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Praesent suscipit magna eu orci lobortis, quis vestibulum ligula iaculis. Morbi consectetur a enim porta rutrum.Quisque sit amet porta ipsum. Sed rhoncus est in magna porttitor scelerisque. Curabitur sed risus ultrices turpis fringilla consectetur quis quis tellus.

Praesent suscipit magna eu orci lobortis, quis vestibulum ligula iaculis. Morbi consectetur a enim porta rutrum.Quisque sit amet porta ipsum. Sed rhoncus est in magna porttitor scelerisque. Curabitur sed risus ultrices turpis fringilla consectetur quis quis tellus.

Almost everyone wants to be successful. While the definition of success will vary depending on who you ask, many consider it the ultimate goal in their personal and professional lives. Much has been written about how entrepreneurs and executives should “hope for the best and prepare for the worst”…But what happens once you or your business experiences initial success or substantial growth? What do you do now?

We here at Talley & Company believe that success is something that is continually created, not acquired. It is created by aspiring individuals who have no limits in terms of how they approach and execute creativity, intelligence, ingenuity, talent, persistence and determination. We’ve worked with countless inspirational athletes and entrepreneurs over the years and picked up some pointers along the way.  Here are a few that we’d like to share with you as you chase down your own personal version of success. 

Keep a positive attitude. Many entrepreneurs and executives face unexpected negative consequences after experiencing initial success, such as anxiety over being able to maintain their “winning streak”, fearing that they are being set up to fail, and experiencing the envy others feel towards their accomplishments. While some stress may be a good thing, when stress turns into anxiety, it can be detrimental both to your mental health and to the health of your business.

term goal or objective and work backwards to figure out what it will take to accomplish it.  But why start at the end?  Many times, the end-result seems so far away and impossible to reach.  Through backward planning, one can mentally prepare him or herself for specific challenges and milestones that need to be achieved to reach an important goal.

Don’t be afraid of letting go of the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. You are bound to run into unforeseen challenges as you achieve success and grow your business. For an example of this, see our recent

ress turns into anxiety, it can be detrimental both to your mental health and to the health of your business.

Set bigger goals and work “backwards”. Once you’ve achieved initial success, map out your next long-business lessons write-up on Pablo Escobar.  A business in growth or scale mode faces a whole new set of different challenges and opportunities that may require a change in attitude and approach. Your ability to recognize this can mean the difference between spinning your wheels and achieving your next milestone.

Talley & Company understands the challenges facing entrepreneurs with generating and protecting income. Whether you’re looking to improve your profitability, build your brand through a business transaction, or wish to guarantee a legacy for your family, Talley & Company is the consulting and financial services firm dedicated to strategic business solutions that deliver meaningful results.

Connecting Entrepreneurs to Capital

Roughly seven years ago, the economy dipped into a deep recession and the ensuing “credit crunch” made it difficult for many small businesses to secure the capital they needed. Banks effectively closed the door on many small businesses seeking capital that did not fit their “deal” requirements.  Seeing an opportunity, many alternative lenders jumped into the marketplace, willing to provide capital at a time when traditional lenders were reluctant to take on risk. Fast forward to today: the rise of online and marketplace lending means small business owners have access to more options than ever to fund their strategic growth objectives. So what’s the right choice for your business? The answer might not be so simple.

Much like first time home buyers trying to pick the right loan for their mortgage, many business owners are overwhelmed by the countless options available in the capital market.  So many choices can lead to a lot of confusion.  Some lenders will talk to you about APR, others will offer you a short-term cash advance, and more will throw in various hidden fees that may be difficult to discern from all the details –and the list goes on and on.  Taking into consideration all the variables, the real challenge is not merely finding financing or capital resources, but ensuring they are a good fit for both you and your organization’s needs.

Talley Capital Group has managed complex financial transactions that maximize value for our clients while earning their trust and building a strong network within the banking and private equity industries. Securing financing or capital resources can be a complex process. Structuring a favorable deal requires extensive knowledge of debt and equity capital markets and sources, the analytical skills to compare competing offers, and the transaction expertise of a knowledgeable advisor to maximize after-tax value. Talley & Company can help you develop your best financing options, identify prospective banking institutions or private equity groups that fit your deal, and work with you diligently to obtain the capital that is suitable for your organization’s unique needs.

For more information about how Talley Capital Group can help you plan, negotiate, structure and execute on your growth strategy, contact us today.

