Small Business Owners: How To Lower The Cost of Health Insurance
As an owner of a small business myself, I’ve had a front row seat to the painful rise of health insurance premiums for our employees over the past decade. Like most of our clients, we evaluate our plan once a year and determine whether or not we should make a change. Everyone knows the game. After running on this hamster wheel for the
As an owner of a small business myself, I’ve had a front row seat to the painful rise of health insurance premiums for our employees over the past decade. Like most of our clients, we evaluate our plan once a year and determine whether or not we should make a change. Everyone knows the game. After running on this hamster wheel for the past decade it led me on a campaign to consult with experts in the health insurance industry to find a better solution for both our firm and for our clients.
The Goal: Find a way to keep the employee health benefits at their current level while at the same time cutting the overall cost to the company. For small business owners reducing the company’s outlay for health insurance costs is a challenge. In many situations, small businesses are the typical small fish in a big pond. As a small fish, they frequently receive less attention from the brokerage community which is more focused on obtaining and maintaining larger plans.
Through our research, we found that there are two key items that can lead to significant cost savings for small businesses. First, understanding how the insurance market operates. Second, understanding the plan design options that exist when restructuring the health insurance benefits for your employees.
Small Fish In A Big Pond
I guess it came as no surprise that there was a positive correlation between the size of the insurance brokerage firm and their focus on the large plan market. Large plans are generally defined as 100+ employees. Smaller employers we found were more likely to obtain insurance through their local chambers of commerce, via a “small business solution teams” within a larger insurance brokerage firm, or they sent their employees directly to the state insurance exchange.
Myth #1: Since I’m a small business, if I get my health insurance plan through the Chamber of Commerce it will be cheaper. I unfortunately discovered that this was not the case in most scenarios. If you are an employer with between 1 – 100 employees you are a “community rated plan”. This means that the premium amount that you pay for a specific plan with a specific provider is the same regardless of whether you have 2 employees or 99 employee because they do not look at your “experience rating” (claims activity) to determine your premium. This also means that it’s the same premium regardless of whether it’s through the Chamber, XYZ Health Insurance Brokers, or John Smith Broker. Most of the brokers have access to the same plans sponsored by the same larger providers in a given geographic region. This was not always the case but the Affordable Care Act really standardized the underwriting process.
The role of your insurance broker is to help you to not only shop the plan once a year but to evaluate the design of your overall health insurance solution. Since small companies usually equal smaller premium dollars for brokers it was not uncommon for us to find that many small business owners just received an email each year from their broker with the new rates, a form to sign to renew, and a “call me with any questions”. Small business owners are usually extremely busy and often times lack the HR staff to really look under the hood of their plan and drive the changes needed to improve the plan from a cost standpoint. The way the insurance brokerage community gets paid is they typically receive a percentage of the annual premiums paid by your company. From talking with individuals in the industry, it’s around 4%. So if a company pays $100,000 per year in premiums for all of their employees, the insurance broker is getting paid $4,000 per year. In return for this compensation the broker is supposed to be advocating for your company. One would hope that for $4,000 per year the broker is at least scheduling a physical meeting with the owner or HR staff to review the plan each year and evaluate the plan design options.
Remember, you are paying your insurance broker to advocate for you and the company. If you do not feel like they are meeting your needs, establishing a new relationship may be the start of your cost savings. There also seemed to be a general theme that bigger is not always better in the insurance brokerage community. If you are a smaller company with under 50 employees, working with smaller brokerage firms may deliver a better overall result.
Plan Design Options
Since the legislation that governs the health insurance industry is in a constant state of flux we found through our research that it is very important to revisit the actual structure of the plan each year. Too many companies have had the same type of plan for 5 years, they have made some small tweaks here and there, but have never taken the time to really evaluate different design options. In other words, you may need to demo the house and start from scratch to uncover true cost savings because the problem may be the actual foundation of the house.
High quality insurance brokers will consult with companies on the actual design of the plan to answer the key question like “what could the company be doing differently other than just comparing the current plan to a similar plan with other insurance providers?” This is a key question that should be asked each year as part of the annual evaluation process.
HRA Accounts
The reason why plan design is so important is that health insurance is not a one size fits all. As the owner of a small business you probably have a general idea as to how frequently and to what extent your employees are accessing their health insurance benefits.
