Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:05:13 PST http://allbusiness.boston.com/government/government-support-business/10207067-1.html boston.com - Small Business Matters en-us Copyright 1999-2009 boston.com All Rights Reserved. http://allbusiness.boston.com/asset/image/general_site_image/3472344.gif http://allbusiness.boston.com/government/government-support-business/10207067-1.html 46 144 http://allbusiness.boston.com/government/public-finance-taxes-taxation/13451915-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/government/public-finance-taxes-taxation/13451915-1.html Whatever stage your business is at - from hiring your first employee, filing your first W-2, or applying for a loan - a barrage of forms will require your attention. And as a small business owner, it's more than likely your responsibility to take care of this particularly time consuming area of business management. However, in many instances, small business owners either aren't aware of their regulatory obligations or simply don't know where to find the multitude of government-wide forms they ... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:40:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/13423577-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/13423577-1.html At some or several points in every business owners life, you can expect to deal with a non-paying or slow-paying customer. In my earlier post - Getting your Customers to Pay-Up - Part 1: Tips for Protecting Yourself from Non-Paying Clients - I outlined some measured approaches that your small business can put in place to protect it from the potential scenario of having to deal with a non-paying client. But what if, despite these measures, you are confronted with a client that simply won't ... Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:10:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/labor-employment/working-hours-patterns-self-employment/13420346-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/labor-employment/working-hours-patterns-self-employment/13420346-1.html As sure as eggs are eggs every business owner can expect to deal with a non-paying or slow-paying customer at least once in their business lives. The trouble is that many of us, eager for new business and income, overlook the fact that it invariably will happen to us. For freelancers or independent contractors, having to deal with a non-paying client can be particularly challenging. "Good faith" or loosely structured scope-of-work agreements are a common way for freelancers to engage in ... Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:15:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/legal/agriculture-forestry-fishing-law-agricultural/13415678-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/legal/agriculture-forestry-fishing-law-agricultural/13415678-1.html Selling imported goods within the U.S. can be a lucrative business opportunity. High demand imported products such as artisan crafts, furniture and even food and beverage products such as olive oils, wine, etc. represent a significant market opportunity for savvy business owners. Margins of up to 700% can be lucrative indeed. If you are interested in importing and selling overseas goods into the U.S. market - whether you are actually based in the U.S. or not - you will need to do your ... Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:05:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/society-social/philanthropy-fundraising/13412386-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/society-social/philanthropy-fundraising/13412386-1.html Raising funds to support the philanthropic mission of any non-profit organization can be a time consuming chore often fraught with trial and error. While splashy one-off fundraisers (otherwise known as "episodic funding") can generate a large chunk of charitable change they can also consume much needed resources for months on end. At the other end of the spectrum, "ongoing" fundraising tactics, while easier to execute, oftentimes don't generate the required financial rewards. To succeed in ... Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:50:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/sales-selling/13385769-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/sales-selling/13385769-1.html Whether your business depends on the fall/winter holiday season for a substantial part of your annual revenues or you find it to be a slow time of year - remaining engaged and connected with your prospect and customer base is never more critical than now. And that means embracing the holiday season as part of your marketing strategy. While sending holiday greetings are important, you may want to consider diversifying your online and offline marketing tactics to ensure your business or ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:25:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/technology/software-services-applications-internet-social/13368563-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/technology/software-services-applications-internet-social/13368563-1.html The online social media revolution that has bought us Facebook and Twitter actually started back in the late 90’s when the term “blog”, short for “weblog”, entered the lexicon. Blogs provide business owners with unprecedented ways of reaching and engaging with large audiences in a way that the traditional one-way information push of a company Web site could never do. Of course, if you are thinking of starting a blog you need to have an underlying strategy in place ... Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:55:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/13325241-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/13325241-1.html Whether you are on a trade show floor, making a sales pitch, or seeking investment, perfecting your elevator pitch can be one of the most important things your business can do. From the moment you start-up (when no one has ever heard of you), having a well rehearsed and compelling elevator pitch can help buyers, clients and potential investors get to know you quickly. More than simply explaining your product, industry, or "big idea" a business elevator pitch is essentially how you speak about ... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:55:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/13307023-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/13307023-1.html “I need help starting my business!” – is a common cry from many budding small business owners. And it’s no wonder. Starting a business is a huge step for any entrepreneur to undertake, and requires careful planning as well as business smarts and the right advice. While there are many useful online resources for businesses to help with start-up planning, preparation and management – including this one from Business.gov, “10 Steps to Starting a Business” ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:10:00 GMT http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/13266598-1.html http://allbusiness.boston.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/13266598-1.html No doubt about it, the current economic recession has hurt small businesses as well as the people they employ. But despite the reduction in consumer spending, dried up credit, ongoing debt and continued uncertainty about the timing of a bounce back - small business survival stories are appearing in the media and bringing with them hope and optimism. The New York Times has been tracking five small businesses over the past year and reporting on the highs and lows of coping with the recession. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:10:00 GMT