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Hi Mary Grace, it depends who you use. I know of accountants who charge per task as they have a set price such as tax returns or BAS. Others charge hourly for trust set up. They all vary.

As a guide, hourly I would allow $80 - $120, and for something like a tax return $200 - $350.

I would start following what MOZ come out with and watching Whiteboard Friday videos. I will also +1 Udemy and Lynda.com also has a lot of videos worth watching. Another great educational source is Coursera.

I think Door Dash are the best for now. That's why we decided to do a parthership with them.

Matthew,

Great question. I don't have all the information, but I can tell you that there are different levels of protection. The main thing is that "HTTP" is the protocol, "HTTPS" directs the URL toward the Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

There are several types of SSL, a self-signed certificate (which can be created essentially for free) and certificate an individual or business purchases (more reliable and secure - as well as usually verifiable).

There are different levels of security as well 128-bit encryption, 256-bit encryption (these two are perhaps the most common). However, they do go higher (512-bit, 1024-bit and possibly beyond). The higher the number the better the encryption (and hopefully security)

There is also PCI compliance (or Bank Level Security). There are several visual variations to the lock (there is a "black lock", a "green lock" and entire "green URL bar". These aren't necessarily indicators of more or less security but they levels of perceived security (usually you pay a lot for the entire green URL bar).

The important thing is do you trust the website and does it have the lock? You can usually click on the lock or an "info" icon next to it to get detailed information. You can also set your browser level security to help filter.

As always, if something seems off, leave the site immediately.

Getting prepared for your taxes well in advance is never a bad thing. It will make the process much easier for your accountant and put them in a better position to help you. Yes, you're paying an accounant to provide this service for you, but you need to help them help you. Some of the key documents you'll need to send your accountant are:

• Personal details/identity documents (name, current home/business address, TFN, ABN)
• The previous year's tax return 
• Payroll data
• Financial business reports (balance sheets, cashflow statements, P&L reports)
• Capital assets information
• Stocks and bonds information
• Loan information 
• Record of expenses (utilities, bills, receipts, etc)
• Income records 
• Tax forms 

There is no rule on % to spend, it is not about the size of your budget anymore.  Today you can have tremendous impact through social media, influencer marketing, SEO, SEM,, etc.  It is about being relevant and timely with the right message to your audience.  Find your key messages and be consistent in communicating them across all channels for the best results.  Track andmeasure everything so you can test and learn as you go.  As you get traction then you can start to invest further to grow.   Be scrappy and resourceful whether your budget is small or large.  Find the tools that work best for you.  Good luck!  

You are studying Comp Sci so it's just a matter of getting out there to build something. Yes that's probably my number one advice especially for those who can build -- just do it & iterate. Do it for the love of the product and your users :)

Seriously OzBargain wasn't started as a "startup" that you usually associated with fast growth, multiple round of fundings and then multi-million dollar exit when it's barely ramen-profitable. I love bargains and this site was started during my spare time to help other like-minded consumers, and I'm making it a full time work now as a "life style business" rather than aiming for big exit (which I believe would not benefit the users). Slow and steady is the name of the game. I was fortunately already financially secured from previous ventures so I can afford to do this the slow way. Your mileage might vary.

Good luck.

Hi,

Think of crowd funding as getting orders for your product before you have built it. It reduces risk because you know you've got orders before you start building however you take the risk that you have got all the pricing right before you know how to build it! Does that help?

Brian