What is Copyright? How can we help

I wanted to take a moment to break down some of the basic concerns we often hear as it would pertain to United States Copyright Laws. Take a second to review some of what we have found to be the most frequently asked questions.

What is copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.

What does copyright protect?
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. A Corporations Bureau associate can assist you further if needed.

How is a copyright different from a patent or a trademark?
Copyright protects original works of authorship, while a patent protects inventions or discoveries. Ideas and discoveries are not protected by the copyright law, although the way in which they are expressed may be. A trademark protects words, phrases, symbols, or designs identifying the source of the goods or services of one party and distinguishing them from those of others.

When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Do I have to register with your office to be protected?No. The Corporations Bureau,LLC does not require registration with our organization to meet applicable filing criteria. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.

Why should I register my work if copyright protection is automatic?
Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law.

I’ve heard about a “poor man’s copyright.” What is it?
The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.” There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.

Is my copyright good in other countries?
The United States has copyright relations with most countries throughout the world, and as a result of these agreements, we honor each other's citizens' copyrights. However, the United States does not have such copyright relationships with every country. For a listing of countries and the nature of their copyright relations with the United States, speak to a Corpoations Bureau associate.

What is Trademarking & How can it work for you?

A trademark is the one of the most important business assets you'll ever own. It's your name, your logo, or any other symbol that distinguishes your company or products in the marketplace.

Registering your trademark prevents others from using your business identity to market their own products, which can confuse your customers and damage your brand. We have begun to add new products to our cadre to further assist our clients in building their corporate brand and recognition.

We pride ourselves on bringing clarity and transparency to the documentation process for our clients and business expediency. Trademark your business, logo, identity and products with The Corporations Bureau for only $89.00* (US Govt Filing Fee $325)

- Preliminary search of pending and registered trademarks
- Digitizing of your logo and specimen to meet U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) standards
- Electronic filing of your trademark application with the USPTO
- Infringement Monitoring (One year)
- Cease and desist letter forms.
- Form of Transfer Agreement

**Priority Processing:

- For an additional fee of $50.00, expedite your Trademark processing documents.

Contact us at 404-604-4040 for further assistance with your Trademarking needs.

($89.00 service fee is added to U.S. Govt Filing Fee at the time of filing)

The Washington-Wall Street Two Step!

As Congress nears votes on legislation that would overhaul the health care system, many small businesses say they are facing the steepest rise in insurance premiums they have seen in recent years.

Lets truly get to the bottom of the higher premiums debate. This is a setup that will crush small businesses and owners. At a time when we need to be lightening the heavy load that is currently being carried by small business, it appears we are making that load even heavier to bare.

Insurance brokers and benefits consultants say their small business clients are seeing premiums go up an average of about 15 percent for the coming year — double the rate of last year’s increases. That would mean an annual premium that was $4,500 per employee in 2008 and $4,800 this year would rise to $5,500 in 2010.

The higher premiums at least partly reflect the inexorable rise of medical costs, which is forcing Medicare to raise premiums, too. Health insurance bills are also rising for big employers, but because they have more negotiating clout, their increases are generally not as steep.

Higher medical costs aside, some experts say they think the insurance industry, under pressure from Wall Street, is raising premiums to get ahead of any legislative changes that might reduce their profits.

The increases come at a politically fraught time for the insurers, as they try to fight off the creation of a government-run competitor and as they push their case that they have a central role to play in controlling the nation’s health care costs.

What does that mean actually? It means, the insurance industry has been given a sneak-peak look at the forthcoming quiz;they got all the answers now. With this additional information they have decided to increased their premiums based on advice from the same Wall Street who we bailed out 11 months ago. What they understand is that Congress will pass legislation, Obama will sign it, forcing the insurance industry to lower premiums by 30% over the next 5-10 years starting in 18-24 months.

They will pad their pockets and then be forced to lower the premiums to the same pre-premium increase amounts thereby not actually reducing premiums for small businesses and entrepreneurs at all. Congress looks good, Obama passes out pens at The White House for signing sweeping legislation that will in essence change nothing. Small business takes another one on the chin.

President Obama, in his Saturday radio address, said the Democrats’ health insurance overhaul would help small businesses and stimulate the economy by providing relief from “the crushing costs of health care — costs that have forced too many small businesses to cut benefits, shed jobs, or shut their doors for good.”

The insurance industry has already been under sharp attack by Democratic lawmakers who favor creating a government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers. Without that competition, proponents say, insurers will continue to price coverage beyond the reach of many Americans.

Insurers say there is no need for a government-run insurance plan and argue that their health plans are already responsible for many of the initiatives, like programs to coordinate care for chronic conditions, that ultimately lower costs.

Insurers’ “profits are not responsible for increased health care costs,” said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for the industry’s trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans.

Like the insurers, Republican lawmakers, who portray themselves as champions of small business, argue that the proposed legislation would raise premiums across the board because sick people would be more likely to enroll than healthy people.

They also say the taxes and other ways of paying for the program would be passed on to employers in higher premiums, only making matters worse for small businesses.

The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said in a response to the president’s radio address, “We can’t support a bill that will raise premiums.” The big insurance companies declined to comment.

With negotiations over next year’s premiums still under way, data on rate increases are mostly anecdotal. Formal surveys have not yet been completed by the health benefits consultants who track the figures. And in some parts of the country, experts say rates are not overly high.

But benefits consultants say there is no doubt that premiums are soaring for many small businesses. Edward Kaplan, a consultant with the Segal Company, said his clients were seeing renewals for coverage at prices 15 to 23 percent higher this year. Last year, he said, they typically faced increases of 7 to 12 percent.

The brokers and consultants say the price jumps seem hard to justify. “Frankly, I’m mystified by the size of the increases,” said one broker, Charles J. Newman, who works with small employers in the New York area.

There is no question that insurers are under pressure from Wall Street. In recent years, insurers were often not quick enough to raise their premiums well above the rising cost of medical care.

Ask The Right Questions? Challenge All The Answers!

Think of a target with “Why” as the bull’s-eye, “How” as the middle ring and “What” as the outer. Now describe “What” your company does — it should be easy. Then describe “How” it does its “What” — this should be a bit harder. Now for the difficult part — describe the “Why” behind its “How” and “What.” Money/profit is not the answer.

We put the world in your hands with all the right tools. These resources will prove vital to fulfilling your business goals. “When an organization defines itself by what it does, that’s all it will ever be able to do.”

Example: Apple Inc. started with a “Why” — to improve lifestyle by making innovative, technology-based products. While its first product was a computer, look at Apple now — music, phone, touch screens, podcasts, e-books, etc. In contrast, Dell started with a product — a “What.” Dell remains a computer company.

Another message: Every few pages, Sinek states “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This reminds readers that consumer decisions based upon a firm’s “Why” are literally no-brainers. With a why-based focus, consumers create an emotional (i.e. heart) affinity for a firm’s products. The buying rationale (i.e. mind) of price, features, quality, specs and service are used to determine which of the firm’s products to buy. Heart-driven purchasers are brand loyal and the company can hold its gross margins and up-sell. Mind-driven buyers switch brands frequently as their decisions focus primarily on price. When a company has to compete on price, its gross margins erode.

A takeaway: Executives stating they are “refocusing on their core business” run “What-based” companies. Refocusing on “What” rarely results in product innovation.

Brand Your Own Product, Competing w/WalMart not Smart!

Specialty stores in downtown Grand Junction have the right idea when it comes to providing a niche that big-box stores can’t, according to one presenter Friday at the 2009 Entrepreneurship Marketplace at Two Rivers Convention Center.

Future and current business owners attended 45-minute sessions throughout the day, learning how to market and develop their products and finance their business operations so they can improve theirs odds of success during rough economic times.

