You’re a Girl Boss. Successful, determined, and hard working. You’ve worked hard and created a successful, thriving business. Soon you’ll be traveling to attract new customers and projects in different states and countries. Maybe you’re already doing it. You’ll need to make sure you’re making the most of your travels.
Be Loyal. Hotels, credit cards, and airlines reward your loyalty. If you tend to use the same brands, sign up for their loyalty programs. In return, you’ll be rewarded with points that you can cash in for free flights, hotel nights, or even cash-back. Even better, if you're a responsible credit card user sign up for your brand’s credit card to earn even more points. Check out American Express, Chase, and Barclay who all have travel reward cards. Earn points during your business travels, and vacation for free later.
Be tedious. We all know that office supplies, web hosting fees, and internet services are tax deductible, but what about your travel expenses? Yes, those are in fact write-offs. Not only can you write off your plane ticket and hotel stay, but you can also throw in your meals. Did you buy your client dinner during your meeting? Throw that in there as well. While you're at it, throw in your baggage check fees, any tips paid, and any taxi or rideshare fees you incur. And if you decide to drive to your location, take note of your miles as those are deductions as well. The key to getting this tax benefit is tedious record keeping, perhaps with an app like WavesApp, or Quicken, and a great tax professional.
Be Social. Struggling to find your social media content? Let your business travel experience be your muse. Let your facebook followers know you’re traveling to expand your business. Post a picture of you and your new client or project to Instagram. Go live on Facebook and talk about where you are and why. Update your blog and explain the challenges of keeping your business running while you’re away. You’ll find more than enough content while you’re away.
When you return, continue to use your travels as inspiration. What did you learn on during your business travels? How did you stay productive on your long flight? Did you develop new products on your trip? Share Share Share!
Celebrate the fact that your successes in business are forcing you to travel. Congratulate your growth. And when your business deal is done, take your travel points, your extra money from tax savings, schedule your social media posts, and take a personal vacation to re-charge and get ready to do it all again.
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