What's Everyone Talking About? Update

November has been a busy month in the Business.gov community, with a lot of conversation on a wide variety of topics.

Welcome to the United States of America!

Though the United States is in a recession, people from around the world are still ever so interested in doing business here. Questions from Canada, Singapore, Mongolia, China,and the United Kingdom about starting various types of businesses are popping up all over Business.gov.

If you are a foreign national and plan to import and do business in the U.S., read Starting a Business in the U.S. as a Foreign National for guidance on tax and legal obligations. Have questions about selling imported goods to US consumers? Check out this small business checklist for importers.

How about a LLC? S-Corp? Sole Proprietorship? Non-Profit?

Each business structure has benefits and limitations, and it can often be challenging to decide which form is the best fit for your venture. One Community member wanted to figure out the best business structure for a new multimedia company; another a real estate investment club; and another a non-profit senior citizen dance program.

Before you decide to run off with an idea, remember to do thorough research on the benefits and disadvantages of each business structure. We have a wealth of resources within the community that you can take advantage of. You can start off with reading up on it in our blogs:

• Differences in Legal Structures - Which Structure is Right for You?
• Should My Company be an LLC, an S-Corp or Both?
• Small Business Structure: Is Business Partnership Right for You?

Marketing Woes

Once their business is up and running, many small business owners run into obstacles marketing their products and services. This month, our members asked the Community:

• How do you market to home-based businesses?
• I have 2 websites- what should I do with SEO?
• Can small startups beat large companies in SEO?

A big thanks to all the members that have provided great suggestions. Feel free to read up on our bloggers' take on holiday marketing tips, creative strategies to market in a recession, and other basic marketing tactics as well.

I Need Money for My Business

Do you need money for a truck and trailer business, women-based company, or dental office going green? Have poor credit or no money to start a business? These are some of the most commonly questions in our Loans and Grants discussion board. The quest for start up capital is such a popular topic that we wrote 'I Need Money - Where do I get it?' for a summary of straightforward and concise answers to these frequently asked questions.

If you have insight to these articles and conversations, please feel free to click on the links above to share your advice and feedback.