One way to set a small business apart from Wal-Mart or Target is to avoid competing against them and embrace the opportunities big-box stores offer, said presenter Christine Hamilton-Pennell of Growing Local Economies. Those big stores will free up some parking spaces downtown and help people spend less on necessities so that they have more money to spend more on specialized items in downtown Grand Junction.

“You have to sell something Wal-Mart doesn’t have,” she said. “People want to have a unique experience.”

Hamilton-Pennell used the example of a small West Virginia town that turned a women’s clothing store into a restaurant and converted a record store into an ice cream parlor, so that those stores would stop competing with department stores and iTunes and focus instead on offering a unique experience for shoppers and diners.

When a store moves in and sells lots of basic items at low prices, Hamilton-Pennell said, small business owners should consider selling less for more if they offer something that takes talent and expertise, such as offering unique furniture and gifts, specialized bicycles, coffee and treat shops, and any items seen as environmentally friendly.

Once small-business owners find products people will buy, keeping connected to customers, marketing on Web sites and operating fiscally responsible businesss will help keep them going, Hamilton-Pennell said.

Later in the day, a financial panel focused on that last detail: money. The banking world has changed dramatically, said Dean DiMario, a representative with the Mesa County Business Loan Fund. But that does not mean people cannot get loans.

“There are alternative sources out there. Don’t get discouraged,” DiMario said.

Alternatives to the traditional bank loan include: funding for an existing business or a startup through the Mesa County Business Loan Fund; getting full loans or loans in addition to what a bank offers through the higher-risk lender Colorado Enterprise Fund; or getting a 90 percent guarantee on a loan without fees by essentially co-signing on a loan with the Small Business Administration.

Greg Lopez of the Small Business Administration warned that the time to take advantage of a 90 percent guarantee will be short-lived and that not every business in fiscal trouble should seek the SBA’s help.

“Now is the time to do it, but you need to do it for the right reasons, not just to have debt on top of debt,” Lopez said.

Waiting until the last second to avoid massive debt isn’t a good idea either, he said.

“Call us when you’re doing good. Call us when you’re doing bad. I’ve had times when a person is in crisis mode, and I have to tell them I could’ve done more if they’d called six months earlier,” Lopez said.

Unfortunately, the Small Business Administration’s ability to guarantee more money has coincided with fewer loans to clients. From Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, 2009, the SBA’s Colorado District office approved 1,138 loans compared to 2,256 loans the year before, according to the Denver Post.

Small Business Recovery on the horizon?

Retail sales are improving, but numbers overall are still very weak says MSNBC.com today. U.S. home mortgages are on a four month high says Reuters and Oil is back above $71 a barrel which is a strong sign of a recovery says the Associated Press. With all that said, and that's just in todays news, how can small business owners know when "change" is coming their direction?

Signs of a bullish recovery are abound just about everywhere, but is small business feeling the excitement yet? With the holidays approaching, will retail sales bounce back in time, its almost laughable because the answer is a loud and boisterous "ABSOLUTELY NOT".

The Denver Business Journal says "the economy is improving, but second recession is not likely". Family Dollar Stores show a significant rise in profits says the Wall Street Journal and Business Weekly says "Costco profits fall, but still above expected". The signs that small businesses need to be looking for are just under their own noses.

Unfortunately our economy is a "trickle-down" system and recovery will be seen and felt in your suppliers, wholesalers, and bargain shoppers. Surely we are still in a buyer's market and it will remain so for at least another 12-18 months. Although that may be great for those not necessarily affected by the recession, others will not meet this market with the same optimism.

If you own your own business, look around and you design your customer based structure on what it is your suppliers are able to do. As they are able, design your pricing to permit you to overstock in bulk items and drive that customer base. As those inventories change, review and accommodate accordingly. Move what you can.

Finally, if your business is a service related business, you are in the best shape of all. Services usually don't require much equipment to be purchased by you each month. For example, your lawn business already owns the lawnmower so no need to keep pre-recession prices, you will also need to adjust down to build that relationship with your customer. They will remember you and your efforts later on. They may not be able to afford you right now, but they also cannot afford to purchase a new lawn mower for the garage either.

Protecting Yourself with an LLC.

Forming an LLC (limited liability company) or corporate entity does not mean that your company cannot be sued. But it makes it possible for you to obtain some protection from personal liability if it is.

"The protection -- particularly for one-person businesses -- is not absolute but is better than no protection at all, which is what you will have if you conduct your business as a sole proprietorship," said Richard M. Leisner, an attorney with Trenam Kemker in Tampa, Fla.

To maximize the protection of a corporation or LLC, make sure you keep formal business records, file your withholding and other taxes on time and separate your personal funds from your business bank accounts. Put all the company accounts and financial transactions under the corporate name -- not under your own name.

"Often, business owners think these formalities are not important, but the details are important in order to avoid the risk of a court disregarding the corporation or LLC," Leisner said.

"If that happens, it's just about the same thing as operating as a sole proprietorship."

Make The Slow Market Work For You!

Got a wonderful friend who has begun to turn a downturned economy into his dream of a lifetime. He's taken low cost real estate, the bargain basement priced luxury items and has begun to turn it, or "flip" it for a small profit.

Don't be afraid to make a small profit; its either a small profit or absolutely no profit. As we say, "a win is a win". By improving some networking techniques and some strategy assistance, one of our recent success stories has created "Turn Town Realty, LLC.". Turn Town has found a way to take the Seller's bottom number and brokers that into the top number of the buyer with precision.

A fall of more than 10 percent in the average apartment price in Manhattan in the third quarter from a year earlier attracted buyers who pushed up the number of sales by over 45 percent in just one quarter, industry reports showed Friday.

Since peaking in the first half of 2008, Manhattan apartment prices have fallen an average of 25 percent to 30 percent.

The Manhattan residential real estate market had been largely unscathed during 2008 as other U.S. housing markets were floundering, but it hit a wall in September 2008 when Lehman Brothers collapsed and the financial sector fell to its knees.

About 20 percentage points of the 25-to-30 percent drop can be sourced to the months after September, said Jonathan Miller, president and chief executive of Miller Samuel appraisers and the author of the Prudential Douglas Elliman Manhattan Market Overview quarterly report.

Other once-hot U.S. housing markets have seen prices fall by more than 50 percent.

"We're not done yet," Miller said.

New York City is still wrestling with a Wall Street that is trying to reinvent itself, a disproportionate number of layoffs of high-wage earners and new condominium construction.

"There's a lot of unwinding to go," Miller said. "We're moving toward stabilization but we have a ways to go."

The average sales price of a Manhattan apartment fell 10.6 percent to $1,323,462 in the third quarter from a year earlier, the Prudential Douglas Elliman Manhattan Market Overview showed. But it rose 0.8 percent from the prior quarter's $1,312,920.

Prices per square foot fell 16.5 percent to $996 year over a year earlier and were off 5.7 percent from the second quarter, the report said.

The third-quarter median sales price -- in which half the prices were higher and half were lower - dropped 8.4 percent to $850,000, but rose 1.7 percent from $835,700 in the second quarter, the Prudential report said.

While the number of sales fell 16 percent from a year earlier to 2,230 sales, it soared 45.6 percent from the second quarter. Brokers attributed the rise to unleashed pent-up demand from the prior two quarters.

Still, deals are taking longer to complete. Buyers are cautious and mortgage lending is tighter than some brokers and experts have seen during their careers.
A for-sale apartment spent 167 days on the market, up from 134 days a year earlier.

An $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers helped fuel sales of studio and one-bedroom apartments, where prices fell 30 percent and 24 percent respectively from a year earlier, Corcoran Group's quarterly report said. The credit is scheduled to expire at the end of November.

"The credit is still too tight. We need more jumbo financing for New York City," Pamela Liebman, Corcoran chief executive said, referring to mortgages over $417,000.

Keys to Small Business Funding

There are a few things that an entrepreneur should consider to increase odds of securing a loan:

Business financing comes in all shapes and sizes these days so we want to ensure you leave no stone unturned when you are looking to secure funding and researching financing streams for your small business entity.

Be prepared to meet your banker: Make sure that you are thoroughly prepared when you go to your banker’s office to request a loan. You need to show your bankers that a loan to you is a low-risk proposition. Come to the meeting equipped with a well-prepared business plan and finance package.

Identify how much capital you need: Have you determined how much capital you need? Why do you need this amount? Have you calculated your start-up costs? Is it to purchase new equipment, down payment on an existing business or do you need start up funds to cover operation? This will help you determine what type of lender you should approach.

Have a good relationship with your local banker: The old saying people do business with people they know and trust. Well, if you have built a relationship with your local banker over the years, they are more apt to support you in your new business venture. Do you have your main business account with them? You should!

Take time to review your personal credit report and finances: Your credit score is sure to play an important role in your personal finances. If you think that your personal credit won’t affect your ability to get a business loan, think again!

Make sure your house is in order: Your credit score not only determines your ability to get credit, but also affects the interest rate. This includes paying down your credit balances and taking time to take care of issues prior to your meeting with the bank. If you cannot handle your own personal finances, he’ll question whether you can run a business.

Check out resources such as Small Business Administration: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a federal agency, responsible for assisting and protecting the interests of American small business. The agency operates through a series of field offices around the country as well as in partnership with public and private organizations to offer technical assistance to small businesses. The Women’s Business Center is funded in part by an SBA grant., and we offer technical assistance to small businesses.

Bureau: Small Biz Collections Woes?

I have owned several small businesses in my time, some Not For Profit but most For Profit entities. The grand-daddy of all the problems experienced across the board were interjected when payment options for a service or product were permitted.

A lesson was learned very early that more than two payments would yield multiples more in potential collection concerns and follow through. What should a small business do to protect themselves while offering a service or product with multiple payments?


1. Keep the 40/60 fee split, but require the 40% up front and only provide an outline of the business plan. The client can then accept or sign-off on the outline and pay the remaining 60%, after which the full plan changes hands.


2. Bill 75% to 80% up front, write the plan and deliver it to the client, and then bill the remaining 20% to 25%.

The advantage here is that you get the majority of the payment up front, and the remaining fee is much less than the 60% you were originally invoicing on the back-end and having difficulty collecting.

But your business problems may run deeper than a pay and delivery schedule, according to Jeffrey Davis, founder of Mage LLC, a Mass.-based small-business consultancy. The source of trouble could lie either in your clients - or in you.

"If he's making the deliverable and [the client] isn't paying, he's not qualifying his clients properly," Davis says. "If he's qualified them properly on the deliverable and who they are, and they're not paying, it's because he's not delivering what he said he would. It's either one or the other."

Selecting the right clients and making sure they understand what they're getting can make a world of difference. Davis recommends that before starting a project you should know all of the following:

1. Is the potential customer a bona-fide client? (Can they and are they willing to pay? Do they have a legitimate need to commission a servicce order?)

2. Have you properly defined the deliverable, and has the client reviewed and agreed to the plan? Has the client seen and signed off on samples of your work? Are you sure they know what they are getting and have agreed to it?

3. Are you doing the work properly?

4. Do you have a tight enough contract with the client?

Look at your options to at least cover the cost of the service, leaving the profit portion to be paid at a later date or for that to make up the second or third payment.

Keep in mind, the advice of this bureau is to add automatic draft for multiple payments. More and more businesses are accepting automatic payments for balances due on products or services. Sweeten the deal and inform the client that there will be no additional processing charges for each remaining payment if funds are available as expected.

Make collecting payments work for you, easier on you and your staff.

Social Network Fatigue; A Small Biz Investment?

Lets get right to the point, don't waste valuable time blogging when you should be working. How cut and dry was that? Social networking has evolved into much more than anyone could have ever truly imagined, I'm certain. However, there have been some great successes.

What we find at the Corporations Bureau are many new business owners discussing the amount of time they are investing online to establish and develop leads for their business. Now on the surface, that sounds wonderfully efficient, but if we delve a bit deeper into the online research time, we then will find that there are a few key indicators that may help you spend your time more wisely.

While advising a client the other day I discovered that he was having a difficult time researching and developing leads and was growing more and more frustrated with his apprarent lack of success or time payoff. I want you to know that, the the type of business you operate will make a huge difference and play a major role in how much attention or payoff you get from a social network.

If you run a lawn business, a hair salon, or a small commercial print business, it doensn't mean you can't utilize online resources, yet, Facebook and Myspace may not truly be in your best interest. LinkedIn my suit your needs best. Once you create our LinkedIn account, visit our account (See link below) so that we can "recommend" you to other users that are Linked to us.

Chris Williams at the Register wrote this article recently regarding "Facebook fatigue". He quotes some data showing a slow down in traffic to the dominant social network website, and says people are "just, well, bored of social networks". I'll let you read the article and make up your own minds as to what points he is making but, I would like to respond in 3 areas..

That we are currently in a bubble that is going to burst and go badly for social networks. That widgets are only making money from other widget developers
Facebooks valuation was hugely over the top.

Lets start with the talk of a bubble. Average people are definately tired/bored of the talk of "web 2.0", and when I say average I mean non web developers. And to the layman I'm sure it does look that we are in another bubble similar to the late 90's. But I dissagree, for a few simple reasons.

A lot of people got "burnt" in the last internet bust, and I really don't see them making the same mistake twice, secondly while there is definately a lot of interest in "web 2.0" and a lot of people are investing large sums of money, they are usually investing that money in actual technology, not airy fairy idea's of what COULD happen (which is what happened in the late 90's, lots of good idea's but the technology wasn't there). I think those 2 reasons alone mean there won't be another collapse. The western economies as a whole are slowing down, yes, but thats not due to web 2.0!

Next widgets. Widgets/apps are the future of the internet. I think its only a matter of time before you won't be going to www.facebook.com but instead you will be firing up your social desktop app where you have all of the social networks you are on as little icons, which you just click on to see what's happening in each one, the point here is that widgets or apps are just a new layer of technology that is going to be used to make socialising online easier. OpenID is going to be used with these to splinter the larger communities into smaller niche based "groups". So looking at widgets or apps in purely a commercial fashion right now I think is a mistake, they are infact just the newest extension of web 2.0 technology.

Lastly Facebooks valuation was over the top ? Well if FB convert their members into shoppers (for products or services) then its not. The launch of the API could be seen as a clever way to get 3rd party developers to do that "conversion" process for them. And it appears to be working with the launch of a very successful platform.

Overall to suggest that social networks are going to go away I think is wrong, for lots of obvious reasons, but one word explains that more then any other, and thats community. Social networks are just communities of people with similar interests. These have always been around! However with the internet, it's easier for these communities to form (eventually touching on every subject you can think of). Social networks are the future of the internet, and widgets are the future of social networks.

As this pertains to your business and your strategy for new development, sometimes, social networks can become extremely tiring to the point of wearing you down from the constant back and forth. Invest your time, but the key word there is "invest". Only invest what you are sure to recoup. Otherwise, it just become a great loss for you and your new small business.

Plenty of Water still in the Wells over @ Fargo!

As other major players fell away, Wells Fargo has remained a stalwart, increasing its lending this year through SBA programs.

The landscape of lenders willing to work with small business owners has changed dramatically in the last year, but one bank -- Wells Fargo -- has emerged stronger than ever.

While other financiers that were historically major players took a knee, Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) increased its lending, emerging as the new number-one lender through the Small Business Administration's loan programs.

CIT Group (CIT, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Banco Popular of North America and others that once held top spots have cut their SBA lending by more than 70% this year. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo upped its loan volume 4%, from $583.4 million in 2008 to $605 million this year.

Some of that gain may be fueled by Wells Fargo's late-2008 acquisition of Wachovia, another bank that traditionally made many SBA-backed small business loans. The acquisition closed three months into the 2009 fiscal year (which the SBA began Oct. 1), leading Wachovia and Wells Fargo to report their loans separately through part of the year.

