Here’s the classic scenario of a business that is taking off and starting to grow.  It reaches a point where they need professional financial advice but can’t afford a full-tie CFO for controller.  For those business owners who are fortunate enough to be in this position, it may of interest to know of a win-win solution:  hire temporary CFO services to help the business owner through an enviable yet tough transition. 

It can cost from $60,000 to over $100,000 per year plus bonuses and benefits to hire a full time CFO.  While the is a fairly good paying job and may be more than the CEO gets, a good CFO is worth his or her weight in the money that is saved in the long run.  For companies starting to experience growing pains, hiring part time CFO services are a great investment for peace of mind. 

Here are some of the services that a part time CFO can offer: 

•    Gives the entrepreneur more time to focus on marketing for new business, new customers and other core business issues. 
•    The CFO provides a platform for better understanding of the financial aspects of the company.  There will be no surprises for the CEO and provides a better understanding of financial controls and procedures.   
•    Provides improved decision-making capabilities to clearly see the hard and true numbers involved in running the business.  Again, no surprises.
•    A professional who establishes strong financial controls in the business to reduce employee theft, waste and fraud. 
•    The CFO provides training and manages the accounting staff.
•    Improved quality and timeliness of reporting comprehensive financial information.
•    Prepares budgets, monitors the budget and manages the budget.
•    Provides profitability analysis of products and services.  Makes recommendations of what equipment to purchase and when. 
•    Strict cash management in all aspects of the business. 
•    Liaison with bankers, attorneys, vendors, insurance agents etc.
•    Prepare proper financial reports and proposals for obtaining financing from banks, venture capital firms, and other financial resources.  Also facilitates the negotiation process. 
•    Review and negotiate insurance policies.
•    Develop account procedures as well as manuals for accounting policies and procedures.
•    Analyze equipment purchases, expansion, real estate, etc. 
•    Assists with mergers and acquisitions. 
•    Finally, some CFOs prepare and manage taxes. 

The above list of responsibilities that CFO services handles and manages releases the CEO and entrepreneur to attend to business innovation and marketing.  Once a business owner releases the financial reins to capable hands, it is easy to see the value in hiring a CFO on staff or at least in a part time position.  It is an enormous blessing in disguise and also provides the kind of cost effective service that has a definite return on investment. 

It may take a little time for some entrepreneurs to understand how this investment pays off in the long run.  Once they make the initial investment and see that it accomplishes tremendous advancement in a short amount of time.

What is LASIK?  It is the acronym for “laser in-situ keratomileusis”.  LASIK is the most commonly performed type of laser surgery to correct a wide range of common vision problems.  Salt Lake City LASIK involves using a laser to permanently change the shape of the cornea, which is the clear covering of the front of the eye. 

Starting with the basics of the eye’s physiology, it is like a camera.  As the camera has a lens, the eye has a lens.  There is a variable opening, which is the pupil.  The pupil retracts and opens in reaction to the amount of light that is directed to the eye.  At the back of the eye is a complex layer of cells known as the retina.  The retina reacts to light that it receives and conveys information to the brain. 

When the cornea becomes irregular in shape and refracts light to the wrong area of the retina, vision is compromised and objects become blurry or fuzzy and are not clear close up or far away.  There are three kinds of eye vision problems:  nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.  All of these “refractive errors” can be corrected with corrective lenses such as eyeglasses, contact lenses or LASIK (refractive surgery).  While LASIK is a very common method of laser surgery at Salt Lake City LASIK clinics, it is important to research the right doctor with a comprehensive background and state-of-the-art technology. 

It is also necessary to determine whether or not you are a candidate for this procedure.  Even though people qualify in three broad categories, some people are not eligible for LASIK surgery.  The ideal LASIK candidates are:

• Over 18 years of age and have had a stable glasses or contact lens prescription for a least two years. 
• Sufficient corneal thickness.  A LASIK patient should have a cornea thickness to allow the surgeon to safely create a clean corneal flap of appropriate depth.  
• Affected by one of the common types of vision problems or refractive error — myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (blurred vision caused by an irregular cornea), or a combination of the three depending on the degree of refractive error.  
• Disease free whether vision-related or otherwise, which may reduce the effectiveness of the surgery or the patient’s ability to heal properly and quickly.  
• Also, non-candidates include individuals who have diseases such as cataracts, advanced glaucoma, corneal diseases, corneal thinning disorders (keratonconus or pellucid mariginal degeneration) or certain other pre-existing eye diseases that may affect or threaten vision.
• LASIK candidates must be adequately informed about the benefits and risks of the procedure.  
• A thorough examination performed by an ophthalmologist is required. 

