Description of business and summary of significant accounting policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Description of business and summary of significant accounting policies

Note 1. Description of business and summary of significant accounting policies

Description of business – Brownie’s Marine Group, Inc., a Florida corporation (the “Company,” or “BWMG”), (1) designs, tests, manufactures and distributes recreational hookah diving, scuba and water safety products through its wholly owned subsidiary Trebor Industries, Inc., a Florida corporation organized in 1981 (“Trebor” or “BTL”), (2) manufactures and sells high pressure air and industrial compressor packages, yacht based scuba air compressor and nitrox generation systems through its wholly owned subsidiary Brownie’s High Pressure Compressor Services, Inc., a Florida corporation organized in 2017 (“BHP”), doing business as LW Americas (“LWA”) and (3) develops and markets portable battery powered surface supplied air dive systems through its wholly owned subsidiary BLU3, Inc., a Florida corporation (“BLU3”). On September 3, 2021, the Company, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (the “Merger Agreement”) with Submersible Acquisition, Inc., a Florida corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Acquisition Sub”), Submersible Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation (“Submersible” or “SSI”), and Summit Holdings V, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“Summit”) and Tierra Vista Group, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“Tierra Vista” and, together with Summit, the “Sellers”), the owners of all of the capital stock of Submersible organized in 2017, pursuant to which Acquisition Sub merged with and into Submersible (the “Merger”), and Submersible, the surviving corporation, became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

Submersible is a manufacturer of high-pressure tanks and redundant air systems for the military and recreational diving industries, based in Huntington Beach, California and sells its products to governments, militaries, private companies and the dive industry throughout the world.

On February 13, 2022 the Company filed with the Florida Department of State, articles of incorporation for a new wholly owned subsidiary, Live Blue, Inc. (“LBI”). LBI utilizes technology developed by BLU3 to provide new users and interested divers a guided tour experience. On May 2, 2022, the Company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”) with Gold Coast Scuba, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“Gold Coast Scuba”), Steven M. Gagas and William Frenier, the sole members of Gold Coast Scuba (together, the “LLC Members”) and LBI. Pursuant to the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, LBI acquired substantially all of Gold Coast Scuba’s assets and assumed certain non-material liabilities of the business associated with these assets. In addition, LBI assumed the lease for the premises for Gold Coast Scuba as part of this asset acquisition.

Basis of Presentation – The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

Definition of fiscal year – The Company’s fiscal year end is December 31.

Principles of Consolidation -The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of BWMG and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Trebor, BHP, BLU3, SSI and LBI. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Going Concern – The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business for the twelve-month period following the date of issuance of these financial statements. We incurred net losses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 of $1,892,891 and $1,588,467, respectively. The Company had an accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2022 of $16,437,495.

The Company believes that existing operational cash flow may not be sufficient to fund presently anticipated operations, this raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the twelve months after the date that the financial statements were issued. Therefore, the Company will seek to continue to raise additional funds as needed and is currently exploring alternative sources of financing including commercial banks and other lending institutions. The Company has issued common stock and has historically issued convertible notes to finance working capital needs and may continue to seek to raise additional capital through sale of common stock or other securities or obtaining short term loans. The Company has no firm commitment for any additional capital and there are no assurances it will be successful in obtaining additional funds.

If the Company fails to raise additional funds when needed, or does not have sufficient cash flows from sales, it may be required to scale back or cease operations, liquidate assets and possibly seek bankruptcy protection. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of these uncertainties.

Cash and equivalents – Only highly liquid investments with original maturities of 90 days or less are classified as cash and equivalents.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist principally of cash deposits. Accounts at each institution are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250,000 per EIN. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $0 and $205,500, respectively, in excess of the FDIC insured limit.

Accounts receivable – Accounts receivable consist of amounts due from the sale of all of our products to wholesale and retail customers. The allowance for doubtful accounts are estimates that are developed by using standard quantitative measures based on historical losses, adjusting for current economic conditions and, in some cases, evaluating specific customer accounts for risk of loss. The establishment of allowances requires the use of judgment and assumptions regarding the potential for losses on receivable balances. Though the Company considers these balances adequate and proper, changes in economic conditions in specific markets in which the Company operates and any specific customer collection issues the Company identifies could have a favorable or unfavorable effect on required reserve balances. The allowances for doubtful accounts totaled $28,558 and $46,555 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Inventory – The Company values inventory at the lower of cost (determined using the first-in first-out method) or net realizable value. Management’s judgment is required to determine the allowances for obsolete or excess inventory. Inventory on hand may exceed future demand either because the product is outdated or because the amount on hand is more than will be used to meet future needs. Inventory allowances are estimated by the individual operating companies using standard quantitative measures based on criteria established by the Company. Though the Company considers these allowance balances to be adequate, changes in economic conditions, customer inventory levels or competitive conditions could have a favorable or unfavorable effect on required allowance balances.