Taken together, the two banks lent $742.3 million this year -- down 24% from what they collectively lent as independent banks last year, but still far more than any other bank put into the small business market. The next runner-up, U.S. Bank (USB, Fortune 500), made $249.5 million in loans through the SBA's flagship lending program.

Given the retraction of a number of key lenders, Wells Fargo's leap to the top is not a major surprise. "I don't see anything shocking with Wells Fargo being number one," says Bob Coleman, editor of the Coleman Report, which monitors small business lending trends.

What Wells Fargo did right: Wells Fargo's ascendance isn't solely due to its competition's collapse. The bank made two key strategic decisions that turned into major advantages.

First, Wells Fargo doesn't resell its loans on the secondary market, where many banks unload bundles of the SBA-backed loans that they've made. That market froze last fall after Lehman Brothers' collapse, leaving many banks unable to find buyers for their loans -- and without those sales, the banks lacked the capital to make new small business loans.

Second, Wells Fargo focuses on making traditional 7(a) loans, which can total as much as $2 million each. The Small Business Administration guarantees a portion of its 7(a) loans -- if the business owner defaults, the government pays the bank back for the insured portion.

But the SBA also offers a variety of "Express" loan programs, which involve lower loan amounts, lower government guarantees, and less paperwork. Because banks scrutinize those loans less, they're more prone to go bad when the economy gets rough.

Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), in particular, has been hit hard on that front. The bank made 3,296 SBA loans last year, making it the fourth most-active SBA lender based on the number of loans made. But most of those loans were Express loans, with an average loan size of just over $31,000 each.

And many have begun defaulting. A year ago, CEO Ken Lewis called his bank's small business loan portfolio a "damn disaster." Bank of America reacted by sharply pulling back on its SBA lending. So far this year, the bank has made just 303 loans, 269 of which were Express loans.

"Wells Fargo is more of a traditional 7(a) lender. Their loans are larger and there is collateral behind them," says industry observer Coleman. "They do a more extensive underwriting analysis than the SBA Express lenders, which makes them feel more comfortable in assuming risk. For some lenders, the model is broken for those smaller Express markets, and so they have backed out of the market."

The new lending scene: Tom Burke, Wells Fargo's senior vice president of SBA lending, sees his bank's new leading role on the lending scene as a validation of what it has been doing all along. While Wells Fargo never before held the number-one spot, it has routinely been in the top two or three.

"We have been consistent. Our portfolio performs consistently," Burke says. "We always said that we are a player in the market. It is part of our DNA to help our small business customers."

Wells Fargo plans to press its advantage. "We are increasing staff to take advantage of gaps in the marketplace," Burke says. "We saw weakness in our competitors, and we decided to take advantage of what was going on in the marketplace."

One new small business owner is grateful that Wells Fargo is still actively lending. Jennifer Braun obtained an SBA loan from Wells Fargo in June to purchase a five-year old event-planning business called Festivities. Located in Medina, Minn., just outside of Minneapolis, the small business has seven fulltime staffers and a handful of part-timers who work weekends to cover events.

Previously employed at an event-planning firm, Braun knew it was risky to change careers in a recession: "All along, I kept thinking this is the worst time to quit my high-paying corporate job, as the primary breadwinner in our house."

But her doubts didn't stop her from following her instincts. "I just kept having the gut [feeling] that this was the time to act," she says. "You see a trend in downturns that a lot of companies are looking for mergers or consolidations, and that just seemed like something that I needed to capture -- to get a great business at a great price, because everyone is so scared, they are not moving forward on it."

Braun started her research by Googling "How do I get a business loan?" and ended up being directed to Wells Fargo by a broker. Both Braun and her husband quit their jobs and currently devote all of their energy to growing Festivities. She's optimistic that the economy is on the rebound: "I have had a strong belief in next year," she says.

Investing In Yourself First!

With times as they are, it is now your time to invest in you! Become your own lender, financial resource and payment stream. How biased is that? Pretty darn! However, the Corporations Bureau simply asks that you require the same of yourself as you would from any other finance stream.

What does that look like?

Repay Yourself First: Most financial experts and money managers would all agree on Rule #1...Pay yourself first. One of the benefits of being your own disciplined lender is that you know when you are going to be repaid. Be as committed to your repayment as you would to be repaying any other lender.

Seek Experienced Lending: Look for an experienced Small Business Lender who can meet your organization's needs and expectations from either local or state levels. Sometimes, staying "close to home" finances benefit you as you build local relationships that will continue to flourish along with your success.

The Box: Clear and Simple, get out of it with your financial thinking. Everything you knew traditionally regarding lending, business loans and corporate business plans are no longer valid. That is your box.

Now let me tell you what's outside of that box- Non-traditional loans and lending organizations, your local City Commissioners, City Council and Town Hall members usually have small business funds they MUST use each quarter/year to distribute. Contact me to find out if your city is one of them, but we have worked closely with Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners on several opportunities to get funds to small businesses.

Be The Relationship: As a new entrepreneur and small business owner, everyone you meet is a new relationship and financial resource. The hand you shake may the hand you hold later. In that same arena, don't get caught up in the online loan process. You are just another IP address attached to a lending URL address. Don't be yet another link, so do all that you can to expand your opportunities by getting in the face of your lender. You lose your "wiggle-room" online, because there is no face attached to the 'username.

Spend time looking at the benefits as well as the pitfalls of becoming your own lender, however, prop yourself up to empower your own success...Your time is now!

What keeps you from starting your own business?

A recent report reveals that the biggest reason entrepreneurs fail to start new businesses is available capital. All the great ideas in the world won't pay for them so the real work begins actually before the real work begins.

As many know, The Corporations Bureau does not support entrepreneurs preparing business plans, in the formal sense, prior to doing business. Business plans, in our corporate culture indeed have their place in the planning process however, business plans were initially intended for obtaining financial backing and resource loans for start ups.

These days however, due to the current economic climate, banks won't even finance an automobile, don't mention a "wonderful business idea". So the onus is on you as the impending small business owner to come up with your resources.

Nationally, new businesses require an estimated $15,000 to get off the ground. What's equally important to note is that those same entrepreneurs are only able to come up with nearly $6,000 which leaves a gaping hole in the start up expectations. Don't let this keep you from starting your business. Take a look at your offerings, your intended clientele and the goals you have set. Then, look at alternative ways to accomplish these goals with a reduced budget.

Easier said than done? well this is when that business plan kicks in to gear. Not a plan for the bank or loan officer, but yet, a plan that will stream-line your business and ideas into a coherent vision of efficiency. Lets not lose sight of the goal we all have when we open our doors; to please our customer and meet their expectations.

They have these expectations in part because we as owners, have set them. How do you do that? Thought you would never ask:

- Invest your time into the social networks,i.e. facebook, twitter, myspace, etc.

- Invest in building relationships that help with word of mouth. This will reduce your dependancy on marketing dollars.

- Go as long as you can without a website (unless your business is web based).

- Maximize your time with ONLY those things that yield results IMMEDIATELY. You will need the instant rush of cash to keep from going into your personal finances so often.

- A firm handshake beats a glossy business card anyday. Although Vista business cards for $5 are also a bargain.

- Don't invest in Letterhead so soon. Emails and direct phone calls improve your chances of success by 200% at no additional cost.

- Develop ways to bring business to you. This will keep you from spending 3days worth of gas to track down one potential customer who asks you all the questions, but ultimately gives their business to the family friend.

Your plan of attack is vital! Know your customer and how you intend to meet their needs before you even introduce yourself. Your finances will grow with you so stop thinking you need to have ALL of it before you can conduct your first day of business. Don't let that keep you from starting your business.

The Corporations Bureau wants to help you get your ideas off the ground without all the excuses. Lets go!

