#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Comic Book and Trading Card Shop Bookkeeping: Why Your Inventory Isn't Really Your Inventory
How comic and TCG shops should book consignment splits, buylist store credit, and graded-card cost basis — consigned goods stay off the balance sheet, store credit is a liability until redeemed, and high-value singles need specific identification, not average costing. Plus where the IRS draws the hobby-vs-dealer line, from the nine-factor §1.183-2(b) test to the 28% collectibles rate.
Commercial Property Insurance Non-Renewal: The Climate Risk Crunch Hitting Small Business
Commercial property insurers are raising premiums, cutting coverage, and non-renewing policies in wildfire, flood, and hurricane-exposed areas — this guide explains why it's happening and outlines seven concrete steps small business owners can take before their next renewal notice arrives.
Connecticut's July 2026 Business Laws: All-In Pricing, Right-to-Repair, and a Lower Data Privacy Threshold
Connecticut's July 1, 2026 laws require all-in advertised pricing, give independent repair shops manufacturer-level access to parts and documentation, and drop the CTDPA's coverage threshold to 35,000 residents with no-threshold triggers for sensitive data and data sales.
Connecticut's Paid Sick Leave Law Now Covers 11+ Employees: What Changed in 2026
Connecticut's paid sick leave law now covers employers with 11 or more employees as of January 1, 2026, dropping to zero threshold by 2027, while 17 states plus D.C. mandate some form of paid sick leave with accrual typically at one hour per 30 hours worked.
The CPSC eFiling Mandate: What Small Importers Need to Know Now
Starting July 8, 2026, the CPSC requires importers to eFile certificate-of-compliance data directly into CBP's ACE system for every regulated shipment, with violations risking penalties up to $120,500 per infraction.
Debt Collection Agency Bookkeeping: Trust Accounts, Contingency Fees, and FDCPA Compliance
Debt collection agencies must hold client recoveries in a segregated trust account, recognize contingency fees only after collection, and run monthly three-way reconciliations of bank balance, book balance, and client ledger totals to avoid commingling violations and FDCPA compliance gaps.
Digital Estate Planning for Business Owners: What Happens to Your Domains, Crypto, and Cloud Accounts When You're Gone
An estimated 20% of all Bitcoin is permanently inaccessible because owners died without sharing private keys — a practical guide to inventorying domains, crypto wallets, and cloud accounts under RUFADAA before a crisis forces the issue.
Bookkeeping for Dog Boarding and Pet Sitting Businesses: Platform Income, Sub-Sitter 1099s, and Home-Office Rules
How dog boarding and pet sitting businesses should track revenue by service line, reconcile Rover and Wag payouts against the $20,000/200-transaction 1099-K threshold, file 1099-NECs for sub-sitters paid $600 or more, and apply the strict exclusive-use home-office rule — the childcare daycare exception does not extend to pet care.
The Duty Drawback Program: How Importers and Exporters Recover Up to 99% of Tariffs Paid
U.S. duty drawback refunds up to 99% of import duties when goods are re-exported or destroyed, and claims can reach back five years. Here's which tariffs qualify (Section 301, the 2026 Section 122 surcharge), which don't (Section 232), and the import records CBP requires to approve a claim.
Dynamic Currency Conversion: The Hidden 3-7% Checkout Fee and How to Account for It
Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) marks up foreign-card payments 3-7% above the interbank rate — sometimes 12-18% — and splits the revenue among DCC providers, acquirers, and merchants. Here is who profits, the Visa/Mastercard disclosure rules merchants must follow, and how to book DCC rebates and settlement variances separately from sales revenue.
Ecuador's RIMPE Tax Recategorization: What Changed for 70,000 Small Businesses in 2026
Ecuador's SRI automatically recategorized roughly 70,000 RIMPE taxpayers on July 1, 2026 — about 14,000 moved from Negocio Popular to Emprendedor and 56,000 were pushed into the General Tax Regime — here's how to check your new bracket and what changes.
What Losing an Employee Actually Costs: The Replacement-Cost Math Small Business Owners Skip
Replacing a departing $55,000-a-year employee typically costs 50% to 200% of their annual salary once separation, recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity, and ramp-up drag are added together — often $16,500 to $80,000+ per departure.