As a Small Business Owner, Are You Ready to Retire?

August 5, 2015 by

business (3)

As the economy was recovering, there was talk about small business owners gaining confidence in the economy and possibly hiring for their business. Nationally the confidence small business owners felt is declining or slipping away completely.  It is not surprising then the hiring has taken a back seat for the moment, and businesses are more concerned with meeting their current payroll instead of adding to it. And what about retirement? According to recent surveys,  more than half of the small business owners in the United States do not have enough to retire comfortably or at all.

To read more about this and other news, follow the links below.

Survey: Small Business Owners Unprepared for Retirement

Almost half of small business owners surveyed are unsure what will happen to their business when they retire.

A survey conducted recently by TD Bank demonstrated 26% of small business owners are not confident they will save enough money to retire comfortably. The survey of more than 660 small business owners nationwide questioned respondents about their management experience, confidence in business tasks and areas in which they need help.

Nearly half of survey respondents (47%) said they do not have plans in place for retirement, whereas about a quarter of respondents (24%) indicated their business would close, and 15% of business owners said they would transfer ownership of their business to a family member or coworker.

External factors affect retirement planning

“Building a small business is hard work, and it can be easy to get caught up in daily tasks such as paying invoices or increasing sales, but smart business operations need to consider the future, including the retirement of the owner,”Jay DesMarteu, head of Small Business Banking for TD Bank, said in a press release. “Just as those in the workforce should invest in themselves through retirement savings, small business owners need to have conversations about retirement and prepare for the future to ease the transition, whether that be closing or selling the business or passing it on to a family member.”

Small business optimism slips two percent in July

THOMASVILLE — Small businesses in Cairo and Thomasville reflect the findings of a recent survey that showssmall businesses in Georgia were increasingly worried about economic conditions in July.

Thumbtack.com’s Small Business Sentiment Survey is a monthly survey of independent local service businesses in the U.S. As part of its survey, the company included 523 responses from Georgia.

The key findings for the state showed that Georgia small business owners’ feelings about their current finances declined by 2 percent while expectations for the economy as a whole dropped by 4 percent.

Concerns over tightening access to credit were particularly pronounced as expectations for the availability of credit declined by 5 percent. Nevertheless, Georgia’s independent local service professionals remain more optimistic about future economic conditions than the rest of the South and the nation as a whole.

Small businesses in Georgia reported that their biggest concern was acquiring new customers. In regards to hiring, Georgia’s small business owners reported a 3 percent decline in plans to add employees to their ranks.

Jay Evans, owner of Babcock & More Home Furniture in Thomasville, Cairo and Camilla, said in an interview with the Times-Enterprise (TTE) that he hasn’t had to cut employees, but he hasn’t hired any, either.

Why Is It So Hard To Serve Small Business? Blame The 90% Challenge

There’s a convenient narrative about small business that we’ve all heard a million times.  Small business represents a huge, underserved, and highly lucrative market for finance-oriented entrepreneurs and large organizations alike. The prevailing wisdom is that these businesses run on Intuit’s QuickBooks, which enables them to have organized, accurate, and timely financial information at their fingertips. By all accounts, the small business market should be an easy one to serve. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Organizations big and small have struggled to serve the small business market in an efficient and effective matter, and it’s all due to what we call the 90% challenge.

The 90% challenge

My company BodeTree started out as one of those optimistic startups that thought serving the small business segment would be easy. We quickly realized, however that the commonly held wisdom was wrong. Of the 30 million small businesses in the U.S., the vast majority operate in a state of utter chaos, even if they use an accounting system of some kind.  The reality is that for most small businesses, the traditional process of organizing and managing their finances is too complex, too difficult, and too time consuming.

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business Tax Cuts and Other News

July 31, 2015 by
64002400When the Ohio government talks about tax cuts, it is a good indication for the small business owner that things might improve a bit.  Although some of the tax cuts in the past have been negligent, and hardly make a difference, one hopes that there will be one that will truly benefit the small business owner across Ohio.  By giving small business owners tax breaks, the economy can improve and benefit the whole economy as a whole.  For more about this and other topics follow the links below.

