End of Year Tips for Small Business

Information provided by the Project Compass Workforce Recovery 2012 in associationship with the Florida Division fo Library Services: With the end of the calendar year fast approaching, you might want to look at tax credits and deductions that are available to you, some of which are new for 2012.   Information for Small Business and the Self-Employed from the Internal Revenue Service provides a wealth of information for your small business who file Form 1040, Schedules C, E, F or Form 2106, as well as small businesses with assets under $10 million. The site also links to the Virtual Small Business Tax Workshop which helps business owners understand federal tax obligations. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides new online tools for small businesses to help plan for the new year: Events site allows small businesses access to information on hundreds of small business training seminars and workshops across the country from SBA and its partners, including Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, and SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives). By entering a date range and zip code, your patrons can quickly find and sign up for training. Topics include starting, managing or financing a business and business planning. Build Your Business Plan site provides you with a step-by-step guide to create the plans that will serve as the road maps for their businesses. Not only can their plans be saved as PDF files, they can also update the plans at any time, making these living plans. The SizeUp Tool allows you to get to know the market and competition better. You can get customizable reports and statistics about their business and its competition. SizeUp uses industry, city, state and other details to create reports and provide maps and data related to your patrons' competition, suppliers and customers. It also highlights potential advertising opportunities.

Thinking About Starting a New Business or Updating Your Skills?

Check out these upcoming workshops available at NWF Small Business Development Center at the Fort Walton Beach UWF campus.

Emerald Coast Women in Business

Destin - Small Business / Sales Professionals Power Day 11-8-12

• Thursday, November 8, 2012

  7:30 AM

  to 8:45 AM

Regus

495 Grand Blvd #206, Miramar Beach, FL (map)

30.378466 -86.311981

Regus - Enter the building on the West side, go up the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor. Regus offices are in the back and well marked. We meet in the conference room.

Attention Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, Sales Professionals and Individuals considering a Business

Bring a friend!

Special Guest and Speaker

Larry Creekmore

with

Creekmore Financial Group, Inc.

On Leadership Development - Don't miss this one!

----------------------------------------------------------

Register: http://www.ecwib.info

Women business owners have wisdom, knowledge and expertise that they can share with others. Often time it can be frustrating, stressful and overwhelming, yet having a support network to get you through the tough times as well as growing and marketing your business is priceless

Are you…

· Tired of hearing about the economic crisis in your local area?

· Ready to leverage your business so you prosper and grow?

· Ready to network with like minded women business owners?

· Ready to take your business to the next level?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then Emerald Coast  Women in Business is where you need to be. The philosophy of ECWIB is to develop and enrich women entrepreneurs in leveraging their potential so they thrive in business and in life.

Small Business Administration Events & Webinars

Check out the SBA for events and webinars that will enhance your business skills...some are free!  Just type in your zipcode and register.

Check Out ReferenceUSA @ Your Library

ReferenceUSA is the leading provider in business and consumer research! 
This powerful database is provided by the Niceville Library and all you need to access is your library card number.

If you are a small business owner/entrepreneur you can conduct powerful market research, or do a radius search of location competitors.  You can also look for businesses to buy or locate fellow business owners. 

Online Advertising | SBA.gov

If you plan to advertise online -- whether you're buying ads on search engines or direct marketing through email -- you'll need to understand some basic rules. Go to these resources to learn more.  Online Advertising | SBA.gov

Learn How SBA Can Help You

12 Surefire Strategies to Increase Customer Loyalty

Read what the members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, had to say when they were asked the following question:

“What’s your best tip for increasing customer loyalty?”

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

Create a Free Online Business Website

Google is making it easy for Small Business owners to create a free online business website.  Check it out!

A Small Change in Your Business Mindset Can Increase Your Sales

This article by Pawel Grabowski will help you change your mindset and hopefully increase your sales!  

Staying current is very important in these economic times.  Check out these Small Business Trends for 2012.

SMALL BUSINESS - LibGuides

Small Business Websites - BRASS Best of the Best Business Websites - SMALL BUSINESS - LibGuides at BRASS - Business Reference & Services Section

Let's Celebrate National Small Business Week 2012

The week of May 20th, our nation’s entrepreneurs will come together online and in Washington, DC for National Small Business Week.   Or you can --- 

Participate Online

Sign up to view the live webcast of the free educational panels. We'll send you a reminder.

With a strong focus on how small businesses can take advantage of economic opportunities and new marketing trends, topics for the educational forums this year include:

• Strategies and resources for taking your small business global through exporting
• Tips and best practices for putting social media to work for your business
• An open discussion on how small businesses can better position themselves to win federal government contracts 

Check out the full conference schedule here

...or you can follow along on Twitter with the event hashtag #SBW2012.

SMALL BUSINESS START-UP

Small Business Resource Kit which provides a detailed description of how to start and run a small business. This kit is available on the UWF internet web site.

The University of West Florida Small Business Development Center offers a FREE

click here http://www.sbdc.uwf.edu/request.asp and provide required information.

If you have any questions you can contact the following.

Contact us:

Okaloosa & Walton Counties:

922 Mar Walt Drive
Suite 203

Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547
Phone: (850) 833-9400
e-mail: mailto:fwbsbdc@uwf.edu

How to Set-up a Small Home Business

Listen carefully and you just might hear opportunity knocking at your front door - from the inside!  This article will provide step-by-step guidelines for setting up a home-based business.

Earning - Yes, You Can

Help for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs from the Florida Electronic Library

DemograhicsNow features a new interface, making it simpler for your users to accomplish a number of tasks. The new look and functionality is highlighted by an advanced mapping tool that allows users to create customizable, printable maps with thematic scales in a variety of formats. The many benefits to your library business patrons include:

• Market sizing
• Segmentation
• Contacts within a segment
• Competitor identification
• Authentic credit ratings
• Expanded minority owned identification
• Legal business hierarchies (detailed business ownership classifications)
• Consumer and retail expenditures
• Lifestyle segmentation reporting capability
• Professional output, including charts and graphs
• Lists of businesses no longer in business (to enhance a business plan or market analysis with residential and location awareness/analysis)

The new DemographicsNow is the only eResource of its kind to provide mapping, addresses, mailing lists and essential tools to support the analysis required to complete an entire business plan.

Small Business Toolbox: Taxes - Know What and When To Pay - from Florida Trend's Florida Small Business

Small Business Toolbox: Taxes - Know What and When To Pay - from Florida Trend's Florida Small Business

2012 Small Business Workshops/Events

Check out these great opportunities to learn more about starting or improving your small business.