Balance Labs Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Apr 15, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Apr 15, 2024
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks described below together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before making an investment decision with regard to our securities. The statements contained in or incorporated herein that are not historic facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be harmed. In that case, you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business
AN OCCURRENCE OF AN UNCONTROLLED EVENT SUCH AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS LIKELY TO NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR OPERATIONS
A resurgence of COVID -19 pandemic may adversely impact our operations and demand for our services and our ability to find new clients. This is due in part to potential restrictions such as: social distancing requirements; stay at home orders and the shutdown of non-essential businesses and the impact these restrictions have on small businesses and their ability to generate revenues which effects their ability to afford our services.
IF WE DO NOT OBTAIN ADDITIONAL FINANCING OR SUFFICIENT REVENUES, OUR BUSINESS WILL FAIL
We have had limited operations since our formation. There can be no assurance that management of the Company will be successful in completing the Company’s business development plan, devise a marketing plan to successfully reach the companies in this field or that the Company will generate sufficient revenues to meet its expenses or to achieve or maintain profitability.
Our current operating funds are less than necessary to complete the full development of our business plan, and we most likely will need to obtain additional financing in order to complete our business plan. We currently have minimal operations, and we are not currently generating revenue or net income.
The Company currently does not have sufficient funds to support its obligations. As a result, the Company will require additional financing to execute its business plan through raising additional capital and/or beginning to generate revenue.
We do not currently have any firm arrangements for financing, and we can provide no assurance to investors that we will be able to find such additional financing if required. Obtaining additional financing is subject to a number of factors, including current financial condition as well as general market conditions. These factors affect the timing, amount, terms or conditions of additional financing unavailable to us. And if additional financing is not arranged, the company faces the risk of going out of business. The Company’s management is currently engaged in actively pursuing multiple financing options to obtain the capital necessary to execute the Company’s business plan, however, there cannot be any assurance that additional funds will be available when needed from any source, or if available, will be available on terms that are acceptable to us.
OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM HAS RAISED SUBSTANTIAL DOUBT ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE AS A GOING CONCERN
Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. As discussed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, these conditions raise substantial doubt from our independent auditor about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our plans regarding these matters are also described in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset carrying amounts or the amount and classification of liabilities that might result should our company be unable to continue as a going concern.
We will require additional capital to implement our business plan and support our operations. Currently, we have no established bank financing arrangements. Therefore, depending on the revenue growth rate, we may need to seek additional financing through a future private offering of our equity or debt securities, or through strategic partnerships and other arrangements with corporate partners. We believe we will be successful in these efforts; however, there can be no assurance we will meet our internal revenue forecasts or, if necessary, be successful in raising additional debt or equity financing to fund our operations on terms agreeable to the company. These matters raise substantial doubt from our independent auditor about our ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if we were unable to continue as a going concern. We presently do not have enough cash on hand to sustain our operations. If we are unable to meet our internal revenue forecasts or obtain additional financing on a timely basis, we may have to delay vendor payments and/or initiate cost reductions, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and ultimately, we could be forced to discontinue our operations, liquidate, and/or seek reorganization under the U.S. bankruptcy code.
ADDITIONAL FINANCING MAY ADVERSLY EFFECT TO YOUR INTEREST
If we raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of our company held by existing shareholders will be reduced and those shareholders may experience significant dilution. In addition, we may also have to issue securities that may have rights, preferences, and privileges senior to our Common Stock. In the event we seek to raise additional capital through the issuance of debt or its equivalents, this will result in increased interest expense.
LIMITED EXPERIENCE IN MANAGING AND OPERATING A PUBLIC COMPANY
Our current management has limited experience managing and operating a public company and relies in many instances on the professional experience and advice of third parties including its attorneys and accountants. Failure to adequately comply with laws, rules, or regulations applicable to our business may result in fines or regulatory action, which may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition and could result in delays in the development of an active and liquid trading market for our stock.
SIGNIGFICANT COSTS TO BE A PUBLIC COMPANY
We may incur significant costs associated with our public company reporting requirements, costs associated with newly applicable corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expect all these applicable rules and regulations to significantly increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time consuming and costly. We also expect that these applicable rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these newly applicable rules, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. In addition, we may not be able to absorb these costs of being a public company which will negatively affect our business operations. Based on our management’s reasonable estimates, we anticipate that our cost of being a public company, including legal, audit costs, printing, filing fees and other costs will be between $50,000 and $75,000 per year.
SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACT TO OUR CAPITAL RESERVE OF ANY LIABLE UNINSURABLE CLAIM
Although we are in the process of obtaining the necessary Director and Officer liability insurance, we do not have any insurance to cover potential risks and general liabilities, including, but not limited to, injuries or economic losses arising out of or relating to our omission or errors in providing our services. Even if we decide to obtain insurance coverage in the future, it is possible that: (1) we may not be able to get enough insurance to meet our needs; (2) we may have to pay very high premiums for the additional coverage; (3) we may not be able to acquire any insurance for certain types of business risk; or (4) we may have gaps in coverage for certain risks. We may be exposed to potential uninsured claims for which we could have to expend significant amounts of capital. Consequently, if we were found liable for a significant uninsured claim in the future, we may be forced to expend a significant amount of our capital to resolve the uninsured claim.
COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THE COMPANY
Our majority shareholder, Balance Holdings, LLC, which our Chairman of the Board, Michael D. Farkas has investing and dispositive power of, beneficially own approximately 59.9% of our common stock. Mr. Farkas also has investing and dispositive power of Shilo Holding Group LLC, which own approximately 5.08% of our common stock. Therefore, Mr. Farkas is able to exercise control over all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors, amendment of our certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, and he also has significant control over our management and policies. The directors elected thereof will be able to significantly influence decisions affecting our capital structure. This control may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in management, or limiting the ability of our other shareholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in their best interest.
DEPENDENCE ON KEY PERSONNEL
We will be dependent on services from our management team, including Chairman of the Board and CEO, Michael D. Farkas, CFO, Ari Feldman and Secretary, Carmen Villegas. The loss of our officers and/or key employees could have a material adverse effect on the operations and prospects of the Company. Our management is expected to handle all marketing and sales efforts and manage the operations. Their responsibilities include formalizing business arrangements with third party service providers, directing the development of the Company website and other online communication tools, and formulating marketing materials to be used during presentations and meetings. At this time, we do not have an employment agreement with Ms. Villegas though the Company may enter into such an agreement with her on terms and conditions usual and customary for its industry. The Company does have an employment agreement with Mr. Farkas and Mr. Feldman. The Company does not currently have “key man” life insurance on Ms. Villegas, Mr. Feldman or Mr. Farkas.
HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKET
There are numerous established companies that offer some combination of marketing, promotional and general consulting services to startup and development stage companies in the industry. In addition, there are several large and well-established full-service consulting firms that provide strategy and implementation services to a broad spectrum of industries. We are a new entry into this competitive market and may struggle to differentiate ourselves as a specialist that provides more value for startup and development stage companies.
INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws include provisions that fully eliminate the personal liability of the directors of the Company for monetary damages possible under the laws of the State of Delaware or other applicable law. These provisions eliminate the liability of directors to the Company and its stockholders for monetary damages arising out of any violation of a director of his fiduciary duty of due care. Under Delaware law, however, such provisions do not eliminate the personal liability of a director for (i) breach of the director’s duty of loyalty, (ii) acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct or knowing violation of law, (iii) payment of dividends or repurchases of stock other than from lawfully available funds, or (iv) any transaction from which the director derived an improper benefit. These provisions do not affect a director’s liabilities under the federal securities laws or the recovery of damages by third parties.
POTENTIAL CLIENTS’ MAY NOT HAVE THE FUNDS OR THE NEED TO OUTSOURCE THIS WORK
Some companies have the resources to handle the strategy and implementation of these services in-house. Other companies may have limited available resources which will prohibit them from engaging us to help them develop and implement their strategy. Therefore, we risk having a limited niche potential client base.
