Posts Tagged ‘SBA’
by Steve Strauss on March 3rd, 2010
Q: Steve – I have been watching the startup series you are part of at USA TODAY. I was wondering if there are any typical mistakes that you see startups make that I can avoid. I am new to this entrepreneurship thing. Thank you
Asa
A: It is never fun to make a mistake in business, even if they are inevitable. And worse, mistakes are both more prevalent and more dangerous during the startup phase of your business because your idea has yet to be fully cooked; the startup period is, unfortunately, usually the ‘error’ part of a ‘trial and... Read more »
by Steve Strauss on August 10th, 2009
Q: What is the best way to get out of my business? Long story short, I am a self-employed graphic designer. Business has slowed to a crawl, the bills have piled up, and my credit cards are getting ready to sue me. Please help.
Mark
A: I suppose it is not surprising that I am getting more and more questions like this every day. It used to be that small businesses were better able to handle a recession because other avenues were available to help keep things afloat – home equity, credit cards, SBA loans, etc.
Sadly, those options have... Read more »
by Robert Cyr on August 4th, 2009
Due to the continued unemployment facing our nation many people are looking for other ways to make some extra money to pay the bills, which unfortunately continue to come in each month. The liquidation industry offers a unique opportunity to do just that, as there is an overabundance of merchandise to resell and a constant supply of consumers who want to squeeze ever dollar. These two factors make for a healthy cash flow for entrepreneurs like you and I.
Sales are slow at the major retail outlets and stock that sits too long is being liquidated. This is our chance... Read more »
by Jonathan Staley on July 22nd, 2009
Do you have a business plan that has been updated in the last three months? If yes, you are already ahead of the curve according to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Peak Performance assessment. If you answered “no” to that question or any of the subsequent nine yes or no questions then it might be time to look for an organized approach to sloughing off the downward pull of the current economy.
Conveniently, the ten yes or no question evaluation leads you to eleven steps:
Step 1: Reality Check – Candidly answer the assessment questions above and take appropriate action... Read more »
by Christina Lee on February 23rd, 2009
Exporting, while a bright spot in the U.S. economy, is something that small businesses and wholesalers still need to work on, according to a Small Business Administration report.
“Small businesses have often ignored the international marketplace because they could,” the report stated.”In a globalized economy, more and more small firms will need to consider export opportunities as an important key to survival and growth.”
In ten years, from 1996 to 2006, the total value of exports nearly doubled, from $500.7 billion to $910.5 billion. But within that same time period, the share of small businesses decreased from 31.1 to 28.9... Read more »
by Christina Lee on February 3rd, 2009
As small business owners attempt to predict their economic futures, the U.S. Small Business Administration presents both new and updated resources that can be used during these harder financial times.
The newest addition is an online course, “Down-shifting in a Slowing Economy: A Business Planning Guide.” The presentation, while running less than 25 minutes, takes small business owners through a step-by-step process of how to reevaluate and streamline their strategies.
“When sales have slowed and credit markets are tough, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and to view planning as a great idea, but something you just don’t have time for,”... Read more »
by Rebecca Button on September 18th, 2008
DollarDays International has a new poll up on their site to test the political climate of it’s visitors. The goal is to see which candidate small business owners think will be the "best Commander In Chief of Small Business." Simply go to www.dollardays.com and look for the poll on the right hand side of the page. Results are updated every 15 minutes.
The idea for this poll occurred after the SBA queried "How Important is Small Business to the U.S. Economy?" Here’s what they concluded:
• Represents 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
• Employs about half of all private... Read more »
by Steve Strauss on September 16th, 2008
Q: Will the proposed new “G.I. Bill of Rights” do anything to help veteran-owned small businesses?
Will
A: I wish that were so, but it’s not. The new G.I. Bill would help returning veterans with education, and it would help small business owners hire better qualified veteran employees, but it is not intended to help veteran small business owners per se.
That said, the good news is that there are nevertheless some very good programs out there for the veteran entrepreneur. (More on that in a moment.)
First, some background:
As World War II wound down, Congress passed the Servicemen’s... Read more »
by Rebecca Button on March 12th, 2008
The Small Business Administration is a great resource for small businesses as I’m sure you know. But with all that information, it can be a bit difficult (if not simply time consuming!) to wade through it all.
Here are a few tools that the site offers that will help you analyze where your business currently stands in terms of being prepared to start a business as well as whether you are qualified for the 8(a) Business Development Program .
These tools have only been available for 3 months now and already the SBA says over 125,000 people have used them.... Read more »
by Danny Brown on February 11th, 2008
For any small business in the US today, one of the unsung heroes is the US Small Business Administration, or SBA. Offering advice and financial aid to thousands of small businesses across the country, the SBA works alongside local authorities and city councils to provide grants and reduced loans to the companies that need it the most. Now the SBA is offering a specialized package purely for ex-military service personnel who have gone into business.
Known as the SBA Patriot Express Loan Program , its aim is to help start and grow the business of people whose military service is... Read more »