For example, you may have a large concentration of younger employees that rarely utilize their health insurance benefits. In cases like this, a company may choose to change the plan to a high deductible, fund a HRA account for each of the employees, and lower the annual premiums.
HRA stands for “Health Reimbursement Arrangement”. These are IRS approved, 100% employer funded, tax advantage, accounts that reimburses employees for out of pocket medical expenses. For example, let’s say I own a company that has a health insurance plan with no deductible and the company pays $1,000 per month toward the family premium ($12,000 per year). I now replace the plan with a new plan that keeps the coverage the same for the employee, has a $3,000 deductible, and lowers the monthly premium that now only cost the company $800 per month ($9,600 per year). As the employer, I can fund a HRA account for that employee with $3,000 at the beginning of the year which covers the full deductible. If that employee only visits the doctors twice that year and incurs $500 in claims, at the end of the year there will be $2,500 in that HRA account for that employee that the employer can then take back and use for other purposes. The flip side to this example is the employee has a medical event that uses the full $3,000 deductible and the company is now out of pocket $12,600 ($9,600 premiums + $3,000 HRA) instead of $12,000 under the old plan. Think of it as a strategy to “self-insure” up to a given threshold with a stop loss that is covered by the insurance itself. The cost savings with this “semi self-insured” approach could be significant but the company has to conduct a risk / return analysis based on their estimated employee claim rate to determine whether or not it’s a viable option.
This is just one example of the plan design options that are available to companies in an attempt to lower the overall cost of maintaining the plan.
Making The Switch
You are allowed to switch your health insurance provider prior to the plan’s renewal date. However, note that if your current plan has a deductible and your replacement plan also carries a deductible, the employees will not get credit for the deductibles paid under the old plan and will start the new plan at zero. Based on the number of months left in the year and the premium savings it may warrant a “band-aide solution” using HRA, HSA, or Flex Spending Accounts to execute the change prior to the renewal date.
About Michael……...
Hi, I’m Michael Ruger. I’m the managing partner of Greenbush Financial Group and the creator of the nationally recognized Money Smart Board blog . I created the blog because there are a lot of events in life that require important financial decisions. The goal is to help our readers avoid big financial missteps, discover financial solutions that they were not aware of, and to optimize their financial future.
Tax Secret: R&D Tax Credits…You May Qualify
When you think of Research and Development (R&D) many people envision a chemistry lab or a high tech robotics company. It’s because of this thinking that millions of dollars of available tax credits for R&D go unused every year. R&D exists in virtually every industry and business owners need to start thinking about R&D in a different light because
When you think of Research and Development (R&D) many people envision a chemistry lab or a high tech robotics company. It’s because of this thinking that millions of dollars of available tax credits for R&D go unused every year. R&D exists in virtually every industry and business owners need to start thinking about R&D in a different light because there could be huge tax savings waiting for them.
Most companies don't realize that they qualify
Road paving companies, manufactures, a meatball company, software firms, and architecture firms are just a few examples of companies that have met the criteria to qualify for these lucrative tax credits.
Think of R&D as a unique process within your company that you may be using throughout the course of your everyday business that is specific to your competitive advantage. The purpose of these credits is to encourage companies to be innovative with the end goal of keeping more jobs here in the U.S. If you have an engineers on your staff, whether software engineers, design engineers, mechanical engineers there is a very good chance that these tax credits may be available to you. The R&D tax credits also allow you to look back to all open tax years so for companies that discover this for the first time, the upside can be huge. Tax years typically stay open for three years.
Accountants may not be aware of these credits
One of the main questions we get from business owners is “Shouldn’t my accountant have told me about this?” Many accounting firms are unaware of these tax credits and the process for qualifying which is why there are specialty consulting firms that work with companies to determine whether or not they are eligible for the credit. Some of our clients have worked with these firms and the company only pays the consulting firm if you qualify for the tax credits. Kind of a win-win situation.
We recently attended a seminar that was sponsored by Alliantgroup out of New York City and on their website it listed the following description of companies that qualify for these credits:“
Any company that designs, develops, or improves products, processes, techniques, formulas, inventions, or software may be eligible. In fact, if a company has simply invested time, money, and resources toward the advancement and improvement of its products and processes, it may qualify”.
