Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

Many of us have used Windows Vista for our businesses, and we are more than happy to say good-bye to it. But is Windows 7 any better?

The newest Microsoft software seems to have convinced many users that Windows 7 is so good that the mess that was Windows Vista is just a distant memory.

Windows Vista was a stain on Microsoft’s reputation, and Windows 7 was created to convince many disgusted PC users that help is on the way.

But the question remains: should you invest in Windows 7 for your small business, or will it too end up disappointing?

Battery Life Advantages

For starters, it looks as if Windows 7 will offer better battery life for your business’s computers, and although it hasn’t proven to be quicker than Windows Vista, it seems to speed up many processes nonetheless.

Say Good-Bye to Fluff Software

Windows 7 doesn’t come burdened with loads of “fluff” software, which has made many users quite happy as well. In other words, all that extra software that was always pre-installed on earlier versions of Windows is now no longer there.

Upgrades Simplified

Windows 7 can also be upgraded quite easily and affordably as well, and it has given faster result than Windows XP.

Microsoft’s list of advantages of Windows 7 includes:

• Windows 7 will allow users to see fewer alerts and warnings from their computers. In other words, all those pop-up windows that have plagued many Vista owners are a thing of the past!

• Icons and windows have changed, thereby helping users locate and store information.

• Microsoft says it has improved the speed of Windows 7 and has reduced the amount of memory it needs to run.

Personalization a Big Hit

Many users have touted the ability to personalize Windows 7, and the customizable options are a big hit. For many businesses, however, it is the mobile computing and networking capabilities that have been popular for users of Window 7. For those businesses upgrading to Windows 7, it is important to implement a local network for your business.

President Obama recently criticized large banks for failing to lend stimulus money to the taxpayers who kept America’s banks from completely sinking. Ironically, small businesses, and in particular entrepreneurs, have found that the very banks they supported are now closing their doors on them.

The money small businesses so desperately need to continue their operations, pay their employees and help grow the economy has been less and less available, and President Obama says he not happy at all about this turn of events. He went to say that he will take every step to encourage banks to meet their responsibilities and begin lending to small businesses once again.

Small Businesses Caught in the Fray

The President’s argument against the nation’s banks was further backed by three specific proposals that are designed to help small businesses get their hands on loan money. This is part of the President’s small business rescue plan that was introduced more than a year ago.

While his intentions may be good, the question is: can he really get these proposals passed? And if he does, will they even help?

Many of the nation’s banks were part of the Trouble Asset Relief Program, also known as TARP. Much of the funds, however, were not doled out for small businesses, thereby putting small businesses in quite a predicament when it came to lending.

New Small Business Initiatives for TARP

The new initiatives, however, are designed to change the way TARP has been used. Some of the highlights of these initiatives include:

• Giving community banks with less than $1 billion in assets lower interest rates than typically offered: three percent instead of five percent. However, the community banks would be required to submit a lending plan that will show their plans for small business lending.

• The limit on SBA-guaranteed loans will increase from $2 million to $5 million, and SBA’s micro-loan program will increase its limit from $35,000 to $50,000.

The National Small Business Administration, of course, spoke out to urge these reforms to pass quickly so that banks can continue with their small business lending.

Now the questions remain, once again, if these new reforms will make a difference when it comes to small business lending. We’ll be watching the legislation closely.

California businesses are the latest group to be targeted by scammers. This latest scam certainly shows us that: (a) there is no one that scammers won’t target, and (b) we must all be on high alert when it comes to giving or receiving any type of information or money.

$3 Million in Scams

The state of California is now in the process of suing six businesses and eight persons that are believed to have targeted and scammed business owners. The recently filed lawsuits, which were filed in the San Diego Superior Court, seek to recover more than $3 million dollars for the scammed businesses.

California Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. explained that these scammers sent out official-looking documents to several California businesses that essentially convinced them to send money. Of course, these small businesses received nothing in return.

The Details of the California Scam

The lawsuits involve three separate cases, although all of the cases involved the same type of scam. The state of California accuses these six businesses and eight individuals of mailing solicitations to small business that appear to be government documents. The documents even included official-looking seals and citations to the Corporations Code. The letters stated that the businesses were in danger of losing their corporate or limited liability status unless they made a payment in a short period of time.

The first case against Anthony Williams and his fictitious company, the Compliance Annual Minutes Board, states that he sent out forms to businesses that demanded an annual fee of $150. The letters detailed that the businesses would risk losing their corporate status if they didn’t immediately send the fee.

The other cases were also similar in nature, as they demanded money and used scare tactics to get it. Some of the scammers convinced businesses that were in danger of receiving fines, penalties and suspension if the fees were not paid.

The California Attorney General’s Office is seeking civil penalties in all three cases, as well as injunction and other remedies and costs.

Since 2004, more than 5,000 complaints have been received the Attorney General’s Office regarding these type of business scams.

Protecting Your Business

As a business owner, it is up to you to always confirm the validity of any solicitation, emails, bills or correspondence if you don’t recognize it as a trusted source. If in doubt, contact your State Attorney General’s Office to check the validity of the correspondence and of the company.

The federal government is falling short on its goal to award contracts to small businesses. While numbers have improved slightly, there are still millions of dollars to be had by winning one of these coveted contracts.

The Obama administration has recently mandated a government wide push to connect small businesses with these opportunities. Perhaps the largest problem hindering the government from meeting their small business quota is that qualified companies are ill informed of these opportunities. The following guide will provide some wisdom to help you secure a government contract.

• Identify areas of government that may be interested in your products and services. This can take some research, but can be more than worth your time in the long run. The federal government is bigger than ever and requires a wide range of goods and services that you may be qualified to provide. Get your companies name on the registers of any and every branch of government that you feel qualified to service.

• Network with key decision makers in the offices you’ve targeted to serve. Once you are on the register, then you have to get picked. Lobbying is how things are accomplished in government, and if you want that big contract for your business, you will have to learn to lobby. Perhaps forming a team to strategize around this new goal for your company would be highly beneficial. Put your heads together and practice schmoozing.

• Craft the perfect bid proposal. Larger companies have specialists and entire departments just for this task. You may not be able to devote the same type of resources, but you can stress the importance of being able to relate the strengths of your business to the needs of the government branch to whom you are proposing. Get your hands on some examples of winning bid proposals and study them.

The federal government is having a hard time living up to the standards it has set for itself for contracting work to small businesses. However, there are valuable opportunities to be had in the way of government contracts for your organization. The right combination of research, persistence, and savvy could lead to Uncle Sam taking your business to the next level.

Our MoreBusiness.com site has opened the doors to the State Business Licensing Center, which is a free online resource that helps entrepreneurs in all 50 states quickly and comprehensively access information about their state’s specific business licensing requirements.

Here is our full news release:

To help entrepreneurs effectively navigate their states’ business licensing requirements, MoreBusiness.com has released its comprehensive State Business Licensing Center. This free online resource has compiled traditionally piecemeal regulations regarding state licensing into one convenient and comprehensive center. Entrepreneurs in all 50 states can now quickly and easily access all the information they need to start a business in their specific state.

When you start a business, there are so many facets to consider. Entrepreneurs should not be spending hours researching piecemeal information on licensing requirements – but instead should be focusing on the core of their startup

The State Business Licensing Center was created to compile important licensing information and resource in one convenient place for entrepreneurs to easily access.

When starting a business, it is important to be aware of the license and permit requirements outlined by the state in which the business will be operated. Each state government requires varying licensing requirements depending upon your business type. This new resource is designed to be a one-stop center to help entrepreneurs in all states find the important business licensing information that they need.

When users click on the state in which they plan to conduct business, they will find valuable information that will guide them through their state’s specific requirements. This includes important state-specific points to remember, steps to securing a business license in the state, local sales tax information and other pertinent resource links.

“When you start a business, there are so many facets to consider. Entrepreneurs should not be spending hours researching piecemeal information on licensing requirements – but instead should be focusing on the core of their startup,” explains CEO Raj Khera. “The State Business Licensing Center was created to compile important licensing information and resource in one convenient place for entrepreneurs to easily access.”

The licensing center also includes links to apply for licenses and permits online, register your business trade name, and obtain your Employee ID Number from the IRS. With MoreBusiness.com’s new resource, there is no need to search around the internet to piece together all the information pertaining your state’s business license requirements. The State Business Licensing Center outlines in one condensed resource what every entrepreneur needs to license their business.

This new resource center can be found at: http://www.morebusiness.com/state-licensing-center

Small business is at the crux of the American economy. That is why the White House is looking for creative ways to help small business owners make it through these difficult financial times. President Obama and his administration have developed several different methods to try and provide assistance to small businesses that are struggling. While government officials don’t necessarily agree with all of these plans, the suggestions are evidence that someone has heard the outcry from small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat:

Government-Backed Loans. One of the most popular suggestions by the Obama administration is that the government should underwrite loans that could be used to fund small businesses. This would make more cash readily available to small business owners who need to cover the costs of overhead or make investments in their companies. This is a risky idea for both the government and taxpayers who would face repercussions if small business owners find themselves unable to repay the loans.

