A Valuation Is Only as Strong as Its Foundation When a business owner decides to sell, secure financing, or bring in investors, one truth becomes clear fast: you can’t value what you can’t verify.And yet, countless small business owners walk into valuation prep armed with little more than QuickBooks chaos and verbal assurances. A Valuation Is Only as Strong as Its Foundation When a business owner decides to sell, secure financing, or bring in investors, one truth becomes c

Running a business involves hundreds of small financial and operational decisions every week — and each one leaves a mark. That “mark” is what accountants and auditors call an audit trail. Understanding and maintaining one can protect your business from costly mistakes, IRS trouble, or even fraud.

A document retention policy is an essential part of good recordkeeping and risk management for any small business. It helps ensure that your company maintains the right documents for the right amount of time—meeting legal requirements, protecting sensitive data, and avoiding clutter or costly mistakes. Without one, you risk noncompliance with tax laws, losing critical evidence in legal disputes, or wasting resources storing unnecessary records.