#operations
Operations
Business operations management, process optimization, and operational efficiency strategies
John Deere's $1M Right-to-Repair Settlement: What It Means for Small Businesses With Dealer-Locked Equipment
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and four other states settled with John Deere on July 8, 2026, forcing 10 years of dealer-equivalent repair access for farmers and independent shops. Here's what dealer-locked equipment costs small businesses beyond agriculture, and how to budget preventive maintenance instead of absorbing emergency repair markups.
USPS's Second 2026 Rate Hike: What the Temporary 8% Surcharge Means for Small Shippers
On April 26, 2026, USPS layered a temporary 8% surcharge on Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select — on top of January's general rate increase — scheduled through January 17, 2027. Why small shippers absorb more of the hit than enterprise accounts, why the sunset date deserves skepticism, and four ways to limit the damage.
Self-Storage Facility Bookkeeping: A Practical Guide for Operators
How self-storage operators should structure a chart of accounts by unit type, reconcile SiteLink or storEDGE with the general ledger, treat move-in discounts as contra-revenue, handle auction proceeds, and report physical occupancy, economic occupancy, and NOI per square foot.
Inventory Shrinkage and Cycle Counting for Small Retailers and Warehouses
A practical guide for small retailers and warehouses to compute their shrink rate, design an ABC-based cycle count program, book shrinkage adjustments to the ledger, and turn variance patterns into loss-prevention action.
Weekly Prime Cost Tracking for Restaurants: Hit the 55–65% Benchmark and Catch Margin Leaks Before Month-End
A working operator's guide to calculating restaurant prime cost every seven days, the 55–65% benchmark by service segment, the five leaks weekly tracking surfaces first, and the bookkeeping setup the cadence requires.
Purchase Orders: What They Are, How They Work, and Why Your Business Needs Them
Learn what a purchase order is, how the PO process works step by step, the four types of purchase orders (standard, planned, blanket, and contract), the difference between POs and invoices, and best practices for managing purchase orders in your business.