Friday, February 11, 2011

Presentation: City of St. Mark's Commission Meeting

Last night, I participated at the City of St. Mark's monthly Commission meeting.  I presented on Florida economic incentives (i.e. tax breaks in the form of credits, refunds and grants).  It was an amazing experience.  My goal was to inform smaller communities about the availability of these incentives and briefly describe some of their benefits. 

My BIG questions: If I offered you a check for $25,000 for training your employees, would you take it?  What if you had to do the training anyway, would the $25,000 check encourage you to get a move on it?

The responses: What's the catch? It's free money, sure I would take it!

Ultimately, what I wanted to get across to the audience was, the money is available each year.  As small business owners, we have to be willing to get help.  No man is an island.  We cannot exist in a vacuum.  And, although some business owners may consider this a hand-out, when you think about it, it is really your money.  If you pay taxes, consider a tax incentive as the government returning some of your money back to you to help with your growth and training needs.

So, I ask this question again, "If I offered to give you a check for creating, retaining or training your employees, would you take it?"

SURE YOU WOULD!!! 

Why not start now? Email me at info@marlynnconsulting.com so we can discuss how you can start receiving money from to help your business grow.

Monday, February 7, 2011

How Small Businesses Are Rebounding With Tax Incentives (Tax Credits)

I recently read an article on Bloomberg.com, titled: "Small Business Is Hiring, but Very Carefully."  The article indicated that in past recessions, small businesses led the rebound, now they're relying on part-time workers and more productivity with fewer people.  The article also discussed an interview with the CEO of a sales promotion company who let go some of his full-time salespeople as a result of the downturn in the economy. The company later kept these employees on as contractors, reducing payroll costs.  

While reading this article I thought about a conversation I had with a local economic development agency.  Florida and local communities within Florida offer tax incentives to businesses to help with their growth and training needs.  There are even greater opportunities for companies located in enterprise zones, brownfield redevelopment, urban and rural areas.  THE PROBLEM? Many small businesses do not take advantage of these opportunities!

As a small business owner, have you thought about getting money to help train your employees?  Or, maybe you’d prefer a tax credit on business equipment and materials?  In a down economy, as a small business owner, you should be excited these opportunities exist.

I hear you asking, what if my business isn’t in Florida?  That is definitely not an issue.  I assure you that your local community offers similar tax incentive programs.  I strongly suggest you contact your local economic development agency and inquire about available tax incentives.  Whatever your situation is, don’t you think you owe it to yourself to at least check these out?

Email me at info@marlynnconsulting.com to find out what incentives are available.  I can also help with other State incentives.