Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on April 30, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Certifications,Small Biz News | 
A Webinar about Securing Opportunities the Right way with SBA 8a!
If you have started a business and are now looking for business opportunities, getting your SBA 8a certification is the next step to success!
There is no better time than now to make the investment and seek SBA 8a certification. With all of the new federally funded project money that is flowing into states, certified SBA 8a small business are at the right place, at the right time.
We invite you to spend some invaluable time with BizCentral USA, and learn how to make the investment and seek SBA 8a certification.
Topics of Interest:
•Eligibility for SBA 8a
•Getting Registered
•Supporting Documentation
Don’t wait any longer to get your small business certified. Learn how to take advantage of the numerous certifications that are available for your small business by attending our FREE webinar on Monday, May 10, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EST).
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on April 29, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Certifications,Small Biz News |
Acquiring an 8(a) Certification can be extremely beneficial to your business. Federal acquisition policies encourage Federal agencies to award a certain percentage of their contracts to Small Disadvantaged Businesses Certified businesses.
In order to be eligible for an 8(a) certification:
- You must be a small business based on size standards for small businesses in your industry
- You must be U.S. citizen
- You must be the majority owner of the business owning at least 51%
- You must work full-time in your business
- You must run the day-to-day operations of the business
- Control of your board must be exercised only by disadvantaged persons. You must be a socially disadvantaged individual (Socially disadvantaged individuals are those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias within American society because of their identities as members of groups and without regard to their individual qualities)
- Socially Disadvantaged Groups (African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, and Subcontinent Asian Americans) Other individuals can be admitted to the program if they show through evidence that they are disadvantaged because of race, ethnicity, gender, physical handicap, or residence in an environment isolated from the mainstream of American society
- Ultimate control of your company must be the responsibility of the disadvantaged individual
- You must be an economically disadvantaged individual (For the 8(a) program this means all applicant individuals must have a net worth of $250,000 or less, excluding the value of the business and personal residence)
- You must be in business for at least two years or apply for a waiver of the two-year requirement
- You must not have any significant unresolved federal or state tax financial issues
- You must be of good moral character
- You must not operate a business that is not eligible for certification (Broker or Non-Profit)
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on April 20, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz News,Small Biz Planning |
As we already know, going green is a great idea. Whether you want to help the environment, reduce waste, save money, or all of the above by simply making a few small changes, your small business will be able to benefit the environment and your business’ bottom line.
One simple way to prevent wasted energy costs is to power off your computers every night and on weekends. It is estimated that a single computer is left in sleep mode every night and weekend for a year, costs your business $41 per year to power that unused computer. $41 may not seem like a lot money but if you multiply the $41 by the number of computers in your office the expense adds up rather quickly.
In the United States most of the electricity is generated from coal-fueled power plants. The more electricity we use, the worse the environmental impact, increasing the need for additional coal mining. Reducing our electricity usage can decrease the amount of coal mined for power and preserve natural environments that don’t need to be turned into mines.
Another simple way to prevent energy wastage is to be sure to turn off your lights when they are not required. It is estimated that the average 60 watt bulb is typically left on overnight at the office from 5 pm-8 am. If the average power company charges 10¢ per kilowatt hour, and there are 15 hours of the day when the office is unoccupied, then leaving the light on overnight is using about one kilowatt hour of unnecessary power per day. By turning your lights off at the end of the night, you can save your business $0.50 each week, $2.00 per month, and $24.00 per year. Again, $24.00 per year may seem like a small savings but if you multiply that $24 by the total number of light bulbs in your business, this can end up being a great savings.
Another simple way to prevent waste and save money is to set all of your business’ computers default printer settings to print on both sides of each paper. Right away you will see that you have basically cut your paper cost in half. By using less paper you will be able to greatly reduce your businesses office supply budget.
It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of the trees cut down in North America are used to produce paper. In addition to the destruction of wildlife habitat caused by deforestation, the paper making process involves nearly 1,000 different chemicals and uses thousands of kilowatt hours of energy. By simply changing your business’ computer’s printer setting you will be doing your part to reduce these alarming figures.
If your business uses a fax machine you may want to consider digital faxing. Digital faxing will also increase your business’ savings from reducing your paper usage. By converting to digital faxing you will also be able to reduce your business’ cost of buying, maintaining and repairing a fax machine.
By following these simple tips, your business will be able to greatly reduce its carbon footprint. You will also be able to reduce waste, save money and utilize small business resources.
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on April 14, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz News |
Whether you are just starting out or growing your small business, a sound business plan is your roadmap to success.
Writing a business plan will force you to objectively develop and evaluate your tactical and strategic plans. It will also help you identify the opportunities and risks encountered as a result of your decisions. Most importantly, you will understand who your customers are and how you can meet or exceed their needs and expectations.
We invite you to spend some invaluable time with BizCentral USA and learn how to not just build an effective business plan, but utilize it to insure your small business’ success!
Topics of Interest:
- Company Summary
- Strategy & Implementation
- Financials
- Market Segmentation
Don’t let your small business dreams fail or fall short of their actual potential! Learn how to prepare your small business for success by attending our webinar on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EST).
Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on April 5, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Certifications,Small Biz News |
Many different small business certifications exist. Depending on where your business is located there are county, city, and state certification programs that exist in order to disburse and diversify government contracts. Each program has qualifying factors or industry specific requirements that your business will have to meet.
If you are transportation, construction, or an alternate construction support company, your business would most benefit from a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification. The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification (also known as DBE) is normally run through your state’s Department of Transportation. The DBE is more industry specific and helps to certify small businesses.
In order to qualify, the majority of businesses owner(s) must have a personal net worth of less than $750,000. Many business owners see this requirement and decide not to move forward in the process. The majority owners are the qualify factors and their net worth is calculated separately from all business accounts and assets. The owner’s personal residence is not calculated as an asset but it must be disclosed as your residence. Once the business owner decides to move forward with the process, they apply and provide all supporting documentation for the certification.
Due to the recent influx of applications for these programs, each office has an average processing time of about 90 days. This process cannot be expedited and each application is processed in order of submission and complexity. The key to experiencing a very smooth and seamless certification process is to ensure that all paperwork is accurate and complete. Incomplete applications are returned with a request for additional information. For more information on the specific office to reference for your state, please follow the link provided below.
www.osdbu.dot.gov/DBEProgram/StateDBELiaisonCertificationOfficers.cfm
