SURGEPAYS, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) – Marketscreener.com

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to those set forth in “Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
We were incorporated in Nevada on August 18, 2006 and a technology and telecommunications company focused on the underbanked and underserved communities.
SurgePhone wireless companies provide mobile broadband (internet connectivity) to low-income consumers nationwide. SurgePays Fintech platform utilizes a suite of financial and prepaid products to convert corner stores and bodegas into tech-hubs for underbanked neighborhoods. We are aggressively cornering the underbanked market directly to the consumer and in the stores they shop.
Please see the description in Item 1 of this Annual Report for a description of our SurgePhone, Torch Wireless, and LocoRabbit Wireless, Surge Blockchain, Shockwave CRM™, Surge Fintech (ECS Business), LogicsIQ, and CenterCom operations.
COMPARISON OF YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021
Revenue increased overall by $70,483,601 (138%) from year ended December 31, 2021 to year ended December 31, 2022. The breakout was as follows:
SurgePhone and Torch Wireless revenues (as detailed in Notes 2 and 11 of the financial statements) increased by $81,062,308 related to the additional revenue stream generated by the increase in subscribers to over 200,000 at the end of 2022 from 30,000 at the end of 2021 for the Emergency Broadband Benefit and Affordable Connectivity programs (the “ACP”) started in August of 2021. LogicsIQ revenues decreased by $1,086,042 related to the maturity cycle of the various litigations we are delivering retained cases on. The overall case count went from 14,492 in 2021 to 9,362 in 2022. Surge Fintech (ECS) revenues decreased by $8,309,490 due to Covid-19 impact and the shifting of customers to the ACP from wireless prepaid services at our stores. True Wireless revenues decreased by $1,157,980 as a result of the May 7, 2021 disposition.
We expect revenues to grow for each segment of the Company in future periods, specifically our subscriber base and active store count.
Operations income improved overall by $6,626,353 from year ended December 31, 2021 to year ended December 31, 2022, primarily as a result of an increase in operating profit of $10,761,731 in SurgePhone and Torch Wireless, a decrease in operating profit of $380,965 in LogicsIQ, and a decrease in operating profit of $1,428,108 in Surge Fintech. Most of these changes are directly related to the change in revenue for each stream. Overall margins remained consistent in 2021 and 2022.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of revenue for services primarily consists of tablet, phone and SIM cards and associated freight, shipping and handling costs, marketing services, data plan expenses, royalties, and out-sourced call center expenses.
We expect that our cost of revenue will increase or decrease to the extent that our revenue increases and decreases and depending on our subscriber base and store count.
Gross profit is calculated as revenue less cost of revenue. Gross profit margin is gross profit expressed as a percentage of revenue. Our gross profit in future periods will depend on a variety of factors, including: market conditions that may impact our pricing, sales mix among devices, sales mix changes among consumables, excess and obsolete inventories, and our cost structure for manufacturing operations relative to volume. Our gross profit in future periods will vary based upon our revenue stream mix and may increase based upon our distribution channels.
We expect that our gross profit margin for product and service will increase over the long term as our sales and production volumes increase and our cost per unit decreases due to efficiencies of scale. We intend to use our design, information systems, and sales force capabilities to further advance and improve the efficiency of our revenue streams, which we believe will reduce costs and increase our gross margin.
General and administrative during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 consisted of the following:
Depreciation and amortization $ 931,593 $ 759,383 Selling, general and administration 11,904,030 11,403,164 Total
The increase in depreciation and amortization costs for 2022 is the result of capitalizing costs associated with software enhancements to our various software platforms in 2022.
Selling, general and administrative expenses during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 consisted of the following:
Selling, general and administrative costs (S, G & A) increased by $500,866 (4.4%). The changes are discussed below:
? Contractors and consultants expense decreased by $617,119 or 27% from
$2,284,135 in 2021 to $1,667,016 in 2022.
