Posts

Blog Series - Not-for-Profits - Hybrids

Hybrid Organizations, also called Social Enterprises or Social Ventures, are organized to include a for profit business with a non for profit entity. Hybrid corporations usually consist of a charitable organization that has established a related way to earn revenue. For example a company, Toms , sells shoes and for every shoe they sell they will send a pair to children in need in a different country.  So what is a hybrid organization? The Social Entrepreneurship Spectrum: Hybrids  (Inc., May 2011) Entrepreneurs And The 'Hybrid' Organization  (Forbes, August 2013 Research finds rising numbers of 'hybrid organizations' across sectors  (Devex Impact, June 2013) In Search of the Hybrid Ideal  (Stanford Social Innovation Review Summer 2012) Low-profit limited liability company  (Wikipedia) - This link provides a summary of a new legal business structure for hybrid organizations.  A L3C is currently only available in 9 states, with legislation proposed in 26 more.  

Have a heart healthy business

February is heart month. We wear red, we have heart healthy screenings, and we are reminded that heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans. During the month, we learn how to mitigate heart disease. While our bodies and our small businesses may not be an exact parallel, it makes for a good analogy. Your small business is like your body. The heart of your small business is finance related. Most businesses fail because of lack of financial management - lack of capital. Finance, generally speaking, pumps life in (or out of) your business. Your financial statements are like an EKG. It can help identify problems or underlying issues. While you should have a check-up on both your body and your business frequently, it's advantageous to at the least have an annual checkup. But what good is your EKG if you don't know how to read it? More from the ASBDC .

Bankruptcy statistics

See the Death/Closing of Enterprises statistics from Census 1977-2011.

Intenet Sales Tax

Nolo.com : The Internet takes tax-free shopping to a new level. In fact, no-tax shopping has become a prime lure of online retailers looking to hook consumers on click-and-charge buying. Despite what you sometimes hear, however, some Internet sales are subject to sales tax, and even when a site doesn't collect sales tax, consumers are technically responsible for remitting any unpaid sales tax on online purchases directly to their state. For information on the Internet sales tax laws for each state, see Internet Sales Tax: A 50-State Guide to State Laws . Collecting Sales Tax: Some Sites Have To, Some Don't If an online retailer has a physical presence in a particular state, such as a store, business office, or warehouse, it must collect sales tax from customers in that state. If a business does not have a physical presence in a state, it is not required to collect sales tax for sales into that state. This rule is derived from a 1992 Supreme Court decision which held that

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Five Years Later

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, initially priced at $787 billion and later revised to $831 billion, included $212 billion in tax cuts (mainly through the payroll tax cut), $296 billion in mandatory spending on programs including Medicaid and unemployment benefits, and $279 billion in discretionary spending targeting areas such as aid to individuals to investments in infrastructure, energy, education, and health care. The report says the array of measures is expected to pump $763 billion into the economy by 2019, with most of it being released before the end of fiscal year 2012. Read more from the White House and two popular news sources below. The Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 5 Years Later  - A report from the White House Council of Economic Adviser's. The Fifth Anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  - A White House blog post that provides an overview of the above mentioned report. 5 Years After Stimulus, Oba

Small Business Finance: Frequently Asked Questions

Credit conditions for small businesses have been gradually improving, which is portrayed in Advocacy’s updated Small Business Finance: Frequently Asked Questions . You'll find answers to questions on the general small business financial borrowing, government financing, as well as policy issues on this matter. Should you need further information, please feel free to call (202) 205-6533 or email advocacy@sba.gov.

FTC, FBI Warn Consumers About ‘Cryptolocker,’ A New Breed of Computer Malware

How much is everything on your computer worth to you? About $300? The criminals behind a new malware program are betting on it. The Federal Trade Commission, the FBI and other federal agencies are warning consumers and businesses about “Cryptolocker,” a malware program that holds the files on your computer for ransom, and doesn’t allow you to access them until you pay up. Even then, there’s no guarantee. It’s essentially extortion, with all your personal documents, photos, and files at risk. Cryptolocker is spread mostly through email and “drive-by” downloads. The email might look like a routine message from a legitimate company, like a tracking notice from a shipping company. If you click on the hyperlink in the email, Cryptolocker encrypts everything on your hard drive and in your shared folders. When the job is done, you get a “ransom note” demanding payment via Bitcoin or some other anonymous payment method. The criminals behind this malware say they’ll give you the encryptio