#small-business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
How to set up books for a Part 107 commercial drone business — separate revenue lines by service type, capitalize airframes and payloads as distinct assets, track per-flight battery cycles as cost of service, and apply the 2025 permanent 100% bonus depreciation under OBBBA.
For tax year 2026, the 1099-NEC reporting threshold rises from $600 to $2,000 and the IRS replaces FIRE with the IRIS portal. A practical workflow for W-9 collection, TIN matching, backup withholding, e-filing, and avoiding per-form penalties that stack under §6721 and §6722.
The IRS retention clock varies by record type — three years for routine returns, four for employment tax, six when income is understated by more than 25%, seven for bad-debt and worthless-securities losses, and indefinite for unfiled or fraudulent returns. A defensible schedule built on the statute of limitations, Rev. Proc. 97-22 electronic-records rules, and DOL and OSHA overlays.
How non-medical home care agencies should structure a payer-segmented chart of accounts, reconcile EVV data under Section 12006 of the 21st Century Cures Act, classify caregivers as W-2 employees, manage aging receivables across Medicaid, VA, and LTC insurance payers, and prepare documentation that survives a Medicaid post-payment audit.
A working guide to pawn shop bookkeeping — how to record pawn loans as receivables, accrue service charges, transfer forfeited collateral to inventory at principal, comply with ATF Form 4473 rules on firearms redemption, and file Form 8300 when cash crosses $10,000.
How owners of indoor and outdoor pickleball clubs should structure the chart of accounts, defer annual membership revenue under ASC 606, reconcile booking-platform payouts, and depreciate court build-outs so utilization rate, revenue per court-hour, and member retention fall out of the ledger automatically.
How small businesses should book prepaid insurance, rent, software, and retainers — the initial entry, monthly amortization schedule, IRS 12-month rule, and a written de minimis policy that keeps monthly profit comparable and unlocks year-end tax deductions.
How bonded wineries cost a vintage from crush to bottling, claim CBMA excise credits, apply Section 263A to vineyards, and recognize tasting room, wine club, and wholesale revenue under ASC 606.
59% of small businesses with debt sign a personal guarantee, and it overrides your LLC's limited liability. This guide explains unlimited vs. limited guarantees, bad-boy carve-outs, burn-off provisions, SBA's 20% rule, and how to negotiate or get released.
A cash balance plan lets a 55-year-old business owner deduct roughly $230,000 a year in retirement contributions — far above the 401(k) ceiling — because a defined benefit pension caps the retirement benefit, not the annual deposit, so limits scale with age rather than income.
Independent auto repair shops earn from labor, parts, sublet work, and environmental fees — each with different margins and bookkeeping rules. This guide builds a chart of accounts that separates flat-rate labor from clock hours, applies a tiered parts markup matrix targeting 55–58% gross profit, tracks comeback expense and warranty receivables aging, codes sublet work cleanly, and records EPA hazmat and shop supply fees as their own revenue and cost lines.
How bowling centers and family entertainment centers should book stored-value game cards, league buy-ins, party deposits, and ASC 606 breakage — with a working chart of accounts, escheat-law pitfalls, and the operating KPIs lenders and buyers expect.
