New York SBDC Research Network

The Cost of Government Regulation & How Business Strategy Can Be Used to Mitigate Its Impact ...with all things in life and business, there are issues, such as government regulation (and taxes), that we cannot control, only react to. So we can use business strategy to mitigate the cost of government regulation by first understanding its aspects, and then developing a strategy or strategies for dealing with it, always with the focus of moving ahead, pushing forward and growing.

A NYS SBDC client seeking financing, and has been unsuccessful at local banks, inquired about a company called Lendio who says they make small business loans using an online matching platform. They require an upfront fee of $30 to start the processing. A SBDC counselor discovered this article from Forbes magazine about a small Michigan business ended up being hookwinked by Lendio's predecessor, Funding Universe. The website even made it appear that the the company was somehow affiliated with the Small Business Administration.

Compensation for civilian workers rose 0.7%, wages and salaries rose 0.4%, and benefit costs rose 1.3%, seasonally adjusted, from March to June 2011. Over the year, compensation rose 2.2%, wages and salaries 1.6%, and benefits 3.6%

Annual report on businesses without paid employees in nearly 300 industries for the nation, states, counties and metropolitan areas. Most who own such businesses are self-employed and operate very small businesses (for example, real estate agents or beauticians) that may or may not be their primary source of income. The number of nonemployer businesses...declined by more than 260,000 between 2008 and 2009 across the United States, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau...In 2009, there were 21.1 million nonemployer firms, a decrease of about 1.2 percent from 2008. This continues a decline first noted in 2008 — following the beginning of the recession at the end of 2007 — when the total number fell by more than 350,000 from a peak of 21.7 million firms in 2007. “Nonemployer firms generate a small percentage of total U.S. business receipts, but they constitute the majority of U.S. businesses...”

Someone asked me about finding an online seminar about a particular topic, and I found a couple that I had used before. But then I came across www.finervista.com ; "Find best online seminars and webcasts by industry experts." A useful site for a variety of topics.

From the state tax department: Many businesses and tax practitioners used Sales Tax Web File for the first time in June 2011, in response to the recent mandate to web file quarterly returns. Close to 70% of the sales tax returns due on June 20 were filed electronically, a significant increase over 20% one year ago. Some sales tax vendors and practitioners experienced difficulties filing or reaching a representative to assist them with the new web filing requirements. The tax folks apologize for the inconvenience. They are training additional staff to make sure that your calls are answered promptly in the future. Although they'd prefer that all taxpayers use Sales Tax Web File, they know that some can't. Taxpayers who prepare their own returns without computers or who don't have broadband access aren't required to file online.

Don McMillan with a few pointers on how not to use PowerPoint: Life After Death PowerPoint from EMT Media on Vimeo .