Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

January 2024 is now in the books. All W-2s, 1099s, and many other forms should be completed, and the reports for the fourth quarter of 2023 should be completed and filed. Many companies were required to file electronically this year for the first time, as the threshold for electronic filing was reduced from 250 to 10 forms.
The end of any year and into the first of the following year is always an exciting time for Red Wing Software as we scramble to change tax tables and forms in our products so our customers are assured of having the most up-to-date information for their calculations.
January is the busiest time for our support team, and many other staff members step in to help with the increased call load. I’m happy to say our dedicated team maintained an exceptional rate of over 95% of calls being taken as they come in with very short hold times for the few that didn’t get picked up in real-time.
I hope everyone had a great start to the new year.

Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

I have just three short notes for you this month:
First, I hope everyone had a joyous holiday season.
Second, January has historically been the busiest month here at Red Wing Software. With everyone closing their 2023 books, beginning 2024, and ensuring their payroll information is up to date, our support lines light up. We have prepared internally for this by getting everyone ready to answer your calls. You can ensure that you have a smooth transition to the new year by reviewing the documents available in the online help, and in this newsletter, that answer frequently asked questions about your software. You can also get additional information by visiting the Help section on our website. Please take advantage of the great documents our Technical Writer, Connie, provides to help make using your software easier.
Finally, I thank our dedicated Red Wing Software team members, our loyal customers, and our hard-working partners and vendors for a successful 2023. I wish everyone a happy, safe, and successful New Year.

Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

I’ve mentioned the importance of continuing education in any career several times in this column. I believe it’s never too late to learn new things, no matter how old I get.
I recently attended the American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC) annual meeting and conference. I’ve been a member and attended every meeting since the 1980s, and in the beginning, I was impressed with all the expertise I could take advantage of from the older members. I felt I was a bit out of place in the group as a new member, and I could never attain the level of knowledge exhibited by the members. Now, as one of the more seasoned members (older), I continue to be impressed, but now it’s by all the knowledge in the younger members, and I still feel I have a lot to learn.
Part of the conference was a tour that included a company that builds autonomous sprayers, a recycling center, and a vineyard and winery. While all these things are considerably outside my day-to-day routine, it’s amazing how things I learned can be related to my world.
I encourage everyone to take advantage of educational opportunities and continue expanding their knowledge in or outside their area of expertise, especially topics outside their comfort zone.
On a different subject, as I write this, it’s Veterans Day, and I want to sincerely thank all who have served and sacrificed for our country. I also wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

We are fast approaching the end of 2023, and I wanted to use my space this month to communicate some important information that needs to be considered before year-end, or shortly after the beginning of a new year.
Whether your company operates according to a calendar year or a fiscal year, there are a few things that need to be considered to prepare for the new calendar year:
How is your budgeting process going for the new year? Will next year be the same as this year, or should you be planning some much-needed changes to make it better? Be sure to check every line item. Starting with a zero-based budget guarantees you won’t miss something that might need attention.
Have you installed all the latest versions of your software? You don’t need to wait until after the first of the year to get up to date. Doing it now saves pressure later.
How about benefit changes? Have you reviewed insurance policies, retirement plans, and other items important to you and your employees? Finding good employees is harder now than ever, and we need to remain competitive in the marketplace to keep them.
It is a good time to remind employees to update their W-4 information for changes that have occurred during the year, like getting married, having children, buying a house, or anything else that might change their withholding needs.
How is your budgeting process going? Oh, did I already mention that? I read once that “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you already are.” Is it time for a change?
So, update that important technology today, review procedures and policies, help employees better manage their information, and plan for the new year.

Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

When is it a good time to hire an outside professional? More often than you might think. You are probably really good at what you do in your career (or you should be doing something else). Even though you are an expert in your field, several things go on in any business outside your area of expertise.
Since you’re reading this newsletter from Red Wing Software, I think it’s safe to assume you have some role that includes dealing with financial information. You might enter checks, record deposits, calculate payroll, or take a big-picture view of the business using reports to analyze where the business should go. And, in some cases, you may be responsible for all these things.
Even if you have a firm grasp on all financial functions in your company, it always helps to get someone from outside the organization to review the information and give an opinion or even audit how things are being done. I’ve mentioned in several columns that if we think everything we do is done the right or only way, we probably won’t make needed changes and grow the business or our knowledge.
I’ll share an example of how Red Wing Software employs outside professionals. Although we have been producing accounting and other financial management software for over 44 years and have many people with vast knowledge of accounting processes, employ our own in-house accountant, and have Certified Public Accountants on staff, every year, we have an outside accounting firm perform an audit of our records and give their opinion, and have them prepare our corporate tax returns.
I heard a great saying on a recent webinar I attended, “You should do what you do best and hire others to do the rest.”