Picking a Credit Card Processor

When you are starting a business, most likely you will need to consider taking credit card payments.  While there are a bevy of options at your disposal, some types better than others. The first thing you need to do is assess your business needs:

1.  Will you need a point of sale (POS) system?

2.  Do you expect frequent or infrequent use of credit card processing?

3.  What is the average sale you expect?

4.  What are your annual sales?

Many businesses get trapped into a traditional credit card processor which at times can be a mistake.  Traditional processors tend to be clunky and the fees they charge are hard to understanding even for the most experienced individuals.  If you don’t expect frequent use of the processor, you may want to stay away from the traditional processor; they charge you monthly fees whether or not you use the service and often require a multi-year contract.  Those fees can cost you up to $700 per year even if you don’t use the processor each month.

Alternatively, if your business is mobile, or requires infrequent credit card processing, think about using PayPal or Square for your credit card processing.  The fees as a percentage of the charge tend to be more than a traditional processor, but they also have options that don’t cost you anything monthly.  Both providers have options that allow you to charge cards in a mobile setting (using mobile phones and tablets).  Both have simple calculations for fees taken out of each charge.  Lastly, both provide an option that allows you to disburse money as well. With all these benefits, it’s no wonder why these services are becoming more popular by the day.

Research these services on your own to see what makes sense for your business. There are various calculators online that will help you with your decision.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Three Accounting Related Technologies for the next Ten years

Here are three services that will revolutionize accounting over the next ten years. 1.  Bill.com (www.bill.com) – Bill.com takes over your payable and receivable functions in a cloud setting.  Bill.com is billed as the “No-check” CEO software.  Why…because you can pay vendors by check, ePayment, or PayPal without ever touching a piece of payer.  Bill.com take over all the back of the house work….cutting checks, stuffing envelopes, mailing payments, etc.  It also tracks receivables, sends invoices (both by mail or email) and gives your customers online access to pay bills.  Best of all, it integrates with most major accounting software.

2. Xero (www.xero.com) – Xero is simple and functional accounting software that allows you to add functionality as your business grows.  Best of all, Xero is ever evolving.  Whereas many software companies are slow to update features, Xero releases new functionality each month and allow developers to add on their own programs.

3.  Square (www.square.com) – Square is the easy breezy payment processors for retail and businesses who need on site credit card processing.  For about $250 plus an iPad, you can set up everything need to set up a storefront.  With Square, there are no hidden fees, and not complicated processes.  Swipe a credit card, and receive your money next day.

With our fast paced technological world, its vital businesses are up on current trends.  Check out these services to see if they can help your business, or speak with a trusted accounting advisor.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Think an Outsourced Accounting Department is Too Expensive…THINK AGAIN

Growing companies always have big dreams. Part of those dreams is growth, success, and maybe some wealth as well. There are two kinds of business owners when it comes to their thoughts on their back office accounting: 1) owners who want to hire accountants before there is a significant need, and 2) owners who won’t hire until they are absolutely forced to do so. Rarely does a business hire individuals for their accounting needs at exactly the right time. How to solve this dilemma…outsource the accounting function and back of the house processes. Think about this cost breakdown, a CFO costs between $100,000-250,000 depending on the size of the Company and location (let’s assume its $150,000 for this example). An accountant to do the day to day work will cost $35,000-50,000 (let’s assume $40,000 for this example), your tax preparer another $2,000 and so on. If you follow that model and assumptions, the cost incurred by your company would be $192,000 plus employer taxes, plus benefits, plus 401K, plus the hardware necessary for the individual to do their work, plus increased office space required, plus, plus, plus. With all those pluses, your fees are sure to be close to $250,000 per year for those two employees. That’s a significant cost to incur when you’re still in the growth phase of your business.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can use an outsourced accounting department with experienced accountants and CFO types at a fraction of the cost (let’s assume $5,000 per month). If you compare that to the above scenario, it’s a $190,000 savings. Think of having all your back office, accounting and year tax needs taken care of each month for about the same price as that staff accountant. That also means no training, no benefits that need be paid, or extra costs incurred.

