Akron Business Consultants

Look at any list of the top 10 fears of people and the fear of public speaking will undoubtedly be at the top of any list.  In a world where content marketing is becoming ever more important, the need to not only write the content, but present it, is now even more critical for people looking to develop new business leads and position themselves and their companies as leaders in their respective industry.  In this week’s Marketing Blog, I’ll share some additional tips to giving a presentation. (Cl...

Look at any list of the top 10 fears of people and the fear of public speaking will undoubtedly be at the top of any list.  In a world where content marketing is becoming ever more important, the need to not only write the content, but present it, is now even more critical for people looking to develop new business leads and position themselves and their companies as leaders in their respective industry.  In this week’s Marketing Blog, I thought I would hit on some of the foundational tips to...

New Tax Credit

Are you ready to take advantage of the new InvestOhio tax credit?  The registration period is now open and registration must be completed before you can apply for the credit. The application date is expected to be the first full week in December and now is the time to ensure that you are ready to apply.
 
What is InvestOhio?

InvestOhio is a tool for helping Ohio small businesses gain the capital they need to succeed and create jobs.  Through the program, individuals who invest up to...

This month's Special Delivery e-newsletter includes the following articles:

• Year-End Tax Planning
• InvestOhio Tax Credit REgistration Now Open: Quick Action Required
• Make 2012 a "Record Year" for Taxes
• Happy Trails: Getting Ready for Retirement
• How to Put Time on Your Side
• Group Workers' Compensation Programs
• Skoda Minotti Professional Receives Certified Exit Planning Advisor Credential

Year-End Tax Planning

Once again we find ourselves with the Holidays upon us and we wish you and your family all...

The Ohio Technology Transfer Organization (“OTTO”) has been around for a while. It assists in moving research from the research institution to the market place. Since its inception, over 900 Ohio companies have utilized this resource. The basic idea of the technology transfer office is to assist researchers in finding a home for their ideas and businesses with solutions to technical problems or new product development. These offices also may provide physical space and have access to venture...

As you may remember from our July e-newsletter, Ohio recently created a new small business investment tax credit. New details of the program have now emerged and quick action may be required to take advantage of this tax credit which begins Monday, November 14^th.

What is InvestOhio?

Through the program, individuals who invest up to $10 million in eligible small businesses

may receive a 10 percent income tax credit if the investment is held for two years.

The credit is a non-refundable personal...

Job Description:

The Controller provides both operational and programmatic support to the organization.  .  The Conroller reports directly to the President and is responsible for all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to budget management, cost benefit analysis, forecasting needs and the securing of new funding.

Our client provides survey, energy analysis and design of lighting systems to companies across the U.S.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist in performing all tasks necessary to...

Hiring should be done at the right time (... obviously). But when is the right time to hire new employees? 

Here are a couple of questions to answer to help determine if now is the right time to bring on additional talent:

1.    Am I, my department managers, or staff working too many hours that it is affecting their quality of life?
2.    Are my customers being serviced the way I want them to be?
3.    Do you we have enough people to support this new client/project?
4.    Am I anticipating someone...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, has been named a recipient of The Plain Dealer’s second annual Top Workplaces 2011 award, for the second year in a row. This honor was given to 132 companies, nonprofits and agencies in northeast Ohio companies this year, based strictly on survey results of their employees.

Survey results were gathered using an independent workplace consultant. Employees were asked to indicate, on a seven-point scale, how much they...

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm with offices in Cleveland and Akron, has been named a recipient of the 2011 Leading EDGE Award. Presented by Crain’s Cleveland Business and The Entrepreneur’s EDGE, this award recognizes companies that have consistently generated value to the Northeast Ohio economy over the past three years.

Uniquely positioned to provide business and financial advisory services to companies of differing sizes and industries...

CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm, with offices in Cleveland and Akron, has recently received federal and state recognition for demonstrating leadership and policies that support employee participation in the National Guard and Reserve. Doug Lundblad, client network engineer in Skoda Minotti’s Technology Services Group, serves as First Sergeant for Company B, 1st- 145th Armor Regiment of the Ohio Army National Guard.

On a national level, the firm has been...

CFO Job Description:

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides both operational and programmatic support to the organization.  The CFO supervises the finance unit and is the chief financial spokesperson for the organization.  The CFO reports directly to the President and is responsible for all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to budget management, cost benefit analysis, forecasting needs and the securing of new funding.

CFO Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist in performing all tasks...

• New Law Extends Favorable Capital Gain Rules
• How to Help Pay for College Education
• The Wrap-up for Wrap Fees
• Aurum Capital Markets Summary
• Repeal of Expanded 1099 Requirements
• Audio Book Club
• College Planning
• Advisor Insights Video Archive
• Delivering on the Promise

April 13, 2011 – CLEVELAND – Skoda Minotti, a CPA, business and financial advisory firm with offices in Cleveland and Akron, is pleased to announce that Robert D. Coode has been appointed to the Lake Health Foundation Board of Trustees.

Lake Health Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of Lake Health. On behalf of the health system, the Foundation accepts contributions of cash and appreciated property. Donations are used to enhance patient care, including the support of projects that improve...

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC) is a refundable tax credit for low-income workers and families.  The credit, originally enacted in 1975, was designed to both reduce the burden of payroll taxes and supplement wages of those who were eligible.

The credit is claimed on one's individual income tax return.  In the past, employers were able to advance a portion of the credit to their eligible employees.  For tax-year 2011 and beyond, this will no longer be an option.  Due to a provision of HR 1586...

A Cleveland judge recently fined two South Carolina real estate companies more than $13 million for their persistent failure to fix derelict property conditions. This marks the largest collective fines the court has imposed.

According to this article at Cleveland.com, “The cases involve major violations at eight properties and less significant ones at five others. The earliest complaints date to January 2008. The judge calculated the fines from the number of violations, the number of days they...

The First Time Homebuyer credit has been extended, but not everyone is eligible to continue to take advantage of this credit. Only buyers who were under contract prior to the previous deadline of April 30 can take advantage of this extension to close by September 30 and receive the $8,000 credit.

One of the main reasons for the extension is that there are a high volume of short sales under contract but not scheduled to close by June 30^th. This is mainly due to short sales requiring seller side...

Click here to view Part 1 of our series and learn more about the stock option landscape or Part 2 to learn more about the accounting and tax ramifications of issuing stock options.

What To Do?

As discussed above, there are significant risks that a company brings upon itself if it decides to issue stock options without properly valuing the options and the equity of the company. Rather than issuing stock options, if a company wants to offer an employee the opportunity to obtain an ownership...