I've even heard that buying something like hummus or pita bread and swiping your grocery card can trigger an alert since middle easterners eat that stuff too.
No worries for me - I always buy beer with my hummus & pitas. Not allowed for Jihadists
... to say nothing of those trips to open up markets for your product in other countries...costa rica, portugal, etc...all the same. keep records of the shops in costa and portugal, brasil, bali, that you talked to and what you left with them (if anything) as samples. like a board, or a video, or business cards, or print handouts, etc....get the names of the people you talked to.R&D: new designs that you are trying out for yourself or your team…all deductible…like that gun for hawaii.
pete.
No doubt, the travel is the best part. Went to Maui last year, brought along a board. Left it in a shop on consignment when I left. Got the check in the mail from the shop (out of state sales don’t even require sales tax declarations) and that $220 declared revenue was a green light to deduct my $800 airfare expense.