In the above example, we used $5,000 as a base amount, but generally such services start at $500 and go up depending on the size and complexity of your operations. In the end, it costs you not to consider having an outsourced accounting department.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Three Functions to Outsource as a Startup

Three Functions to Outsource for your Startup Human Resources – Making sure you are abiding by employment laws in your state is essential.  Hiring, firing, and employment practices can get you sued if not done correctly.  In California, these laws are very strict.  If your startup is hiring interns, do they need to be paid….are they limited in hours if they get school credit?  Do you know some colleges require that you have $1 million in liability insurance before you can hire an intern from their school?  Use a qualified HR firm to handle your employment contracts and relationships.

Accounting – Making sure you are recording transactions accurately for investors is crucial.  Knowing margins and how to react to business developments will help you outperform competitors.   Accountants don’t have to be expensive, and through cloud-based solutions, certain accountants can be very reactive to your needs.  Don’t worry about accounting, focus on building your business.

Legal – It’s great to do certain things yourself.  But when it comes to formation, partnership agreements, stock option plans, equity vesting, etc…hire a qualified attorney. If you are a startup, you don’t necessarily need a law firm in a high-rise that charges $800 per hour.  Find a lawyer you trust, that you can afford, and that has the appropriate knowledge.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Five Mistakes Startups Make

Five Mistakes Startups Make Following the American Dream and starting your own company can put you on the fast track to success, but it can also lead to the deep end of failure if not done correctly. Here are five accounting mistakes many startups make that hinder their potential.

1. Mixing business and personal finances – So many startups utilize their personal expenses for business use and vice versa.  Open a bank account for your business, transfer money, and keep the costs separate.  This will help minimize any negative tax consequences.
2. Entity type – A partnership can take many forms, an LP, LLC, LLP, S-Corp, or C-Corp.  There are certain entities that are better for certain businesses.  In addition the number of owners can effect which type of entity you should use.   Not all businesses can distribute earnings in the same way.  Pick an entity that best suits your business by asking a qualified advisor.
3. Not knowing obligations – That’s right, good old Uncle Sam and most states want theirs.  If you don’t have a reseller’s license, you will owe the state sales tax.  If you own an LLC and distribute guaranteed payments rather than W-2 wages, know that you will owe taxes on compensation received. Know your obligations.
4. Have the right tools – Use an accounting system that fits your company needs.  Do you need software to track your client relationships, email blasts, etc…? Make sure you use technology that fits your company and helps it grow.
5. Planning – Many startups think that they will be generating revenue from day one.  They find that it is harder to get off the ground than anticipated and they run out of money before they even start.  Make sure that you have enough money saved to live while you build your business.

And one for the road:

Consider and 83b election when forming your C-Corp.  It needs to be filed within 30 days of incorporation.   The election will minimize immediate tax consequences and lock-in your basis.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Employee versus Contractor

The biggest factor in assessing whether an individual is an employee or contractor comes down to control.  If a company can dictate hours and schedule, the person is more likely to be an employee.  Does a worker wear a shirt with your company’s logo on it while visiting clients?  Then they are likely an employee.  Here are a few other guidelines. Control: Does the hired person work directly under the orders of others in a defined position? They are most likely an employee. However, if the person works separately on specific projects with little to no supervision or time constraints, they are more likely to be a contractor.

Reimbursement: An important difference between a contractor and an employee is the method of payment for services provided. If the paycheck is constant and includes benefits such as a pension plan and vacation days, the person involved is an employee.

Importance: The proximity of the hired person to your vital operation is a good indicator of hired status. Is the person working on a direct part of your business model required to complete the process? Are tools provided for the job? If so, the hired person is most likely an employee.

