#small-business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Pet waste removal services gross $20–$45 per visit at ~50% gross and ~20% net margins, with top operators reporting $2M+ in annual revenue. This bookkeeping guide covers the metrics that actually decide profitability — revenue per route-hour, deferred revenue on prepaid subscriptions, and separating residential cash flow from invoiced commercial contracts.
The federal 1099-K threshold is back at $20,000 and 200 transactions, but reselling profit is taxable either way. How Poshmark and Depop sellers should handle hobby-vs-business classification, the nondeductible personal-use loss rule under IRC Section 165(c), cost of goods sold, and reconciling income across platforms that report gross vs. net.
The SBA's 90% Grocery Guarantee, launched May 2026, raises the federal guarantee on food-supply-chain loans from 75% to 90% — up to $5 million over 25 years — and approved $30 million in its first month. Here's who qualifies, how it differs from a standard 7(a) loan, and what lenders need to see in your books before you apply.
The SBA's 2026 Grocery Guarantee raises its loan guarantee from 75% to 90% for roughly 20 qualifying food-supply-chain NAICS codes, covering loans up to $5 million with terms up to 25 years, and backed 19 loans totaling more than $30 million in its first month.
Connecticut's HB 6856 would be the first US state law to regulate shrinkflation, requiring food manufacturers to post a clear notice for 12 months whenever they shrink a product without cutting its price — enforced as an unfair trade practice by the state Attorney General. Here's who the bill covers, the slack-fill litigation risk that already exists, and how to keep COGS and margin records accurate through a package resize.
A snow cone costs $0.15–$1.25 to make and sells for $2–$5, but that 200–300% margin only covers costs if fixed expenses like truck payments and insurance are spread across a realistic 12–16 week selling season instead of a full year.
Starting July 1, 2026, South Dakota's SB 221 requires a per-location retail license to sell any nicotine product — including vapes and pouches — while HB 1220 raises the wholesaler/distributor license fee from $150 to $1,000 per location. Unlicensed retail sales carry a $500-per-day fine, and retailers must source only from state-licensed wholesalers.
Every state requires breach notice and size doesn't exempt you — map the 30/45/60-day clocks, California SB 446's 30-day and 15-day AG rule, 500/1000 thresholds, risk-of-harm, and run on the shortest deadline.
A code-audit firm selling fixed-scope static audits, hourly remediation, and resold SAST subscriptions runs three ASC 606 revenue-recognition rules under one roof — point-in-time, as-performed, and ratable. This guide covers the chart of accounts to separate them, the principal-vs-agent test for reseller margin, and a worked example posting one client engagement across unearned revenue, unbilled receivables, and subscription margin.
Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia's HB 975 replaces the flat 45% food-to-beverage ratio for mixed beverage licensees with three tiers — no ratio above $48,000 in monthly food sales, 30% between $25,000 and $48,000, and 45% below that — making monthly food-sales tracking a compliance requirement, not just an annual MBAR exercise.
ABA practices bill in 15-minute units under CPT codes 97153 and 97155, face industry-wide denial rates of 15-30%, and see predictable cash-flow dips when six-month prior authorizations lapse before renewal paperwork clears.
Chase rolled out passkey login and a Trusted Contact Person feature in early 2026 to counter AI voice-cloning fraud, which costs small businesses $30,000 to $400,000 per incident on average.
