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The Friendliest States And Cities To Small Businesses

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Small businesses make up the backbone of our country. They exist in every single state in America, though not ever single state is friendly to these entrepreneurs. But that isn’t the case for every city and state. Thumbtack recently released the data from their fourth annual Small Business Friendliness Survey, which ranks which states and cities are the friendliest to small businesses.

Ranking in at the number one most friendliest city to small businesses is Manchester, New Hampshire, according to the small business owners who operate there. To add even more praise to the state, New Hampshire also ranked as the number two most friendliest state to small businesses, just behind Texas.

What’s interesting is the fact that the rest of America’s Northeast was considered the most unfriendliest grouping of states in the entire country, according to the survey. Utah and Colorado join Texas and New Hampshire as being very friendly to small businesses whereas California, Connecticut, and Illinois joined the Northeast states, all receiving a score of “F”.

Chief Economist of Thumbtack Jon Lieber stated that whether a city or state is friendly or not to small businesses comes from a plethora of primary considerations. “What most influences a business owner’s perception is the presence of training programs, as well as events that allow networking,” Lieber added.

In terms of training, this usually refers how easy it is for small businesses to obtain online information that regards rules and regulations that pertain to how small businesses must operate in that city or state. “Websites matter,” Lieber says. So basically what he’s saying is that entrepreneurs and small business owners do not want stress or hassle when it comes to gathering information on how to properly file things like local taxes. In addition to that, opportunities to network are also important. This is due mainly because of the isolation felt by many of the small businesses currently operating in the United States.

One more factor that determines whether or not a state or city is friendly to small businesses is determining whether or not a city or state is the ease of regulatory compliance. A key compliance issue for small businesses was licensing. Cities and states that require certain professionals to obtain a license did not automatically make them unfriendly. However, if the licensing was not carefully monitored then there is the liability of increasing perceived unfriendliness. Licensed professionals do not really like it when an unlicensed competitor gains a competitive advantage.

Thumbtack is an online service that connects local small businesses with customers. These businesses can range from anything like plumbers and house painters to therapists, physical trainers and more. Small businesses are able to compete for customers that are interested in their services through the use of a bidding system. As for the Friendliness survey, nearly 18,000 U.S.-based small business owners participated by providing their rating of both their state and their city governments on a wide array of factors. Over a dozen different metrics were used by Thumbtack to evaluate states and cities against each other.

So, if you’re thinking of starting a small business where you live I would advise you to take a look at Thumbtack’s survey to determine how easy or hard it is going to be for you to get your startup off the ground where you live.

Content originally published here

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The Importance Of Local SEO To Your Small Business

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Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an important benefit that a lot of marketers and businesses take extreme advantage of. While SEO, in general, is important, local SEO will continually be significant for enterprise companies for the following reasonings:

It’s a Way to Generate Profits
If you follow these processes and steps correctly, local SEO will not only expose your business online but will also make you more profit. If you get the top spot of search engine results, then this will dramatically and immediately increase traffic for your website.

A recent study showed that 78% of local mobile searches and 61% of local laptop searches resulted in offline purchases. In just the U.S., there are 7 billion different and unique local searches monthly. So if you use local SEO, make sure you’re posting the right content to the right client base, so it drives online searches to your business.

Mobile and Wearable Tech is Growing
Showing in 10 countries, including the U.S. and Japan, there are more Google searches that take place on a mobile device rather than a PC. Now that there are more and more wearable devices coming out these days, like smartwatches, then realistically there will be more searches made on the go. Therefore, using local SEO will only benefit you since local searches will become more frequent.

CEO of HostGator Adam Farra says, “Society today is already transitioning from PCs to mobile Internet usage, so local SEO will be a necessity, not a ‘nice to have’ in the very near future.”

It’s a Way to Build Links and Share Social Media
Another major reason for using local SEO is the opportunity to connect two business firms together. It creates a potential partnership between the two and helps with social sharing as well.

Marketers can build and share their links with local search engines like Yahoo Local, YP, Google Places, Foursquare, Yelp and Bing Places. By doing this, it could help your business, as well as another business, grow and meet new clients. Meeting with local bloggers or other website owners could change your way of thinking in your business in a more positive manner. You could even plan an event or new business idea with them for new, different profit-making strategies.

It’s a Way to Extend Your Business

Your website is actually another location for your business and with the help of local SEO, you’re basically helping users connect with your business. It helps easily locate and study your website and also helps update it with info and more content which is important in growing your business in the future.

TouchBistro, an iPad POS app for restaurants, used its website to show its partnership with Uber and also provided a $20 promotional credit to customers who ate at TouchBistro affiliated restaurants in Toronto. Restaurants that participated were given promotional cards with codes to give to customers, who then had to download the Uber app to receive their $20 credit.

