A Helpful Business Tool

I mentioned in my last post that there are a few things that this tax season has taught us to do differently this time around. We are always looking for new ways to make the business run more efficiently. One of the things that we were lacking, was a way of getting the important paperwork that Dan has to have on the road with him back to the house and filed away properly. I often sit down at the computer desk to post it notes with billing information to be sent out, an estimate to be emailed, or just random important phone numbers and names that Dan has written down for me.

I wanted to share just one of the organizational tools that I have worked to improve over the past week or so. This year, I decided to make him something that would keep everything organized on the road. I also hope that it will help give me all of the details that I need to do the paperwork side of things. Since I turn to pinterest for organization ideas all of the time, I decided to do a quick post on here that I could add to pinterest in case this would be helpful to anyone else trying to run a business from home/ out of a vehicle.

I made him a binder that has everything he will need to run things from the road. It should help keep all of the paperwork organized until he can get it filed away at home. I am hoping that it will make tax season a little easier the next time around.

Here is the simple front cover...
I used a 1" three ring binder.

Just inside the cover, I have attached an invoice booklet. They are two part copies so that he can hand one directly to the customer and bring one home to be entered into the computer. This zipper pouch brought me right back to school days for a minute or two. I thought it would be helpful for the little things that he will need to help keep the binder working efficiently.

Behind the zipper pouch, I have an envelope for gas receipts.

Next, I have an invoice folder. This will also be where the supply receipts are stored until he can bring them into the house. He is planning to clip the receipts for supplies to each invoice so that we can know exactly how much was spent on each job. 

Behind that, is a folder to track mileage on each job and the cost of tolls.

Then, there is a folder for extra papers. Most likely, general business supply receipts will be stored in there until they make it home. For example, things like paint brushes, painter pants, and other general supplies. 

At the back of the binder, I added some trading card storage sheets that are great for holding business cards. I placed some cards with contact information that he may need from the road in there. I also put a sheet of his business cards in so that they are easy to grab. 

Do you have any helpful hints for keeping great records, staying organized, or running a business from home? As I mentioned before we are always learning and would love all of the hints we can get!