SHARE:  
Join Our Email List
A monthly roundup of our top stories:
175plus Big Ideas 2018
Announcing the Newly-Expanded 2018 Edition  of
"175+ Big Ideas for Your Small Business" 
 
Simply subscribe to my  Idea of the Day ® and/or Monthly Newsletter

You're already a subscriber? No worries. Just enter your email address and download the 2018 Edition; our database will recognize your email address so you will NOT receive duplicate mailings. 

Data Breaches of Small Businesses

According to Verizon's 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report ( 11th Edition), there were over 53,000 incidents and 2,216 confirmed data breaches. Of these, 58% were categorized as attacks on small businesses. Exposure to attacks isn't something new; I've previously written about  protecting client and customer data . But this new report sheds some rather startling light on the problem of data breaches for small businesses. 

READ MORE >
What's Your Privacy Policy?

Facebook has recently come under government scrutiny with lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission demanding that the company explain its privacy practices ... how it uses customer data and what it does to safeguard this information. Facebook, like all other big companies, have privacy policies explaining to website visitors and customers about collecting and releasing information. These policies address such questions as "Is this information kept confidential?" "Is it shared with others?" and "Is it sold to others?" What's your privacy policy?

Are You Confused by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?

If so, you're not alone.  According to a survey by Reliant Funding, 53% of small businesses are confused by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and plan to seek expert tax advice. Yet another 22% don't even know about the new law.

Business Travel
5 Things to Know about Business Travel

April 24, 2018, is the first ever National Business Traveler Day launched by Upside, a service for the DIY business traveler, and 23 other leading companies across the U.S. The purpose of the day: to recognize the importance of business travel to the U.S. economy. Here are 5 things to know - good and bad - about business travel.

READ MORE >
Disruptive Thinking for Your Business

Winston Churchill said,  "Kites rise highest against the wind-not with it."  For businesses to succeed in a big way, owners need to use disruptive thinking. Here's what this means for you.

5 Things to Do for Your Business (and Yourself) with a Tax Refund

Most owners of small businesses have pass-through entities (e.g., sole proprietorships, S corporations, partnerships, LLCs) and report their share of income on their personal tax returns. At this time of the year they may receive a tax refund related to their personal returns. Here are 5 things to do about these tax refunds.

Accountable Plans Revisited

Accountable plans are an IRS-approved way to reimburse employees for various business expenses in a tax-advantaged manner. Everyone wins ... employees are not taxed on reimbursements (the reimbursements not even reported on W-2s) and employers don't pay employment taxes on the reimbursements. Accountable plans have been around for a long time, but with changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, they are more important than ever. Here's why you need to revisit accountable plans now ... expand what you have or adopt one if you don't ... and how they work.

READ MORE > 
Humor in the Workplace

"Humor Is Serious Business" is the title of an article that appeared last year in a Stanford Business Graduate School publication and it really hit home for me after the long tax season this year. The gist of the article is that there's not enough humor in the workplace. It's been statistically demonstrated that people laugh more on weekends; people laughed more before they entered the workplace. Bringing humor to the workplace is important ...

5 Challenges for Family-Owned Businesses

SCORE found that of the 28.8 million small businesses in the U.S., 19% are family-owned businesses (any business in which two or more family members operate the company and the majority control lies within the family). These businesses employ 60% of the U.S. workforce and generate 64% of America's gross domestic product (GDP). Yet these businesses face unique challenges. Here are five to consider, and what to do about them:
 Small Business Edge Podcast with Brian Moran 


SMB Experts logo
Plan Ahead to Make the Most of Your Cash Flow
Top 20 Tax Deductions for Small Business

Business owners know that most expenditures can be written off, although there may be limits and timing issues. So what are the most popular deductions for small businesses? See which ones apply for your 2017 tax return and think about which may impact your 2018 tax year for purposes of estimating taxes and business planning.


I'm honored and grateful for the ongoing recognition of my blog; recently included in the  Top 20 Global Small Business Blogs 2018

Do You Host Tweetchats?  
If so, let us know! We want to  include yours in our calendar of high-quality Tweetchats for small business and entrepreneurs . Send us the details: name of sponsor(s), host(s), topic, date and time, and hashtag!
SMB Taxes 2018
J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2018: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line

This is the small business owner's ultimate guide to a money-saving, stress-free tax season.  Get your copy from Amazon today! 

Note: The FREE, online Supplement to the book has been published on my web site here. It includes revisions made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other tax changes.

 

Stay connected and see what's happening on our social media sites:
 Visit our blog         View on Instagram

May, 2018 | Copyright © Big Ideas for Small Business, Inc.