We love helping our clients save taxes and in this case, like many others, we were looking at R&D in a different light.
About Michael……...
Hi, I’m Michael Ruger. I’m the managing partner of Greenbush Financial Group and the creator of the nationally recognized Money Smart Board blog . I created the blog because there are a lot of events in life that require important financial decisions. The goal is to help our readers avoid big financial missteps, discover financial solutions that they were not aware of, and to optimize their financial future.
Avoid These 1099 “Employee” Pitfalls
As financial planners we are seeing more and more individuals, especially in the software development and technology space, hired by companies as “1099 employees”. “1099 employees” is an ironic statement because if a company is paying you via a 1099 technically you are not an “employee” you are a self-employed sub-contractor. It’s like having
As financial planners we are seeing more and more individuals, especially in the software development and technology space, hired by companies as “1099 employees”. “1099 employees” is an ironic statement because if a company is paying you via a 1099 technically you are not an “employee” you are a self-employed sub-contractor. It’s like having your own separate company and the company that you work for is your “client”.
There are advantages to the employer to pay you as a 1099 sub-contractor as opposed to a W2 employee. When you are a W2 employee they may have to provide you with health benefits, the company has to pay payroll taxes on your wages, there may be paid time off, you may qualify for unemployment benefits if you are fired, eligibility for retirement plans, they have to put you on payroll, pay works compensation insurance, and more. Basically companies have a lot of expenses associated with you being a W2 employee that does not show up in your paycheck.
To avoid all of these added expenses the employer may decide to pay you as a 1099 “employee”. Remember, if you are a 1099 employee you are “self-employed”. Here are the most common mistakes that we see new 1099 employees make:
Making estimated tax payments throughout the year
This is the most common error. When you are a W2 employee, it’s the responsibility of the employer to withhold federal and state income tax from your paycheck. When you are a 1099 sub-contractor, you are not an employee, so they do not withhold taxes from your compensation…………that is now YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Most 1099 individuals have to make what is called “estimated tax payments” four times a year which are based on either your estimated income for the year or 110% of the previous year’s income. Best advice……..if 1099 income is new for you, setup a consultation with an accountant. They will walk you through tax withholding requirements, tax deductions, tax filing forms, etc. It’s very difficult to get everything right using Turbo Tax when you are a self-employed individual.
Tracking mileage and expenses throughout the year
Since you are self-employed you need to keep track of your expenses including mileage which can be used as deductions against your income when you file your tax return. Again, we recommend that you meet with a tax professional to determine what you do and do not need to track throughout the year.
The tax return is prepared incorrectly
No one wants a love letter from the IRS. Those letters usually come with taxes due, penalties, and a “guilty until proven innocent” approach. There may be additional “schedules” that you need to file with your tax return now that you are self-employed. The tax schedules detail your self-employment income, deductions, estimated tax payments, and other material items.
Important rule, do not cut corners by reducing the gross amount of your 1099 income. This is a big red flag that is easy for the IRS to catch. The company that issued the 1099 to you usually reports that 1099 payment to the IRS with your social security number or the Tax ID number of your self-employment entity. The IRS through an automated system can run your social security number or tax ID to cross check the 1099 payment and 1099 income to make sure it was reported.
Legal protection
As a 1099 sub-contractor, you have to consider the liability that could arise from the services that you are providing to your “client” (your employer). As a self-employed individual, the company that you “work for” could sue you for any number of reasons and if you are operating the business under your social security number (which most are) your personal assets could be at risk if a lawsuit arises. Advice, talk to an attorney that is knowledgeable in business law to discuss whether or not setting up a corporate entity makes sense for your self-employment income to better protect yourself.
About Michael……...
Hi, I’m Michael Ruger. I’m the managing partner of Greenbush Financial Group and the creator of the nationally recognized Money Smart Board blog . I created the blog because there are a lot of events in life that require important financial decisions. The goal is to help our readers avoid big financial missteps, discover financial solutions that they were not aware of, and to optimize their financial future.
