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Your small business Social Media questions answered!

We get asked all the time about Social Media. When should you post? What should you post? How many times a week? What platform? It's unfortunately not a clear answer. What is right for our industry and business is not always right for you and it is a lot of trial and error! But the answer I give is a question right back: Are you posting consistently?  So tell me, are you making an effort to be active online? Are you continuously communicating with your followers? If your answers are th...

Lockdown is here and I need a website!

What a week! Who would've thought we would be back in level 4, not me... and I bet not you either! So, let's get down to business, how are you running your business in lockdown? How are you selling your products without being in your shop? How are you sharing your services with everyone?? We have the answer... a website. Yep, we ALL need one....

Do you need financial help over lockdown to keep your staff paid and your business afloat?

The government has a range of support schemes available to help businesses and their employees get through Covid-19 lockdowns. We can help you understand what support you may be eligible for, and we can either help with applications or apply on your behalf....

Is your Rocketspark website growing with the world? Website Redesign vs Website Revamp

Advice from a Rocketspark Gold PartnerRocketspark is constantly developing features and expanding their platform to perform better and better. This may mean that your website might not be functioning as well as it could be, don’t worry, we can help!...

Varntige's SPCA Cupcake Day 2021

What is SPCA Cupcake Day? SPCA Cupcake Day started in 2009 to raise money to help abused and neglected animals. The SPCA receives only 5% of funding from the Government and relies heavily on the support of people like you to help provide a future for these beautiful animals. 🐈🐕 Since Cupcake Day started they have raised over 3 million dollars through delicious Cupcakes made by people like us. What better way to give then getting something yummy in return!  So how can you help? You can...

Is a cheap website designer worth it?

Why does it cost so much to design a website and can I find it cheaper elsewhere? The short answer, yes. My preferred answer, DON'T!! Yes, you can find cheaper designers. You can find people who will offer a low price, and do the bare minimum to build a - generally not so beautiful - generic website on a platform you cannot update yourself.  You might be happy you are online briefly, until that person disappears and you are unable to contact them OR worse the WEBSITE disappears (and yes it ...

Phasing out of cheques in New Zealand – Are you prepared?

As more New Zealanders are choosing to make and receive payments electronically, banks in New Zealand will no longer be issuing or accepting cheques.  Each bank has a different date they will be making this change, do you know the end date of yours?  Have a look at the list below to see when your bank will no longer be accepting cheques:  ASB - cheques will not be issued or processed after 27 August 2021Find out more here BNZ  - phase out cheques by the 01 July 2021Find out...

I need a new website, where do I start?

Your business needs a new website... There are some things you need to consider when you are tackling a new website build. At the top of your list should be: What goals do you have for your new website?How much time do you have to put into the project?What is your website budget? And all these factors intertwine... What goals do you have for your new website?Why are you building a new website? To get leads, to make sales, to share info? Do you have no online presence or are you not proud of...

The role of a Receptionist

If you were to google ‘A receptionist’s duties’ a few years ago, you would typically find the role described as: answering phones, taking messages, typing and having a pretty, friendly smile. Man, how this role has changed over the years.Your receptionist is your businesses’ first point of contact and it is therefore essential that your receptionist is friendly, helpful and inviting.  However, a lot more duties have been added to this role.Here at Varntige, our receptionist role has...

I NEED a website, but I don’t have the cashflow

Websites are so important. They are usually the first impression that people have of your business AND the first point of contact from your potential client/customer. I know, of course we will be telling you that you need a good website – we are in the business of making beautiful ones! But we are also in the business of helping you be happier and less stressed in your business. We want to provide solutions to suit YOUR business, YOUR cashflow and YOUR time. This might mean you don’t have th...

Ultimate Bobcat Services: Branding & Website Case Study

Ultimate Bobcats Services is an earthworks company located in Te Aroha, servicing the wider Waikato area. Although they have been around for a while, they came to us needing a website for new customers/clients to visit.  We soon realised any branding Ultimate Bobcats had up until that point wasn't the right fit for them. We wanted to show they are 'Ultimate'. We developed a strong, stamp-like wordmark as their logo and high contrast business cards and signage to match. From here we were abl...

Storyteller Eatery & Bar: Branding & Website Case Study

Bridie approached us wanting new branding, signage, menu & website design for her new exciting business venture: Storyteller Eatery & Bar.The brief was designing for a new intimate setting for people to gather, share stories and of course, create new ones.Bridie was after a modern but old english library mash up, highlighting food and drink....

Rotor Work Ltd: Branding & Website Case Study

Rotor Work came to us wanting a website refurbishment. With so many pages, 12 service categories and numerous sub-categories from there, this soon became the largest website we had yet created. Rotor Work is an established Helicopter company, they are well-known for their agricultural services and were looking to expand on their scenic flight and adventure services. They wanted an ‘app-styled’ services page, movement and rolling titles, lots of visual interest and iconography.We were able to...

