Surf the Net for Small Business Information at Any Time

As an entrepreneur your time is limited. You are busy planning to open a business or managing the day-to-day operation of your business. Even so, new regulations, business practices, trade association information, and Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loan information are all available with the click of a button. Technology provides easy access to a wealth of information via the Internet.

Before you spend countless hours surfing for that useful piece of information, review the list of small business resources below—all reachable on the Internet. Common small business questions often arise about how to protect products; how to declare employee wages; how to file tax returns; and where to go for general small business information. Look no further. The resources listed below can be very helpful and are available 24 hours a day via the Internet.

• Patent & Trademark—Patents for inventions are vital to your business success. You should consider registering a company trademark to protect that mark for your company. To find out more visit the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office at http://www.uspto.gov. Easy-to-access information is available on a topic by topic basis. Forms can be downloaded directly from the site, if you have Adobe Acrobat software. Access to the U.S. Copyright office is available via a hotlink.

• Wage Reporting—If you are an employer, you are required to report employee wages and taxes to the Social Security Administration. For more information on accurate filing and year-end wage reporting, visit the web site for the Social Security Administration at http://www.ssa.gov. Or call 1-800-772-1213 for a free copy of "The Employer’s Guide," a pamphlet with information on timely and accurate W-2 Wage reports.

• Tax Filing—Both personal and corporate taxes are collected by the federal government. Be sure you are in compliance with tax law. Consult with your accountant as appropriate. For quick, easy access to Tax Forms and Information, visit the Internal Revenue Service Web Site at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov. Extensive information and downloadable publications, tax forms and regulations are available.

• Small Business Information—The SBA provides publications, business tips, SBA-guaranteed loan information and abundant small business hotlinks on its web site. Information about women’s business ownership, minority business ownership, the Service Corps of Retired Executives and other resources are described on the site. The site is divided into easy to use sections for starting your business, financing your business, and expanding your business. Visit this web site at http://www.sba.gov.

• Small Business Counseling—The SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) has a nationwide network of 12,400 volunteers in 389 chapters throughout the United States. These volunteers donate their time as business counselors. Small business tips, success stories, access to counseling via email, and hotlinks to local SCORE chapter web pages are on this site. Visit http://www.smallbusiness.apple.com. This web site, sponsored by Apple Computer, Inc., provides a wide variety of small business resources and hotlinks to other web sites.

Go online for information gathering as one tool in your plan for success. Also feel free to call upon a SCORE counselor for a one-to-one business advising session to help you focus on key business issues and streamline the amount of time and effort dedicated to research. All SCORE counseling is free-of-charge and confidential. For a referral to a SCORE chapter near you, call 1 (800) 634-0245. Be sure to ask for the free brochure "No One Knows More About Small Business Ownership."

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