? Professional services decreased $553,922 in 2022 primarily due to a decrease in
legal fees of $395,989. Legal proceedings and fees related to the listing of
our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market were the main reason for the
higher spending on professional services in 2021.
? Compensation increased from $3,872,765 in 2021 to $4,780,885 in 2022 primarily
as a result of one-time bonuses paid to various management personnel in 2022.
? Computer and internet costs decreased by 26.9% to $403,583 in 2022 from
$552,455 in 2021.
? Advertising and marketing costs decreased to $259,393 in 2022 from $661,238 in
2021 primarily due to the normalization of advertising spending in 2022.
? Bad debt expense recovery decreased to $(7,767) in 2022 from $24,841 in 2021.
? Insurance expense increased to $1,535,687 in 2022 from $791,535 in 2021
primarily as a result of a full year of additional coverage amounts related to
the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
? Other costs increased to $2,061,100 in 2022 from $1,458,140 in 2021 primarily
due to an increase various administrative expenses such as office, building,
Gain (loss) on equity investment in Centercom (89,082 ) 28,676 Gain (loss) on settlement of liabilities
Interest expense decreased to $1,843,396 in 2022 from $3,840,616 in 2021 primarily due to the payoff of various debt instruments in 2021 as a result of the cash raised from the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded a change in fair value of derivative liabilities of $0 and $1,806,763, respectively. These amounts reflect a mark to market adjustment recorded to the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2021, in connection with the repayment of convertible notes which contained embedded conversion features, the related derivative liabilities ceased to exist.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for the derivative liability measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows at December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Gain on derivative liability upon related debt settled (1,428,015 ) Derivative liability – December 31, 2021 and 2022 $ –
Changes in fair value of derivative liabilities are included in other income (expense) in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded a derivative expense of $0 and $1,775,057, respectively.
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded a gain of $0 and $1,428,015, respectively, related to the settlement of convertible debt which contained an embedded conversion feature and was separately bifurcated and classified as a derivative liability. The Company has recorded these gains in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations as a component of gain on settlement of liabilities.
The equity investment in Centercom decreased by $89,082 in 2022 compared to an increase of $28,676 in 2021.
During 2022, the Company received a forgiveness on a PPP loan totaling $524,143, of which $518,167 was for principal and $5,976 for accrued interest. The Company recorded this forgiveness as other income in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
In 2021, in connection with the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market, 433,017 warrants were repriced at a lower exercise price to better reflect the current market offering. No other terms had been modified. As a result, the Company recorded a warrant modification expense of $74,476 in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations with an offsetting increase to additional paid in capital.
Equity Transactions for the Year Ended December 31, 2022
Stock Issued as Direct Offering Costs
The Company issued 200,000 shares of common stock for services rendered in connection with the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market 2021. As a result, the Company recorded the par value of the common stock issued with a corresponding charge to additional paid-in capital, resulting in a net effect of $0 to stockholders’ equity.
Stock Issued for Acquisition of Software
The Company acquired software having a fair value of $711,400. Payment for the software consisted of $300,000 in cash and the Company issued 85,000 shares of common stock having a fair value of $411,400 ($4.84/share), based upon the quoted closing trading price.
Exercise of Warrants (Cashless)
The Company issued 147,153 shares of common stock in connection with the cashless exercise of 498,750 warrants. These transactions had a net effect of $0 on stockholders’ equity.
The Company issued 100 shares of common stock in connection with an exercise of 100 warrants at an exercise price of $4.73 per share for proceeds of $473.
Equity Transactions for the Year Ended December 31, 2021
The Company issued 13,411 shares of common stock for services rendered, having a fair value of $99,436 ($5 – $14.05/share), based upon the quoted closing trading price.
Stock and Warrants Issued for Cash and Related Direct Offering Costs
The Company issued an aggregate 4,862,247 shares of common stock for $21,294,800 ($4.30 –$8/share). In connection with raising these funds, the Company paid $2,222,952 in direct offering costs, resulting in net proceeds of $19,076,710.
