📕 Volume 6 · Money & Taxes
The part nobody enjoys but everyone must do right. Accounting, taxes, sales tax, and quarterly payments — explained for someone who has never filed a business return.
What this volume covers
Money is where small businesses come undone — not because the math is hard, but because the rules are unfamiliar and the penalties for getting them wrong are real. This volume walks you through separating business money, keeping books, paying income and self-employment tax, handling sales tax on machine plays, and making quarterly estimated payments so you never owe a surprise bill.
Chapters
Chapter 1 · Accounting Basics
Separate bank account, EIN, keeping books, and accountant vs software (QuickBooks/Wave).
Keep the booksChapter 2 · Taxes 101
Federal income tax, self-employment tax, and the deductions a claw shop can claim.
What you oweChapter 3 · Sales Tax & Arcade Fees
Is a machine play taxable? The "amusement" angle and why it varies by state.
The tricky oneChapter 4 · Quarterly Estimates
Four-times-a-year estimated tax payments and how to avoid underpayment penalties.
Pay on timeThis is educational. Tax treatment of skill-crane plays varies by state and is genuinely nuanced. Spend the small money on a local CPA for your first year — it pays for itself many times over and teaches you the ropes.