Ask SCORE

SCORE, "Counselors to America's Small Business," is a nonprofit organization of more than 13,000 volunteer business counselors who provide free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small business owners. Call 610.327.2673 for the Pottstown SCORE chapter, or find a counselor online at www.pottstownscore.org

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Retirement Planning for Small Business Owners

Summary:

Planning for retirement needs to be a priority for every small business owner. Here are three types of small business retirement plans that you can take advantage of to save for retirement that also provide tax advantages for your business.

6 Simple Steps for Getting Things Done at Your Small Business

Whether you are running a for-profit or nonprofit business, an ability to organize efforts and initiatives is a necessary skill to achieve success. Effectively executing efforts and accomplishing goals requires planning and coordination among team members (which may be a combination of employees, vendors, suppliers, contractors, etc.).

While some small business owners seem to have a natural knack for project management, it is not everyone’s strength. Do not feel defeated if it is not yours and you do not have the resources to hire a professional project manager.

Press Release Basics for Small Business Owners

Summary:


A press release is a smart awareness-generating marketing tool when done right. Start by following these press release basics to better your chances of getting the attention of media and creating positive news coverage for your business.

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5 Benefits of Hiring a Diverse Workforce

Not only is variety the spice of life, but it also holds a lot of value for small businesses. Hiring a diverse workforce—a staff that’s inclusive of people from different cultures, capabilities, religions, ages, educational backgrounds, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and personalities—can bring new perspectives and insight to your company.

Advantages of Diversity in Your Business

The B2E (Business to Employee) Focused Company

Naturally, most small businesses put a lot of time, energy, and resources toward catering to their customers. Whether your business is B2C (business to consumer) or B2B (business to business), there is another audience you need to keep happy: your employees.

Solopreneur Tips: Ways to Grow a One-person Business

Solopreneurs encounter many of the same challenges that other business owners face — and some unique ones, as well. Tasked with single-handedly managing all aspects of their businesses — sales, marketing, production, office management, accounting, etc. — they can quickly become overworked and overwhelmed. They may also find it difficult to grow their businesses as they deal with competing priorities and not enough hours in the day.

Fortunately, with dedication to working smarter and not harder, solopreneurs can gain the capacity to devote more time and energy to revenue-growth.

Self-Employment Tax 101 for Small Business Owners

When you have made the transition from someone else’s employee to being your own boss, you gain the autonomy to create your own professional path. You get additional responsibilities, as well—including paying self-employment tax. 

Self-employed individuals are required to not only directly submit the income tax they owe to the federal, state, and local governments, they must also remit self-employment tax to the IRS.

Who Is a “Self-Employed Individual”?

6 Simple Steps for Getting Things Done at Your Small Business

Whether you are running a for-profit or nonprofit business, an ability to organize efforts and initiatives is a necessary skill to achieve success. Effectively executing efforts and accomplishing goals requires planning and coordination among team members (which may be a combination of employees, vendors, suppliers, contractors, etc.).

 While some small business owners seem to have a natural knack for project management, it is not everyone’s strength. Do not feel defeated if it is not yours and you do not have the resources to hire a professional project manager.

Email Marketing Rules Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know

According to the Direct Marketing Association, the typical ROI (return on investment) for email marketing is about 4,300 percent. With that kind of effectiveness, it’s definitely a marketing activity worth considering for your small business. But before you blast out your first message, you need to know the rules.

How The Business Structure You Select Affects Your Income Tax Treatment

The business structure you choose for your startup will affect your company from a legal standpoint, and it will have an impact on your taxes, as well. Before you decide on the structure for your small business, you should do some research and talk to tax and legal professionals for guidance. The better you understand your options, the more likely you’ll be to operate under the structure that will benefit your business the most.

An Overview of A Few of the Most Common Business Structures

Sole Proprietorship

Simple Tips for Better Time Management

With so many responsibilities to tend to as a small business owner, it is easy to get overwhelmed and fall short on what you want to accomplish. If you are a new entrepreneur who formerly worked for an employer other than yourself, you may discover managing time has become more challenging. That is natural. After all, you have gone from having your work schedule and priorities set for you to needing to prioritize every project and task related to running your business.

Tips For Choosing The Right CRM Platform For Your Small Business

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems offer technology to streamline a company’s ability to interact with current and future customers. A CRM system essentially provides a central place where businesses can store customer and prospect data, track customer interactions, and share this information with colleagues. It allows businesses to manage relationships with customers, helping the business to grow.

A good introduction to the benefits of having a CRM system can be seen at …

How To Find The Right Accountant For Your Small Business

Your business success depends on many factors. Managing your money well and understanding your finances are two of the most critical. Unless you are an accountant by trade, it is likely you will need some outside guidance and insight as you start and grow your company.

Getting help from an accountant can benefit your business in a number of ways:

Press Release Basics for Small Business Owners

Press releases remain among the most effective ways to generate awareness of your small business and its products and services. Media outlets may reproduce a press release as is (or with some editing), or follow up about creating a longer story. A press release that gets picked up by reporters, bloggers, and others who share information with potential customers can result in media attention that facilitates interest in your company, builds credibility, and ultimately leads to more revenue.

Closing Sales Starts With Building Trust

Making the sale, especially when your small business offers products and services to other businesses, demands more than being good at what you do. It also requires building professional relationships. To do that, you must earn your customers’ trust.

There’s no scientific formula for earning trust. It requires time, patience, and honest effort.

Here are some suggestions to help you lay a foundation of trust with your potential customers:

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