I get a great deal of value from my annual membership with the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives, and one of the most valuable benefits is free access to their Cooperative Learning Network — “webinars that provide easy access to presentations, panel discussions and conversations by leading experts and fellow members on a variety of topics and issues important to those in the cooperative world”. (I would argue that any small business consultant will get great value from these — not just those who work with co-ops.) However, you can take these classes as a non-member as well, for a small fee (usually $56), which includes CPE credit. They are usually well worth it, as there are some topics that they cover, such as small business fraud and preparing for a third-party audit, that no other accounting/bookkeeping membership organization seems to do quite as well.
I mention this because they have a great line-up of CLNs in the next few months and I wanted to highlight some of them:
For those out there considering expanding your scope to include cooperatives, I strongly encourage it, as there are simply not enough co-op bookkeepers and accountants out there to fill the need; cooperatives are one of the fastest-growing segments of the small business population and we need your help to keep them on solid financial footing. NSAC offers Basic and Advanced Cooperative Accounting Seminars — training in the core concepts unique to working for or with cooperatives such as equity management, tax planning and risk management.
I’ll be attending all three of the above webinars and hope to “see” you there!
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. Ths allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
The National Federation of Independent Business is hosting a free webinar with special guest, Matt Evans, CPA, SMA, CFM. Join them as he reviews the benefits of the ERC program, a refundable tax credit that could be worth up to $33,000 per employee for qualified wages an eligible employer pays to employees after March 12, 2020, and before December 31, 2021.
In this FREE webinar, Matt will explain how to:
• Determine ERC eligibility; • Calculate the amount of ERC; • Access and apply for the ERC; and • Utilize both the PPP and ERC programs.
NFIB hosts Beth Milito and Holly Wade will conclude the webinar with LIVE Q&A to answer your PPP, ERC, FFCRA, and EIDL questions. You can submit your questions ahead of the webinar using the registration form so they can make sure to answer them.
Can’t make this webinar? Don’t worry! Register now and they’ll email you an on-demand version.
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. Ths allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
BACP offers free business education workshops or webinars every Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Due to COVID-19, all programs are currently being offered as webinars. Topics include business licensing, operations, financial resources, marketing, and more. Programs are free and open to the public and taught by industry professionals, not-for-profit agencies, and government agencies.
Wednesday, 5/5 Webinar at 3:00 PM City Inspections – Ask Questions, Get Answers Presented by the City of Chicago The Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection, Department of Public Health, and the Department of Buildings will provide insight on how operate a compliant business in the City of Chicago. Topics covered will include how to prepare for inspections, building permits and sign display requirements, food inspection overview and necessary certificates, and zoning review procedures. Learn how to operate safely and avoid common setbacks. Register for the 5/5 Webinar
Friday, 5/7 Webinar at 9:30 AM Business Licensing 101 Presented by the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) Attendees will learn the process to obtain a business license and how to access free resources and support for your business. Register for the 5/7 Webinar
Wednesday, 5/12 at 3:00 PM Understanding & Clarifying Your Brand Identity Presented By: Stacey Pitts Caldwell, Center Director, SBDC at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce & Owner, SMP Creative™ Business & Design Now, more than ever it is critical that small businesses grasp the core concepts of branding to begin developing a strong brand position. In this webinar, you will gain a better understanding of your existing brand, learn what it takes to create a new brand, or simply refresh your basic knowledge of branding to help you connect and engage with your customers. All businesses, from pre-venture and start-ups to established enterprises are welcome to explore the following topics: Brand Identity, Brand Communications, Personality & Inspiration, and Storytelling. Register for the 5/12 Webinar
Jueves, 5/13 Webinar at 10:00 AM (workshop will be presented in Spanish) Licencamiento Comercial 101 Presentado por la Ciudad de Chicago Departamento de Asuntos Comerciales y Protección del Consumidor(BACP) Centro de Negocios Pequeños(SBC) Los asistentes aprenderán el proceso para obtener una licencia comercial y como acceder a recursos y soporte gratuitos para su negocio. Registrarse para the 5/13 Webinar
Friday, 5/21 Webinar at 9:30 AM Grants, incentives, and FREE assistance for your business Presented by Andrew Fogaty, Executive Director 36Squared Business Incubator Every year the City, State and Federal government spends MILLIONS of dollars to provide grants, incentives and free assistance to Chicago area companies. Was your company one of them? Come to this FREE informative event and learn how your business can access assistance for everything from building improvement and property acquisition to export assistance and government contracting. Register for the 5/21 Webinar
Wednesday, 5/26 Webinar at 3:00 PM Transform Your Dream into a Real Startup Presented by Score Chicago Do you have what it takes to start and run a successful business? If so, do you know what the start-up journey is like? Or what initial steps you need to take? This webinar will help you assess your prospects, give you the initial direction you need, and inspire you to move forward to realize your dream. The webinar will also cover pricing, promotion, competition and marketing to give you a competitive edge. Register for the 5/26 Webinar
BACP offers free business education workshops or webinars every Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Due to COVID-19, all programs are currently being offered as webinars. Topics include business licensing, operations, financial resources, marketing, and more. Programs are free and open to the public and taught by industry professionals, not-for-profit agencies, and government agencies.
