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BUSINESS NOTES
"How Much Money Do I Need?"
Click
here to read a guide to estimating
your start-up expenses when opening a
business from Business.gov
"Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn? Finding
the Right Fit for Your Small Business"
This article covers some of the pro's
and con's of the top three social
networking sites, and the benefits your
business may experience from utilizing
them. Click here
to read it on business.gov.
Creative Ways to Stretch Your Marketing Budget
Innovative ways some business owners are using to stretch
their marketing dollars:
Take advantage of technology -
- Use email instead of direct mail
- Attend virtual trade shows rather
than traveling
Partner with others in your industry to
spread the expense and the knowledge
Build your social network by offering
free classes at libraries
Take a horizontal marketing approach:
Determine your typical client profile
and then target this group by
identifying a noncompeting business that
has that group as customers.
Read more horizontal marketing ideas in
this article from Entrepreneur.
Federal Government Small Businesses News
Setting up a Payroll System - A 10 Step Guide for Small
Business
No matter how many employees you have - setting up a
payroll system not only streamlines your
ability to stay on top of your legal and
regulatory responsibilities as an
employer, it can also save you time and
help protect you from incurring costly
IRS penalties.
Here are 10 steps to help you set up
a payroll system for your small business
from Business.gov.
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IRS Offers Details on New Small Business
Health Care Tax Credit
Guidance from the IRS makes it easier to determine whether
small businesses are eligible for the
new health care tax credit and how large
a credit they will receive. Connect to
the details
here.
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Veteran-Owned Businesses - the Latest on
Certification
From business.gov: clarification on veterans' certification
- click
here to read.
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SBA Small Business Loans
Explained-Availability, Eligibility and
the Application Process - click
here to
read this article from Business.Gov.
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Learn about the special tax treatment
for expenses incurred before business
operations begin.
Business Start-up and Organizational
Costs
Business Start-up Costs
From IRS Publication 535 (2008) -
Business Expenses
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"The Child Care Tax Center"
This link to the IRS Website connects the business owner
with tax resources for their child care
business. The
Child Care Tax Center covers several
areas pertinent to running a daycare
center.
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"Business.Gov's Licenses and Permits
Tool"
This tool automatically generates a list of appropriate
licenses and permits when you enter your
business type and city/state. Business.Gov
Licenses and Permits Tool
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"Cultivating Sound Business Practices
with the Help of the IRS"
Click here
to read an article from Business.gov
about using the 2010 IRS Tax Calendar.
The calendar is available here:
IRS Tax
Calendar
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"The 'Ultimate' Small Business Marketing
Guide"
Click here
to read this artice from business.gov
that includes some tips, tactics, and
approaches to building your marketing
strategy.
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Happy Holidays!
From everyone here at the Kutztown
University Small Business
Development Center to you and yours:
Happy Holidays and a Safe and
Prosperous New Year! |
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The First
Step Workshop
This live workshop highlights the
SBDC process, learning resources,
and we will direct you to the SBDC
services you need. Some topics
covered are:
· Funding of the SBDC
· Owning a Small Business
· Business Structures
· Legal Issues
· Business Financing
· Business Planning
The outcome of the session will be a
clear understanding of your next
steps to take.
Where:
Berks County Community Foundation
Building, 237 Court St., Reading, PA
19601
When: December 16 or January
12 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $0
Click here
for more information or to register. |
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Certification Made Simple
This workshop is offered monthly. It
guides participants through the
application process for state
certification as either a Minority
or Women Business Enterprise
(MBE/WBE). It is presented by Curtis
Burwell of the Pennsylvania
Department of General Services,
Bureau of Minority and Women
Business Opportunities (BMWBO).
