According to one advocacy group, “In the beginning of 2009 many businesses felt as if they were at the brink, not knowing how or if they would survive,” In the first three quarters of 2009, small businesses represented nearly 60 % of the total net job losses, with the greatest losses in the first quarter. By the third quarter, that figure fell to one-third. This positive trend has been interpreted as evidence that the federal government’s 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was working. Since then the government has demonstrated an even greater commitment to helping smaller businesses recover by strengthening the relationship between this community and the IRS. Over the past several years the agency has developed a multi-pronged effort aimed at helping business owners-from start-ups to full-fledged businesses-launch and manage their business operations and ventures.

Likewise, the professionals whose responsibility it is to help nurture this relationship-the CPA, enrolled agent and other registered tax preparers-have taken a leading role. EA CPE and tax CPE, continuing education tax courses required by the federal government, routinely devote entire sessions to issues of taxation that apply primarily to small businesses. These courses are not only required to maintain EA certification and the EA license; they ensure tax preparers are well positioned to help smaller businesses at every step of the way, both during tough economic times and on a regular basis.

IRS Guides

With tax season upon us, tax professionals would be well served to review the various guides for small businesses designed by the IRS. These guides are more than a collection of tax tips. They offer a plethora of information on topics-from making key business decisions and selecting a business structure to managing a retirement plan and hiring employees-all with tax ramifications in mind.

Tool Set

Below is a more detailed description of the different components of this tool set for small businesses:

Starting a Business – The IRS guide entitled, “Starting a Business Guide,” explains in plain English everything a business owner needs to know to ensure compliance with federal tax law.

Operating a Business – Once up and running, the IRS’ “Operating a Business” guide helps businesses meet these obligations while also managing the business and employees.

Closing a Business – The IRS-sponsored guide, “Steps for Closing a Business,” offers businesses closing down various checklists and advice for following the right legal steps.

Business Tax Guidance

The IRS’ Business Taxes guide helps businesses come to grips with all the necessary tax obligations (income tax, employment tax, estimated taxes, and more), whatever the business type.

Calendar

Each year the IRS offers a print and/or online version of its interactive calendar, the IRS Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and the Self-Employed. This tool is chop full of timely tax and business, highlights a different tax topic each month and includes key tax reminders and instructions.

Business Management Tools

The more advanced IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center offers a sizable lot of tools and resources to help businesses manage issues of taxation and regulatory matters at all stages of business. These include:

IRS Virtual Small Business Tax Workshop (online training tool)

Retirement Plans Navigator (enabling small employers to find, compare and manage a variety of retirement plan options)

IRS Small Business E-News

To help smaller business keep up with changing tax laws, tax dates and updates on the IRS website, the IRS offers IRS E-News for Small Businesses on a subscription basis.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure

Pursuant to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service Circular 230, we inform you that, to the extent any advice relating to a Federal tax issue is contained in this communication, including in any attachments, it was not written or intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding any tax related penalties that may be imposed on you or any other person under the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another person any transaction or matter addressed in this communication.

Fast Forward Academy is a leading publisher of education for enrolled agent and tax professionals. Access to free questions for the EA CPE is available on their website.

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If advertising and marketing are done though televisions, radios, and various print media by big businesses, then small business can use a different channel. It is difficult to compete with these enormous businesses since they have enough funds to keep these advertising channels. Ask a small business marketing consulting company about what you can do to help improve your current business situation.

 

It is all about making yourself present in the internet. As a small business, it is important to use all available channels to create a strong presence on the internet. These are more affordable methods of getting business leads, earning more, and it helps you build your relationship with customers. With so many applications small businesses can use on the internet, how would one know which ones are worth investing on? Here is a list of the top three things you need to have to step up your business.

 

Have your website optimized

Internet marketing is not just about having a website.  There are many small business consulting services that can offer creating a website for you, optimized for your service or product. Your website can contain valuable information regarding your offered services, a short history, testimonials, and your contact details interested customers will need. This is where you can showcase all of your strengths and unique selling points.

 

You can either learn search engine optimization techniques or hire a professional company. Hiring a professional will ensure that your website will get all the necessary tweaks it needs. Once your website shows progress in the organic search results, you have more chances of getting new business leads. More traffic to your website will help your sales go up.