Friday, 4/9 Webinar at 9:30 AM Better Business Opportunities Presented by Chase for Business Powerful networks mean more business opportunities. In today’s business world, leaders prefer to become intermingled in important transactions with people they trust. Relationships establish and fortify that trust. That’s why serious serial entrepreneurs, influencers, deal makers and multiple project players choose to seek out exclusive business networking opportunities. Please join us to learn more about how to align yourself with powerful networks! Register for the 4/9 Webinar
Wednesday, 4/14 Webinar at 3:00 PM Obtaining a Liquor License in the City of Chicago Presented by the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) This webinar will provide a general overview of the liquor licensing process in the City of Chicago. We will discuss the different types of liquor licenses, an overview of the application process, and items to consider before submitting an application. Register for the 4/14 Webinar
Friday, 4/16 Webinar at 9:30 AM How to Write a Business Plan. What you need to know! Presented by Donna R. Rockin, Managing Partner at Rockin Enterprises, Inc. Learn how to create a comprehensive business plan. It’s easier than you think when you understand all the components that get included. You’ll receive a complete list of what to include to demystify the process. Writing a solid business plan is your roadmap to business success. Register for the 4/16 Webinar
Wednesday, 4/21 Webinar at 3:00 PM SBA update: Recovery Programs for Entrepreneurs Presented by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Illinois District Office Join presenters from the U.S. Small Business Administration for an overview of small business relief programs and learn how you can access immediate relief for your entrepreneurial needs. The presenters will discuss the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, and other relief options for small businesses. Bring your questions! There will be time for Q&A. Register for the 4/21 Webinar
Friday, 4/23 Webinar at 9:30 AM To Thine Own Self Be True; Discovering the Value in Your Personal Brand Presented by Nina Abnee, Professional Lecture and Advertising Professional in Residence at DePaul University; a certified Leadership Coach; and former advertising executive Nina Abnee is a Professional Lecture and Advertising Professional in Residence at DePaul University; a certified Leadership Coach; and former advertising executive. She has combined her expertise in crafting brand strategies with her training as a professional coach to help people discover their own authentic brand and create momentum for their lives and businesses. Register for the 4/23 Webinar
Wednesday, 4/28 Webinar at 3:00 PM Know Your Rights The Office of Labor Standards presents overview of worker rights and employer responsibilities during COVID-19 under Minimum Wage, Paid Sick Leave, Anti-Retaliation Ordinances. Register for the 4/28 Webinar
Friday, 4/30 Webinar at 9:30 AM Legal Framework for Small Businesses Presented by: Lema Khorshid, Fuksa Khorshid, LLC The legal component of a business sets the foundation and structure for a sustainable business. A business climate is everchanging, but valuable legal tips are a resource. Learn the top 10 legal tips for small business success through an interactive webinar. The Q&A set up will provide useful and practical tips on legal essentials such as incorporation, contracts, and more. Register for the 4/30 Webinar
The Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) Entrepreneur Certificate Program is a free and optional program available to attendees of the free BACP business education workshop and webinar series.
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. Ths allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
4/7/2021 UPDATE: I attended yesterday’s Independent Restaurant Coalition zoom call, and wrote up notes here. Please give it a read after you’ve taken a look at the blog post below, as it answers some FAQs.
4/1/2021 UPDATE: the SBA just announced that RRF applicants will not need a DUNS number or SAM account. This is a change from March, when it was expected that applications would require this process as they currently do under the Shuttered Venues Operators (SVO) grant program. The shift by SBA recognized the significant demand for the program – up to hundreds of thousands of applicants are expected.