Reducing Cost and Pain

Small businesses get so caught up on our branding and creating a name for ourselves we forget to quantify our success in relation to Cost and Pain. The hard about business is actually doing business. I say all the time, if starting a business was only about purchasing business cards and letterhead, then all of america would be entrepreneurs and small business owners.

There is so much more however. Today, I have a wonderful friend going out to make a dream purchase of his lifetime. He has always wanted a Mercedez Benz E-Class, but more than that, he has always dreamed of walking into the dealership and just flat out paying cash for the entire cost of the car. I will say, there has been a great deal of time spent on researching the automobile purchase as well as all the ins and outs.

We've discussed the Cost of the car. Not in actual dollar value, however moreso in what else will this purchase "do" towards the goals you have put in place? Are there other sacrifices necessary for you to make this deal possible? The thought of making this purchase a full cash purchase is exciting however, can you live for the next 3-6 months if something horrible happened in your life? Are there any other bills in jeopardy of default? That would be "cost".

The Pain of a bad deal is felt for 4-8 months if not years after your decision to act. Pain is not intended to felt as an ache or physical ailment, although your heart may sink everytime you think about it, but instead Pain is the fallout or domino affect that comes after the new car smell is gone.

Do your research and do your best to predetermine what your Cost and Pain will be when you are approached to make challenging decisions. Never agree to pay or provide something you have not yet personally taken possession of yourself. If you have to commit to donating $500 to a major charitable event and you stand to get major press from, but you don't have the $500 yet, well.....don't make that type of committment.

The Cost and Pain of having to fix a broken committment like that will show up in ways that money alone cannot never repair. Your word and work ethic is everything in the world of small business. In every life, a little rain must fall, but do you really care about a flood when you own a boat?

Are You Professionally Insane for Starting A Business?

Well, lets leave that one open for more qualified professionals, however it can be found that more and more we tend to teeter on that very notion. Business and business formation is not intended to drive us all bonkers, yet, at the end of the day, we all seem to grasp tightly right before pulling our hairs out.

It's not suppose to be that way!: Consider for one moment the efforts you are taking to cultivate your small business, product or idea. Are you functioning as efficient as you can to prevent burn-out? How long can you continue as this pace? Is your "outputs" yielding a progressive return?

The formation of your new organization is not at all even mildly crazed, however the way you manage your time and tasks may very well be. What does the make-up of your team, volunteers, supporters, etc, how does that aid you day to day. Business is not insane, the way we conduct business, if not done correctly will drive us over the cliff and into the deep in.

The shortest distance from point A to point B is a straight line. I'm sure you've heard that before. If so, why all the sway? Corporately, we believe "sway" is our flexibility and our willingness to "customize". Not so, sway is creating distance between you and point B; and point B is what you view as success.

Be smart about your day to day steps toward organizational sanity!Start by simply getting incorporated and speaking with professionals to strategize your success. Contact The Corporations Bureau today.

IRS Note: Business Income

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) is a vital link to the small business sector. Get familiar with the IRS.gov link to best assist you in many helpful areas of your business start up and maintenance.

Much of our consultation to you in the formation and strategy portions of your start-up is verse for verse per IRS policies and procedures. The Bureau gathers the information from many government links, sources and credible resources that are not only verifiable, but tested.

Take a look here for additional information regarding filing tax forms in relation to your Business Income. Contact us at the Bureau for further FREE tax assistance relating to your small business. We are here to help you!

Downsized? Hit the Career Refresh Button

Times are tight no matter what you do. You can find the resume and spend your time rewriting it ten ways for ten possible jobs, or you can invest your time following your dream. Continue your current career out of a sense of necessity or you can reinvent your career, with all the knowledge and skills you've earned over the years, and truly take charge of your life. This page shows you where to start on your new path as an entrepreneur, guiding you through all the first steps and giving you a firm foundation to build your new business.

If you've already got a sense of your new career direction, close this box and explore the Franchising, Financing, Small Business and Legal tabs. If you're starting from scratch, close the box and check out the Explore Entrepreneurship tab. By pressing the refresh button on your career, you gain an new perspective and new found appreciation on what it means to be your own boss and/or manage others.

Define what you think success is. Be ready to attack the untapped potential in the "niche markets". What is that exactly?, well, just remember that there is no need to re-invent the wheel to obtain success. Instead, re-inventing what you view as successful is going to go a long way.

Reinventing your career can mean looking beyond the obvious alternatives. More small businesses will be started in the next twelve months than in the last fifteen years and The Corporate Bureau wants to make certain that these newcomers to the "world of start-ups" are informed and prepared for the success to come.

If you are being downsized or have been downsized, consider this new path of promise. You've put your faith and trust in everyone else's ability, now find favor in your own. Your dreams can become just as much of a reality as they last employer you worked for. Your time is now.

Hiring and Keeping Good Employees!

Our economic tremors notwithstanding, hiring new employees is essential to your organizations vitality. If you want your business to run at a high caliber, then those employees need to also be of a high caliber. Having a company with good employees doesn’t just magically happen overnight, though. It requires you to meet their needs at the hiring stage and continually evolve to meet their needs throughout their employment.

HIRING
Getting quality people into your company from the start will set the tone and get things moving in the right direction, which is why the hiring process deserves time, effort and most importantly, careful consideration. In order for you to be able to hire quality people, however, quality people need to apply. The way to attract them is through marketing, which is done in much the same way as you market to customers. If your company has won awards, let people know. Emphasize the aspects of your company that you’re proud of. People want to work for a high-quality company, so let them know just how high of quality you are.

Now comes the actual hiring process. Here is a simple six-step process to hiring good employees.

Create a detailed ad and job description that accurately reflect the position.
List the set of skills you are looking for, the different roles that need to be filled, the necessary education and experience levels of the applicants, and the personality traits that are important to the position and the company. Once you’ve compiled this information, writing a detailed ad shouldn’t take long. Having a structured and highly detailed ad can prevent many unqualified people from applying for the position. Once the ad is assembled, post it on the Internet, in local newspapers or anywhere else where you think the right people might see it. Within a few days you should start to receive resumes.

Sift through the resumes
Once the resumes are in, start sorting them out. This can be a painstaking process, but as long as you know ahead of time exactly what you’re looking for, it doesn’t have to be. Simply separate the resumes into three piles “definitely qualified,” “definitely not qualified” and “somewhere in the middle.” Continue to narrow the field, eliminating those “definitely not qualified,” until you’ve reached a manageable number. Remember, more does not always mean better. Whether you receive twice as many applications as you expected or half as many, as long as you are receiving quality resumes, you’re on the right track.

Perform preliminary phone interviews
Before you meet face-to-face with your qualified applicants, make sure that they are at least a possibility for the position and don’t have any attributes that would make them unable to perform the necessary tasks. In order to do that you are going to have to conduct preliminary phone interviews. Start by developing a list of questions. The questions should not require long-winded answers. They are meant to be quick and easy questions that weed out applicants that aren’t right for the position. For example, if the position you are trying to fill requires a fair amount of traveling, ask applicants how they feel about that. If some applicants aren’t up for it, then eliminate them. Or you can ask how much money they expect to make. If certain numbers far exceeds what you are capable of paying, then you can eliminate those people as well. Make sure that you are using the same set of questions for each applicant when conducting the interviews. There needs to be a basis for comparison.

Conduct face-to-face interviews
After you’ve narrowed the field down to a handful of qualified possibilities, schedule face-to-face interviews. At this point in the process you already know the education, experience and basic set of skills of each applicant. This is your opportunity to ask more in-depth questions. Find out whether they are introverted or extroverted, open-minded or close-minded. Assess their behaviors and the different personalities of each. The face-to-face interview is a chance for you to see how the applicant might fit in to the company’s dynamic. Again, be consistent with your questioning and maintain a fairly structured environment. You’ll want the interview to flow smoothly and be conversational, but you don’t want to get too far off track.

