Article by Sue Malone

For those small business owners who think they were ignored in the new stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), think again. While the debate continues to unravel as to “who gets what and whether it is enough”, one thing is certain: more money is coming in the direction of small businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Remember, this is the agency responsible for the outreach, licensing, and implementation of, you guessed it, money into the pockets of small businesses. This is done through private licensed lenders who have agreed to join the SBA program. In other words, if your local community bank has a commercial loan department, it might very well have a SBA department which makes these loans. They are called SBA loans because the Federal government will reimburse, to a certain percentage, defaulted loans, thereby giving incentive for the private banks to loan more money. Net effect–more loans will be available for small business concerns.

Before we talk about how much more money is available to the SBA under the stimulus package, let’s look at the current status of one of the popular SBA loan programs. There is a loan program out there and SBA lenders are actually making loans currently: the Community Express Loan Program. This gives unsecured small business loans between ,000 and ,000 with very little paperwork, answers typically in two days, interest rates presently at 7.75%, funding and two weeks, and monies wired directly to your business account. There are still lenders participating in this program, although Congress has failed to make the program permanent and still has a 10% cap on the number of loans. Enter the Obama stimulus bill. Let us look how it affects this program and small business lending as a whole.

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Article by Suparna Saha

A lot of people find about the importance of an SEO-specialist the hard way. There are scores of entrepreneurs who have set up their well designed website, only to find that in order to get their products to sell, they have to be listed on the search engines.So the next step for all of these budding entrepreneurs get going and submit their sites to the search engines, only to be told that merely submitting a site to all the search engines possible is no indication of the fact that the website will show up in the first thousand search results.The only thing left for the entrepreneurs then is to read up everything that they can find out about maximizing search engine results. Some of them end up with the Pay per Click systems. Those who want to rank for free will then spend time reading about the search engine algorithm, and the algorithms of each of the major search engines. After they have successfully implemented all of this to get their website a decent listing, they may soon find out that algorithms change and with them, the listings of their websites.

Does this whole process seem tiresome to you? If you are tempted to give up completely on the Internet business thing, do not lose heart. Your website will still do well. All it needs is an SEOspecialist.

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Question by cryst: Help with paperwork needed to start home business?
What are the BASIC license and permits needed to start a home business?
Do I need an EIN as a LLC?
What license or permits would I have to apply for to separate my personal from my business?
Any and all answers welcome. Thank you!

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I want start a business having contracts with companies that allow their customers to view and pay their bills online but I want know exactly how does it work? Is there a software that I have to have to purchase that does it all?

I would like to start my own carpet cleaning business. Getting started is my problem.
the business will cost about $15,000 to get started i have know clue were to turn to to get a small business loan or how to put it on paper to present it to a bank.

I have a 6 month son. My husband works 12 hour shifts and we barely have enough to pay for bills.Daycare is so expensive and I prefer to take care of my son. I need ideas in starting a home business.I need to work from home, I have a BFA although I don’t know what to do with it.What can I do.

I want to start up a small take-out/ delivery, only a couple of items on the menu, open late night. I need help coming up with a business plan and finding possible gov. grants or small lending possibilities. Thanks for any help -Scott

A lot of people are at a loss when it comes to deciding how to approach the
marketing plan process and how to stay within time and budget constraints. To make for a less
stressful marketing plan process, keep in mind these 10 tips:
1. Think Strategy First
An overall marketing strategy drives many decisions. If you first identify general goals,choosing appropriate marketing programs for a small business plan becomes much easier.
2. Decide Format
Putting together a general outline and deciding how you will publish the plan can help you better visualize steps you need to take. Examples are (a) a full, detailed report
including Executive Summary, the plan itself, and back-up data, (b) a single summary sheet, or (c) something in between. Size and structure of the small business can help
determine the scope of the plan.
3. Set Aside Time
A good, strategic marketing plan requires a certain amount of analysis. Early stages in the process go smoother with minimal interruptions. Make it easier for those working on the
plan to concentrate by setting aside “closed” time during early planning stages. In a busy,small business environment, this can be accomplished by working during off hours or
putting aside a short time – 30 minutes to an hour – each day.
4. Brainstorm
New, creative ideas flow more freely when people are not inhibited by preconceptions.
Hold a brainstorming session, with two rules: (a) there are no bad ideas and (b)everyone’s ideas carry equal weight.
5. Shorten The List
Implementation suffers severely when there is an overload of marketing projects,especially in small businesses with a small or one-person marketing department.. The list
of potential projects generated in the brainstorming session can be shortened by concentrating on those likely to be the most profitable and those that take advantage of
the company’s internal strengths.
6. Make The Plan Flexible
Business does not operate in a vacuum, so your plan needn’t exist in one. For example,the business environment may change during the year or additional marketing
opportunities may arise. Building in flexibility to adjust throughout the year can avoid the pitfall of continuing down an unproductive path.
7. Have Measurements In Place
Knowing if and how well a program works can help you identify opportunities for improvement. In your marketing plan or in back-up documents, set explicit goals and
measurements.
8. Evaluate Past Programs
Past programs are one of the first places to look when deciding which programs to include. Those that worked well may bear repeating. Those that did not should be revised
and improved or omitted from the marketing plan.
9. Time line Critical Projects
Effectiveness of a marketing plan depends on strong implementation. Including time lines for the most critical projects – especially those that revolve around trade shows, holidays,
or other time-sensitive events – will help assure smooth implementation.
10. Publish A Summary Sheet
A marketing plan is easier to track and more likely to be used when a one-page summary sheet clearly reflects goals, strategies, and planned marketing programs. Post the
summary in high-traffic areas and/or above desks to help maintain focus throughout the year.

I don’t like classes. Just want to study and test (if possible) online to earn degree.

Big or small, a business brings lot of responsibility as well as risks with its. Starting a business is not a child’s play. It requires the same amount of hard work as involved in starting a big scale business. As an owner of small business, you have to face many challenges in various arenas. A small business whether in retail, wholesale, industrial, or manufacturing units, the businessman need to plan accordingly to achieve the set goals to exist in the competitive market.

Networking: The Foremost Step

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We have a company that has an A/P that is nearly $90,000 and we have a weekly payroll of $5200.00. Several of these bills are on 30 day accounts that are obviously past due if not seriously past due. We have some assets and accounts receivable but they come in spurts. Is there an organization that can help us come up with a plan to pay past dues as well as grow for the future? Thanks!

Most of small business packages are adept at handling your personal finances, but only a handful of equipped to manage you business affairs, simply money, which supports entries for accounts payable and receivable, is the strongest package out of the box. To this prospect, small business finance has been propped up for entrepreneurs. However small this business provision is, it helps build a longer and successful infrastructural development of borrowers’ enterprises.

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