Business Resource Guide
| Advice & Counseling | Exporting | Health Insurance | Legal |
| Organizations | Foreign Exchange | Retirement Plans |
SCORE
www.score.org
SCORE — the Service Corps of Retired Executives — is a super
resource for any small business owner looking for advice. Get info face-to-face
from an experienced business counselor, or choose from over 750 expert
counselors ready to answer your questions online or via e-mail —
no appointment necessary.
Small Business Development Centers
www.sba.gov/sbdc
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are another excellent resource.
The U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) administers the SBDC program
to provide management assistance to small business owners. Go to www.sba.gov/sbdc
for complete information including a list of locations.
Business Information Centers
www.sba.gov/BI/bics/index.html
Business Information Centers (www.sba.gov/BI/bics/index.html) — an
SBA program — offer the latest computer technology, hardware and
software, an extensive reference library of books and publications and
current management videotapes to help entrepreneurs plan a new business
or expand an existing one.
ExportHotline
www.exporthotline.com
ExportHotline has been helping businesses evaluate international opportunities
since 1989. The Web site, ExportHotline.com, has a proprietary database
of more than 6,000 market research reports covering 80 countries and hundreds
of industry sectors, plus ExporTel, a free global business directory that
lists business contacts in 90 countries and trade shows worldwide. You
must register to access the services.
Export Small Business
Development Center
www.exportsbdc.org
The Export Small Business Development Center (www.exportsbdc.org) is dedicated
to helping small exporters learn the tricks of the trade. The Export SBDC
has helped over 16,000 small exporting firms. Export SBDC provides personalized,
one-on-one trade counseling through a staff of 300 professional consultants.
It maintains a large database and print library for use by clients. Offers
educational seminars on export topics and links to other export information
sites. All consulting services are free. Export Small Business Development
Center, 222 N. Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 1690, El Segundo, CA 90245;
(310) 606-0166; Fax: (310) 606-0155; e-mail: info@exportsbdc.org.
Small Business Exporters
Association
www.sbea.org
Small Business Exporters Association (www.sbea.org) is a trade advocacy
networking organization for small and medium-sized exporters. SBEA has
several hundred members; about 60 percent are manufacturers.
Health Insurance Association
of America
www.hiaa.org
For information about health plans for small business, contact the Health
Insurance Association of America. HIAA offers a free pamphlet, “The
Health Insurance Guide for Small Business.” Call (888) 844-2782 or
visit www.hiaa.org.
HealthAxis
www.healthaxis.com
HealthAxis (www.healthaxis.com) is an online health insurance agency targeting
the individual and small group markets with a range of products and services
from nationally known carriers.
InsWeb
www.insweb.com
is a free service that lets you compare insurance quotes from leading
insurance companies to find the best rates. It is run by a consortium
of insurance agents and carriers that combines health insurance information
and links to agencies worldwide.
EhealthInsurance
www.eHealth.com
has agreements with 12 top insurance marketplaces such as InsWeb, Intuit
and AAA to provide insurance quotes. Use it to research, compare, apply
for and purchase health insurance plans from carriers nationwide.
Some companies authorized...
to sell Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) include Golden Rule Insurance
Co. (800) 444-8990) www.golden rule.com;
Mutual of Omaha (800) 775-6000; Benefit Administrators (888) 672-1998
or www.msa.net; Fortis Insurance (800) 800-1212
or www.fortishealth.com; Medical Savings
Accounts Inc. (952) 937-0669 or www.medicalsavingaccount.com,
and Medical Savings Insurance Co. (888) 696-9663 or www.medicalsavings.com.
MSAvers National Resource
Center
www.msaver.com
can provide information about insurance companies and brokers approved
to sell MSAs in your state. Call (888) 367-6727.
You’ll find help
setting...
up Section 125 flexible benefit plans at these Web sites: www.usbaflex.com;
www.benefitstreet.com; www.netpayusa.com;
www.benefitconsulting.com; www.benefitslink.com
and www.free125.com.
The American Dental
Association Web site
www.ada.org/DR
offers complete information on setting up, paying for and administering
a “Direct Reimbursement” dental plan for small business, including
cost estimates. Call the ADA at (800) 232-7698 or send an e-mail to www.dentalbenefits@ada.org.
Nolo Press
www.nolo.com
Nolo Press(www.nolo.com; 800/992-6656) has
been producing self-help legal materials since 1971. Nolo turns out everything
from business self-help books such as The Legal Guide for Starting and
Running a Small Business to software packages such as Lease Writer and
Patent It Yourself.
Findlaw.com
Findlaw.com
has a helpful small business center with info on contracts, employment
issues and operations.
Freeadvice.com
Freeadvice.com
bills itself as the easy site to use for legal information. Has sections
on business law and financial law, among others.
155 Legal Dos (and
Don’ts) for the Small Business
by Paul Adams (John Wiley & Sons, 1996; $16.95).
SmartAgreements.com
SmartAgreements.com
combines expert business advice with innovative software that lets the
user create business agreements and documents quickly.
Morebusiness.com
Morebusiness.com
is a site where you can download templates for contracts and agreements.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
www.USchamber.org
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (www.USchamber.org)
is the world’s largest business federation, representing some three
million companies, 3,000 state and local chambers and 850 business associations.