The difference between an employee and a contractor has important tax repercussions, and should not be ignored. For more information, read information provided by the IRS here.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Ready Your Business for Investment

You had an idea, you started a business and put that idea into action, you looked for funding, and you found a potential investor that likes that idea.  The investor is ready to put money in and things are looking up.  Your business is about to get the money it needs to ramp up activity.  So what is the problem? Most startups strive so much for funding, they don’t necessarily think about the point at which someone says, “I love the idea and want to invest.”  It’s those magical words you've been waiting for, but now what?  Often those same words are just the beginning of the sentence which goes, “I love the idea and want to invest….so I will need to conduct my due diligence on your finances and records among other things.” Those other things include reviewing your burn rate, the runway you will need to get your product to market, etc.  All these items revolve around finance, accounting, and budgeting.  Remember, for a investor its all about the potential to make their investment back...times ten.

This is the point at which you start scrambling for the shoebox you stuffed with receipts, sift through drawers, print credit card statements, and find anything that resembles an invoice.  Then you figure out what is personal and what is business related.  Then you call a friend with “finance” experience and ask for help.  This is a dire situation to be in.  If you find yourself at this point, chances are that funding may be long-gone.  What does it say about your professionalism and your business savvy if you have to keep an investor waiting a week, a month, or even two days to get them information that you should have readily available.  We aren't talking about projections, we are talking about history.

The importance of keeping adequate books and records cannot be understated.  Having a professional and not a friend who "went to business school" is imperative in your growth and funding strategy.  When an investor asks for financial records, you should have it next day in their hands.  These financial records will also be the basis for your budget going forward.  Historical operating costs are a good starting point when estimating future burn rate, which will ultimately determine the runway your company has.  Remember, why would an investor put money in, knowing the company will run out of money before the intended goal is met.  Lining up your burn rate and development time line or your time to market, is critical for the success of your company.

If you are a founder of a startup, doing all the accounting and financial modeling can be slow and painstaking.  More importantly, it takes you away from what you are best at...developing your startup.  Contracting with a qualified accounting expert will expedite the accounting and finance process while freeing your time.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Audit, Client, Consultant Relationship

At some point, most successful businesses or businesses with significant potential must go through an audit to verify historical activity and results for investors, shareholders, or potential buyers.   However, because so many businesses are stretched thin in terms of staffing and specialized expertise, audits sometime become significantly burdonsom on a Company. These scenarios often result in delayed completion of the audit, unnecessary difficulty in completing the audit, and impaired independence for the auditor.  Companies lacking bandwidth will have to find time to devote to an audit; and those lacking expertise will have difficulty in completing the work in acceptable ways.  Regardless, often times what happens is the auditor assists the client (adjusts balances, writes financial statemens, etc...) to the point where their independence is impaired.  If an auditors independence is impaired, they are precluded from issuing an opinion.  The burden of knowing if an auditors independence is impaired can't be on the auditor alone.  If a company's auditor is determined to be not independent at a later time, their audit report can be disqualified and the Company may be subject to re-audit at the companies expense.

To remedy these situations, wise executive teams hire expert consultants to assist in the audit preparation and oversight.  By hiring a qualified consultant, companies can negate bandwidth and expertise issues, that will in turn resolve most independence issues.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Prepare your Financial Information to go Public

If you are thinking about taking your company public in the coming years, you should start preparing far in advance. Why?

As part of going public you will be subject to putting at least two years worth of books and records together in accordance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (”GAAP”).  That information must be audited before being submitted to the SEC and available for public observation.

Any auditor will tell you it’s much easier to audit a company when you only have to audit the previous year.  Any time the audit period extends two to three years back there are various issues that are generally encountered, including: 1) missing records, 2) turnover in employees, 3) regulatory filings that will require amendment (think taxes), and the list goes on.

