Should I try to get around a payment policy I find discriminatory?
Ethics in Business mentor Jeffrey L. Seglin answers the following question from an inc.com visitor: I am a consultant that works... Read more
Basic Accounting
Recent Basic Accounting Articles
Outsourcing Bookkeeping
An entrepreneur of a fast-growing company wonders when it's the right time to graduate to a big-time accounting firm. Read more
Five Severe Warning Signs of Cash-Flow Problems
Keep an eye on your cash flow, and look out for these warning signs that could signify problems: Decreased liquidity: running out of working c... Read more
How can I create a reliable cash flow budget?
Finance & Capital mentor Stephen King responds: Cash flow forecasting and the reporting of actual cash flow results are two critical... Read more
Revisit Your Method of Accounting
The accounting method used by your business governs the timing of reporting income and expenses. The two main methods are the cash method and the accrual ... Read more
Bug Your Broker
Vigilance lowers insurance costs Insurance costs are a nuisance for every small-business owner. Last summer they made Keith Alper ... Read more
The Boom in Employee Ownership
Inc. gets the scoop on the effects of stock options from Corey Rosen, cofounder of the National Center for Employee Ownership. Read more
Book Value
Reviews of four business books -- two wildly different takes on the state of shareholder value, one about why consumers rule now more than ever, and one on h... Read more
Best Practices: Manage Cash Flow
Cash flow management is a process that involves collecting payments, controlling disbursements, covering shortfalls, forecasting cash needs, investing idl... Read more
Private Lives
Coutts Consulting Group , a U.K.-based career management firm, is part of a growing trend among smaller publicly held ... Read more
Roadblocks to Avoid when You're Going Solo
Here are our favorite questions to ask successful home-business people: What surprises did you have? Did you encounter any detours? Were there any land mi... Read more
Significant Figures
Until recently, Greg Smith, president and CEO of the $1.5-million systems integrator the Petra Group Inc., based in Corning, N.Y., rarely examined how his... Read more
Tracking Time on the Web
www.redgorilla.com What it's good for: The cell-phone nation. Red Gorilla was the onl... Read more
Start-Up Fever
In an interview with Inc. senior editor Joseph Rosenbloom, venture capitalist Ruthann Quindlen discusses the harsh realities that she sees emerging ... Read more
Return of the Middle Manager
The labor shortage has set off bidding wars for talent, which can easily wreak havoc on a business. CEO Norm Brodsky advises that, if you want to avoid losin... Read more
Tracking Time on the Web
A slew of sites claim they'll help you track your billable hours, and some will even generate your invoices -- free. Are they worth your while? Here's what 2... Read more
Depreciation Basics
The concept of depreciation is quite simple. For example, let' s say you purchase a truck for your business. The truck loses value the minute you drive it... Read more
Amortization Basics
In the course of doing business, you will likely acquire what are known as intangible assets. These assets can contribute to the revenue growth of your bu... Read more
Tallying Up
A look at the medieval precursor to the credit card. Read more
Will Your Business Make Money?
Some people have a bigger problem than others when opening a new business. These are folks who are completely enamored with their business concept and eag... Read more
Accounts Payable: Avoiding Seasonal Glitches
A CFO explains how she was able to maintain tight controls over her company's accounts payable. Read more
The Mentors
Kent Sutherland solicited Wal-Mart's Sam Walton as his business mentor 18 years ago and has prospered ever since. Here's where to find a mentor and the great... Read more
The Basics of Balance Sheets
A balance sheet is a snapshot of a business's financial condition at a specific moment in time, usually at the close of an accounting period. A balance sh... Read more
How Do I Calculate My Overhead Rate?
A company can use performance ratios, such as an overhead rate, to effectively manage its operations Read more
Why Can't I Just Get the Cash?
If the company can afford to pay me with stock, why can't it just give me cash instead? If you're an employee-owned company, you've probab... Read more
Prioritizing Bills When Money is Short
When your cash crunch is looking particularly severe and you can't pay all of your creditors, decide which ones to pay first. While every situation will b... Read more
What's Hot: Collections
There's no better time than the present to improve your system for settling up with late-paying clients. To assist you, we've conducted an evaluation of a... Read more
Best Practices: Bill the Customer
Invoices, the cornerstones of an effective billing process, are more than just collection vehicles. They also form important connections with customers th... Read more
Income Statements
An income statement, otherwise known as a profit and loss statement, is a summary of a company's profit or loss during any one given period of time, such ... Read more
Private Company Stock
Figuring out share price for public companies is a snap. But for private companies, stock pricing can be a complicated and costly process. Inc. 's fi... Read more
A Can't-Miss Plan for Cutting Costs
See if you can relate to Mike Scimeca's story: After founding Florida CirTech in Sarasota, Fla., in 1991, he experienced five straight years of consistent... Read more
Accounting Terms Every Businessperson Should Know
When you're new to the business world, it can seem as though everyone around you is speaking in tongues. This quick glossary of common business accounting te... Read more
Bookkeeping and Accounting Basics
Bookkeeping and accounting share two basic goals: to keep track of your income and expenses, thereby improving your chances of making a pro... Read more
Cash vs. Accrual Accounting
It's important for you to understand the basics of the two principal methods of keeping track of a business's income and expenses: cash method and accrual... Read more
Who in my company should understand the financial statements?
Finance & Capital mentor Stephen King responds: Every employee should understand a company's financial goals and the related finan... Read more