Call (202) 659-6000. The Chamber’s small business Web site, ChamberBiz.com,
is filled with many excellent small biz resources.
National Federation
of Independent Business
www.NFIBonline.com
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIBonline.com)
has resources for small businesses, including news, policy updates, forums,
business directories, and workshops. Nashville-based NFIB gives small
and independent business a voice in governmental decision-making and unites
about 500,000 business owners. (800) NFIB-NOW.
National Small Business
United
www.nsbu.org
National Small Business United (www.nsbu.org)
is a bipartisan small business advocacy group based in Washington, DC.
(800) 345-6728
National Association
for the Self-Employed
www.nase.org
National Association for the Self-Employed (www.nase.org)
represents hundreds of thousands of the smallest of small businesses and
the self-employed nationwide. More than 80 percent of its members are
business owners with five or fewer employees and almost half have no employees
at all. Call (800) 232-6273.
SOHO America
www.soho.com
SOHO America (www.soho.com) is a virtual community
of small-office/home-office professionals. SOHO Online is dedicated to
providing members with reference tools, technical support, SOHO news and
access to expert advice.
U.S. Small Business
Administration’s Office of International Trade
www.sba.gov/oit
At the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of International
Trade (www.sba.gov/oit) you can find helpful
publications and many links to other Web sites, including basic “how-to”
information and associations that help small exporters. The SBA’s
Trade Mission Online (www.sba.gov/tmonline) is also a resource hub for
information on selling outside the U.S.
TradePort
www.tradeport.org
TradePort (www.tradeport.org), funded
by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration,
presents trade information, trade leads and company databases.
Exporthotline
www.Exporthotline.com
Exporthotline has been helping businesses evaluate international opportunities
since 1989. The Web site, Exporthotline.com, has a database of more than
6,000 market research reports covering 80 countries and hundreds of industry
sectors. You must register to access the services.
U.S. Export Assistance
Centers
www.sba.gov/oit/export/useac.html
U.S. Export Assistance Centers offer a full range of federal export programs
and services from a number of federal agencies under one roof. Many locations
have new-to-export programs called E-TAP. Go to www.sba.gov/oit/export/useac.html.
USPS Global Delivery
Services
www.uspsglobal.com
Get the inside scoop on international shipping via the U.S. Postal Service
at USPS Global Delivery Services (www.uspsglobal.com).
The Insurance Information
Institute (III)
www.iii.org
The Insurance Information Institute (III), based in New York, is an excellent
resource for information on biz insurance basics. Visit the Web site at
www.iii.org, click on “Business” and you will find info on topics
such as insuring a home-based biz, saving money on business insurance,
finding an agent, workers’ comp insurance and filing business insurance
claims. Or call (212) 346-5500.
National Federation
of Independent Business
www.nfib.com
Joining the 500,000-member National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB; www.nfib.com) could be your ticket to
terrific insurance savings. A $200 annual membership nets you discounts
and access to dozens of special services and products — including
property/casualty, workers’ comp, disability, health and other types
of insurance. Save up to 42 percent on a wide array of health plans through
NFIB HealthBenefits and Fortis Health. Visit the Web site or call (800)
NFIB-NOW.
EHSmanager.com
EHSmanager.com offers online products and
services to help small companies with environmental health and safety
compliance, and loss prevention. Visit the site or call (877) 803-7233.
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Insurance
www.libertymutual.com
Liberty Mutual Insurance Insurance (www.libertymutual.com)
offers an extensive line of insurance products and services for small
business. Visit the Web site for more information or call (800) 968-5349.
Small Business Retirement
Savings Advisor
www.elaws.dol.gov/pwba
For an excellent chart comparing features of small biz retirement plans,
go to www.elaws.dol.gov/pwba/plans/final.asp.
This site, called the Small Business Retirement Savings Advisor, is produced
by the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, a division of the
U.S. Department of Labor.
The Small Business
Decision Guide
www.troweprice.com/smallbusiness
Mutual fund companies, brokerage firms, banks and insurance companies
offer info on small biz plans. For example, The Small Business Decision
Guide, a booklet on retirement plans published by mutual fund company
T. Rowe Price, walks readers through the entire process. Visit the Web
site at www.troweprice.com/smallbusiness.
The Vanguard Group, another mutual fund leader, offers Vanguard Retirement
Plans for Small Businesses, which can be downloaded at www.vanguard.com/catalog/lit/br_sb_retire.html.
ADP Retirement Services
www.adp401k.com
ADP Retirement Services (a division of payroll-processing giant Automatic
Data Processing) provides retirement plan services to businesses of all
sizes and in all industries. ADP simplifies the administrative process
for business owners by linking retirement services to company payrolls.
Call (800) 974-6753 or visit www.adp401k.com.
Quicken’s
www.quicken.com/small_business
You’ll find helpful information on small business plans at Quicken’s
Web site. Go to www.quicken.com
/small_business.
IRS Publication 535
www.irs.ustreas.gov
IRS Publication 535 offers guidance for small business owners on establishing
and maintaining employee pension and retirement plans. Go to www.irs.ustreas.gov.
