Questions, Answers

I have a customer who has just started his fourth small business. He is fairly wealthy because each of his previous three businesses were quite successful when he sold them. He knows exactly what he is doing and he sticks to areas where he has experience. Unfortunately, most small business owners are not in that position. They have started their first small business and have comparatively little business experience. They face many more questions than they have answers.

Where do small business owners get answers to questions about licensing, taxes, credit cards, etc.? It is mostly very time-consuming work. The organizations responsible for creating the situations which lead to questions from small businesses are generally large, unresponsive and bureaucratic bodies such as governments at all levels, banks, licensing authorities, and large suppliers of services. They respond to large companies that have clout in terms of business volume, jobs and influence. The small business owner has very little of any of these. If he can't get a quick answer from official sources, he is usually reduced to asking advice from other local small businesses and contacts.

The Internet has made it much easier to get at this kind of information. Not only do the governments, banks etc. all have web sites with information relevant to small businesses, there are many sites, such as this one, dedicated to helping small businesses find the best way to operate without having to rediscover the basics. This Toronto-Dominion Bank web site has a lot of relevant answers. Two subjects which always crop up in my discussions with small business are merchant credit cards and business licenses. This site has answers for both and a lot of other good advice.

Go To Page: 1

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic