Category: Manufacturing

There are many ways for employers to conduct annual performance reviews. So many, in fact, that owners of small to midsize businesses may find the prospect of implementing a state-of-the-art performance review process overwhelming.The simple truth is that smaller companies m...

Life presents us with many choices: paper or plastic, chocolate or vanilla, regular or decaf. For businesses, a common conundrum is buy or lease. You’ve probably faced this decision when considering office space or a location for your company’s production facilities. But...

Strategic planning comprises two primary tasks: establishing strategic goals and achieving them. Many business owners would probably say the first part, coming up with objectives, is relatively easy. It’s that second part — accomplishing those goals — that can really c...

“I could sell water to a whale.”  Indeed, most salespeople possess an abundance of confidence. One could say it’s a prerequisite for the job. Because of their remarkable self-assurance, sales staffers might appear to be largely autonomous. Hand them something to sell,...

For many businesses, offering employees a 401(k) plan is no longer an option — it’s a competitive necessity. But employees often grow so accustomed to having a 401(k) that they don’t pay much attention to it.  It’s in your best interest as a business owner to buck t...

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act imposed a new limitation for business interest expense.  Interest expense for the year is limited to 30% of adjusted taxable income plus any floor plan financing interest paid by vehicle dealers under new code section 163(j)(1).  This limitation ap...

Many companies, especially those that operate in areas prone to natural disasters, should consider business interruption insurance. Unlike a commercial property policy, which may cover certain repairs of damaged property, this coverage generally provides the cash flow to cov...

With the year underway, your business probably has a strategic plan in place for the months ahead. Or maybe you’ve created a general outline but haven’t quite put the finishing touches on it yet. In either case, there’s a time-tested approach to refining your strategic...

One of the changes made to the tax laws by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was to disallow a tax deduction for qualified transportation fringe benefits businesses provide to their employees. Qualified transportation fringe benefits (QTFs) include:...

Forensic accountants are best qualified to unearth the “hows and whys” of occupational fraud. But it’s up to employers to know when it’s time to call for professional help in the first place. The signs of fraud can be easy to miss, but they’re usually there....

A good marketing plan should be like a network of well-paved, clearly marked roads shooting out into the world and leading back to your company. But, all too easily, a business can get stuck in the mud while trying to build these thoroughfares, leaving its marketing message ...

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...