You Expose Yourself to Local People
The absolute main reasoning for using local SEO is that it targets the people within the area of your established business. This helps small business owners who just started their enterprises if they use SEO.

Smaller businesses can use online resources to advertise in local classifieds, such as using Angie’s List, Craigslist, or Yelp. If you use sites like these, make sure you use high-quality videos and images or other important items that advertise your business.

Using these steps and processes with local SEO will benefit you and your business or new business. Constantly adding or changing the content on your webpage will help keep it up to date as well as help provide your clients with a better understanding of what your services, products and promotions provide.

Content originally published here

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Small Businesses to Start Paying for Google Apps

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Google AppsGoogle recently announced that it will be ending availability of a free version of Google Apps online application suite for small businesses, stating that it wants to “provide a stronger and more uniform experience to users.”

Google later announced in a blog post that a small business, even one with ten or fewer employees, will have to pay to use its online app platform. Until this announcement, small business users had be able to do this for free, though all businesses using will now have to pay $50 per user, per year for the service.

On the bright side, Google Apps will still remain free for individual users, as well as for existing business customers that currently use the free version. Google’s Apps for Business, which is the paid offering from the company, provides email, calendar and an online office suite as an all-in-one service, allowing them to be used on private domain names while adding features like 24-hour phone support. In addition to that, it offers features like an archiving service as well as additional storage for an extra cost.

Google didn’t release user numbers for the service, though did state last year that it had over 40 million users, even though the majority of those are believed to be non-paying. Google is in stiff competition with Microsoft’s Office 365 online service, which also offers email and online versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel for $6 per user, per month.

Clay Bavor, Director of Product Management for Google Apps, stated that the service is used by “millions of businesses” and also said that eliminating the free version will help remove confusion about Google’s different offerings and provide a better experience for its business customers who”quickly outgrow the basic version”.

Source: PC World – Google will start charging small businesses for Google Apps

Small Business Saturday Benefits Local Business Owners

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Small Business SaturdayTons of local businesses around the country will be getting a major boost in sales this Saturday thanks to the national movement known as Small Business Saturday. This marks the third straight year for the movement, which was initiated by American Express in an effort to support locally owned and operated businesses after the pandemonium that is Black Friday.

Small business owners are adamant about the movement, stating that it not only helps out their business but the community as well. This day brings in a lot of foot traffic with the growing number of people that are recognizing the day. Plus, considering that the day is smack in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday means that small business owners and workers look forward to the business.

Local main street businesses all across the country are shutting down every day, unable to survive in this unforgiving economy. That is why Small Business Saturday is so important. Smaller cities around the country depend on their local businesses to remain profitable and Small Business Saturday is just one way that this is possible.

The great thing is that Small Business Saturday continues to grow year after year. Last year alone, American Express reported more than 100 million customers participating and shopping at local small businesses in support of Small Business Saturday. In addition to that, small business owners also report that for every dollar you spend at a local small business, 70 cents of it stays local.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are days where we can get up early, fight the crowds and get a lot of cheap stuff that benefits us, but this time of year should be focused on helping others and giving instead of receiving. That is what makes Small Business Saturday so special; not only can you get something for yourself, but you can also help out a local business and further strengthen your city in the process.

Small Businesses Cut Employees in July

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Not Hiring signThe latest small business employment figures are in and, after several not-so-good economic reports, they suggest that economic recovery is losing ground. The smallest firms in the country cut staff by a very small margin over the past few months, losing an average of 0.04 workers per company, according to the report by the National Federation of Independent Business’ reports.

While that margin isn’t very substantial, especially compared to the 0.11 workers that was reported back in June, it does mark the second consecutive month numbers are in the red after six straight months of flat or increased employment. The NFIB report presents slightly different findings than the ones discovered by Intuit’s latest report. That report showed that small business employment increased 0.17% in June.

Regardless, small businesses are clearly struggling to live up to their traditional billing as our nation’s most powerful job engine. According to NFIB Chief Economist William C. Dunkleberg, “On balance, July looks like a repeat of June, few jobs and no change in the unemployment rate. So far, it has turned out to be a cruel summer of dashed hopes for meaningful job creation.”

To make things worse, less than half of business owners hired or tried to hire new workers over the last three months and 86% of those reported finding few or no qualified candidates for the positions. These results are based on the responses of 1,803 randomly-sampled members of the NFIB.

Only 11% stated that they planned on adding new employees to their payroll in the coming months. Mid-Atlantic and Mountain State businesses are planning on cutting back while South Atlantic and Central states plan on adding employees this year.

