Closing all the tabs

I don’t want to wait anymore, I’m tired of looking for answers

I have a Chrome window with tiny little tabs I’ve kept open for two weeks, waiting to send them to you. Opening escrow got in the way of last week’s newsletter, but these updates cannot be contained.

I’ll start with a couple of deadlines, then on to things I’m actually excited about.

OK-1 Cupid:  Friday, March 15 is the IRS and state annual tax filing deadline for S-corps, multi-owner LLCs, and partnerships. If owners need a K-1 report, this is your standard deadline. If you can’t meet it, talk to your accountant about filing federal and state extensions.

On the Six: On March 11, the Department of Labor officially updated the federal labor standard for identifying contractors to use a six-factor test. The federal standard now uses a six-factor test. The one you’ll most likely violate in hiring is evaluating how integral the work being performed is to your business. Here’s the Department of Labor’s small entity compliance guide, with examples for each of the six factors. If you’re concerned about keeping your contractor status, this might be a sign to incorporate. 

Too Much Cutie Patootie: From the people who brought you #hotgirlshaveIBS, Belli Welli has launched Daily Fiber + Probiotics powdered drink mix in 3 flavors. The mix includes fiber, probiotics, collagen, and electrolytes. Congrats to co-founders Katie and Nick and please enjoy their preschoolers’ totally unbiased taste test.

Straight to the Bank: Ellevest’s new Women and Wealth Survey 2024 evaluates how women are thinking about the $84 to $129 trillion in wealth due to transfer from men to women in the next two decades. One fascinating tidbit: 25% of respondents said they planned to leave their partner when they received a financial windfall. (Get ready for even more “the wives are not alright” stories.) Only 38% of women work with a financial advisor, and 35-40% of women said they’d park that pile of money in the bank. If you see yourself in this article and you own a business, it’s time to start conversations about financial and succession planning. 

Eye On Health: About 52% of US small businesses offer health insurance to their employees. Check out these 10-year summaries from the US Census on small business trends and per-employee costs. As of 2022, premiums were nearly $22,000 per year per family. That’s before co-pays and deductibles.

Bare Naked Ladies: Only 5% of museum-housed fine art has historically come from women artists. (A fact that stood out to me on a recent visit to a photography retrospective in Barcelona, when I was still counting “man, man, man” three rooms in.) In honor of Women’s History Month, curator Katy Hessel designed Museums Without Men audio tours with the ​​Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Tate Britain and the Hepworth Wakefield. These tours will guide you between works by female artists inside these collections.

Costumes are so important: If you aren’t game to present at the Oscars in the nude, or must wear clothes to leave your house, check out The Big Favorite’s new 100% sustainable, plant-dyed heather grey. Plastic-free, reversible, and super soft, available across all their basics. Also featured on their new micro V neck t-shirts. Congrats to Ellen and team on their relaunch! 

Does this count toward the 2%? The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season starts this weekend. In addition to signing a much bigger broadcast rights deal that will put the league on channels you actually have, during the offseason, the league limited investment by private equity. That’s right, while private equity funds aren’t investing in women-owned businesses, they are all over women’s sports. The NWSL is the first major sports league to limit multiple investments by individual funds and general partners. Tune in Friday through Sunday to see why the smart money wants in on NWSL club expansion.

Ask Me Anything: Something else you wish I would have covered today? Join me on Thursday, March 14 at 10 AM Pacific for this month’s subscriber AMA. Use this Zoom link and remember to submit your questions! Live hot seat is always available. We’ll remind you on Thursday morning and a few minutes before we start.