The Weekly Spark

Expert advice to increase your margins and grow your business.

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How to Accelerate Your Financial Maturity (And How Virtual CFO Services Can Help)

How to Accelerate Your Financial Maturity (And How Virtual CFO Services Can Help)

How to Accelerate Your Financial ...

The most successful businesses are financially mature. Think about the Apples and Coca-Colas of the world. (The food ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 22, 2022
4 Business Challenges That Can Be Solved with Outsourced CFO Services

4 Business Challenges That Can Be Solved with Outsourced CFO Services

4 Business Challenges That Can Be ...

Your business is stuck. Instead of riding your bike cross-country, you’re pedaling an elliptical—all the work with ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 16, 2022
3 Ways Technology Is Transforming Accounting Services

3 Ways Technology Is Transforming Accounting Services

3 Ways Technology Is Transforming ...

Hours crunching numbers? Today’s accounting is worlds away from single-entry accounting and the adding machines of ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 9, 2022

Bookkeeping Basics

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How to Measure Business Performance in 3 Steps

How to Measure Business Performance in 3 Steps

How to Measure Business Performance in ...

Money comes, and money goes, but it keeps your business moving and keeps the lights on. Of course, it’s the first thing ...

By Eddy Hood / Sep 27, 2022
3 Things to Look for in a Virtual Bookkeeping Vendor

3 Things to Look for in a Virtual Bookkeeping Vendor

3 Things to Look for in a Virtual ...

Online services are spreading like wildfire, and bookkeeping is no exception. With today’s resources and shifting ...

By Eddy Hood / Aug 23, 2022
3 Ways to Organize Your Company’s Bookkeeping

3 Ways to Organize Your Company’s Bookkeeping

3 Ways to Organize Your Company’s ...

Imagine this: You’re burning the midnight oil, trying desperately to balance your books (again), and the minutes and ...

By Eddy Hood / Jul 26, 2022
Financial Futures Analysis: How Do You Calculate Break-Even Point?

Financial Futures Analysis: How Do You Calculate Break-Even Point?

Financial Futures Analysis: How Do You ...

Profits, losses, revenues, oh my! As a business, you really want one thing: to bring money into your company. But ...

By Eddy Hood / Feb 15, 2022
Bookkeeping and Accounting Terms: Relevant and Reliable Information

Bookkeeping and Accounting Terms: Relevant and Reliable Information

Bookkeeping and Accounting Terms: ...

As the decision maker for your small business, understanding basic bookkeeping and accounting terms isn’t just ...

By Ann Whittaker / Feb 10, 2022
The Business Owner’s Guide to Net Profit Margin Terminology

The Business Owner’s Guide to Net Profit Margin Terminology

The Business Owner’s Guide to Net ...

Every business owner wants to be profitable. But how do you truly know your level of profitability? Between incoming ...

By Eddy Hood / Jan 10, 2022

Financial Strategies

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Online Accounting Firm

How to Get the Most Out of Your Online Accounting Firm

How to Get the Most Out of Your Online ...

Maybe you consider yourself to be hands-on and need to be in the action of your business. Or maybe your business is ...

By Eddy Hood / Aug 2, 2022
How to Optimize Your Accounting Software

How to Optimize Your Accounting Software

How to Optimize Your Accounting Software

Money comes in, money comes out, and the cycle continues. Simple, right? Not so much. Your business’s success depends ...

By Eddy Hood / Jul 19, 2022
7 Ways Your Accounting Services Team Can Improve Your Cost Management Strategy

7 Ways Your Accounting Services Team Can Improve Your Cost Management Strategy

7 Ways Your Accounting Services Team ...

You probably already have a bookkeeper. But your bookkeeping and accounting teams are probably too swamped to notice ...

By Eddy Hood / Mar 22, 2022
An Overview of the Budget vs. Actual Report Analysis Process

An Overview of the Budget vs. Actual Report Analysis Process

An Overview of the Budget vs. Actual ...

Just about every industry has its own hodgepodge of buzzwords and jargon. Accounting is by no means an exception to ...

By Eddy Hood / Jan 6, 2022
Accounting Tips for a Sustainable Launch

Accounting Tips for a Sustainable Launch

Accounting Tips for a Sustainable Launch

About half of all startups don’t survive past year five. And in the last year, more businesses have been formed than ...

