WELCOME

Help from the Government

How many times have you heard that phrase? Do you remember rolling your eyes and muttering, "Sure." This time the help is coming from the government, but it's for small businesses, so I'm going to give it a thumbs up.

Small business owners who have been struggling to pay a bank-issued loan may see some relief with a new $255 million emergency loan program. As part of the economic recovery bill, loans of up to $35,000 will be offered to small businesses to make interest payments and pay down principal on existing debt.

Essentially interest free, the loans can be used to make payments for up to six months, and no repayment will be due for a year. Businesses must fully repay their loan within five years.

The money won't be coming directly from the SBA. Instead, the agency will offer a 100% guarantee to banks that issue the loans.

Here's the part that is so government-like. The money isn't ready yet. But the agency has only limited time to come up with the guidelines that have already been approved by Congress. So look for it soon from participating banks.

Libby Beatty, Chair
MBA Board of Directors

MARKETING

Help! My Business Sucks!

A new, informative web show has been introduced offering practical ways to market your business. "Help! My Business Sucks!" is hosted by creator Andrew Lock. Lock provides unconventional marketing wisdom to help make your company stand out from the crowd.

In one segment of the show, Lock uses examples from business's big-guns to demonstrate non-traditional marketing methods that almost anyone can use. He also offers useful web resources for small businesses. With a new episode appearing each week on helpmybusiness.com, Lock's creative tactics are worth a look.

Marketing in a Recession

The name of the game is finding affordable ways to remind people you're open for business. Here are some ideas to keep you out of the red:

Retain Existing Clients: Look to those you already service, and give them a little extra attention. E-mail or call to let them know you appreciate their business and when possible extend special rates, offers or discounts. You can also package existing products/services together and market them through a customer referral program.

Reconsider Old Contacts: New economic conditions may make your offer more attractive. Gather and update contact information from past unsuccessful sales leads. Do some Googling to update addresses, and you've created a new prospect list.

Increase Your Value: Instead of engaging in price battles with your competitors increase the level of service you provide. Ask employees how they could do more for customers, and then implement their ideas.

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YOUR FINANCES

Negotiating with the IRS

The first thing you need when going head-to-head with the IRS is good representation. Defending yourself leaves you with little chance of negotiating your way out of denied deductions, financial penalties or back-interest charges.

When the IRS believes there is a problem, they will either launch a criminal investigation or civil audit. If the IRS finds a pattern of intent, you will most likely face criminal charges including fines and jail time.

Civil charges (including financial repercussions) are largely based on common mistakes and can often be worked through with negotiations. In some cases the offer of not challenging the audit against you is enough to have the IRS forgo the penalties.

If that fails, your representative can appeal for an appellate conference. The appellate weighs the risks of taking you to trial. If found unfavorable for the IRS, the appellate has the power to offer you a discount on your tax bill.

Creative Cost-Cutting Tips

Attempts to reduce the costs of running your business can often be daunting - so start simple. Here are some easy ways to create immediate savings:

Sublease Space: If it is within your lease, subleasing office space can help you raise capital to support your business. If your lease doesn't cover subleasing, try to renegotiate your contract at your next renewal.

More Hours, Less Days: By extending your typical workday you may be able to accomplish enough to reduce the number of days your staff spends in the office. This means that your staff will get an extra day off (a bonus to them), and you will cut down your utility bills (a savings to you).

New Dress Code: Encourage your employees to layer their clothing so that you can lower the thermostat to save on heating bills.

Better than Free: Shipping with free boxes provided by the post office is a good start. But be sure you aren't overpaying on postage to take advantage of this free offer. Check out suppliers to investigate how purchasing and shipping more appropriate packaging will impact your expenses.

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FOR THE HOME-BASED BIZ

Shhhh - It's a Secret

A home-based business owner typically will research all methods of advertising, public relations and marketing. It's a well-known fact that all businesses, regardless of size, must promote their product or service to succeed. Fortunately, there's a technique available, without cost, but you have to work for it.

