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Every time I recall that aqua couch with the floral pattern, I shiver. It had once been in the neighbor’s den, comfortably accommodating a family of four, both kids with a bright future … the daughter, in fact, destined to be valedictorian at Wellesley College. But that was several years after they moved away. Disgraced …

This is the second of a two-part post that explores the necessity of small businesses staying on top of tax and compliance issues. Imagine that it is third down and your team is at the ten yard line. You’ve discussed the play; everyone knows where they’ve got to get to. Adrenaline rushes as you keep …

This is Part 1 of a two-part post on the interlocking topics of tax compliance and commercial lenders. CEOs have to keep their eye on at least two races, the first being their strategy to compete, and the second being to do so while in full legal compliance. Full legal compliance means both tax compliance, …

Companies sometimes ask why we are fans of using a payroll service. The answer is simple–because payroll is so complicated. Every employee has different withholding, different benefits, and a different salary schedule. It is truly an accounting nightmare to keep track of all the combinations and permutations of data. Further to the point, doing a …

Tossing and turning at night won’t help your small business get paid, and neither will multiple conversations that rehash the same thread, ”When are we going to see payment?” This is particularly true if you are not the heavyweight contender in your industry. So while your C-suite executive tries to wrangle a new deal and …

If you were kayaking when the skies started to darken and the water began to get choppy, you would head for safer shores. That is how quickly you need to act when I tell you that juggling your firm’s bill payment is creating a circus instead of the best credit score for your small business. …

Some things are just fine when done quick and dirty. You could count among them: Weekday breakfasts, meeting recaps and the greetings on a postcard sent from vacation. But if your business is searching for financing, this is not a process that can be given the quick and dirty. The array of firms that offer …

Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be strategic weaklings. Translation: Openness when you sit around the conference table is not sufficient to build an enduring company. Your team must deeply disagree and be willing to engage in heated discussion in order to thrive. And in many cases, you have to resist the natural …

Slowness is prevalent. Mismanagement is rife. Insight takes too long. Yes, the list of problems that small business owners face is killer long and full of grey areas where they can or cannot control outcomes. But there is one area above all that small business owners do have the power, and that is prioritizing what …

There is a phenomenon where big fish eat smaller fish and so on down the food chain. Although we accept this as a fait accompliin nature, when it happens in business—when bigger firms squeeze medium-sized companies by delaying payments, and those medium-sized firms in turn cause cash flow problems for even smaller businesses, small vendors …