From the start of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), my small business clients — specifically the restaurants, bars, cafes and caterers — were confused and frustrated. We put so much time and effort into applying for PPP funds, working through the tortuous planning for spending in a way that would lead to 100% forgiveness, and had practically nothing left to show for it. Shuttered or take-out only, there was simply not enough revenue coming in to support the extremely high labor, inventory, and overhead costs typical of the industry. Had it not been for state and local grants, most of them would have had to close their doors permanently.
They weren’t alone — in fact, restaurant lobbyists have been working for many months on crafting financial relief legislation that suits the specific needs of the hospitality industry. And I’m amazed to say — they did a great job, and most of it made it into the final law. Unlike the constantly-changing mess that the PPP has been, this new program is thought-through, carefully-written, and has clearly learned from PPP’s mistakes. (It’s also taken the better part of a year to bring it into existence, so there are two sides to this coin, as is usually the case.) And it will be opening soon.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), as it is now known, was signed into law as part of the recent American Rescue Plan Act. Unlike the PPP, which was based on payroll costs, the RRF is structured to disburse tax-free federal grants in the amount of a restaurant’s “pandemic-related revenue loss“.
Grants are calculated by subtracting 2020 receipts from those of 2019. PPP funds received will offset (reduce) the grant amount, but those funds will not be considered part of gross receipts. The total grant amount for an eligible business and any affiliated businesses is capped at $10 million and is limited to $5 million per physical location of the business.
In addition to basing the award amount on revenue loss rather than any other measure, other features of the RRF program that seem a better fit for restaurants are the flexibility on how the funds can be spent and over how long (Feb 15, 2020-Dec 31, 2021). Categories of eligible costs include:
payroll;
principal or interest on mortgage obligations;
rent;
utilities;
maintenance (including construction to accommodate outdoor seating);
supplies such as protective equipment and cleaning materials;
normal food and beverage inventory;
operational expenses;
and many other expenses that the SBA determines to be essential to maintaining operations.
Another area where there is a great deal of flexibility — eligible entities can be “a restaurant, food stand, food truck, food cart, caterer, saloon, inn, tavern, bar, lounge, brewpub, tasting room, taproom, licensed facility or premise of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products, or other similar place of business in which the public or patrons assemble for the primary purpose of being served food or drink.”
There will be an initial 21-day period when the SBA will prioritize awarding grants for businesses owned by women, veterans, or socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
To learn more, I strongly encourage you to read the Independent Restaurant Coalition’s FAQ, and attend one of their upcoming zoom “round table” webinars. The next ones will be held on Tuesday, April 6th at 12pm ET / 9am PT, and Wednesday, April 7th at 11am ET / 8am PT.
4/1/2021 UPDATE: In today’s AICPA Town Hall, they shared that the SBA has announced that RRF applicants should prepare with the following next steps —
The “checklist similar to SVOG” refers to another program, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant — their checklist can be found on a download via the SBA website. We expect a similar one to be released specifically for RRF soon, but this is probably a good guideline.
I’m looking forward to seeing at least one Covid-19 financial relief program play out right and run smoothly — which I recognize may be too much to ask, but for the sake of all our beloved community watering holes, gathering spots, and the places that nourish our bodies and souls, I will keep my fingers crossed. They’ve been through so much already and I would love to see this program help them make it to the finish line.
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. Ths allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
My trusted colleagues over at Wegner CPAs are putting on a two-week series of FREE webinars geared toward small business owners. They will go through each of the following current Federal relief programs designed to help small businesses make it through to a brighter day:
Employee Retention Credit 2021
Employee Retention Credit 2020
Shuttered Venue Operator Grants
Paycheck Protection Program
Restaurant Revitalization Fund
Economic Injury Disaster Loans
All of these programs have been changed over the past month to make them more useful to small business owners — often with the effect that multiple programs are available simultaneously. The resulting complexity is a real challenge, but the amount of financial relief available makes it worth learning what you can (and potentially working with a professional to make it happen).
We have been reaching out directly to clients who we believe qualify for each of these programs — but if you work with us and think you are eligible, yet haven’t been contacted, please let me know.
