Small Business Grant | "SBA Partners with Minority Business Development Agency Business Center – Miami to Help Small Businesses"

By : South Florida Caribbean News.com
Source : http://sflcn.com
Category : Small Business Grant 

The U.S. Small Business Administration South Florida District Office signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum today with the Minority Business Development Agency Business Center – Miami in an effort to strengthen and expand small business development in Miami.  The SAM was signed by South Florida District Director Francisco “Pancho” A. Marrero on behalf of the SBA.  Marie R. Gill, Executive Director of the MBDA Business Center will sign the SAM at the luncheon during the “Today’s Women Mean Business” Conference on Friday, December 16, 2011 in Miami Gardens, FL.

            Under the formal partnership agreement, the Center will work with the SBA’s South Florida District Office to market SBA’s business development services and loan programs to Miami’s small and minority owned businesses served by the MBDA Business Center.

            SBA helps entrepreneurs start and grow strong businesses that create jobs and strengthen communities through loan guaranties, federal contracting assistance, and small business training and counseling.  The MBDA Business Center is a non-profit program of the U.S. Department of Commerce that promotes the growth and global competitiveness of the minority business community, making them better equipped to create jobs, impact local economies and compete successfully in domestic and global marketplaces.

“This agreement reflects SBA’s commitment to partner with other federal agencies and local organizations that can help us reach our customers with the valuable resources and assistance we have to offer that will enable them to succeed in the marketplace particularly at this crucial time in our nation’s economic recovery” said Mr. Marrero.

“We welcome this opportunity to work closely with the SBA to offer the full range of services that will benefit minority entrepreneurs and small businesses in South Florida” said Ms. Gill.

Source : http://sflcn.com/story.php?id=11110

Small Business Grant | "More Investment in Your Small Business"

By : Small Business News
Source : http://smallbiztrends.com
Category : Small Business Grant

Small business owners must invest in the businesses they create. This investment may take many forms. It may include cash infusions or simply the way you treat employees. How do you invest in your small business? Our small business roundup has more.

Finance

Give your business a cash infusion. There are a lot of ways to shore up your budget, but some of these may not have occurred to you. While you may not be able to implement all of these tactics, many businesses can use one or two of these helpful approaches to finding more funds. Open Forum

Employees are an investment. As a small business owner, you put time and money into their training and hope it returns in the form of greater productivity. But do you have policies in place for a very common problem in the modern workplace—substance abuse? See some good reasons why it’s vital to have substance abuse policies, not just to cover your potential liability, but to salvage good workers who may have just hit a bump in the road. The Frugal Entrepreneur

Strategy

Customer service matters…really. All businesses get a bad review from time to time, bud did you know that most often it’s the customer service (or lack thereof) that plays the largest role in whether your patron gives you the thumbs-up or the ultimate online thrashing? See what bad reviews have in common and why customer service may be even more important than you think. MyWifeQuitHerJob.com

Do we dare to hope? Over the last few months various authoritative sources have weighed in on the economy, citing positive signs and increased optimism, but, with hiring alternating from up to down, it’s hard to figure if the optimism is justified. Hear what the president and co-founder of SurePayroll predicts for how long small business recovery will take. Inc.com

Tech

Take the road less traveled without paying a toll. Making innovations in your small business doesn’t have to be a huge financial commitment, and even small changes can have a positive, significant effect on your bottom line. Often these new changes just take the time, thought, and the ability to imagine your best case scenario. How can you develop a better way to deliver value to your customers? Bloomberg Businessweek

Facebook and Twitter and Google+, Oh MY! They’re not lions, tigers, or bears, but knowing the ins and outs of the big three social media giants can be just as intimidating. Which one is better for branding your small business? Well, most authorities say it’s a combination of the three, but here you can see the unique facilities of each, to better select the social media plan that best suits your branding goals. Web Success Team

Trends

Putting the “social” in social media. That’s what Twitter’s recent changes aim to do, with new names for exchanges, social interactions and more. But as with everything new, hardcore fans of the site may not be on board just yet. Here’s a basic explanation of some new features so that even die-hards can update their approach to using the medium and not have a Twitter-fit every time something changes. GetBusy Media

“The fluffy bunny that everyone wants to pet”. David Siteman Garland may have coined the phrase when referring to the phenomenon of “Search”, but here Jackie Purnell penetrates the percentages to show you just how many people are out there looking for products and services, what it means for small businesses, and how you can lasso that market share and ride it into the sunset. Respectfully Disobedient

Operations

Living in a world of confusion? If your audience or customers are doing this, then maybe it’s time to increase your efforts at being consistent in your small business. To do this, a meticulous approach is called for, leaving no detail unaddressed. But never fear! Here are some pointers to show you all the right ways to dot your i’s and cross your t’s so that your small business can reach out with clarity and a consistent message. Angel Business Advisors

Don’t have a nervous breakdown over your business! Is your small business taking over? Are you a prisoner of the company you created to give yourself more freedom? Are you finding the lifestyle of an entrepreneur to be one of constant work with no end in sight?  If so, then this is the video for you! David Siteman Garland shares his own personal story about the dangers of allowing your small business to dominate your life and the strategies you can use to take back control. The Rise to the Top

Source : http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/12/more-investment-in-your-small-business.html

Small Business Grant | "Federal official pushes health care plan in Boynton Beach"

By : Eliot Kleinberg 
Source : http://www.palmbeachpost.com 
Category : Small Business Grant 

A federal official lobbied local businesses for the Affordable Care Act on Thursday.

