really not meant to brag, but to provide some inspiration.

At a network breakfast just 2 weeks ago, Carie Tindill of Cakeitecture Bakery stood up and gave some great testimony. Earlier that week, she had gotten an email from a woman in New York and a call the next day from another in Texas. Surprisingly....she did business with both of them. The next week, she mentioned she got a request to make a custom cake for a 16 year old....from their Mom in Afghanistan. Okay, I was blown away too!

Lastly, this Friday at another breakfast meeting, Carrie Boyd of Belize Tee's had thanked both ThurstonTalk and RelyLocal, because we apparently have reached out beyond Olympia, Tumwater, Lacey and Yelm, because she was getting calls from as far away as Korea!

I'll close with this...regardless of how you market your company or what your budget is.... Market Your Company.

Remember - "Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping a watch to save time." (Henry Ford) 

Be well and continue to shop local. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

1. Make sure your yard is safe. This means looking above for loosely attached limbs or "hangers," and remove them, or call in a professional. Also make sure uprooted trees haven't caused the ground to shift and you have an unstable area to work in.
2. Start with the big stuff. Cleaning this up will give you a better understanding of the overall damage and clean-up needed.  Sometimes its just a few big ones.
3. Make piles that are easy to get to. Sometimes you are not going to get it all in one pass, so pick an area, clean it up and put in a pile and come back to it
4. After it's safe, you have the big stuff handled, and a majority of the clean up done, come back through, look for the small broken branches, or shrubs that need more pruning, or removal.

Unfortunately, part of living in the Pacific Northwest is also living with sometimes turbulent and unpredictable weather.  But this gives us gardeners a chance to clean our palettes and plant that tree we've been wanting too.

Moss is the result of other factors.

• First- low sunlight- this is why it thrives in shady areas, and more so during the winter. Prune up those trees or consider other plants than grass for that area.
• Second, moisture. You can't beat the rain, but you can improve drainage by aerating, building better soil for the grass to grow in, or putting in some drainage. Even something simple like  a surface drain will help.
• Third, poor soil.Build that soil up so the turf grass can have good roots to compete, and apply some lime to lower the pH.
• Fourth, thin grass. When it warms up, overseed with a more shade tolerant grass.
• Fifth, cooler temperatures. Sorry, can't help you here unless you want to put a sunlamp on the lawn- but the neighbors might think you are weird.
• You can apply moss killer, and it works well. Make sure you read the label. However you will need to correct the other problems too. 

But what we do know is how it might affect our landscape. Fortunately, usually not very much.

If you walk on the lawn, it may damage the grass, but it will recover by Spring. If it it's on the branches and twigs it looks pretty cool.  

If it is wet and heavy, take a broom and knock it off. If you shovel walks and drives, don't pile it up on the small plants.

Most deicers are pretty eco-friendly now- so there isn't much to worry about there. And the accumulation from sand usually doesn't amount to much.

So enjoy late start or the day off, have some cocoa and turn that snowman into a snowscaper by putting a leaf blower in his hand.

Rick Longnecker

www.budsandblades.com

Thank you John, Stan and the crew!

Erik and Jill Barrett

To describe the major parts of landscaping it is important to first understand that landscaping tasks involve more than just working with plants. I always tell our clients that once we step outside their house or office I consider it my territory. A landscape includes not only plants (softscape) but also hardscape elements, such as patios, boulders, driveways, walls, etc, and those decorative items such as garden furniture, art and containers.

"Landscape Design" involves determining a set of changes to a landscape. A landscape design can be as simple as a verbal consultation or it may be a complex detailed drawing. But, the goal of this part of "landscaping" is to create some sort of plan that describes the agreed upon changes to a landscape. Read a detailed description about landscape design on our website.

"Landscape Installation or Construction" is how the landscape will be changed. This is the actual implementation of all or part of the landscape design. Again, landscape installation can be as simple as adding a few plants or it can be a complex project that completely remodels someone's outdoor space.