Run a background check
Running a background check can shed some light on unforeseeable issues. You might find that an applicant has a problematic criminal record or that information on his or her resume is false. You can search the Web for companies that perform background checks. Performing a background check online is easy and convenient, but it’s not free, so be prepared to spend a little money.

Select the candidate who is the best fit:
One thing to remember when making your final decision is that the most qualified applicant is not always the right choice. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with this person, possibly very stressful time, so make sure you choose someone who isn’t going to drive you crazy. Obviously the person has to be a good fit for the position, but he or she also has to fit well with you and be able to grow with the company. If an applicant is intelligent, eager and open-minded, the training will be easy and the skills will develop on their own.

RETAINING
Bringing good employees into your company is only half the battle; keeping them there is the other half. Now that you’ve got them, you’re going to have to put a little work into keeping them happy.

There are two basic categories that most forms of employee retention fall under—monetary and non-monetary. Monetary retention is pretty self-explanatory. If any of your quality employees are looking to move on to greener pastures, you pay them to stay. Providing monetary benefits certainly has an effect on many employees, but there are also a great deal of employees out there who are looking for something that money can’t buy. On top of that, it’s nice to have something to offer employees when you can’t afford to simply off them more money.

One thing that many employees look for is flexibility. If you feel like any of your employees are starting to stray, pull them aside for a little chat. Talk to them and find out what steps you can take to make their lives better and easier. If there are certain tasks that an employee doesn’t need to be in the office for, then allow him or her to work from home on occasion if that’s what is going to help out the employee. Sometimes it’s just as simple as letting employees work out their own schedules. If the work is not sensitive to any particular day or time, let employees work when it’s most convenient for them, so long as they are still accomplishing the same amount of work. Another retention tool to keep in your arsenal is vacation. Employees have lives outside of work, lives that are very important to them, so don’t underestimate the power of extra time off.

Non-monetary benefits don’t stop at flexibility. Many times employees just want a work environment where they feel comfortable, not tense. Even if everything else is suitable, an unsatisfying workplace atmosphere can be enough to cause any employee to want to quit. Make the physical environment bright and cheery. Give employees free reign to voice their opinion, respectfully of course, and have a little fun. Employees that dread going to work rarely stay long. They are also not nearly as productive as happy employees, so keep lines of communication free and clear so that you can make work an enjoyable place for everyone.

What the heck is Bootstrapping (financing)?

Bootstrapping, the act of avoiding external investors, means going solo in the financing department, all the while keeping expenses to a minimum. Many business schools widely promote the use of external investors. They teach you to write a lengthy, in-depth business plan and then pitch it to investors. This isn’t always an option for many entrepreneurs, however, nor is it always the smartest route. Finding outside investments, like venture capital or bank loans can be tough, not to mention time consuming.

Getting a small business loan from a bank is difficult because startups are risky ventures, and banks are not known for their risk taking. That’s not to say that small-business loans aren’t out there, just don’t hold your breath. Small business grants from the government work similarly. They’re hard to come by, and the time it takes to search for them could be better spent working on the business itself.

Most startups try to go the route of venture capitalists or angel investors (also known as angels), but these two types of external investors can also be a tough sell. Venture capitalists invest billions, but they do so for only a select number of ventures. They’re generally interested in larger investments and are more willing to invest money in companies that already have a solid base. An angel is typically an affluent inpidual who provides capital for startups. The problem with pitching an angel is that it can be very difficult to find the right one and then actually grab his or her attention.

Financing your business the conventional way—with someone else’s money—involves spending a lot of time chasing deep-pocketed investors who are statistically not likely to be interested. Bootstrappers, on the other hand, focus their energy on making money and being smart with it. Along the way they tend to learn more about money management and finance than those who start out with loads of someone else’s cash.

Bootstrappers get financing in several different ways. Some of the more common forms are credit cards, second mortgages, personal savings, or friends and family. This may sound risky, but there is a reason bootstrapping is increasing in popularity.

Bootstrappers maintain a customer-focused mentality from day one. Externally-funded business owners are often fooled into thinking that they already have a business because they can pay salaries and rent, but the truth is you only have a business when you have paying customers. Bootstrappers have nothing but their customers to focus on. They also build cost-effective businesses right off the bat. You can't waste much money when there isn't much money to waste. Bootstrapping is a solid investment for anyone with the determination and brainpower to find a way to make it work.

Tips to ease the process:

Plan ahead for your startup needs by establishing good credit. Being an entrepreneur is risk enough for many creditors; don’t give them another reason to deny you. Cut your overhead costs down to the bare essentials. Every penny you unnecessarily spend cuts into your ability to succeed.

Do it yourself as much as you possibly can. Even if you don’t know a lot about a particular subject matter, you can always read up on it.

Plan for success, not for failure. Planning ahead for failure seems like the smart thing to do, but by removing all possibility of failure from your mind, you’ll be more likely to succeed.

Getting things right is important, but it’s still more important to get them done than get them perfect, so don’t be afraid to be a little “reckless” in that regard.

Don’t write off the use of external investors. For some startups they’re the right choice, but so few startups have that choice. Instead the majority of them are forced to start with little or no money. Don’t be discouraged if you’re one of those entrepreneurs, it’s probably a blessing in disguise. Bootstrapping is a risky venture, but the payoff is usually worth it in the end.

Count up all the costs of your business start-up!

There's no way you can start and build a successful small business if you don't have the funds to back it up. Yet so many first-time business owners greatly misjudge the amount of money they'll need to get their business off the ground. That's why so many new businesses fail. You may think you have a pretty good ballpark estimate, but that's not good enough. You need a detailed map with solid, well-researched numbers.

Here at The Corporations Bureau, we want to make sure that you consider all the "valid" costs. The CB is designed to assist all the small business owners and entrepreneurs out there in obtaining all the success they desire at a nominal cost. Unfortunately, many organizations out there greatly profit from your desire to launch a new start up...to the point, where they grossly overcharge minor services provided. And in many other cases, the CB has found reputable organizations charging for services that are normally provided to you for free! (What you don't know, hurts you).

The first thing you need to do is figure out exactly where your costs are coming from. There are two different kinds of costs—initial costs and ongoing costs. Initial costs are one-time expenses that are needed to set your business in motion. Ongoing costs are those expenses that you anticipate paying again and again (could be weekly, monthly, annually, etc.). Start by making a list of ALL your initial costs, no matter how small or insignificant.

Initial costs you should consider:
Incorporation
Legal fees
Accounting
Licenses and permits
Rent and security deposit
Signage
Transportation
Insurance
Building/remodeling
Supplies
Initial inventory
Furniture and equipment
Installations


It's not enough to consider how much a large piece of machinery costs. You also need to think about the costs involved with transporting it or setting it up. Everything needs to be accounted for!

Now do the same with your ongoing costs.

Ongoing costs you should consider:

Rent or mortgage
Utilities
Supplies
Business insurance
Inventory
Attorney. CPA or professional fees
Payroll
Health insurance
Equipment/machinery lease payment
Building/landscape maintenance
Advertising/promotions
Delivery expenses
Loan payments
Credit card charges


Figure out exactly what maintaining your business will cost you on a month-by-month basis. When you review your monthly financial statements, you'll be able to gauge whether you're on track and if adjustments need to be made.

Now that you have a tally for both types of costs, add extra money to each and consider this miscellaneous. Extra unforeseen costs are always going to come up, so you want to be prepared for them.

What you should have now is a total for your initial costs and a total for one month of ongoing costs. Take your one-month total and multiply it by six. It is generally recommended that you have enough cash on reserve to keep your business going for six months. Some might recommend a full year, but make sure you prepare for at least a six-month period.