August 1, 2014

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion bid for the Clippers looks to be a gross over-valuation, at least according to the bid book of sale put together by Bank of America. Reporters from ESPN.com got hold of the valuation numbers through documents introduced in the trial determining whether Shelly Sterling has the right to sell the team without Donald.

The bid book showed Ballmer’s $2 billion offer for the Clippers is 12.1 times the expected 2014 revenues of the team. Purportedly, Bank of America also showed the average of teams sold over a five-year period was 3.4 times total revenue, and that no team has been purchased for more than five times its total revenues.

In the case of the Clippers, revenue alone might present an under-valuation if the team’s alleged years of mismanagement were to be taken into account. The Clippers also have a pending national TV deal that could be a slam dunk to raising the franchise’s popularity and profits.  

Of course, Ballmer’s serious bid is probably about a lot more than him just wanting to make another profitable business deal. Among the billionaire set who have most of what money can buy, we expect there’s immeasurable enjoyment and prestige to owning one of 30 teams that besides their exclusivity, hardly ever go up for sale. For this alone, any team on the NBA is a statistical anomaly in the world of business dealings. Like any near-priceless objet d’art up for auction, the emotional value of ownership can be equal to, if not greater than, the investment value.  

Outside of these outliers, most buyers looking to acquire a business, whether as a singular investment or a complement to an existing company, are more likely to focus on the financial returns they can expect to get for their purchase price. B2B valuation and legal advisory professionals, including those at Talley and Company, can provide comprehensive data and due diligence in these situations to enable decision-makers to make the most profitable investment choices. 

Before entering into any buy/sell agreement, Talley & Company can help you determine both optimal deal pricing and structure to achieve your goals from an ROI and tax perspective, accounting for factors that include revenues, future opportunities and contracts, industry trends, and market share. Of course, if you just plan to make a must-have power bid like Ballmer, at least you’ll know what you’re getting into and how far from the baseline to overshoot.

July 25, 2014

Crowdfunding is helping thousands of businesses acquire much-needed capital and build a core fan base. Businesses of all kinds and for many funding purposes are using crowdfunding platforms, from yoga studios looking to grow into larger spaces to tech innovators wanting to bring new gadgets to market.

If you’re considering a campaign to launch your business, expand a product line, or fund a special project, scheduling a few minutes with Talley and Company’s advisory team can ensure your campaign is set up properly from the start to avoid obstacles from a tax and legal perspective. (There’s nothing worse than obtaining hard-earned funding only to discover that federal and state tax obligations may keep you from fulfilling your vision.)

For businesses, there are two main avenues for crowdfunding, and depending on which you choose, the tax and legal implications will differ greatly. In the rewards-based approach, supporters are typically offered a chance to earn tiered rewards for different contribution levels. These can be anything from a branded T-shirt to pre-ordering a product still in development. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are two popular platforms.

With this option, the income you derive from your campaign will most likely fall under one or more of four categories: revenue, sales, investment or gift. In most cases, the money you earn from a campaign will have to be included as gross income for your business. If you’re offering a product or service in exchange for donations, you may also need to pay sales tax from customers in the state that you’re registered. The expenses you incur for fulfillment of rewards, products or services may be deductible against the income you earn. In some cases, funders will request nothing in return other than the joy of knowing they helped bring an ingenious idea to life. With meticulous records, these may be claimed as gifts. Just keep in mind that the IRS has stricter definitions for what falls under this category than you or I might.

In the equity-based approach, investors get a financial return or an ownership stake in the company for their support. Crowdfunder is one of the platforms in this newly developing category. If you’re using this option, the tax and legal obligations are a different animal entirely, since now we’re talking about investment money and not revenue. In fact, the laws in this area are still undergoing changes, so keeping in close contact with your legal team right from the beginning is essential.

No matter which option you choose, a successful campaign involves a lot of forethought, time and planning to reach funding goals and generate priceless media attention for your big idea. If you’d like to see the creative strategies and executions used by the most highly funded companies, check out the Top 100 Crowdfunded Companies. 

If you have been involved in the business world in the last 30 years, you have most likely had some experience with Microsoft Excel. Excel is the most common software program used for creating spreadsheets that businesses often use for tracking their financials. However, these same characteristics also make Excel a potential crutch for the entrepreneurially run business. In today’s fast-paced business world, business owners have become far too comfortable relying on Excel as an effective business solution.