If you contemplating going public in the future, start a conversation with all the stakeholders that will be needed: your management team, board of directors, legal, financial consultant, and auditors.  Having these groups on the same page will ensure that everyone is working as a team to an end goal.  Being proactive in your approach will have better results than if you are reactive.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Accounting for Software Development

There are two types of software that are developed for a business: 1) internal-use software, and 2) software developed to be sold, leased or marketed (“software to be sold”).   The accounting and capitalization requirements for these two different types of software is very different.  Here is a high-level comparison of how each type of software is capitalized. For internal use software, there are three stages defined by accounting guidance: 1) preliminary project phase (i.e. planning, evaluating alternatives, conceptual formation); 2) application development (i.e. design, coding, integration with hardware), and; 3) Post implementation phase (i.e. testing, maintenance).   The capitalization of costs should start after the preliminary project phase, and is contingent on management committing to funding the continued development of the software, and the completion of the project being probable.  Costs should cease to be capitalized after the project is substantially finished (generally, close to the start of the post implementation phase).  All costs outside of this capitalization window should be expensed as incurred.  The costs qualifying for capitalization are also restricted, but that is a whole blog unto itself.

For software to be sold to third parties, the accounting guidelines are completely different.  Accounting guidance requires that costs associated with the development of software to be sold are charged to expense as incurred, until the point in which technological feasibility has been established.  Technological feasibility is established once an entity has completed planning, designing, coding, and testing the software to ensure that the software will work for its intended function.   As a general guideline, sometimes technological feasibility is considered established once software enters beta testing.   Capitalization must cease when the software is ready for general release to customers.  Accordingly, the window for capitalization is extremely small, and often, startup companies expense all costs during development.

Based on the above highlights, internal-use software generally carries a higher asset value on the balance sheet of companies than software to be sold (assuming the costs incurred to develop both are the same).

If your startup is developing software, it would be wise to contact an accounting consultant with software accounting experience to review which category your software falls into and what costs qualify for capitalization, if any.   In addition have your CTO track and document the progress of the project.  The accountant will need to line up expenses with the progress of the project to correctly account for the software.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Minimize Business Taxes Before Year End

Minimize Taxes before year end If you find that your Company has been profitable during the year and it is looking at a hefty tax bill after the year end, there are a few things you can do to minimize your businesses taxes.  Note however, that you should consult your CPA to determine if these action items are right for you.

1. Make payments - Pay all your payables and payroll before year end.  Remember, cash expenditures during the year qualify for deduction.  If you normally would run payroll on January 2, consider running that payroll on December 31 instead.
2. Prepay - Prepay certain expenses normally due on the first of each month.  Traditionally, recurring bills such as rent and insurance are due on the first of the month for the following month.  Take advantage of prepaying these items to push the deduction to the current year rather than the next year.
3. Buy equipment – Certain types of businesses can accelerate depreciation for tax purposes during the year of purchase.  For instance, if you have a construction related business and buy a qualifying truck, you can accelerate the depreciation on that truck and take the total value as a deduction to businesses income.

Remember that your businesses may have NOL (Net Operating Loss) carry-forwards and getting extra deductions in a given year may not be needed.  In addition, law changes can effect when and how you should spend money.  Contact your CPA to determine what is best for your company.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Stock Options for Startups

Stock options have made a lot of people rich, and given a lot of people headaches.  In the startup community, stock options are necessary to attract talent, provide value, and retain critical human capital.  But there are more pitfalls in accounting for options than Minnesota has lakes. Accounting guidance states that stock options, whether issued in public or private companies, are valued at the grant date.  Calculating the fair value of an option for a public company is rather easy if you know what you’re doing, but private companies aren't so lucky.  In order to determine the fair value, one of the inputs you will need to know is the value of underlying stock on the grant date.  However, if there is no buying/selling in a freely trading market, how is one to know what the fair value is?  Here are a few suggestions to calculate the value of your startups common stock if you don't have a formal valuation done by an expert:

1. What is the per share value of the last sale to a third party.  When a willing third party buyer and willing seller exchange cash or other value for shares, the value of those shares can be considered fair value.
2. Use metrics within your industry.  Did two of your competitors just sell their companies for 2x top line revenue or 5x EBIDA.  If you have comparables that can be applied to your company that is also a good starting point.  Make sure to discount as appropriate for lack of marketability, etc.

