Money Talk
Holly Hitzemann, president and owner of Great American Stock, suggests that the key to building a good relationship with your banker is knowing how and when ... Read more
Basic Accounting
Recent Basic Accounting Articles
Take This Job and Love it
Reviews of eight business books, including three books from CEOs on the angst and joys of building a company, three books on open-book management, and two bo... Read more
Key Questions to Ask a Prospective CPA
Ask these questions of accountants before choosing one to work with your business. Read more
Turning Assets into Cash
Focusing on receivables, collection, and inventory helps you manage working capital to avoid cash shortfalls and to prepare for future financing needs. Read more
Choosing Accounting Software
Focus on the features to find the right accounting program for your business. Read more
Establishing Credit Limits
Determine a customer's credit limit by evaluating the credit risk the customer poses. Read more
Collection Techniques to Avoid
The authors argue that some collection strategies don't work as well as you might think. Read more
Action Plan: Debt Management and Banking
Minimize your debt load and generate better profits for your business with this action plan. Read more
Cost Control Basics
Trying to improve your company's cash flow? Don't overlook these time-tested strategies. Read more
Clients You Can Live Without
Just because a client is difficult doesn't mean you have to write off your business relationship. Independent professionals give advice about working with pr... Read more
Upstarts: Virtual Campuses
Here's how start-up University Access partnered with universities and PBS to sell long-distance learning programs. Plus: why corporations are likely customer... Read more
Capital Steps
Lance Miller, the CEO of start-up Integration Logic Inc., explains why he isn't even trying to raise capital. Cash-flow and profitability, he argues, are the... Read more
Hot Tip: Payroll Tax Strategy
If sales and payroll taxes go unpaid, company shareholders can be found liable. You can prevent this by hiring a payroll services firm. Read more
How to Profit in the Coming Recession
CEO Brodsky explains why the imminent economic recession could actually benefit your business if you know how to prepare. He offers four steps to turning a f... Read more
Choose or Lose
Judy Corson and Jeff Pope, cofounders of Custom Research Inc., realized they could grow their company by cutting their customer base in half. Read more
To Big Five or Not to Big Five
Not many companies from this year's Inc. 500 list chose to be represented by expensive Big Five accounting firms. Here's a breakdown of the various accountin... Read more
Hard Questions
Here's how Inc. 500 CEOs answered 10 difficult questions, including "Should I take my company public?" "How can I keep my employees?" and "Should I ... Read more
How Do I Know I've Outgrown My Start-up Team?, Accounting/Bookkeeping Article
An Inc. 500 CEO describes the difficult management challenges that accompany fast growth. Read more
A Decided Advantage
The president of Create-It! reviews Definitive Scenario, a model-building software package that uses spreadsheet data to develop forecasts, pricing strategie... Read more
Do I Need a Top-Tier Accounting Firm?
If you're planning to take your small company public, you probably don't need to go to a Big Six accounting firm. Here are some affordable alternatives. Read more
What's Hot: Analyzing Financials
A guide to books and Web sites dedicated to helping entrepreneurs brush up on their financial-management skills. Read more
What's Hot:Collections
A guide to books and Web sites devoted to improving bill collections. Read more
Business in a Box
A product review of ProvenEdge, a single software package that handles accounting, bill paying, invoice tracking, financial reporting, and word processing. Read more
How to Collect from Clients: Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
Collecting payment from clients is a matter of negotiating terms in advance, separating collection and business functions, and keeping internal accounting sy... Read more
Hire Finance
At what point in your company's growth are your bookkeeper and controller out of their league? A look at choosing the right time to hire a CFO, where to find... Read more
A Daily Dose of Numbers
Tracking numbers on a daily basis can help you spot signs of trouble in your business. Read more
The Rapid-Reimbursement Expense Report
If a cash report or a calendar can be sent out via e-mail, why can't an expense report be sent the same way? Read more
Excellent Service from External Accountants
CEOs appreciate the value of outsourcing their accounting departments. Read more
But the Savings Aren't Under the Mattress
This soloist fends for himself without the help of any financial software. Read more
Slow Boat to Payment
A CEO makes suggestions for selling to a slow payer. Read more
Terms of Endearment
Don't sign on new customers until they've agreed to your payment terms. Read more
Around the World in 30 Days
Here are some strategies for ensuring payment when selling in foreign markets. Read more
Volunteer for the Draft, Import/Export Financing Article
The president of an export company urges suppliers to "participate in drafting a letter of credit." Read more
Letter-Perfect Credit
A recommendation on terms to include when negotiating an international letter of credit. Read more
