by Pete McAllister | Accounting News, IRS, News, Tax, Tax Planning
Filing taxes puts stress on small business owners, because most know that mistakes on business tax returns can affect your business’s success. Here are some common tax mistakes to avoid.
Mixing Business and Personal Expenses
Be sure not to report personal expenses on your small business’s tax return. It’s always a good idea to have separate credit cards, bank accounts, and filing folders for each. Sometimes an expense isn’t as cut-and-dry and you may have difficulty determining if it is indeed business or personal. In this case, turn to the IRS’s Publication 535 at www.irs.gov, which provides an overview of expenses that are and are not deductible.
Being Disorganized with Recordkeeping
This may seem like second nature to some business owners, but staying on top of tax documents, receipts, and copies of bank and credit card statements will go a long way toward avoiding overwhelm at tax time. While you don’t need to submit receipts or other proof of tax deductions to the IRS, you will need them on hand if the IRS decides to probe into your taxes further. If you get audited and you don’t have required documentation on hand to prove any claimed deductions, your tax bill could increase significantly.
Filing the Wrong Tax Forms
There are different types of tax forms required for different types of businesses (C corporations, S corporations, etc.), and if you have employees, you’ll need to fill out additional forms that document their payment through the year. Simply put, it can be a lot to track. A tax advisor can help you determine which forms you should be filling out.
Taking Too Many Deductions
Simply stated, taking deductions means that you get money back for certain purchases that assisted your business. Just keep in mind that too many deductions could raise a red flag for the IRS. If you’re unsure, a tax advisor can ensure that you’re adhering to deduction limitations and only claiming expenses that qualify.
Forgetting or Underestimating Your Tax Payments
Many small business owners are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments. Typically, the deadlines for these payments are the 15h of April, June, September, and January of the following year. How much you owe is based on your income. If you miss a payment, or if your payment falls short of your actual tax liability for the year, the government could saddle you with penalties, thereby increasing your tax liability. Furthermore, if the IRS suspects an intention to defraud it, the fine can be as high as 75%, and you could face criminal tax fraud charges.
by Stephen Reed | Accounting News, Business Growth, News
After weathering the storm of the Covid-19 pandemic for the past two years, small businesses are facing yet another significant challenge: rising inflation. While small business owners can take solace in the fact that they’re not facing this challenge alone, it can be difficult to come up with a game plan to hedge against inflation. Below we’ll go over some top tips to help you do just that.
What’s Driving Inflation?
Inflation is a sustained increase in the price of goods and services, and it weakens the purchasing power of currency. In the US, demand surged once the economy re-opened post-pandemic lockdowns, and Americans were eager to spend money they had saved, including government stimulus checks. At the same time, we started to experience supply chain issues as a result of Covid-era policies. This put pressure on the supply-and-demand flow, with supply falling exceedingly short of demand. Rising oil prices, which lead to rising gas prices, are also to blame.
Media coverage on inflation tends to center the consumers, but the challenges posed to small businesses can be even greater, including:
- A loss of money due to rising supply costs
- A slowdown of incoming invoice payments as clients struggle with their own financial hardships
- More hurdles to access funds as financial institutions often tighten borrowing requirements for the duration of higher inflation
These challenges force the small business owner to either absorb higher costs or raise prices for the consumer. However, there are inflation protection measures that can help to alleviate this dilemma.
Use Automation to Increase Productivity
If it’s possible to automate certain daily tasks, do it. Tasks that make the most sense to automate include those that are repeatable and don’t take a lot of brainpower to complete, including:
- Email
- Contracts
- Purchase orders
- Invoices
- Inventory
- Shipping
- Sales and marketing
Automation cuts down on errors, simplifies processes, and enhances customer service. There is a plethora of apps available to help you, from implementing basic bookkeeping to boosting client care, ramping up marketing, and more. You may be using some of these apps already, but be sure you’re taking full advantage of the features they offer.
Cut Expenses
Reduce costs wherever you can. Cancel any services, subscriptions, and products your company isn’t using. Also consider looking into alternate materials, products, or ingredients that may be less expensive and will help ultimately save money. Something else to think about: Is transitioning to a hybrid remote/in-office model that would give you the opportunity to downsize your office a possibility for your business?
Tackle Debt
If you have any residual funds from the Covid-era stimulus packages, now is the time to use those to pay down high-interest debt, especially as interest rates are expected to keep rising. You may not be able to wipe out your debt completely, but try to cut down at least the principal amount. Decreasing how much you pay through lowering interest rates can aid in protecting against inflation.
Additionally, don’t discount trying to renegotiate loans or lines of credit with your lender in order to lower interest rates. Doing so will allow you to save money, which you can put into savings reserves.
Lower Your Supply Chain Risk
Your business is going to be susceptible to supply chain disruptions. To further protect against inflation, lower your supply chain risk by:
- Organizing backup supply chain options
- Exploring domestic substitutes for overseas suppliers
- Storing stockpiles of essential supplies for the least possible storage costs
Raise Prices Strategically
Even if you’re automating processes and cutting expenses, sometimes price increases can’t be avoided during periods of high inflation. Always keep a pulse on what the competition is doing, and be careful not to raise prices too quickly. Pricing yourself above the market without a strategic approach could lose customers.
by Jean Miller | Accounting News, Business Growth, News
Running a small business can be stressful and time consuming, so it’s understandable when the financial health of your business gets neglected. Getting into the habit of reviewing your company’s overall financial health is a smart move to position your business for success now—and for years to come. Read on for an effective health checklist for your small business by focusing on three critical components: financial planning, budgeting, and investing.
Financial Planning
As a business owner you know that taxes are potentially one of the most substantial expenses affecting your bottom line. Therefore, you need to have defined business goals and personal financial goals in order to adhere to the most appropriate tax-planning strategies.
