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Archive for July, 2009
You Need a Disaster Plan for Your Business!
July 26th, 2009 
admin 
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States and Cigarette Smuggling
July 24th, 2009 admin Both economics and history make clear what will happen when taxes are raised too high on cigarettes. Tax evasion – namely, smuggling and counterfeiting – will flourish. In turn, government spends more money on trying to stop such activities.
On July 20, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece on the current situation titled “States Go To War on Cigarette Smuggling.” Three points are worth highlighting here:
• In the case of cigarette schemes, authorities see more organized crime and international rings supplanting mom-and-pop operations. As a result, many local jurisdictions are joining with federal authorities to target trafficking. “It’s a big business and it’s getting horribly bigger,” said Paul Carey III, enforcement coordinator for the Northern Virginia Cigarette Tax Board, who said there is smuggling even among counties with varying tax rates within a single state.
• John Singleton, spokesman for Reynolds American Inc., said his company “works with the appropriate state and federal authorities” in investigating cigarette smuggling. “It’s in our interest as a company to ensure our products stay in the legal supply chain.” He added that the company, maker of cigarette brands including Camel, Winston, Kool and Pall Mall, expects smuggling to increase because rising excise taxes are creating more incentive.
SBA ARC Loans:Eligibility and Uses of Funds
July 24th, 2009 admin America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) Loan Program is a new temporary guaranteed-loan program authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) (P.L. 111-5, 123 Stat. 115) enacted on February 17, 2009. ARC Loans provide small businesses access to the capital needed to drive economic recovery and to retain jobs.
ARC Loans are deferred-payment loans of up to $35,000 and are available to viable, for-profit small businesses located in the United States that need short-term help to make their principal and interest payments on existing, qualifying loans. ARC Loans are interest-free to the borrower, 100% guaranteed by SBA to the lender, and have no fees associated with them.
Business Borrowers Alliance, A New Jersey financial services company produced the following short, but informative video on the basics of the SBA ARC loan program. Any existing business that has been profitable in one of the last two years and has some debt they would like to pay off with no interest should watch this video.
If you would like assistance with applying for an SBA ARC loan, contact the Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida at 904-620-2476
Phrases A Sales Rep Should NEVER Use
July 24th, 2009 admin You might get a kick out of some of these. Feel free to leave your own suggestions as a comment (see “below”).
- “My product is the cheapest.”
- “You need this.” (Let them make their own decision)
- “We can’t do that”
- “That gives me a problem”
- “The competitor’s products don’t work”
- “How much are you willing to pay?”
- “If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it.” – even as a joke
- “That’s less than out cost”
- “I doubt our competitor can meet this price/package ….”
- “What’s it going to take to get the deal done?”
- “When do you think your husband would be available to go over this?”
- “Trust me.” ; “In all honesty, …” ; “To be honest with you, …” ; etc.
All of these, or any variation of them, implies to me that there’s a good chance you haven’t been up to that point.
Who Will Win the Nevada-California Battle for Businesses?
July 23rd, 2009 admin The July 17 New York Times an article titled “Nevada Sees an Opening in California’s Troubles.”
It tells the latest chapter in the war between the two states over where businesses should locate. It was reported:
The president of the nonprofit Nevada Development Authority, A. Somer Hollingsworth, donned a tinfoil hat for part of a speech in which he told local business executives and politicians that California’s excessive government had led to its near-bankruptcy.
“Nobody’s really working there — everybody’s a recipient of some kind of state program,” said Mr. Hollingsworth, whose organization’s mission is recruiting companies to the Las Vegas area and whose talk was entitled, “California Has Lost Its Mind and Las Vegas Is Providing Psychoanalysis.”
After reciting Nevada’s favorable attributes — no personal or corporate income tax, lower sales taxes than in California — he asked, “Why would you not move?”
Indeed.
While both states are having serious economic troubles, the mess in California is far worse than in most places in the nation. And the basics in terms of tax and regulatory policies coming into the current situation was far more favorable in Nevada than California.
On the latest edition of SBE Council’s “Small Business Survival Index,” which ranks the states according to their policy climates for entrepreneurship and small business, Nevada ranked second best.
Tips for Getting into the Direct Sales Business
July 23rd, 2009 admin * The first key step is to figure out where your passion lies. You will be the most successful when you have a passion for the industry or the product. Narrow down a few choices and then research companies by visiting their websites, speaking to current consultants, and learning as much as possible before singing up.
* Once you select a company, get to know the company and the products in and out – the more passionate and knowledgable you are about the products, the more enthusiastic you will be in your ventures, which will be apparent to potential customers.
* When getting started, first reach out to family, friends and co-workers, in order to let them know about your new business venture and ask them if they will support you and be involved. Spread the word rapidly!
* On this note, take advantage of social media: keep people in the loop via Facebook, Twitter, and My Space: promote your new business anywhere and everywhere.
