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Entrepreneurship and the U.S. Economy

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Business Employment Dynamics Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth of the U.S. economy. As the primary source for information on the nation’s labor market, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data on new businesses and job creation. The following highlights from data series produced by BLS Business Employment Dynamics (BED) program provide some insights on the contribution of new and small businesses to the number of businesses and jobs in the economy.

IRS Automatic Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status

The IRS has published the first Automatic Revocation of Exemption List . It indicates approximately 275,000 nonprofits whose tax-exempt status has been revoked because they failed to file a Form 990, 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990-PF for three consecutive years; the list is available for downloading in both Excel and PDF form. Here's the PDF of the New York State list . As GuideStar notes , if an organization appears on the list, it must now must file a federal income tax return and pay federal income taxes. If it previously could accept tax-deductible contributions, it no longer can do so. "If your organization is not on the list, technically you don't have to do anything. This a good time, however, to reach out to your donors, funders, and other constituents and assure them that you are in good standing with the IRS. You may also wish to suggest that your supporters consult the list to ensure that the other nonprofits they give to are still exempt."

The Business of Growing

The Top Nine Challenges of Growing an Entrepreneurial Business and How to Tackle Them .

Business Expenses Survey

The Business Expenses Survey has information of various types of expenditures, such as materials and fuels, for ALL businesses. There is also some info available for specific industries. You can find the 2007 data HERE .

7 Vastly Overrated Business Books

These books are ubiquitous in the corporate world, but the truth is--they're no that useful. Read More from BNET .

Documents needed for exporting

One of our fine advisors came across a website that outlines the various documents required when exporting , and wanted to share it with you.

Free books from National Academies

The National Academies — National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council—are committed to distributing their reports to as wide an audience as possible. Since 1994 they haveoffered “Read for Free” options for almost all of their titles. In addition, they have been offering free downloads of most of their titles to everyone and of all titles to readers in the developing world. Effective June 2nd, PDFs of reports that are currently for sale on the National Academies Press (NAP) Website and PDFs associated with future reports will be offered free of charge to all Web visitors. For more than 140 years, the NAS, NAE, IOM, and NRC have been advising the nation on issues of science, technology, and medicine. Like no other collection of organizations, the Academies enlist the nation’s foremost scientists, engineers, health professionals, and other experts to address the scientific and technical aspects of society’s most p

Thriving Business Owner Shares Tips, Advice During SBA’s June Web Chat

Thursday, June 16, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., ET WASHINGTON – The SBA’s Web Chat will feature 2011 Rhode Island Small Business Person of the Year Kathleen Devlin, owner of All About Home Care LLC in Middletown, R.I. Devlin started her business in 2003 as the sole employee working out of a small home office. Today the company has a staff of 68. SBA’s National Small Business Week (SBW) events were held May 16-20, 2011, in Washington, D.C., where more than 100 outstanding small business owners from across the country were honored. Full videos of SBW events and the business forums held can be viewed online at . WHO: Small business owner Kathleen Devlin will host SBA’s June Web chat on “Entrepreneur’s Spotlight: Maintaining Business Success,” to share her story of achievement and endurance with other entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners, and provide helpful insights on the successes and challenges of entrepreneurship. WHAT: SBA’s web chat series provides small b

Number of Minority-Owned Firms Grew at More Than Double the Rate of All U.S. Businesses, 2002-2007

In 2007, minority-owned firms numbered 5.8 million, up from 4.0 million in 2002, an increase of 45.5 percent, more than double the 17.9 percent increase for all U.S. businesses, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 Survey of Business Owners. Receipts of minority-owned firms increased 55.0 percent to $1.0 trillion over the five-year period, compared with the 32.9 percent increase for all businesses nationwide. In 2007, more than one-fifth (21.3 percent) of the nation’s 27.1 million firms were minority-owned. Of the 5.8 million minority-owned firms, 766,533 had paid employees, an increase of 21.7 percent from 2002. These firms employed 5.8 million people, a 24.4 percent increase from 2002, and their payrolls totaled $164.1 billion, an increase of 42.2 percent. Receipts of minority-owned employer firms totaled $860.5 billion, an increase of 54.3 percent from 2002. In 2007, minority firms with no paid employees (nonemployers) numbered 5.0 million, an increase of 50.0 percen

