If you own an online business or if your brick and mortar establishment has a website, then this information is for you!

Business.gov, a website committed to providing businesses with access to government services and information, has recently developed a business Toolkit. The Toolkit is a “gadget” specifically designed for small business enterprises.

A “gadget” is a small object that can be posted to any website simply by cutting and pasting a code to the webpage. “Gadgets” offer various resources that are automatically updated everyday.

The new “gadget” provided by business.gov offers a wide variety of information and resources that are relative to small business owners. The features that this “gadget” offers are as follows:

• Explore information, forms, and contacts at all levels of government.
• Peruse current topics pertaining to small businesses.
• Research applicable licenses and permits pertinent to your business.
• View media clips offering advice from top entrepreneurs.

This is a quick, free, no maintenance reserve that provides you, and the ones that visit your website, with the latest information and resources related to small businesses. To obtain the code that will allow you to post this business Toolkit to your company’s website, visit www.business.gov.

Design Done Right, located in Lake Ariel, was awarded the November Small Business Spotlight Award for their contributions to local organizations. Design Done Right was created in 2005 by Michelle Bersch.  Ms. Bersch wanted to focus on providing clients with affordable high-end media design.

Design Done Right offers full service graphic design, photography and website design services while maintaining complete customer satisfaction.

Ms. Bersch is a dedicated and creative designer who truly cares about her clients and her local community. Ms. Bersch is especially dedicated to the Scranton branch of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), in which she is a member.

Design Done Right is also a member of various other organizations such as the Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO), The United Way, The Southern Wayne Chamber of Commerce and The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
Each month, MetroAction presents the Small Business Spotlight award to a local business dedicated to giving back to their local community.  If you know of a deserving business, nominate them today!

Photo Caption:
From Left to Right: John Peterson, vice president, First Liberty Bank & Trust and Michele Bersch, owner, Design Done Right.

A business name can say a lot about you and your company. Even though it’s probably only one or two words, some very powerful first impressions may be drawn simply by reading the name. A good business name conveys what a company stands for, its values, and why it is distinct from other business entities.

Sometimes, for one reason or another, the proprietor of a business wishes to change the name of their company. Before doing this however, there should be a lot of thought put into the reasons for the wanted change and how a name change might affect the business. The name change decision may hold some repercussions that you as a business owner may not be equipped to handle.

If you have decided to change the name of your business there are specific actions that you must take which depend on the type of business organization that you have chosen for your company.

Sole Proprietorship

The name of a sole proprietorship may be changed by sending a letter notifying the IRS of the intended name change. The letter, which must be signed by the owner or an authorized delegate, should be addressed to the same destination where the owner files his/her return.

Corporation

The name of a corporation may be changed by filling in the appropriate information on the current year’s tax return form. If the name change occurs after the current year’s return has been filed, a letter, addressed to the same destination where the corporation files its return, can be sent notifying the IRS of the name change.

Partnership

The name of the partnership may be changed by filling in the appropriate information on the current year’s tax return form. If the name change occurs after the current year’s return has been filed, a letter, addressed to the same destination where the partnership files its return, can be sent notifying the IRS of the name change.

This information applies to the three main types of legal structures.  There are others available.  MetroAction recommends that you consult with you attorney and/or accountant before changing your business name. 

For more information, please go to www.irs.gov.

While attending school, students may feel uncertainty about what awaits them after graduation.Once students graduate, they may consider going into business for themselves. Schools can offer the best training and guidance to students in their specific areas of study. However, once a student is in the workforce, they may lack the business training needed to capitalize on their profession. (more…)

Choosing a business organization is one of the most important decisions you will make when starting your own company. It is, therefore, imperative that you understand the rules and regulations that are exclusive to each specific entity. It is also important that you clearly define every aspect of your business. By doing this you ensure that you will pick the correct business organization for your company. (more…)

In October, MetroAction recognized the NEPA Miners by presenting them with the Small Business Spotlight Award, sponsored by First Liberty Bank and Trust. This award recognizes a local small business for their contributions to the community.

The NEPA Miners is a family run business owned and operated by Dan and Michele LaMagna. The NEPA Miners family consists of over 70 volunteers made up of management, coaches, players, cheerleaders, booster club members and interns.

The NEPA Miners Football & Entertainment organization is proud to serve northeastern Pennsylvania with year round community service while providing quality entertainment during their football season. (more…)

From the occupancy sensors to low-flow fixtures, it seems that Fidelity Bank has thought of everything when it comes to making its new West Scranton branch “green”.

