Before we get too deep into this, it's necessary to understand that there are two kinds of stock options, nonqualified options (NSO) and incentive stock options (ISO). With either kind of option, the employee gets the right to buy stock at a price fixed today for a defined n...

Consider this situation: A business owner thought an IRA was his money and he could use it to fund his start-up business. Instead, he had his entire IRA disqualified and he was forced by the appellate court to pay substantial penalties and a massive tax bill....

Deducting Volunteering Expenses:  My parents are avid motorcycle riders. It is literally all they do. As soon as the snow melts, those bikes are out, and they will ride as late into the fall as the weather allows, regardless of the temperature, until ice and snow prohibit o...

The promise of the new year lies ahead. One way to help ensure it’s a profitable one is to re-evaluate your company’s pricing strategies. You need to devise an approach that considers more than just what it cost you to produce a product or deliver a service; it also must...

Most business owners would likely agree that selling to existing customers is much easier than finding new ones. Yet many companies continue to squander potential sales to long-term, satisfied customers simply because they don’t create awareness of all their products and s...

Turn on your computer or mobile device, scroll through Facebook or Twitter, or skim a business-oriented website, and you’ll likely come across the term “emerging technologies.” It has become so ubiquitous that you might be tempted to ignore it and move on to something ...

Those who run family-owned businesses often underestimate the need for a succession plan. After all, they say, we’re a family business — there will always be a family member here to keep the company going and no one will stand in the way. Not necessarily. In one all-too...

Many factors go into the success of a company. You’ve got to offer high-quality products or services, provide outstanding customer service, and manage your inventory or supply chain. But there’s at least one other success factor that many business owners often overlook: ...

As the year winds down, business owners can be thankful for the gift of perspective (among other things, we hope). Assuming you created a budget for the calendar year, you should now be able to accurately assess that budget by comparing its estimates to actual results. Your ...

A strong economy leads some company owners to cut back on marketing. Why spend the money if business is so good? Others see it differently — a robust economy means more sales opportunities, so pouring dollars into marketing is the way to go....