Your current customers can be your best advertisers by the word-of-mouth method. By demonstrating that you offer superior quality and outstanding service, your loyal customers will reward you by telling their customers and business associates. It's a strategy that reflects the way you do business and will help build your company's firm foundation.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

The Importance of Office Ergonomics

Comfort and convenience are the cornerstones of ergonomics, and they relate directly to positive attitude and productivity. In order to give yourself and your employees the best environment to reach your goals try implementing the following ergonomically-sound suggestions:

A desk chair should support your lower back and give you enough room for your feet to stay in contact with the floor. Arm rests can help reduce the amount of strain on shoulders and neck that relate to stress.

Most desks are slightly higher than they should be, hence the prevalence of under-hung sliding keyboard trays. The keyboard should be 23 to 25 inches from the floor to help eliminate the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. Wrist rests are also a good way to combat repetitive stress injuries to the hands and wrists.

Your computer monitor should be 20 degrees below your line of site to ease neck tension. Your face should be 13 to 15 inches from the screen to protect your eyes from glare and screen radiation.

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IT

Gain Shoppers' Trust:
Give Them a Safe Place

With online scammers creating an atmosphere of distrust, it helps to show some credibility when it comes to your e-commerce site. Getting certified by a CA (certification authority) like VeriSign is a good first step. Certification authorities provide businesses with e-commerce security that keeps customer and business information safe.

One of the most trusted technologies is SSL (secure sockets layer). SSL allows encryption of sensitive materials during online transactions as it continually authenticates and verifies information being sent from party to party.

When a customer visits your site and sees a logo verifying that it is certified and secure, they are far more likely to stay, browse and spend. Here are some other leaders in CA: Entrust, Comodo and Baltimore Technologies.

Free Tools for Boosting Your Online Ad Campaign

Pay-per-click ad campaigns can be tedious and time-consuming, but with help you can minimize your efforts and maximize your results. Here are a few free tools to help optimize your campaign:

Keyword Questions: Keyword research company Wordtracker now offers a free "Keyword Questions" tool. Users can type a keyword and get a list of the relevant questions that online surfers recently typed into search engines. You can then use this information to create interesting web copy to boost additional traffic to your site.

SpyFu: This site can show you what Google AdWords your competitors are using. SpyFu does this by running over 2 million terms through Google every month. They then index the search results and advertisements that come back. Try their free tool for a quick look at your competitors.

Keyword Lizard: This free tool helps you find every conceivable combination of your AdWords keyword phrases. The result is a list of keyword phrases that can help you compose a smarter ad campaign by finding phrases on which others aren't bidding.

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NEW MEMBERS

When our member base increases there is more of everything: more creative networking, more benefits and more experienced, enthusiastic business owners. All move our members toward growth, success and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Click here to meet our newest small business partners.

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MBA EVENTS OF INTEREST

BusinessLink Networking Event

Join us for bagels, coffee and business, and bring plenty of business cards!

Thursday, March 26, 2009
8 AM - 10 AM
MBA Conference Room - Broomall, PA

$5 for members,
$15 for non-members to attend,
$30 for non-members to attend and join MBA

Click here to learn more or register

Seminar: Franchise Ownership as a Career Alternative

Presenter: Andy Laskey, The Entrepreneur's Source

As small businesses continue to evolve into an increasingly important part of the U.S. economy, the number of people joining the ranks as entrepreneurs grows every year.

Franchising is an option that can be rewarding and lucrative when the right business concept meets a well-defined set of lifestyle, goals and needs. This concept allows one to invest in an established type of business that has proven successful for others.

Join us to learn about franchising as a mode of business ownership and how to choose the right one for you.

Thursday, April 9, 2009,
6 PM - 8 PM
MBA Conference Room - Broomall, PA

Click to register

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Sponsors of MBA's AR Online Newsletter

Sun East Federal Credit Union

(610) 485-2960, extension 217
Offer a great employee benefit

Unless specifically indicated, MBA does not intend mention of companies, products or services discussed in this publication to be construed to be endorsements. The information in this publication is offered as examples that may be useful to our small business readers. Please consult with an industry professional before implementing any of the tips or subscribing to any of the services described above.