New small-business tax break in Ohio will make a difference: Rion Safier and Steve Millard (Opinion)
The Ohio General Assembly and Gov. John Kasich recently approved a biennium budget bill that allows small business owners a 75 percent tax deduction for the first $250,000 in small business income for 2015 and a 100 percent deduction beginning in 2016.If you are a small business owner, work for one, or frequent their services, this is good news. Because most small businesses are pass-through entities, the owners pay taxes on their business income on their individual income return, at their individual income tax rate. And, a small business owner’s tax burden impacts the prices consumers pay and the benefits their employees enjoy.In April, the editorial board of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and The Plain Dealer wrote in opposition to giving “owners of small businesses a huge and unmerited tax break.”

Small business improving in Ohio

Ohio’s small businesses reported a slight improvement in July, bucking a national downward trend, according to the Thumbtack.com Small Business Sentiment Survey, a monthly survey of independent local service businesses in the U.S., including 360 responses in Ohio.

Designed with Bloomberg, the survey is housed and integrated into the economic functions of the Bloomberg Professional service.

In that report, Portsmouth is listed as having multiple small business services available. Among those are business plan consulting, catering, commercial cleaning, DJs, event photographers, karaoke rental, magicians, makeup artists, photo restoration, photographers, tree trimming, videographers, wedding officiants, wedding photographers and wedding videography.

Opening doors for small business in Ohio

​From the barbershop around the corner to the entrepreneur working solo to launch a business venture, small businesses form the cornerstone of Ohio’s economy. Small business owners comprise 98 percent of all employers in Ohio and employ half of the state’s private sector labor force. Large corporations may attract a sea of job applicants every year, but small businesses create every three out of four jobs in the state.

Clearly, there is nothing small about small business in Ohio.

The stakes are high for entrepreneurs and small business owners who face formidable start-up fees, a sizable tax burden and burdensome regulations in many states around the country. In traditional industries like manufacturing, Ohio has historically struggled to find the right balance of incentives to attract and retain employers.

Fortunately, times are changing.

This General Assembly, the Ohio Senate has taken several major steps toward creating a more favorable business climate for small businesses and attracting new investment to the state. We recognize the tremendous value of the innovation and hard work that small business owners bring to Ohio, and we can’t afford to give them anything less than our measure of support.

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business Planning and Finances

July 21, 2015 by

64002400

The cost of hiring a new employee does not stop at the salary a business owner pays them.  The cost of recruiting and training can be expensive costs to the small business owner, and one of the many reasons the can hesitate about hiring if they are short in cash.  Keeping a talented workforce is another matter.  The salary and benefits small business owners provide to their employees can be instrumental in keeping individuals with talent in their businesses. To read more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

How Banks Lost Their Groove In Small Business Finance… And Why They May Never Get It Back

Prior to the Great Recession, easy credit conditions prevailed for small businesses. Cash was free flowing, and relaxed lending practices made it relatively easy to secure financing.

After the Lehman Brothers crash and during the ensuing “credit crunch,” volume fell roughly 19% from 2008 until 2012. This general slowdown in lending coincided with stricter requirements placed on borrowers. Financing simply became less available — even for “creditworthy” companies. For the first time in U.S. business history, small business owners frequently were unable to secure credit even from their own banks.

Many banks suffered losses when the housing bubble burst, and they became risk averse. In order to make loans, they often sought three years worth of financial data. Naturally, revenues declined during the recession, and startups were particularly challenged because they had no financial track record to highlight. Historical data from my company’s Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index shows that big bank lending hit rock bottom four years ago in June 2011, when only 8.9% of small business loan applications were granted.

IKE TROTTER — Planning is vital for small businesses

Here in Mississippi and, in particular, the Delta, small businesses are the backbone to our economy. And, equally as important, small businesses can be the glue that brings children back home to run and eventually succeed in the ownership of a business. But, as many know, running a small business today involves a great deal of risk.

