If you’re a food vendor, your income probably looks nothing like a traditional business. You might make $10,000 one month during festival season and $800 the next. You might take cash, card, Venmo, or even old-school checks—all within the same week. That’s normal for seasonal businesses. But to the IRS? Inconsistent or missing income records can look like  underreporting. As a former IRS Agent, I’ve seen many vendors trip over the same mistakes—not because they were dishonest

Every food vendor knows the slow season can be nerve-wracking.You ’re used to long weekends, fast cash, and constant motion—then suddenly, the calendar is quiet. But for one Central Florida food vendor, that “quiet” winter turned into the most productive season her business ever had. She didn’t open new locations. She didn’t launch a new product. She simply cleaned up her books. And what she discovered changed everything about how she ran her business. 1. Meet Maria: The Mark

If you’re a food vendor, you already know that your costs don’t stop at ingredients. There’s the commissary kitchen you rent, the event fees you pay, and the supplies you pick up last minute at Restaurant Depot or Walmart. And if those costs aren’t tracked properly, your profit isn’t real—it’s just a guess. As a former IRS Agent, I can tell you that food vendors often understate these expenses or record them inconsistently, which leads to messy books and inflated income come

If you’re a food vendor, the winter season usually means one thing: fewer events, fewer sales, and finally a little breathing room. But before you use that downtime to hibernate, there’s something that can completely change how your next season feels— a winter bookkeeping cleanup. As someone who’s worked both inside the IRS and alongside small business owners, I can tell you: the slow season is your best-kept financial secret. It’s the perfect time to catch up, clean up, and

Audit After Hours: A Zero Fluff Books Mini-Series When Lifestyle Doesn’t Match the Ledger Some audit cases start with a number that just feels… off. Episode 2 of Audit After Hours takes you into a real C-corporation audit where a small nursery business showed exactly that. On paper, they looked modest — simple revenue, light payroll, nothing flashy. But hidden inside their “miscellaneous” and “vehicle” expense categories were luxury car upgrades, personal add-ons, and spendi

Managing your business finances can feel like trying to solve a puzzle without the picture on the box. It’s confusing, time-consuming, and sometimes downright frustrating. But what if bookkeeping didn’t have to be that way? What if you could understand your numbers clearly, without jargon or complicated software? That’s where simple, straightforward bookkeeping solutions come in. Let’s break down how you can take control of your finances step by step, using tools designed to

Every January, small business owners scramble to “get their receipts together.” Some find them in glove boxes. Others in junk drawers, inboxes, or half-torn envelopes. And some just shrug and hope their bank statements will be enough. But from the IRS side? Missing or incomplete receipts can undo months of hard work—because  records are the backbone of every deduction. Let’s talk about why those receipts matter more than you think, what the IRS really looks for, and how to ma

Most business owners think of December as a wrap-up month—time to close out the books, breathe a little, and gear up for tax season. But for one Central Florida business owner, year-end cleanup didn’t just bring closure—it revealed nearly  $4,800 in hidden profit  she didn’t even know she had. Here’s how it happened—and how you can find your own hidden profit before the year ends. 1. The Backstory: A Busy Baker With Messy Books Sarah  runs a small home-based bakery in Eustis.

The holidays are a season of celebration—and, for a lot of small business owners, a season of  cash flow chaos. Sales slow down. Expenses go up. Family time takes over. And suddenly, you’re wondering how you’re going to cover January’s bills. As a former IRS Agent and now a bookkeeper for small businesses across Central Florida, I’ve seen the same pattern year after year: holiday spending sneaks in, revenue drops, and the business takes the hit. But it doesn’t have to be that

This time of year, most business owners are thinking about holidays, family, and finishing strong before year-end. But there’s one thing that rarely makes the gratitude list—your  bookkeeping. I get it. Tracking receipts and reconciling bank accounts doesn’t exactly scream “thankful.” But as someone who spent years auditing small businesses from the other side of the table, I can tell you: clean books are one of the best gifts you can give yourself (and your business). Here’s