Extend Lines of Credit. Another suggestion is to allot part of the money that has been provided to the financial sector to extend lines of credit to small business owners. The government provided just over $700 billion to bail banks and other members of the financial sector out of an economic crisis. Because banks are the primary source of funding for small businesses that open lines of credit, there is a belief that some of these funds should be targeted right back into small business.

Stimulus Funding. Some stimulus dollars have already been invested in the area of small business. In conjunction with the Small Business Association, about $730 million has been committed to lending guarantees. This stimulus money is packaged into loans that small business owners can apply for at competitive interest rates, and deferred payments are also available. The funding is already being provided by the Small Business Administration, but it is a small dent in a much larger problem.

With each of these different suggestions and strategies by the Obama administration, the key is finding an effective solution that is also efficient and affordable. Taxpayers cannot be expected to assume responsibility for the financial problems of all small businesses across the nation. It will take a combination of strategies like these, as well as tactful financial planning, in order to promote recovery in the small business sector. There is not a magic solution to the complex problems created by the ongoing economic recession. The key is implementing a variety of creative strategies to combat the problem as a whole.

There are many small businesses that continue to thrive in the face of tough economic times. Some businesses, in fact, continue as though no economic downturn had occurred.

Car Insurance

Because laws requiring car insurance do not change based on a bad economy, this industry is not greatly affected by a recession. People might be insuring older, less expensive cars – but at least they are insuring something.

Funeral Homes

This is one industry that is likely going to be able to ride out most any economic storm.

People will continue to die – and while a very bad recession may cause some to choose fewer amenities, the large majority will not make funeral decisions based on the economy.

Health Care

This is another area that is pretty well immune from a recession. People will continue to get sick and will require care to get well, which is why this is a great business opportunity in a recession.

Those are just three examples of industries that can continue to thrive in a bad economy. If you are looking for businesses to start in a recession, you’ll need to select the type of business carefully.

There are some things that people will trim out of their budgets during these tough times. Opening a gym or tanning salon may not be the best idea.

On the other hand, people are going to continue to care for their children. For this reason, a day care center is great business opportunity in a recession.

There is no fool-proof formula for selecting a type of business to start in a recession that will do well. If there were such a formula, there would probably be a lot more successful businesses.

Keep in mind, however, that even during the best economic times some businesses do well and others do not. However, there is no “type” of business that is going to do well under bad management.

By the same token, a business that others have seen fail during a financial crisis has the potential to thrive under the right leader.

I have been fascinated watching the rise and fall of “question” sites, in which users pay for answers to their questions. When I've looked at these sites I've asked myself, “Who would pay for that? How is this a viable business?” Google's decision doesn't surprise me here.

First, I can't imagine sitting at my computer as a freelance question answerer looking for questions. The pay doesn't seem really high (a couple dollars per question is what I've seen commonly). With some questions going for more, the real question becomes “How much can the market bear? How much is someone willing to pay for an answer?”

The article makes a very valid point: if someone looks hard enough they'll find the answer for free online. I just don't see a need for this kind of business.

I've been doing a lot of reading about business ethics recently. Employee theft is out of control. Bad CEOs and the whistleblowers make the news constantly. As I write this, I see this headline flash across my newsticker: http://moneycentral.msn.com/inc/news/providerredir.asp?feed=OBR&Date=20061122&ID=6219008 Yet another corporate ethics scandal.

Creating an ethical climate is important, not only to make sure that employees are serving customers properly, but so we can sleep at night and stay out of jail because of their actions.

I've read a lot about the idea of rewarding ethical behavior but I haven't heard many good concrete ideas. After all, how do you reward someone for doing what they are supposed to be doing day-in and day-out?

So, I'm posing this question to my readers: how do you reward ethical behavior?

Other Links: CounterPoint POS Review A review of Radiant Systems CounterPoint POS software product.

Avid gamers lined up for days — yes days — in order to pay $600 for a brand new PlayStation 3 (which was released in a limited shipment to North America earlier this month).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15854413/

In an interesting move by PlayStation's creator, Sony, they released the product in various stages around the world: November 17th in North America… not until spring next year for release in Europe!

As a result, ambitious entrepreneurs waited in line, alongside the gamers, to pay $600 and then resell them on eBay to European gamers for much, much more. Although rumors were flying around that the most paid was $15,000, I've only been able to see about $3000 as the standard resale price.

Not being a gamer myself, I would have a hard time standing in line for several days just to buy a $600 game system. However, as an entrepreneur, a $2400 profit for standing around for a couple days sounds pretty good to me.