Small Business
- Home /
- Categories /
- Small Business
Hiring your first employee: what you're now on the hook for
The day your first employee starts, you take on payroll tax, I-9 checks, new-hire reporting, wage rules and record-keeping. Here's what each one actually requires.
HUBZone and 8(a): two certifications, two different tests
HUBZone tests where your business and its employees are located; 8(a) tests the owner's financial disadvantage. The rules, the limits, and how to check an address.
Running a business from home without breaking a rule
Zoning, licences, your lease, the IRS exclusive-use test and insurance: the five layers of rules that apply when you run a business from home.
Selling to the Federal Government: The First Steps
Registering to sell to the federal government is free. How SAM.gov, the Unique Entity ID, NAICS codes and set-aside contracts actually work for a tiny business.
The Women-Owned Small Business certification, step by step
How to get WOSB certified free through the SBA: ownership and control rules, EDWOSB thresholds, the documents you need, and what set-asides actually get you.
Registering a business: structure, EIN, licences
The EIN is free from the IRS and it isn't step one. The real order of registering a business: structure, state filing, tax ID and the licence layers.
What an SBA 7(a) Loan Is, and Who Actually Gets One
The SBA 7(a) loan is a bank loan with a federal guarantee, not government money. Here's what lenders actually check, and where to look if you won't qualify yet.
Free, In-Person Help to Start a Business
SBDCs, SCORE, Women's Business Centers and VBOCs offer free one-on-one business counseling. What each does and how to find your nearest one through SBA's directory.
SBA Disaster Loans Are Not Just for Businesses
After a declared disaster, SBA lends to homeowners and renters too, up to $500,000 for home repairs and $100,000 for personal property, cars included.
Starting a Business While You're on Benefits: SNAP, SSI, Medicaid
How self-employment income really affects SNAP, SSI and Medicaid: the deductions, the SSI work rules, PASS plans, and exactly what you must report and when.
SBA microloans: borrowing small when banks say no
SBA microloans put up to $50,000 in the hands of small businesses banks turn away. How the nonprofit lenders work, what the money can buy, and how to apply.
Free government money for a small business is mostly a myth
The federal government does not hand out grants to start a business. Here's what SBA actually funds, the narrow exceptions, and the scams to avoid.