Two Partyhoax Entertainment

Archive for June, 2010

Probably the most common business deductions are meals and entertainment. However, people are often confused about whether the expenses are fully deductible, partially deductible or not deductible at all.

50% Deductible

The general rule for deducting meals and entertainment expense is that 50% of the cost is deductible provided the following requirements are met.

Requirement #1

The expense has to be ordinary and necessary in the trade, business, or profession. In other words, it must be commonly accepted to have this expense and it must be appropriate in the trade or business. For example, business owners routinely have lunch with prospective clients to discuss business with the goal of attracting additional business. This is a common and necessary business expense.

Requirement #2

The expense must be directly related or associated to the active conduct of your business. To meet this requirement, you must engage in a business conversation during, before, or after the entertainment. If the business discussion is only incidental to the entertainment, the entertainment expenses do not qualify.

The 50% limit applies to business meals or entertainment expenses you have while traveling away from home on business, entertaining customers at your place of business, a restaurant, or other location, or attending a business convention or reception, business meeting, or business luncheon at a club.

100% Deductible

As with every general rule, there are exceptions. The following exceptions result in the meal or entertainment expense being fully deductible.

Exception #1

The expense is fully deductible when providing meals, entertainment, or recreational facilities to the general public as a means of advertising or promoting goodwill in the community.

Exception #2

If the meal is provided to employees as a convenience to the employer on the business premises and is furnished to more than half of the employees, then the expense is fully deductible.

Exception #3

A company holiday party expense is an exception to the general rule and is fully deductible.

Non-Deductible Expenses

Items that are not deductible include membership in any club organized for business, pleasure, recreation, or other social purposes. The purposes and activities of a club, not its name, will determine whether or not you can deduct the dues. You cannot deduct dues paid to country clubs, golf clubs, airline clubs, hotel clubs, or clubs operated to provide meals under circumstances that might otherwise be considered to be conducive to business discussions.

To ensure that your qualified meal and entertainment expenses are deductible, you will need to have excellent documentation. Please contact your Tax Coach for more specifics about which documentation is required for meals and entertainment.

Home demonstration parties are among some of the best ways an entrepreneurial spirit can extend a network. Getting potential clients to feel comfortable in their surroundings is only the first step though. If guests appear tentative, and they probably will at first, you will be thankful you took the time in between putting up decorations and preparing refreshments to think of ideas for home party plan games.

Icebreaker games can be used to provide or obtain information in a light-hearted manner.

If your guests don’t know one another, a game you can try is “Name and Number”. This works by giving each guest an index card as they arrive at the house. Written on one side of the card is their name, while on the other, a number.

Guests are required to wear the card with the name-side showing and introduce themselves to as many people as they can. After a while, request that your guests turn their cards over so that only the number is shown. Everyone then gets a numbered piece of paper and has to fill in as many names as they can remember beside the corresponding number.

Some ideas for home party plan games can be just plain silly in order to get guests to loosen up. Whether or not you play this game depends on how uninhibited your guests are. In the game of “I Hate”, guests write down the chore they hate the most, accompanied by two reasons for it. For example: “I hate making my bed, it takes ages and I can never get the sheets smooth enough.” Then the fun twist to this exercise is that everyone will have to read their statement out, but they have to replace the chore in question with a totally out of context word like “sex”. This is really fun!

You can also use party games to showcase whatever it is you are selling. As Helene Malmsio from the Free MLM Consultants Training website says, “Pass the parcel or a treasure hunt can be great fun. The winner gets to keep the product in question, or course. Just make sure to keep things light, informal and don’t let the treasure hunt run on too long! Remember, your main attention is to get them to know about you and your products.”

Icebreaking party games are commonly used at gatherings where not all the guests know one another. They provide entertainment and help total strangers find a common ground. This can also be a useful tool to close the gap between you and your guests.

When you first start out your home based business in Direct Sales it can be hard to keep coming up with Ideas for Home Party Plan Games.  Your sponsors should be always available to help you come up with the party plan presentation and support you in your first few home demonstrations.

There’s an old saying that says “life begins at 40″ so the party for this occasion should be more than just another birthday party, it should be a celebration of the beginning of a new life. All your friends and colleagues should be invited to your 40th birthday to celebrate with you. You should look at it as a chance to show you are still enthusiastic and have a passion for life.

If you are planning a theme for the party, make sure to include that in the invitations and send them out well in advance. There are a number of computer software programs that will allow you to be creative and customize your invitations and this makes for a nice touch.

Here are some themes and 40th birthday party ideas:

* Surprise party – few parties are more memorable than surprise parties. Make sure all the invitees are aware it’s a surprise so the cat is not let out of the bag.

* Play “This Is Your Life” just like the TV show. It’s a terrific but seldom used 40th birthday party idea! Put together a book that chronicles the entire life history including pictures, newsclippings and other memorabilia. A PowerPoint presentation is a great way to go too. Make sure to invite plenty of people from their past and dramatically introduce them one by one.

* A boat party can be one of the most thrilling 40th birthday party ideas. Go for the river or ocean if you live nearby. Arrange a dance or dinner party aboard. Have all the guests dress in their best cruise wear or beach clothes if you want to keep it casual.

* Going camping can be a great 40th birthday party idea. Imagine getting away to a nice mountain setting with friends and family and enjoying a campfire and a scrumptious barbecue. Don’t forget the marshmallows! This is a great setting to pass stories and memories around the fire with a warm drink.

* Something that is exciting and usual is to use a castle as a party venue. Put together a medieval banquet in the banquet hall that King Henry would be proud of and your guests will not soon forget this 40th birthday party. Have the guests dress in traditional medieval garb. Do some internet research and include the websites on the invitations where folks can see pictures and get ideas for their costumes.

* If you are near the ocean (or a large lake) a beach party will be a huge hit for a 40th birthday party. Instruct your guests to don their best beachwear including Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts, flip-flops and tank tops. Whip up a sumptuous Hawaiian or Caribbean style feast. Keep the party fun and lively by breaking out the volleyball net and the beach balls.

These are just a few of the 40th birthday party ideas and themes that you can come up with. Make it suit the personality of the guest of honor, keep it lively and fun and the party is sure to be a big hit.