"Landscape Maintenance" is what most people think of when they hear "landscaping". The maintenance of a landscape is also more complex than most people know. It involves not just mowing, weeding and mulching, but the skilled landscape maintenance professional will monitor the client's landscape for any problems and make adjustments to fertilizing, weed management, irrigation, mulching and composting, and proper pruning. I like to think of the quality landscape maintenance team as your landscape insurance.

- Leslie Coulter - Outdoors By Design LLC - www.outdoorsbydesign.com -

Portable electric heaters (any heater that plugs into an outlet) are wonderful things. They can keep us warm and increase our comfort, but they can also be dangerous. More than 25,000 residential fires, and 300 deaths are associated with the use of portable space heaters every year. (Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). Companies like; Ednepure, Heat Surge, and many others spend a lot of money to convince you that you can save money with their portable electric heaters. There are some advantages to more expensive heaters like digital thermostats that do help them to keep the temperature more stable. The truth is all portable heaters basically work the same and can save you money, but the main source of power savings come from heating a smaller area, not what type of heater it is. 

Please don’t overload your wiring, and if you use a portable electric heater, have the wiring checked by a licensed electrician, it just may save your home or life.

Mr. Electric - Jim Simmons

The simple answer is yes, both.  QR, or quick response codes are square bar codes that are printed on a medium for the user to scan with their smart phone.  They simply link the user to a specific place on the web or store text.  They are showing up in advertisements, business cards, yard signs, signage, tattoos, t-shirts and just about anywhere to engage the user.

Have a reason to direct someone to the web with a QR code.  If it is your website, be sure that your site is optimized for mobile users.  Your normal website may look good on a desktop computer, but to a smart phone it is shrunk down to screen size, which is not very practical.  Do not use your website if you do not have mobile optimization.  It will only frustrate the user, since it is very difficult to navigate.

QR codes can greatly enhance the users experience and longevity they interact with your product or service.  They get attention and once the user bites you better have a hook for them to stay on. 

QR codes are used to educate the user, interact, and or are just for fun.  The user will need a QR reader downloaded to their phone.  I use i-nigma on my i-phone.  Once you install a QR reader app, simply open the app and hover the phone over a QR code.  You will see the image of what is below your phone on the screen.  You may need to move your phone closer or further away in order for it to focus.

The speed of the content download depends on the size of files that are being downloaded and the speed of your internet connection.  If you do not have wi-fi internet connection, your phone will use its cellular service to connect, which typically is not as fast or reliable as a wireless connection, plus it uses your minutes.  It is best to establish a wireless or wi-fi connection before scanning a QR code. 

Decode the secret message below.

We, of the Marketing Committee, hope that many of you got some valuable information during the presentation. Our goal is to help YOU.

Some have assumed, that Blogging has long been thought of being written by computer geeks. When in fact, the Blogosphere is dedicated to allow for conversational information to be read and shared by anyone interested in the "subject matter". 

It's the perfect platform for YOU to become a SME (Subject Matter Expert). This helps to build TRUST with your audience and (hopefully) convert them into customers.

The best blog.....is your next one.

Enjoy. I look forward to reading about you and your business.

Thane

Owner of RelyLocal - Olympia

John here, trying out our new Blog section. I see that some of our members are using it currently and would encourage you all to try. Here are some helpful tips:

• Go to Oly5Star.com
• Click Member Log in
• Enter email address and password (may get message to confirm)
• Click on BLOG tab
• Scroll to "Add New Entry"
• Choose category
• Enter keywords in tag section (these help Google find/index your information)
• Scroll to Blog Text box 
• Enter 2-3 paragraphs about you and/or your business.
• Tah dah.
• When done, click "continue"
• Now you have the choice to "Edit, Save as Draft (to edit later) or publish. 

Once we get the hang of this, Blogging will help promote Oly5Star and our businesses to the World.

Best of luck!

Pruning- Great time to do this- plants have shed their leaves so they can be worked with easier. The last of the perennials can be cut back too.

General clean-up- get the last of the leaves, dead branches, etc.  A little TLC goes along way.

Mulch- After the leaves are cleaned, and before the weeds start to grow, apply a couple inches of mulch or compost.  It will make your garden look better, and save time in the spring and summer when there's more to do.

Planning- Now is a good time to talk with your landscape professional about upcoming projects. Large or small.