U.S. Small Business Administration updatge

Congratulations Linda McMahon, the 25th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration! As Administrator of the SBA, McMahon will direct a federal agency with more than 2,000 full-time employees, with a leading role in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs secure financing, technical assistance and training, and federal contracts. SBA also plays a leading role in disaster recovery by making low interest loans. > Read more SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program helped World Wide Technology Founder David Steward turn his business into the largest African-American privately owned company in the world. If you’re interested in government contracting, the 8(a) Business Development Program offers a broad scope of assistance to small businesses for which you might be eligible. > Read more As part of National Entrepreneurship Week (February 20-24), SBA will be sharing tips and tricks geared towards young entrepreneurs. If you’re thinking about starting or growing a business, check out the following resources. A mentor brings with him or her a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight that you won’t find anywhere else. Find a mentor through SBA’s network of resource partners. SBA’s online course geared towards young entrepreneurs includes the basics of creating and financing a successful business. Launch the course today. Business plans are essential in helping entrepreneurs prepare, manage and direct their businesses, however, creating a plan can be intimidating and time consuming. Use SBA’s Business Plan Tool to help you get started. Increasingly, crowdfunding is becoming a popular way for people to get startup financing for their businesses. Launch SBA’s course for an overview of crowdfunding. LIVE Webinar | 3 Essential Steps to Building a Powerhouse Online Brand Learn how to create a stand out online presence during this webinar produced by SCORE, a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. We’ll cover how to create an eye-catching logo, ways to publish SEO-friendly content, and other tips to create a powerful and lasting online brand. Tuesday, February 21, 2017 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT Register here LIVE Webinar | Helping Small Business Owners Save For Retirement For small business owners without a retirement savings plan, starting a plan can be easier than they think. As part of America Saves Week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration in coordination with the Consumer Federation of America will hold a free webcast for small businesses and their service providers on retirement savings plans and direct deposit. The Small Business Administration and the Internal Revenue Service also will participate in the webcast. Wednesday, March 1, 2017 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT Register here COURSE: Competitive Advantage What sets you apart from your competition? Learn how to brand, study your competition, identify customers and their preferences, create pricing strategies and much more. Leverage the uniqueness of your business to create a real competitive advantage. Blog | When To Say No To A Franchise Opportunity When you first start looking at franchise opportunities, you’re not really focused on the yes or no decision you’ll have to make when and if you find an ideal one. You’re focused on the search. The search for the right franchise to buy takes longer than most people expect it to. It’s more like a marathon than a sprint. Blog | Self-Employment Tax Wrinkles Individuals whose businesses are incorporated do not have to think about self-employment tax. Any salary they take from their corporations as owner-employees are subject to FICA taxes. In contrast, those with other types of business entities—sole proprietorships, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs)—are not employees; they are self-employed individuals. As such they meet their Social Security and Medicare taxes obligation through the payment of self-employment tax.