Are you struggling to keep your business receipts in order? Do you have a mad scramble at tax time to back up your expenses? Here’s what I do to organize mine:

I have a 3-ring binder with clear dividers with a pocket on each side. The dividers are in assorted vibrant colors just for fun! Each pocket is labeled for one month (so the first divider has January on the front side and February on the back side, and so on). If you have tons of receipts you might want to use single pocket dividers.

I also have an additional divider for my medical expense receipts because I prefer to keep them separate from regular business expenses, since that’s a separate item on the tax return. You can add dividers for any other type of receipt for your particular situation that would be helpful to keep you organized.

After you log the expense into your accounting program, file the receipt in the appropriate month’s pocket. It’s best to just take a few minutes to log your expenses as they occur anyway, and sticking the receipts in the binder after that takes just another couple of seconds.

That’s it! When tax time comes around, all your receipts are handy and in order. They’re also easy to locate one if you need to return an item or prove purchase.

What problems are you having with organizing your receipts? Or do you have any other tips you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you.

A hyperlink is a link applied to text or an object (such as an image) that the reader clicks on to go to another location on the same or another document, or to a web page. I thought it might be helpful to outline the procedures for adding hyperlinks in Microsoft Office documents. Many of the options are the same for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, so I’ll start with Word and just point out the differences in Excel and PowerPoint.

Word

Highlight the text or select the object you want to link from.

Right-click, then select Hyperlink… from the submenu. Choose whether the link will go to:

• Existing file (use Look in Dropdown to locate a file on your computer) or on a Webpage.
  • Select whether the link will go to a current folder, browsed pages or recent files.
  • Enter the file path for existing files or URL for a webpage.
  • In this option you can select Bookmark to specify where in the document to jump to (top of document, heading or bookmark) As with many things in MS Office, this is another way to do the same thing as Place in this document.
• Place in this document: Select the location in the document you want the link to jump to.
• Create new document: Enter name of new document and select location.
• Email address: Enter address and subject for email.

For all these options you can choose:

• Enter the text to display in the hyperlink (defaults to text highlighted when creating the hyperlink).
• ScreenTips – what is displayed when hovering the mouse over the link.
• Target frame –enter the name of the target frame that you want to appear in the document.

There are several other options for working with a hyperlink you’ve created, including Edit and Delete, by right-clicking on the existing link and choosing from the menu.

Always test your link to make sure it’s working properly.

Excel

The only real differences in Excel from Word:

• There is no Target frame option.
• You choose which tab and cell the link will jump to.

PowerPoint

Differences in PowerPoint from Excel:

• No Target frame option.
• You choose which slide the link will go to.
• To change the color of the hyperlink text (as well as other colors in the presentation): Design tab, select Colors/Create new theme colors.

What problems do you have with hyperlinks? Let me know in the comments and I’ll answer your question.

What other how-to topics would you like to see covered in future blogs?

If you are a “solopreneur,” you don’t have a receptionist or assistant to answer your business calls for you. How you present yourself on the phone with a client or business colleague, especially on the first call, will be a big factor in how that person views you and your company. You want their impression to be a great one. Here are some tips to keep in mind during those business calls:

• Make yourself understood. Speak clearly and in a normal tone of voice, not too loud, not too soft. And finish that mouthful of food or drink before you answer the call.
• Don’t get business mixed up with pleasure. If you’re like many entrepreneurs you have just one cell phone that you use for both personal and business calls. Be sure you know who is calling before you answer casually. If it’s a business contact, answer as if you were answering in an office. If you don’t recognize who is calling, err on the side of being businesslike.
• Be a good listener. The power of being a good listener can’t be overemphasized. Give all your attention to the caller. Try not to get distracted by things around you and don’t multitask. People respond to being made to feel special.
• No skeletons on hold. One of my favorite cartoons shows a skeleton slumped over their chair at their desk with the recording coming through the phone saying, “Please continue to hold, we’ll be right with you.” Don’t leave callers on hold for long. It would be better to ask if they’d prefer that you call them back. And always ask their permission first before putting them on hold.
• Watch your ringtone. Many times when you receive calls you’re probably out there doing and building your business. Your cell phone ring can be heard by others around you, and you never know when you’re going to make that next great contact. Choose a ringtone that says you’re serious about your business.
• Keep private information private. Likewise, be careful not to divulge personal or sensitive business information when you’re in public. You never know if a criminal or competitor might be within earshot.

What it all comes down to is the Golden Rule: think about how you would like to be treated by the person on the other end and what impression that treatment gives you of the person and their business.

What phone etiquette faux pas have you encountered? Share your anecdotes.

What questions do you have about business phone etiquette?