Employee Retention Credit 2021 Tuesday, March 30, 2021 10:00 am – 10:30 am CDT (8:00 am PT / 11:00 pm ET) ERC in 2021 can result in big dollars for your organization. We will discuss how to determine if you’re eligible and how to be sure you file for the credit timely. Register
Employee Retention Credit 2020 Wednesday, March 31, 2021 10:00 am – 10:30 am CDT (8:00 am PT / 11:00 pm ET) Were you eligible for ERC in 2020? Find out as we take a deeper dive into the credit eligibility requirements and rules for last year. We’ll also review what you need to do to claim the credit for 2020. Register
Shuttered Venue Operator Grants Thursday, April 1, 2021 10:00 am – 10:30 am CDT (8:00 am PT / 11:00 pm ET) The SVOG portal opens on April 8th. Are you eligible and ready to apply? Join us to learn more about the program and what you need to be doing now to prepare. Register
Paycheck Protection Program Tuesday, April 6, 2021 10:00 am – 10:30 am CDT (8:00 am PT / 11:00 pm ET) Updates continue to roll out for PPP. We’ll discuss what the soon to be signed extension means for applicants and tips on getting through the application process. We’ll also review the updated loan calculation for Schedule C filers. Don’t forget about PPP loan forgiveness! Register
Restaurant Revitalization Fund Wednesday, April 7, 2021 10:00 am – 10:30 am CDT (8:00 am PT / 11:00 pm ET) The SBA announced that they hope to have RRF up and running by early April. We will review timely released guidance and how to prepare for applying to the program. Register
Economic Injury Disaster Loans Thursday, April 8, 2021 10:00 am – 10:30 am CDT (8:00 am PT / 11:00 pm ET) The EIDL program has continued to evolve over this last year. There are EIDL loans and EIDL grant advances. Are you eligible for either? Learn more about this program and the changes that have come from the last two stimulus bills. Register
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. Ths allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
As with all interviews, one shares more information than can be printed, so I always enjoy posting the full interview here on my blog.
What are your goals for 2021 in the following areas for yourself and/or your business?
Career goals: What would you like to accomplish professionally in 2021, and why?
It has been a long-standing goal to start putting my company’s internal systems on the same level of importance as client work… to prioritize them in the spirit of “Profit First” (which I’m also terrible at doing, despite being an accountant). Everyone else’s needs always seem more pressing than our own company’s: cybersecurity, engagement letters, contracts, operating agreements, workflows/ procedures/ standardization, and billing. I would love to “catch up” and focus on my own company’s health with as much passion and investment as I show my clients’ companies. To that end, I am hoping to slow down client acquisition growth (we always have a waiting list, so this is challenging), develop staff internally, and hire an administrator to help keep me on-track and focused on these projects.
Technology skills: What technology skills will be most important for your job in 2021? Is there anything new you’d like to learn?
I have prided myself on being at the forefront of accounting technology for a long time, compared to many CPAs — most colleagues that I know either focus on the tax side or the bookkeeping side, whereas we make it our goal to straddle both worlds and provide value-added accounting services in doing so. I think we pull that off quite well where our clients are concerned — we have a rich tech stack and solid implementation resources for automating accounting, bookkeeping, point of sale, payroll, retirement and similar systems. However, internally, our own systems are very disjointed. Because of the challenges of staff growth and migrating away from legacy software, we do not follow the same advice we give clients — to make sure all the apps in our tech stack “talk to each other”. Therefore, technology-wise, my goals align with the career goals I mentioned earlier: focus on internal needs and improving workflows to make us more efficient. This includes migrating time-tracking & billing software, using Zapier to automate client onboarding and database population, and switching file upload software to automatically connect with our cloud file servers.
Professional development: What professional development goals do you have for 2021, and what learning opportunities are most helpful to you?
Continuing education is never-ending in our firm! It seems my staff and I are always attending one webinar or another — on such diverse topics as PPP (my favorites being the AICPA Town Halls and Alan Gassman‘s periodic free sessions); ERC and tax law changes (Tom Gorczynski and Tony Nitti are favorites); Intuit’s QuickBooks Online In The Know updates; and app demos (I recommend Hector Garcia, Heather Satterley, and Cathy Iconis‘s regular offerings)… as well as the usual suspects, such as tax updates (I never miss the NATP Annual Conference, and usually attend Tax Speaker‘s year-end class), and co-operative topics (a niche market for my firm, I like the NSAC webinars as well as the annual CPG Conference). CPA Academy also offers highly-specific free or low-cost webinars that I find quite valuable. I provide a good budget for both time and course costs to my staff because I want them all to be as excited about learning new things as I am. We each have different interests and areas of expertise.