By Eddy Hood / Jun 18, 2021
Drive Your Marketing Agency with Financial Business Reports

Drive Your Marketing Agency with Financial Business Reports

Drive Your Marketing Agency with ...

Imagine trying to drive a car while wearing blinders. Not only would you struggle to find your way, but you could also ...

By Eddy Hood / Jun 4, 2021

Business Taxes

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The Top 11 Ways to Avoid an IRS Audit at Your Small Business

The Top 11 Ways to Avoid an IRS Audit at Your Small Business

The Top 11 Ways to Avoid an IRS Audit ...

The idea of an audit is stressful for business owners. Learn how to avoid an audit and how small business accounting ...

By Eddy Hood / Feb 1, 2022
What are Tax Write-Offs? What to Know About Small Business Tax Deductions

What are Tax Write-Offs? What to Know About Small Business Tax Deductions

What are Tax Write-Offs? What to Know ...

There are only two ways to increase your profits: increasing revenue and cutting costs. One of the easiest ways to cut ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 1, 2021
[Ebook]: A Tax Director’s Top 7 Tax Strategies for Small Businesses in 2021

[Ebook]: A Tax Director’s Top 7 Tax Strategies for Small Businesses in 2021

[Ebook]: A Tax Director’s Top 7 Tax ...

Six billion. That’s how many hours Americans spend each year collecting their financial information to file their ...

By Eddy Hood / May 6, 2021
How to Save on Your  Business Taxes

How to Save on Your  Business Taxes

How to Save on Your  Business Taxes

This trick reduced a client's tax liability from $100K to nearly $10K within a few hours of work. Watch the video where ...

By Eddy Hood / Jul 1, 2020
What is the 2020 standard mileage rate and how do I use it in my business?

What is the 2020 standard mileage rate and how do I use it in my business?

What is the 2020 standard mileage rate ...

Learn about the 2020 standard mileage rate and how to save the most on your small business taxes this year.

By John Riggs, CPA and Director of Tax at Ignite Spot / Jan 13, 2020
Explaining Tax and Accounting Services Terminology: AGI vs. Taxable Income

Explaining Tax and Accounting Services Terminology: AGI vs. Taxable Income

Explaining Tax and Accounting Services ...

Taxes can sometimes feel like a massive kick in the keister. They’re complicated, convoluted, and make you anxious. But ...

By Eddy Hood / Jun 3, 2019

Profitable Business Leader

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Why CFO Services and Business Coaching Belong Together

Why CFO Services and Business Coaching Belong Together

Why CFO Services and Business Coaching ...

You need a business coach. In my 18 years as an accounting professional (14 of them as CEO of Ignite Spot), I've worked ...

By Eddy Hood / Jan 25, 2022
5 New Ways to Increase Your Customer Retention Rate in 2021

5 New Ways to Increase Your Customer Retention Rate in 2021

5 New Ways to Increase Your Customer ...

As businesses emerge from the uncertainties of 2020, their priorities — and spending — will shift toward improving ...

By Eddy Hood / Apr 22, 2021
When to Fire Someone: 7 Indicators It’s Time to Let Go

When to Fire Someone: 7 Indicators It’s Time to Let Go

When to Fire Someone: 7 Indicators It’s ...

When someone on your team isn’t happy or performing to standards, you have two options: ignore the issue or get to the ...

By Eddy Hood / Apr 15, 2021
4 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know Before Becoming a Franchise Owner

4 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know Before Becoming a Franchise Owner

4 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know ...

There's never been a hotter time to buy a franchise. Franchises have become steadily more profitable over the last ...

By Eddy Hood / Apr 1, 2021
Start a Business with Less than $1k: These 11 Entrepreneurship Success Stories Prove it Can Be Done

Start a Business with Less than $1k: These 11 Entrepreneurship Success Stories Prove it Can Be Done

Start a Business with Less than $1k: ...

Most entrepreneurship success stories you read tell you how massive Fortune 500 list-makers got their start. But what ...

By Eddy Hood / Mar 25, 2021
Are You a Serial Entrepreneur or Just Distracted? (How to Build a Business that Lasts)

Are You a Serial Entrepreneur or Just Distracted? (How to Build a Business that Lasts)

Are You a Serial Entrepreneur or Just ...

