FJ Valencia

You didn’t forget your books. “Do them later” just kept turning into “not today.” Like that oil change from February. Or the dentist appointment you keep rescheduling. But here’s the difference: If your books are a mess and the IRS ever audits you, they won’t care what you meant to do. They’ll care what you […]

Most people hear COGS and think, “That’s for stores. I don’t sell stuff.” But here’s the problem: if you sell anything (service or product) and don’t track COGS, you’re flying blind. And what you don’t track will slowly drain your profits until you wonder why the bank balance never matches the hard work. So What

Hot dogs. Flags. Fireworks. Overpaying the IRS by thousands because your books are a mess? That last one? Not patriotic. Just painful. If you’re running a business and you don’t know how much you’re overpaying in taxes each year… odds are, you are. And here’s the part no one likes to admit: the IRS is

There’s a reason your accountant disappears in December, and it’s not just the holiday chaos. It’s because there is not much they can do for you by then. Most small business owners treat tax planning like it’s a December thing. But by the time you get serious, most of the real savings have already slipped

Let’s get one thing straight: a tax credit and a tax deduction are not the same thing. They don’t do the same thing. They don’t save you the same amount of money. And if you’re mixing them up, you’re probably handing the IRS more than you should. Here’s how to tell the difference, and why

Most business owners wait too long to hire a bookkeeper. They think they’re saving money by doing it themselves. But they’re not. They’re missing deductions. Misreporting income. Delaying invoices. Guessing on payroll. Using last month’s bank balance as a financial strategy. And they don’t find out how bad it is until the IRS, their accountant,

Most small business owners don’t read their profit and loss statement until tax time. By then, it’s too late. Sales looked fine. The bank account felt okay. But now payroll is tight, the IRS wants more than you expected, and nobody knows where the money went. The P&L saw it coming. It always does. What

You loaned someone your trailer. Or your chainsaw. Maybe your camera. They paid you for it. You called it a favor. But the IRS? They call it a business. Any time you rent out personal property, not real estate, but gear, tools, equipment, or anything that isn’t land or a building, you’ve officially stepped into

We get it. A mid-year review sounds about as fun as cleaning gutters in July. Still, skipping it is how small problems turn into fourth-quarter fires. Your books already know if things are going off track. You just need to check in. Why June Is the Best Time to Catch a Financial Screw Up Things