Online Planning

Staff -- Converting Magazine, 7/1/2001

www.irs.ustreas.gov/bus_info/

Business taxes. This IRS Web site can help soothe the terror that phrase can cause. Small business owners should click on Small Business and Self-employed Community. It offers industry/profession specific information and provides links to other helpful non-IRS sites.

Check out the IRS e-file for business and help figure out a better way to file your business taxes. If you couldn't find what you needed at the small business and self-employed community, try the original small business center. Check out the Frequently Asked Business Tax Questions for the answers you need.

www.smbiz.com

Small Business Taxes & Management™ provides tax and management guidance to small and medium sized businesses and their owners. The Web site is updated Monday through Friday. The site contains articles, reference tables and searchable related news items. There is a News and Tip of the Day section to find the latest news as it occurs, while the tip of the day can be tax- or management-related.

News on the Tax Front has the latest tax news. Or check out In Brief for tax, business and personal finance tips. Links are provided to state sites such as tax, secretary of state's office and CPA state society sites. Abbreviations, special forms and small business links are also included on the main site.

www.onlinewbc.org

Attention women in the converting industry—check out SBA's Online Women's Business Center (OWBO). This Web site (see related sidebar "SBA provides a wealth of resources") contains resources and programs to help women start and build successful businesses. OWBO's main function is to promote the growth of women-owned businesses through programs that address business training and technical assistance. They provide access to credit and capital, federal contracts and international trade opportunities.

This site contains News for the latest in the industry. Women's Business Centers provides a list of centers, by state, to help women toward their business success. Find Local Services helps you search for local training, counseling, and assistance in finance, marketing, management, procurement and the Internet.

Other hot topics found on the site include government contracting, E-commerce and technology, exporting, disaster assistance, military spouses and portable businesses, women with disabilities, research and development, and young entrepreneurs.

www.americanbusinessplans.com

American Business Plans is a Web site to help evolve entrepreneurial innovation by developing winning business plans to maximize your company's financial success. If you want to start a new business, help grow your existing operation, or expand through merger/acquisition, this site can help. Objectives offers you eight tips that serve as the basis of your financial proposal. Look at Components for a list of areas of emphasis to include in the comprehensive business plan. Services lists professional services that are offered to create a business plan.

www.bizplanit.com

This site focuses on delivering business plan solutions that exceed your normal expectations. From seeking capital to developing breakthrough technology innovations or just spinning-off new divisions, this site covers it. Check out The 30-Day BizPlan to see how professionals can help you put together a 30-day business plan. Want to have your business plan reviewed, visit BizPlan Review. There are several free resources available on this site, including a free newsletter, related books and software, and featured articles on various business plan ideas.

www.businessplansoftware.org

If it's just software that you're looking for to help you write a successful business plan, this site should help. Plan Write® for Business is a #1 rated software by various business and computer publications. You can download this software right from the site. Check out the other software on the site as well.

www.asbdc-us.org

This site was designed to represent the collective interest of its small business members by promoting, informing, supporting and continuously improving the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) network. This organization delivers nationwide educational assistance to strengthen small/medium business management and contributing to the growth of local, state and national economies. This site offers conference information, local services, and national programs, to name a few. It also contains sections such as Veteran's Services, Learning Center and Network Members.

SBA provides a wealth of resources

Need a business plan? Need a loan? Need a hand? That's the purpose of the federal Small Business Administration. From providing startup capital, to a number of loan programs, to the brainpower and business experience small businesses often lack, the SBA has resources they can put at your disposal.

Sorting through the wealth of options, however, can be a bit intimidating, which is why it's a smart idea to check out the SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov.

From the agency's well-designed home page, you can go right to the FAQ section (www.sba.gov/answerdesk.html) for frequently-asked questions about starting a business.

Or click on the button labeled "Financing Your Business" and learn about the loan programs available. All necessary loan forms can be downloaded from the site, and quite a few can be filled out and submitted online.

If you are a woman or a minority owner, additional resources are available at www.sba.gov/ed. The SBA's Office of Entrepreneurial Development can help you become familiar with the business incentives available if you are a minority owner, a veteran, a Native American, or wish to locate your business in an economically depressed urban or rural area.

SBA's Pro-Net (pro-net.sba.gov) is a searchable database of small businesses like yours that, once you're registered and have provided a business profile, can put you in touch with potential customers.

For help with zoning laws, local labor supplies, etc., the site links to your local SBA office.

The options can indeed be dizzying, which is why many first-time visitors to the site click on "Answer Desk" in the upper-right corner.