Business Strategy & Marketing
General business related topics including strategy, marketing and of course, finance. Fraim, Cawley & Company, CPAs provides business advisory services along with a full array of accountant services to the Roanoke area. Learn more »
Avoid the “Truth” Found in Bad Metrics
“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” ― Mark Twain I’m a big proponent of tracking key metrics in your business. (For those unfamiliar with the term, a metric is simply a quantifiable measure that businesses use to track, monitor and assess the...
The Comfort in Stagnation: Why Some Businesses Never Succeed
“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.” – Richard P. Feynman Hardly anyone is fully content with their current situation – least of all entrepreneurs. If...
How Pain of Purchase Affects Customer Satisfaction
A few years ago, I did a string of articles talking about the importance of charging appropriately. They talked about how customer loyalty can sometimes be fleeting, how low prices can diminish perceived value and the volume of customers you get, and how low prices...
5 Ways to Take the Pain out of Your Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the bane of most business owners’ existence. But ignoring our books or putting them on the back burner can be one of the costliest mistakes we ever make. A few years back, SCORE conducted a poll asking entrepreneurs what was the worst part of...
Are You Sampling or Becoming a Tribute Band?
One of my favorite things in music is when one artist samples another artist’s work. (“Sampling” means taking a portion of an existing song and using that as an element of a new song.) Musicians in all genres do this, but you seem to see it the most in R&B and...
Outsource Your Way to More Freedom, Money, and Time
“I can do that myself. I don’t need to hire someone else to do it.” How often have you heard the above statement? Someone is capable of doing a task themselves, so they don’t want the “unnecessary” expense of hiring someone else to do it for them. And in some...
2019 Tax Calendar
2019 and all of its tax deadlines are upon us! Below is a quick guide of the most important dates to keep in mind this calendar year. January 15th: due date to pay 4th quarter estimated taxes. January 31st: Due date to send out 1099s and W-2s to recipients. Due date...
Why You Should Focus on Making Your Tax Bill Bigger, Not Smaller
Every year, I have (nearly) countless conversations with clients about how they can reduce their tax bills. And, obviously, that is a big part of the expertise we provide and the service for which they pay us. When we meet, at least half of the conversation centers...
Why I Fire Clients
Why I Fire Clients “Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more.” – Ray Charles I fire clients. Not with great frequency, and not on a whim. But I do fire them – and...
The Business Tax Guide for 2018 Infographic
The recently passed business tax plan is the most comprehensive tax reform passed in three decades. As a business owner, here’s what you need to know:
If You Wouldn’t Say It to a Doctor: Rules to Avoid Unintended Rudeness
“I’d like to pick your brain. Let me take you out for a beer” – many generally well-meaning individuals A few articles ago I talked about how everyone loves to give advice – irrespective of whether they have any idea what they are talking about or not. Most people...
Our Struggles Aren’t Special
Our Struggles Aren’t Special “Gloom, despair, and agony on me Deep, dark depression, excessive misery If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all Gloom, despair, and agony on me” – From the TV Show “Hee-Haw” In the last...
We Aren’t Special
We Aren’t Special “‘Normal’ is the cruelest of all insults” ― Mike Snelle That quote embodies the perspective that most of us have. No one wants to be typical. No one wants to be a simple cog in the machine. No one wants to be a faceless blob indistinguishable...
Willful Ignorance: The Pitfall of Purchasing Double Standards
Willful Ignorance: The Pitfall of Purchasing Double Standards “Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it’s someone else’s witch being hunted.” ― Walter Kirn Every single one of us is guilty of some kind of hypocrisy. Try as we might to avoid double...
Expert or Impostor? Careful Whom You Take Advice From
Expert or Impostor? Careful Whom You Take Advice From “Advice is a peculiar commodity. Those who have the capacity to give good advice generally have too much sense to waste their time trying to get rid of it.” – William H. McMaster In our last article we...
Coach or Rent-A-Friend?
Leslie: “No Ann, please. I beg of you. Will you just shut your beautiful pie-hole? Just sit there, let me stare at you while you silently support me on this game plan.” Ann: “Leslie…” Leslie: “Shh, Ann! Your quiet support means the world to me, as well as your tacit...
No One Cares About You or Your Mission
No One Cares About You or Your Mission “To love his maker, for he was SELF-MADE! Self-made, self-trained, self-willed, self-satisfied, He was himself, his daily boast and pride.” – “Two Millions” by William Allen Butler Last year I went to a conference at which...
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