Mane + Co: Branding & Website Design Case Study

Mane + Co, previously Nouveau Hair Boutique approached us in the lockdown period wanting a new eCommerce website. Liane has a very clean and modern style with a nod to the Art Deco era. Liane came to us for advice on changing her name and branding, and so Mane + Co was born. With complete artistic freedom, we created a clean and readable logo. The ‘M’ has slight arches and the geometric box around it is in line with the Art Deco theme. We developed business/appointment cards and signage in l...

Varntige: Rebranding our own company

We made the decision in the early months of 2020 to move away from 'The Good P.A' and rebrand to 'Varntige'. This was to embody the shift of the business from what was once a single person working from home, to now a team of experienced Virtual Assistants specialising in: Bookkeeping, Administration, Graphic Design, Website Design and everything in between. Our mantra since then is to grow, and help our clients grow their businesses: ...

Bookkeeper versus Accountant - what's the difference?

If you're googling or asking this question, you're not the only one! We're often asked: What the difference is between an accountant and a bookkeeper?Why would I need or want an accountant AND a bookkeeper for my business?  There is debate about when the word 'bookkeeper' came about. But it's suggested some time in the 1400 - 1600s, so we've been around a while. At that time it was written as someone who kept account books. And to this day it really is the same thing. Imagine we're in ...

FAQ's

If we/I want to start using your services how do we go about this?You get in touch with us. From there we will arrange a meeting (face to face, online or a by phone) to help understand how we can help. We will find out what issues you're having and ask the questions that provide us with a better understanding of your business. After that we will provide you with a New Client form and a Plan document which outlines what services you will receive, the costs and the terms specific to that...

Andrea's 2020 Bookkeepers Conference

A run down of the 2020 Bookkeepers Conference from our Bookkeeper Andrea.As a new staff member, I was excited to learn that I was invited to attend Bookkeepcon2020!! The prospect of catching up with associates and past colleagues and being part of the bookkeeping world was great and I was not disappointed.  Also, the drive and trip away was the perfect bonding opportunity for me and my new boss 😉 We were all first given the task of writing down 3 things we hoped to gain from conference.&...

Inspiration for Creatives

What drives your passion. What is that special ingredient that sets your work apart. It’s hard to generate ideas and creativity from within ourselves only, we need triggers and sparks to ignite those ideas. We need to be inspired. I love my job at Varntige, I have the chance to work and collaborate with clients from all industries. Every day I walk into new jobs and different opportunities to embrace my passion, design. But what about inspiration? As inspiring as sitting at a desk is (I hope t...

Meet our newest team member, Andrea

Welcome to our newest team member Andrea who joined the team just a short 4 weeks ago. Andrea will be covering for Tangiwai as she is off on maternity leave any day now! Andrea is joining our team as a Bookkeeper & VA and will stay on even when Tangiwai returns next year. ...

What does a Bookkeeper do?

So you've been wondering what does a bookkeeper actually do?As a firm offering bookkeeping services it never occurred to us that some people don't know what a bookkeeper does. Until we had someone say to us that they were so relieved to hire a bookkeeper, they now had someone doing all their reconciling in Xero for them. We asked what else the bookkeeper was doing and they said "just the reconciling, that's what a bookkeeper does isn't it?"...And yes, yes we do reconciling.. but we (as bookkeepe...

What can I claim as a business expense?

We're often asked by business owners "What can I claim as a business expense?" Here's a run down of common things that are and aren't claimable.  Q, I'm a Plumber and I pay a subscription to be part of Plumbers world inc, can I claim this? A, Yes you can, this is a business expense you can claim.  Q, I want to thank my team and take them out for lunch, can I claim this? A, Yes you can, however entertainment expenses can be 50 or 100% claimable (for gst and tax purposes). You can find o...

The NEW us - Varntige

We’ve renamed and rebranded, our new name is: Varntige.You will notice over the next month a change to our new colours, including a new website. For us Varntige (a play on vantage, and pronounced just the same) represents the next level in our journey as a business. We’re no longer ‘The Good P.A’ – me, working on my own from the home office. We’re a team of experienced Virtual Assistants, Bookkeepers and Graphic Designers who want to help our clients get to the next level i...

Why isn't my online shop selling products like hot cakes?

You have been looking at the amount of people visiting your website and it is LOW and you're not getting sales through your shop. But why??? I mean you have just had a new website built which was supposed to do AMAZING things for your business and you think it looks pretty, so what is going on? There is a lot that goes into 'selling online', having a beautiful looking website is only one of those things. On its own, it is not going to sell more produc...

Keep your Xero account tidy, monthly checks.

Every month when we are completing tasks for clients in Xero, we also complete a set of checks. For most clients we are not the only one that will be in their Xero account, you can have: The clientThe accountant + their staffOther advisors clients useThe clients staff  This all means there can be plenty of things going on. As bookkeepers it is our job to make sure a client’s Xero account is tidy for their accountant when it comes time to do the financials. If you do not have a bookkeeper ...