Property and equipment and leasehold improvements – Property and equipment and leasehold improvement is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation or amortization. Depreciation and amortization is provided principally on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets or term of the lease, which are primarily 3 to 5 years. The cost of repairs and maintenance is charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for property betterments and renewals are capitalized. Upon sale or other disposition of a depreciable asset, cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in other income (expense).

The Company periodically evaluates whether events and circumstances have occurred that may warrant revision of the estimated useful lives of fixed assets or whether the remaining balance of fixed assets should be evaluated for possible impairment. The Company uses an estimate of the related undiscounted cash flows over the remaining life of the fixed assets in measuring their recoverability.

Goodwill

The Company records goodwill when the consideration paid for an acquisition exceeds the fair value of net tangible and intangible assets acquired, including related tax effects. Goodwill is not amortized; instead, goodwill is tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if the Company believes indicators of impairment exist. The Company first assesses qualitative factors such as macro-economic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors as well as other relevant events, to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If the Company determines that the fair value is less than the carrying value, the Company will recognize an impairment charge based on the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying value over its fair value. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was no such impairment.

Intangible assets

Intangible assets are comprised of customer relationships, trademarks and non-compete agreements acquired in a business combination. The Company amortizes intangible assets with a definitive life over their respective useful lives. Assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if the Company believes indicators of impairment exist.

Unlike goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, the accounting rules do not provide for an annual impairment test in determining whether fixed assets (e.g., property, plant, and equipment) and finite-lived intangible assets (e.g., customer lists) are impaired. Instead, they require that a triggering event occur before testing an asset for impairment. Once a triggering event has occurred, the impairment test employed is based on whether the intent is to hold the asset for continued use or to hold the asset for sale. If the intent is to hold the asset for continued use, the impairment test involves a comparison of undiscounted cash flows against the carrying value of the asset as an initial test. If the carrying value of such asset exceeds the undiscounted cash flow, the asset would be deemed to be impaired. Impairment would then be measured as the difference between the fair value of the fixed or amortizing intangible asset and the carrying value to determine the amount of the impairment. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was no such impairment.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company recognizes revenue when performance obligations under the terms of a contract with the customer are satisfied. The Company typically satisfies its performance obligations in contracts with customers upon shipment of the goods. Generally, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice and the contracts do not have significant financing components. Product sales occur once control or title is transferred based on the commercial terms. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring goods. Product sales are recorded net of variable consideration, such as provisions for returns, discounts and promotional allowances. Such provisions are calculated based on the actual allowances given. Management believes that adequate provision has been made for cash discounts, returns, spoilage and promotional allowances based on the Company’s historical experience.

A breakdown of the total revenue between related party and non-related party revenue is as follows:

	2022		2021
Revenues	$	7,595,581	$	5,111,049
Revenues - related parties		981,791		1,116,330
Total Revenues	$	8,577,372	$	6,227,379

See further disaggregate revenue disclosures by segment and product type in Note 16.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales consists of the cost of the components of finished goods, the costs of raw materials utilized in the manufacture of products, in-bound and out-bound freight charges, direct manufacturing labor as well as certain internal transfer costs, warehouse expenses incurred prior to the manufacture of the Company’s finished products, inventory allowance for excess and obsolete products, and royalties paid on licensing agreements. Components account for the largest portion of the cost of sales. Components include plastic molded parts, gas powered engines, aluminum pressure bottles, electronic parts, batteries and packaging materials.

The breakdown of cost of sales to include cost of sales for related party and non-related party as well as the related party and non-related party royalty expense is as follows:

	2022		2021
Cost of revenues	$	5,055,947	$	3,569,894
Cost of revenues - related parties		462,297		534,910
Royalty expense - related parties		61,308		75,161
Royalty expense		203,620		157,855
Total cost of revenues	$	5,783,173	$	4,337,820

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses include selling expenses such as warehousing expenses after manufacture, as well as expenses for advertising, and other marketing expenses. Operating expenses also include such costs as payroll costs, travel costs, professional service fees (including legal fees), depreciation and other general and administrative costs.

