If your small business needs U.S. Customs forms, then visit the Customs and Border Protection’s forms website that contains may commonly used forms. Customs and Boarder Protection is the arm of the United States government responsible for overseeing the enforcement of a variety of customs-related laws and regulations.
Category: small business
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) sets out Nine Principles for an Effective Compliance Program. Compliance with these principles may mitigate penalties levied against you as a small business exporter. Check out the the BIS web site that contains a publication entitled Don’t Let This Happen to You, which includes the nine principles (page 6) and a number of illustrations of non-compliance. There is also a short presentation concerning similar subject matter with a checklist tool that the BIS utilizes.
If you have preliminary questions about trademarks and service marks, then take a look at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s small business specific website. The site features direct answers about trademarks and service marks as possible beneficial additions to your small business. The site also discusses international registration of United States trademarks.
Many small business entrepreneurs are faced with the difficult decision of which business structure/entity to house the operations of their small business. The Internal Revenue Service provides a concise break down of different U.S. business structures available to American small business. Whether your small business will elect to be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, S corporation, or a limited liability company impacts the governance and taxation of the company. The site features links to short explanatory sections as well as links to tax information and forms.
The Small Business Association’s ARC Loan Program may help your small business that faces immediate financial hardship. Explore the Small Business Administration’s website to learn about eligibility and additional information on these loans by clicking here.
Take a look at the Small Business Administration’s regulations to see if your business qualifies in its particular industry classification as a small business. Click here to determine your Small Business Size
There is also a table for easy reference indicating industry and monetary size for review of whether your company is a small business. Click here for the table
Keep tabs on pending and proposed legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives. The House Committee on Small Business is chaired by the Representative from New York. The site contains reports, statements, press releases, and a newsletter.
Thinking of starting a small business in this economic downturn? Take a look at the Small Business Association’s outline about what such a plan should include. Click to check it out!
Looking for information on New York City Small Business Services try http://www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/html/home/home.shtml
The site is a wealth of basic information of issues and items relevant to small business in New York City.
Is your small business looking for statistics on trade volume or tariff information. Take a look at the WTO’s statistics site, which breaks down trade volume into imports or exports as well as gives detailed tariff information for all WTO members. The database is searchable and you are able to select specific criteria to search by utilizing a straight forward interface.
Looking for financial assistance in exporting as a small business.
Take at look at the Import-Export Bank of the United States.
Take a look at the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) guidance on identifying red flags concerning your overseas customers.
http://www.bis.doc.gov/complianceandenforcement/knowyourcustomerguidance.htm
The site indicates the importance of ensuring small business compliance with the BIS regulations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has resources devoted to small business. Check out the Commission’s small business website http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus.shtml for a host of resources concerning small business.
The FDA assists small business in the areas covered by the agency.
Take a look at the FDA’s small business specific website.
If you are looking to expand your small business activities into Australia, then explore the Australian government’s website concerning small business.
Take a look at the Small Business Report prepared by the Irish government.
http://www.smallbusinessforum.ie/
The Report contains information on the climate for small business operating in Ireland and proposals for improving the transaction of small business enterprises within the country.
If you are looking for a resource to find information about small business in the UK, then explore the UK’s Enterprise Directorate website specifically about small business http://www.dti.gov.uk/bbf/small-business/index.html
The links on the right-hand side of the page lead to helpful information on taxation, finance, and a variety of other business information.
If your interested in starting or growing your small business exports, then take a look at the US Chamber of Commerce’s Trade Toolbox http://www.traderoots.org/fsMain.asp?i=tt
The site features county reports, stats, market, and industry reports. A wealth of information for growing your small business export capacity.
Take a look at the United States Patent and Trademark office’s website specifically devoted to small business http://www.uspto.gov/smallbusiness/
The site features explanations, links, and pdf guides addressing may intellectual property issues concerning small business.
Take a look at OSHA Small Business website, which contains a host of information on compliance programs and other information specifically related to small business.
http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html
Both Senate Democrats and Republicans operate websites about issues appearing before the Senate committee on small business and entrepreneurship. The sites post pending legislation and summaries of laws being considered by the committee. Also posted are hearing and round table discussions and documents.
The Democratic site is at http://sbc.senate.gov/index.cfm and the Republican site is at http://sbc.senate.gov/republican/
Check out these sites to discover what the senate is doing to assist small business–and may be get involved in the issues being discussed by the committee.
Look at http://www.business.gov/topic/Small_Business_Guides to uncover a wide range of information relating to all types of business transactions and US governmental support services available to small businesses.
Take a look at the Customs and Boarder Protection site, which contains a large amount of information concerning the importation process and policies affecting imports.
One site you might want to take a look at before exporting your goods from the US to a foreign nation is http://www.export.gov/
Explore the site and its information pertaining to Sales and Marketing, Logistics, and Trade Leads.
The site may prove useful in giving a small business owner a basic overview of the process of exporting goods abroad.
Also consider utilizing the U.S. Commercial Service to your company’s advantage. http://trade.gov/cs/
