Small Business Owners – Do you have what it takes?

The freedom to chase your entrepreneurial dream is one of the great foundations of America. Owning a business is a freedom the U.S. Census Bureau of Labor Statistics records 29.6 million Americans pursue today, supporting local communities with products and services while contributing millions of dollars and jobs to the American economy. It also takes a tremendous amount of hustle, … Read More

How Tampa Bay stacks up to comparable regions

The first-ever Tampa Bay Partnership’s Regional Competitiveness Report compares the economic performance of the Gulf Coast economy to other comparable regions nationwide. It puts eight counties on the west coast of Florida — Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota — up against 19 of the fastest-growing micro-economies in the nation, including Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle. Broadly, the … Read More

Small Business Fraud – The Trusted Employee

Small businesses have it rough. They’re particularly vulnerable to fraud because they lack the resources to implement complete systems of internal controls and properly segregate accounting duties among their limited staffs. The following is a scenario seen all too often… Bob and his brother, Bill, owners and operators of Acme Tractor for 30 years, were close to retirement. A local … Read More

Planning For Business Success

PLANNING FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS  When you’re running a business, it’s easy to get bogged down in day-to-day problems and forget the bigger picture. However, successful businesses invest time to create and manage budgets, prepare and review business plans and regularly monitor finance and performance.  Structured planning can make all the difference to the growth of your business. It will enable … Read More

Form 1099 – Information

To start with the basics, corporations, small businesses, and other employers in the United States rely on tax forms to record the income their employees earn throughout the year. The form 1099 is the Internal Revenue Service’s form used specifically for non-salaried employees such as freelancers, consultants, and other independent contractors to report any earnings that are not salaried income. … Read More