Month: October 2014

 

Table of Small Business Size Standards

To help small business owners assess their small business status, SBA has established a Table of Small Business Size Standards (pdf file/excel file), which is matched to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for industries. The current table of size standards is based on the 2012 NAICS. The table of size standards can also be found online in the Small Business Size Regulations(published by the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations). Certain government programs, suchRead More

Small Business Size Standards Methodology

For its ongoing comprehensive size standards review and future regulatory actions relating to size standards, SBA has developed a “Size Standards Methodology White Paper,”explaining how it establishes, reviews and modifies its small business size standards pursuant to the Small Business Act and related legislative guidelines. The white paper provides a brief review of the following: Legal authority, early legislative history and regulatory history of small business size standards Detailed description of evaluation of industry structureRead More

Small Business Size Regulations

The Small Business Act  was created, in part, to help small businesses compete in our economic market. The passage of this act has made it necessary to establish standards of identifying small businesses. Below are the size regulations used to review business size. Size Regulations SBA’s size standards define whether a business is “small” and thus eligible for government programs and preferences reserved for “small business” concerns. What is a Small Business Concern? A smallRead More

What’s New with Size Standards

SBA proposes to revise Small Business Size Standards for some industries in NAICS Sector 31‑33, Manufacturing The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed to increase small business size standards for 209 industries in NAICS Sector 31-33, Manufacturing; and, increase the refining capacity component of the Petroleum Refiners (NAICS 324110) size standard to 200,000 barrels per calendar day total capacity, and the requirement that 90 percent of output being delivered be refined by the bidder (footnote 4). As part of its ongoingRead More

You’re Never Too Old to Start a Successful Business

Think you’re too old to start a business? Think again. Mark Zuckerberg may have started Facebook at 19, but he’s in the minority of entrepreneurs. Through the years, there have been plenty of successful people in business and other endeavors who didn’t get started until a bit later. Funders and Founders recently shared an infographic outlining late bloomers who displayed proficiency in a variety of fields showing that great achievements don’t always happen at aRead More

How to Put “More Serve in Your Sell” to Make More Sales

The shift from sell first to serve first is here and now. We no longer sell by leading with the product.  Sales are made by leading with the person and a relationship with them. Referrals, recommendations and introductions play a huge part in the sales process now. The sales process has changed consistently over the past decade and educating customers is essential and integral to building a trust bond. We no longer buy things and engage with businesses, people and companies that weRead More

Obama Administration Opens Health-Insurance Portal to Small Businesses

The Obama administration has opened a new health-insurance portal to small businesses in five states after a yearlong delay of the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace for small-employer health plans. The exchange, which was shelved last year amid mounting technical problems, quietly went live for the first time over the weekend in Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio. Companies in those states that have fewer than 50 full-time workers can start using the siteRead More

Small Business Development Center Welcomes New Director

The Southern Maryland branch of the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has welcomed a new regional director – Ellen Flowers-Fields. Flowers-Fields has a history in the county, having moved to Calvert 14 years ago. She spent 10 years heading federal workforce initiatives with the Tri-County, then went to work for the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation as the deputy secretary of workforce development. She brings her background to her work with theRead More

Free small business help available

MARSHFIELD – A counselor from the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will be in Marshfield, by appointment only, Nov. 12. Confidential business counseling is available without charge to current or prospective small business operators on issues ranging from financial management to sources of capital. The SBDC staff member will meet clients at the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MACCI) from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments must be madeRead More

Start-Up Lendoor Aims to Use Crowdfunding for Small-Business Loans

Crowdfunding — gathering lots of small checks from individuals to finance a company or a project — is a hot area in Silicon Valley at the moment. Now, one fledgling company in New York wants to bring the principles of crowdfunding to a dusty sector of American finance: small-business lending. The company, Lendoor, plans to introduce a way for local businesses to borrow money from their customers and other individuals online. It is the latestRead More