Tales Tax Returns Tell

by Mark Puzdrak

CPA

Mark Puzdrak is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than 13 years of professional experience helping small to medium-sized businesses with their tax and accounting needs including individual, corporate, and partnership income tax returns along with business and individual tax planning. Mark is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Texas and Pennsylvania. He earned both of his bachelor of arts degrees in accounting and finance from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Mark is committed to delivering tax and planning services that meet each client's unique objectives with a focus on services for small to medium-sized businesses as well as clients in the Real Estate, Manufacturing, Entertainment, and Professional Services industries. Mark lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Kelly. He enjoys reading biographies, visiting small Texas towns, and the occasional scotch and cigar.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Such is the tale of the 2018 tax return filing season. The tax savings promised by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) helped many small business owners, while a few did not realize any significant tax savings, and a smaller few failed to take advantage of the deductions offered. Here's a list of a few tax savings that helped small business owners:

Topics: Taxes

Restructuring your business

by Kathy Tremmel

Tremmel Law

Kathy Tremmel has significant experience both as a business attorney and corporate executive. Her career spans both legal practice and business management and she opened her own solo law practice in January 2010. In additional to running her own practice, she also is of Counsel with Selman, Munser & Lerner, which is a business transaction law firm in Austin, Texas. Ms. Tremmel has more than 10 years’ experience as a business attorney, providing transactional legal services to a diverse client base, from start-up ventures to well established companies. She helps companies with all their contracts, including customer agreements, non-compete agreements, employment agreements, buy-sell agreements, loans, and leases, helps people set up new businesses, and represents buyers and sellers of businesses. In addition, Ms. Tremmel has 10 years of management experience working with start-up companies. As VP of Operations at Tusker Group, an international litigation support company, Ms. Tremmel led international teams, managed production and quality issues, handled price negotiations, worked closely with clients to determine the scope of their projects, provided project management services, and developed, implemented and documented best practices for processing and training. Ms. Tremmel earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Colorado School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. She is a Texas licensed attorney and a certified Project Management Professional.

Successful companies evolve over time. It may be necessary to restructure your business to make it more profitable. Typical problems businesses face include acquiring additional capital, shrinking profit margins, unhappy customers, inefficiencies or adopting in an evolving industry. In an effort to address these issues, you may need to add or remove owners, modify ownership interests, change your legal structure, expand operations into other states, sell assets, refinance loans, change operations, add new verticals, remove unprofitable ventures, reorganize business functions, renegotiate contracts or some combination of all of these actions.

Topics: best business practices, business management

June 2019 Lunch and Learn: Benchmarking your business

by Ladd Roberts

Business Bank of Texas

Ladd Roberts is Senior Vice President of Business Bank of Texas, N.A. With over 30 years experience in the banking industry, Ladd brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the bank. For the past 24 years he has served as a small business lender / account manager for several San Antonio area banks. Ladd has a reputation for being a hard working lending officer focused on his customer’s needs. Ladd is active in the community and has served as president of the San Antonio Risk Management Association (RMA), the San Antonio Breakfast Club and a local Rotary Club. He received a B.S degree from Texas A&M (1976), MBA from University of Texas – San Antonio (2002), and attended the prestigious Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU (1991).

While business owners in all industries have different objectives and visions for their companies, nearly all of them share one common goal: to grow their businesses and see them become more profitable.

But as the saying goes, a goal without a plan is just a wish. 

In fact, a business owner who isn’t sure how to plan and measure growth is building his or her business on shaky ground. In order to see steady growth, business owners need to create a plan and monitor their progress toward their goals. That's where benchmarking comes in.

Topics: benchmarking

How long do you plan to be in this business? Part 2

by Mark Puzdrak

CPA

Mark Puzdrak is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than 13 years of professional experience helping small to medium-sized businesses with their tax and accounting needs including individual, corporate, and partnership income tax returns along with business and individual tax planning. Mark is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Texas and Pennsylvania. He earned both of his bachelor of arts degrees in accounting and finance from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Mark is committed to delivering tax and planning services that meet each client's unique objectives with a focus on services for small to medium-sized businesses as well as clients in the Real Estate, Manufacturing, Entertainment, and Professional Services industries. Mark lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Kelly. He enjoys reading biographies, visiting small Texas towns, and the occasional scotch and cigar.

In the last article, we looked at what information companies in the Hit and Quit and the Short Range-Long Term needed in order to be successful. In part two of our series, we will discuss the final two categories of the question, How Long Do You Plan to be in This Business?

  • 100 Year Company: 100+ years
  • Legacy Builder: 100+ years, plus other factors

Before we begin discussing what is needed from a financial standpoint for each of these categories, let me clarify how companies in these categories think. Their thinking is different from the first two categories we discussed in the last article.

Topics: business management

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Make Your Cash Flow Simple and Easy-To-Understand

by Philip Campbell

Consultant, Author

Philip Campbell is a CPA, consultant, and author of the book A Quick Start Guide to Financial Forecasting: Discover the Secret to Driving Growth, Profitability, and Cash Flow Higher. This new book provides a straightforward, easy-to-understand guide to one of the most powerful financial tools in business: a reliable financial forecast. He is also the author of the book Never Run Out of Cash: The 10 Cash Flow Rules You Can’t Afford to Ignore. The book is a step-by-step guide for business owners and managers who want to better understand and manage their cash flow. Since 1990, Philip has served as a financial officer in a number of growing companies with revenues ranging from $5,000,000 million to over $1,000,000,000. He has been involved in the acquisition or sale of 33 companies (and counting) as well as an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. Philip loves helping entrepreneurs and business owners think strategically about the financial side of their business. His consulting work is focused on providing the financial insights that leaders need to increase profits, improve cash flow, and enjoy the fruits of financial success in business. What really sets Philip apart from the average financial person you meet is his passion and excitement about helping entrepreneurs and CEOs take control of their cash flow. In fact, early on in his career, he focused and “preached” so much about the importance of cash flow that people now call him CASH. Philip is the founder of Financial Rhythm, a website devoted to people who are serious about creating financial health, wealth, and freedom in their business. If you're an entrepreneur or business owner, Financial Rhythm is a place to get simple, actionable strategies for creating a financial future that is bigger and brighter than your past. Philip lives in Austin, Texas. You can email Philip at pcampbell@pdq.net.

One of the smartest things you can do in business is pay attention to cash.

Topics: profitability, making money, cash flow

Should my business apply for a Texas trademark?

by Kathy Tremmel

Tremmel Law

Kathy Tremmel has significant experience both as a business attorney and corporate executive. Her career spans both legal practice and business management and she opened her own solo law practice in January 2010. In additional to running her own practice, she also is of Counsel with Selman, Munser & Lerner, which is a business transaction law firm in Austin, Texas. Ms. Tremmel has more than 10 years’ experience as a business attorney, providing transactional legal services to a diverse client base, from start-up ventures to well established companies. She helps companies with all their contracts, including customer agreements, non-compete agreements, employment agreements, buy-sell agreements, loans, and leases, helps people set up new businesses, and represents buyers and sellers of businesses. In addition, Ms. Tremmel has 10 years of management experience working with start-up companies. As VP of Operations at Tusker Group, an international litigation support company, Ms. Tremmel led international teams, managed production and quality issues, handled price negotiations, worked closely with clients to determine the scope of their projects, provided project management services, and developed, implemented and documented best practices for processing and training. Ms. Tremmel earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Colorado School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. She is a Texas licensed attorney and a certified Project Management Professional.

A trademark is a word, name, logo, symbol or design that identifies and distinguishes a product from goods or services developed by other companies.  Technically, a “trademark” is used to identify goods and a “service mark” is used to identify services, although the term “trademark” is often used as a generic term to refer to both types of marks.

A trademark registration grants you exclusive ownership rights to use your trademark in connection with the goods or products you sell.  It also enables you to prevent other businesses or entities from using your trademark.

Topics: best business practices

Alliances and Your Bottom Line

by Jan Triplett

Business Success Center

Jan Triplett, Ph.D. is the CEO of the Business Success Center (BSC), a City of Austin certified green business, that provides sales and financial growth strategies, planning, and implementation. She is also a professor in Business and Professional Skills for the online MBA program at Mary Baldwin University. Triplett is a national and international speaker, author of A Networker’s Guide to Success and co-author of Thinking Big, Staying Small and Easy to be Green. She published The Networker ” magazine for over ten years and moderated KUT radio’s nationally syndicated program, “The Next 200 Years”. She was co-creator of the award-winning “City Management Academy” and the “Owners MBA” and co-founded the Entrepreneurs’ Association Hatchery incubator and accelerator. She is a small business activist. She served as a White House Conference on Small Business and Congressional Summit delegate, served on the Mayor’s Task Force on International Infrastructure, initiated the Northcross IBIZ District and recommended portions of Austin’s Big Box Ordinance. She was a founder of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas and the Greater Austin International Coalition. The SBA honored her as Texas’ Small Business Advocate. She has also earned her CBTAC and Director credentials. Her company received a Small Business Administration (SBA) five-star national award and the Austin Business Journal named it a top 20 management consulting firm.