The Commerce Department reported last week that the economy increased at a minuscule 1.5% in the second quarter, down from 2% growth during the first three months of the year. This effectively thwarted any hopes that recovery would steadily pick up momentum over the course of 2012.

Source: The Washington Post – Summer slump: Small businesses continued shedding workers in July

More Small Businesses Planning on Hiring Over the Next Six Months

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help wantedAn increasing amount of small businesses are reporting increased liquidity while also saying that they plan to invest in growth. This includes hiring more people, according to a Capital One Small Business Survey, which is something that this economy desperately needs at the moment.

According to Capital One’s Small Business Barometer for the first quarter of 2012, small businesses are showing signs of recovery after the excruciatingly difficult 2011 year. In addition to that, Capital One’s survey examined general economic indicators as well as small businesses’ perceptions of the economic environment.

The good news that follows this is that more small businesses have reported that their financial performance is better than the year-ago period than those that have reported that it stayed the same. This is the first time this has happened in three quarters. Four out of five businesses that Capital One surveyed stated that their company’s financial performances met expectations for the quarter.

What is even better news is that nearly 15% of the small businesses across the country have stated that they have job openings, though they also state that they are unable to fill them. Capital One’s survey found that companies that operate in government, utilities and mining sectors are the most likely to have jobs that they are unable to fill.

The survey did show that more small businesses are making plans to hire new employees this quarter compared to last quarter. Nearly 34% of small businesses are planning on hiring more employees over the next six months, which is a 7% increase over the 27% recorded last quarter and 30% the same time the year before.

According to Capital One’s Jon Witter, “The latest survey results show some positive signs that more small businesses are beginning to focus on hiring, with the increase in the number of small businesses making plans to hire compared to the previous quarter at the highest level in over two years.”

In addition to that, nearly 25% of small businesses stated that they had obtained financing in the past 12 months, increasing from 19% in the fourth quarter and 23% in the year-ago quarter. According to Capital One, “The most positive outlook is tempered, however, by businesses’ concerns about cash flow and the ability to acquire new customers.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal – More Small Businesses Had Hiring Plans In Q1 – Capital One

Small Business Expo to Help Small Business Owners with Government Contracting

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small business signThe state departments of General Services and Public Welfare have decided to join forces with the City of Harrisburg and the Naval Supply Systems Command for the Second Annual Small Business Exposition. The expo is designed to help small business owners work through the procedures and processes required for government contracting.

The event is scheduled to run on March 28 from 8am to 4pm at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and will assist smaller businesses in their attempts to compete for government contracts. In addition to that, the event will explain local, state and federal processes for construction, procurement and certification, as well as where and how to identify contracting opportunities.

Sheri Phillips, the Secretary of the Department of General Services, along with Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson, Deputy Secretary for Administration for the Department of Public Welfare Karen Deklinski and Naval Supply Systems Command Vice Commander John Goodhart are all expected to start off the event. The event itself will feature over 50 government and private exhibitors on-site for networking and information on contracting needs.

In addition to that, information with regard to certification processes and procedures for construction, information technology and products/services contracting will also be covered during morning workshops. An afternoon panel will then discuss the different contracting opportunities available at the local, state and federal levels by industry. The day will conclude with a construction diversity session and time to visit exhibitors.

There will be on-site registration the day of the event from 7am to 8am, though advanced registration is highly encouraged. The last thing anybody wants is to show up the day of the show and not make it in time to register. All the information on registration fees and registration can be found here.

Source: Market Watch – March 28 Expo to Help Small Businesses Explore Contracting Opportunities

Power Point Projectors
Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

Orbitz for Business Express Tailored for Small Businesses

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Orbitz for Business logoOrbitz for Business, which is the corporate travel brand for Orbitz Worldwide, has just launched a new venture, Orbitz for Business Express. This new business was set up to offer savings, convenience and professional travel services to small businesses with travel needs. This also includes those small businesses currently without a managed travel program.

Orbitz Business Express empowers small businesses with a dedicated booking website, special rates and discounts, 24/7 assistance from Orbitz travel experts, detailed reports on company travel expenditures and full mobile access to travel searches, bookings and flight updates. What’s more is that you get all of this with absolutely no minimum transaction requirements.

Orbitz for Business Express was designed to bring managed travel solutions to companies with smaller travel budgets or unmanaged programs by offering a simple and quickly implemented program that enables growing companies to focus on expanding their business as opposed to planning travel.

