May 27, 2014
Forbes Magazine Ranks Xero as #1 Most Innovative Growth Company
Cloud accounting software vendor Xero has been chosen by Forbes Magazine as the top company in it's list of the World's 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies.
May 27, 2014
IRS Nixes “Pump-and-Dump” Obamacare Strategy
Employers can’t get around the Obamacare “shared responsibility” provision simply by giving employees tax-free cash to pay for health insurance from a state-run exchange. In effect, this would pump up a worker’s pay and dump them in the marketplace. According to a new question and answer (Q&A) posted on the IRS website, as initially reported…
May 26, 2014
Bay Area Workers Pushing for $15 Minimum Wage
At $10.74 an hour, San Francisco already has the nation's highest big city minimum wage. But it could soon have company, as labor and community activists in cities from Richmond to Sunnyvale push wage increases that could turn the Bay Area into a high-wage hub.
May 26, 2014
Alabama Governor Pushes Small Business Assistance
A group of small business owners and politicians gathered at the Cullman, Alabama, Area Chamber of Commerce Friday to hear Governor Robert Bentley's pledge to bring more assistance to locally owned shops.
May 19, 2014
Small Business Optimism Increases, But Uncertainty Persists
Small business optimism increased in April, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses. The group's April index rose 1.8 points to a post-recession high of 95.2. The economy continues to perform modestly and April’s index followed suit as it crossed the 95 marker for the first time since 2007. Seven Index components improved, one…
May 19, 2014
Oregon Couple Honored as Small Business Persons of the Year
Burning the candle at both ends, an Oregon couple is now experiencing the sweet smell of success. Husband-and-wife team Billy Taylor and Brook Harvey-Taylor, the founders of Portland, Ore. based company – Pacifica, have been named today this year’s National Small Business Persons of the Year at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), National Small…
May 15, 2014
Intuit Acquires Online Accounts Payable System Invitbox
Intuit announced late Wednesday that it has acquired Invitco. The Australia-based company is the developer of Invitbox, an online system for managing accounts payable. Intuit is the company behind QuickBooks, TurboTax, Quicken, Mint and many other small business and financial management systems.
May 14, 2014
The Friendliest Cities for Small Business Workers
Small businesses employ about 47% of non-government workers in the U.S., pay more than 40 percent of the private payroll, and create more than 60 percent of the new jobs added over the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. However, not all states and cities are the same when it comes…
May 13, 2014
Tools for Helping Shoebox Clients Get Organized
When I look back on my time in practice, some of the biggest lies I ever told myself related to shoebox clients ever getting more organized on their own. I always wanted to believe that the client wanted to have a more structured organization system for their finances.
May 12, 2014
New SBA Startup Accelerator to Award $2.5M in Grants
The Small Business Administration is launching a $2.5 million competition for accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models to compete for monetary prizes of $50,000 each. To award the prizes, an expert panel of judges will consider each applicant’s stated mission, founding team members and business goals among other core components. The deadline for applying is…
May 12, 2014
California Small Business Owners Expect Growth
Eighty-six percent of California small business operators believe their businesses are moving in the right direction, and 87 percent expect growth in 2014, according to the third annual small business survey by San Diego-based California Bank & Trust.
May 8, 2014
Small Business Week: IRS Spotlights Healthcare Tax, Home Office Deduction
The IRS will be holding two free webinars for small businesses and encouraging them to check out several key tax benefits and a special relief program for employers who reclassify their workers as employees.