Online Incorporation MaxBlog

Over the next 10 years, healthcare reform could save America’s small businesses $855 million according to a report released by the nonpartisan Small Business Majority and featured in this Daily Dose blog post.

Healthcare reform is a hot topic in Washington right now. Increasing costs have forced entrepreneurs and small businesses to make tough choices about whether to cover their employees or not.

The study, entitled The Economic Impact of Healthcare Reform on Small Businesses, noted that successful reform will require shared responsibility among the healthcare industry, businesses, government and individuals.

In an interview with Entrepreneur.com, Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer commented “Not enacting healthcare reform is going to be an unmitigated disaster, but implementing a system based on the framework Congress is working on right now–even with the [controversial] mandates for employee coverage–will be a tremendous benefit to small business. Even the most conservative versions of reform will produce better results.”

Data from the study also concluded that without reform, up to 178,000 jobs could be lost by 2018 and that small business employees will see $12 billion in lost wages this year alone.

Arensmeyer is confident reform will be completed this year.

A bill to allow entrepreneurs a one-time income tax deferment was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) on May 19^th.

Formally known as the Generating Reinvestment Opportunities with America’s Small Businesses Act of 2009 or H.R. 2490, the GROW Act would allow entrepreneurs to defer their current income taxes for two years so they can invest more in their small businesses.

Rep. Kennedy characterized his proposal as “interest-free, short-term loans” that “would strengthen small businesses at a minimal cost to the federal government.”

The GROW Act allows deferred taxes to go unpaid for two years. Repayment would be spread out in equal installments for four years thereafter.

Read more about the bill at this Daily Dose blog post and on Rep. Kennedy’s website.

And check back with the online incorporation blog Incorporation-e.com again for updates on the progression of this bill through Congress.

Attention all aspiring entrepreneurs…there’s a great new book being released on April 30th from life coach Pam Slim to help transition from slaving away in a cubicle for some corporation to becoming your own boss as an entrepreneur.

Online incorporation service MaxFilings suggests this book as a great resource to help properly manage your affairs when making this stressful, but in the end, very fulfilling transition.

Hating your job is not proper motivation for becoming an entrepreneur according to Pam…and it is not a viable business plan either. The book however provides the low down for properly getting your venture off the ground and many different points related to starting, operating and marketing a small business.

The book is now available for pre-order from your favorite online book retailer.

Order “Escape from the Cubicle Nation” today and when you’re ready form your corporation or LLC online, look to MaxFilings to help you effectively navigate the legal procedures for starting your business in any state in the union.

Once you incorporate a business online, you may be trying to figure out how to get your name out there to market products and services. The Internet provides tremendous opportunities, provided you know how to harness the various tools out there.

Maxfilings’ partner firm SEO Advantage has recently unveiled its new and improved SEO knowledge center to help small businesses like yours learn the ins and outs of optimizing your website for the search engines - boosting search engine rankings and qualified site visitors and thus, sales.

It’s designed for small businesses with any level of online experience – informing them of the inner-workings of SEO and how it can be a valuable tool to market products and services.

The search engine optimization firm helps small businesses by designing websites and optimizing them for search engines, to bring more qualified traffic and boost online sales.

Short, informative articles are developed by copywriters at SEO Advantage and added weekly to the wide ranging knowledge center – divided into 8 sections, it covers major aspects of online marketing including SEO, copywriting, social media and e-commerce optimization tips. Visitors will also find tips they can use to self-optimize their sites – an effective option in today’s economy.

Visit the search engine optimization Knowledge Center today at http://www.seo-advantage.com/seo-topics/.

A code of ethics is a policy statement of sorts, a formal document that employees within a company must follow – along with specific sanctions if the code is violated. Unless a crime has been committed, the toughest sanction is dismissal from the job.

It’s easy though to confuse ethics with the law – obeying the law is the absolute minimum code of ethics and is enforced by society as a whole through law enforcement and the courts. For example, we all know it’s illeagal to steal. Lying is unethical, but it’s only illeagal in certain limited circumstances. Business ethics demand a higher standard, not merely obeying the law.

Code of ethics were born out of the social responsibility movements of the 1960’s as many people began to recognize the effects mass consumerism have on the environment.

After the Enron and Worldcom debacles earlier this decade, the Code of Ethics took on a whole new meaning. Current law, specifically the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, now requires a company to publicly disclose their code of ethics if their stock is traded under the auspices of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

After you incorporate your business online, you may be wondering if you need a code of ethics. It can’t hurt, even if you’re not a publicly traded firm – instill confidence in your customers and investors that your company adheres to a higher standard.

