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Continue reading →: Most Popular Golf Balls in 2026, Ranked by SalesTitleist owns the revenue and tour leaderboards, but the public data only supports a clean ranking for the top two brands. I concede, this is a small business and finance blog, but allow me to indulge occasionally in the business of sport. Most of us have purchased a sleeve or…
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Continue reading →: It’s Never Too Late to StartYou’re not too old to start over. If you want to leave a corporate job and start a business, don’t let your age scare you off. Take it from me. I was in banking, then venture, then insurance, then pet insurance, then pet specialty retail, and now I’m in consumer…
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Continue reading →: Section 1202 QSBS Rules: How the Tax Break WorksThe tax code can erase up to $15 million of federal gain on one company’s stock, but only if the shares, business, holding period, and exit all line up. Everyone’s favorite topic, taxes! If you’re a founder or small business owner, your accountant has probably mentioned QSBS. I know mine…
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Continue reading →: Seller Financing in 2026: Rates, Standby, and SubordinationThe interest rate gets the attention, but the real value of a seller note comes down to three things: when you get paid, who gets paid before you, and what happens if the buyer runs into trouble. Seller financing is still a meaningful part of small business deals, but sellers…
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Continue reading →: Quality of Earnings Checklist: A Practical Guide for Business Owners and BuyersWhether your selling or buying a small business, a Quality of Earnings (QofE) report can make a transaction much smoother. In most cases, it’s worth the investment. When you look at a company’s financials, the bottom-line number is only part of the story. Quality of Earnings (QoE) analysis digs deeper.…
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Continue reading →: Why the Physical World Will Come Back Into Vogue AgainAI will make more digital work cheap and abundant. That may increase the value of businesses where the scarce part is still physical, local, regulated, or built on trust. The more I use AI, the more I keep coming back to the same question as a small business owner: where…
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Continue reading →: How to Keep Your LinkedIn Profile From Going StaleMost founders don’t need a LinkedIn strategy. They need a profile that survives the five-minute credibility check. I recently updated my LinkedIn profile. It wasn’t high on my daily to-do list, but enough had changed that the page needed a cleanup. I’m focused on building Cloud Water, so I don’t…
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Continue reading →: Your Business Is Formed. Now Write the RulesChoosing a business structure and filing formation documents with the state makes your company official. But it does not explain how the company will operate. That is the job of an operating agreement or corporate bylaws. Which Document Do You Need? Limited liability companies generally use an operating agreement. Corporations…
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Continue reading →: What You Need to Open a Business Bank AccountFour documents get you through the door at almost any bank, and two extras trip up more founders than the four combined. I’ve opened a business checking account for every company I’ve started, and I still showed up missing a document once or twice. Consider this the checklist I wish…
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Continue reading →: How to Get an EIN From the IRS: 2026 Founder GuideAn EIN is free, usually fast, and useful long before your first employee. Here is what it does and how to get yours without paying a middleman. I’ve spent 20 years starting companies, and an EIN is one of the rare federal tasks that can take less time than choosing…
