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Bittered Sling: Spice up your life with award-winning culinary and cocktail delights!

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It’s all about the taste! Throw in a mix of select natural herbs, fruits and spices and enjoy an original culinary or cocktail creation bursting with flavour that ranges from savoury to sweet AKA bitters! We’re down with THAT!

 

Bittered Sling, the award-winning retail line of high-quality cocktail bitters and culinary extracts, is the brainchild of mixologist Lauren Mote and world-class chef Jonathan Chovancek.

Ever since their launch in 2012,  the company has been buzzing with success, making local and international headlines.

BitterSWEET name, yo!

The name Bittered Sling derives from the May 13, 1806 edition of The Balance, and Columbian Repository (Hudson, NY) that defines a cocktail as “A stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters. It is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head.” — Bittered Sling website

Add a dash of MAGIC to your culinary menu!

Bitters are used as a flavouring agent. Add a dash to your plate, or squeeze a few drops into your spirits or even sparkling water to create a powerful potion of exciting flavours! Yum yum yum.

Be the star of ANY party with fun and tasty recipes, like Coffee Swizzle, with Bittered Sling bitters here.

As part of our New Client Feature series, we caught up with Chovancek, who together with Mote, has over 30 years of professional experience, on healthy eating, motivation and startup advice!

When it comes to healthy and happy eating, Chovancek suggests fermented foods and drinks. Plant and seafood-focused and plenty of exercise. “Find activities you find fun—don’t get stuck in workout ruts!”

What do you enjoy most about being a business owner?

“The independence.”

What’s your favourite part about the food and beverage industry?

“The people we interact with everyday.”

Your fave food/ cocktail pairing?

“Anything with a Bittered Sling cocktail.”

What motivated you to start your own business?

“Fate.”

What’s your #1 motivator?

“My business and life partner!”

What’s your vision for the business?

“Grow, grow, grow. Unite people around the world through flavours.”

What advice do you have for other people who would like to start their own business?

“Find a niche that is under represented in the market. Allow your passions to guide you.”

How do you achieve a work/ life balance?

“Work is life!”

Who could benefit from your services?

“Anyone who enjoys delicious food and beverages. We are all about taste!”

 

 

Liquid Amber Tattoo: Local talent leaves a lasting mark with beautiful, unique art

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BC Children's Hospital, Girls Rock Camp Vancouver, Jessie Robertson, Justina Kervel, Kaplan Art Studio, Liquid Amber Tattoo, Liquid Amber Tattoo & Art Collective, Luvia Petersen, Paris, Phillipine Kaplan Art Studio, tattoo artists Vancouver, income tax preparation Vancouver BC , bookkeeping & accounting firm vancouver BC, personal income tax vancouver, income tax services vancouver, income tax company vancouver, how to file income tax in vancouver, file income tax vancouver, business tax services vancouver, business tax return tax preparation vancouver, tax preparation company Vancouver, tax preparation services vancouver bc, e tax filing income tax return vancouver, tax filing options, Homeroom E-return, tax appointment, professional bookkeepers vancouver, professional bookkeeper, vancouver bookkeeper

“Hold on tightly to the things that inspire you” — Unknown

Liquid Amber Tattoo owners Luvia Petersen and Justina Kervel, through persistence and perseverance, and lots of heart, helped shape tattoo industry into a business that is not bound by gender. | Photos by Jessie Robertson

 

“OMG, what am I doing with my life?”

Even the hugely successful tattoo artist Luvia Petersen grappled with the occasional existential life moment. She injected that energy and angst into her business, Liquid Amber Tattoo & Art Collective.

“It made me feel like I was contributing to society and to my own life in a powerful way,” expressed Petersen.

It was 2000. While strolling the charming streets of  Paris, Petersen and her business partner Justina Kervel came across a female tattoo artist Phillipine of Kaplan Art Studio. Enamored of the female-run studio in the then male-dominant industry, they came to Canada and opened up their own, mostly-female run, tattoo shop in 2001. Their goal? To contribute to the rise of females in the tattoo industry.