While this procedure is common and takes minutes to perform, leading up to making the decision carries serious considerations to discuss with your eye healthcare professional.  The LASIK candidate must understand the benefits as well as all the risks that are associated with Salt Lake City LASIK corrective surgery and investigate all aspects of the procedure. 

Selecting an HVAC contractor is an important decision when you are building a new home, renovating or need repair work on your HVAC system.  It is important to find a quality contractor who has the experience, knowledge and ethical business reputation to do an excellent installation or repair job.  Each quality is necessary to provide efficient heating and cooling as well as save on your energy costs during the life of the system.  Here are a few pointers when looking for good, honest and reliable Utah HVAC contractors or an HVAC service company:

• There are many Utah HVAC contractors who can provide the services that you need but it is difficult to find the right contractor or company.  To start, ask around for referrals from friends and family so you can learn first hand about their positive and negative experiences.  A good contractor knows that a spotless reputation is a must if more business is to flourish from good recommendations.

• Make sure the contractor is fully licensed, is bonded and has full liability and workman’s comp insurance.  As long as they are licensed by the state and carry necessary insurance to protect you from liability for on the job accidents, this is a good step in the right direction.

• Check out credentials through local and state board of contractors.  Check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints and another way to check is on the Internet.  Rip-off Reports.com is a way to check if consumers have a complaint against a company or contractor who did not honor an estimate, did not do a good job or possibly ran off with the deposit never to be seen again.  These kinds of horror stories exist and it does not hurt to do your due diligence.  Also, check the contractors’ affiliation with professional organizations such as ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers), ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors Association), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and SMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association).  These are reputable trade organizations and indicate that membership shows the contractor is knowledgeable in their trade and business.

• Make sure the contractor obtains all the permits necessary to install a new HVAC system and arranges for the proper inspections by city departments.  Mechanical and electrical permits are required when a new HVAC system is installed and everything must pass inspection and is up to code.  This is necessary for insurance coverage as well.

• It is critical that the contractor provides the correct load calculation for your new system so the equipment heats and cools your house efficiently.  Wrong calculations will result in higher energy bills and other difficulties later on.

• Don’t be enticed by the lowest bid.  If the contractor passes all your criteria and has a lower price, so much the better but many people fall prey to the lowest price and the wrong system may be installed.  Do your due diligence in looking for Utah HVAC contractors.

You are a business owner and you want a website.  So how do you go about finding a graphic designer who is competent, creative, reasonable and will make it all magically work?  Before getting overwhelmed and intimidated, approach it as if you are hiring an employee.  There is a plethora of poorly executed websites that are online with a hefty price tag.  Think of hiring a graphic designer as someone you would invite to dinner…in your home…to meet your family.  You will have a relationship with the graphic designer.  You might as well make sure you get along and have a great meeting of the minds. 

Before hiring a graphic design company in Salt Lake City, Utah or a company in a larger market, do your due diligence to surf the web and check out your competition.  Check out the quality of the design and how well the website functions.  Broken links are a telltale sign that a glitch has not been fixed. 

Don’t get mesmerized by an impressive array of special effects on websites.  As a professional who wants to get your company’s message across and pull your prospect into the site, you don’t want prospective customers to wait a few seconds for animation or video to load.  The prospect needs to get on the landing page and navigate as quickly as possible for the information or product they seek.  If people surfing your site can’t quickly access your page or gets knocked offline because your site is stuffed and buffers slowly, they will leave.  Each video, special effect and audio file adds to the page’s load time.  (Unfortunately, the world is full of people with a 3 second attention span.  You need to fulfill it or die.)  Your graphic design company Salt Lake City, Utah should be savvy enough to provide something creative, eye catching and unique to hold your prospect and keep him or her navigating through the site. 

Here are a few tips while searching for the best graphics design company in Salt Lake City or any city where you live.  These suggestions apply to every company and individual:

• Make sure the company is totally professional with an impressive list of clients and sample to show.  The graphics representative should walk you through each campaign and offer possible comparisons to your company and what you are seeking in terms of creativity and functionality.

• Do you trust the professionalism and work ethic of the company or person you are interviewing?  Check all business credentials.

• Is the pricing fair and reasonable?

• What about warranties after the fact?  Does the contract cover fixes and possible down time?

Many questions can be answered while viewing the designer’s own site where you will see how it is designed for creativity and function.  Again, it is important, even imperative that you and the designer or group of designers have a level of communication that is open and flexible.  You will be entering into an important and close relationship.