Business opportunities: What are your business goals for 2021, and why?
The pandemic made me realize how much of a dedicated following my award-winning blog has… it truly hadn’t hit home until I realized I was one of the only reliable sources nationally for the constantly-changing Paycheck Protection Program. I started offering free zoom Q&A sessions to my clients and colleagues every week, and some of these I shared on the blog. The feedback has been incredible. It reminded me how much I love teaching, and gave me renewed interest in offering low-cost educational materials and sessions specific to small business owners (and the bookkeepers and accountants who assist them). I’ll be exploring this direction more in the coming year.
Anything else: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
My staff and I have operated a remote company for years, but I still met with clients in-person most of the time. This limited the personal goal I had of becoming a “digital nomad” and traveling while working (my husband’s software development work is 100% remote). The pandemic changed all that — we were in Yucatán, Mexico on a tax-season work retreat when Covid-19 hit, and we simply never went back home to Chicago. (We intend to do so once a vaccine is widely-available.) My clients had the opportunity to discover that I am every-bit as involved in my hyper-local community from afar as I was at home, and the silver lining is that I am now considering what my new office will look like… will it be half-a-year in Chicago and the other half elsewhere? Will we sell our home and live on a boat? What about every tax season being somewhere sunny? The options are endless and give me some extra energy and anticipation while I trudge through the challenging task of keeping my small business clients afloat to see a brighter future.
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. This allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
I’ll cover the following topics: 1) Paycheck Protection Program Summary 2) Current Program Overview 3) Eligibility 4) How To Apply 5) Where To Apply 6) Forgiveness Basics 7) Resources & Questions
Slides will be available through Rep. Guzzardi’s office by request, and I will link to a recording here on my blog.
As an exciting bonus, the webinar will be translated into Spanish, by the talented Elsa Prado. She was kind enough to invite me as a guest on her Spanish-language show Alas de Amor this past Saturday — and I managed to pull off about 85% of it without resorting to English, though she was kind enough to expertly translate when I did.
In either language, please join us to learn about the current status of the Paycheck Protection Program and how you can determine eligibility and apply for a non-taxable forgivable loan to help your business stay afloat during these challenging times.
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. This allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
I’m particularly excited about this upcoming webinar offered by the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives (NSAC) — Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 2 pm ET / 1 pm CT / 12 pm MT / 11 am PT — entitled “Distinguishing between patronage, nonpatronage and nonmember income“.
Why? Well, not only is it an important and complex topic about which there is little written — and even less often presented at conferences and in continuing education settings — but it’s being taught by some of my very favorite colleagues in the co-op world. In particular, Teree Castanias and George Benson are regular educators in the space of cooperative tax issues, and among the very finest in their fields. (And one of the moderators is none other than a friend of mine, the extremely knowledgeable and dedicated Rebecca Smith.)
“This session will discuss the consequences of patronage distributions and/or patronage retentions in the current environment. Panelists will discuss prior case law and the proposed regulations as well as the consequences of both in the current environment.”
If you work in co-op accounting, you owe it to yourself and your clients to take an hour out of your day to get up-to-speed on this complicated and essential topic. It’s a fast, convenient, easy, and affordable way to learn from some of the leaders in the field. Nope, they don’t pay me to say this… I’m just excited about it. Register here. See you there!
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. This allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
I’ve been doing regular 40-minute free zoom sessions for my clients and colleagues for a few months now, mostly centering on questions concerning PPP & EIDL applications and forgiveness.
Today we did one on the recent big changes to the PPP forgiveness program, and many have asked me for the recording, so I decided to make it public — to assist them and others out there in getting the facts (well, at least the ones we know so far).
The AICPA has come out with the best summary I’ve seen so far, which is what I chose to use in the zoom session as a reference — so if you don’t have 40 minutes handy, take a quick look at it instead (or in addition):
And of course, the inimitable Tony Nitty has gotten to the core of the issue by pointing out all the stuff we don’t know yet. His excellent analysis can be found at Forbes, as always.
More to come — hopefully soon, as I have many clients whose initial forgiveness period is about to come to a close, and we can only remain in a holding pattern for so long.
If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. This allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.