Check back soon for tips on what to include in a code of ethics…in the mean time, find great business incorporation and management tips in the MaxFilings Knowledge Center.

Becoming an entrepreneur requires not only focus, but determination . You can easily incorporate your business online – but the behind the scenes organization, marketing, etc. of your business is a whole other story.

New terminology is increasingly making its way into today’s business world lexicon that provides a short description of what an entrpreneur does.  Terms like “greenpreneur” and “solopreneur” provide a quick description of what kind of business an entrepreneur is in or how they operate. Small business people like the terms because it helps distinguish themselves from a crowded marketplace and more effectively network.

So what would be a good buzzword for you? It depends, there are many you could use. And quite possibly, more than one could be used to describe your operation.

Perhaps you are fresh out of college, or are wasting no time in delving into the business world - in which case, you could call yourself a “scholarpreneur” or “teenpreneur”.  Or perhaps you love starting a business or are launching several different ventres at once, hence a “serial entrepreneur”.

Check out this handy article in AllBusiness.com for a more detailed description of this popular terminology at Starting Up: Entrpreneurial Buzzwords.

Whatever term you use to describe yourself, online incorporation service MaxFilings is here to help easily form your corporation online in just minutes.  Our incorporation fees are very affordable, and free access to an extensive online incorporation library is available.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting a new business or need instill some organization in an existing one, the business forms CD from online incorporation service MaxFilings is a must have.

These customizable forms can be easily opened in Microsoft Word format and serve as a guide for documents that virtually all businesses need.

Find 26 general business forms on the CD that provide an administrative framework for hiring employees, collecting payments and other common legal documents used in business. The other 24 forms are specific to running a corporation, such as a certificate of corporate vote, stock purchase agreements and minutes from various meetings.

Business incorporation service MaxFilings allows you to easily form a corporation, LLC or nonprofit online in any state. Additionally, find handy business incorporation tips through specially published informative articles at MaxFilings’ Knowledge Center.

Now, you can obtain the business forms CD by simply visiting the MaxFilings website and paying a small $6.95 shipping fee.

Financing equipment for your business is a crucial decision. Is it better to lease or take out a loan and buy it outright?

Financing requires at least a down payment that is 10-20% of the value of the equipment, which takes cash away from other vital things and reduces your available line of credit. On the other hand, leasing requires an initial outlay of 1%. Also, payments for leasing can be smaller and spread over a larger period of time.

Leasing also means you do not necessarily have to keep the equipment, as opposed to a loan. It’s much easier to replace equipment once it is obsolete under a leasing arrangement than if you own it.

There are also tax advantages. The IRS treats an operating lease as a tax deductible overhead expense rather than a purchase, thus 100% of lease payments are tax deductible. Also, since a lease is not considered a long-term debt, it does not appear on the company’s balance sheet as such, improving financial health.

Leasing gives your business valuable flexibility as you position yourself in the marketplace.

Find great information and resources on financing solutions at MaxFilings.

The idea of starting your business during these uncertain economic times may be a non starter for most. You shouldn’t let bad economic times deter you from making that leap, especially if you have a stellar idea. Now may be the best time to incorporate or form an LLC online according to Heleigh Bostwick for the following reasons.

First is the idea, which can be difficult during a recession. One way to consider this is do you have an idea that answers needs for people during an economic downturn? Everyone is looking for ways to get the most of their hard-earned dollars, especially these days. A business that can help folks in that effort would be very valuable.

The next criterion is credit, which is tightening due to the ongoing financial crisis in the U.S. Nevertheless, having low or no balances on your credit cards and an excellent credit rating can be a tremendous plus, allowing you to negotiate good terms for loans and business credit cards.

Continuing on the credit theme, possessing good negotiating skills is a must have in this environment, and even more critical if your credit is less than perfect. Being a good negotiator and providing the bank with a strong marketing plan can be a big help in obtaining favorable loan terms.

Beyond the idea for your small business and financing, managing money is very important. Getting by on a shoestring budget is good practice anyway but a big plus when incorporating a business. And being disciplined and avoiding impulsive decisions is especially important in this current environment.

In the final analysis, if you’re ready to incorporate your business, don’t let the recession stop you. Many of today’s successful companies such as Hewlett-Packard (1934) and Adobe Systems (1982) got their start during major economic hardship in the U.S.