 

Get in touch with social media tools

 

Social media tools are rather popular today. They’re not popular for just any reason. Businesses are also using these as platforms to improve the business standing on the internet. Small business marketing consulting companies are aware of the impact these tools can give your business. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are a few social media platforms you can use. Good thing about them is they are totally free.

 

Having a Facebook account lets you connect to possible customers. With over 200 million Facebook users, you have the chance for social interaction to people you need to interact with. Twitter, on the other hand, grows 40% each month. YouTube can be a powerful business tool to show demonstrations and informational videos since it reaches a very large mass of the market. These media tools can help drive traffic to your main website. Small business marketing consulting companies should be able to give you proper guidelines and information to use these platforms properly.

 

Write your own blog

Drive more traffic into your website with a blog. Writing your own blogs gives your business credibility and authority. It shows that you are an expert on the subject. Blogs can help you gain the trust of your customers with the useful information you are writing into your blogs. Not only that, you get to do free PR.

 

Companies providing small business consulting services will help you achieve a successful internet marketing campaign. They can inform and teach you all the strategies that will improve and supplement each marketing strategy for an impressive presence on the internet. A small business like yours should not be left out. These internet marketing strategies will get you at the top, soon.

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Online Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses:  Part 1 The Basics

Online marketing strategies for small businesses have never been as important as it is now.  Businesses, towns, states and even countries are on the verge of Bankruptcy.

What are you supposed to do?

It seems like the catch phrase has become, “Well, in this economy, we just have to make some cuts.”

Sound familiar?

As a business owner myself, I understand and appreciate the value of making cuts.  However, let’s make some of the cuts in the right places and make sure that your efforts (and dollars) are quantifiable and measurable.

So how do you, the small business owner, remain not only in business, but competitive in your Market Place?

This is actually easier than you think.  In fact, after learning what you’re about to read, you will not only remain in business, but will in fact be able to catapult yourself to the head of the pack.

So grab a pen and a piece of paper as we cover 3 basics of online marketing strategies for small businesses.  As the old saying goes, you can either make dust or eat dust…I’ve done both and I’d like to save you from that dry gritty taste.

Get Clear:  If you’re going to begin to dominate your market, you first must understand WHO your market is.

I know, this almost sounds too simple.  However, you’d be surprised how many small businesses WASTE a ton of time, energy and money marketing to the WRONG people.

Without getting too deep into human psychology (which I am not an expert) I think most small business owners get caught in the IMPRESSIONS of an idea rather than its’ effectiveness.

Let me explain…have you ever been approached to be a sponsor of a local Golf Tournament?

Sounds great doesn’t it?  A few hundred people will see your logo and promotional material on certain Tee boxes.  You’ll get mentioned in the Golf Tournaments advertising and you can put your material in the welcome Gift Bag to all players!

Man, who wouldn’t want to be a part of THAT!?!

You! And any other small business owner who demands to see an effective return on your Marketing/Advertising dollar.

As a small business owner, it is VERY important for you to NOT take the shotgun approach to your Marketing.  You know, a big wide spread blast to a huge area.

If you are an Insurance business owner you need to drill down to YOUR specific niche…and no, your specific niche is NOT the entire Insurance market.

Get Clear, Get Specific.

Information & Education:  One piece of Marketing is NOT enough.

Today’s buyer is MUCH savvier than ever before.  Part of this is the fact that there is an unlimited amount of information for your customers.

People hate to be sold but they LOVE to buy.  So how do you make sure you do as much sales as possible without selling your customer?

That’s actually pretty easy, you inform.

I know you’ve heard the term, “If you sell shovels, teach someone how to dig a hole.”  The premise being that when that person decides to buy a shovel, they will buy from you.

A perfect example is of my local Home Depot.  I am NOT a handy person.  You know who is…

My main man Clark.  I had gone in to Home Depot trying to figure out a project I was working on.  I had no clue what I was doing.  When I ran into Clark, he obviously knew I was out of my league.

Instead of him taking the “sell him everything we’ve got” approach, he showed me step by step how to complete my project and gave me multiple options of getting it done.

I have done two other projects since then and Clark has helped me with both.

Where do you think I go if I’m going to do a Home project?  Who do you think I ask for?

The best part for your small business is that you can do this very same thing for your potential customer without ever leaving your office or having to do it face to face.