Many of the expenses that you will incur can be difficult to gauge. That's why you need to do sufficient research. The best way to start is to talk to people who have already started similar businesses. You obviously won't want to approach direct competitors, but talking to related businesses or businesses in a different geographic area might be helpful. Trade associations can also be a wealth of information. Many have startup packages that can help you in calculating your startup expenses. Suppliers, manufacturers, distributors—they're all excellent resources for figuring out costs. Call them and tell them that you're planning to start a business and are looking for costs. Ask about things like bulk-buying discounts, startup inventory packages, credit terms or anything that might lower your cost. Make sure you contact several sources to get an accurate picture of these costs. You can also always check out websites or libraries for information.

There is no one-stop-shop type of resource for accurately researching startup costs, but as long as you keep digging and ask plenty of questions along the way, you'll eventually come up with accurate numbers. The thing that you need to remember is that good research is invaluable. It can tell you whether your business idea is financially feasible and give you a better picture of what your place is in the market.

When you actually get your final tally, you may be surprised by how expensive a startup can be. This may even prompt you to review your expenses and slash the things you can live without. Talk to an established business owner to see what suggestions he or she might have for bringing your numbers down to a more manageable level.

Designing Your Brand Logo

Designing a quality logo is just as important as creating a quality name. Like a name, a logo speaks volumes about your company—what you do, how professional you are, if you can be trusted, etc. It can give clients their first impressions of your company and will either win them over immediately or lose them completely. No pressure.


What really makes a logo important is that it creates an image and builds your brand. You want your logo to be simple, eye-catching and innovative, and at the same time you want it to project the personality of your company. Logos like the Nike swoosh and the McDonalds arches have become iconic because of their simple design and undeniable distinctness. When you see them, you don’t need to hear the names anymore. The two have become synonymous. It also took lots of money and years of brand-building marketing efforts to make this happen, but even so, you can’t build a brand without the right logo.


So how exactly do you go about getting the right logo? Easy—you hire a graphic designer or work with a logo design company. This is an area where many people like to save money and do it themselves, but having your logo designed by a professional is a wise investment. Consider the fact that a good logo can last you about 10 years, sometimes longer if it’s that good. No matter how well you can sketch cartoon characters or color inside the lines, a graphic designer will always come up with something smarter, more professional and all around better looking. Just because you hire a graphic designer, however, does not mean that the design process is completely out of your hands. There are still a number of things you can do to keep yourself in the loop.


Start by clearly articulating exactly what it is you want your logo to convey. Do you want it to be conservative or flashy, muted or bold, sophisticated or hip? Gather your thoughts in your head and then jot your ideas down on paper. Look at the logos of other successful businesses in your industry. Use them for ideas. More than that, think about how you want to make your logo distinct from theirs. Then sketch some designs of your own. Make sure any text you might use is short, readable and not interrupted by design elements. Use few colors, maybe one-to-three, in simple shades. You’d be surprised by how expensive printing your logo can become if you use too many colors in obscure shades. Once you have a good idea of what you are looking for, start working with your graphic designer. Exchange sketches and ideas as many times as you need to to create the logo that will bring in customers and boost your business.


Once you and your designer have created the perfect logo, it’s time to beat your customers over the head with it (figuratively speaking of course). Include the logo in each and every piece of communication possible—business cards, phone book ads, letterhead, envelopes, invoices, building signs, newsletters…you get the point. Associate the name with the logo until the two have become inseparable.

The Top 100 Cities to launch your new business!

With the help of CNN Money, we wanted to present to you the top 100 cities in the nation where the conditions and benefits are plentiful and conducive to launch a new business.

Consider many of these locations based upon the industry choice(s)that your organization may support. Relocation is not always the way to go, however The Corporations Bureau can assist you in obtaining many of the benefits, i.e. taxes, stimulus benefits and etc., by incorporating your dreams into reality in one of these top 100 cities.



As you may see, we've added the current population of the top 100 cities in the nation where starting your new business may really impact your overall plan. As a tip, review census numbers (www.census.gov) to best identify your demographic (potential customers).

1 Bellevue, WA 111,608
2 Georgetown, TX 37,963
3 Buford, GA 13,576
4 Marina del Rey,CA 8,891
5 Bethesda, MD 59,475
6 Portland, OR 535,421
7 Denver, CO 555,932
8 Charlotte, NC 596,123
9 Fort Worth, TX 595,062
10 Franklin, MA 29,642
11 American Canyon, CA 12,484
12 Durham, NC 204,135
13 Manchester, NH 113,417
14 Virginia Beach, VA 445,875
15 Salt Lake City, UT 184,550
16 Novato, CA 48,410
17 Santa Fe, NM 65,433
18 Charlottesville, VA 40,877
19 Boise, ID 203,649
20 Raleigh, NC 316,978
21 Iowa City, IA 64,933
22 Omaha, NE 399,820
23 Minneapolis, MN 374,956
24 Fargo, ND 96,029
25 Scottsdale, AZ 232,929
26 Louisville, CO 19,402
27 Bellingham, WA 73,357
28 Colorado Springs, CO 396,436
29 Naperville, IL 149,600
30 Lyndhurst, NJ 19,699
31 Leesburg, VA 46,645
32 Carlsbad, CA 90,536
33 Hamden, CT 59,329
34 San Antonio, TX 1,251,086
35 Cambridge, MA 102,158
36 Stafford, TX 25,607
37 Radnor Township, PA 31,675
38 Worcester, MA 179,719
39 Fort Collins, CO 127,443
40 Olympia, WA 46,605
41 Asheville, NC 69,447
42 Ann Arbor, MI 119,016
43 Blacksburg, VA 40,161
44 Oro Valley, AZ 35,750
45 Sioux Falls, SD 137,222
46 Madison, WI 222,428
47 Gainesville, FL 95,392
48 Corvallis, OR 49,124
49 Owings Mills, MD 22,291
50 Greensboro, NC 231,720
51 Doral, FL 32,557
52 Plainsboro, NJ 21,608
53 Rochester, MN 94,583
54 Reno, NV 210,055
55 Dover, DE 36,646
56 Winston-Salem, NC 195,821
57 Zionsville, IN 10,893
58 Bethlehem, PA 75,448
59 Syracuse, NY 144,755
60 Pittsburgh, PA 320,335
61 Northport, NY 7,700
62 Blue Ash, OH 11,948
63 Lincoln, RI 22,314
64 Fairfield, CT 58,490
65 State College, PA 39,185
66 San Jose, CA 895,535
67 Honolulu, HI 383,424
68 Ventura, CA 108,143
69 Danville, CA 45,093
70 Fort Lauderdale, FL 167,255
71 Missoula, MT 58,781
72 Brookfield, WI 39,955
73 Orlando, FL 204,524
74 Columbus, IN 40,065
75 St. Cloud, MN 64,267
76 Folsom, CA 68,912
77 Spokane, WA 202,618
78 San Luis Obispo, CA 45,015
79 Nashville, TN 547,983
80 Rochester, NY 215,119
81 Charleston, SC 103,756
82 Fayetteville, AR 66,914
83 Rio Rancho, NM 60,655
84 Cheyenne, WY 55,870
85 Lemay, MO 16,524
86 Huntsville, AL 167,345
87 Bend, OR 64,917
88 Brunswick, ME 15,204
89 Billings, MT 94,088
90 Sarasota, FL 55,241
91 Ames, IA 51,681
92 Prescott, AZ 40,471
93 Edmond, OK 74,400
94 West Des Moines, IA 52,538
95 Coeur d'Alene, ID 39,617
96 Eugene, OR 141,165
97 Kansas City, MO 454,337
98 Henderson, NV 241,011
99 Savannah, GA 129,333
100 Colchester, VT 17,612


Although the cities are vitally important as to the specificity of the demographic your oranization may be pursuing, Incorporating and receiving the tax benefits that each city may provide derives from the state inwhich that city is located in. Let us help strategize and custom your filing documents so that you receive the greatest impact of your decision.

7 Best Places to Start Your Business!!

There are 7 cities that have been identified as the best locations to start a new business in America.


