2014 saw increased activity on our Center for Private Company Excellence blog. In addition to our regular weekly blog posts, we launched a Video of the Week series with short video clips taken from our monthly seminar series.
In total we published 85 blog posts last year, and while we received positive feedback throughout the year, a few posts were particularly popular with our readers.
Here are the top five posts from the Center for Private Company Excellence blog in 2014:
1. How much money do you need to retire?
May 19
This is one of the most common questions we get when discussing retirement plans with our clients. Recommendations from financial experts vary widely, from eight times your required income needs to 25 times. If you are concerned about your retirement plans, here are some steps to take now.
2. Corporation vs. LLC: which is the better tax organization structure for a new business?
November 10
When beginning a new business enterprise, one of the first issues to address is selecting the organizational structure. In many cases, this process will begin with a look at legal considerations such as the potential business risks and the entity type that is most likely to limit those risks. Here are a few pros and cons of corporations and limited liability structures.
3. The numerator or denominator: which drives value in a family business?
October 13
The valuation formula takes a defined revenue stream and divides it by a rate of return. Or, to look at it another way, divide the revenue stream by its related risk. This formula yields the value of a business. To the extent that you can influence the numerator or the denominator in the equation, you can make a substantial impact on the value of your family business.
4. Should I switch to a C corporation?
January 31
At the time this post was published, corporate tax rates had remain unchanged over the past year. For some business owners, the prospect of higher individual tax liabilities hit home with the filing of their 2013 tax returns, leading them to wonder whether a C corporation would be a more appropriate solution for their tax circumstances.
5. What Ted Williams can teach us about business strategy
August 27
In 1971, Ted Williams co-authored a book called the Science of Hitting, in which he explained the methods he used to become a great hitter. The essence of his strategy was to break the strike zone down into a 7×11 grid and assign a probability of hitting the ball to each of the sections in the strike zone. Using this process, Williams was able to identify a “fat pitch” – the one that gave him an above-average chance of getting a hit. How does this apply to a company's approach to target market and customer identification?
Are there any topics you'd like to see featured in upcoming blog posts? Share in the comments.
