http://local.toolkit.com/ Total Know-How For Small Business 120 en-us Articles@DirectoryM.com Articles@DirectoryM.com http://local.toolkit.com/ Total Know-How For Small Business http://local.toolkit.com/Images/Image.aspx?Site=customDarkBlueWAdSense_en-US Long term care insurance covers home care, assisted living, adult daycare, respite care, hospice care, nursing home and Alzheimer's facilities. See below to find long term care insurance agencies in Chicago that give access to long term care insurance applications, long term care policies, as well as advice and content on state partnership long term care insurance. http://local.toolkit.com/Long_Term_Care_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1565832-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Long_Term_Care_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1565832-Chicago_IL.html Local resource for malpractice insurance provider in Chicago. Includes detailed information on local businesses that provide access to malpractice insurance costs, malpractice insurance for health care, medical malpractice insurance, and malpractice insurance for postpartum care, as well as casualty insurance and risk management. http://local.toolkit.com/Malpractice_Insurance_Provider_Chicago_IL-p1564516-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Malpractice_Insurance_Provider_Chicago_IL-p1564516-Chicago_IL.html Local resource for employer life insurance in Chicago. Includes detailed information on local businesses that provide access to employer life insurance coverage, employer life insurance availability, employer life insurance benefits, and employer life insurance applications, as well as advice and content on group-term life insurance. http://local.toolkit.com/Employer_Life_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564511-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Employer_Life_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564511-Chicago_IL.html See below to find employer health insurance in Chicago that give access to small employer health insurance rates, employer health insurance requirements, employer health insurance availability, health insurance stocks, and medical care for employees, as well as advice and content on health insurance programs. http://local.toolkit.com/Employer_Health_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564502-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Employer_Health_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564502-Chicago_IL.html Commercial life insurance brokers negotiate with insurance companies to help customers secure commercial insurances policies for their business. See below to find local commercial insurance broker in Chicago that give access to insurance product information, insurance pricing, dispute resolution, commercial insurance coverage, commercial insurance recommendations, as well as advice and content on commercial insurance counseling. http://local.toolkit.com/Commercial_Insurance_Broker_Chicago_IL-p1564501-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Commercial_Insurance_Broker_Chicago_IL-p1564501-Chicago_IL.html Casualty insurance includes residential casualty insurance, commercial casualty insurance and industrial casualty insurance. See below to find casualty insurance agencies in Chicago that give access to casualty insurance interest rates, casualty insurance plan, casualty insurance application, as well as advice and content on casualty insurance counseling. http://local.toolkit.com/Casualty_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564496-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Casualty_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564496-Chicago_IL.html Local resource for liability insurance in Chicago. Includes detailed information on local businesses that provide access to business liability insurance coverage, general liability insurance, professional liability insurance, product liability insurance, business umbrella liability policies, and employment practices liability insurance, as well as advice and content on business liability insurance counseling. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Liability_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564495-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Liability_Insurance_Chicago_IL-p1564495-Chicago_IL.html Debt collection attorneys help people navigate the legal hurdles associated with debt collection. See below for local debt collection attorneys in Chicago that give access to collection processes, privacy rights, debt payments, interest charges, and balance examination as well as advice and content on abusive collection practices and legal help. http://local.toolkit.com/Debt_Collection_Attorney_Chicago_IL-p1560968-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Debt_Collection_Attorney_Chicago_IL-p1560968-Chicago_IL.html Types of accountants include management accountants and public accountants. Accountants analyze financial information, perform budget analysis, and prepare financial documents, among other duties. Read on to learn more about accounting and to find expert accountants in Chicago, IL. http://local.toolkit.com/Accountants_Chicago_IL-p1560781-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Accountants_Chicago_IL-p1560781-Chicago_IL.html For a product or a service of your companies, advertising is a necessary part of the promotions. There are many specialized advertising opportunies for you to choose. Read on to know what they are. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Owners_Toolkit_Specialized_Advertising_Opportunities_Chicago_IL-r1397569-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Owners_Toolkit_Specialized_Advertising_Opportunities_Chicago_IL-r1397569-Chicago_IL.html Website management includes management of web design, web content development, web server security, network security configuration, e-commerce development and more. See below for local businesses in Chicago that give access to website management as well as advice and content on website maintenance. http://local.toolkit.com/Website_Management_Chicago_IL-r1397506-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Website_Management_Chicago_IL-r1397506-Chicago_IL.html If you have recently gone into business, your view of insurance may be that it is a luxury that big, thriving companies can afford to purchase but something you can't worry about right now. But if you understand how insurance is important to your business, you will be in a better position to determine the types of insurance you need and to determine how much insurance you need. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1385106-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1385106-Chicago_IL.html Choosing credit card equipment has more to do with the interface between what equipment you use at the point of sale to collect and record payment, and the software that you use to perform the accounting required. The days of manually imprinting the numbers directly from the card are just about gone. Today, most merchants simply swipe a credit card through a cash register scanner or a dedicated computer terminal. http://local.toolkit.com/Credit_Card_Equipment_Chicago_IL-r1385089-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Credit_Card_Equipment_Chicago_IL-r1385089-Chicago_IL.html Debt financing refers to what we normally think of as a loan. It is attractive because you do not have to sacrifice any ownership interests in your business, interest on the loan is deductible, and the financing cost is a relatively fixed expense. http://local.toolkit.com/Debt_Financing_Chicago_IL-r1385085-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Debt_Financing_Chicago_IL-r1385085-Chicago_IL.html Many small businesses use coupons as part of their promotional programs. The more common ones entitle the bearer to some benefit, such as a price reduction on a particular product or service. Others reward frequent customers for their loyalty. http://local.toolkit.com/Coupons_and_Rebates_Chicago_IL-r1385074-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Coupons_and_Rebates_Chicago_IL-r1385074-Chicago_IL.html If you are awash in red ink and can't pay your bills, you need to act quickly to rebuild your credit. There are a number of solutions, with bankruptcy as a last resort. http://local.toolkit.com/Debt_Consolidation_Chicago_IL-r1385073-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Debt_Consolidation_Chicago_IL-r1385073-Chicago_IL.html There are no documents or forms needed, unless the business will operate under a name other than the owner's name. (You may also have to file forms if you need a business license , but that's a separate issue). If the business will operate under a name that is different from the owner's name, most localities will require you to file a fictitious owner affidavit. http://local.toolkit.com/Sole_Proprietorship_Chicago_IL-r1385062-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Sole_Proprietorship_Chicago_IL-r1385062-Chicago_IL.html Adopting a 401(k) plan represents a commitment by you that will affect your compensation policy for many years. Regardless of the choices you make on the following issues, you will need assistance from financial and legal professionals. This discussion is designed to get you thinking about some basic decisions and issues that you'll need to consider in offering a 401(k) plan. http://local.toolkit.com/401K_Services_Chicago_IL-r1385040-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/401K_Services_Chicago_IL-r1385040-Chicago_IL.html When you hire someone to work for you, you will invest time, money, training, and trust. If you do it right, your business can move forward much faster than ever before, but if you do it wrong, not only can you lose your investment, but you can be subject to lawsuits that can cause you to lose much more. http://local.toolkit.com/Recruiting_and_Hiring_Chicago_IL-r1385008-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Recruiting_and_Hiring_Chicago_IL-r1385008-Chicago_IL.html The business owner who can handle basic technology will have the productive capacity of approximately five people, thus achieving significant savings on employees or outside service costs. You'll need to start with a list of your needs and buy pieces that can be fit together to do what you want done. http://local.toolkit.com/IT_Consulting_Chicago_IL-r1384977-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/IT_Consulting_Chicago_IL-r1384977-Chicago_IL.html Types of office equipment include computers, laser printers, fax machines, filing cabinets, photocopiers, paper shredders, laminators, monitors, photocopiers, scanners and more. See below for local businesses in Chicago that give access to office equipment, as well as advice and content on whether to buy a service contract for your office equipment. http://local.toolkit.com/Office_Equipment_Chicago_IL-r1384974-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Office_Equipment_Chicago_IL-r1384974-Chicago_IL.html Many developers have in-house staff or additional vendors that can contribute to implementation of the website. So, it's a good idea to evaluate a vendor's flexibility. Inflexible vendors increase project cost and frustration. http://local.toolkit.com/Web_Design_Chicago_IL-r1384947-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Web_Design_Chicago_IL-r1384947-Chicago_IL.html The Microloan program is perhaps the most accessible to startup businesses. SBA Microloan funds go to approved, nonprofit organizations that accept loan applications and make loan decisions. http://local.toolkit.com/Small_Business_Loans_Chicago_IL-r1384919-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Small_Business_Loans_Chicago_IL-r1384919-Chicago_IL.html Continuing medical coverage (known as COBRA coverage) that a former employer must, by federal law, make available to you for a period of time following your separation from employment may be more expensive than some policies available through other sources. http://local.toolkit.com/Health_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384916-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Health_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384916-Chicago_IL.html Local resource for employment agencies in Chicago, IL. Includes detailed information on local agencies that give access to placement specialists who provide workforce management solutions, staffing services, temporary staffing, and permanent staffing, as well as advice and content on career placement services. http://local.toolkit.com/Employment_Agency_Chicago_IL-r1384897-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Employment_Agency_Chicago_IL-r1384897-Chicago_IL.html Many employers offer life insurance. Group-term life insurance, or employer-provided term life insurance, may offer additional types of coverage such as group accidental death and dismemberment, business travel accident insurance, and split-dollar life insurance. Read on to learn more and to find insurance companies in Chicago, IL that give access to life insurance policies. http://local.toolkit.com/Life_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384870-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Life_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384870-Chicago_IL.html Your marketing and sales plan explains how you plan to reach your targeted customers and how you will effectively market your product or service to those customers. For example, the marketing plan specifies the types of advertising that you will use and the timing of those advertisements. In essence, the marketing plan takes the marketing strategy that you developed to a tactical level. http://local.toolkit.com/Sales_Consultant_Chicago_IL-r1384861-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Sales_Consultant_Chicago_IL-r1384861-Chicago_IL.html The value of a typical small business should be greater than the total values of its hard assets. For a buyer, the key is that an ongoing business has everything necessary — equipment, location, and inventory if applicable, not to mention experienced employees, suppliers, business processes, and a customer list — all in place, in the right amounts for successful operation of the business. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Valuation_Chicago_IL-r1384854-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Valuation_Chicago_IL-r1384854-Chicago_IL.html A payroll period is the interval at which you pay your employees. It can be defined as the period of service for which a payment of wages is ordinarily made to an employee. http://local.toolkit.com/Payroll_Services_Chicago_IL-r1384838-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Payroll_Services_Chicago_IL-r1384838-Chicago_IL.html Shoplifting can cost retailers lots of money, and it is worth spending money up front to prevent this fraud from happening to your business. Learn about the different forms of shoplifting and how you can help to prevent from becoming a victim. http://local.toolkit.com/Video_Surveillance_Chicago_IL-r1384826-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Video_Surveillance_Chicago_IL-r1384826-Chicago_IL.html A partnership is not a taxable entity under federal law - there is no separate partnership income tax, as there is a corporate income tax. Instead, income from the partnership is taxed to the individual partners, at their own individual tax rates. Read more. http://local.toolkit.com/Tax_Aspects_of_Partnerships_Chicago_IL-r1384783-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Tax_Aspects_of_Partnerships_Chicago_IL-r1384783-Chicago_IL.html Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance or boiler insurance. Read on to know more about property insurance. http://local.toolkit.com/Property_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384745-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Property_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384745-Chicago_IL.html How do you prevent temporary help and independent contractors from being legally treated as employees in order to avoid some of the legal and financial drawbacks of being an employer? If you are concerned about this issue, you should keep on reading. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Contract_Chicago_IL-r1384743-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Contract_Chicago_IL-r1384743-Chicago_IL.html When you are considering leasing employees instead of hiring formal employees, you should take many things into consideration before doing it. If you want to know what the considertations are, you should keep on reading. http://local.toolkit.com/PEO_and_Employee_Leasing_Chicago_IL-r1384736-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/PEO_and_Employee_Leasing_Chicago_IL-r1384736-Chicago_IL.html Many small and large businesses consciously utilize public relations (PR) as a way to obtain free advertising about their products and services. PR can be an effective way to generate valuable word-of-mouth advertising, sometimes due to the greater credibility and availability of information provided in editorial articles and interviews with your company personnel. http://local.toolkit.com/PR_Services_Chicago_IL-r1384696-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/PR_Services_Chicago_IL-r1384696-Chicago_IL.html This channel is composed of competitors who advertise in local city and county magazines, newspapers, and real-estate flyers, subdivided by home-design only firms and home-design and industrial-design firms. http://local.toolkit.com/Costs_of_Distribution_Channels_Chicago_IL-r1384681-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Costs_of_Distribution_Channels_Chicago_IL-r1384681-Chicago_IL.html Many SEO companies are resellers, not innovators. They confuse high search engine rankings for smart search engine rankings. Search engine technology is useless without smart marketing know-how. An SEO firm should have huge amounts of experience in both areas. http://local.toolkit.com/Selecting_an_SEO_Vendor_Chicago_IL-r1384660-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Selecting_an_SEO_Vendor_Chicago_IL-r1384660-Chicago_IL.html Crimes against people and crimes against property can significantly add to your cost of doing business for many types of small businesses. Shoplifting, employee theft of inventory, and theft of business property are all too common and costly. Crimes against business owners, employees, customers, and others who enter the premises are less common, but can be more tragic and traumatic when they occur. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Security_System_Chicago_IL-r1384628-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Security_System_Chicago_IL-r1384628-Chicago_IL.html Business format franchises generally include everything necessary to start and operate a business in one complete package. Business format franchises provide the product, trade names, operating procedures, quality assurance standards, management consulting support, and facility design. http://local.toolkit.com/Franchise_Chicago_IL-r1384590-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Franchise_Chicago_IL-r1384590-Chicago_IL.html Accounts receivable are unpaid customer invoices, and any other money owed to you by your customers. The accounts receivable ledger, which can also double as a customer statement, is a record of each customer's charges and payments. http://local.toolkit.com/Accounts_Receivable_Chicago_IL-r1384553-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Accounts_Receivable_Chicago_IL-r1384553-Chicago_IL.html You may want to contact a market research firm and ask them to analyze your community and find out for you where small business opportunities exist, but if money is an issue, you'll have to gather the information yourself. To give you some idea of what you should be looking for, here are three examples of current trends and how you might parlay those trends into a small business. http://local.toolkit.com/Market_Research_Chicago_IL-r1384543-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Market_Research_Chicago_IL-r1384543-Chicago_IL.html When developing a company website project, consider how website strategies are used to achieve Internet objectives. Formulating the proper strategy to achieve an Internet objective requires an examination of your target market, available technology, and the rationale for the proposed strategy as it relates to alternatives, cost and support requirements. http://local.toolkit.com/Online_Marketing_Chicago_IL-r1384468-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Online_Marketing_Chicago_IL-r1384468-Chicago_IL.html As we have already mentioned, packaging requirements are a big deal when you do business with the government. They need to be carefully considered and analyzed, not only in pricing out a bid, but also in implementing a QA program. To aid your understanding, we think it would be helpful to define the terms "packaging" and "packing" the way the government defines them. http://local.toolkit.com/Shipping_Chicago_IL-r1384453-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Shipping_Chicago_IL-r1384453-Chicago_IL.html In general, payments you make to your employees for services they'll perform or complete in the future are considered taxable wages for all payroll tax purposes. Learn more about when and how payments become taxable wages. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Cash_Advance_Chicago_IL-r1384430-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Cash_Advance_Chicago_IL-r1384430-Chicago_IL.html Credit and collections is essential, but is something that a lot of small employers put off developing until they absolutely have no other choice. As their customer base builds, and more and more customers want to pay by credit, they realize that they need to open up a credit card account or offer credit terms. http://local.toolkit.com/Collections_Chicago_IL-r1384408-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Collections_Chicago_IL-r1384408-Chicago_IL.html To succeed in business, one of your most important tools is financial analysis, based on your business records. Accurate financial records will help you answer some very important questions. Are you making money, or losing it? How much? Is your business on sound financial ground, or are troubles lurking ahead? A sound bookkeeping system is the foundation on which all of this valuable financial information can be built. http://local.toolkit.com/Bookkeeping_Chicago_IL-r1384371-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Bookkeeping_Chicago_IL-r1384371-Chicago_IL.html Brand-new business owners are sometimes surprised to find out that in addition to their federal income taxes, they must also pay a significant percentage of their income to the government in the form of SECA taxes. The Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) tax is basically the business owner's version of the FICA tax that employees pay http://local.toolkit.com/Self_Employment_Tax_Chicago_IL-r1384363-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Self_Employment_Tax_Chicago_IL-r1384363-Chicago_IL.html Dental care can sometimes be purchased in addition to basic medical care, or it can be purchased as a separate policy from a separate provider. Generally, there are two dental plans available: an HMO plan and an indemnity plan. These plans usually cover only basic dentistry services, not orthodontics (like braces) or surgical procedures. http://local.toolkit.com/Dental_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384354-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Dental_Insurance_Chicago_IL-r1384354-Chicago_IL.html Formulating a written business plan will force you think about where you want your business to go and how you're going to get there. It will become, in effect, a roadmap for you to follow as your business grows and develops. And, of course, if you ever intend to borrow money or establish credit, you'll be asked to produce a business plan. http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Plan_Consulting_Chicago_IL-r1384339-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Business_Plan_Consulting_Chicago_IL-r1384339-Chicago_IL.html Whether you use direct mail promotions or develop your own catalog, the demographics of your mailing list (database) is the key to success. Learn about some of the hazards of direct mail, that go beyond getting the right list and creating a sharp, concise, attractive print piece. http://local.toolkit.com/Direct_Mail_Chicago_IL-r1384334-Chicago_IL.html http://local.toolkit.com/Direct_Mail_Chicago_IL-r1384334-Chicago_IL.html