Rising Benefits Costs Are Changing Small Business Practices

Small businesses are struggling to offer employees the same benefits they have always had while continuing to keep the company economically viable. In Massachusetts, certain benefits costs have been contained according to local officials, but others, including health care increases are continuing to impact the way small business structure their employee benefits’ policies. Recent proposals, like the state’s move to mandate sick leave pay may also add to the overall benefit package cost.

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SBA Offers Loan Instruction

Small business owners can get free financial instruction through two new websites created by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The two sites—(registration can be found at The Finance Primer: Guide to SBA’s Loan Guaranty Programs and How to Prepare a Loan Package)—provide information about what debt financing is, what loans are available, what loan programs are available, what small businesses should know about borrowing money, how to prepare a loan package and how loan requests are reviewed by lenders.

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Small Business Owners Curtail Spending

Small business owners are saving and spending less, as consumer goods and fuel costs top records levels, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey. More than one-third of the 600 surveyed said their personal financial situation as a whole is getting worse. Seventy-five percent of respondents had concerns about paying for gas, and 51% worried they will not have enough money for the next 12 months to cover regular medical and dental expenses. Forty-six percent feared they will not have enough money to pay for unforeseen medical emergencies.

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The Unique Selling Proposition: Crafting Your “Competitive Edge”

For years, business trainers have stressed the importance of USPs (Unique Selling Propositions). Your USP is the unique thing that you can offer that your competitors can’t. It’s your competitive edge. It’s the reason that customers buy from you and you alone. USPs have helped many companies succeed. And they can help you too when you’re marketing yourself (when seeking a promotion, finding a new job or just making sure you get the recognition you deserve). This tool helps you find your USP. And it then helps you think about how you’ll defend it.

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Related Content: Unique Selling Proposition (USP)—Your Competitive Advantage, June Issue of BusinessWatch

Buying a Second-hand Dell, Toshiba, IBM, Sony, HP or Apple Notebook

With a little patience, you can always find a cheap laptop deal with manufacturer and store rebates, and usually priced around $500. For that, you’ll get a brand new laptop with Windows XP installed, a big hard drive, a combination DVD player/CD recorder, build in USB 2.0, 56K modem, 100BaseT network connection and probably wireless as well. The screen will be bigger and the unit will be lighter than any notebook you’re likely to find used, plus the battery will be new, so you’ll actually be able to work untethered for more than 20 minutes (for the first few months).

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Related Content: Saying No to New (Computers), June Issue of BusinessWatch

Statistics Roundup

Taken together, these two sites, Alacra Wiki and the University of Michigan’s Statistical Resources on the Web offer access to a wide range of statistics and research databases. The Alacra Wiki is a guide to business information companies, publishers and databases, while the University of Michigan’s site breaks its resources down by such subjects as Consumers, Economics, Labor and more.

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Related Content: Putting Statistics to Work for You, June Issue of BusinessWatch