Needless to say, a small business normally comprises the largest part of one’s estate.  Unfortunately, most business owners fail to address the need for succession planning because it is human nature to put off decisions concerning death, disability or retirement. But here’s a typical scenario: upon the departure of a business owner, there are three choices for remaining family members; sell the business, liquidate the business or try to continue operating. Because of this, succession planning is critical in carrying forth both an orderly transition of power to new owners as well as providing continuity for employees and existing customers.

A properly drafted buy-sell arrangement that is adequately funded can provide financial protection for both family and business. Designed effectively, the plan can allow surviving family members and owners to enjoy ongoing economic support for succeeding generations.

Small business advice: How to attract and retain loyal millennials

It’s no secret that building and maintaining stable employee relationships saves money in the short term and increases company performance in the long term. But what does appear to be a mystery is how to build those relationships.

Many small business owners haven’t found a way to take advantage of this insight because they struggle to build attractive benefits packages and cultures that appeal not only to the best employees, but also to the most dedicated employees.

Fortunately, there’s new information available that points to a surprising solution to this problem: Small businesses need to hire more underrated (and underrepresented) long-haul millennials.

“Dedicated” and “loyal” might not be terms that you usually associate with millennials, but new research indicates that you might want to reconsider your outlook. Although you wouldn’t want to focus your entire hiring strategy on one demographic, there are two facts about millennials that you need to consider before dismissing this approach.

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business News

July 2, 2015 by

business (9)

Flexibility  is one of the many advantages an entrepreneur has when having his own business.  And the hours they choose to work do not matter as long as they’re many.  An 8-5 schedule for an entrepreneur does not work.  They work morning, afternoons and nights to be able to fit the many issues they have to accomplish before they can call it a day.  The amount of work they accomplish reflects on the many successes they achieve, thus making them financially stable to expand their business or any other endeavors they may have.

Follow the links below for more about this and other news.

The 7 Different Loans You Can Get as a Business Owner

In their book Start Your Own Business, the staff of Entrepreneur Media Inc. guides you through the critical steps to starting your business, then supports you in surviving the first three years as a business owner. In this edited excerpt, the authors outline the seven different kinds of loans you could get from a bank.

When you’re looking for debt financing for your business, there are many sources you can turn to, including banks, commercial lenders, and even your personal credit cards. And you don’t need to pinpoint the exact type of loan you need before you approach a lender; they will help you decide what type of financing is best for your needs. However, you should have some general idea of the different types of loans available so you’ll understand what your lender is offering.

Here’s a look at how lenders generally structure loans, with common variations.

1. Line-of-credit loans.

5 Reasons Why ‘Asking’ Is an Essential Skill for Every Entrepreneur

How do you feel about asking for what you want or need? If words likeshy, nervous, anxious or even apathetic describe you in this context, you could be missing out on a good many opportunities.

Whether it’s favors, negotiations, or routine interpersonal communications you’re seeking, taking the initiative to ask and knowing how to do it well can make all the difference for both new entrepreneurs and established businesses.

From my experience, there are five key reasons that make asking important and necessary for success in business.

1. If you don’t ask for it, you probably won’t get it.

It seems kind of obvious, but it’s worth keeping in mind that things rarely fall into your lap and people usually won’t give you things just “because.” Even when someone does want to help you or make a deal, you can’t count on that person being a mind-reader.

Owning Your Own Business Means You Can Work Whenever You Want – As Long As It’s Every Day.

For years, Tim Campbell and his wife Sandi have shared a dream of one day owning their own business. After nearly 30 years of working in corporate America, filled with frequent traveling and moves, the Campbells were ready for jobs that allowed for the flexibility to spend time with friends and family. So, after returning to their home state of Georgia, the couple decided to open a Big Frog Customer T-Shirts & More franchise. Here’s what they have learned.

Name: Tim and Sandi Campbell

Franchise owned: Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Cumming, Ga.