And, girl, has the tattoo industry grown!

“When we first started it was rare to see a female tattoo artist. Now, they are commonplace. I love that this very old traditional profession has been able to usher in an equal gender identity and at equal pay,” admitted Petersen.

Today, the spacious, brick-walled shop in the heart of Gastown is home to top local artists, who, through passion and dedication, give life to drawings that pour out of them like ink.

BC Children's Hospital, Girls Rock Camp Vancouver, Jessie Robertson, Justina Kervel, Kaplan Art Studio, Liquid Amber Tattoo, Liquid Amber Tattoo & Art Collective, Luvia Petersen, Paris, Phillipine Kaplan Art Studio, tattoo artists Vancouver, income tax preparation Vancouver BC , bookkeeping & accounting firm vancouver BC, personal income tax vancouver, income tax services vancouver, income tax company vancouver, how to file income tax in vancouver, file income tax vancouver, business tax services vancouver, business tax return tax preparation vancouver, tax preparation company Vancouver, tax preparation services vancouver bc, e tax filing income tax return vancouver, tax filing options, Homeroom E-return, tax appointment, professional bookkeepers vancouver, professional bookkeeper, vancouver bookkeeper

In turn, the shop supports and donates to an array of great causes and organizations, like BC Children’s Hospital and Girls Rock Camp Vancouver.

And the good they are doing is etched in the skin of their clients forever.

As part of our Client of the Month blog series, we caught up with Petersen, who’s “enjoyed the process of seeing [her]  business grow over the years,” on everything from her most memorable tattoo project to what makes her wake up in the morning to her ‘Aha!’ moment:

 

The fave project you were part of

“There are so many favourite moments, but one that sticks out is tattooing four generations of women. A great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and daughter. We were proud to be a part of that beautiful bonding moment in the four lives of these amazing women!”

Describe your ‘a-ha’ moment

“About 10 years into the business, I realized I really did not know what I was doing. At that point, I was able to let go and enjoy the ride a little more. I stopped trying to control everything and tried to trust in my ability to handle whatever may come in the moment.”

What’s your #1 motivator?

“Seeing my employees and my customers smile because they are enjoying being at the studio. It was always our goal to create a fun atmosphere to work in and when I see those smiles I know we are fulfilling that dream.”

What’s your vision for the business?

“To be a catalyst for artists to showcase their work, be it on skin or canvas. We want to continue to expand our art gallery and host art shows.”

What advice do you have for other people who would like to start their own business?

“Make sure you LOVE what you do. It will make the long hours and hair-pulling moments a little more tolerable.”

How do you achieve a work/ life balance?

“Haha…what’s that? Joking…You hire the right people whom you can trust to take care of the business while you are living your life.”

Who could benefit from your services?

“Our tattoo studio is for anyone looking to bring some new art into their lives.”

 

Get in touch with Liquid Amber Tattoo today here for quality, custom tattoos that you will love  for life.

 

 

How to pay yourself as a corporation

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“Siri, how do I pay myself if I’m incorporated?” | Photo by Viktor Hanacek via Pic Jumbo

So you have gone through the process of incorporating and have finally reached the super fun part: PAYING YOURSELF WOOOOOO.

When it comes to paying yourself as a corporation, you have two options: You can either pay yourself a salary or you can pay yourself dividends.

Which option makes the most sense for you is influenced by your level of income, your corporate structure and of course your accountant’s advice.

Here is an overview of what each option has to offer.

Salary

This option is usually the more expensive of the two from a company perspective.

To set this up you will have to add yourself to the company payroll and ensure the company pays all the applicable taxes on your behalf and issues you a T4 annually.

CON

The company will have to pay payroll taxes on your behalf

PRO

You accumulate more room in your RRSPs to save on personal taxes

Need Help With Your Bookkeeping? Contact Us Today

Dividends

This one requires less work to set up but can get out of hand if you don’t keep track of your spending.

