Our monthly roundup of top stories

June 1, 2019 -- Volume 18, No. 6

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Summer Vacations in Review

In the next several weeks and months, employees will be taking time off from work for summer vacations. Now is a good time to determine what your company’s needs will be this summer. Also, given the tight job market, it’s a good time to assess your vacation policy. Read More

Developing Leadership Qualities: Decision-Making

Decision-making is an action that a leader takes every day in running a business, but there are harder decisions to be made in the face of a problem or challenge. Read More

The Story of Being Hacked

According to SiteLock , website attacks on small businesses rose by 59% in 2018, averaging 62 attacks per day. Now BigIdeasForSmallBusiness.com is a statistic. Let me tell you what happened so if the same or similar attack happens to you, you’ll be able to recognize and remedy it easily (hopefully) and quickly (assuredly). Read More

Mental Health Issues In the Workplace

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression and anxiety cost an estimated $1 trillion per year in lost productivity worldwide. Employers may be well aware of the need to create a safe workplace by employing safety measures. But the need for policies and practices with respect to the mental health of employees may not be properly addressed. Read More

Crafting a Social Media Policy and Practice Guide

According to a survey from Visual Objects, 38% of small businesses don’t have social media accounts, although another 22% plan to have them. Have you considered how social media can help your business and how to manage your social media activities? Read More

Best Strategies for Your Loan Applications

You may need a loan to expand your business, undertake a marketing campaign, purchase equipment or a building, or for some other very good purpose. Borrowing money for business is a common practice, but how to do it isn’t commonly understood. How do you go about deciding which type of loan is best? What documents do you need? How much debt can you afford to carry? How do you go about the application process? Read More

How the DOL Views Workers in a Virtual Marketplace Company

One of the big questions that companies need to answer is whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. The answer is complicated when the worker works remotely rather than on company premises. This issue is important because of the growth in the sharing or on-demand economy, with such companies as Uber and Lyft, Task Rabbit, Fivrr, and many others. Fortunately, there is some guidance on this from the DOL. Read More

Sole Proprietorships Continue to Increase in Numbers

Each year the IRS releases statistics on various types of business entities, and looking at the numbers tells an interesting story. The last time the IRS released statistics on sole proprietorships was at the end of 2017 and they addressed Schedule C and Schedule C-EZ filing for 2015. Now we have statistics for 2016 and they show that there are a growing number of sole proprietorships in the U.S. Read More

State of Small Business: Let's Celebrate!

National Small Business Week was a time to honor the contributions of entrepreneurs and small business owners to the U.S. As the SBA says: “More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create 2 out of every 3 new jobs in the U.S. each year. It’s also a time to look even harder at what small business means to the U.S. economy. Read More

Fixing Employee Benefit Plan Mistakes

Employers often provide various benefits to their employees, such as retirement plans and health coverage, that must comply with certain tax law requirements. Even with the best of intentions, however, mistakes can happen. Fortunately, there are some ways to fix these errors.

Read the full article at Paychex.com

Cracking the Code on Tax Breaks for Businesses with Small Payrolls

Some federal tax breaks depend on being small. Small, in this case, means the number of employees you have. If your business grows, you may think about adding employees. But consider the impact this will have on your access to certain small business tax breaks.

Read the full article at SmallBizTrends.com

How to Avoid Tax-Related Identity Theft

Tax-related identity theft is not limited to stealing personal information of individuals. Because of successful efforts to crack down on such identity theft, thieves have shifted their focus to businesses.

Read the full article at SBA.gov