Category: savannah

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savannah

AirBnB and Vacation Rental Accounting

Victorian Homes in Savannah

I am announcing my new local service which is to provide AirBnB and VRBO accounting for people here in Savannah.  Whether you are fairly new to being vacation rental hosting or you are so busy that you have no time to account for the income and expenses related to your vacation rental,  I can do the work for you.  First,  I can identify the deductible expenses relating to your rentals, and then I can keep track of your income throughout the year so that you will have a complete picture.  This is especially important as the new tax law will affect your 2018 return.  Contact nichelleATgnattysavannahDOTcom.

 

UPDATE: Good news! The fire fee has been rescinded.

Categories
savannah

She Hustles: Part Deaux

She Hustles

Last Thursday, I was delighted to be a part of She Hustles.  She Hustles is an event for women entrepreneurs.

It was another wonderful event organized by Coco Papy of  The Creative Coast.  If you have not been, then visit The Creative Coast which is at Bull Street Labs (2222 Bull Street).

Last December, I moderated the panel.  This time, I was one of the experts for “intentional networking”. Since I am a small business accountant, I gave advice on how to start a small business and how to set up your online accounting.  I got a chance to talk to more women this time since I was not moderating the panel discussion.  By the way, I have been compiling a list of online small business applications that are free or inexpensive.

Check out Charisse Shontai’s of Charisse Styles recap.

Categories
events savannah

Savannah Sideways, Up and Down

Former Connect Savannah columnist, Jessica Leigh Lebos, has published a book of her essays, and it is Savannah Sideways.  Last night there was a book party at the tiny yet legendary Book Lady Bookstore.  It was standing room only as Jessica read three of her essays from her collection.  Jessica has an authentic voice that is funny, thoughtful and focused.  Get a copy at your local bookstore; and review it on Goodreads.

My dad says, “You learn something new every day”;  I learned about the delicious tequila-based cocktail, Paloma.  A Paloma is a Mexican cocktail that is three parts grapefruit soda, one part tequila. What’s better a than a Paloma? A frozen slushie Paloma. At Pinkie Master’s they have Paloma slushie. For a festive drink to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but I suggest having a Paloma slushie while supplies last.

Thumbs down to the crab cake appetizer at Sorry Charlies at Ellis Square.  In the South, portion sizes tend to be bigger, so I when I ordered the crab cakes, I assumed it would be smaller than an entree but bigger than h’orderves.  When my plate arrived, I got three tiny crab cake puffs that were probably the same size as the hush puppies.  They were tasty but tiny. Sorry, Charlie but the crab cake appetizer is too small.

Coming Up:

TED X Savannah is May 11th.

She Hustles is May 24th.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
savannah

Savannah Small Businesses and TechSav

Earlier this week I stopped by the monthly gathering, Tech Tuesdays, which is hosted by the TechSav community.  Tech designers, developers and the like enjoyed cocktails and small plates at Atlantic.  Atlantic is on Victory Drive near Drayton.   The food is delicious, and it was nice to talk to people about everything from the Oscars and Spotify.

Wednesday, I went to a lunch and learn at Bull St. Labs.  The people from SMAD-CON drove in from Charleston to tell us about the social media conference they’re hosting in July.

While at Bull St. Labs, I met a man who has a local food business, Stephens My Season.  He makes an all-purpose seasoning that can be used in cooking and or to spice up prepared food.

I also met the Dwanjai, the owner of Pixie Dust Lash and Brow (130 Tibet Ave Ste 207B). Dwanjai advised me that if you want your eyebrows threaded that you should about every three weeks.

It was great to meet small business owners that I haven’t met yet.  I will continue to highlight them on this blog.

 

 

 

Categories
savannah

Two Tides Brewing, A New Craft Brewery in Savannah

There’s a welcome new addition to the Thomas Square neighborhood here in Savannah. Two Tides Brewing (12 West 41st Street), a new microbrewery, has opened a week ago, and it is a destination for craft beer lovers.  Owners James and Liz Massey are young professionals who turned a hobby into a successful business. The taproom is upstairs and it feels like a neighborhood clubhouse with pinball machines and board games.  I especially liked their double IPA, Hydrus, and the raspberry sour, Chromatose.

Two Tides Brewing and Tricks Barbeque

Last week, I had Tricks Barbeque which is located a block away (2601 Bull Street) with a beer from Two Tides. This is a delicious lunch pairing on a Saturday afternoon.  Check out my review of Two Tides on Google.

Read Connect Savannah’s profile about Two Tides.

The grand opening of Two Tides is May 12th.

 

Categories
savannah

L’ Shana Tova Savannah

Yesterday was a new moon and Rosh Hashanah is a new year. In my opinion, September is always a new beginning for me even if I am not in school. In Savannah, September is the beginning of festival season. Hurricane Irma won’t hold the city back from weekend festivals.