SBA Online Tool Offers Help With Export Business Plans

WASHINGTON – Small businesses interested in starting or expanding sales of their goods and services overseas have access to a new, free online tool that will gauge their readiness to export and help them develop an export business plan. The Export Business Planner, developed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, offers a ready-made, customizable and easily accessible document that can be updated and referenced continuously as the business grows. The Planner, located at www.sba.gov/exportbusinessplanner , allows users to: • Determine their export readiness • Learn about training and counseling opportunities • Complete worksheets for global market research • Obtain financing information and options • Customize export marketing plans, and • Access resources for exporters “Creating jobs through exporting is one of the nation’s top economic priorities, as the President indicated when he launched the National Export Initiative,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “Giving exporters t

Dumbo Gets Free Wi-Fi; Manhattan's Paid Version to Follow - New York News - Runnin' Scared

Dumbo Gets Free Wi-Fi; Manhattan's Paid Version to Follow - New York News - Runnin' Scared : "Dumbo Gets Free Wi-Fi; Manhattan's Paid Version to Follow" Now, this is change I'd love to see happening. I wonder if it will happen elsewhere. It seems like it's inevitable. It could be like street lights. Just another utility that we all use.

How Books Were Made in 1947

Interesting ten minute film on YouTube . Warning--for print lovers only.

Why Workaholics Make Bad Workers

"Americans work almost 200 more hours every year than we did in 1970 — that's about an extra month," Psychology Today explains. And while putting in long hours isn't necessarily problematic, "it's only when the daily grind eclipses other areas of your life that it's time to stop and rethink your schedule." More HERE .

Small Business Quarterly Bulletin

Advocacy's Small Business Quarterly Bulletin , a brochure-style publication that contains commentary and analysis on the current employment and financing trends of small businesses, shows a positive first quarter of 2011 for small business. Small business employment and financing were turning the corner and trending up, thus joining GDP, which has been growing for seven quarters.

National Compensation Survey; Productivity Trends

National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2010 The National Compensation Survey (NCS) provides comprehensive measures of occupational earnings, compensation cost trends, the incidence of benefits, and detailed benefit provisions. This bulletin presents estimates of occupational pay for the Nation. These national estimates originate from the NCS locality survey data and are weighted to represent the Nation as a whole. The estimates include pay for workers in major sectors within the U.S. economy in 2010–the civilian, private, and State and local government sectors–and by various occupational and establishment characteristics. The civilian sector, by NCS definition, excludes Federal Government, agricultural, and household workers. National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages by Census Division, 2010 Preliminary Multifactor Productivity Trends – 2010 [PDF]

Fatal Occupational Injuries and Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2008

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, the Bureau) reports the number and frequency of work-related fatal injuries and nonfatal injuries and illnesses each year. The Bureau also provides detailed information on the circumstances of the injuries and illnesses and on the characteristics of the affected worker.

Entrepreneurship and the U.S. Economy

Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth of the U.S. economy. As the primary source for information on the nation’s labor market, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data on new businesses and job creation. The following highlights from data series produced by BLS Business Employment Dynamics (BED) program provide some insights on the contribution of new and small businesses to the number of businesses and jobs in the economy.

How to kill innovation, in five easy steps | TechRepublic

How to kill innovation, in five easy steps | TechRepublic Some things to keep in mind if you want to foster innovation. If you wonder at a shortage of good new ideas, these may be some issues to address.

Starting a Small Business? SBA has an App for That.

SBA Introduces New Mobile Application for Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs New SBA mobile application brings enhanced access to information and resources WASHINGTON – Smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small business can now find helpful resources at their fingertips via a new SBA mobile application from the U.S. Small Business Administration. “Increasingly, smart phones are the vehicle through which Americans access information. This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small business owners and this new application ensures they will have access to SBA’s resources and programs – literally at their fingertips,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “Greater mobility fits with the new user-focused SBA.gov launched recently, and is another example of the steps we are taking to do a better job of connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the tools to help them start or grow their businesses and create jobs.” Developed and donated as a gift by

Green Core Certification

The Onondaga SBDC, in co-operation with some partners, has initiated a program called the Green Core Company certification, which "provides a blueprint for businesses working to achieve green operations through reduced environmental and social impacts, and recognizes businesses that make a substantial effort to develop a culture of sustainability within their organization; while challenging the offence of 'greenwashing' - the unregulated and improper use of the term and methodology of 'green' for marketing advantage." In other words, it is NOT a self-certification program that allows someone to pay some money to get a sticker for the store logo. The program is currently designed for businesses in the central New York (Syracuse) area, a participatory process involving SBDC clients who want to save money while doing better for the environment.