#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Obsolete Inventory Write-Downs: GAAP's Lower of Cost or Net Realizable Value Rule Explained
GAAP requires inventory to be reported at the lower of cost or net realizable value under ASC 330; here's how to identify obsolete and slow-moving stock, calculate the write-down, and record it while satisfying the IRS's stricter subnormal-goods test under Treasury Regulation §1.471-2(c).
On-Demand 3D Printing Service Bookkeeping: True Costs, Failure Rates, and Depreciation
Filament is only 20-30% of what a 3D print actually costs - machine depreciation, a 2-25% failure rate, and labor make up the rest, and Section 179 combined with 100% bonus depreciation under the OBBBA can let a print-for-hire shop deduct a new printer's full cost in the year it's purchased.
Permanent Jewelry Studio Bookkeeping: Chain Costing, Deposits, and Compliance
A $65 welded bracelet costs $2-4 in gold-filled chain, but real cost of goods sold includes scrap, consumables, and gold spot-price volatility — here's how permanent jewelry studios should track chain costs, deposits, gift card liabilities, and OSHA/body-art licensing as recurring compliance expenses.
Protecting Margins When Costs Rise: A Repricing Playbook
A repricing formula (New Price = New Cost ÷ (1 − target margin)) and cost-control tactics that protect small-business profit margins during 2026 tariff and inflation-driven cost increases.
Protecting Margins When Costs Rise: Repricing, Cost Control, and Resilience Strategies for 2026
Margins don't collapse in a crisis — they leak in small cost steps. A quarterly loop to measure by SKU/channel, reprice in structure, cut waste not wages, and keep a buffer.
Purchase Order Financing: How to Fund an Order Bigger Than Your Cash Flow
Purchase order financing pays your supplier directly to fulfill a large customer order, typically costing 1-6% of supplier costs per 30-day period (roughly 20-60% effective APR), and is best suited for resellers with 20%+ gross margins and orders above $100,000.
Section 174A Explained: How OBBBA Restores Immediate R&D Expensing for Software Companies
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Section 174A permanently restores immediate tax deduction of domestic software development and R&E costs for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024, reversing the five-year amortization rule that had strained small tech companies' cash flow since 2022.
Retail Return Fraud and Wardrobing: How to Catch It in Your Books
Wardrobing and other return fraud account for roughly 10–15% of retail returns and cost U.S. retailers over $100 billion a year; reason-code tracking, customer-level return reports, and a monthly returns reserve are the bookkeeping controls that catch it before it erodes margin.
The Sales Tax Vendor Discount: A Small-Business Guide to Getting Paid for Filing on Time
About 30 U.S. states let businesses keep a percentage of the sales tax they collect — a vendor discount or collection allowance — for filing and paying on time, with Colorado eliminating its discount and South Dakota suspending its own heading into 2026.
SBIR/STTR Grant Accounting: Indirect Cost Caps and Avoiding a Clawback
SBIR and STTR awards are cost-reimbursable federal funding governed by FAR 31.205 and 2 CFR 200 — DOE now caps indirect costs at 15% of total award value, NIH has tightened its F&A allowance, and undocumented labor costs are the most common clawback trigger.
State Data Breach Notification Laws: A Small Business Compliance Guide
Every US state has its own data breach notification law, with individual-notice deadlines ranging from 30 days (California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Washington) to 60 days (Connecticut, Texas), and small businesses must comply with the law of every state where an affected person lives, not just their home state.
Understanding Loan Covenants: What Every Small Business Owner Signs Away (Without Realizing It)
A loan covenant breach can trigger default even without a missed payment; this guide explains DSCR, leverage, and current ratio covenants, cross-default and MAC clauses, and how to track compliance monthly instead of quarterly.