Money and You
Business Owners

Small Business Entities Explained (Lakeside Chats 5-11-22)
Christina Ubl: May 11, 2022
In honor of National Small Business Week, we were joined by our host Mark Perkell, Esq., who specializes in working with small business owners; he’ll share with us information on different entity options, the pros & cons for each, and why changing from one entity to another might make sense (and what the process would be).
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Small Business Owners: How to Chart Your Course to a Spectacular Retirement
Heidi Clute: June 10, 2021
There’s a myth out there that most owners of small businesses and startups are younger people. In fact, the opposite is true: Most business owners are age 55 and over. That reality can turn what are usually the peak earning and retirement savings years from your late 40s to late 50s into something more akin to watching " The Perils of Pauline." But it...
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How to Know the Financial Metrics that Matter During a Crisis
Heidi Clute: June 11, 2020
In 2020, the pandemic presented many small business owners with a crash course on financial metrics and why they matter. You may be one. I imagine you’ve owned your business for a few years or more, endured some ups and downs but overall enjoyed steady growth, watched your cash flow and know your bottom line. Why was selecting, applying for, and tracking...
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How to Balance Your Off-Kilter Business and Personal Finances Today
Heidi Clute: April 9, 2020
Just about anyone can start a business. Get an idea. Fill out some forms. Register with the necessary local and state agencies. Tell the world about your fantastic new service or product. But following your dreams is never easy — it’s hard work, fear of failure, loneliness, and mistakes. Running a successful business over time takes a lot more than starting...
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How to Finance Your Second Career as Business Owner
Heidi Clute: November 21, 2019
Buying or starting a business used to be unusual if you were considering a second career. But encore careers as a business owner become more popular each year despite the wide-spread perception of risk. Let's explore what is driving the trend and your options for transitioning in a way that can help safeguard your business dream and your financial...
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Buyer or Seller: You Need the Right Business Transition Plan
Heidi Clute: April 10, 2018
Whether you are a member of the baby-boom generation born between 1946 and 1964, or a member of the generations of younger people that follow, you may be surprised to learn boomers are as likely to buy a business as to sell one.
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Surviving Family Business Transition Nightmares
Heidi Clute: March 13, 2017
There are times when imagining the worst-case scenario helps you prepare most effectively for the best case. The transition of a family or closely-held business is one of those times. Ask yourself, why is it that while Harvard Business School reports at least half of all companies in the US are family businesses - and just over half of all publicly listed...
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Business transition and succession: why you need a plan
Heidi Clute: May 18, 2015
Businesses start with the best of intentions. While beginnings are an exciting time, a strong business foundation needs to include planning for multiple future scenarios and potential “what-ifs,” including business transition and succession. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t plan for their end game.
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Succession Planning
Heidi Clute: March 3, 2014
Key to a smooth business ownership transfer. From the outside looking in, it may appear that transferring a business (through a sale to an outside party or succeeding control/ownership to an employee and/or family member) is an easy, if bureaucratic, process. But the tiniest of scratches to the surface reveals all sorts of issues that require careful...
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