We recently heard a serial entrepreneur describe the many tantalizing business ideas in his mind. “I’m like a caged ...

By Eddy Hood / Feb 5, 2021

CFO Services

See More Advice
How to Accelerate Your Financial Maturity (And How Virtual CFO Services Can Help)

How to Accelerate Your Financial Maturity (And How Virtual CFO Services Can Help)

How to Accelerate Your Financial ...

The most successful businesses are financially mature. Think about the Apples and Coca-Colas of the world. (The food ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 22, 2022
4 Business Challenges That Can Be Solved with Outsourced CFO Services

4 Business Challenges That Can Be Solved with Outsourced CFO Services

4 Business Challenges That Can Be ...

Your business is stuck. Instead of riding your bike cross-country, you’re pedaling an elliptical—all the work with ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 16, 2022
When Is a Part-Time CFO Right for Your Business?

When Is a Part-Time CFO Right for Your Business?

When Is a Part-Time CFO Right for Your ...

A chief financial officer (CFO) can be instrumental to your business, and as you grow, you need one—but to what extent? ...

By Eddy Hood / Oct 4, 2022
The Role of a CFO in Mergers & Acquisitions

The Role of a CFO in Mergers & Acquisitions

The Role of a CFO in Mergers & ...

When two become one ...  Bringing two companies together—whether one is absorbed into the other or they operate as ...

By Eddy Hood / Sep 20, 2022
How to Effectively Integrate an Accounting Controller into Your Finance Team

How to Effectively Integrate an Accounting Controller into Your Finance Team

How to Effectively Integrate an ...

Myth: Bookkeepers, accountants, and controllers are the same thing.  Busted: While closely intertwined, each role ...

By Eddy Hood / Sep 13, 2022
4 Ways to Scale Your Business with Virtual CFO Services

4 Ways to Scale Your Business with Virtual CFO Services

4 Ways to Scale Your Business with ...

Business finances: We would bet dollars to doughnuts that just thinking about them causes at least some anxiety. The ...

By Eddy Hood / Sep 6, 2022

News & Updates

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Phase Three Is Here: How to Reopen Your Business After Covid-19 Lockdown

Phase Three Is Here: How to Reopen Your Business After Covid-19 Lockdown

Phase Three Is Here: How to Reopen Your ...

As state governments waffle between reopening in phase two, phase three, and even a few phases in between, businesses ...

By Eddy Hood / Mar 11, 2021
How to Find and Work with the Right Marketing Agency for Maximum ROI

How to Find and Work with the Right Marketing Agency for Maximum ROI

How to Find and Work with the Right ...

Marketing impacts revenue. Research from experts at OutboundEngine shows that even a small increase in marketing spend ...

By Eddy Hood / Jan 25, 2021
[Quiz] Is Your Marketing  Remarkable? | Agency Scorecard

[Quiz] Is Your Marketing  Remarkable? | Agency Scorecard

[Quiz] Is Your Marketing  Remarkable? | ...

Hiring a marketing agency is a great way to invest in your company's growth. After successfully onboarding your new ...

By Kisha Velazquez / Jan 21, 2021
PPP Second Draw FAQ’s

PPP Second Draw FAQ’s

PPP Second Draw FAQ’s

The SBA reopened the Paycheck Protection Program loan portal for the first and second draw on January 11, 2021. Find ...

By Kisha Velazquez / Jan 12, 2021
The Future of Accounting Technology for Business Leaders

The Future of Accounting Technology for Business Leaders

The Future of Accounting Technology for ...

Accounting automation doesn’t replace your accountant. It makes them better at giving you strategic advice. It’s one ...

By Eddy Hood / Nov 20, 2020
Why CEOs Must Mind Their Mindset (Plus, Ways to Improve Your Outlook Now)

Why CEOs Must Mind Their Mindset (Plus, Ways to Improve Your Outlook Now)

Why CEOs Must Mind Their Mindset (Plus, ...

Half of CEOs report experiencing loneliness. I’ve worked with thousands of business leaders and believe that if CEOs ...

By Eddy Hood / Oct 2, 2020