Hidden Lifestyle Benefits at Work

Your business can be the source of fantastic lifestyle benefits if you are open to them. Many of them depend upon what interests you because you probably only notice benefits that are likely to excite you. I am interested in travel, sport and good food so that will give you an insight into some of the benefits I have personally discovered.

Travel
Last year I spent a week in Hawaii surfing, partying and relaxing. It was courtesy of a media supplier and it was all FREE. Sure I paid for a few drinks and meals, but the flight and accommodation were all covered by my hosts.

Another media supplier flew me to the Gold Coast for a few days of golf and 5 star accommodation, dinner etc, all expenses paid.

Later this year I have trip to Thailand pencilled in via another supplier. A week in Bangkok and Phuket relaxing and seeing the sights. Once again they are picking up the tab.

Early next year I am taking my wife for a week in Sabah, Borneo courtesy of another supplier.

Good Food
Just returned from lunch with a supplier at one of the city's best restaurants. Nice bottle of Reisling and delicious seafood. It was my third big lunch in the last 3 weeks, all courtesy of our suppliers. This is / or can be a regular occurance.

Sport
Tomorrow I have seats at one of the biggest football matches in Australia, NSW v Qld in the Rugby League State of Origin. I am being driven to the ground, wined and dined before the game then returned to my door all thanks to another supplier. There are regular golf days, motor racing invites and more.

The point is that if you are a good person to do business with, and can generate a lot of sales for your suppliers, then they will do a lot to keep your business. None of these benefits are ones I go looking for, they are just offered to me because my suppliers value my support. There are also sales promotions with suppliers with great incentives for results.

If you are aware of these great benefits then you can enjoy first class wining and dining, travel, sporting events and more for nix.

Sure, I happen to work in the media industry which is known for such extravagances but most industries have plenty of perks available for good customers. A friend of mine is a carpet retailer who has had numerous overseas holidays thanks to his suppliers. He even was invited into VIP areas at the Tour de France last year because a supplier is also a sponsor of one of the teams. Being a keen cyclist he accepted.

The next great advantage of owning a business and paying large bills is that many of those bills can be paid by credit card. If you have a good credit card rewards program then you have the opportunity to rack up a ridiculous amount of bonus points. By linking this to a frequent flyer program you can take your points even further. If you are not paying as many business expenses as possible with a generous rewards linked credit card then you must start immediately.

I am able to pay for large media bills, yellow pages, computers and many daily expenses on my Amex. I then transfer the bonus points to my Qantas Frequent Flyer account to get free travel. This December I am flying the family to Colorado to ski and enjoy a white Christmas. This is largely covered by frequent flyer points.

My Amex card also gives me a free flight to anywhere in Australia every year. I can book accommodation with bonus points too, so a trip need not cost much at all.

Find out which of your suppliers accept credit card, join a frequent flyer program, and enjoy paying the bills with the knowledge that it could be improving your lifestyle.

Naturally there are smaller tax deductible benefits for business owers too. Trips and meals that are claimable are fairly common.

If you work hard and have built a good business, and these opportunities are available to you, then take them. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and don't feel guilty. One warning though, nothing is really free. Suppliers expect continued support in return for their largesse, so don't burn them by accepting their hospitality then not backing it up with more business. A good business relationship must be reciprocal.

Credit card should be treated sensibly too. Only pay for things you would have by cheque or cash, and pay down the credit cards on time. A well managed credit card can improve cashflow and povide plenty of benefits.

Look at your business as not just a workplace but a source of numerous benefits. You might be amazed at  how much fun you could have thanks to work.