The bottom line is when you start issuing options; contact a qualified accountant to assist you in stock option accounting.  Lawyers can draft option plans, and may be able to advise you on some tax issues, but accountants are needed to tell you how those options affect your company.  As a final word of wisdom, contact your accountant before issuing options, rather than after.  Suggestions on the strike price and potential dilution can significantly improve the functionality of those options without negatively impacting the company.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Raising Money for Inflection Points

As a business gets off the ground and ideas are swirling in the air, startup founders start committing significant time to raising money.  The question is how much money should a startup raise?  Most founders will answer “as much as possible,” however, that is often the wrong answer for investors. Some founders think it’s important to get a high valuation in hopes of more money coming in the door upfront.  This can also be another potential pitfall.  Valuations are great, but the market sets the price of your company.  A valuation can be high, but the market may indicate and act otherwise.    A company will never raise more money than the market is willing to invest.

What founders should be focusing on is infection points in their business.  When raising money, there should be a reason as to why you are asking for $5M compared to $1M.  An investor needs to know where that $5M is going to get the company.  If a company can only accomplish half their goal with $5M, than that $5M is already lost money to an investor.  If a company can have a finished product ready for market with that $5M, that is an inflection point in your business that an investor can get behind.

As you map out your business, think long-term and realize that your business likely won’t get big money up front.  It will take a few small tranches of money, until larger sums are realized.  Accordingly, think of fundraising like a road trip.  Plan your path and know where you need to take a pit-stop (i.e. get more money).  Think about each tranche of money and how it will relate to an inflection point in your business (i.e. working prototype, completion of code development, finished product, commencement of revenue, etc…).  Think about how much of a runway you need to reach each inflection point and how much money will be required to get there.  Creating a plan and a road map will help investors understand that you have a structured plan to execute an idea.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Small Business Fraud Series - Importance of Physical Cash and Inventory Counts

As your small business grows, your internal control structure must grow with you and a sound control environment becomes more critical. One of the most important controls in a small business is conducting surprise counts of assets in which are easily susceptible to theft such as cash and inventory.

 Cash - For retail or cash transaction heavy businesses, periodic cash counts are vital to an effective fraud prevention process whether performed by an internal audit department or by management. Generally, the simplest procedures are the most effective. Some procedures in which can assist in the identification of fraud include reconciliation of deposit slips to the vouchers provided with cash payments, reconciliation of cash receipts to cumulative cash register readings, spot audits of cash drawers, etc. A good program to follow when performing cash counts can be found here. This program can be tailored to your specific needs.

Inventory - Depending on the product, inventory is generally the most susceptible asset to fraud. Inventory counts can be made periodically or perpetually. Periodic counts are generally performed quarterly or on an annual basis whereby 100% or close there to of the inventory is counted. Perpetual accounts, referred to as cycle counts, are generally performed throughout the year with only a small percentage of the population being counted at each count. Inventory counts are important as they can assist in the identification of missing, misplaced, excess, obsolete, etc inventory. A link explaining steps to a successful inventory count can be found here.

To be successful in these areas designate a specific individual with the responsibility of these task. This individual should be independent to the cash and inventory process. Consistently and following up is important.  You must make a commitment to the procedures in order to assist in the deterant of fraudulent behaviors.

dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm with offices in Orange County and San Diego focused on providing quality accounting and consulting services at reasonable rates. For additional complimentary information regarding this topic or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Crowd Funding (JOBS ACTS) passed, Now What?

