Selling Abroad? The FCPA Rules Every Small Exporter Should Know
The U.S. FCPA covers small exporters too: a foreign agent's bribe can be yours, grease payments rarely qualify, and clean books are your best defense.
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Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
The First Sale Rule: How Importers Who Buy Through Middlemen Can Legally Pay Less in Tariffs
Importers buying via a middleman can declare the factory's first-sale price to U.S. Customs and cut duties 10–20%, if every tier is documented.
Garage Door Installation & Repair Bookkeeping: Licenses, Warranties, and Job Costing That Protect Your Margin
Garage door shops hold 10–15% net margins by accruing a warranty reserve, loading labor with 35% burden, and logging truck stock and state licenses per job.
Glamping Business Bookkeeping: Nightly Rates, Seasonal Occupancy Math, and Payout Reconciliation
Glamping books run on nights × occupancy × rate: record gross payouts to match the 1099-K, hold lodging tax as a liability, and depreciate tents in 5–7 years.
Illinois Freelance Worker Protection Act: What Hiring Businesses Must Put in Writing
Illinois FWPA: freelance deals of $500+ (aggregated over 120 days) need a written contract and payment within 30 days — or owe double damages plus fees.
IRS2Go Is Gone: What the New IRS App Means for Your Refunds, Payments, and Tax Records
The IRS app replaced IRS2Go on Sept. 25, 2026: sign in to check refunds, pay balances, pull transcripts and your IP PIN — business accounts stay on IRS.gov.
The IRS Doesn't Need Your Books to Audit You: How Examiners Reconstruct Cash-Business Income
With missing records, the IRS rebuilds income from bank deposits, net worth, markup and unit volume — reconciled books keep the audit on specific items.
Juice Bar and Smoothie Shop Bookkeeping: Track Produce Spoilage per Ingredient to Protect Your Margins
A 70% smoothie margin can be 45% after spoilage. Log waste per ingredient, cost recipes on yielded produce, and book abnormal loss outside COGS.
Lost Track of an Old 401(k)? How the DOL's Lost and Found Database Reunites You With Forgotten Money
The DOL's Lost and Found database lets workers search for forgotten 401(k)s by SSN — $2.1 trillion sits unclaimed. Here's how to search and claim yours.
The PACA Trust: How Produce Sellers Get Paid First When a Buyer Goes Bankrupt
Under 7 U.S.C. 499e(c), unpaid produce sellers are paid from a buyer's trust assets before other creditors — if terms stay ≤30 days and notice is timely.
Podcast Studio Rental Bookkeeping: Price Your Hourly Rate From Real Costs
Price podcast studio rentals from fixed costs, Section 179 depreciation and 25–40% first-year utilization, not competitor rates — then book each revenue stream.
Pricing a Tiny Home Build So It Actually Makes Money: The True-COGS Playbook
Price a tiny home from true COGS: burdened labor at 1.35x wages plus overhead turns a $40,000 quote into a 4% job; a 40% margin needs about $58,000.