How long have you owned a franchise?

My wife, Sandi, and I bought our store from an existing franchisee in 2013, but the store was first opened in 2009. Now we are in the process of opening a second location in the area.

Why franchising?

After 27 years in the corporate world, I was ready for a change of pace. My wife and I have both always wanted to own our own business, and we really liked that franchising offers a footprint in the industry, with the infrastructure and brand recognition already in place without us having to grow it from the ground up. Not only is Big Frog a fast-growing and award-winning franchise, it offers full support for its franchisees through a variety of mediums like peer groups, mentoring, forums, coaching and e-learning.

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thinking About Starting Your Own Business? Read Ahead

June 25, 2015 by

business (10)

Individuals as well as businesses of any size deal with financial woes, but if you want to start your own business or want to get into the franchise world, being financially aware of what to expect can help you avoid the many pitfalls that a lot of small business owners and individual deal with in a daily basis.  Meeting payroll and paying for expenses for the business can be financially draining if you do not budget your money well.

For more about this and other topics follow the links below.

Pop Quiz: Do You Know the 5 Basics of Financial Literacy?

Financial literacy, financial capability, financial understanding.

Whatever the name, the core idea is the same: being equipped with the knowledge, skills and tools to manage your money and secure your future.

That’s no easy task, but here are five key money topics you’ll need to understand and put into action to make financial literacy a reality:

    • Budgeting. Financial security starts with prudently managing your money on a day-to-day basis. That means spending less than you earn and saving consistently. Try to save at least 15% of your gross pay for short-term goals, long-term goals and unexpected expenses. Do it first and not with what’s left of your paycheck. Track all your expenses and set reasonable spending guidelines. Finally, don’t get caught up in how others are spending and undermine your own budget.

Plan Ahead to Be Your Own Boss

When Lisa Hennessy’s pet collie was diagnosed with a degenerative disease, she prepared a special, home-made diet for him, and discovered all her dogs loved it. So when she lost her job as a manager for an automotive parts distributor a few years later, she saw an opportunity to launch Your Pet Chef, a company that makes personalised dog food.

“We now make food for over 125 dogs and help them eat healthier every day,” said Hennessy, 52, who lives in Chicago in the US.

While Hennessy enjoys her new venture, which launched in 2012, she also faces a common problem among new business-owners: dwindling funds. Three years in, the business is self-sustaining but still doesn’t pay her a salary. “Now I’m trying to find investors so I can keep doing it and not drive for Uber [to supplement income],” she said.

It takes determination, experience, research, timing and hard work to start a business. And, many fail. But that doesn’t stop people from trying. In the US, 476,000 new businesses launched each month in 2013, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. That same year, more than half a million new businesses were started in the UK, according to StartUp Britain. In Australia, about 300,000 new small businesses launch each year, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia.

10 Questions to Ask When Franchising Your Business

Your business is booming, easy to duplicate and ripe for growth. You’ve always dreamed of expanding to multiple locations. You decide the time is right — you’re making the leap to franchising.

Like tying the knot, becoming a franchisor isn’t an endeavor you rush into. With so many opportunities for failure, it’s critical that you do your due diligence when researching how to properly franchise your brand.

From budgeting for up-front costs, filing the right legal paperwork, vetting trustworthy franchisees, to scheduling royalty payments, there’s no shortage of challenging tasks ahead. But, if you play your cards right, your brand could one day be the next Supercuts or Subway.

Here are 10 essential questions to ask when franchising your business:

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business Job Creation, Lending, and Taxes

June 18, 2015 by

business (5)

The statistics for the small business community  are looking good for 2015. Small business owners believe and are confident that this year will be more profitable than last year, they intent to hire more employees, and feel confident they will invest more in technology.  Taxes, new regulations, and other costs associated with the running of the business are not pleasant nor foreseeable, but those are some of the limitations that they can, and are used to dealing with in a daily basis.

Read more about this by following the links below.

