For salon & small business owners
You work hard and make good money. So where does it go?
If taxes, money decisions and all the moving pieces of your business feel like too much, start here. Get clear on the whole picture, and the right questions to ask, before the big decisions get made.
It's not how much you make. It's how much you keep.
I work with your CPA, not instead of them.
How I help
Your CPA sees the taxes. Your banker sees the loan. Who's looking at the whole picture?
You wouldn't deliver roofing materials to an empty lot before the foundation is poured.
The materials might be perfectly good. They're just arriving at the wrong time. A good general contractor knows how the foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical and roof fit together, and the order they need to happen in.
Money decisions work the same way. Paying down debt, building cash reserves, buying property, structuring ownership and planning for retirement can all be good moves. Made at the wrong time, or without looking at how they affect each other, they can create problems you didn't need.
That's my role: the general contractor for your business and money decisions. I help you see the whole picture, ask better questions, and get the right professionals working in the right order.
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Foundation
Structure & records
How the business is set up, clean books, and cash reserves. Everything else sits on this.
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Framing
Questions for your pros
Know what to ask your CPA, attorney and banker before you spend, sign or buy.
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Roof
Long-term planning
Growth, property, retirement and family goals, once the base can carry them.
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See the whole picture
Step back and look at how your taxes, cash flow, debt and family goals affect each other.
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Ask better questions
Find the questions you didn't know to ask, and bring them to the right professional.
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Coordinate your pros
Help your CPA, attorney and other advisors work toward the same goal, in the right order.
Learn before you earn
Know your options before the money is spent, not after.
Many owners find out about an option after the check is written or the chance has passed. The value is in knowing the questions exist while every door is still open.
After Deciding first, asking later
You buy the equipment, sign the lease or set up the business, then ask your CPA how to handle it. Some choices may already be off the table.
Before Asking first, deciding with a clear view
You walk into the conversation knowing what to ask, so your CPA and other pros can weigh in while you still have every option.
- Fewer surprises after the money is already spent
- Better, shorter conversations with the professionals you already pay
- Decisions that fit together, because money choices are never only about today. They're shaped by the past, affect your cash flow and taxes now, and decide what choices you'll have later.
Same license, different view
Two nail techs. Same license. Very different businesses.
Picture two licensed nail technicians. Both may be excellent at what they do. The difference is how they look at the business, and the money.
One serves clients
Focuses on clients, sharpening skills and growing sales.
The other owns two salons
Manages several technicians, signs leases, runs payroll, protects cash flow, buys equipment, manages debt, and makes decisions that affect the business and the family at home.
Tax and finance work the same way. A licensed professional may be excellent at the tax code or a specific transaction. But as an owner, you also need someone who knows what it feels like to make payroll, manage debt, support a family, and live with the long-term results of those decisions.
That's the view I bring. I've spent nearly 30 years owning, operating and working in businesses, and I'm still in the nail industry today.
If you feel stuck, confused or overwhelmed, or you just want a second set of eyes before an important decision, I understand what you're going through.
Bring these to your next meeting
Questions worth asking your CPA
Your CPA can help you figure out whether, and how, any of these apply to your business. The point is to ask before you decide.
- Can I pay my children for legitimate work they do in the business? What rules would apply?
- Can the business help cover eligible medical, dental, vision and prescription costs?
- Could the business pay a qualifying portion of certain home-related expenses?
- How should I handle cell phone and internet costs I use for the business?
- Is my ownership structure still the right fit as I grow, and how should I think about protecting my assets?
- What should I ask you before I buy equipment, sign a lease or buy property?
Every situation is different. Your CPA decides what applies to you.
How I work with your team
I work with your CPA, not instead of them.
Your CPA, attorney and financial advisor are important, and their expertise is valuable. I don't replace them. I help you get more out of them: walk in with better questions, and make sure their advice fits together toward the goal you actually want.
What I do
- Help you step back and see the whole picture
- Help you list the questions to bring to each professional
- Help coordinate those conversations in the right order
- Give you a second set of eyes before a big decision
What I don't do
- Replace your CPA, tax attorney or other licensed specialist
- Give tax, legal or investment advice
- Decide what applies to your situation. Your licensed pros do that.
Free tools
See the numbers before you decide
Five free calculators to help you explore a decision before you make it. They give estimates for learning, not advice.
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Compound interestSee how savings can grow over time.
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Loan amortizationEstimate a monthly payment and total interest.
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MortgageEstimate a full monthly mortgage payment.
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RetirementProject savings from steady contributions.
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Business tax set-asideA simple estimate of what to set aside for taxes.
[Webinar date & time TBD]
Free online training
Make your big money decisions in the right order.
Learn how the pieces fit together, which questions to bring to your CPA, and why timing matters as much as the decision itself.
Want a second set of eyes before your next big decision?
Book a 30-minute call. Bring what's on your mind: a lease, a second location, a property, or just the feeling that you're working hard and not keeping enough. We'll look at the whole picture and the questions to take to your pros.