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Small Business

Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners

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10 min read

How to Start a Bookkeeping Business in 2026: Certifications, Costs, Pricing, and Your First Clients

A solo bookkeeper with 15–20 clients on $300–$500 monthly retainers can earn $54,000–$120,000 a year, often with under $3,000 in startup costs. This guide covers certification tiers (free QuickBooks/Xero, NACPB CPB at $80–$100, AIPB CB at $479–$574), a realistic startup budget, 2026 retainer benchmarks by client size, niche selection, and the client-acquisition channels that work for new practices.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businessentrepreneurship
7 min read

KPMG Australia Cut Partner Pay 20% Over an Ethics Scandal. Here's How to Vet Your Own Accountant.

KPMG Australia is preparing to cut over 1,000 of roughly 10,000 jobs and reduce partner pay by up to 20% after admitting it mishandled a 2024 whistleblower complaint alleging misuse of confidential client data. The same five independence threats behind the scandal — self-interest, self-review, advocacy, familiarity, and intimidation — apply to any local CPA firm, and this guide covers the red flags plus a five-step due-diligence checklist (license lookup, peer review report, references, commission disclosure, engagement-letter scope) for vetting your own accountant.

Mike Thrift

auditcpacompliance
8 min read

Is Medical Debt Still on Your Credit Report in 2026? A State-by-State Guide for Small Business Owners

The CFPB's nationwide medical debt credit reporting ban was vacated by a Texas federal court in July 2025, leaving protection to 15 state laws and the bureaus' voluntary policies — paid debts, collections under $500, and a 365-day grace period stay off reports everywhere. Here's what still applies in your state and how to keep a medical collection from raising your business loan rate.

Mike Thrift

creditpersonal-financesmall-business
7 min read

Your Credit Union Trust Account Just Got a Simpler (and Possibly Smaller) Insurance Rule

Effective December 1, 2026, the NCUA insures all credit union trust accounts — revocable and irrevocable alike — under one formula, $250,000 per beneficiary capped at $1,250,000 per owner per credit union, matching the FDIC's 2024 bank rule. Trusts naming more than five beneficiaries may lose coverage they hold today, so this guide walks through a five-step balance check to run before the deadline.

Mike Thrift

bankinginsurancecompliance
7 min read

Pet Waste Removal Business Bookkeeping: Route Density, Deferred Revenue, and the Real Unit Economics

Pet waste removal services gross $20–$45 per visit at ~50% gross and ~20% net margins, with top operators reporting $2M+ in annual revenue. This bookkeeping guide covers the metrics that actually decide profitability — revenue per route-hour, deferred revenue on prepaid subscriptions, and separating residential cash flow from invoiced commercial contracts.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businessrevenue-recognition
9 min read

Connecticut's Shrinkflation Disclosure Law (HB 6856): What Small Food Businesses Need to Know

Connecticut's HB 6856 would be the first US state law to regulate shrinkflation, requiring food manufacturers to post a clear notice for 12 months whenever they shrink a product without cutting its price — enforced as an unfair trade practice by the state Attorney General. Here's who the bill covers, the slack-fill litigation risk that already exists, and how to keep COGS and margin records accurate through a package resize.

Mike Thrift

small-businesscompliancelegal
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