Lease Accounting

We account for leases in accordance with ASC 842.

The lease standard requires all leases to be reported on the balance sheet as right-of-use assets and lease obligations. We elected the practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance of the new standard that retained the lease classification and initial direct costs for any leases that existed prior to adoption of the standard. We did not reassess whether any contracts entered into prior to adoption are leases or contain leases.

We categorize leases with contractual terms longer than twelve months as either operating or finance leases. Finance leases are generally those leases that would allow us to substantially utilize or pay for the entire asset over its estimated life. Assets acquired under finance leases are recorded in property and equipment, net. All other leases are categorized as operating leases. We did not have any finance leases as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. Our leases generally have terms that range from three years for equipment and three to six years for property. We elected the accounting policy to include both the lease and non-lease components of our agreements as a single component and account for them as a lease.

Lease liabilities are recognized at the present value of the fixed lease payments using a discount rate based on similarly secured borrowings available to us. Lease assets are recognized based on the initial present value of the fixed lease payments, reduced by landlord incentives, plus any direct costs from executing the leases. Leasehold improvements are capitalized at cost and amortized over the lesser of their expected useful life or the lease term.

When we have the option to extend the lease term, terminate the lease before the contractual expiration date, or purchase the leased asset, and it is reasonably certain that we will exercise the option, we consider these options in determining the classification and measurement of the lease. Costs associated with operating lease assets are recognized on a straight-line basis within operating expenses over the term of the lease.

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

Operating Leases	Classification	December 31, 2022		December 31, 2021
Right-of-use assets	Operating lease assets	$	1,133,092	$	454,475
Current lease liabilities	Current operating lease liabilities	$	269,046	$	232,283
Non-current lease liabilities	Long-term operating lease liabilities		864,057		222,899
Total lease liabilities		$	1,133,103	$	455,182

Lease term and discount rate were as follows:

	December 31, 2022			December 31, 2021
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)		4.47			2.34
Weighted average discount rate		6.82	%		6.11	%

The components of lease costs were as follows:

	December 31, 2022		December 31, 2021
Operating lease cost	$	246,571	$	171,292
Variable lease cost		-		2,125
Total lease costs	$	246,571	$	173,417

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information related to leases were as follows:

	December 31, 2022		December 31, 2021
Cash paid for operating lease liabilities	$	340,471	$	171,272
Operating right of use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities	$	920,615	$	160,182

Maturities of lease liabilities were as follows as of December 31, 2022:

	Trebor Industries Office Lease			BMG Office Lease		Submersible Systems Lease			Live Blue, Inc.		Total lease payments
2023		64,842			65,484		203,315			8,447		342,088
2024		49,716			50,586		210,600			-		310,902
2025		-			-		216,397			-		216,397
2026		-			-		222,886			-		222,886
Thereafter		-			-		258,342					258,342
Total		114,558			116,070		1,111,540			8,447		1,350,615
Less: Imputed interest		(6,019	)		(6,098)		(204,842	)		(553)		(217,512	)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	108,539		$	109,972		906,698		$	7,894	$	1,133,103

Detailed information on leases can be found in Note 15.

Product development costs – Product development expenditures are charged to expenses as incurred.

Advertising and marketing costs – The Company expenses the costs of producing advertisements and marketing material at the time production occurs, and expenses the costs of communicating advertisements and participating in trade shows in the period in which they occur. Advertising and trade show expense incurred for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, totaled $499,441 and $343,232, respectively.

Research and development costs – The Company accounts for research and development costs in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 730-10, Research and Development (“ASC 730-10”). Under ASC 730-10, all research and development costs must be charged to expense as incurred. Accordingly, internal research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Third-party research and developments costs are expensed when the contracted work has been performed or as milestone results have been achieved. Company-sponsored research and development costs related to both present and future products are expensed in the period incurred. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred research and development costs of $18,393 and $75,439, respectively.

