Good Morning! It’s Thought-Experiment Thursday — we hope you find this issue engaging and helpful as you build your business.

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(4 minute read)

Everything feels polarized. Businesses, customers, and employees are all taking sides. If you and your business haven't, is it even possible to remain neutral?

The short answer: It's complicated.

Most businesses start as blank canvases. Whether they stay that way depends on leadership, customers, market forces, and sometimes, vocal shareholders.

The Penzeys Example: When Business Gets Political

Take Penzeys Spices. In January 2022, CEO Bill Penzey sent an email renaming Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend to "Republicans Are Racist Weekend." The backlash was swift—40,000 subscribers left the company’s mailing list. But then 30,000 new ones signed up.

By 2025, Penzeys doubled down, distributing "Resist!" spice blends to over 37,000 Washington, D.C., households ahead of President Trump’s inauguration, urging recipients to "keep America alive" through culinary activism. Penzeys built a fiercely loyal customer base but also alienated a huge portion of its market.

For business owners, this raises an important question: Should you risk what you have built by taking a political stance, or should you embrace the idea that "money spends the same regardless of where it came from"?

Factors to Consider Before Taking a Stance

1. Are you already polarizing? If your personal brand is tied to strong political views, trying to appear neutral may seem fake—to your customers and even yourself. If your audience expects you to speak out, staying silent could be a statement in itself.
   

2. Can you afford to lose customers? If your business is financially stable enough to handle losing a significant portion of your customers, taking a stance might be an option. But if you are bootstrapping or rely on broad consumer support, alienating even a fraction of your market could be dangerous. Penzeys replaced lost customers with new, like-minded ones. That’s not a guarantee for everyone.
   

3. Do you serve government clients? If your business depends on government contracts, neutrality isn’t just smart—it may be necessary. Political winds shift. Aligning too closely with one party could cost you when the other takes power.
   

4. Can your employees keep politics out of work? Employees represent your business. If they express strong political opinions—especially in customer-facing roles—it shapes public perception of your brand. Can you hire and retain people who keep politics out of the workplace? Do you have a company policy enforcing neutrality?
   

5. Do you have shareholders with different views? If you have multiple shareholders, neutrality may be the safest bet. Running a business is hard enough without internal fights over politics.

How to Maintain Political Neutrality in Business

If you want to keep your business neutral while the world picks sides, you need a plan:

• Set clear policies. Make it clear that work is for work—not politics. Employees should avoid divisive discussions on company time.

• Train customer-facing staff. If neutrality is part of your brand, ensure employees know how to keep interactions focused on business.

• Be consistent. One-off political statements or business donations can undermine neutrality.

• Watch where you advertise. Associating your brand with politically charged media—on either side—can take you off the neutral path.

The Bottom Line

A politically neutral business is still possible, but it takes discipline, consistency, and clear policies. In a world where customers, employees, and even suppliers expect companies to take sides, neutrality is an active choice—not a passive one.

The real question is: Does neutrality serve your long-term business goals, or is taking a stance worth the risk? Because at the end of the day, while money spends the same, the hands that hold it have opinions. The best approach? Take the money, smile, and say, "Thank you."

Need a company-wide Employee Neutrality Policy template for your business? Subscribe to The Co. Letter ^Tm Premium here and get it for free along with all templates provided with our articles. Be smart, save money, get things done.

Old Business:

CRITICAL DEADLINE UPDATE: The Corporate Transparency Act

(2 min read)

What’s the Latest?
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) has been on hold due to ongoing federal litigation. Now, a new 21 March 2025, deadline looms for nearly all limited liability companies (LLCs) and corporations to file their Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report with the U.S. government.

What is the CTA?
The CTA is a 2021 federal law requiring all U.S.-formed or registered entities to either confirm they qualify for an exemption or submit a Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOI) to the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes and Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

What’s the deadline for NEW entities formed on or after 18 February 2025?
The 30-day filing rule still applies. For example, an LLC formed on 20 February 2025, must file its BOI report by 22 March 2025 (30 days from formation).

I already filed—now what?
You’re set. No further action needed.

Can I file voluntarily while the CTA is on hold?
Yes. FinCEN is accepting early filings. You can submit yours here. No penalty for waiting, but beware: FinCEN’s system is new and may get overwhelmed as the deadline nears.

Will the new Trump administration scrap the CTA?
Unlikely. While legal challenges could lead to changes, social media chatter is pressuring lawmakers to delay, limit the scope, or repeal the CTA.

We’ll keep tracking this. If you spot a reliable update before we do, reply or DM @thecoletter on X or LinkedIn.

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