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Success Story
Exhibits By Promotion
Julie and Jacqueline say
that the KU SBDC played a major role in
helping their company. "We are now
gaining confidence to go after bids and
gain new revenues." For more on Exhibits
by Promotions, please click
here.
BUSINESS NOTES
Tax Season is Getting Closer
April 15th will be here sooner than you think. Click
here for Part 1 of a Business.gov
series on getting ready for Tax Filing
Season.
Tax Changes for Small Businesses
During 2010, new laws, such as the Affordable Care Act and
the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010,
created or expanded deductions and
credits that small businesses and
self-employed individuals should
consider when completing their tax
returns and making business decisions in
2011. For more information, please see
this article.
6 Ways to Help Fight Burnout
Is the stress of your business causing you to feel run down
and exhausted? This business.gov
article offers 6 helpful tips to
fight burnout and make your life a
little bit easier.
"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
Cut in Payroll Taxes will Boost Take-Home Pay for Most
Workers
Congress recently reached an agreement that cut the Payroll
Tax for 2011 from 6.2 percent to 4.2.
For more information on how this impacts
you, please read this
article from the IRS.
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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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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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"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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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: January 12 OR February
16 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $0
Click here
for more information or to register. |
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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 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 OR February 23 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
for the series, $15 for each
individual workshop
To register, click
here. |
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Business Concept Analysis: Part One
This
is the first session in the four
part program that 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.
This session will focus on
"Exploring Entrepreneurship" and
will provide the first steps in
helping you to understanding the
things needed to start a business.
Where: Berks County Community Foundation Building, 237 Court
St., Reading, PA 19601
When: January 19 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Cost:
$15.00
To register for ONLY this session,
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 Concept Analysis: Part Two
This
is the second session in the four
part program that 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.
This session will focus on "Defining
Your Target Market" and will help
you to determine who your company
should be marketing their products
towards.
Where: Berks County Community Foundation Building, 237 Court
St., Reading, PA 19601
When: January 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Cost:
$15.00
To register for ONLY this session,
click
here. |
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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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Business Concept Analysis: Part
Three
This
is the third session in the four
part program that 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.
This session will focus on
"Conducting Market Research" and
help you with ways to determine what
information is out there, and how to
use than information to help your
business.
Where: Berks County Community Foundation Building, 237 Court
St., Reading, PA 19601
When: February 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Cost:
$15.00
To register for ONLY this session,
click
here. |
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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: February 2 from 9 a.m.
- noon
Cost: $0
To register, click here. |
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Business Concept Analysis: Part Four
This
is the fourth and final session in
the four part program that 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.
This session will focus on "Testing
Your Business Concept" and will
provide you with an opportunity to
determine the viability of your
business ideas.
Where: Berks County Community Foundation Building, 237 Court
St., Reading, PA 19601
When: February 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Cost:
$15.00
To register for ONLY this session,
click
here. |
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Basics of Government Marketing Webinar
This Webinar covers the first steps
a small business needs to take to
prepare for doing business with the
Federal and State Governments. It
offers an overview of the codes and
registrations, explanation of small
business certifications, potential
strategies small businesses can use
when approaching this market, and
tips for marketing your firm to
federal and state agencies.
Where: Webinar with Simultaneous Teleconference
When: February 22 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $0
To register for this session, click
here.
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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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