Tax Secret: Spousal IRAs
Spousal IRA’s are one of the top tax tricks used by financial planners to help married couples reduce their tax bill. Here is how it works:
Spousal IRA’s are one of the top tax tricks used by financial planners to help married couples reduce their tax bill. Here is how it works:
In most cases you need “earned income” to be eligible to make a contribution to an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”). The contribution limits for 2025 is the lesser of 100% of your AGI or $7,000 for individuals under the age of 50. If you are age 50 or older, you are eligible for the $1,000 catch-up making your limit $8,000.
There is an exception for “Spousal IRAs,” and there are two cases where this strategy works very well.
Case 1: One spouse works and the other spouse does not. The employed spouse is currently maxing out their contributions to their employer-sponsored retirement plan, and they are looking for other ways to reduce their income tax liability.
If the AGI (adjusted gross income) for that couple is below $236,000 in 2025, the employed spouse can make a contribution to a Spousal Traditional IRA up to the $7,000/$8,000 limit even though their spouse had no “earned income”. It should also be noted that a contribution can be made to either a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA but the contributions to the Roth IRA do not reduce the tax liability because they are made with after tax dollars.
Case 2: One spouse is over the age of 70 ½ and still working (part-time or full-time) while the other spouse is retired. IRA rules state that once you are age 70½ or older, you can no longer make contributions to a traditional IRA. However, if you are age 70½ or older BUT your spouse is under the age of 70½, you still can make a pre-tax contribution to a traditional IRA for your spouse.
Hi, I’m Michael Ruger. I’m the managing partner of Greenbush Financial Group and the creator of the nationally recognized Money Smart Board blog . I created the blog because there are a lot of events in life that require important financial decisions. The goal is to help our readers avoid big financial missteps, discover financial solutions that they were not aware of, and to optimize their financial future.
How Should I Incorporate My Business?
Starting your own business is an incredible achievement, and for most, your business will shape your life not only professionally but personally. That being said, setting up your business in the correct way and having the necessary pieces in place day one is extremely important.
Business owner
Starting your own business is an incredible achievement, and for most, your business will shape your life not only professionally but personally. That being said, setting up your business in the correct way and having the necessary pieces in place day one is extremely important.
Here we will discuss some of the different options for structuring your business which is just a piece of the business infrastructure. We will define the structure as well as give some details such as tax filing. It is recommended you speak with a professional (accountant/attorney) when making this decision as incorporating a business the wrong way may have ramifications like paying more in taxes. Constant communication with a professional about your business as you start to make money and grow is also recommended as the structure of your company may have to evolve.
Sole Proprietorship
This is the most basic type of business structure. There is one owner of the company that is responsible for the business assets and liabilities. No formal action is needed to set up a sole proprietorship. Once business activities commence and you are the only owner, you are a sole proprietor. That being said, there are still registration, licenses, and permits that are generally required which vary based on industry and location.
A sole proprietorship is not separate from the owner for tax purposes and therefore the business activity is included on Schedule C of Form 1040. It is important to know that the owner is responsible for paying all the taxes related to owning a sole proprietorship which includes estimated taxes, if necessary.
The biggest pitfall of a sole proprietorship is that there is unlimited liability. This means the owner is personally responsible for any liability of the company.
Partnership
A partnership includes multiple owners (partners) and can be set up a number of ways. The three types of partnerships include general partnerships, limited partnerships, and joint ventures. Choosing the type of partnership depends on matters such as the participation of each partner in the business and length of time the partnership will be in place.
Partnership agreements are not legally required but are highly recommended as they should document how decisions will be made, the responsibilities of each partner, how profits and losses will be divided, and ownership changes.
To form a partnership, you must register with your state and include the legal name of the partnership. This will allow you to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the company. The licenses, permits, and other regulations associated with forming a partnership depend on your location and industry.
Unlike a sole proprietorship, a partnership files a separate tax form (Form 1065). This form is known as an information return as the income shown on Form 1065 passes through to the owners who claim the income on their personal return. There are local excise taxes and other fees that the partnership will be responsible for but the income of the company is passed through to the owners. Form 1065 generates what are known as K-1's for each partner. The K-1 will show what the partner should claim on their personal return.
Advantages of partnerships include multiple sources of additional capital, a shared financial commitment, and the individual skills and experiences of each partner. Pitfalls include unlimited liability, disagreements between owners, and shared profits.
