Michelle Steel Vice Chair, Board of Equalization

Anyone who starts a new business intends for that business to succeed. Part of making a new business successful, in addition to selling a good product and investing in customer service, is keeping good records. 

Good business records allow you to keep track of income and expenses and to accurately analyze the performance of your business so that you can know what's working and where there might be room for improvement. Good records are also an essential part of a positive relationship with state and federal tax agencies. 

Few taxes are more complicated than California's sales and use tax. As Vice Chair of the Board of Equalization, and a former small business owner, I know how hard it is to follow California's complicated tax rules. One of the most important lessons to learn is that much of the trouble can be avoided by keeping good records. By keeping good records you can make sure that you pay only the taxes you owe and not a penny more. 

Financial experts suggest that a regular practice of record keeping increases your chances of success in business and the accuracy of your tax returns. 

Keeping good records is not only a good business practice, but also a requirement. Current BOE policy requires business owners to keep sales and use tax records for four years. This policy protects business owners in case of an audit. 

Using a record keeping strategy that fits your business will help make filing your taxes with BOE easier. For more information, please visit Board of Equalization website.

Built in 1890 as one of the first pioneer farmhouses in San Juan Capistrano, today you can still pet a cow, feed a pig, brush a goat and hold a chicken in the very same place. ZOOMARS Petting Zoo welcomes over 100,000 visitors a year looking to experience old-fashion fun in the heart of the Los Rios Historic District. This local treasure started as a backyard barnyard in 1980 by former Mayor Gil Jones and his wife Millie. It was called the Jones Family Mini Farm. Deciding to retire in 2005, the Joneses sold their beloved landmark to Carolyn Franks who loved it, improved it and renamed it ZOOMARS. The zoo features over 100 animals to cuddle with as well as a train ride, pony rides, mining sluice, birthday party packages and summer camps.

Why did you join the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce? 

When we first started out, it was the Chamber of Commerce who helped us navigate our way and build the business into what it is today. In addition to being a part of the Dana Point Chamber, we're also heavily involved in the local community and other Chambers. ZOOMARS' owner Carolyn Franks is currently a San Juan Capistrano Chamber Board member and served as their Chair last year.

Can you tell us a fun fact about your business that most people wouldn't know? 

The ZOOMARS property was once home to a traveling circus! The Escalante Circus used to rent the backside of the property every summer from Delfina Olivares who lived on the farm in the 1970s and was the Matriarch of San Juan Capistrano.

Host events! Attend them too! We built our business with a grass roots approach. We get involved in the community and our neighboring cities as much as we can, sharing our animal friends at places like the Whale Festival in Dana Point and Sawdust in Laguna Beach. We hand out free tickets at local concerts and host mixers and fundraisers in our Farmyard. "Whatever Igive comes back ten fold," says owner Carolyn Franks, "plus it feels good to make people smile."

ZOOMARS Pumpkin Patch opens October 1st. Grab a deal on Groupon or visit ZOOMARS Facebook page for more information.

34471 Golden Lantern Street, Dana Point

$20 Members     $25 Non-Members

The Silence Is Broken is an organization that uses the creative and performing arts and a sustained media campaign to halt the spread of HIV. The artists produce entertainment content to facilitate education, eradicate stigma (often the barrier to education) and advocate HIV testing for all. The Silence Is Broken campaign was introduced by composer and producer Patrick Gandy as a gift to his daughters. He wanted to put something in the world where they could learn about HIV and AIDS from him through a medium he was familiar with (music) and the message would be reinforced through cultural discourse. By using media combined with the creative and performing arts as a mechanism of change, the organization is taking a bold stance that with their artists, thinkers, and performers, The Silence Is Broken will lead in the effort to halt the spread of HIV. The campaign is designed to constantly and consistently impart its message until eradication. They have interviewed HIV positive women in Los Angeles, New York, Louisiana, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus and Philadelphia to hear their stories. Though trial and tribulation is a part of living, their goal is to promote the message that HIV does not have to be one of the trials, it is preventable.

 

For more information and to register, visit our website. Don't miss out!