Trust me, whatever your business/industry is; your potential customer IS looking to get educated.  Do yourself a favor and make sure you are the teacher.

Follow Up:  Tell me if you can relate to this…

You have so much going on and you deal with so many customers and clients that you drop the ball on something.

It may be something as simple as a phone call or email, but it may be something as important as a shipment or re-order.

You know these crazy new online marketing strategies for small businesses can ensure you never miss another follow up anything.

Automation and delegation are the two biggest assets to a small business owner.

How much more effective will your business be when you can do ONE piece of marketing, put it in digital format, hit send and have your entire existing customer base be informed.

This is just the tip of the Ice Berg.  Not only do you inform your existing customer base, but also your potential customers and completely new prospects also get a taste of your business.

I know you’re just like most small business owners…BUSY.

You don’t have time to sit and write Newsletters and individual emails to your entire Customer list.

You need to be able to inform as many people as possible to make sure your TIME is as effective as possible.

When you have implemented the first two basics, not only is your time effective, but so is your message because it is going to the RIGHT person, saying the RIGHT message.

Implementing the correct online marketing strategies for small businesses can be the difference between success and failure.  Start with these basics of Getting Clear, Informing and Follow Up.

Be on the lookout for part 2 of Online Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses, where we are going to cover HOW to Get Clear…HOW to inform and HOW to correctly Follow Up.

Until then, go here to get more Insider Info.  We’ll talk again soon.

 

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In an effort to motivate small businesses and to bring down unemployment level, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM – Analyst Report) started a new plan to cut loan rates on small businesses, who elect to hire new employees.

JPMorgan will lessen the rate by 0.5 percentage points for every new employee small businesses appoints, with the limit of three employees.

Apart from lowering loan rates, JPMorgan will also supply discounts to small businesses for the opening of checking accounts. The company expects these small businesses to take full advantage of the lower interest rates and help bring down unemployment.

The new program initiated by JPMorgan will be applicable to new lines of credit of up to 0,000. However, the existing customers can avail this facility by increasing their line of credit by ,000 or more. A small business can save up to ,000 over a period of three years on the balance of ,000 with the discounts and rate cuts, according to the estimate made by the company.

In addition, JPMorgan plans to hold conferences in 11 cities across the country to assist local and small business owners to improve their sales figures and fund their businesses.

Small business lending has been a topic of intense discussion since the financial crisis. Many of the U.S. banks, who had taken government funding were pressurized by the public to help reduce unemployment by providing loans to small businesses. Though these banks are still lending, the demand for loans have been very less due to the financial turmoil and they are not able to find enough credit worthy borrowers.

Besides JPMorgan, other companies have also started a range of programs to help small businesses. In November 2009, Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS) with the help of Warren Buffett had launched a program to provide 0 million of capital to fund small businesses and facilitate education programs. In February 2010, Huntington Bancshares Inc. (HBAN) announced that it expects to double the small business lending over the next three years to .5 billion.

In the past, Bank of America Corp. (BAC) had announced that it will increase its spending on small and medium-sized and diverse businesses. The company pledged to buy billion of products and services from the small companies over the next half-decade, with a 5% increase in spending every year.

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) had remained one of the largest providers of credit to the U.S. economy in first quarter 2010 and continued to lend to credit-worthy customers.

JPMorgan along with several other companies such as Capital One Financial Corp. (COF), U.S. Bancorp (USB), PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (PNC) have started giving a second look to the every rejected small business loan.

JPMorgan continues to make donations to the economic recovery by lending to small businesses. In the first quarter of 2010, the company’s loan to small businesses increased 31% year over year to .1 billion. Building on the efforts of the Obama Administration, the company has also launched an initiative to increase small-business lending to billion by the end of 2010.

With the help of its latest program to cut rates for the small business borrowers, JPMorgan will be able to boost its market share in lending business. This will enhance the company’s revenue as new regulatory reforms may lead to reduced revenue in many of its profitable businesses in the days ahead.

Additionally, we anticipate continued synergies from JPMorgan’s diversification and strong capital position, but a pressurized credit quality and reduced levels of client activity will be a drag on the future earnings. This justifies JPMorgan’s Zacks #3 Rank (Hold), implying that the stock is expected to perform in line with the broader U.S. equity market over the next one to three months. Hence, we maintain our Neutral recommendation on the stock.