Sol Ross, business outreach director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, met with about a dozen people, small business owners and members of the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce.

"Health care is jobs," Ross told the gathering, which included managers from senior centers and senior help agencies.

He both detailed and made the case for the act, touted by supporters as a sea change in health care but facing virulent opposition, including from small business owners who've said the costs of what cynics dubbed "Obamacare" will severely hamper or even kill their operations.

In November, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would hear a legal challenge next year from 26 states, led by Florida.

On Thursday in Boynton Beach, Ross argued the act would create jobs, improve health care, save money, protect Medicare and seniors from fraud and help small businesses find and compare plans.

"I might be too frank," Glenn Jorgensen, president of the 600-member chamber, told Ross. "The small businesses struggle to get health care for their employees."

Small businesses get a tax credit for providing health insurance to employees right now, and in 2014 they will be on the same negotiating footing as large group employers when they can purchase insurance for employees on health exchanges.

Small businesses now pay rates significantly higher than large group employers because they lack the negotiating power of large companies.

Also on hand Thursday: Craig Borkon of Know Your Care, a nonprofit that lobbies for the act.

The Boynton Beach meeting was Ross' seventh of eight in Florida cities.

"We're in the heart, really, of a medical area," Jorgensen told Ross, citing the various hospitals and medical centers nearby.

Staff writer Stacey Singer contributed to this story.

Source : http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/federal-official-pushes-health-care-plan-in-boynton-2034865.html

Small Business Grant | "LPEA gives businesses green light"

By : Dale Rodebaugh 
Source : http://durangoherald.com 
Category : Small Business Grant 

Updating and upgrading lighting systems has considerable impact on the environment and the bottom line, three La Plata Electric Association representatives told a gathering of 80 Durango businesspeople Wednesday.

Mark Schwantes, manager of corporate services, and project specialists Ray Pierotti and Sue Maxwell spoke at the monthly Green Business Roundtable lunch at the Strater Hotel.

In 2010, LPEA developed a lighting retrofit program to help small businesses make informed decisions about how to save on energy costs.

Lighting represents about 30 percent of electricity costs for small businesses, and in relatively remote areas such as Southwest Colorado, those businesses have limited economic resources, the speakers said.

Response by churches, a nonprofit, a grocery store, a hotel and restaurants was tremendous, they said. They pointed to results:

Energy consulation to more than 50 businesses.

Lighting retrofits implemented by 17 businesses.

Investment of $100,000 in retrofitting.

Projects provided a saving of 585,000 kilowatt hours of energy, electric bill savings of $60,000 and retrofit rebates of $66,000.

LPEA and its supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, contributed $50,000 to the city of Durango for light-emitting-diode bulbs to retrofit street lights.

In 2011, LPEA was the only electric cooperative in Colorado to request – and was awarded – a Governor’s Energy Office grant to help businesses implement energy-efficient measures.

The energy office’s grant, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus money), is called the Main Street Efficiency Initiative Rebate Program.

In the first nine months of 2011, LPEA offered education programs to 115 customers and saw 40 businesses and six local governments retrofit their buildings.

The reduction in energy use totaled 422,300 kilowatt hours, with electric bill savings of $42,230 and $74,000 in rebates.

LPEA didn’t forget itself. Retrofitting at the utility’s main Durango office in 2010 reduced energy consumption to 1.108 million kilowatt hours from the four-year average, 2006-09, of 1.234 million.

It was a savings on investment of 39 percent and will pay for itself in 2½ years.

In retrofitting projects, LPEA has worked with 100 small business and building owners, a dozen electricians or electrical contractors, lighting industry manufacturers, local governments, school districts, the Environmental Protection Agency and Fort Lewis College.

“There are a lot of reasons to change bulbs,” Pierotti said. “A lot of old bulbs are going away.”

The LED bulbs are the future of lighting, Pierotti said. By 2020, LED bulbs will replace 20 coal-fired power plants, he said.

Source : http://durangoherald.com/article/20111215/NEWS06/712159985/-1/s

Small Business Grant | "Small Businesses Will Focus on Growing Existing Business in 2012"

By : Chad Brooks
Source : http://www.businessnewsdaily.com 
Category : Small Business Grant 

Rather than focusing on expansion, small business owners will concentrate on internal development in 2012, a new study finds.

Conducted by Zoomerang Online Surveys and Polls and GrowBiz Media, a media company that helps entrepreneurs start their businesses, the research revealed that 60 percent of small and midsized businesses plan to focus investments and staffing next year in the business development sector to offset the lack of customer growth .

Comparatively, less than 20 percent of business owners surveyed expect to expand their operations in 2012.