Where:
Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC,
3211 North Front Street, Harrisburg,
PA 17110
When: January 5 from 9 a.m. -
noon
Cost: $0
To register, click here. |
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Business Planning: A Series of 4
Workshops
The Business Planning Workshop Series contains the
following four workshops:
January 6 - Business Plan for
Success
January 13 - Marketing your
Product, Service, and Company
January 20 - Financial
Management
January 27 - Financing the
Business and Feasibility Decisions
Where:
Chester County Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton,
PA
When: January 6, 13, 20, and 27
Cost: $80 for the series, or $25
for each individual workshop
To register or for more information
on the workshops, click
here. |
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Business Planning (Part I) -
Business Plan for Success
This is the first workshop of the
Business Planning Workshop Series
that begins on January 6 and runs
through January 27. Registration is
available for each workshop or for
the entire series.
Where: Chester County Library, 450
Exton Square Parkway, Exton, PA
When: January 6 from 6:00 to 8:30
p.m.
Cost: $25.00
To register for only this workshop
and NOT the entire series, click
here. |
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Business Planning (Part II) -
Marketing Your Product, Service and
Company
This is the second workshop of the Business Planning
Workshop Series that began on
January 6 and runs through January
27. Registration is available for
each workshop or for the entire
series.
Where: Chester County Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway,
Exton, PA
When:
January 13 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $25.00
For more information, or to register
for this session ONLY, click
here. |
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The
First Step: How to Start and Operate
a Small Business
If you are in the early stages of
thinking about starting a small
business, this workshop is for you.
In fact, even if you have started
your business and are realizing that
you missed a few things, this
workshop is still right for you.
This workshop will provide an
overview of the things you need to
know and the skills you need to have
to manage a small business. Subjects
include: legal and accounting
issues, organization, and
management. The workshop offers you
the opportunity to practice
networking with other entrepreneurs.
Existing business owners can use
this workshop as a "checkup" on
their operations. This workshop is
presented in partnership with the
Small Business Assistance Center.
Where:
Chester County Library, 450 Exton
Square Parkway, Exton, PA
When: January 19 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost:
$15.00
To register, click
here. |
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Business Concept Analysis: A
4-Part Blended Learning Series
This
program provides the tools to
develop your business concept,
determines the viability of the
business concept, and outlines the
critical steps to a successful
business launch.
1/19/2011 - Part I - Exploring
Entrepreneurship -
1/26/2011 - Part II - Defining the
Target Market
2/2/2011 - Part III - Conducting
Market Research
2/9/2011 - Part IV - Testing Your
Business Concept
Individuals that complete all four
sessions will receive a certificate
of completion.
Participants in the Concept Analysis
for Entrepreneurs program will also
have access to Kutztown University's
Desire 2 Learn online learning
platform. Desire 2 Learn will
provide participants with
· the ability to communicate
online with the course instructors
· the ability to communicate
online with other course
members
· access to archived program
materials and resources
· access to supplemental
resources and links
Where: Berks County Community Foundation Building, 237 Court
St., Reading, PA 19601
When: January 19 and 26 and February 2 and 9 from 6:00 to
8:00 p.m.
Cost:
$50.00
To register, click
here. |
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Business
Planning (Part III) - Financial
Management: Projections and
Statements
This is the third workshop of the
Business Planning Workshop Series
that began on January 6 and runs
through January 27. Registration is
available for each workshop or for
the entire series.
Where: Chester County Library, 450
Exton Square Parkway, Exton, PA
When: January 20 from 6:00 to 8:30
p.m.
Cost: $25.00 per workshop
Click here
to register and for information on
this workshop. |
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Business
Planning (Part IV) - Financing the
Business and Feasibility Decision
This is the fourth workshop of the
Business Planning Workshop Series
that began on January 6.
Registration is available for each
workshop or for the entire series.
Where: Chester County
Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway,
Exton, PA
When:
January 27 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $25.00 per workshop
Click here
for information and to register for
this workshop. |
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Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to
read our newsletter. We appreciate
your participation in the KU SBDC
community. |
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Sincerely,
Ernie Post, Director
Kutztown University Small Business
Development Center |
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