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Small Business

Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners

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11 min read

Anyone Can File a Fake UCC Lien Against Your Business. Rhode Island's SB 3212 Just Changed the Rules.

Rhode Island's SB 3212, signed in June 2026, lets business owners remove fraudulent UCC filings through an administrative complaint, authorizes the Department of State to refuse suspicious filings, and requires misleading "annual report" solicitation letters to disclose that they are advertisements. The same defenses — quarterly UCC searches, entity-record checks, and fee verification — work in every state.

Mike Thrift

fraud-preventionbusinesslegal
11 min read

How Small Businesses Are Actually Priced in 2026: SDE Multiples, Explained Before You List or Buy

Main street businesses are priced as Seller's Discretionary Earnings times a multiple — an all-sector average of 2.57x, ranging from 1.39x for dollar stores to 4.99x for car washes. Here is how SDE is calculated, which add-backs survive buyer diligence, why the multiple ladder moves, and how 2026 SBA lending rules reshape deal structure.

Mike Thrift

business-valuationbuying-a-businessbusiness-exit
14 min read

Small Business Bankruptcies Hit a Decade High: Why Subchapter V Filings Jumped 67% and What the $7.5 Million Debt Limit Fight Means for You

Business bankruptcies hit 24,737 filings in the year through December 2025 and Subchapter V cases jumped about 67% year-over-year in January 2026. This guide explains why filings are rising, how Subchapter V differs from traditional Chapter 11, what the $7.5 million versus $3 million debt limit fight means for eligibility, and the five-number dashboard that surfaces trouble months before a filing.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbankingfinancial-management
19 min read

Translation and Interpreter Agency Bookkeeping: Per-Word and Per-Session Job Costing, Freelance Linguist 1099s, and the Utilization Rate That Separates 5% From 20% Margins

How translation and interpreting agencies should cost jobs by billable versus payable words and door-to-door session time, pay freelance linguists and file 1099-NECs, track utilization and overhead, and reconcile multi-currency and retainer cash flow to hold 30-50% gross margins and 15-25% net.

Mike Thrift

translation-agenciesbookkeepingjob-costing
12 min read

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Half of UK Sole Traders Missed the First Quarterly Update — What to Do Before 7 November 2026

Only about 437,000 of the 864,000 UK sole traders and landlords in scope filed their first Making Tax Digital quarterly update by 7 August 2026 — close to half missed it. No penalty points apply this tax year, but HMRC begins forced enrolment in September 2026 and the next quarterly update is due 7 November 2026.

Mike Thrift

taxtax-compliancetax-deadlines
11 min read

Wedding DJ and Mobile Entertainment Bookkeeping: Deposits, Gear Depreciation, and Off-Season Cash Flow

How wedding DJs and mobile entertainers should classify booking deposits and retainers under cash versus accrual accounting, depreciate sound and lighting gear under Section 179 or MACRS, track revenue and cost per event, issue 1099-NECs for second DJs, and survive the off-season cash crunch when most revenue compresses into a few months.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businesscash-flow
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