Here’s a short list of the festivals happening in Savannah:
September 23rd: Savannah Jazz Fest
September 23rd: Statts Fest
October 7: Food Day
October 8: Picnic In The Park
October 28: LGBTQ Pride Weekend
October 29: Jewish Food Festival
Nov 4: Rock’n’ Roll Marathon

SCAD, Armstrong and Savannah State are back, and the city’s population has swelled in size. In the Thomas Square neighborhood, a new restaurant has opened, Bull Street Tacos.

Gypsy World

Gypsy World at 2405 Bull Street has a new look. The store was redesigned a few weeks ago, and it looks great.

Startlandia’s next door building is pivoting from an event space into a bookstore. It will probably in October.

In other news, I am now one of the organizers for 1M Cups Savannah. 1MCups is every Wednesday at 9AM at Bull Street Labs.

Hannah and Annie, two young ladies who I met through who comedy have websites you may want to check out. Hannah does graphic design and she has a blog. Annie is a fashion and art photographer. Check out Hannah Grace Kirkpatrick and Rebel Yellow, respectively.

Categories
business food savannah

Is Crowdfunding Free Money?

Big Bon Pizza

To finance a business or an artistic endeavor, many people have turned to crowdfunding to secure funding.  Crowdfunding is defined as “the funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.”

Kickstarter is one of the most well-known crowdfunding platforms, but it is not the only one. Indiegogo and GoFundMe. Plus there are crowdfunding platforms that are for particular industries like PieShell for food and beverage industries.

Several friends of mine have created Kickstarter campaigns to raise funds for their projects, and I have supported them either by spreading the word and/or donating money. I have also consulted for an artist who needed help with promotion for their Kickstarter. Recently celebrities have used Kickstarter in order to fund films they want to make. They look to their fan base instead of studios for support.

Crowdfunding has led to the democratization of asking for money. Before crowdfunding sites, raising money used to be relegated to getting money from friends and family, applying for a loan or writing a grant (non-profit).

The current rise in crowdfunding for business has yielded concerns about the accounting treatment of those funds. Is it a gift? Is it income? It is unearned revenue?! Kickstarter used a reward based model of crowdfunding, where the backer receives a form of reward which may be of little value, and can even be akin to a donation. However, the backers cannot deduct the donation unless the Kickstarter is created by a nonprofit with a (501)c3 status.  Indiegogo now list equity offerings through First Democracy VC, a registered venture capital funding portal

Since moving to Savannah, I have heard about two successful Kickstarter projects, Big Bon Pizza and Paprika Southern.  Big Bon Pizza raised over $11,000 to build their wood fire pizza food truck. Paprika Southern over $6000 to print their southern women’s lifestyle magazine.

To answer the question, ‘is crowdfunding free money?’  The answer is no. Time is money. You have to put in a lot of time developing a campaign and detail the objectives of your project. If you are considering doing a crowdfunding campaign, make sure that you have time to promote your campaign and deliver rewards that people will enjoy.

Categories
savannah

We’re Two

Starlandia Art Supply

Happy Blog Anniversary To Me!  It was only two years that I started this blog, Gnatty Savannah.  In the two years that I have been in Savannah, I have worked for two small businesses here, and I now serve on two boards. I figure I would take a moment to recognize the new businesses that I have seen open up in my neighborhood (Starland/Thomas Square) and downtown Savannah since summer 2015.

  • The Atlantic
  • Alleycat Lounge
  • Bell Barber
  • Bull St. Labs
  • Ordinary Pub
  • The Vault
  • Emily McCarthy
  • La Terra Natural OIls
  • Rise Biscuits and Donuts
  • House Of Strut Vintage
  • Henny Penny
  • The Vault
  • Ghost Coast Distillery
  • El-Rocko
  • The Hidden Hand Society
  • Natural Selections
  • Starlandia Supply
  • Space Station
  • Forrest and Fin
  • White Whale Craft Ales
Categories
business savannah

A Slight Pivot To Feature Small Businesses in Savannah

women savannah

After two years blogging in Savannah, I have figured out what I want to focus on this blog. It is small business and entrepreneurs. This fits with my experience since I have been accounting and social media consulting for small businesses for about a decade. I have worked with illustration agency, an attorney, several tech startups, nonprofits, a couple of retail storefronts and e-commerce sites. All of these businesses have these three things in common.
1) Managing cash flow
2) Getting publicity
3) Growing customer/donor base.

As people move here, there will be more small businesses created. This blog will be a place to shine a light on small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs who don’t always get covered.

Categories
savannah

Being An Ally In Savannah

“Some of my best friends are gay” is something I wouldn’t say, but it is actually true.  I have many gay friends and I have learned a lot about the LGBTQ community from them.  I even did a presentation on how to be an ally on social media three years ago. Being out in the South is definitely different that being out in New York City. Regardless, there needs to be a supportive community.  To that end,  First City Network is opening the first ever LGBT center this week in Savannah.  I think it is important to stop by the center to celebrate its existence.

This opening is bittersweet in light of the recent death of Scott Waldrup who was a young gay man who was the general manager at The Grey and founded  Speedo Sundays at Tybee Island.

 

Savannah Pride