To make this one work you have to:

  1. Get a bookkeeper to figure out how much money you took from the business
  2. Your accountant will declare the money you have taken from the company as a dividend & issue you a T5 from the corporation

CON

You need to keep better track of your withdrawals and can pull out more income than intended increasing your tax rate.

PRO

You avoid paying payroll taxes.

WARNING:

  1. You cannot be a contractor to your own corporation because doing so creates a loophole that causes the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to miss out on taxes. Naturally, they have discovered this loophole and shut this option down!!!

As always, when in doubt or unsure of which option makes the most sense for you talk to a professional. A small investment on advice can provide big savings down the line.

Need Help With Your Bookkeeping? Contact Us Today

Hack: I’ve incorporated. What’s next?

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Handshake to that! | Photo by Viktor Hanacek via Pic Jumbo

 

You did it! Took the plunge and incorporated your small business.

Great work! The next question is floating in your head is probably – Now what?

Don’t panic! We are here to throw you a bookkeeping floaty to make sure you do not sink in the sometime cold and unnerving incorporation waters.

FIRSTLY, make sure you do not forget to do the following:

  • Pat yourself on the back. You just got yourself a brand new business for gosh sake!
  • Pick the official operating date
  • Get a new set of books and accounting records

THEN…

  • Apply for new tax registration numbers
  • Open new bank account and credit card, merchant service provider *if applicable
  • Change bills to be in the name of the corporation

HACK:

  • We recommend you see a lawyer before incorporating
  • Remember to put your GST/ PST numbers on your invoice template
  • Track any personal cash you put into the corporate bank account

Next week, we look at how to pay yourself when you are incorporated.

Register for our “Should I Incorporate” webinar on August 24 at 1pm today here to learn everything you need to know before you decide to Inc. up!

Beginner’s Guide: Why incorporate?

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It’s incorporation o’clock!

Incorporating can be the best thing that ever happened to you and your small business or a wrecking ball moment that sinks you into poverty.

Here are the pros and cons of incorporating:

PROS

You are NOT your business

Separate Entity

  • Reduces Personal Liability
    • When you are a operating as a sole proprietor, your personal assets can be seized to pay your business debts. If you incorporate your business, it becomes it’s own separate entity in terms of liability and financial responsibility.

Though your business is still liable for any debts it incurs, as a shareholder your personal assets are protected.

Unlimited Lifespan

  • Unlike a sole proprietorship which begins and ends with the owner, corporations can exist regardless of ownership changes.

Tax savings

  • Corporate tax rate is 13 per cent on the first $500,000 of net income
  • Personal tax rates increase as your income increases

CONS

They say, “Nothing in life worth having comes easy…” and such is often true with business incorporation…

 

Cost to incorporate

  • $1000-$1,500 with a lawyer (one-time charge)
    • Benefit: They will look at the long-term picture to ensure you have the correct corporate structure to maximize tax savings.

More government reporting

  • Annual report for the BC Corporate Registry

More tax returns

  • Once you incorporate you will have to file a corporate tax return AND a personal tax return

    • $1,500/ year if you choose a Homeroom-recommended accountant

Increased accounting costs

  • If you thought that your quarterly bookkeeping package was on the high end, you will be rattled by the cost increase once you incorporate
  • At Homeroom, minimum $2,400/ year for a straightforward home-based business
Need help with your bookkeeping? Talk to us today!

 

Questions you should ask before you incorporate your small business

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Sometimes no matter how hard and long you meditate on a question, it takes a guiding hand of a professional to light the darkened path | Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash

Say, “Holla” to Homeroom’s new small business incorporation series!

Deciding to incorporate your small business can save you money and legal hassle down the road. Do it at the wrong time, though, and you’re looking at a barrage of fees coming at you faster than you can say, “Open for business!”

So how do you know whether or not you should incorporate and what do you do once you take the plunge?

Over the next few weeks, we will look at the top questions you should ask before you incorporate your small business:

Register for our “Should I Incorporate” webinar on August 24 at 1pm today here to learn everything you need to know before you decide to Inc. up!