Many small business CEOs and CFOs say they would like to offer a retirement plan to their employees, but they’re concerned about the cost, complexity and red tape they think will be involved. This is probably one reason why just one-third (34 percent) of companies with fewer than 100...
If nothing else, you can certainly say that the U.S. Congress has a flair for the dramatic. After letting the country technically fall over the fiscal cliff, Congress finally passed a compromise bill, the American Taxpayer Relief Act, on New Year’s Day. President Obama quickly signed the bill into...
Nearly three years ago, Congress passed and President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare. Now that it has survived a Supreme Court challenge and last year’s Presidential election, the ACA is ensured to remain in place for the foreseeable future. If your...
Businesses often live by the mantra, “the customer is always right,” but customer evaluation can tell a different story.
For B2B relationships, smart managers understand that sometimes a customer is not right for their business. Sometimes you need to fire your customer.
Customer evaluation should be an...
“Our employees are our greatest asset.” Countless CEOs have made this statement, and no doubt, most of them believe it. The actions of many companies, however, say something else. With the unemployment rate (both nationally and in California) at historically high levels the past few years, some companies have adopted...
Over the past few months, we have been discussing the potential impact of the “fiscal cliff” on businesses and taxpayers.
As the end of the year nears without any agreement, Congress is debating changes to the tax code, such as no longer allowing the mortgage interest...
If you ask ten CEOs or CFOs if they want to grow their business, ten will probably answer with an emphatic “Yes!” After all, a business that isn’t growing is either stagnant or, worse, in decline. But growing just for growth’s sake isn’t necessarily the best strategy. While reviving...
Most CEOs and CFOs are well aware of the importance of business planning and creating a formal business plan document. Not as many, though, give as much thought to strategic planning. In fact, many CEOs and CFOs believe that business planning and strategic planning are the same thing, but they’re...
In our last article, we talked about the importance of planning early and adequately for business succession. Failure to do so can have serious negative implications for both the business entity and the owner. One of the first steps in succession planning is identifying your primary succession goals. This will help...
Succession planning is one of those things that business owners sometimes put on their back burner, but never get around to really focusing on until succession is literally staring them in the face. However, failing to plan early and adequately for business succession can have serious implications—for both the...