Tag: small business

Want to Control Healthcare Costs? Screen Employees for Nicotine Use

Healthcare is one of the top concerns for small businesses, and many employers have started passing along added costs to high-risk employees — particularly smokers. In fact, the cost of providing coverage to smokers is so significant some employers are making their companies smoke free, refusing to hire smokers. Employers pay an extra $21 per smoker per day in additional medical costs and lost productivity. That is $7,874 annually, according to information from Alere, a rapid diagnostics firm.

Read Full Article

Celebrating Success Around the Globe: International Women’s Day.

Being your own boss, controlling your own destiny, for many in our country is the American Dream. Starting and building a small business, however, is difficult. That’s why the failure rates are high. Entrepreneurs, particularly women business owners, face myriad challenges from finding the start-up capital they need to obtaining access to markets and technical […]

Read Full Article

Strange Tax Deductions: Don’t Try These in Your Small Business

Tax time is stressful for small business owners particularly in light of our complex and changing tax law. Unless you’re a tax expert, it’s difficult to keep up with all the rules and regulations. While small business owners know you can’t get out of paying Uncle Sam, no one wants to pay more than legally required. However, some business owners may get a little too creative when it comes to taking tax deductions.

Read Full Article

Beware of IRS Email Scams

Imagine getting an email from the IRS regarding a problem with your personal or business taxes. Definitely could add a little stress to your life to say the least. Well, don’t be alarmed or fooled by these official looking emails. Scammers are using the IRS logo to send official looking emails to you to try to get you to respond. In reality, it’s a scam known as “phishing.” The cyber criminals attempt to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information, and then they use this information to commit identity theft or steal your money.

Read Full Article

Share Your Small Business Exporting Success Story.

More than 70 percent of the world’s purchasing power is located outside the United States. That’s why many small businesses find exporting to be a huge boom for their business. If you export your goods or services around the world and have used a federal government program or assistance to get there, you have an opportunity to win as much as $10,000 from Visa just for sharing your story via video as part of the the “2013 SBA-Visa Export Video Contest”.

Read Full Article