Small Business, Job Creation, And Why We Should Lend To Young Companies

Any honest conversation about creating jobs in the United States must include the role played by small business. Collectively, these businesses create the lion’s share of new jobs. The current SBA Administrator Maria Contreras Sweet regularly argues that two out of every three new jobs are created there. So when Experian approached me with a new study that explored the impact of small businesses (particularly startups), on our economy and what we could do to encourage more job creation, they had my attention.

As one of the three biggest business and personal credit reporting bureaus, I consider Experian’s advice and perspective very relevant to this conversation. I recently spoke with Peter Bolin, Experian Director of Consulting and Analytics, to talk about the research. When they dived into the data they found that small businesses and startups really do have a direct impact on job creation in the United States. They focused on the 2010 class of startups and looked at the resilience of the overall US economic recovery and how these businesses have performed in the four years since they opened their doors.

New chip credit cards putting squeeze on small businesses

NEW YORK — New credit and debit cards with computer chips are putting the squeeze on small businesses.

The cards being rolled out by banks and credit card companies are aimed at reducing fraud from counterfeit cards. As chip cards are phased in, magnetic stripe cards, which are easier for thieves to copy, will be phased out. Businesses of all sizes face an Oct. 1 deadline to get new card readers and software that can handle chips. Most estimates of transition costs for small companies vary from the low hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars due to the wide range of equipment used.

If businesses don’t meet the deadline set by companies including MasterCard, Visa and American Express, they can be held liable for transactions made with phony chip cards.

Small Business Owners Want a Fair Share of Their Taxes Back

New Jersey’s Small Business Development Centers are pushing again for an increase in their state funding — which would in turn make the centers eligible to have federal funding increased to the program in a state with one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates.

The network, formally called America’s SBDC New Jersey, says it had its state support slashed in former Gov. Jon Corzine’s term from $1 million down to $250,000 — and then survived an attempted cut to zero in Gov. Chris Christie’s administration. The state Legislature restored that $250,000, but the funding has been frozen at the same level since Christie’s first year in office, 2010.

Officials with the group argue that’s too little — especially because restoring the $1 million state matching funds would bring back almost that much in federal support for the small-business centers.

By its own figures, SBDCNJ helped 534 clients start new businesses last year, and “helped its clients create and save 15,089 jobs.”

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business Jobs and Updates

June 11, 2015 by

59948705

Analysts and policymakers are confident the state of the economy is getting better.  The reports about job openings are encouraging, and job openings have reached the highest percentage this past April since the year 2000.  One of the concerns now is the ability of these business to fill such mention openings.  The skill necessary businesses are looking for in candidates to fulfill their demands is not there, therefore businesses are still looking.

Follow the links below for more information about this topic.

U.S. job openings hit record high; small businesses upbeat

U.S. job openings surged to a record high in April and small business confidence perked up in May, suggesting the economy was regaining speed after stumbling at the start of the year.

The economy’s stronger tone was reinforced by other data on Tuesday showing a solid rise in wholesale inventories in April, in part as oil prices stabilized.

“This is more confirmation that the economy is indeed emerging from that soft patch in the first quarter and can still pick up even faster in the next few months,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York.

American small businesses just gave us some more incredibly bullish news about the job market

The labor market is rolling. 

On Tuesday, the National Federation of Independent Business, a conservative lobby group, released its latest small business report, which showed that its small business optimism index rose to 98.3 in May.

But the really positive part of the report isn’t the headline reading — though this did rise to a 5-month high — but the incredibly bullish commentary on the labor market.

The Importance Of Relationships In Scaling A Small Business

​In my Forbes series The Insiders, I share the highs and lows associated with launching and scaling a small business, all through the chronological lens of our own experiences building VerbalizeIt.

In my most recent post, I discussed our fears of not being able to accelerate quickly enough during our time in the Techstars business accelerator program. The focus was on ensuring we had technically-inclined teammates to facilitate our growth.