“We’re constantly encouraging our customers to be economically responsible with their finances and by going green with our new building, this is our way of demonstrating our commitment to being economically and environmentally responsible,” says Dan Santaniello, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Fidelity. (more…)

Did you know that 1 ton of 100 % recycled paper saves the equivalent of 4,100 kWh of energy, 7,000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of air emissions, and three cubic yards of landfill space?

Attendees at our first Go Green Business Summit learned about staggering statistics like this and ways that their businesses can be more eco-friendly.  More than 70 business leaders and environmental experts gathered to discuss innovative approaches, best practices and new trends in greening their businesses. The program was sponsored by Lackawanna County, PPL and WBRE/WYOU.

Commissioner Corey O’Brien described houw Lackawanna County is improving its environmental footprint.  Everything from eliminating gas guzzling county vehicles to implementing a county-wide recycling program in all county offices.

Michele Dempsey, DX Dempsey Architecture, Brad Bason, North Central Digital Systems, Jamie Reeger, Environmental Institute of Lackawanna College and Marlene Satter, SRA International, provided presentations on a host of informative topics.

A panel discussion with area experts and trend setters (including Danielle Fleming, Danielle & Co, Tom McLane, McLane & Associates, Shannon Cross, Outlook Construction, Jay Barton, WBRE/WYOU, Pam Fendrock, PennFuture and Nancy Crickman, EMAP) and a keynote address on Tomorrow’s Trends by Tom Tuffey, PennFuture rounded out the program.

More than 15 vendors were on hand to provide attendees with resources and assistance in making eco-senstive choices for their businesses.

Be sure to check out our upcoming training programs.  And, be sure to check out the other articles on this blog about what local businesses are doing to improve their environmental footprint.

If you attended the Go Green Business Summit, we’d love to know what you thought of the program.  Please feel free to share your comments and best-practices for greening your businesses.

Over the past three months, MetroAction hosted a 3-part seminar series focusing on incorporating emerging technology into a business’ overall marketing plan.  More than 65 business owners and professionals attended the seminars, sponsored by Penn Security Bank and Trust Co.  Marketing gurus Jack Reager and Matt Artz of BlackOut Design provided attendees with insights on how to use and manage technology in their marketing plans.

The first seminar, “Taking Your Business Online”, covered the landscape of the web today, what to keep in mind if you are just starting out on the web or if your business has been on the web for years, and explored the available tools to ensure you are engaging your clients and putting your business’ best foot forward.

The second session,“Maximizing the Power of Electronic Marketing”, demonstrated how the web has become one of the fastest growing mediums for advertising and how to ensure you are maximizing your online presence to build your business.  One attendee commented, “[This seminar] gave me an increased knowledge of how our current website functions and ideas to improve and drive users to it.”

The last session,  “Marketing with Emerging Technology and Social Media”, made sense of new technologies and showed how to use them to gain a competitive advantage. Matt reviewed tools such as MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn, among others.

“The series was very well done.  I learned many important things to increase the overall effectiveness of our websites.”, stated a participant that attended all three sessions.

When it comes to growing a business, whether you are a new business owner or you have been in the game for some time, there are many models and strategies that can be used to help you expand your business. But which one is the right one? After all, there are many different types of businesses and many unique entrepreneurial styles.

Before fabricating or adopting a growth strategy, there are a few steps that should be taken that will yield valuable insights about you and the future of your business: where you are and where you want to go.

The I.D.E.A. (identify, develop, evaluate, and act) method is a great way to help you plan the growth of your business. With the completion of each step a clearer picture will begin to form that will help you create and execute a plan of attack.

Identify – Before anything else, you must identify exactly what type of business growth you wish to achieve. This could be anything: the desire for more clients, higher sales, expansion projects, a more diverse product line etc. The sky is the limit. Write down what type of growth you want to obtain.

Develop – In order to arrive at the desired destination there must be signs along the way that will continually point you in the right direction. This is the development stage: constructing milestones or a series of objectives that will help you reach your ultimate goal. These objectives must be specific and they must all successively lead to a higher level of achievement until you reach your final terminus.

Evaluate – In order to stay on the right path you must evaluate your every move. This will help ensure that you are where you need to be and that you are going where you need to go. Without employing this step it is very easy to veer off the correct path. However, the proper use of this step will help you understand exactly what needs to be done and what adjustments need to be made in order to keep your plans on target.

Act – This final step is simply making the necessary adjustments that the 3 previous steps have directed you to make. But keep in mind that you should not become over zealous when it comes to adjusting your plans. Make sure that you leave enough time between the adjustments to see the results. This will help you determine what is and isn’t working.

This exercise is a great starting point for any entrepreneur who is looking to grow their business. Hopefully these steps will help you come up with a plan to get your business where you want it to be.