Family Road Trip

Nothing like a short weekend trip to rejuvenate your soul and to advertise your awesome $5 deals!  

Our family is taking a short trip to a wonderful place just 2 hours from our home.  And, while the main focus of the trip is for family fun, I am not going to pass up this opportunity to make part of this trip about advertising for my business.  And, now that our customers--new and old--can order online, we can advertise everywhere we go.

Business Travel Tips

1. Flyers & Business Cards: Bring along a separate bag filled with simple flyers & your business cards.  For every place you stop, eat, shop and pee or poo, find a place to leave behind your mark--not referring to the pee or poo, but your flyers and cards.  Most restaurants, gas stations, and hotels have a place to leave something behind.  Keep your eye out for cork boards and business card holders--which are ironically & usually located near the pee & poo place. I don't know why?!

2.Hotel Computers: Make a quick stop at your hotel lobby and be sure to add your website to the desktop of every computer you pass. I mean, who doesn't check the history of the person who used it before you got in??  Some people really are checking the status of their flights, and some are well...checking other things.

3.Jewelry Case or Basket: Bring along a case or basket of your jewelry.  Make a point to pull-it out during your continental breakfast at the hotel--and make sure somewhere there is an oh-so-subtle sign stating $5 on your case or basket.  Bring along a notepad or binder and pretend to write down some business notes--like descriptions of jewelry or something like that.  Hopefully someone will notice you and approach you.  If not, enjoy your terrible hotel coffee and free muffin. 

4. Wear your Jewelry:  Be sure to wear your jewelry everywhere you go, and carry a few business cards in your back pocket.  When someone comments on your jewelry, tell them the price, watch their jaw drop, pass them a card, and smile. 

Travel Tax Tips

We should travel every weekend and deduct it as a business expense, right? Wrong.

Let me explain. For this little road trip, I am not going to consider the whole kit & caboodle as a business expense, even though I am going to advertise along the way.  

What can I deduct?

Hotel? Nope.

Food? Yep, but only for 1 meal for me (not my entire family).

Gas? Nope.

Mileage? Yes.

The reason I am not deducting my hotel and all my meals is because this voyage is only 5 hours round trip from my home.  It wouldn't be deemed necessary (if this was just for business advertising) for me to stay a night in a hotel.  In any other situation, I would drive the 2 hours, advertise around town for 1 hour, and simply drive home.  It would be considered normal for me to need to eat sometime during those 5 hours, so I am going to deduct one of my meals.  I just have to make sure I ask the waitress to separate my meal from my family's.  I can, however, deduct all of my miles (round trip).

What if I was vending or hosting a party away from home?

In that case, you are able to deduct more of your expenses.  Let's say you are vending for 2 days in a location other than your home.  Then, you can deduct a hotel's night stay and any meals consumed by yourself, as well as anyone assisting you in your booth.  Have a camper or trailer that you plan on staying in?  Be sure to deduct the camp rent, miles driven, and even a percentage of your camper or trailer payment.  If your payment is $100 and you used your personal camper for business uses for 2 nights for an event, then calculate 2/31 of your $100 towards your business expenses.  It might not be much, but it will surely help in the end.

Safe Travels!