The JOBS act allows entrepreneurs to raise capital for start up and small companies through crowd funding online. However, regulations will not be implemented until January 2013. The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has 270 days to figure out how to regulate funding which targets non-accredited investors.  The following is a partial list of the items in which you can do to get ahead while waiting for the law to be implemented: • Incorporate you business;

• Start writing your business plan, or refining it, if you already have one. This will assist you determine the amounts of financing you are looking to raise. In addition, a well thought out business plan outlining your current and future business expectations will alleviate many questions in which may arise during a due diligence process;

• Get you accounting records complete and accurate. Good accounting will benefit you when attempting to present the viability and growth of your business. The more information you are able to generate on a timely basis will provide additional credibility. If you plan on raising funds under $100,000, the officer of the company needs to certify the financial statements and state they are accurate. So you will want to ensure the records are adequately prepared;

• Get your CPA and/or accountant involved to assist in the process.   If you plan on raising $100,000 -$499,000, then you need to have the financial statements reviewed by an independent public accountant. Any funding over $500,000 requires audited financial statements. It is never too early to get this process started. A first time audit/review can take any where from 30 - 60 days depending on the size of the organization.

If you have questions in connection with crowdfunding or would like to gain additional information regarding this topic. Please contact dbbmckennon at one of its two offices located in Southern California or via email. dbbmckennon is a full service CPA firm specializing all financial and tax compliance areas. In addition to providing audit and tax services, dbbmckennon provides bookkeeping and interim controller/CFO type services to assist small business owners in the management of their operations.

Crowdfunding Update

Last week we posted that the House of Representative and Senate passed their own crowdfunding bills and were heading to reconciliation. Rather than debate the differences, on March 27, 2012, the House of Representatives passed the Senate's version of the bill which was initially passed on March 22, 2011. The bill has now been sent to President Obama for signature. The following are key provisions of the Senate's bill related to crowdfunding:

• Allow entrepreneurs to raise up to $1 million per year through and SEC approved portal.
• Free people to invest a percentage of their income. For investors with an income of less than $100,000, investments will be capped at the greater of $2,000 or 5% of income. For investors within an income of more than $100,000, investments will be capped at 10% up to $100,000.
• Require crowdfunding portals to provide investor protection, including investor education materials on the risks associated with small issuers and illiquidity.
• All investment offerings on the platform must be registered in advance with the SEC through a filing of basic information about the corporation and its principals. Fundraising up to $100k requires very minimal financial statement filings and allows for pre-revenue businesses to still raise up to $100k. Fundraising from $100k to $500k requires review of financials by a public accountant. Fundraising from $500k to $1M requires audited financials.
• Crowdfunding investors are excluded from shareholder caps (currently at 500, though likely to be increased soon) for purposes allowing a private company to stay privately held. *Companies will be able to raise crowdfunding from as many people as they want.
• The investor cannot resell the stock for a year, except back to the issuing company, an accredited investor, through a subsequent registered IPO, or to their family. *This is consistent with non-public offering re-sale restrictions.

If you have questions in connection with crowdfunding or would like to gain additional information regarding this topic. Please contact dbbmckennon at one of its two offices located in Southern California or via email.

Small Business Fraud Series – Importance of Bank Reconciliations

As your small business grows, your internal control structure must grow with you and a sound control environment becomes more critical. One of the most important controls in a small business is preparing timely bank reconciliations at the end of every month, at a minimum.  Bank reconciliations are a comparison of the Company’s records to the bank’s records.  At any given point in time, there are likely to be reconciling items such as outstanding checks or electronic transfers.  Without bank reconciliation, you may not have a clear idea of how much cash is available in your account. You might bounce checks and incur overdraft charges. With electronic check clearing, you don’t have much time to get funds into your account when you write checks. Bouncing checks could be damaging to your business reputation or may cause you to lose a key supplier if not fixed in a timely manner.

Designate a specific individual to perform monthly, weekly, or daily bank reconciliations depending on the volume of account activity.  You must go through every transaction in your account and make sure you and the bank agree on the transaction and investigate any unusual items. The key is to keep a real-time tracking of accounting records and bank balances to protect against overdrafts as well as identify fraudulent activity in a timely manner.

For additional complimentary information regarding thisitem or other questions you may have please call one of dbbmckennon‘s offices located in Southern California or contact us here.