LIQUIDITY and CAPITAL RESOURCES
At December 31, 2022 and 2021, our current assets were $27,563,785 and $13,892,681, respectively, and our current liabilities were $23,464,062 and $9,998,194, respectively, which resulted in a working capital surplus of $4,099,723 and of $3,894,487, respectively. The increase in current assets is a result of expansion of the Affordable Connectivity Program, whereby inventory increased by $6,826,946 for tablets and phones and accounts receivable increased by $5,980,476.
Total assets at December 31, 2022 and 2021 amounted to $34,003,506 and $19,500,202, respectively. The increase in total assets is a result of the expansion of the Affordable Connectivity Program, whereby inventory increased by $6,826,946 for tablets and phones and accounts receivable increased by $5,980,476. Total assets increased by $14,503,304 from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022. At December 31, 2022, assets consisted of current assets of $27,563,785, net property and equipment of $643,373, net intangible assets of $2,779,977, goodwill of $1,666,782, equity investment in Centercom of $354,206, note receivable of $176,851, internal use software of $387,180, and operating lease right of use asset of $431,352 compared to current assets of $13,892,681, net property and equipment of $200,448, net intangible assets of $3,433,484, goodwill of $866,782, equity investment in Centercom of $443,288, note receivable of $176,851, and operating lease right of use asset of $486,668 at December 31, 2021.
At December 31, 2022, our total liabilities were $28,885,253. This $12,936,372 increase (from $15,948,881 at December 31, 2021) was related to the installment sales liability increase of $13,018,184 related to inventory purchases for the Affordable Connectivity Program.
At December 31, 2022, our total stockholders’ surplus was $5,118,253 as compared to $3,551,321 at December 31, 2021.
We expect the positive operating income results of $3,322,294 for the period October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 will continue to be positive for each reporting period of 2023. The gross margin for the period of October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 was approximately 18%. Revenue streams are expecting to increase quarter over quarter in 2023.
The following table sets forth the major sources and uses of cash for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Net cash provided by or (used in) operating activities $ 793,272 $ (15,288,261 ) Net cash used in investing activities
As a result of net positive cash provided by operating activities in 2022, the cash increased in 2022 by $752,158, compared to cash used in operations of $15,288,261 in 2021.
At December 31, 2022, the Company had the following material commitments and contingencies.
Notes payable – related party – See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Notes payable and long-term debt – See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Convertible promissory notes – See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Related party transactions – See page F-29 and F-30 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Cash requirements and capital expenditures -At the current level of operations, the Company does not anticipate borrowing funds to meet basic operating costs. The Company may need to borrow funds to meet the hyper-growth expected to occur in the ACP in 2023.
Known trends and uncertainties – The Company is planning to acquire other businesses with similar business operations. The uncertainty of the economy may increase the difficulty of raising funds to support the planned business expansion.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions for the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and any such differences may be material.
While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2-Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe the following discussion addresses our most critical accounting policies, which are those that are most important to our financial condition and results of operations and which require our most difficult, subjective and complex judgments.
Preparing financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and those estimates may be material.
Significant estimates during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, include, allowance for doubtful accounts and other receivables, inventory reserves and classifications, valuation of loss contingencies, valuation of derivative liabilities, valuation of stock-based compensation, estimated useful lives related to intangible assets, capitalized internal-use software development costs, and property and equipment, implicit interest rate in right-of-use operating leases, uncertain tax positions, and the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company accounts for financial instruments under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements. ASC 820 provides a framework for measuring fair value and requires disclosures regarding fair value measurements. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, based on the Company’s principal or, in absence of a principal, most advantageous market for the specific asset or liability.
The Company uses a three-tier fair value hierarchy to classify and disclose all assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, as well as assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis, in periods subsequent to their initial measurement. The hierarchy requires the Company to use observable inputs when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs, when determining fair value.
