Category: Small Business
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Pennsylvania divided
The election discussion is drawing attention to the widening political divide between my two major client groups. Nate Silver, writing for fivethirtyeight.com says “eastern Pennsylvania is becoming more Democratic while western Pennsylvania is becoming more Republican”. This confirms the trend that I noticed that even seems to be affecting my business practice. This graphic shows the…
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No excuse accounting
Last week I wrote that there are no excuses for an accounting system that does not reconcile with the bank and financial accounts. This week Insightful Accountant carried this article about the improved reconciliation features within QuickBooks online accounting system. QuickBooks accounts for more than 3 out of 5 small business and nonprofit organization accounting systems. I think…
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Small business advertising that’s better than TV commercials
Three types of marketing generate a more positive user experience than TV commercials according to Hubspot. Everyone seems to have a solid understanding and opinion of TV commercials as an advertising medium so this seems like a natural benchmark for discussion. This revelation is important to small businesses that typically do not have access to…
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The Accountant’s ‘Come to Jesus Moment’
“We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are” – a Talmudic saying attributed to Rabbi Shemuel ben Nachmani who lived 1600 years ago. I read an online discussion thread last night among accountants describing a series of talks they are having this week with some of their small business clients. Some…
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The IRS requirement for personal auto mileage records
You drove your car on business trips. You made a report of how many miles you drove for business, the dates, the specific destination and the purpose of the trips. You have all the expense receipts for gas and other out-of-pocket expenses. You submitted the expense documentation to your employer who reimbursed you. This is a…
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What do LinkedIn users like to read?
I’ve now published 147 blog posts through the “Pulse” feature of LinkedIn over the past two years (September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2016) to promote my new accounting practice. This seems like a good time to pause take a look back at reader response. Sara Rosenberg, a business adviser, suggested a while ago that I…
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Small business equity crowdfunding video
A good introductory video explaining small business equity crowdfunding by NextGen Crowdfunding. (At least, IMO, it is as good as a video that consists solely of a lawyer and a business guy in blue blazers sitting talking to each other can be). The 10 minute conversation recorded last fall covers many important points including a short…
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The problem with BNI
Five reasons why lead exchange groups won’t work for me Last month I was invited as an observer to a local meeting of Business Networks International (BNI). The accountant who invited me is a great person and an impressive professional. The meeting and individual members made a strong positive impression on me. The individuals I met were…
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Arizona small business crowdfunding
Arizona joined the growing number of states that allow small business equity crowdfunding within its borders on terms that do not violate federal securities laws. The state’s new small business crowdfunding law went into effect this month. FundMyBusinessAZ.com is a site that operates under a new law signed by the governor that paved the way for…
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Number of uninsured rises; self-employed most affected
Update: The Kaiser Family Foundation published a detailed update on this topic with 2017 data. The number of people without health insurance is rising again after declining with the massive funding of insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The federal government says that 29 million Americans were uninsured at the beginning of 2016 and this…