Corporation
A corporation is typically more complex and meant for larger companies with multiple employees. Unlike sole proprietorships and partnerships, corporations are treated as its own legal entity separate from the owners. Forming a corporation requires more filings and registrations and they are typically more costly to administer due to the complexity.
Since corporations are treated separate from individuals, they are required to pay federal, state, and local (if necessary) taxes. For federal purposes, Form 1120 is used to show the activities of the business and pay income tax.
Unlike sole proprietorships and partnerships, individuals are protected from corporate liabilities usually up to the amount they have invested in the company. This structure makes it easier to generate capital for the business and it is possible to become publically traded on a stock exchange. Pitfalls of a corporation include the amount of time and money it takes to set up and administer the corporation and potential double taxation. The corporation pays income tax and then distributes profits (in the form of dividends) to owners. Those dividends are now taxable to the individual after they were already taxed at the corporate level.
S Corporation
An S corporation is similar to a C corporation but is taxed at a personal level and avoids double taxation. The S Corp election passes through income to the owner's personal tax return rather than taxing the corporation and then the individual's dividends.
It is important to determine whether or not your corporation will be eligible to qualify as an S Corp under IRS regulations. A business must first register as a corporation and then file Form 2553 (signed by all owners) to apply for S Corp status.
Form 1120S is used to file taxes at a federal level. Again, S Corp income is passed through to the owners for federal tax purposes. Some states recognize this election but others (like New York) do not and will tax the company as a C Corp.
Limited Liability Company
An LLC provides limited liability features associated with a corporation with the same tax and operational efficiencies of a sole proprietorship or partnership. Owners of a corporation are not personally responsible for the liabilities of a company like sole proprietorships or partnerships.
Forming an LLC is similar to forming a partnership including choosing a business name, registering with the state (filing the "Articles of Organization"), obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and creating an operating agreement (similar to the partnership agreement). New York State also requires you to announce your LLC formation in a local newspaper.
An LLC can be structured similar to a sole proprietorship (single member LLC), a partnership, or an LLC filing as a C Corporation for tax purposes. The same filings will be completed as if the LLC was a sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation. A special election can also be made with the IRS allowing an LLC to be treated as an S Corp in some circumstances.
The main advantage of an LLC is that members are protected from personal liability for business decisions and actions. If provisions are not documented in the operating agreement, one of the pitfalls of an LLC is that when one member leaves, the LLC must dissolve completely. The remaining members can create a new LLC if they choose to continue operations.
About Rob.........
Hi, I'm Rob Mangold. I'm the Chief Operating Officer at Greenbush Financial Group and a contributor to the Money Smart Board blog. We created the blog to provide strategies that will help our readers personally , professionally, and financially. Our blog is meant to be a resource. If there are questions that you need answered, pleas feel free to join in on the discussion or contact me directly.
Comparing Different Types of Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans
Employer sponsored retirement plans are typically the single most valuable tool for business owner when attempting to:
Reduce their current tax liability
Attract and retain employees
Accumulate wealth for retirement
But with all of the different types of plans to choose from which one is the right one for your business? Most business owners are familiar with how 401(k) plans work but that might not be the right fit given variables such as:
comparison of different types of retirement plans
Employer sponsored retirement plans are typically the single most valuable tool for business owner when attempting to:
Reduce their current tax liability
Attract and retain employees
Accumulate wealth for retirement
But with all of the different types of plans to choose from which one is the right one for your business? Most business owners are familiar with how 401(k) plans work but that might not be the right fit given variables such as:
# of Employees
Cash flows of the business
Goals of the business owner
There are four main stream employer sponsored retirement plans that business owners have to choose from:
SEP IRA
Single(k) Plan
Simple IRA
401(k) Plan
Since there are a lot of differences between these four types of plans we have included a comparison chart at the conclusion of this newsletter but we will touch on the highlights of each type of plan.
SEP IRA PLAN
This is the only employer sponsored retirement plan that can be setup after 12/31 for the previous tax year. So when you are sitting with your accountant in the spring and they deliver the bad news that you are going to have a big tax liability for the previous tax year, you can establish a SEP IRA up until your tax filing deadline plus extension, fund it, and take a deduction for that year.