The three tiers are defined as follows:
The determination of fair value and the assessment of a measurement’s placement within the hierarchy requires judgment. Level 3 valuations often involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity. Level 3 valuations may require the use of various cost, market, or income valuation methodologies applied to unobservable management estimates and assumptions. Management’s assumptions could vary depending on the asset or liability valued and the valuation method used. Such assumptions could include estimates of prices, earnings, costs, actions of market participants, market factors, or the weighting of various valuation methods. The Company may also engage external advisors to assist us in determining fair value, as appropriate.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets including Internal Use Capitalized Software Costs
Management evaluates the recoverability of the Company’s identifiable intangible assets and other long-lived assets when events or circumstances indicate a potential impairment exists, in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360-10-35-15 “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.” Events and circumstances considered by the Company in determining whether the carrying value of identifiable intangible assets and other long-lived assets may not be recoverable include but are not limited to significant changes in performance relative to expected operating results; significant changes in the use of the assets; significant negative industry or economic trends; and changes in the Company’s business strategy. In determining if impairment exists, the Company estimates the undiscounted cash flows to be generated from the use and ultimate disposition of these assets.
If impairment is indicated based on a comparison of the assets’ carrying values and the undiscounted cash flows, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets.
Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value (first-in, first-out method). For items manufactured by third parties, cost is determined using the weighted average cost method (WAC). We write-down inventory when it has been determined that conditions exist that may not allow the inventory to be sold for at the intended price or the inventory is determined to be obsolete based on assumption about future demand and market conditions. The charge related to inventory write-downs is recorded as cost of goods sold. We evaluate inventory at least annually and at other times during the year. We have incurred and may in the future incur charges to write-down inventory.
Internal Use Software Development Costs
We capitalize certain internal use software development costs associated with creating and enhancing internally developed software related to our technology infrastructure. These costs include personnel and related employee benefits expenses for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to software projects, and external direct costs of materials and services consumed in developing or obtaining the software. Software development costs that do not meet the qualification for capitalization, as further discussed below, are expensed as incurred and recorded in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated results of operations.
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
We account for revenue earned from contracts with customers under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), and ASC 842, Leases (“ASC 842”). The core principle of ASC 606 is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The following five steps are applied to achieve that core principle:
? Step 1: Identify the contract with the customer.
? Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract.
? Step 3: Determine the transaction price.
? Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract.
? Step 5: Recognize revenue when, or as, the company satisfies a performance obligation.
The Company accounts for our stock-based compensation under ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation” using the fair value-based method. Under this method, compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the value of the award and is recognized over the service period, which is usually the vesting period. This guidance establishes standards for the accounting for transactions in which an entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services. It also addresses transactions in which an entity incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or services that are based on the fair value of the entity’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of those equity instruments.
The Company uses the fair value method for equity instruments granted to non-employees and use the Black-Scholes model for measuring the fair value of options.
The fair value of stock-based compensation is determined as of the date of the grant or the date at which the performance of the services is completed (measurement date) and is recognized over the vesting periods.
In connection with certain financing (debt or equity), consulting and collaboration arrangements, the Company may issue warrants to purchase shares of its common stock. The outstanding warrants are standalone instruments that are not puttable or mandatorily redeemable by the holder and are classified as equity awards. The Company measures the fair value of warrants issued for compensation using the Black-Scholes option pricing model as of the measurement date. However, for warrants issued that meet the definition of a derivative liability, fair value is determined based upon the use of a binomial pricing model.
Warrants issued in conjunction with the issuance of common stock are initially recorded at fair value as a reduction in additional paid-in capital of the common stock issued. All other warrants (for services) are recorded at fair value and expensed over the requisite service period or at the date of issuance if there is not a service period.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In the normal course of business, we evaluate all new accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, SEC, or other authoritative accounting bodies to determine the potential impact they may have on our Consolidated Financial Statements. Refer to Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
22
© Edgar Online, source Glimpses

source