Linda A Hamilton, CPA PLLC

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Linda A Hamilton, CPA PLLC Award-winning CPA Firm, SYSTEMologist® serving business owners at all stages of growth for 30 years.

Health plan renewal season is here, and the numbers aren’t getting friendlier.Preliminary Marsh survey results project e...
10/20/2026

Health plan renewal season is here, and the numbers aren’t getting friendlier.

Preliminary Marsh survey results project employer health benefit costs per employee to rise an average of 8.2% in 2027. The temptation is to chase the lowest premium. But a cheaper plan with a high deductible, a narrow network, or weak prescription coverage can make care less affordable for your team, and that shows up in hiring and retention.

My advice: start with your people, compare what employees will actually pay (not just what you pay), and look closely at pharmacy costs. Then model several options before you sign anything.

I broke down how to approach your renewal in this week’s blog. Link in the comments.

Only about half of Americans actually take a summer vacation. Is your team part of that other half?Here's what I see con...
09/30/2026

Only about half of Americans actually take a summer vacation. Is your team part of that other half?

Here's what I see constantly: employees skip PTO because their workload feels too heavy, or because they worry it'll make them look less committed. But overworked employees are more stressed, less productive, and more prone to mistakes.

And here's the part that surprises people: not taking time off is also a red flag for occupational fraud, since people running fraud schemes tend to avoid vacations for fear of being found out while someone else covers their work.

If you offer PTO as a benefit but aren't actively encouraging people to use it, you might be sitting on a bigger problem than you realize.

I broke down why this happens and a few strategies (including one that lets employees turn unused PTO into retirement contributions) in this week's blog. Link in the comments.

Goal alignment means your vision and your goals are actually pointing in the same direction.You outline where you want y...
09/28/2026

Goal alignment means your vision and your goals are actually pointing in the same direction.

You outline where you want your business to go. Then you set goals that get you there and let you keep serving your clients well.

Maybe that's a number of new clients. Maybe it's a revenue target or a profit margin.

When you can see how those numbers tie back to your bigger vision, your business gets a lot easier to understand, and to run.

Most business plans sit in a drawer.A one-page business plan doesn't.It's a living document. You revisit it year after y...
09/25/2026

Most business plans sit in a drawer.

A one-page business plan doesn't.

It's a living document. You revisit it year after year, and you modify it as your goals and

strategy change.

It's also something you can hand to a lender or investor when you're looking for funding. One page, not fifty.

What's on yours?

Ever taken on a client who turned out to be a nightmare?Chances are there were signs. You just talked yourself past them...
09/24/2026

Ever taken on a client who turned out to be a nightmare?

Chances are there were signs. You just talked yourself past them.

The same thing happens with hires, contracts, partnerships, even pricing. We say yes because saying no feels harder in the moment.

But without clear boundaries, it's too easy to say yes to the wrong things.

What have you said yes to lately that you're still regretting? And what would it look like to say no next time?

Before you can build a business plan, take stock of your life.This is the Wheel of Life. Eight categories, one quick rat...
09/23/2026

Before you can build a business plan, take stock of your life.

This is the Wheel of Life. Eight categories, one quick rating each: 1 means totally unsatisfied, 5 means over the moon.

It only takes five minutes, and it tells you a lot. Your business goals should support your life, not compete with it.

Where would you rate yourself lowest right now?

What would happen to your cash flow if your biggest customer walked away tomorrow?Most business owners haven't actually ...
09/21/2026

What would happen to your cash flow if your biggest customer walked away tomorrow?

Most business owners haven't actually modeled that out, and with inflation, shifting trade policy, cybersecurity threats, and ongoing geopolitical tension, "what if" scenarios aren't hypothetical anymore. That's exactly what stress testing is for.

You don't need a bank-level regulatory model to do this. A practical stress test looks at your operational, financial, compliance, and strategic risks, and asks realistic "what would happen if" questions so you can spot vulnerabilities before they become expensive problems.

I broke down how to run your own stress test, and the one vulnerability most businesses don't see coming (hint: it's often a person, not a process), in this week's blog. Link in the comments.

Quick question: If your top two or three key employees left tomorrow, who's actually ready to step in?Most businesses ha...
09/17/2026

Quick question: If your top two or three key employees left tomorrow, who's actually ready to step in?

Most businesses have a succession plan that names one successor per role. But what happens when that person leaves too, or just isn't ready when the moment comes? That's where bench strength comes in: building a deeper pool of employees prepared to step up, not just a single backup name.

The businesses that handle leadership transitions smoothly aren't the ones that got lucky. They're the ones that invested in developing internal talent long before they needed to.

I broke down how to actually build bench strength (and how it connects to your broader succession plan) in this week's blog. Link in the comments.

Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. And when it comes to what your business is actually worth, profit is what a buyer i...
09/14/2026

Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. And when it comes to what your business is actually worth, profit is what a buyer is going to pay attention to, not your top line.

I've sat across from owners who were proud of a million dollar year, but when we looked closer, there was barely anything left after expenses. A buyer isn't buying your revenue. They're buying your profit, your systems, and how much risk they're taking on by writing you a check.

If you want your business to be worth something someday (even if someday is twenty years away), start asking a different question than "how do I grow revenue." Start asking "how do I build a business that's actually profitable, and could run without me if it had to."

That's not a sales conversation. That's a strategy conversation, and the earlier you have it, the more options you'll have.

One of the first things I look at when I sit down with a business owner is this: is your business accelerating, or is it...
09/14/2026

One of the first things I look at when I sit down with a business owner is this: is your business accelerating, or is it drifting?

Acceleration happens when profit, systems, and leadership are all pointed in the same direction, on purpose. Drift happens when you're reactive, overwhelmed, and pulled in ten directions at once, and you don't even notice it's happening until you're exhausted.

Here's the connection most owners miss: the businesses that are accelerating are usually the same businesses that would be ready to sell tomorrow if they had to. The businesses that are drifting are the ones where an offer shows up and the owner has no idea what the company is even worth.

Exit planning isn't about deciding to sell. It's about building a business today that isn't dependent on you for every decision. Start now, and you get the value and the ease later, whether you ever sell or not.

Businesses rarely drift into success intentionally.

Address

1120 Avenue Of Americas, 4th Floor
New York, NY
10036

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12128502521

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