If you are starting a small business or in need of help to make an existing business grow, you should contact your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Locally on Long Island, there is an SBDC in Farmingdale with outreach locations in Brookville and Hempstead. There is also a center in StonyBrook with satellite offices [...]
One major concern for many small businesses and sole proprietors is what type of insurance is required in New York. Below is a brief description of the most important types of policies you should consider:
Health Insurance
While a number of private insurance companies offer health insurance for sole proprietors, New York has a special program, Healthy [...]
Contracts are a fact of life for a small business owner. Employment agreements, vendor contracts and even the lease for your storefront or office are all contracts. It is vitally important to understand all the different provisions found in these agreements, but I frequently hear clients state that they sign contracts without understanding or even [...]
In order to form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in New York, the LLC must first choose an available business name, the county in which your LLC will be located, and prepare and file Articles of Organization with the Department of State along with a check for $200. However, if you do not take the [...]
I know what you are thinking–”oh, no, not Twitter again.” But yes, I believe that small businesses need to keep up with new technology and marketing to survive. I confess that I had to be rather forcefully encouraged to join Twitter. We are all busy enough with the numerous other tasks associated with running our [...]
One of my favorite resources as a small business owner is the New York Times Small Business section. Several months ago, the Times started a blog aimed at small business owners entitled “You’re the Boss–The Art of Running a Small Business.” While not every post will resonate with every small business owner, the articles are [...]
Although the plethora of inexpensive online incorporation and LLC formation services would have you believe that all you need to do to incorporate your small business is fill out a simple form, pay a few dollars, and voila! your business is incorporated, this is even less true if you have already been running your business [...]
Earlier this week, the New York Times posted an article online entitled “Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media.” According to the Times, small business owners now outnumber big companies using the microblogging service as a free marketing tool to promote their products and services.
The Times noted that Twitter has become the sole source of [...]
A great resource for any small business is Business.Gov Here you will find many of the tools you need to start and operate a small business successfully.
Within this site, the Small Business Administration operates a government-sponsored online community where business owners can discuss and share information. Additionally, there are many articles and tips for [...]
If your business is located in Nassau or Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, there are four (4) main types of business structures to choose from:
Sole proprietorship: In both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, a business that is operating as a sole proprietorship must register with the County Clerk in the county in which it is [...]