Audit After Hours: A Zero Fluff Books Mini-Series Real Cases. Real Red Flags. What the IRS Really Sees After Dark. Every IRS agent remembers their first real audit — not the practice scenarios, not the training simulations, but the moment you sit across from a taxpayer (or, in my case, a laptop screen during COVID procedures) and realize the numbers in front of you represent someone’s real life. Episode 1 of Audit After Hours takes you back to that moment with me. My first c

Real Cases. Real Red Flags. What the IRS Really Sees After Dark. For the first time ever, I’m opening the audit room door and taking you behind the scenes of what really happens inside an IRS audit — the decisions, the tension, the human stories, and the moments that never make it into a tax form. Welcome to Audit After Hours , a brand-new Zero Fluff Books mini-series releasing every Saturday at 6 a.m. EST through the end of the year. This series blends everything I’ve learne

If you drive for business—whether to client meetings, supply runs, deliveries, or events—you’re probably eligible for one of the most valuable tax deductions available:  business mileage. But there’s a catch.If you can’t  prove it , you can’t  keep it. That’s why I created the  Zero Fluff Books Mileage Log Template —a simple, Excel-based tool designed to meet IRS documentation standards outlined in  IRM 4.10  (Examination of Books and Records). It’s clean, easy to use, and sa

Most small business owners don’t mean to skip mileage logs. It’s just one of those tasks that feels easy to “remember later.” You tell yourself you’ll track it next week… and before you know it, the year’s almost over and your mileage is a total mystery. But here’s the truth: missing mileage logs are one of the  most common—and costly—mistakes  I saw when auditing small businesses inside the IRS. Let’s talk about why they matter, what the IRS actually expects (straight from t

When you’re self-employed, the line between “busy” and “burnout” gets thin fast—especially when your bookkeeping falls behind. That’s exactly where  Amber , a freelance graphic designer from Clermont, Florida, found herself earlier this year. She had steady clients, steady work, and a very unsteady bookkeeping system. By the time she reached out to me, she was three months behind, juggling invoices, and terrified of what tax time might bring. This is how we cleaned it all up—

You glance at your bank account, open your spreadsheet, and realize—it’s been  six months  since you last updated your books. Don’t panic. You ’re not the only one who’s fallen behind. Every small business owner has that season where life, clients, and chaos take over. The good news? You can absolutely catch up. And it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Let’s break it down step-by-step—so you can go from “six months behind” to “back in control” without losing your mind (or yo

Every year, around tax time, small business owners across Florida do the same thing: pull out a shoebox—or a grocery bag—stuffed with crumpled receipts, handwritten notes, and vague memories of what each purchase was for. It’s what I call  “shoebox accounting.” And it fails every single time. As a former IRS Agent, I can tell you—nothing slows down a business owner’s confidence (or an audit) faster than missing, disorganized records. You don’t have to love bookkeeping. But if

If you pay subcontractors, you already know how quickly those payments add up—and how messy it can get trying to keep track of who got paid, when, and for what job. That’s why I created the  Zero Fluff Books Subcontractor Payment Tracker —a simple, Excel-based tool designed for tradespeople and small business owners who want clean, IRS-ready records without complicated software. Let’s go over what it does, how to use it, and why it matters. 1. Why You Need a Subcontractor Tra

If you work in the trades, chances are you’ve paid a subcontractor in cash, Zelle, Venmo, or even handed over a check in the middle of a job site. It feels simple—one professional helping another. But when it comes to taxes, undocumented payments can create a world of problems. As a former IRS Agent, I’ve seen it from both sides: honest contractors who just didn’t know better, and messy records that made good people look like they were hiding income. Here’s why every subcontr

Some business transformations don’t start with a new truck or a new crew—they start with a spreadsheet. Meet  Jake , a Central Florida electrician who thought he was making decent money… until he realized he couldn’t actually prove it. His invoices looked fine, his phone stayed busy, and his account balance seemed healthy—most of the time. But when tax season rolled around, Jake had a problem: his expenses didn’t match his deposits, and his “books” were just a pile of receipt