COMPANY MAY RELY UPON INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS TO IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS
In order to implement our services at a scale commensurate with the business plan, we will most likely engage independent contractors who will need to be mentored and actively managed to ensure that their work product meets the standards of our Company. Recruiting, engaging, contracting, and maintaining independent contractors who can perform this work could cause delays, unplanned expenses and other adverse results for the Company.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE EXCHANGE ACT AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002, INCLUDING ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING ACCEPTABLE INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING, ARE COSTLY AND MAY INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY
The rules and regulations of the SEC require a public company to prepare and file periodic reports under the Exchange Act, which will require that the Company engage legal, accounting, auditing and other professional services. The engagement of such services is costly. Additionally, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes- Oxley Act”) requires, among other things, that we design, implement and maintain adequate internal controls and procedures over financial reporting. The costs of complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the limited technically qualified personnel we have may make it difficult for us to design, implement and maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting. In the event that we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls or discover material weaknesses in our internal controls, we may not be able to produce reliable financial reports or report fraud, which may harm our overall financial condition and result in loss of investor confidence and a decline in our share price.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Despite recent reforms made possible by the JOBS Act, compliance with these rules and regulations will nonetheless increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming, or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business and operating results.
We are working with our legal, independent accounting and financial advisors to identify those areas in which changes should be made to our financial and management control systems to manage our growth and our obligations as a public company. These areas include corporate governance, corporate control, disclosure controls and procedures and financial reporting and accounting systems. We have made, and will continue to make, changes in these and other areas. However, we anticipate that the expenses that will be required in order to adequately prepare for being a public company could be material. We estimate that the aggregate cost of increased legal services; accounting and audit functions; personnel, such as a chief financial officer familiar with the obligations of public company reporting; consultants to design and implement internal controls; and financial printing alone will be a few hundred thousand dollars per year and could be several hundred thousand dollars per year. In addition, if and when we retain independent directors and/or additional members of senior management, we may incur additional expenses related to director compensation and/or premiums for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, the costs of which we cannot estimate at this time. We may also incur additional expenses associated with investor relations and similar functions, the cost of which we also cannot estimate at this time. However, these additional expenses individually, or in the aggregate, may also be material.
In addition, being a public company could make it more difficult or more costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.
The increased costs associated with operating as a public company may decrease our net income or increase our net loss and may cause us to reduce costs in other areas of our business or increase the prices of our products or services to offset the effect of such increased costs. Additionally, if these requirements divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
IF WE FAIL TO MAINTAIN EFFECTIVE INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING, THE PRICE OF OUR COMMON STOCK MAY BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED
We are required to establish and maintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation and due to the lack of segregation of duties due to small Company staff size our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of the end of the period covered by this report. Failure to establish those controls, or any failure of those controls once established, could adversely affect our public disclosures regarding our business, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, management’s assessment of internal controls over financial reporting may identify weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal controls over financial reporting or other matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting may have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.
WE RELY HEAVILY ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. ANY INTERRUPTION OR LAPSE RELATED TO THAT TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING ANY CYBERSECURITY INCIDENTS, COULD HARM OUR ABILITY TO OPERATE OUR BUSINESS EFFECTIVELY
Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure are subject to attacks or breaches. Any such breach could result in a material compromise of our systems or these systems of our third-party vendors, and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, stolen, or rendered, permanently or temporarily, inaccessible. Furthermore, we may not promptly discover a system intrusion. Attacks could have a material impact on our business, operations or financial results. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information, including our data being breached at third party providers, could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, disrupt our operations and damage our reputation, which could adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
THERE IS A LIMITED PUBLIC MARKET FOR OUR SECURITIES
Our common stock is not listed on any national securities exchange. Accordingly, investors may find it more difficult to buy and sell our shares than if our common stock was traded on an exchange. Although our common stock is quoted on the OTC Pink, it is an unorganized, inter-dealer, over-the-counter market which provides significantly less liquidity than the NASDAQ Capital Market or other national securities exchange. These factors may have an adverse impact on the trading and price of our common stock. And our common stock may be less attractive for margin loans, for investment by financial institutions, as consideration in future capital raising transactions or other purposes.
NOT LIKELY TO PAY DIVIDENDS
We currently intend to retain any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future but will review this policy as circumstances dictate.
WE ARE SUBJECT TO THE SEC’S “PENNY STOCK” RULES
We are subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules if our shares of Common Stock sell below $5.00 per share. Penny stocks generally are equity securities with a price of less than $5.00. The penny stock rules require broker-dealers to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to completing the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation.
In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction, the broker dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. The penny stock rules are burdensome and may reduce purchases of any offerings and reduce the trading activity for shares of our Common Stock. As long as our shares of Common Stock are subject to the penny stock rules, the holders of such shares of Common Stock may find it more difficult to sell their securities.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.