The Corporations Bureau has plotted the along with this study put out by CNN as well as the Tax Foundation and we find our support for our membership is truly indicative of national statistics.


Although economic recessions have historically been a boon for small business creation and entrepreneurs all over the nation and around the globe, benefits to the small business sector in these 7 Bests cannot be denied. It should also be stated that often at CB, we assist our members in incorporating their businesses in other states, some of which made the list of these 7 for some of the same reasons and/or benefits that we will mention.

Wyoming: Wyoming's tax structure as the No. 1 most business-friendly in the nation, thanks to the absence of income tax and low sales and excise taxes. With fewer than 1 million residents, Wyoming is the least-populated state in the country, although almost 3 million visitors drop by annually to enjoy tourist magnet Yellowstone National Park. In addition to low property taxes, Wyoming boasts a low cost of living. Abundant natural resources - oil, natural gas, coal and the mineral trona - drive the state economy.

Nevada: No personal or corporate taxes helps to lure new businesses to this desert state. The fact that there is no Inventory Tax and low Payroll Taxes also helps boast the state's population by 25%. Nevada boasts thriving health care, education, and finance sectors; its location is conducive to doing business with other major southwest cities. Tourists flock to Reno not just for gambling but also for outdoor recreation - nearby Lake Tahoe offers water sports in the summer and skiing in winter. In rural areas, where mining is the primary industry, businesses are benefiting from the high cost of gold and copper.

Florida: Has no personal income tax but does have corporate taxes. The sunny state's economy gets its strength from a diverse mix of industries, offering jobs in aerospace, agriculture, medical technology, software development, and tourism and leisure.


Texas: No personal income tax, low business gross receipts tax (sole proprietors and general partnerships are exempt). Recently, the governor's office identified six industries in which Texas wants to promote future growth: advanced technologies and manufacturing, aerospace and defense, biotech and life sciences, IT and computers, oil refining and chemical products, and energy, including new energy sources such as wind. The government is cultivating these sectors by connecting businesses with federal and private grants, providing state funds for research, and increasing job training programs.


Washington: As this well known home of Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing, Washington has no personal income tax, but a gross-receipts tax on all business income. Primary industries include software development, biotech, aviation and electronics. The state also has a robust agricultural environment: Washington is the No. 1 U.S. producer of apples, pears, sweet cherries and red raspberries. While residents enjoy the benefits of paying no income tax, businesses don't get off so easily: The state has some of the highest excise taxes in the nation on goods such as gasoline, cigarettes and alcohol; gasoline and diesel are taxed 34 cents per gallon.


New Hampshire: Is one of the fastest growing states in the nation when it comes to business development. NH has no personal income tax on wages and salaries, but tax on dividends and interest, plus gross receipts tax for businesses. An abundant pool of educated workers feeds New Hampshire's high-tech companies: The state is home to 26 colleges, including the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College. Despite the increasing labor force, unemployment is lower than the national rate. The state is leading the way in establishing telecom and computer software industries. Other rapidly growing sectors include health care, retail, and hospitality.


Tennessee: No personal income tax on wages and salaries, but taxes on dividends and interest, plus corporate excise tax on net earnings. Tennessee has a robust manufacturing sector, producing automobiles, chemicals, machinery, and rubber and plastics. To facilitate growth, the state offers various sales tax exemptions and tax credits to new businesses, plus job training programs to develop a skilled workforce. The state also has the lowest utility costs in the nation, but one of the highest sales taxes. Home to many major corporations such as Nissan North America and Bridgestone, which have headquarters and manufacturing plants in the city.


A special thanks to our members all across the nation, with special emphasis on those in these 7 Bests! Determine the location and demographics for your business and see what it offers in the way of benefits to the industry(s) you support.


A failure of most new small businessess and entrepreneurs is we focus on the possible benefits our organizations may add to a city or town or state, and not always what that location will bring to our new organization. Its a two way street, make a point to drive down both sides of that road, just one side at a time though. The location has to work for you regardless of the direction of travel.

Making the Corportions Bureau work for you!

The Corporations Bureau (CB) incorporates your dreams into a new reality; a new normal that bridges your personal goals with your organization's corporate success.

1. Organizing your organization is essential. CB brings together all the resources and tools together into one virtual clearinghouse. Our members are encouraged to pull from these resources, that are FREE to you and are not limited. Ever.

2. CB is essentially a National Registered Agent of sorts; one of the many hats worn for the success of your new business start-up. For the first 12 months, the bureau administers the filing and incorporation documents of our members as their registered agent or the corporate contact which is required by each state division of corporations.

3. All 50 states adhere to various incorporation laws determined by that state's legislative body and/or Secretary of State. The Corporation Bureau has determined the best course of action, designated path that your business should take to best ensure its success. Use our contacts when you subscribe to CB that will surely make each step in the process much easier to navigate.

4. What we can guarantee is a level of service and efficiency that makes every step a valuable learning opportunity.

5. Rate the cost of the subscription against any of the other national organizations (i.e. Legalzoom.com, Bizfilings.com and etc.) and you will quickly see that by joining the bureau, it will become one of the best decisions you can make on behalf of your new business start-up.

Visit us at corporationsbureau@gmail.com to receive the two page application to get the ball rolling. You will be provided with all of the services that are going to be provided to you at NO COST. We do that so that you will further understand and appreciate the hundreds of dollars, proven resources that you will save up front. No rebates needed, no sales or hidden costs.

Subscribe to the bureau, a one time subscription of $79 annually will get your business heading in the right direction. State receipts will be provided to you to show you will only pay required state fees and nothing else for one full year. Others are not able to offer you this because they all of their profits are built into charging you for items that are already by law, extended to you for FREE. The Bureau won't do that.

Through education, administration and oversight, CB will provide the tools you need to succeed immediately.

Run Your Own Small Business: Without blowing smoke!

Be realistic about your true desires to start a business. Let's be fair however, there are many reasons to launch into your own ventures, yet, be certain that your committment level is on par with the amount of smoke you preparing to blow.

What is the smoke? I often say, business cards and letter-head can easily represent the expensive smoke we tend to blow. What makes it smoke? The cost new entrepreneurs pay to "look" like a business is far more than should be alotted. Instead, spend your "smoke" funds on actually doing business rather than just looking like a business. Smoke.

Many entrepreneurs place fortune first on their list of goals. After deeper thought, however, they usually find that the accumulation of money, while certainly important, is not necessarily where they derive their greatest satisfaction.


Keep in mind, just because you've unveiled your new website does not mean your host server will jump offline the next business day. That's smoke! Think of it as a bubble. They're all very pretty and if you look real close, you may lose yourself in the gaze of swirling colors on its surface, yet, all bubbles will burst. If you fail to give someone your home address, you will never get mail in your mailbox. Just the same, your web address will get no visits without the necessary work.

Fame.

A healthy love of self is another key drive of entrepreneurs. They are very comfortable seeing their name in lights—or (more commonly) on company letterhead. Making their mark on the world is part of why they struck out on their own in the first place.


Family.

Many solo entrepreneurs seek a better way to balance the competing demands of their home and professional lives. They want to be able to spend more quality time with their families, and they want to provide a good livelihood for their loved ones.


As the head of your own ship, steer clear of the fantasy islands. The information lighthouse is there to help you from running aground! The promise land may truly be on your horizon, but keep in mind the earth is not flat! You may have to go a round or two before you truly find your way.

Freedom.

Not surprisingly, more important than money to many entrepreneurs is the ability to call their own shots. Many turn down better-paying jobs because they place a high value on working for themselves; they want to set their own schedule, to ensure that it honors the needs of both their clients and their family. And they want the freedom to pursue new prospects when these come along.


Fun.

There often isn’t a lot of tolerance (or respect) for self-expression in the corporate workaday world. Entrepreneurs, in general, are creative individuals who need an environment in which they can express their personalities in the context of a business. Incorporating a sense of self is also the way they ensure that those intangible inner, spiritual needs are met.