Workshop Series

Starting & Running a Small Business

Whether you want to start a new business or optimize an existing one, this workshop series is focused on creating a stategic framework to evaluate business ideas, determine their viability and creating a living business plan.

All workshops take place at the Truckee office.

Part 1: Laying the Foundation

Be ready for group discussion, critical thinking and a fresh perspective on what it takes to be an owner:

Creating a framework to evaluate go/pause/redesign
Thinking like a business owner & aligning with your goals
Lifestyle vs Scalable Business vs Hobby
Understanding margins, pricing, demand and scale

Wednesday, January 21st from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Part 2: Choosing an Entity

Join us for a discussion with Bob Buchanan as he demystifies choosing the right legal and tax structure for your business. Entity decisions can affect all aspects of an enterprise, including ownership, taxes, liability, payroll, and benefits—learn the what, when and why of:

C-Corps, S-Corps, LLCs, sole proprietorships, partnerships
An understanding of legal entities vs tax classification
Basics of Liability protection, ownership and agreements
Key considerations when choosing your entity structure

Wednesday, February 11th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Part 3: Money Matters

Once you start earning money, you’ll need systems in place to keep track of and evaluate your financial health. This session focuses on building simple, effective money systems so you can see what’s working, pay yourself, and reduce financial stress: We’ll discuss:

Separating personal and business finances
Important financial metrics for your business type
Cash flow vs profit vs taxable income
Paying yourself: owner draws vs payroll
Reasonable compensation basics
Bookkeeping fundamentals and best practices

Wednesday, March 4th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Part 4: Business Taxation

Taxes don’t have to be scary or stressful, we’ll discuss the tips and tricks to stay organized and plan ahead rather than react at tax time. We’ll breakdown business taxes in plain language across the different tax entity selections and provide a framework for understanding:

Tax comparison across entity types
Income tax vs self-employment tax
Federal and state estimated taxes
Common deductions and misconceptions
How business income flows to personal returns
Planning for uneven income years
Avoiding underpayment penalties

Wednesday, April 1st from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Part 5: Employee-Owner Benefits

Your business can provide a tax efficient way to help support your life—not just generate income. This session explores how to use benefits and retirement plans strategically to protect yourself, reduce taxes, and build long-term stability in a way that fits your cash flow and growth plans.

Health insurance: Individual, Group, HSA
Additional insurance: life, disability, accident
Retirement plans for owners: Solo 401(k), SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA
Other Cafeteria Plan Options: Adoption, Dependent, FSA
Coordinating benefits with tax strategy
When benefits justify additional complexity
Vehicles, cell phones and other fringe benefits

Wednesday, April 22nd from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Part 6: Liftoff

Growth brings opportunity—and risk. This final session focuses on making intentional decisions about hiring, scaling, marketing and the long-term direction of your business, while tying everything together into a complete Business Game Plan. With special guest Marketing guru Kelly Fuson.

Identifying your target market, niches and crafting a marketing plan
Building reserves and reinvesting profit
Employee vs independent contractor rules
Payroll, taxes, compliance and the true cost of employees
Integrating business and personal financial plans
Keeping an eye on the exit
Tying it all together into an actionable framework

Wednesday, May 13th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm