Business Resources

Government Agencies Helping Small Business Owners Properly Classify Workers

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 27, 2012

Were the people working in your shop last year employees or independent contractors? Did you properly classify them when filing your taxes? In a recent Grow Smart Biz article, Karen Axelton described new initiatives from the IRS and Department of Labor to help reduce misclassification of employees and improve employer compliance.

14 Elements of a Trustworthy Website

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 19, 2012

To instill your site visitors with a sense of confidence in your website and company, your website should include these 14 elements, according to Anita Campbell, who tackled the issue in a recent Small Business Trends article.

How Use Business Credit Cards Wisely

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 17, 2012

Many small business owners use credit cards, whether business or personal, to keep their business running. Not using these cards wisely, though, can cause financial trouble for both the business and the business owner, according to Derby Cox, who covered the topic in a recent posting on the SmartBlog on Finance.

5 Tips for Taking Time off From Your Shop

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 17, 2012

Does being the boss mean you have to spend every waking hour at your shop? Sometimes, unfortunately, the answer seems to be yes. Laura Vanderkam spoke with a number of experts to gather five tips for small business owners on how to take time off for a recent Fortune article .

SEMA Action Network Lists 10 Best Automotive Bills of 2011

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 4, 2012

The SEMA Action Network (SAN) recently released its list of the best and worst automotive bills proposed by state legislatures in 2011. Not all of these laws were passed and those that weren’t could be reintroduced in future sessions, according to SAN.

Why You Need a Partnership Agreement

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 4, 2012

If you go into business with someone, it’s important to have a partnership in place to address any potential issues or conflicts, according to Jeff Haden, who covered the topic in a recent CBS MoneyWatch article. He advised partnership agreements should cover five different scenarios in order to protect both partners.

What to Write About on Your Blog

Posted By Devlin Smith , January 3, 2012

You’ve decided to start a blog to promote your shop, connect with customers and drive more traffic to your website. What are you going to write about? Finding the actual topics to cover can be the most-difficult aspect of running a blog, according to Lisa Barone of SEO consulting firm Outspoken Media Inc., who offered several suggestions on where you can get blog post ideas in a recent Small Business Trends article.