Another critical component to our earliest successes was the non-teammate relationships we developed, most notably with our mentors, advisors, and advocates. These individuals contributed more to our early growth than we could have ever achieved on our own, resulting from their extensive experiences and network of relationships.

How do entrepreneurs find and convince the right advisors to take part in their journey?


Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Changes You Need To Do To Help Your Business

June 4, 2015 by

Having a website nowadays is not longer enough.  If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, you are loosin54640451g sales.  But before you spend the time and money optimizing your website for mobile devices, make sure it is good enough for desktops before spending the money elsewhere. Ask yourself these questions: Does my website load in less than 2 seconds? If the answer is no, you need to fix that before going any further.  Research has shown that if a website takes longer than two minutes to load , more than half of  your visitors leave without ever seeing if you have what they wanted. Is the content relevant? Good content can engage you potential customer and offer basic information they may need.   To read more about this and other topics follow the links below.

5 Things Your Small Business Should Do This Summer

Summer is almost here! While a vacation is definitely recommended, don’t spend the whole summer relaxing.

Here are five things your small business should definitely do this summer:

1. Get a Mobile Website

Look around when you’re walking down the street. Almost every person is attached to a smartphone. About 40 percent of consumers prefer to use their phone to search for businesses and services on the internet. Is your website mobile-optimized? If not, why not? Make it easier for potential customers to find you. Mobile-optimize your website.

6 Small Business Tips from a Pet Mediator

Big businesses, like Walmart and Apple, seem to just roll along on the momentum of their success and power.

However, small businesses don’t have that luxury. You fight for every little success and every advantage to get ahead of the competition. Some small businesses are so small, most people have never heard of them before.

For example, have you heard of a pet mediator?

Debra Hamilton, Pet Mediator

Pet mediator. What will we come up with next?

What The Small Business Tax Break Actually Does

The immediate tax deduction for small business announced in the Federal Budget has been broadly welcomed, but what may have been missed is the fact that what the Government doesn’t collect now, it will collect later.

As part of the $5.5 billion small business package at the centre of its latest Budget, the Federal Government announced it would allow businesses with turnover less than $2 million to immediately deduct the cost of any individual asset purchased up to the value of $20,000, from Budget night through to the end of June 2017. The estimated cost of this accelerated depreciation measure to revenue is estimated at $1.75 billion over the four years of forward estimates.

But what should be noted about this measure is that it doesn’t change the eligibility for tax deductions of these assets; it simply changes how quickly a small business is able to receive the tax deduction.

Under the existing simplified depreciation rules for small business, an asset costing over $1000 would be depreciated at 15% for the first year, and 30% thereafter, until the taxable value of the asset pool is $1000 or less, at which point the full amount can be written off.

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business Money Issues

May 28, 2015 by

64002400

From retirement funding  to meeting payroll every month, small businesses are plagued in a continual basis with issues about money.  Legislation in Washington  can be helpful or devastating to the small business community, and in some instances small business owners find themselves with the same problems regardless of what happens in Washington.  Does your business need a loan? Do you need money to fund a retirement account for you?  Follow the links below for more news about this and other issues affecting your business.

Loans, taxes, regulations on small-business election agenda

There are no “one size fits all” issues for small business in the 2016 presidential campaign. While candidates try to appeal to all small businesses, many owners want very specific things. A sample of what’s on the agenda of some individual owners and two small business advocacy groups:

Help small banks compete: Community banks whose customers include small businesses are at a disadvantage because of regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act implemented following the 2008 banking crisis, says Jim Angleton, owner of Aegis FinServ, a Miami-based financial services company. While the law is needed to prevent a recurrence of the practices that led to bank failures of all sizes, it places a disproportionate financial burden on smaller banks, Angleton says.

The number of small banks in the U.S. dropped 14 percent after Dodd-Frank was enacted in 2010, according to researchers at George Mason University.

5 Creative Ways To Fund Your Small Business

A look at the fast-evolving options for entrepreneurs on a money hunt—including several that first-time entrepreneurs tend to overlook.