However, if the company has employees that meet the plan’s eligibility requirement, these plans become very expensive very quickly if the owner(s) want to make contributions to their own accounts. The reason being, these plans are 100% employer funded which means there are no employee contributions allowed and the employer contribution is uniform for all plan participants. For example, if the owner contributes 15% of their income to the SEP IRA, they have to make an employer contribution equal to 15% of compensation for each employee that has met the plans eligibility requirement. If the 5305-SEP Form, which serves as the plan document, is setup correctly a company can keep new employees out of the plan for up to 3 years but often times it is either not setup correctly or the employer cannot find the document.
Single(k) Plan or “Solo(k)”
These plans are for owner only entities. As soon as you have an employee that works more than 1000 hours in a 12 month period, you cannot sponsor a Single(k) plan.
The plans are often times the most advantageous for self-employed individuals that have no employees and want to have access to higher pre-tax contribution levels. For all intensive purposes it is a 401(k) plan, same contributions limits, ERISA protected, they allow loans and Roth contributions, etc. However, they can be sponsored at a much lower cost than traditional 401(k) plans because there are no non-owner employees. So there is no year-end testing, it’s typically a boiler plate plan document, and the administration costs to establish and maintain these plans are typically under $400 per year compared to traditional 401(k) plans which may cost $1,500+ per year to administer.
The beauty of these plans is the “employee contribution” of the plan which gives it an advantage over SEP IRA plans. With SEP IRA plans you are limited to contributes up to 25% of your income. So if you make $24,000 in self-employment income you are limited to a $6,000 pre-tax contribution.
With a Single(k) plan, for 2016, I can contribute $18,000 per year (another $6,000 if I’m over 50) up to 100% of my self-employment income and in addition to that amount I can make an employer contribution up to 25% of my income. In the previous example, if you make $24,000 in self-employment income, you would be able to make a salary deferral contribution of $18,000 and an employer contribution of $6,000, effectively wiping out all of your taxable income for that tax year.
Simple IRA
Simple IRA’s are the JV version of 401(k) plans. Smaller companies that have 1 – 30 employees that are looking to start a retirement plan will often times start with implementing a Simple IRA plan and eventually graduate to a 401(k) plan as the company grows. The primary advantage of Simple IRA Plans over 401(k) Plans is the cost. Simple IRA’s do not require a TPA firm since they are self-administered by the employer and they do not require annual 5500 filings so the cost to setup and maintain the plan is usually much less than a 401(k) plan.
What causes companies to choose a 401(k) plan over a Simple IRA plan?
Owners want access to higher pre-tax contribution limits
They want to limit to the plan to just full time employees
The company wants flexibility with regard to the employer contribution
The company wants a vesting schedule tied to the employer contributions
The company wants to expand the investment menu beyond just a single fund family
401(k) Plans
These are probably the most well recognized employer sponsored plans since at one time or another each of us has worked for a company that has sponsored this type of plan. So we will not spend a lot of time going over the ins and outs of these types of plan. These plans offer a lot of flexibility with regard to the plan features and the plan design.
We will issue a special note about the 401(k) market. For small business with 1 -50 employees, you have a lot of options regarding which type of plan you should sponsor but it’s our personal experience that most investment advisors only have a strong understanding of 401(k) plans so they push 401(k) plans as the answer for everyone because it’s what they know and it’s what they are comfortable talking about. When establishing a retirement plan for your company, make sure you consult with an advisor that has a working knowledge of all these different types of retirement plans and can clearly articulate the pros and cons of each type of plan. This will assist you in establishing the right type of plan for your company.
Michael Ruger
About Michael……...
Hi, I’m Michael Ruger. I’m the managing partner of Greenbush Financial Group and the creator of the nationally recognized Money Smart Board blog . I created the blog because there are a lot of events in life that require important financial decisions. The goal is to help our readers avoid big financial missteps, discover financial solutions that they were not aware of, and to optimize their financial future.