* Marketing materials are key! Create a blog or website for your personalized affiliation. Make business cards, and keep company brochures handy with you at all time: you never know where your next customer might be, it could be in line at the grocery store!
Connecticut’s Lost Businesses
July 22nd, 2009 admin On July 20, the state of Connecticut reported a rather grim state of business.
According to an Associated Press report:
Susan Bysiewicz [Connecticut's secretary of state] says that in the first half of 2009, nearly 7,000 businesses shut down, a new record for the first half of any year since these figures were first recorded in 2000.
Bysiewicz says the figure represents a 17 percent increase in the number of business failures from the first two quarters of 2008.
The number of new businesses is also down. She says business starts of nearly 14,000 in the first half of 2009 are down 9.6 percent from 2008 figures.
What to do in the Nutmeg State?
Obviously, Connecticut is not alone in this bad economy. But perhaps it’s time for state and local lawmakers to take a serious look at reducing governmental costs that hurt entrepreneurs and small businesses.
For example, on the latest edition of SBE Council’s “Small Business Survival Index,” which ranks the states according to their public policy climates for entrepreneurship, Connecticut ranked a rather poor 37th – or fifteenth worst among the 50 states and District of Columbia.
Raymond J. Keating
Chief Economist
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
Small Business Development Center Clients (SBDC) Succeed
July 22nd, 2009 admin 
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SBDC Update
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SBDC Small Business Clients Are Succeeding - Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy - The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of North Florida is proud to be part on this succssful effort to help small businesses grow and prosper. SBDC clients across the nation are growing their small businesses, starting new businesses, saving and creating jobs, and fueling the engine of economic prosperity. |
Small Business Tip ….. Developing A Checklist For Lead Generation
July 22nd, 2009 admin For sake of discussion some things you might include on such a check list are:
1) Cold Calling
2) Email Campaign
3) Flyers
3) Direct Email
4) Networking (e.g. LinkedIn , Plaxo)
5) Connecting through blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook (social media marketing)
6) SEO (optimizing your company website for search engine visibility)
7) Subscribing to Internet Directories (e.g Eguide, Hotfrog ….. Etc)
Unfortunately, developing or using a checklist for lead generation leads to the mistaken belief that if you simply perform the steps on the list, you will achieve the desired outcome. In my opinion, while each of the items listed may be reasonable in the right business setting, you may be trying to spread yourself too thin by gambling in a numbers game.
Instead …..
Ask yourself what you and your staff will do with these alleged leads. Who are these people? Who are you trying to reach?
Left off of the above example (on purpose to illustrate a point) …. are two of the most proven approaches to new business: referrals and repeat clients.
Is your business focused on meeting your existing clients’ needs? Is your entire staff on board with this approach?
“Not On Our Backs” Health Care Petition
July 21st, 2009 admin Health care reform plans are quickly moving through Congress. These plans will impose new taxes, employer mandates and regulations on the small business sector.
Can you afford to be burdened with these new costs, or complying with a boatload of new paperwork? For example, if you do provide insurance, you will need to prove that you are providing the “right kind” of health insurance dictated by the new federal health care board. Also, if you have to make adjustments in your employees’ salaries (lower their wages) in order to be able to provide the health coverage mandated by government, that amount will not count towards the percentage you are required to pay in order to meet the employer mandate. Do we even want to consider how the federal government will enforce this? (You can read more about the new mandates and taxes in the House Democrats’ plan by visiting this link: http://www.sbecouncil.org/news/display.cfm?ID=3297)
It seems that the financing schemes being advanced to fund these $1 trillion-plus-plans largely fall on the backs of small businsses. Do you want to help to stop this madness?
Then sign the “Not On Our Backs” small business health care petition here:
http://www.sbecouncil.org/notonourbacks/.
Please let your entire network know about the petition!
Client Spotlight: Arlette Price, Arlette’s Place
July 21st, 2009 admin 
What prompted you to open a store of your own?When our daughter was born, it was important that I had the time and flexibility to balance both home and work. You can’t always have that in Corporate America. I wanted to use the buying background and international experience acquired over the years and apply it on a much smaller scale. I especially enjoy talking and working with people and being part of the community.
Describe your typical customer.
Our typical customer is mostly female, 30 & up, and is typically, a homeowner. Sometimes she just moved into the area and wants to fully decorate or just spruce up the house.
SBDC at UNF Offers Counseling at a Location Near You!
July 21st, 2009 admin 
The Small Business Development Center at UNF, in an effort to become more accessible to a greater number of businesses, now offers a variety of locations in Duval County for potential and existing small business owners to meet with Certified Business Analysts from the SBDC at UNF. These free, confidential meetings offer access to information and guidance for small business owners.
1725 Oakhurst Ave.
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce
3 Independent Dr.
Jacksonville, FL
Beaver Street Enterprise Center
1225 W.