Customer deposits and unearned revenue and returns policy – The Company typically takes a minimum 50% deposit against large tankfill systems prior to ordering and/or building the systems. It will also take deposits for large rescue tank orders for both domestic and international customers. The remaining balance due is payable upon delivery, shipment, or installation of the system. Additionally, returns of all other merchandise are subject to a 15% restocking fee as stated on each sales invoice. Customer deposits totaled $167,534 and $143,938 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Warranty policy – Under the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 460, Guarantor’s Guarantees, the Company accrues a liability for estimated warranty policy costs based on standard quantitative measures based on criteria established by the Company. Estimates of costs to service its warranty obligations are based on historical experience, expectation of future conditions and known product issues. To the extent the Company experiences increased warranty claim activity or increased costs associated with servicing those claims, revisions to the estimated warranty reserve would be required. The Company engages in product quality programs and processes, including monitoring and evaluating the quality of its suppliers, to help minimize warranty obligations. The Company provides its customers with an industry standard one year warranty on systems sold and recognizes a warranty reserve based on gross sales multiplied by the historical warranty expense return rate. The warranty reserve charged to cost of net revenues and is included in accrued expenses and is deemed sufficient to absorb any material or labor costs that might be incurred on sales recorded during the period. The Company recorded a reserve for warranty work of $27,651 and $13,680 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Income taxes – The Company accounts for its income taxes under the assets and liabilities method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company records net deferred tax assets to the extent the Company believes these assets will more likely than not be realized. In making such determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies and recent financial operations. A valuation allowance is established against deferred tax assets that do not meet the criteria for recognition. In the event the Company were to determine that it would be able to realize deferred income tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, it would make an adjustment to the valuation allowance which would reduce the provision for income taxes.

The Company follows the accounting guidance which provides that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits. Income tax positions must meet a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold at the effective date to be recognized initially and in subsequent periods. Also included is guidance on measurement, derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition.

Stock-based compensation – The Company accounts for all compensation related to stock, options or warrants using a fair value based method whereby 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. The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model to calculate the fair value of options and warrants issued to both employees and non-employees. Stock issued for compensation is valued on the effective date of the agreement in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which includes determination of the fair value of the share-based transaction. The fair value is determined through use of the quoted stock price.

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized share based compensation with a fair value of $962,474 and $1,154,801, respectively.

Usage of Authorized but Unissued Shares of Common Stock - The Company has issued options, warrants and convertible promissory notes which are convertible into shares of common stock in certain situations the total of which exceeds the current authorization. The Company has adopted a policy for the sequence of usage of remaining authorized but unissued shares of common stock (the “Sequencing Policy”) which outlines the order in which the conversion of these equity-linked instruments may be settled in shares. Under the Company’s Sequencing Policy, the most recently issued equity-linked securities, including stock options, warrants, and convertible promissory notes, are settled in shares first.

Fair value of financial instruments – Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. An entity is required to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 - Quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

Inputs are used in applying the various valuation techniques and broadly refer to the assumptions that market participants use to make valuation decisions, including assumptions about risk. An investment’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. However, the determination of what constitutes “observable” requires significant judgment by the Company. Management considers observable data to be market data which is readily available, regularly distributed or updated, reliable and verifiable, not proprietary, provided by multiple, independent sources that are actively involved in the relevant market. The categorization of an investment within the hierarchy is based upon the pricing transparency of the investment and does not necessarily correspond to the Company’s perceived risk of that investment.

At December 31, 2022, and 2021, the carrying amount of cash, accounts receivable, accounts receivable – related parties, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, accounts payable-related parties, customer deposits and unearned revenue, other liabilities, lease liabilities, loans payable and convertible debentures, approximate fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.

Loss per common share – Basic loss per share excludes any dilutive effects of options, warrants and convertible securities. Basic loss per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding common shares during the applicable period. Diluted loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common and dilutive common stock equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Common stock equivalent shares are excluded from the computation if their effect is antidilutive. At December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 266,722,242 and 254,577,924, respectively, potentially dilutive shares were not recognized as their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. These shares reflect shares potentially issuable under convertible note agreements, outstanding warrants, outstanding stock options and the conversion of preferred stock.

New accounting pronouncements

ASU 2016-13 Current Expected Credit Loss (ASC326)

In December 2021, the FASB issued and update to ASU No. 2016-13 the Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) standard (ASC 326), which is designed to provide greater transparency and understanding of credit risk by incorporating estimated, forward-looking data when measuring lifetime Estimated Credit Losses (ECL) and requires enhanced financial statement disclosures. This guidance is effective January 1, 2023. The Company is evaluating the changes from this standard to determine the impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

ASU 2020-06 Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) - Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts on an Entity’s Own Equity.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) - Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts on an Entity’s Own Equity. The ASU simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. Consequently, more convertible debt instruments will be reported as a single liability instrument with no separate accounting for embedded conversion features. The ASU removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, which will permit more equity contracts to qualify for the exceptions. The ASU also simplifies the diluted net income per share calculation in certain areas. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of the standard on the consolidated financial statements.

Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements upon adoption or are not applicable.