Some of the benefits of Orbitz Business Express include a quick and easy booking tool, lower transaction fees, specially promoted business hotel rates and air discounts, access to a dedicated corporate call center for 24/7 support and corporate discounts negotiated exclusively by the Orbitz team.

Orbitz for Business Express takes it all a step further, though, by enabling companies to get the most out of their travel budget by providing vital insight reports that track costs across multiple travel categories. Traveler safety is enhanced by tracking tools that monitor your itineraries every step of the way.

According to President of Orbitz for Business Frank Petito, “With the launch of Orbitz for Business Express, we are uniquely equipped to support any size organization. Whether it’s a global Fortune 100 firm needing a robust Orbitz for Business solution or a startup that requires a streamlined approach through Orbitz for Business Express, our broad array of managed travel solutions can be tailored to meet every corporate travel need.”

Source: PR Newswire – Orbitz for Business Express Provides Managed Travel Solutions to Growing Companies

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Obama Proposes Corporate Tax Cuts, Small Businesses Not Buying It

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tax cutsRecently, Obama proposed eliminating corporate tax loopholes and, in turn, using that money to cut the business tax rate from 35% to 28%. According to a statement from Obama, “The tax code is unnecessarily complicated and forces America’s small businesses to spend countless hours and dollars filing their taxes.” The only problem is that this plan to simplify the business tax code and cut rates is igniting outcries from small business groups.

The lower tax rate would only apply to businesses organized as C corps, which pay corporate income taxes. C corps make up less than 6% of business tax returns and the other businesses, which includes partnerships, sole proprietors, S corps and limited liability companies, have their business earnings flow through to owners’ personal income and are taxed at individual income tax rates.

If you eliminate tax breaks and fail to lower individual income tax rates, then you could, in essence, raise taxes on some small business owners according to President of the National Association of Small Businesses Todd McCracken. McCracken added, “The business deductions are relatively unified. A deduction’s a deduction, whether you’re a C corp or a sole proprietor, for the most part.”

The National Federation of Independent Businesses, which frequently goes against the Obama Administration and its plans, has panned the new proposal and said in a recent statement, “The focus should be on individual rate reform.” However, not every small business lobby agrees and some are even praising the plan and noting that a reform to the tax code will eliminate tons of loopholes that consistently leave small businesses paying an unfair share of taxes.

McCracken has stated that the plan itself isn’t very specific and that it looks like a mixed bag. McCracken says he favors reform that would deal with both individual tax code alongside corporate taxes. He also noted that chances of any major tax plan passing Congress this year are slim.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek – Why Corporate Tax Cuts Won’t Help Small Businesses

Power Point Projectors
Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

Small Business Owners Expected to Take Advantage of Health Care Reform

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Health Care ReformHealth policy researchers have conducted new analysis and simulations have determined that only a select few employers will take advantage of certain rules that allow some small businesses to avoid pending health care reform measures. This will render the rules obsolete and will also minimize their impact on health insurance costs.

However, that could very well change should the rules be rewritten to extend the opt-out offer to a wider range of companies, according to the study by nonprofit policy research group RAND Corporation. Experts believe that if you allow more employers to keep their old plans then the government would drive the premiums up that are offered to small employers through health  insurance exchanges. In addition, they could also cut enrollment in those programs.

According to lead author of the study and Senior Economist for RAND Christine Eibner, “We found that keeping the rules as they are written, particularly the limitations on maintaining a grandfathered plan, will be essential to keeping premiums affordable in small business insurance exchanges.”

Starting in 2014, under the Affordable Care Act, laws that govern health insurance plans for owners of small businesses will no longer allow insurers to set premiums based on the gender, health status or claims history of the enrollee.  The goal is to disperse the financial risk of insuring unusually sick or high-cost individuals.

However, a lot of people fear that the plan will be undermined by small business owners with healthy workers who self-insure their firms or maintain grandfathered policies. These options are offered under the Affordable Care Act, which would allow them to bypass the new regulations.

If this starts to happen, then the government-sponsored exchanges would become disproportionately comprised of relatively unhealthy, expensive enrollees. This could very well make the premiums of small business owners extremely unaffordable.

RAND’s analysis, however, shows that small business owners will avoid self-insuring due to significant financial risk involved. Researchers also said that most small business owners won’t meet the required standards to be grandfathered in to existing health plans after 2014.

RAND also said that neither of these alternatives will have any real impact on exchange premiums, should the language in the Affordable Care Act stay the same. However, if regulations were more relaxed to allow more companies to keep their current plans, RAND believes that the cost of premiums offered to small business owners via health insurance exchanges would climb exponentially, possibly cutting enrollment in the plans by 50%.

Source: The Washington Post – Small business owners not expected to opt out of health care reform