Search
The Industry Word
Companies that have survived the economic downturn of the past several years may be in a position now to reward employees that hung in during tough times. Many workers have not had raises in years or have even seen wages and benefits cut. Before you jump to offer a raise, think about the best way to reward your staff from a tax perspective. The cost of a raise When you increase a worker’s pay, it costs the company more than the actual addition to the paycheck. The company must factor in: The employer’s share of FICA (to cover...
One of the most popular articles in the SBA Community is “8 Tips for Keeping Your Business Blog Current, Relevant and Fresh.” It has excellent advice, but after you read it you may wonder, “So how do I come up with ideas for WHAT to write about?” Writer’s block is something that affects even the most prolific at one point or another. Maybe it’s only a temporary block -- a few hours or days -- but sometimes it can go on for weeks, months, even years. Just look at all the...
Are you headed towards the finish line? Are you at the point in your franchise business exploration where your yes or no decision on a particular opportunity is imminent? If so, read on… In my capacity as a franchise ownership advisor, I’ve had several clients hear variations of the following declaration from their franchise development representatives; “You are welcome to pay to have a franchise attorney look over our Franchise Disclosure Document as well as the franchise agreement, but everything in our agreement is etched...
What started as college kids on Facebook has grown up. At first it was updates and gossip and who’s a couple and who’s not. Then came Twitter and now Google+ and the reminder that LinkedIn, which started years earlier, was there too. Somebody named it social media. And now almost every business in the world is either participating, thinking about participating, or explaining to itself why not. And it’s time to relate that back to your basic business planning. So the question is actually three questions: 1. How does your...
If you are in the military, a veteran, or military spouse and either own or are thinking about starting a business, consider joining a credit union for military entrepreneurs to service your company’s banking needs. Military credit unions offer tremendous benefits for small business owners and because they are member-owned, they always act in your best interest. The good news is this: once you are a member, you are always a member. You can leave the military, change employers, move, retire, and get married— and never have to leave...
Does your small business sell a “green” product or service—one that benefits (or at least doesn’t hurt) the environment? Then you could benefit from Americans’ desire to go green when shopping. According to the 2012 Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker, 69 percent of American consumers always or sometimes take the environment into consideration when making choices about what products or services to buy. But not so fast. Before you launch a green marketing campaign, there are some key things you need to know to avoid major...
The entity choice for starting or operating a business can have a number of implications. It can affect funding, taxes, and more. Here are five compelling reasons why you may want to run your business as a C corporation. 1. Use crowdfunding to raise equity capital The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012, which became law last month, allows the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise its rules to enable businesses to raise equity capital through crowdfunding. (Currently, crowdfunding is limited to seeking contributions...
If you thought of Slideshare.net as just a place to load a few old presentations in the hopes someone may stumble upon them there, you’re missing out on some of the benefits of participating in SlideShare as a social network. Here are four reasons to add SlideShare to your social media outreach, especially if you are a consultant, business service provider such as a marketing firm or accounting firm, or any other small business that engages in content marketing: 1. Repurpose Your Content If you produce content as part of...
If you’re a US military veteran interested in becoming the owner of a franchise, there are thousands of opportunities for you to explore. It’s easy to become a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices. But, it’s not like you have to try to figure everything out on your own. There are a variety of business resources that put all of their focus on you. Let’s look at some of them. Business Education If you’d like to learn the ins and outs of business, before you embark on your search for a franchise opportunity that...
I’m not a numbers person by nature. I was a writer first, then a journalist, before I got into business. I’ve learned the hard way, though, that managing the basic numbers is critical to business success. And if it’s your business, then you either manage them yourself or work with somebody you really trust. With that in mind, here’s my summary of the most important and most basic numbers in the business, and how to manage projections and tracking and steering ahead with them. 1. Do a sales forecast I know that’s...
Contributors
Top Rated Articles
Community Help
Archive
- May 2013 (25)
- April 2013 (29)
- March 2013 (27)
- February 2013 (26)
- January 2013 (31)
- December 2012 (24)
- November 2012 (29)
- October 2012 (26)
- September 2012 (29)
- August 2012 (26)
- July 2012 (29)
- June 2012 (25)
- May 2012 (33)
- April 2012 (35)
- March 2012 (36)
- February 2012 (35)
- January 2012 (30)
by BarbaraWeltman, Guest Blogger on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - 10:09