Author: Tony Novak
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Lenovo Thinkpad T-580: one year review of a solid notebook computer
A little more than a year ago I purchased a Lenovo Thinkpad T580 notebook computer and by now I now have at least a thousand hours of use on it. I reviewed it last October in another log post here. This is a short bullet point update of that review now, a year later. No doubt, this…
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Why hourly billing rates are a bad idea in small business accounting
This excerpt below comes from a 10/23/2019 article in Accounting Today by Loren Fogelman titled “Your Hourly Rate is Unfair to You and Your Clients”. It echos and reaffirms many of the concepts I’ve used to develop my Pricing Policy. An Hourly Rate Creates Tension Clients closely watch the clock when you charge for your…
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Edge vs. Chrome for small business
I am considering switching from Chrome to Edge as a primary business browser on Windows 10 machines. Security will be the highest consideration in the decision with privacy, speed and resource consumption also important issues. No decision is made yet. One thing is clear: the two were not even close until the most recent fall…
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How to protect yourself from IRS Collections and Private Collection Agencies
IRS is expanding the use of private collection agencies to collect tax debt. If you are among the 1 in 15 adults who owes tax debt then there are specific steps that you should take to protect your money and your privacy. 1. You have rights. But it is up to you to know those…
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Unhappy with your small business accounting system?
One of my top priorities after tax season (today) is to implement an alternative accounting platform for my small business clients. We are aware that all technology platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, so we must understand and order our priorities. For example: QuickBooks (the world’s largest platform ) advantage are also it’s disadvantages: 1.…
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How comfortable are you with your small business’ online security?
We already know that a large portion of cyber attacks reportedly target small businesses. SCORE put out a useful summary report earlier this year and this article by People Driven Solutions gives a good overview. CURRENT STANDARDS What should we do about it? Most of my clients follow these basics standards: Keep software up…
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Feds turning against small farmers?
Comments by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary this week disturbed many of us who support smaller farms and fisheries. USDA Secretary Purdue seemed to signal that the federal government does not recognize the inherent value of a wide independent network of food producers. I fear that small innovative farm operations, greenhouses, and…
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Tech changes this week rock small businesses
Both of these issues came in the last days of September. As of today, I only know that both issues deserve more attention. MICROSOFT: This is significant technical news for the legal and accounting fields as well as many other small businesses who use a Windows based system to manage data. Bottom line: I will…
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No, you don’t get to face your accuser (Small business beware!)
Anonymous whistleblower complaints are a powerful government force regularly used against small business owners. Over the weekend Donald Tump tweeted another indication of his misunderstanding of how government works. False Tweets from Trump are hardly noteworthy in themselves but this one hits a nerve for me. As a small business owner I’ve faced at least…