Sign Painter Bookkeeping: Pricing Per Square Foot, Costing Gold Leaf, and Weather Days
Price sign jobs per square foot, bill gold leaf and lift rental to the job, and keep cash reserves for weather days.
#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Trade Secrets, NDAs, and the Employee Exit Checklist for Small Businesses
Trade secret protection isn't automatic: courts ask what you did to keep it secret. Signed NDAs with the DTSA notice and a 7-step exit checklist prove it.
Which Travel and Training Time Is Paid? The DOL Fact Sheet 22 Rules for Employers
Under DOL Fact Sheet 22, the ordinary commute is unpaid, but job-site, overnight and most training time are hours worked — and count toward US FLSA overtime.
Asphalt Paving Contractor Bookkeeping: Per-Ton Job Costing, Crew-Day Rates, and Surviving the Winter Cash Gap
Reconcile plant tickets to tons weekly, load crew-day rates with burden and iron, and bank 8-12 weeks of overhead before winter shuts paving down.
Can't Make Your Loan Payments? How Business Loan Forbearance Works (and What It Costs You)
Business loan forbearance pauses payments for 3–6 months, but interest accrues and skipped amounts come due after — ask your lender before you miss one.
Your Ocean Carrier Owes You $500 Per Package — Even When It's Their Fault
COGSA caps ocean carrier payouts at $500 per package even when the carrier is at fault — only cargo insurance covers the gap.
Connecticut's October 1, 2026 Employer To-Do List: 7 Workplace Law Changes in Effect Now
Since Oct. 1, 2026, Connecticut employers of every size must post pay ranges, drop stay-or-pay clauses and name monitoring locations — a 7-item checklist.
Don't Buy That Mutual Fund in December — the IRS Will Tax Gains You Never Earned
Buying a mutual fund before its December record date hands you IRS tax on a full year of gains you never earned — wait until after the ex-dividend date.
Florida's Closing-Cost Sticker Shock: The $0.70 Doc Stamp Tax and $0.20 Intangible Tax, Explained
Florida taxes deeds at $0.70 per $100 and mortgages at $0.35 plus $0.20 per $100 — $5,700 on a $500K purchase with a $400K loan, before title fees.
Ghost Assets Are Inflating Your Balance Sheet: How to Find and Remove Them
Ghost assets — equipment on your books but long gone — run 10-30% of fixed asset registers; a yearly physical count plus disposal entries clears them.
Got a Math Error Notice? The IRS Already Changed Your Return — You Have 60 Days to Push Back
A math error notice means the IRS already assessed the tax — request an abatement within 60 days or lose prepayment Tax Court rights.
Lost Your EIN Confirmation? CP575 vs. Letter 147C and How to Get Proof Fast
The IRS never reprints the CP575 — request a 147C at 1-800-829-4933 or download the digital CP575 from your Business Tax Account.