When Mike Shapiro quit his job as a corporate lawyer to launch a group of community news web sites in 2008, he relied on savings he’d frugally socked away for years. “I wasn’t an Armani suit guy at my firm,” says Shapiro, CEO and publisher of TAPInto.net, a five-employee franchise chain, based in New Providence, N.J., that now has 37 locations.

But self-funding the business turned out to be stressful. During the first two and a half years, he poured about $250,000 into his startup, taking no salary while he and his family lived on their savings. And as he was launching the business, his son, then an infant, had to have open heart surgery, and his wife stayed home to care for the baby.

Small Business — and State Governments — May Rescue Your Retirement

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Half of Americans employed in the private sector work for small businesses. That means many workers simply don’t have access to retirement plans. Big firms lure talent with tax-advantaged savings plans like 401(k)s — and even match workers’ contributions, while neighborhood businesses often lack the means to provide such benefits.

But now, the small-business backbone of the economy is slowly rising to the occasion, often with the assistance of state governments.

Here’s one such example from the state of Washington: The Small Business Retirement Marketplace, signed into law last week by Washington Governor Jay Inslee, will provide an estimated 1.5 million residents in the state with access toworkplace-based retirement accounts.

“Employers do not have to do anything but deduct and forward the money — the same way they handle taxes,” said Rep. Larry Springer, a co-sponsor of the state legislation, in a press statement. “We know people are very unlikely to save for retirement if they are not offered a plan through work. The Small Business Retirement Savings Marketplace will allow more workers access to a safe, easy and affordable way to retire in dignity.”

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Starting a Business in Northeast Ohio? Check the Best Cities for Business

May 19, 2015 by

62227730

More than half the population of the United States work for a small business, and  a small business per the SBA is a business with less than 500 employees.  The news about the economy seems to pull small business owners in two directions. Those optimistic and ready to hire new employees, or the cautious one that are still waiting to see how the economy is really working out.  Which small business owner are you?  Follow the links below for more news about the economy.

The Best Places to Start a Business in Ohio

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ohio occupied the center of America’s industrial heart. The burgeoning United States economy couldn’t get enough of the region’s cars and steel, and in turn, Ohio and other states provided a virtually endless stream of jobs in its workshops and factories.

In the second half of the 20th century, however, the region fell into decline, as manufacturing output required less labor input, and companies left the Great Lakes states for the warmer climes of the Sun Belt. The entire region was categorized economically dead as factories closed and traditionally middle-class manufacturing jobs disappeared.

But what really happened wasn’t quite that simple. Although it’s true the number of manufacturing jobs has declined, Ohio remains one of the country’s most productive states. Photos of rusted, abandoned factories paint a dire picture, but companies and communities adjusted, and the Ohio economy proved to be more resilient and dynamic than portrayed.

Ohio small businesses feeling better about economy

Ohio small-business owners are feeling better about the economy, both locally and nationally, according to a U.S. Bank survey released Monday.

The growing confidence, however, isn’t translating into significant hiring or big investments by owners.

The U.S. Bank survey, the sixth that the Minneapolis-based bank has done, found that 72 percent of the 200 Ohio small- business owners surveyed describe their business as good, very good or excellent, the best in five years.

Still, 23 percent of those surveyed believe the national economy remains in a recession. That’s down from 35 percent in 2014 and 45 percent in 2013.

Small-business owners aren’t the only ones who have been cautious since the recession, said George Mokrzan, Huntington Bancshares economist. Consumers also have been holding back on retail sales and buying homes.

Small business owners bullish on economy, ready to hire workers

Small-business owners in Central Ohio and throughout the state are growing more optimistic about their own financials along with the health of the national economy, according to separate surveys from U.S. Bank and the Entrepreneurs’ Organizations.

Three-quarters of Columbus-area companies surveyed by the EO trade group expect profits to increase over the next six months, up from 67 percent in its semiannual survey released last October.

Filed Under: Ohio Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »