#vendor-management

Vendor Management

Strategies for selecting, managing, and optimizing vendor and supplier relationships for small businesses

July 9, 20269 min read

AI Tool Subscription Sprawl: A Small Business Owner's Guide to Auditing and Budgeting an Exploding AI Stack

The median small business now runs five AI tools, and combined monthly spend on unaudited AI subscriptions can reach $3,000–$6,000. A five-step afternoon audit — find every AI charge including shadow spend on personal cards, price in the hours spent babysitting each tool, check seat usage, cut redundant overlap, and force a keep/downgrade/cancel decision — plus a lightweight budget structure that stops sprawl from creeping back.

Mike Thrift

aismall-businesssaas

July 3, 20268 min read

Business Email Compromise: The Accounts Payable Controls That Stop Wire Fraud

Business email compromise cost U.S. victims over $3 billion in reported losses in 2025, and 86% of it moves by wire or ACH. Six accounts payable controls — callback verification, dual approval, vendor master file locks — stop fraudulent transfers before the money leaves.

Mike Thrift

fraud-preventionaccounts-payablesmall-business

July 2, 20268 min read

Collecting W-9s and Avoiding Backup Withholding: A Vendor-Onboarding Playbook

The IRS requires 24% backup withholding when a vendor's TIN is missing or incorrect. This playbook covers collecting W-9s before the first payment, validating them, using the free IRS TIN Matching Program, responding to CP2100 B-notices within 15 business days, and why the new $2,000 1099-NEC threshold for 2026 doesn't change when you need a W-9.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancevendor-managementsmall-business

July 1, 202615 min read

Collecting W-9s and Avoiding 24% Backup Withholding: A Vendor-Onboarding Playbook for 1099 Compliance

A practical vendor-onboarding playbook for collecting W-9s, passing IRS TIN matching, handling CP2100 and B notices, and avoiding 24% backup withholding and 1099 penalties in 2026.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancesmall-businessbookkeeping

June 4, 202613 min read

The NYC Local Law 144 Bias Audit Just Got Real: What Employers Using AI Hiring Tools Must Do in 2026

NYC Local Law 144's AEDT bias-audit, public-summary, and ten-business-day candidate notice rules now carry real enforcement risk after the December 2025 State Comptroller audit — and Illinois HB 3773, California's ADMT regulations, Colorado SB24-205, and Maryland HB 1202 layer additional 2026 obligations on multi-state employers using AI hiring tools.

Mike Thrift

hiringaicompliance

June 4, 202612 min read

Texas Data Privacy Act and the 20-State Patchwork: A 2026 Compliance Playbook

Twenty US states have comprehensive consumer privacy laws in effect by 2026, twelve require Global Privacy Control recognition, and cure periods are sunsetting in Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Montana. Here is the minimum viable compliance program for SaaS, e-commerce, and professional service operators.

Mike Thrift

privacycompliancelegal

June 3, 202612 min read

W-9 Vendor Onboarding in 2026: TIN Matching, Backup Withholding, and CP2100 Defense

A 2026 walkthrough of W-9 collection, IRS e-Services TIN matching, the 24 percent backup withholding trigger, CP2100 B-Notice timelines, Section 6721 penalty defense, and W-8BEN handling for small businesses paying contractors.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancesmall-businessvendor-management

May 22, 202615 min read

Form 1099-NEC Filing Season 2026: $2,000 Threshold, IRIS E-Filing, and How to Avoid Stacked Penalties

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.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancesmall-businessindependent-contractor

May 17, 202613 min read

State Unclaimed Property and Escheat Reporting for Small Businesses: Dormancy Periods, Due Diligence Letters, and NAUPA Holder Reports

A practical guide for small businesses on identifying unclaimed property — uncashed vendor and payroll checks, customer credits, gift cards — applying state dormancy periods, mailing due diligence letters, and filing the NAUPA II holder report before Delaware or another state opens a contingency-fee audit.

Mike Thrift

small-businesscomplianceaudit

May 14, 202612 min read

SOC 2 Type II for SaaS Startups: Scope, Survive, and Ship Your First Customer-Driven Audit

A founder's guide to SOC 2 Type II in 2026 — what it actually tests, realistic cost ($20K–$35K first year) and timeline (3–12 month observation window), which Trust Services Criteria to scope, the seven controls that trip startups up, and how to keep enterprise deals moving with Type I bridge letters while the audit runs.

Mike Thrift

saasstartupcompliance

May 10, 202611 min read

The 24% Backup Withholding Trap: A Small Business Guide to W-9s, CP2100 Notices, and Form 945

Backup withholding forces payers to deduct 24% from contractor payments after a missing W-9, refused TIN, or CP2100 notice — here is the 15-day and 30-day cure clock, Form 945 deposit rules, and the onboarding setup that keeps small businesses out of the trap.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancesmall-businessindependent-contractor

May 10, 202613 min read

Form W-8BEN and W-8BEN-E: How US Businesses Pay Foreign Vendors Without Triggering 30% Withholding

US payers must collect a valid W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E from a foreign vendor before paying, or the IRS treats the payment as subject to 30% withholding plus Form 1042-S penalties. This guide walks through which form to use, how to claim treaty benefits, the three-year refresh cycle, FATCA classification, and the five documentation mistakes that turn routine vendor onboarding into an audit problem.

Mike Thrift

tax-complianceinternational-taxvendor-management

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