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SAM Alert August 2022

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SAM, BSC small and mighty watchdog
SAM, the small and mighty, alerts small business owners

SAM, BSC’s Small and Mighty LEGISLATIVE WATCHDOG points to:

Pass-through businesses should pay attention to the BIG bill going through the Senate!

BUILD BACK BETTER bill is not just about climate change. It also includes the potential of a new higher tax rate coming your way if you are a sole proprietor, Partnership, S Corp, or LLC, i.e. a pass-through business.

Read about both sides of the issue, then decide your POV and take action (including making sure your tax advisor is following this):

• Benefits to business: https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/what-are-the-benefits-of-pass-through-taxation
• WSJ commentary on Shumer-Manchin Bill and the IRS: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-irs-is-about-to-go-beast-mode-chuck-schumer-joe-manchin-audit-taxes-middle-class-joe-biden-11659477320?mod=hp_opin_pos_1
• Disadvantages: https://taxfoundation.org/house-democrats-pass-through-business-tax/
• Implications of the change to your pass-through business: https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/repealing-flawed-pass-through-deduction-should-be-part-of-recovery-legislation

Pass-through income is only subject to a single layer of income tax and is generally taxed as ordinary income up to the maximum 37 percent rate. However, certain pass-through income is eligible for a 20 percent deduction, which reduces the top tax rate to a maximum of 29.6 percent. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created a new 20 percent deduction for certain pass-through income through 2025, after which the measure is scheduled to expire.
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-are-pass-through-businesses-taxed

6 Ways to Improve Your Sales Projections

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Measure sales carefully to be profitable.

Measure sales carefully to be profitable.

Your sales projection formula is key to more accurate financial projections and to the success of your business.

Sales projection formulas are always wrong. Here are six ways to improve them.

Sales projections are wrong because…

  1. Sales projections are not supposed to be right. They need to be relevant.
    They’re a snapshot. They are a specific point in time, based on relevant data and criteria and are defensible within limits. They give you an idea of what to expect each week or month or year. Improve your sales projections by making sure you don’t accept the projected sales numbers without question — including your own numbers. The answers you get from salespeople in terms of what they think will close have to be reasonable and with some sort of basis not just hype and hope. [Read more…]

Inspiring 5-Star Holiday Business-Related Films

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You can be entertained and inspired at the same time this holiday season or any time of the year with these business-related films. What a combination.

Even your family and friends will enjoy them.

So will your employees. You might want to have a movie party or film festival  instead of what you usually do to celebrate the season.

Some of these holiday films are old and some are new but they have one thing in common: they will leave you with ideas, a smile and maybe a happy tear or two. Best of all none of these are snarky. The people really care about each other, instead of trying to rip each other apart or outdo each other. These are all 5-star!

1. Holiday (1938) is all about vision and sticking to your guns. Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn show that money doesn’t mean everything and that being true to your vision — even if it’s unorthodox.  We know, and the characters know, that making your vision come true can be painful but rmore rewarding than following the herd and what is expected.

2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947 Maureen O’Hara & John Payne) is what good customer service should be all about — giving people the opportunity to buy if it’s the right choice for them. It’s about believing in yourself when others don’t. Yes, I believe in Santa Claus (or at least what he stands for.)

3. Desk Set (1957 Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn) is a tale of  trade secrets and technology that can backfire good intentions. It demonstrates the need to recognize the employee grapevine we all have — even if we only have one employee. Every well-meaning owner should watch it if they are planning major changes to their business. And, remember what they learned!

4. We’re No Angels (1955) Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov become temporary employees and use unusual methods to help out a well-meaning business man. Think about what your employees do for you and be thankful.

5. Other People’s Money (1991) Danny De Vito and Gregory Peck point out the good and bad of corporate takeovers. Darker than the rest of the films listed and not holiday-driven, it is highly relevant today as current businesses struggle with the issue of what is good for employees and what is good for shareholders who are also employees. It’s a thinking movie that lends itself to discussions between employees and management and even other stakeholders.

6. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017 Dan Stevens & Christopher Plummer) is not just about creatives like Charles Dickens. Most owners go through business blockages from time to time and live with businesses that always don’t cooperate. They can be messy and inefficient. Downright unprofitable and scary. When you go back to your roots and use the resources that you are exposed to, great things can happen.

We hope you will add to the list and watch some of these treasures. Be sure to share them with others.

Business Owners Hierarchy of Needs

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What motivates business owners? It depends on where they are in the owners' hierarchy of needs.

What motivates business owners? It depends on where they are in the owners’ hierarchy of needs.

You’ve probably heard of Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”. He identified how a person’s needs dominate motivation and behavior and that there is a specific order in which they should be met.

His theory suggested that the basic needs (physiological, safety, love and belonging) had to be met before the individual will desire and pursue higher levels of needs (esteem, self actualization, and self transcendence).

If a need is not met, the individual will feel tense and anxious. Although people may have several needs at any time, one will dominate their actions. [Read more…]

What a CFO Can Do to Improve the Sales System

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Role-playing dice have nothing on the role-playing CFO when it comes to improving the sales system.Photo by cal-harding from flickr. Role-playing dice are like the role-playing CFO whose job includes improving the sales system. Photo by cal_harding from flickr.

Role-playing dice have nothing on the role-playing CFO when it comes to improving the sales system.Photo by cal-harding from flickr.

What can a CFO do to improve the company’s sales system? What do they even know about sales?  You’d be surprised.

If you’re the CFO and CEO, the following applies to you. If you’re both of these plus the Director of Sales and maybe even the Chief Salesperson, you still need to include the tasks below in order to improve the results of your sales system. [Read more…]