Crowdfunding and Financial Statement Audits

In the past weeks, the House of Representatives and Senate have passed back and forth legislation labeled the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.  This bill, among other things, allows companies to go through crowdfunding websites, such as kickstarter, to raise capital. The specific limits and restrictions are still being worked out.  For an explanation of crowdfunding follow this link.

At dbbmckennon, we have been keeping a close eye on this revolutionary piece of legislation that we believe, will potentially provide additional startup capital to smaller companies in order to bring their product or service to market.  As Certified Public Accountants (CPA), we too often see small companies fail or never reach their potential due to the inavailability of capital or lack of capital on acceptable terms. We believe this piece of legislation will relieve some of those difficulties.

At dbbmckennon we are uniquely positioned to provide the audits and/or reviews that may be required by this legislation, depending upon the level of funding  are seeking out.  Our business has and always will focus on the needs of small businesses, much like the ones that will benefit under the JOBS act.  In addition, our customers will get the assurance that they are working with a world class CPA firm that is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) which allows us to audit public companies in which report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  There is no higher level of qualification a CPA firm in which performs audits can obtain.  Our latest PCAOB report, reflected no comments, indicating that the quality of our work is in the upper echelon of all CPA firms nationwide.

As independent auditors, we enjoy seeing small businesses with an idea, a little money, and a big dream.  We look forward to being partners with all the small companies that will benefit from the JOBS act. If you have questions in connection with crowdfunding or would like to gain additional information regarding this topic. Please contact dbbmckennon at one of its two offices located in Southern California or via email.

dbbmckennon to sponsor The Elite OC seminar

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, dbbmckennon will be sponsoring The Elite OC's Seminar - Building and Growing a Business - The Tie Between Entrepreneur & Leader. The event will kick-off with a light breakfast and schmoozing (7:00-7:30am), followed by an interactive session with three of Orange County's most respected Entrepreneurs + Leaders (7:30-9:00am). These 'Entre-Leaders' will share their wisdom with us and answer questions on how to successfully build and grow a business:

ANDY FATHOLLAHI - Chief Executive Officer, Incipio

ERIK HALE - Founder, Locale Magazine

BRYAN ELLIOT - Founder, Linked Orange County

This is an amazing opportunity to engage with three key OC-leaders, while also giving back to the local Make-A-Wish Foundation through the optional donation of a backpack or toy for children 3-18 years old.

**Attendance is free and seating is limited so please RSVP and arrive early enough to check-in and grab a seat!

Fletcher Jones Motor Cars at 3300 Jamboree Rd, Newport Beach will be hosting the event. For additional information please contact dbbmckennon or visit The Elite OC.

SOX 404(b) Exemption Could Extend to Larger Companies

What is SOX 404(b)?  Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("SOX") requires public companies to have an independent external auditor attest to internal controls over financial reporting, also known as an integrated audit.

What companies are exempt?

Currently, issuers (entities reporting before the SEC) with a public float of less than $75 million or annual revenues of less than $50 million if the public float of the issuer is zero  are exempt from SOX 404(b). However, economic conditions and businesses have contributed to applying pressure to extend the exemption to companies with public floats of less than $1 billion.  It has been also proposed to raise the threshold to $350 million from $75 million.

When might a change in exemption occur?

On February 16, 2012, the House Financial Services Committee opened discussions related to the "Reopening American Capital Markets to Emerging Growth Companies Act." During the markup period for this bill, an amendment to a separate bill was offered to exempt all companies with public floats of less than $1 billion from SOX 404(b).  Although the amendment was withdrawn, the committee chair stated the issue would be considered later this year.

The partners and staff of dbbmckennon, support an amendment to SOX 404(b) to lessen the burden on public companies by increasing the public-float levels from $75 million to in the range $350 million and $1 billion.

We encourage our clients and readers to write to their respective congressional leaders in support of raising the 404(b) public float requirements to $1 billion.  Our firm wrote our congressional leaders during the fight to exempt public companies from 404(b) in support of the $75 million public float, while our competitors and the AICPA did not support the exemption.