While a successful alliance can add 17% or more to your bottom line, alliances between businesses are not only useful for increasing sales.

Six areas of your business can engage in and benefit from strategic alliances:

Topics: Business Operations, business management

How long do you plan to be in this business? Part 1

by Mark Puzdrak

CPA

Mark Puzdrak is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than 13 years of professional experience helping small to medium-sized businesses with their tax and accounting needs including individual, corporate, and partnership income tax returns along with business and individual tax planning. Mark is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Texas and Pennsylvania. He earned both of his bachelor of arts degrees in accounting and finance from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Mark is committed to delivering tax and planning services that meet each client's unique objectives with a focus on services for small to medium-sized businesses as well as clients in the Real Estate, Manufacturing, Entertainment, and Professional Services industries. Mark lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Kelly. He enjoys reading biographies, visiting small Texas towns, and the occasional scotch and cigar.

Earlier this year, I presented on a topic called Be the CEO. That presentation mentioned certain questions that should be discussed with your trusted advisor, i.e. your Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO), or CFO, at the beginning of the engagement. One of those questions will be the topic of a two-part article series, How Long Do You Plan to be in This Business?

Topics: Business Operations, business management

UCC Secured Liens in Texas

by Kathy Tremmel

Tremmel Law

Kathy Tremmel has significant experience both as a business attorney and corporate executive. Her career spans both legal practice and business management and she opened her own solo law practice in January 2010. In additional to running her own practice, she also is of Counsel with Selman, Munser & Lerner, which is a business transaction law firm in Austin, Texas. Ms. Tremmel has more than 10 years’ experience as a business attorney, providing transactional legal services to a diverse client base, from start-up ventures to well established companies. She helps companies with all their contracts, including customer agreements, non-compete agreements, employment agreements, buy-sell agreements, loans, and leases, helps people set up new businesses, and represents buyers and sellers of businesses. In addition, Ms. Tremmel has 10 years of management experience working with start-up companies. As VP of Operations at Tusker Group, an international litigation support company, Ms. Tremmel led international teams, managed production and quality issues, handled price negotiations, worked closely with clients to determine the scope of their projects, provided project management services, and developed, implemented and documented best practices for processing and training. Ms. Tremmel earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Colorado School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. She is a Texas licensed attorney and a certified Project Management Professional.

It is common to use the assets of the business as collateral to secure payment of a business loan. A Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) lien filing, or UCC filing, is a notice lenders file to inform others of their claim in the assets owned by the borrower in the event of default. Even though the business owner allows the lender to secure the payment of a business loan with the assets of the business, in many cases, the business owner never sees a copy of the filed lien.

Lessons From 20 Years of Entrepreneurship

by Dave Sather

Sather Financial Group

Dave Sather is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and President of the Sather Financial Group, Inc. Sather Financial Group is a $400 million “fee-only” wealth management firm based in Victoria. Sather Financial is ranked as one of the top independent wealth management firms in the country according to Financial Advisor Magazine. Dave was raised in El Paso, received his B.A. in Business Management from Texas Lutheran University and received his M.B.A. from Texas A&M University. He has spent the past twenty years in the financial analysis, investment and banking industries. Dave is an adjunct professor in the business program at Texas Lutheran University. Additionally, Dave is a director of Business Bank of Texas as well as the Chairman of the Finance and Investments Committee for the Brownson Children’s Home and is a member of the Executive Advisory Council at Texas Lutheran University. He resides in Victoria, Texas.

This week marks our firms 20th anniversary. In 1999 my naïve business plan for a “fee-only” and “fiduciary” investment management firm fit on a cocktail napkin. It was me, a phone and a computer. Thankfully, much has changed since inception and hopefully I’ve learned a bit in the process that may be helpful to others.

Topics: Accounting & Finance, business management, entrepreneurship

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