To do this you should:
- Keep an ongoing list of business and personal financial goals in order of priority, and consult this list when making any new financial decisions.
- Be sure you have a small-business structure that provides the most pertinent legal protections and benefits.
- Reduce taxes, or file an extension, and maximize applicable deductions and credits. Strategize by timing income and expenses to your advantage, utilizing charitable gifting, and saving for retirement with a Simple IRA, solo 401(k), or SEP IRA.
Budgeting
Issues with cash flow can derail a business to the point of no return. Get ahead of any challenges by managing your budget in accordance with your business plan.
- Know how much revenue it will take to cover any expenses before you can break even and generate a profit.
- Consistently keep an eye on your income, inventory, credit, and cash. Modify as needed in order to cover fixed expenses and hold onto a healthy cash reserve.
- When you do need financing, analyze your budget and cash flow trends to help determine the best financing options for your business.
Investing
As a small-business owner, don’t make the mistake of investing all of your money into your business. Make saving a habit so that you have enough cash reserves accessible in a pinch for both personal and business needs, but invest any extra cash inflow, and diversify non-business investments.
Additional Factor of Financial Health
In addition to financial planning, budgeting, and investing, you should be protecting your business with insurance. This could include liability insurance, property insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, health insurance, life and disability insurance, and business interruption insurance.
A financial health checklist is an important tool for aiding small-business owners in overseeing the financial condition of their company. Routinely taking stock of your business allows you to make smarter decisions for growth and success.
by Pete McAllister | Accounting News, Business Consulting, News
Amidst a strengthening labor market, rising economic activity, and a declining unemployment rate, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided last month to raise the federal funds rate – the interest rate at which banks and credit unions lend Federal Reserve funds to other banks and credit unions overnight – by a quarter-point, from 1.75 to 2 percent. This is the second increase in 2018, and two more increases were suggested by year’s end.
To the average small business owner, the knee-jerk reaction might be a negative one. After all, interest rates do trickle down, affecting credit card balances, adjustable-rate mortgages, and variable loan rates. But the increase could potentially be good news for small businesses. Higher interest rates amid a strong economy mean more profitable deals for banks, which creates a greater motive to offer more financing options and approve loan requests.
Another potential long-term benefit to higher interest rates is a better cash flow. Because inflation is typically a motivator for rate increases, the cost of goods and services tend to escalate, effectively allowing small businesses to raise prices, improve margins, and enjoy more breathing room.
As with any change in the economy, however, the impact on small businesses could have negative consequences as well. One potential consequence of higher interest rates is the effect on consumerism. Because consumers with credit card debt will be paying higher interest rate charges, they’ll have less disposable income to spend, which could hinder sales and growth of small businesses. Additionally, companies that need to borrow money for growth can potentially incur a higher cost of capital when interest rates go up. This can affect new loans as well as existing loans with floating rates.
Because interest rates have been hovering near zero for the past several years in order to spur the economy, a move in the needle was inevitable, and we are unlikely to see rates that low again anytime soon. With the Federal Reserve’s suggestion of additional increases to come, small businesses that are contemplating applying for loans might want to do so sooner rather than later.
by Pete McAllister | Accounting News, News, Professional Services, Tax
Big Leadership Mindset: How the Practices and Philosophies of the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs Can Benefit Small Businesses
Self-made millionaires and billionaires don’t just happen by luck or chance, though sometimes luck and chance play a role. In large part, the world’s leading entrepreneurs demonstrate that innovation, perseverance, and strategic investments – in business and in life – are common denominators for lasting success.
Take Care of Your People and Your Customers
“The key to success in business is all about people, people, people,” says billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson. “It should go without saying, if you look after your people, your customers and bottom line will be rewarded too.” Real estate entrepreneur and software business leader Tej Kohli agrees. “While strategy, market positioning, and coming up with a long-term plan are all important, focus on making the individual sales and creating happy customers. None of that strategic planning is any good if you can’t keep the lights on because you’re not making enough sales.”
Do the Work
“There are no shortcuts,” says Mark Cuban. “You have to work hard and try to put yourself in a position where if luck strikes, you can see the opportunity and take advantage of it.” This sentiment echoes the formula for success of deceased oil tycoon J. Paul Getty: “Rise early, work hard, strike oil.”
Take Risks
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk,” says Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” But there’s a difference between playing smart and taking risks just for the sake of risks. Heed the warning of Warren Buffet, who says, “Never invest in a business you cannot understand. Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
Shake Things Up
John D. Rockefeller said, “If you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” And Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell agrees. “I’ve been involved with companies that hit dead ends, had business ideas I couldn’t get off the ground, been in situations that I desperately wanted to succeed but were on a path to failure. But each setback and adversity could be traced back to the same flawed plan: I had approached the game the way it had always been played.”
Think Long Term
In an age of get-rich-quick schemes, it’s important to remember that there are no shortcuts to lasting success. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has said that Amazon’s decisions are based on its goal of long-term market leadership – not short-term profits. “Long-term thinking levers our existing abilities and lets us do new things we couldn’t otherwise contemplate,” said Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. “Seek instant gratification – or the elusive promise of it – and chances are you’ll find a crowd there ahead of you.”
Play to Your Strengths
Media CEO Gary Vaynerchuk advises to forget about your weaknesses and bet on your strengths. Founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely agrees. “As soon as you can afford to, hire your weaknesses. What you’re not good at is usually what you don’t like.”
Embrace Failure
“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it’s more important to heed the lessons of failure,” says Bill Gates. “How a company deals with mistakes suggests how well it will bring out the best ideas and talents of its people, and how effectively it will respond to change.” Perhaps Gates took a play from inventor and businessman Thomas Edison’s playbook, who once said, “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