What was a growing trend about 15 years ago, has become status quo for many companies that are experiencing growth in their business. It is a blessing to be able to graduate from Quick Books and an accountant to a full-blown CFO who can help direct a company’s financial future. But like many small businesses, to bring on a full time CFO can blow through the budget very quickly. That’s why a hiring a part time CFO is the answer for many CEOs who have expertise in their chosen field but do not have a clue on finances beyond balancing a checkbook.

Once an entrepreneur understands how a virtual CFO or part time CFO can help move their business toward more growth and provide a clearer fix on how much operating capital is needed at any given time. A CFO can navigate waters where the unsure will want to tread. Here are a few items a virtual CFO will come in handy to help a business owner:

• Help procure unanticipated tax refunds from the IRS and the state for previously assessed taxes. Some business owners are not aware where they can save tax monies or recover paid monies to the IRS.
• Understanding of shareholder issues, design and implementation of shareholder agreements to be fair to the individual shareholder as well as the business owner. The CFO will take care to ensure both the operational and financial considerations are implemented smoothly.
• Procuring financing for owner occupied properties, obtain lines of credit and leasing of equipment. Assist and determine the business’ need for capital and lending sources before the need becomes acute.
• Recognizing when to convert from a proprietorship, C Corporation or LLC in order to save tax dollars. The uninitiated may continue, as is when a corporate conversion can save thousands to the tune of double the assessments.
• Work as a consultant or an advisor with the tax attorney regarding estate planning, gifting and strategic business issues. Act as the company’s representative to the IRS to negotiate and develop terms for payment of penalties, fees and back taxes. Believe it or not, the IRS is amenable to making deals.
• Set up qualified and deductible retirement plans, education funds, rainy day money, second homes and planning for the next egg when preparing the future before it becomes a necessity. The idea of planning for the personal future can slip through a business owner’s fingers.

To some, hiring a full time CFO is unacceptable because of the high price tag that comes with the job. Some CFO’s make more money than the business owner. Therefore a part time CFO is the answer. An entrepreneur’s vision will become less crowded with distractions when the financial department is running smoothly due to the advice, help in business planning and implementation of an expert and professional in this field. The beauty of is that all the financial questions are answered by a part time professional that can do more for less.  

Radiant floor heating is a great experience as well as a luxury that is affordable and practical, especially when talking about Utah heating during the winter months. Feeling the warmth of a heated floor is a great feeling. Compared to lighting the fireplace, heating with radiators or forced air systems is the usual method of heating a home but doing in from the floor as it radiates throughout the home keeps the environment temperate.

A radiant floor heating system is heated by a series of hot-water tubes or electric wires that are installed under the floor. As invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below, they warm up the atmosphere through the house and radiate warmth in every corner. Though the air temperature remains relatively constant, you stay comfortable because cold spots are not robbing warmth from your body. The constant warmth can warrant lowering the thermostat, thus lowering the energy bills, a necessity for Utah heating, where energy bills are moving upward as the housing market and economy are still moving downward.

This method of heating compared to the conventional method of forced air heating wastes energy because the air blows out of the registers, rises to the top of the room where it dissipates and drops back down as it cools. The temperature in the room can be at different levels such as your head is warm but your toes are cold. With radiant floor heating, the temperature is constant from floor to ceiling.

There are two basic ways to supply heat to the system: electric wiring or hot water. Electric radiant wires that zigzag in loops under the floor. Hot water hydronic systems are the most popular and the most cost effective way to heat an entire house. Specially treated polyethylene tubing under the floor, carries water from a boiler or a water heater to provide heat. The tubes can be installed in a variety of ways—on top of the subfloor in grooved panels or snap in grids is one way. Another way is to clip the tubing into aluminum strips on the underside of the floor. A third way is to embed the tubing in poured concrete.

The hot water radiant heating method does cost more to install whether starting from scratch or retrofitting the system into an existing floor. The least expensive method is to embed in a concrete slab. But the expense is worth it in the long run because a homeowner can realize 30 percent more efficiency than forced air heating. Using plastic tubing is less expensive than using copper tubing and lessens corrosion, which will happen over time.

Utah Heating


There are places in Utah that are close enough to geo thermal pools that run underground and have a constant heat of about 115-120 degrees. It’s free energy 24/7, 365 days a year. And in the summer, cut the flow of the water and redirect it out of the tubing. It is advisable to contact a Utah heating professional to discuss details and budget.