Author: Small Business Desk

 

Small Firms Start to Drop Health Plans

Many View the Health Law’s Marketplace as Inviting and Affordable

Small companies are starting to turn away from offering health plans as they seek to reduce costs and increasingly view the health law’s marketplaces as an inviting and affordable option for workers. In the latest sign of a possible shift, WellPoint Inc. said Wednesday its small-business-plan membership is shrinking faster than expected and it has lost about 300,000 people since the start of the year, leaving a total of 1.56 million in small-group coverage. DuringRead More

How to Write a Business Plan for a Small Business

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN1wgKosS8A The U.S. Small Business Administration defines a small business as an independently owned and operated business that is not dominant in its field. Developing an idea for a small business takes a lot of imagination, planning and paperwork. An essential component is a business plan, which will help your business attract investors, secure funding and gain attention as you get established in the local business community. A business plan expresses your idea in writing,Read More

Great Examples of Investments For Small Business

Great Examples of Investments For Small Business

Don’t be afraid to spend money to Investments For Small Business; just be sure you’re spending on stuff that will help your business grow. Don’t be afraid to spend money on your business; just be sure you’re spending on stuff that will help your business grow. Here are 10 stories, from real small businesses, of small investments that have turned out to be well worth the cost. 1. Administrative help “One of the most importantRead More

Small business brand value is more than the Q factor

Small business brand value is more than the Q factor

Have you noticed that every new on-air person hired by a TV network looks like a soap opera actor? They’re all young and pretty. We’re left to think that non-beautiful people need not apply. That is, unless you’re familiar with a certain marketing measurement. Marketing Evaluations Inc. is the proprietor of a marketing metric used extensively to hire on-air talent.  It’s called the Q factor Score, and it’s as rude as it is simple. A prospectiveRead More

Harvard Business Review: The Five Stages of Small Business Growth

Harvard Business Review - The Five Stages of Small Business Growth

Categorizing the problems and growth patterns of small business growth in a systematic way that is useful to entrepreneurs seems at first glance a hopeless task. Small businesses vary widely in size and capacity for growth. They are characterized by independence of action, differing organizational structures, and varied management styles. Yet on closer scrutiny, it becomes apparent that they experience common problems arising at similar stages in their development. These points of similarity can be organized intoRead More

Take your business to the next level – Business Growth

Business Growth is a major concern, of course,  to entrepreneurs everywhere, especially if your business is new. Here you will find some simple suggestions on what you can do to see your small business prosper. You have to, of course, have a good product or service, one that’s in demand, that people really want. Otherwise, even if you successfully opened your business and have incredible traffic, you’re business still may not grow much if yourRead More

Small Business Size Standards and Definition regards

Small Business Definition regards Learn about the definition of – and qualifications for – a small business and why it’s important to know your status. SBA has established numerical definitions of small businesses, or “size standards,” for all for-profit industries. Size standards represent the largest size that a business (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) may be to remain classified as a small business concern. In determining what constitutes a small business, the definition will varyRead More

Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration

Repeal of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program  Effective Immediately The President of the United States signed the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (Jobs Act) on Sept. 27, 2010. The Jobs Act amended the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-656) by repealing the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program. The amendment was effective Sept. 27, 2010, and applies to the first full fiscal year after the date of enactment of theRead More

Small Business Primer – Understanding Small Business Size Standards and Affiliation

This training module describes what size standards are, how they are established, why they are important, how they are used, where to find them and how to determine if a specific business concern is considered a small business.  It also describes what is meant by affiliation and how such affiliations can impact the size of a business.  See the Government Contracting Classroom for more training options. Duration: 00:25:01 Text based accessible version Workbook BEGIN COURSE

Affiliation

When you calculate the size of your business to determine if you are a small business, you must include the annual receipts and the employees of your affiliates. Affiliation is determined by the ability to control. When the ability to control exists, even if it is not exercised, affiliation exists. The SBA determines affiliation in accordance with 13 CFR 121.103 in its Small Business Size Regulations. Be sure to read the SBA’s affiliation discussion asRead More