MONEY & ADMIN A–Z

Practical resources to help small-business owners manage money, bookkeeping, taxes, payments, pricing, expenses and everyday financial administration.

A — Accounting Basics

Learn the basic financial concepts every small-business owner should understand.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) — Great for learning the fundamentals of managing business finances.
QuickBooks — Great for small-business accounting, expenses, invoicing and financial reporting.
Xero — Great for cloud-based accounting and financial management.

B — Bookkeeping for Beginners

Learn how to record income, expenses, invoices, receipts and other business transactions.

QuickBooks — Great for beginner-friendly bookkeeping and accounting tools.
Xero — Great for managing bookkeeping, invoices and financial records.
FreshBooks — Great for freelancers and small businesses managing invoices, expenses and bookkeeping.

C — Cash Flow

Understand how money enters and leaves your business and why positive cash flow matters.

SBA — Manage Your Finances — Great for learning about cash flow and financial management.
QuickBooks — Great for tracking income, expenses and cash flow.

D — Deductible Expenses

Learn which ordinary and necessary business expenses may qualify as deductions and what documentation to keep.

IRS — Deducting Business Expenses — Official IRS guidance on business expenses and deductions.
IRS — Small Business and Self-Employed — Great for official federal small-business tax information.

E — Estimated Taxes

Learn whether you may need to make estimated federal tax payments during the year.

IRS — Estimated Taxes — Official information about estimated federal taxes and who may need to pay them.
IRS — Payments — Official IRS options for making federal tax payments.

F — Financial Goals

Set revenue, profit, savings and spending goals for your business.

SBA — Manage Your Finances — Great for understanding financial management and planning.
SCORE — Great for free small-business mentoring, workshops and business resources.

G — Getting Paid (Payment Processors)

Choose tools that allow customers to pay your business online or in person.

Stripe — Great for accepting online payments and integrating payments into websites and apps.
Square — Great for in-person and online payments, especially for small businesses.
PayPal Business — Great for accepting online payments and sending business invoices.

H — Handling Refunds & Chargebacks

Learn how refunds, payment disputes and chargebacks work and how to maintain supporting transaction records.

Stripe — Disputes — Great for understanding and managing payment disputes and chargebacks on Stripe.
Square — Useful for payment processing and dispute-management resources.
PayPal Business — Useful for managing payments, refunds and customer disputes.

I — Income Tracking

Keep accurate records of money earned from products, services and other business activities.

QuickBooks — Great for tracking business income and expenses.
Xero — Great for tracking transactions and business financial performance.
FreshBooks — Great for tracking invoices, payments and expenses.

J — Just-in-Case Emergency Fund

Build a financial cushion that can help your business manage unexpected expenses or periods of lower revenue.

SBA — Manage Your Finances — Great starting point for small-business financial planning.
SCORE — Great for free mentoring on budgeting and business financial planning.

K — Keeping Business & Personal Separate

Separating business and personal finances can make bookkeeping, taxes and financial management easier.

SBA — Open a Business Bank Account — Great for understanding business bank accounts and why businesses use them.
IRS — Small Business and Self-Employed — Official federal tax information for business owners and self-employed individuals.

L — Licenses & Permits

Determine which federal, state, county or local licenses and permits your business may require.

SBA — Apply for Licenses and Permits — Great starting point for understanding business licensing requirements.
USA.gov — State Governments — Great for finding your official state government website and state-specific requirements.

M — Margins & Markups

Understand the difference between markup and profit margin so you can price products more effectively.

Shopify — Great for practical retail, product-pricing and e-commerce resources.
QuickBooks — Great for understanding costs, revenue and profitability through your financial records.

N — Net Profit vs Revenue

Learn the difference between the total money your business brings in and what remains after expenses.

SBA — Manage Your Finances — Great for learning fundamental business-finance concepts.
QuickBooks — Great for financial reports that help track revenue, expenses and profit.

O — Operating Costs

Identify recurring costs such as rent, software, advertising, supplies, shipping, insurance and professional services.

SBA — Calculate Your Startup Costs — Great for identifying common startup and operating expenses.
QuickBooks — Great for categorizing and tracking ongoing business expenses.

P — Pricing for Profit

Set prices that account for product or service costs, overhead and desired profitability.

SCORE — Great for free mentoring on pricing and financial planning.
Shopify — Great for practical product-pricing resources for sellers.
QuickBooks — Useful for understanding costs and profitability before setting prices.

Q — Quarterly Financial Check-In

Review your revenue, expenses, profit, cash flow, taxes and financial goals throughout the year.

QuickBooks — Great for generating financial reports and monitoring business performance.
Xero — Great for reviewing financial reports and business performance.

R — Recordkeeping

Maintain organized records of income, expenses, receipts, invoices, tax documents and other important business transactions.

IRS — Recordkeeping — Official IRS guidance on business records and supporting documents.
QuickBooks — Great for digitally organizing accounting records and transactions.

S — Sales Tax

Learn when your business may need to collect, report and remit sales tax. Requirements vary by state and business activity.

USA.gov — State Governments — Great for finding your state's official tax and government agencies.
Avalara — Great for businesses needing sales-tax calculation and compliance tools.
TaxJar — Great for e-commerce sales-tax calculation and automation.

T — Tax Prep Checklist

Organize your income records, expenses, receipts, tax forms and other documents before preparing business taxes.

IRS — Small Business and Self-Employed — Official starting point for federal small-business tax information.
IRS — Forms and Instructions — Official source for federal tax forms and instructions.

U — Understanding Your P&L

Learn how a Profit & Loss statement summarizes revenue, expenses and profit over a specific period.

QuickBooks — Great for generating and reviewing Profit & Loss reports.
Xero — Great for financial reporting, including income and expense reports.

V — Vendor & Supplier Costs

Track wholesale prices, shipping, packaging, transaction fees and other supplier-related costs when determining profitability.

QuickBooks — Great for tracking vendor expenses and business costs.
Xero — Great for managing bills, suppliers and business expenses.

W — Writing a Simple Budget

Create a basic plan for expected business income, expenses, savings and investments.

SBA — Manage Your Finances — Great for learning basic small-business financial management.
SCORE — Great for free business mentoring and financial-planning resources.

X — Xtra Income Streams

Explore additional ways to generate revenue without depending entirely on one product, service or sales channel.

Shopify — Great for expanding into additional products and online selling opportunities.
Etsy — Great for selling handmade, creative and many digital products.
Gumroad — Great for creators selling digital products and other online offerings.

Y — Year-End Financial Review

Review annual revenue, expenses, profitability, taxes, outstanding invoices and financial goals before entering a new year.

QuickBooks — Great for year-end financial reports and bookkeeping.
Xero — Great for reviewing annual financial reports and business performance.
IRS — Small Business and Self-Employed — Official resource for federal business tax requirements.

Z — Zero-Based Budgeting

Create a budget in which every dollar of expected business income is assigned a purpose, such as expenses, taxes, savings or reinvestment.

SCORE — Great for free financial-planning and small-business mentoring resources.
QuickBooks — Useful for tracking actual income and expenses against your business budget.