How to Create a Business Plan
Starting your own business can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It can offer numerous advantages such as being your own boss, setting your own schedule and making a living doing something you enjoy. But, becoming a successful entrepreneur requires thorough planning, creativity, and hard work. After making the decision to start your
How to Create a Business Plan
Starting your own business can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It can offer numerous advantages such as being your own boss, setting your own schedule and making a living doing something you enjoy. But, becoming a successful entrepreneur requires thorough planning, creativity, and hard work. After making the decision to start your own business, you'll need to be realistic about the sort of goals and targets you want to achieve at first. Businesses need targets though, so be sure to set some. Meeting targets does usually indicate business growth and success, so that's why they are so important. As with any business though, it all starts with a solid plan...
Learn from those before you
Before you make the leap to start your own business, make sure you talk or work for the person that you want to be 5 years from now. Working in the industry before taking your leap of faith will most likely increase your success rate. On the surface some businesses seem simple and straight forward. No business ever is. You have to figure out how the successful companies in that industry currently make money, what are their margins, who are the customers, who are the competitors, and more importantly what are the missteps that you should avoid when building you own business.
You must be able to answer these questions
Why am I starting a business?
What kind of business do I want?
Who is my ideal customer?
What products or services will my business provide?
Am I prepared to spend the time and money needed to get my business started?
What differentiates my business idea and the products or services I will provide from others in the market?
Where will my business be located?
How many employees will I need?
What types of suppliers do I need?
How much money do I need to get started?
Will I need to get a loan?
How soon will it take before my products or services are available?
How long do I have until I start making a profit?
Who is my competition?
How will I price my product compared to my competition?
How will I set up the legal structure of my business?
What taxes do I need to pay?
What kind of insurance do I need?
How will I manage my business?
How will I advertise my business?
Do not spend a dime until you can clearly answer all of these questions otherwise you are leaving your fate to chance.
Write your business plan
Your business plan is your roadmap to success. Business plans typically forecast out 3 to 5 years. Any shorter than that and you will have no idea where you are going with the business. Any longer than that is irrelevant because you may need to make material adjustments to your plan within the first 3 years as obstacles present themselves and as the competitive landscape changes along the way. Here are the key elements that you will want include in your business plan:
Executive Summary: Your executive summary is a snapshot of your business plan as a whole and touches on your company profile and goals. Read these tips about what to include.
Company Description: Your company description provides information on what you do, what differentiates your business from others, and the markets your business serves.
Market Analysis: Before launching your business, it is essential for you to research your business industry, market and competitors.
Organization & Management: Every business is structured differently. Find out the best organization and management structure for your business.
Service or Product Line: What do you sell? How does it benefit your customers? What is the product lifecycle? Get tips on how to tell the story about your product or service.
Marketing & Sales: How do you plan to market your business? What is your sales strategy? Read more about how to include this information in your plan.Funding Request: If you are seeking funding for your business, find out about the necessary information you should include in your plan.
Financial Projections: If you need funding, providing financial projections to back up your request is critical. Find out what information you need to include in your financial projections for your small business.
Your Competitive Advantage: What makes your business unique? Determining this could help you stand out from the crowd and give you advantages over your competitors.
Appendix: An appendix is optional, but a useful place to include information such as resumes, permits and leases. Find additional information you should include in your appendix.
Surround yourself with a great team of advisors.
Most business should have an accountant to ensure your books are correct and that all of the money your business is involved with is accounted for. You will collaborate with an attorney. You will also need a financial advisor. they will provide you with advice on where you can spend more money, what do you need to keep back or whether you need to reduce the money your spending on marketing for example. These professionals will help you to get your business established and help you with the key decisions that need to be made when you are establishing a business for the first time.
How should I incorporate?
What business expenses can I deduct?
How much cash do I need to sustain my business on a monthly basis?
It is likely that many of these professionals will be working with a client in your industry so they can provide you with real world guidance on the pros and cons of the decisions that you have to make.
Rule #1: Make sure you trust and like who you are working with. Do not just select a firm because they have a big name or because your friend uses them. You are going to be busy building your business so you will rely heavily on your team of professional advisors to make sure from a legal, tax, and financial standpoint that you are maximizing your resources.
Michael Ruger
About Michael.........
Hi, I'm Michael Ruger. I'm the managing partner of Greenbush Financial Group and the creator of the nationally recognized Money Smart Board blog . I created the blog because there are a lot of events in life that require important financial decisions. The goal is to help our readers avoid big financial missteps, discover financial solutions that they were not aware of, and to optimize their financial future.
