|
Pennsylvania Budget
On March 8,
2011, New Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett
released his proposed budget for fiscal year
2012. In an effort to keep our stakeholders
informed, the Kutztown University SBDC will
release editions of our monthly newsletter more
frequently over the next few months.
BUSINESS NOTES
Having a Hard Time getting a loan?
You're not the only ones...
According to an April 4 article, the
Kaufmann Foundation, The world's largest
longitudinal survey of new businesses
identified a marked increase in 2009 in
firms being denied bank loans or credit due
to tougher lending restrictions - and firms
not applying for needed loans because they
feared being denied. You can read the rest
of this article on how firms are investing
in "Intangible assets"
here.
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
Small Loan Advantage and Community Advantage
7(a) Loan Initiatives
SBA is committed to expanding access to capital
for small businesses and entrepreneurs in
underserved communities so that we can help
drive economic growth and job creation. In line
with that, SBA is rolling out two new
initiatives on February 15, 2011, aimed at
increasing the number of loans in these
communities. For more information on these
programs, and to see if you qualify, please
read this
article.
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.
-----
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
-----
"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.
BUSINESS
NOTES |
|
|
|
|
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: April 13 OR May 25 from
6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $15.00
To register, click here. |
Business Planning: A Series of 4
Workshops
The Business Planning Workshop
Series contains the following four
workshops:
April 21 - Business Plan for Success
April 28 - Marketing your Product,
Service, and Company
May 5 - Financial Management
May 12 - Financing the Business and
Feasibility Decisions
Where: Chester County
Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway,
Exton, PA
When:
April 21 & 28 AND May 5 & 12
Cost:
$80 for the series, or $25 for each
individual workshop
To register or for more information on
the workshops, click
here. |
Business
Planning (Part I) - Business Plan for
Success
This is
the first workshop of the Business
Planning Workshop Series that runs
through May 12. Registration is
available for each workshop or for
the entire series.
Where: Chester
County Library, 450 Exton Square
Parkway, Exton, PA
When: April 21 from 6:00 to
8:30 p.m.
Cost: $25.00
To register for only this workshop and
NOT the entire series, click
here. |
SBIR & STTR Program Information Sessions
These
webinars with simultaneous
teleconferences will provide
information on the Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small
Business Technology Transfer (STTR)
programs to help you determine
whether or not these initiatives are
right for you.
Where: Webinar with
Simultaneous Teleconference
When: April 27, May 10, OR May
24, 2011
Cost: $0
Click here
to register for one of these sessions. |
|
Business Planning (Part II) - Marketing
Your Product, Service and Company
This is the second workshop of the
Business Planning Workshop Series
that begins on April 21 and runs
through May 12. Registration is
available for each workshop or for
the entire series.
Where:
Chester County Library, 450 Exton
Square Parkway, Exton, PA
When:
April 28 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost:
$25.00
For more information, or to register for
this session ONLY, click
here. |
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:
May 4 OR June 1 from 9 a.m. - noon
Cost:
$0
To register, click
here. |
|
| |
|
Business Planning (Part III) - Financial
Management Projections and Statements
This is the third workshop of the
Business Planning Workshop Series
that begins on April 21 and runs
through May 12. Registration is
available for each workshop or for
the entire series.
Where:
Chester County Library, 450 Exton
Square Parkway, Exton, PA
When:
May 5 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost:
$25.00
For more information, or to register for
this session ONLY, click
here. |
|
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:
May 11 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Cost:
$0
To
register for this session, click
here.
|
|
Business Planning (Part IV) - Financing
the Business & Feasibility Decisions
This is the fourth and final
workshop of the Business Planning
Workshop Series that began on April
21. Registration is available for
each workshop or for the entire
series.
Where:
Chester County Library, 450 Exton
Square Parkway, Exton, PA
When:
May 12 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost:
$25.00
For more information, or to register for
this session ONLY, click
here. |
Your
Fair $hare: Doing Business with Public
Universities
The
event is sponsored by the KU
Purchasing Department and developed
for small, minority and women owned
businesses. Attendees will learn how
to: become a PA Department of
General Services certified vendor,
learn how to do business with the
Commonwealth of PA and commonwealth
universities, how they can increase
and market their business, and how
to go about obtaining financing. The
Keynote Speaker will be State
Senator Pat Brown.
Where:
The
Academic Forum Building, Kutztown
University, Kutztown, PA 19530
When:
May 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost:
$0
For more information, or to register for
this workshop, please click
here. |
Moving Up in State Government
Contracting
The Bureau of Minority & Women
Business Opportunities is conducting
a workshop where small business
owners can learn:
How to
read and understand Request for
Proposals (RFPs)
How to
write effective proposals
Find
and market your company to
Commonwealth agency heads,
purchasing agents, and RFP
administrators Learn the Do's and
Don'ts on becoming a prime
contractor for the State.
Where:
3211
North Front Street, Suite 201,
Harrisburg, 17110
When:
May 24 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon
Cost:
$0
For more information, or to register for
this workshop, please click here. |
|
Thank you for taking time out of your
busy schedule to read our newsletter. We
appreciate your participation in the KU
SBDC community.
|
|
Sincerely,
Ernie Post, Director
Kutztown University Small Business
Development Center |
|
|
