Hey Athens.
I'm Andrew, the owner of Athens Scoop. Over 8,500 people read our weekly newsletter about life in this town. About 1,100 of you have told us you own a business here, and this is an email just for you to keep you connected to the entrepreneurial side of town.
Everything here is free. I want to help Athens businesses grow, and I think the best way to do that is to get us all in the same room and talking to each other. The businesses that thrive here are the ones that are connected.
A private dinner for 20 Athens operators
I'm putting together a private dinner on May 21st for 20 established professionals, business owners, and operators in Athens.
Invite only.
If you want a seat, reply with your name, your business, and one sentence on what you’re building.
One title sponsor slot is also open. If you want your name in front of that kind of room, reply here.
The “no tax on tips” rule is not as simple as it sounds
The IRS and Treasury just finalized tentative rules around the new qualified tip deduction, and this a national tax change that actually matters for Athens businesses.
The headline everyone marketed is simple: no tax on tips.
The reality for business owners is much messier.
Eligible workers can deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips from federal taxable income, with other options for separate qualified overtime deduction of up to $12,500 for individual filers, or $25,000 for joint filers. Both deductions phase out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income above $150,000, or $300,000 for joint filers.
But this doesn’t mean employers can no longer treating tips and overtime like payroll.
Tips are still generally subject to federal income tax withholding, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, etc if an employee receives $20 or more in tips per month. Overtime compensation is also still generally subject to federal income tax withholding, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax.
That is the part owners need to understand.
The tax benefit happens on the worker’s return. The payroll obligation still sits with the business.
Why this matters in Athens:
If you run a restaurant, bar, salon, medspa, catering company, hotel, event business, delivery operation, personal service business, or anything with tipped or overtime-heavy workers, your employees are probably going to hear “no tax on tips” and expect that directly before they hear the fine print.
Employees may think their paycheck is supposed to change immediately, and owners may think this is only an employee tax issue when it is also a payroll and reporting issue.
It’s something that’s worth getting ahead of if your an operator.
How does Athens feel as a city to run a business right now? |
Your business’s Instagram is important for SEO
Instagram is more searchable than it used to be.
If you have a public business or creator account, your posts, and more importantly, account can now show up in search engines.
Do this ASAP: update your name field and bio based on your keyword strategy.
“ABC Studio | Athens Med Spa” is more useful than just “ABC Studio.” “Smith Roofing | Athens Roof Repair” vs “Smith Roofing.”
That's Edition 6. If you know something I should cover, whether it's a business opening, closing, hiring, expanding, or doing something worth paying attention to, reply to this email. I read all of them.
If your business depends on trust, referrals, and being the name people think of before they need you, Athens Scoop is built for that. We reach 8,500+ local readers and 11k+ people on Instagram, and we’re opening a few industry-exclusive partner spots for businesses that want to stay in front of Athens locals without relying only on word of mouth, social media, or expensive paid ads.
Book here if you want to chat.