So, how does this affect my business?

Excel leaves the creation of spreadsheets and the input of information in the hands of the individual tasked with maintaining key management metrics. Often, these spreadsheets are not reviewed for accuracy by someone else. Any auditor will tell you that this leaves the door open for serious errors in reporting, which can lead to costly fines or, in the worst case, the demise of your business. If this scenario applies to your company, stop and ask yourself two questions:

1. If the individual assigned the management of your business’ metrics had to leave work unexpectedly, how would that affect your reporting mechanisms?

2. What is the probability of error within your reporting due to manual input?

If your answers to either of these questions makes you nervous, rest assured there are automated reporting solutions available to give you back control of your key management metrics.

At the end of the day, who has control of your business’ metrics? What is it worth to you to have complete control of your financials and key performance indicators? Talley & Company and its affiliates have helped clients integrate their systems with automatic software solutions that help reduce the likelihood of reporting errors and provide reliable key performance indicators.

March 28, 2014

Earlier this week, the last contender for the $1 billion prize offered by Warren Buffet and Quicken Loans for the perfect March Madness bracket was eliminated. Considering the odds of winning per the contest’s own fine print were 1 in 9.2 quintillion (a trillion multiplied by a million) this comes as no shock to anyone.  

But the battle wages on for millions of others who’ve placed friendly bets in pools that carry much better odds, though of course for much smaller amounts of money. Everyone from the overly-excited guy in the office next door to the President has been excitedly cheering for their teams. Yet we’re willing to wager that few (if any) of them have been thinking about how winning would impact their taxes. Of course, here at Talley and Company, you know we do just that. That’s because whether there’s $1 billion at stake or $100, March Madness bets are classified as gambling, and gambling is taxable. 

Like with any day at the track, outing to a casino or purchase of a lottery ticket, cash and non-cash winnings from March Madness bets are taxable. All winnings should be reported on Form 1040 as “Other Income” (line 21). In addition, you may be required to pay an estimated tax on your gambling winnings.  

Special paperwork comes into play only if your winnings are over $600 or 300 times the wager (lucky you, if that’s the case). Gambling winnings in excess of $5,000 could also be subject to a tax withholding requirement before the winning payout is made to the recipient. If luck wasn’t on your side, take heart-some gambling losses can also be deductible if you itemize and keep good records.

If you enjoy the entertainment of a game like Keno periodically in the year or, in the rare instance that you make a living as a professional gambler, detailed win-loss records are a must.  

As for the Buffett/Quicken contest? Not all is lost. While the $1 billion prize is off the table, the contest will still award $100,000 to 20 eligible contestants with the top-performing brackets. To be eligible, you must have…well…entered the contest. Unfortunately, the gentleman who made it furthest along in the battle for the perfect bracket never did. To him we say, better luck next year. To you, we say, don’t forget about your taxes, and Talley & Company is here to help answer any questions you may have. 

March 21, 2014

As fans of the hit show “Shark Tank” can attest, it’s not easy securing funding for your small business.  Since debuting in August of 2009, millions of viewers have watched entrepreneurs try to convince one of the five “sharks” to invest in their business, not just financially but also with advice for long-term growth.  To quote head-“shark” Kevin O’Leary, “Building fast-growing, globally competitive companies is tough.”

In each episode small business owners make their pitch to the five sharks, all well-known millionaires who started out as entrepreneurs themselves, including Mark Cuban (owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks) and Daymond John (founder of the FUBU clothing line), to convince at least one of them to invest their money and time.  But that isn’t easy.  Like all investors, the “sharks” have heard it all – from failures like the Life Caps Survival Pill (a vitamin and mineral pill that allows you to live without food for up to two weeks) to successes such as Ava the Elephant (an effective medicine dropper for children). Many contestants on the show get eaten alive by the “sharks” for the same reasons entrepreneurs outside of the reality TV show, by not having their financials in order or having a well-thought-out business plan.  As one “shark” put it, “Just because you have a hobby, doesn’t mean you have a business.”  This is a reality show that really is, well, real.

Whether you’re appearing on “Shark Tank”, seeking angel investors, or acquiring financing, you’ll need to do your research and be prepared. Talley & Company can assist you throughout the entire process.  From reviewing and preparing financial statements in a way that interests potential buyers/investors, to uncovering value from areas financials alone won’t reveal, the experts at Talley & Company are here to help your business ventures succeed.