Minding Her Own Business: The Self-Employed Woman's Guide to Taxes and Recordkeeping

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Guide Book
Review: A lot of words are not necessary to tell you that Jan Zobel's Minding Her Own Business is the book for you IF you are thinking of starting your own HOME-BASED business, you are already in business, struggling with what you can and cannot deduct AND you are confused about all the tax information available. This book is geared more to the sole proprietor than to a corporation, LLC or partnership. Ms. Zobel writes in a simplied language that any novice can understand and appreciate. The tax forms section takes the guess work out of what forms to file. It would be extremely helpful if Ms. Zobel published a 4th edition that would include updates for 2004 and 2005 tax filing.

Rating:
Summary: TaxMama Says Buy This
Review: After working with small businesses and taxes for over 20 years, I've come to the conclusion that the fastest way throw money away is to start a business - without knowing how to do your books.

About half of my tax practice involves working with new clients who have gotten into trouble with IRS because: 1) Once they started a business, they didn't know how to figure out their tax returns. 2) They got into trouble with payroll taxes - by not filing them, or not paying them, or thinking they didn't have employees 3) Their business did well, but when it came time to pay the taxes on their successful business, there was no money.

Well, I don't want to see more people in trouble. So, ever since I discovered Jan's book, I have been telling my readers and clients to buy it.

They LOVE the book (and not just the women, either). Jan puts information in terms YOU will understand.

And with all of her years of experience, she knows just what kind of problems real people run up against. So there are lots of practical tools and tips to help you succeed, not just to keep your taxes in line.

And let me tell you, the price of Jan's book is much less than a three-hour consultation with me! (or any tax pro)

Rating:
Summary: Great information for new business owners
Review: As a new business owner, I found this book to be extremely helpful. I've always found taxes to be a difficult subject but this book helped me to understand some things I'd always wondered about (i.e. how to make quarterly estimated payments, what to do if you can't pay your taxes, what happens in an audit). There's lots about what is deductible and what proof you need to have. I think it would also be a good book for new male business owners to read

Rating:
Summary: A Fairly Good Introduction To Business Taxes
Review: Jan Zobel is an enrolled agent with the IRS and has prepared over 6,000 tax returns. Her book, "Minding Her Own Business: The Self-Employed Woman's Guide to Taxes and Recordkeeping" draws upon her experience to help people new to small business get a basic understanding of recordkeeping, accounting, and taxation issues that affect small business.

The book covers setting up a receipts sheet and a disbursement schedule. "Minding Her Own Business" is written mainly for sole proprietors. The book is much like a "Small-Time Operator" for women.

If you wonder what expenses are deductible or how to minimize the chances of an IRS audit, the book has excellent chapters. One hint from Zobel's experience is "The More you break down your expense categories, the less chance of being audited." The advice is solid.

There is also an excellent discussion of the difference between independent contractors and employees. (this info is widely available free online) And, another great chapter discusses (with worked-out example) of how to make your quarterly estimated tax payments.

The only weakness of "Minding Her Own Business" is that it only teaches single-entry bookkeeping and not the more robust double-entry accounting. (And, there are many good introductions to basic recordkeeping for business owners) Yet, the simplified single-entry accounting is still preferred by many small business owners. Also, given Zobel's vast experience, I would like to see a chapter devoted to S-Corporation taxes and a more thorough discussion of financial statements.

Overall, if you are new to taxes and recordkeeping, I recommend this book.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."

Rating:
Summary: A "must" for all self-employed women.
Review: Jan Zobel's book should be read by every woman who is thinking of going into business for herself--as a business owner, distributor, and/or independent contractor. It is a valuable reference that women can use to understand the principles of keeping accurate financial records for their business.