Cash Flow – More from the Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell

Avoid These Pitfalls If You Are A Small Business Owner

This post from LegalZoom which was recently updated in September 2023 highlights the top ten mistakes made by new business owners. The list includes:

Not having a business plan
Not having a marketing plan
Impatience
Overspending
Underpricing
Not forming the right business entity
Thinking you don’t need insurance
Not having a written agreement with your business partners
Failing to protect intellectual property
Thinking you can do it all yourself

Check out the link to read more detail about what to do if you think you are falling short in that area as the post goes into depth on each item in the list.

What You Need To Know if You Use Venmo or Paypal for Business Payments

Lawmakers are debating changes to tax reporting for business transactions on payment apps like Venmo and PayPal, as well as e-commerce platforms such as eBay, Etsy, and Poshmark. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 lowered the threshold for Form 1099-K, which reports third-party business payments. Previously, individuals received this form if they had over 200 transactions totaling more than $20,000. Now, the threshold is just $600, causing concern that many taxpayers might mistakenly receive a 1099-K, even for small, one-time sales. Bipartisan efforts are underway to raise the reporting threshold back to 2022 levels, with some proposals suggesting an increase to $10,000. If you are a small business that receives revenue via these payment apps, it’s essential for to stay organized and be prepared for tax reporting. Read more about the issue in this article posted on CNBC.

Where Should Small Businesses Keep Their Cash?

After three recent failures of medium-sized banks, many small business owners are worried about the safety of their money. According to this article from Investopedia, experts recommend diversifying deposits across multiple institutions to stay within the $250,000 FDIC limit. In addition, small businesses may want to approach credit unions and small banks as they may offer better terms. Check out the article for more thoughts on the topic.

Starting a Business With Little to No Capital

Owning your own business offers flexibility, creative freedom, and unlimited income potential. Lacking financial resources doesn’t mean you are out of luck! According to this article in Forbes, it is possible to still start a business with limited funds. no money. Some tips from the article include: keep your day job while working on your business during your free time, choose a business idea that doesn’t require upfront capital (such as freelance writing, virtual assisting, or social media management), scale up gradually, and utilize free resources and networking opportunities. Check out the link to the article to read more!

Suggestions for How To Run A Crowdfunding Campaign When A Founder Is From A Marginalized Community

This article from Forbes discusses the increasing popularity of crowdfunding as a funding option for early-stage startups, especially for female founders from marginalized communities. In general, crowdfunding provides an innovative solution for raising funds to launch or grow a businesses.

The article highlights specific difficulties faced by these marginalized founders in obtaining traditional funding and provides tips for running successful crowdfunding campaigns, including setting realistic goals, explaining the product or service clearly, promoting the campaign through multiple channels, building social proof, and offering attractive rewards to participants.

“Your Financial Maven” Podcast Episode

Samantha M. Besnoff is a CPA, podcast host AND early graduate of our very own Women’s Entrepreneurship certificate program. Samantha reached out to our Program Director, Kirsten Barker, to have a conversation about financial considerations that go into launching a business.

We are so pleased that Samantha has stayed in touch with the Institute long after completing the program and is dedicated to improving financial literacy with her Your Financial Maven podcast. If you are interested in listening to her chat with Kirsten, you can tune in on @iheartpodcast, @applepodcasts, or wherever you listen: https://apple.co/3BAVTms

Six Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail

The article from Business News Daily discusses six common reasons why small businesses fail and provides advice on how to minimize or avoid their negative impact. These reasons include poor cash flow, inadequate leadership, disengaged employees, lack of business planning, strong competition, and failure to adapt to changes in the market.

The article suggests that to address these challenges, small business owners should prioritize financial planning, establish clear organizational structures, foster employee engagement, create comprehensive business plans, conduct competitive analyses, and be adaptable to industry trends. Additionally, the article highlights the importance of cultivating a supportive and collaborative work environment and investing in leadership development programs to ensure that businesses are well-positioned for success.

Passing on Generational Wealth

As we head into Thanksgiving this week in the US, many families will be gathering around tables where multiple generations are present. In this interview and podcast from NPR’s Life Kit, Pamela Jolly, founder and CEO of the strategic investment firm Torch Enterprises shares thoughts on what generational wealth includes and how to create structures in which it can be shared. Specifically, Jolly states that wealth isn’t just about cash. It can be whatever you want it to be – from your relationships to your education and knowledge to the things you own – “wealth” can be anything you can pass down to make your mark on the world.

Turning a Personal Brand Into Side Hustle Income

Patrina Dixon, author of It’$ My Money and graduate of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Certificate program at Cornell was recently featured in this article in Business Insider.

In this piece, she shares her thoughts on how to generate side income. Specifically, she states the importance of determining your existing skills, experimenting with different opportunities for growth and outlining income streams that best work for you and your needs. Keep up the amazing work, Patrina!

Interview with Melissa Bradley: The Importance Of Giving Underserved Entrepreneurs The Tools To Grow

Melissa Bradley is the cofounder of Ureeka, a community where entrepreneurs can gain access to the expertise needed to grow their business. Ureeka’s mission is to democratize economic opportunity by enabling community and reducing the cost and risk associated with transitioning from a small to medium business. Bradley is also the founder and Managing Partner of 1863 Ventures and cofounder and Managing Partner of Sidecar Social Finance. In this video, Forbes‘ Maneet Ahuja sits down with Melissa Bradley and discusses access to capital, managing a business during a recession and the overhype of venture capital.