SALON OWNERS NEED TO BE ON THE CLOUD

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Posted July 15, 2019

“The Cloud” is one of the most misunderstood parts of running a business. Business owners generally don’t feel they understand the technology and we hear plenty of misinformation in the news telling us that someone has “hacked the cloud” or similar. The reality is is that the phrase “the cloud” simply means a store of information online, rather than on your laptop, phone or server. By moving your business operations to the cloud you can make sure that you can access your files any time, anywhere, while saving time, money and still having a completely secure system for your important business documents.

Accounting really is the area where storing information in the cloud shines. By storing your content on the cloud, you eliminate the need for physical documents that take up space and time in your brain. Having a scanned record of your expenses for each financial year, for instance, is as good as the physical in the eyes of the ATO – there is no longer any need to keep a physical record of all your expenses for the past 7 years as used to be the case. You can then share this digital file with your accountant, rather than heading down to their office with your shoebox full of receipts, and they can do the work of lodging your return or your BAS statement. If you do your own accounting, rather than struggling with a spreadsheet based accounting system, you can save time and money, while automating extensive manual processes with your cloud-based accounting software.

Most salon systems these days can run on one of two options – either by local server or on cloud service. By running your salon system on the cloud, it doesn’t matter where you are accessing your information – from your home office, the airport or overseas – you can still see every facet of your business in detail. It can allow salon owners to work from home while your salon runs and allows you the ability to still adjust appointment times, staff rosters or add new services, all from the focussed environment of your home office. Your salon system can also automatically hook into your accounting system and ensure that every aspect of your business life is recorded for your tax agent, ensuring that you simply cannot get yourself in hot water by not handing over the right information.

Security is often an issue raised with information in the cloud. The reality is that it is easily as safe as having physical or local records while maintaining the anytime, anywhere flexibility. What if your salon burns down or your local server crashes, or your premises is broken into? If your information is all in a physical location or a local server, you run the risk of never being able to recover critical documents, from business records and receipts to client contact details. This stuff is the lifeblood of your business and should not be treated lightly. To ensure that your cloud solution is secure, make sure to use a reputable provider, like Google Drive or Dropbox, and ensure that you regularly change and update your passwords.

It’s time to do the right thing by your business and get your salon up to date by moving your business processes to the cloud. With a bit of time spent setting everything up, you can save a serious amount of time and money each year by transitioning your business to the cloud. Make your End of Financial Year 2020 easier on yourself, and we know you will thank us for it.