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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
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.
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The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
was enacted on September 27, 2010.
The SBJA contains some tax
provisions that take effect this
year. Other tax provisions will be
implemented during the next several
years. For more information on some
of these provisions, please see this
article.
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
Business
Taxes for the Self-Employed
On March 29, the IRS is hosting a
Webinar for the self-employed on how
to file their business taxes. For
more information, please see their
website.
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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Banks to Get $30 Billion for
Small Business Loans
As part of the Small Business
Lending Fund, the Treasury
Department has created a fund to
stimulate lending to small
businesses. For more
information, and to see which
banks are qualified to receive
these funds, please see this
article from Business Week.
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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.
BUSINESS NOTES |
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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 February 24 and
runs through March 17.
Registration is
available for each
workshop or for the
entire series.
Where: Chester County
Library, 450 Exton
Square Parkway, Exton,
PA
When: March 10 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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Doing Business with
the Commonwealth of PA
Workshop topics include:
Finding opportunities with
the State
State contracting procedures
State resources for small
businesses, and
Certification for
minority-owned and
women-owned businesses
Presenter: Curtis
Burwell, Dept. of General
Services
Co-sponsor: Dept. of
General Services
Where: Harrisburg
Regional Chamber & CREDC,
3211 North Front Street,
Harrisburg, PA 17110
When: March 14 from
9:00 - noon
Cost: $0
To register, click
here.
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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
· Marketing to the
Government
· 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: March 17 from
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $0
Click here
for more information or to
register.
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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 February 24.
Registration is
available for each
workshop or for the
entire series.
Where: Chester
County Library, 450
Exton Square Parkway,
Exton, PA
When: March 17 from
6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $25.00 per
workshop
Click here
for information and to
register for this
workshop. |
Veteran Business Training &
Outreach Conference
This event
is a day-long conference
for Veteran business
owners to:
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Find out how to get
started with state
and federal
government
contracting
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Learn to find state
and federal business
opportunities
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Network with other
veteran business
owners and make
connections with
exhibitors, large
prime contractors,
and government
service providers
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Hear from other
veteran
entrepreneurs
sharing their
experiences,
successes, and
insights in managing
successful
businesses
Where: Delaware
County Community College
(Large Auditorium)
When: March 21 at
8:30 a.m.
Cost: $25.00
Click here
for information and to
register for this
workshop. |
Small Business/Minority &
Women Business Expo
Get information about
contracting
opportunities, best
practices, and Minority
and Women Business
Enterprise
certification.
Program Highlights
include:
- Overview of
City, State, and
Federal
Construction,
Procurement
Processes, and
Opportunities with
Agency and Vendor
Exhibitors
- Construction,
Information
Technology,
Products, and
Services Procurement
Break-Out sessions
- Networking with
key agencies, prime
contractors, and
other Small
Businesses
Where: State Farm
Show Complex, Cameron
St. Entrance
2301 N. Cameron St.
Harrisburg, PA
17110-9405
When: March 23 from
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
7:00-8:00 a.m.-
Registration, continental
breakfast, and networking
Cost: $40.00
Click here
for information and to
register for this
workshop. |
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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: March 23 OR
April 13 from 6:00 to 8:30
p.m.
Cost: $15.00
To register, click
here. |
Website Optimization Webinar
- WOW!
This 90-minute Webinar
is designed for
businesses with Websites
that need tweaks,
redesigns, or online
marketing plans. Its
goal is to give
participants a
foundational
understanding of the
basic concepts,
terminology, and
functionality of
traditional online
marketing elements.
After the Webinar, each
participant will receive
a report which will
provide results from the
analysis of their
Website's structural
design. The report will
highlight areas where
the Website could be
edited to better meet
the technical criteria
of the traditional
search engines. The
report is intended to
assist the business
owner in the development
of an action plan for
the Website, with
changes being made
through your company's
internal staff or
through an outsourced
Web developer.
Upon completion of the
Webinar, each
participant will receive
their customized WOW
report within 14 days
via email, along with
one hour of free
consultation to review
the report findings with
an SBDC consultant.
Where: Simultaneous
Web conference with
telephone
When: March 31 By
Appointment
Cost: $199
To register for this session
and schedule an appointment,
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: April 6 from 9
a.m. - noon
Cost: $0
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. |
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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 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. |
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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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