"It's gratifying to see (small and midsized business) owners' resilience and their willingness to invest in the future of their businesses," said Alex Terry, general manager at Zoomerang Online Surveys and Polls.

The survey also revealed that small and midsized businesses intend to fill existing positions or promote employees within their business development and social media departments as a way to concentrate on internal processes instead of altering business plans.

Despite more than a quarter of small business owners not feeling comfortable using social media, the survey shows that a third plan to use it as one of their primary methods of attracting new customers .

"While (small and midsized businesses) see the value of social media for their companies, they still do not understand how to use these tools effectively for their businesses," said Rieva Lesonsky, chief executive officer and founder of GrowBiz Media. "In order for small businesses to remain competitive, it's vital for them to be present on the channels that their customers access most often."

Overall, more than 40 percent of the surveyed business owners remain optimistic about their companies heading into the new year, despite more than 60 percent facing economic hardships and 50 percent failing to meet their 2011 business goals.

The research, designed to gauge the current state of small and midsized businesses in 2011 and their 2012 projections, was based on surveys of 1,000 business owners and decision-makers.

Source : http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1770-small-businesses-owners-to-seek-internal-development-in-2012.html

Small Business Grant | "Tax Tips: Catering to small business"

By : Vikram Barhat
Source : http://www.advisor.ca
Category : Small Business Grant 

Many will remember 2011 as a year of economic challenges. Small business owners in particular have had it rough and while they hope for a better year ahead, there are still a few things they can do to end this year on a positive note.

Year end tax planning is certainly tops the list. Here are a couple of tax tips that small business advisors can share with their clients and help them either avoid some tax consequences or take advantage of some untapped tax breaks.

Selling a business generates taxable proceeds; by reinvesting the proceeds in another small business, owners can defer the tax. To qualify, though, the proceeds must be reinvested in an eligible business at any time during the year the business was sold, or within 120 days after year-end.

Gary Dent, national tax leader at Grant Thornton says those looking to sell their business must defer the tax. “If you sell your business or shares in your business and would realize a capital gain, there are certain deferral opportunities available if you roll those proceeds or a portion of the proceeds over into a new qualifying business within the same year or within 120 days after the year of sale.”

Another useful tax tip for small business owners is investing in new equipment to generate a deduction before year end. Employed trades people are entitled to a tax deduction of up to $500 for new tools, not including items like cell phones and computers.

The deduction applies to purchases that total in excess of $1,065, so if they haven’t purchased at least $1,565 in tools this year, they should try to max out the deduction before December 31.

“If they spend $1,000 this year and another $500 or $600 next year, they could have moved that $500 or $600 into 2011 and would have got a deduction for it,” he says. “If they spread it over two years they will not get any deductions for it because they will not have exceeded the minimum amount.”

Of course, the tools have to be relevant to the buyer’s trade; the CRA will not allow any claims unless the taxpayers can prove that those tools are necessary for the business.

The tax incentives may not represent a large amount of money, but it does make the tools a little bit more affordable. Besides, that $500 deduction is in after-tax dollars.

Source : http://www.advisor.ca/news/tax-tips-catering-to-small-business-67241

Small Business Grant | "Small business support network launches new website "

By : Staff reports Bastrop Daily Enterprise 
Source : http://www.bastropenterprise.com 
Category : Small Business Grant 

Louisiana Small Business Development Center, the state’s largest and most accessible source of small business assistance, launched its new website. The website,  www.lsbdc.org, features a new design and intuitive navigation giving small business owners quick and easy access to information and resources needed for starting, growing, and managing a business.

“Serving the needs of Louisiana’s small businesses is our top priority,” said LSBDC State Director Mary Lynn Wilkerson. “The new website is the latest example of our commitment to provide quality services and resources to help them grow and succeed.”

Visitors to the website can access up-to-date information with ease.   Dividing the website into two sections, “I Want to Start a Business” and “I Am a Business Owner” helps entrepreneurs easily identify information they need and want.

The website features a wide range of business topics, such as increasing sales, accessing capital and business planning. For easier navigation, users can find information, download tools and templates, and view upcoming training events related to a single business topic all on one page. This one-stop-shop approach provides users with quick access to topics that can help them with every aspect of their business.

The LSBDC website also features a mobile-ready interface, which is accessible via Smartphone. “The number of people accessing the Internet from mobile phones has significantly increased,” said Wilkerson.   “Our clients need readily accessible information at their fingertips and our mobile site helps them in achieving just that.”

LSBDC partnered with Slidell-based technology firm NMD, Inc. to develop its website. “The guidance and development programs the LSBDC provides Louisiana’s businesses are tremendously beneficial,” said NMD CEO & President Bondilyn Jolly. “It was a pleasure working with the LSBDC on the development of their new interactive presence.”

This year alone, the LSBDC served 12,000 small businesses – creating 1,200 new jobs, 182 new businesses, $123 million in capital, and $45 million in new sales.

Source : http://www.bastropenterprise.com/news/x1466798283/Small-business-support-network-launches-new-website