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 DBAs
Trademarks,
Service Marks
Employee Retirement Plan - Establishing
Government
Contracting/Procurement
Grants
Home
Business
Invention
Assistance
Loans
Non-Profits
Scams/Schemes/Fraud
Substance
Abuse in the Work Place
Tax
Payer Identification Number
Venture
Capital/Angel Capital
Women,
Minorities, Veterans, Disabled
Work-at-Home Schemes
Zoning Compliance
DBAs
DBAs (also called Assumed Business Names) are used to
identify your particular business, such as "Jones Plumbing." Any
person who plans to engage in business in Idaho must register the business name with the Secretary of
State's office before transacting business.
For more
information on this topic, visit the Legal
Structures/DBAs page on this site.
NOTE – Registering an Assumed Business Name does NOT create a legal form of
business (business entity), such as a Partnership
or Corporation, nor does it serve as a business license. Business licenses are obtained from your city or county,
not from the state.
IMPORTANT - registering your Assumed Business Name with
the Idaho Secretary of State does NOT protect you from someone else using
the same name. Therefore, before you
register a business name, you may want to check to be sure no other
business is using the
same name or a similar one, or has recently used it, by doing a search at http://www.accessidaho.org/public/sos/corp/search.html?SearchFormstep=crit.
It is currently legal for more than one business, except LLCs, to use a
name the same as, or similar to, that of another business. However, doing so can
create confusion between the two businesses and
you could be mistakenly associated with the actions of the other business,
including negative ones and financial ones, so it
is best to choose a unique name.
Trademarks,
Service Marks
State Registration: Once you have registered your unique business name, to protect
it from use by others, you can register
it and/or your unique logo as a trademark or service mark. To register
your trademark in Idaho, visit the
Secretary of State’s Trademark Division at http://www.sos.idaho.gov/tmarks/tmindex.htm.
National Registration: To protect
your trademark within the entire U.S., you must
register it with the U.S. Patent
& Trademark Office at http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm.
If you do not do business nationally or in multiple states, you may not
need to trademark your business name with the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office.
International Registration: The Madrid System for
the International Registration of Marks, established in 1891, allows
businesses that work in more than one country to register a trademark in
multiple countries with the completion of only one application. For
information, see http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/
To trademark your name or logo, first do a search to find out if someone else has
already trademarked it or something very similar. If they have
not and you trademark it, then, if someone tries to use that name, you can take
legal action for trademark or service mark infringement. If you do take
legal action,
it is highly recommended that you
hire an attorney who specializes in patents and trademarks to help you.
After trademarking your business name or logo in Idaho,
you should use the trademark symbol ™ on written materials that include
the trademarked name or logo. If you register your trademark with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office, you should use the Registered ® symbol.
Employee Retirement Plans -
Establishing
Establishing a 401(k), SEP, or another retirement plan for
yourself or your employees will help with employee retention and may help
attract new employees. The plan must be established in a manner that
complies with Federal and state laws and Internal Revenue requirements.
The U.S. Department of Labor oversees the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which sets standards for
establishing and maintaining retirement plans. For information, visit http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/retirement/consumerinfpension.htm.
Information on the Pension Protection Act of 2006 can be found at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pensionreform.html.
IRS tax reporting requirements are found in Publication 560 at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p560.pdf.
For information on establishing, operating, and terminating plans, visit http://www.irs.gov/retirement/sponsor/article/0,,id=136475,00.html.
Government Contracting/Procurement
Selling to Federal Agencies: Federal and state government agencies purchase
everything from computers and vehicles to cookies and coffee from small
businesses. Businesses interested in selling to federal government
agencies must register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at http://www.ccr.gov.
Government agencies search this database to find suppliers of the goods and
services they need.
Requests for bids on government projects are listed in
Federal Business Opportunities,
https://www.fbo.gov/index?cck=1&au=&ck=. Once registered with CCR,
you can access this database to find bid opportunities.
Information on Federal construction project bidding opportunities can be
found at
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=25389.
The GSA (Government Services Administration) is the
primary purchasing agency for the federal government. Federal "Prime"
contractors (major contractors) are required to purchase a percentage of
the goods and services they use from small businesses. A list of Prime
contractors can be found in the GSA Subcontracting Directory at
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=13765.
You can contact these businesses to find out about selling your goods
and services to them.
TechHelp, an Idaho manufacturing assistance
organization, prepares Idaho businesses to do work for the government by
helping streamline manufacturing processes and procedures. They also
partner with Idaho Procurement Technical Assistance Center and
Department of Defense TechMatch Program. For information visit
http://www.techhelp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=services.government
Selling to Idaho Agencies: To sell to Idaho state government agencies,
you must first register your business at http://www.sicomm.net/.
Then, you can receive e-mail notification of bid opportunities matching
your business's qualifications.
You can also access bid opportunities at http://www.adm.idaho.gov/purchasing/bidopportunities.html.
Public works construction projects and ID Transportation Department
construction and maintenance projects can also be accessed from the site. For information about the State purchasing process, visit http://www.adm.idaho.gov/purchasing/epurchasinginfo.htm.
Disadvantaged Businesses: Women and minority-owned businesses may have preference in bidding on certain contracts through the various
Federal agencies' Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU).
To find a list of all Federal OSDBU offices visit
http://www.osdbu.gov/offices.html
HUBzones: If your business is located in a
federally-designated HUBzone (an economically distressed area within a
city or county), you will have precedence in contracting opportunities. For
information on the HUBzone Empowerment Contracting Program, visit http://www.sba.gov/hubzone/section05b.htm.
To find a map of HUBzone areas in Idaho, visit http://map.sba.gov/hubzone/hzqry.asp?state=id.
Numerous Idaho cities and counties are designed HUBzones.
Grants
In a nutshell, very few grants are available if you want to start
or expand a for-profit business. Despite what you may see or
hear, once you sift through the hype, only a few grants
(with many restrictions) are available for starting or expanding a for-profit business. Most grants
are available to non-profit organizations to expand their work or to fund special projects and
activities. Grants are also available to communities for job creation in economically
depressed areas, building infrastructure (highways, bridges, etc.) and creating
or expanding community-related programs.
Many grants conferences
and books are scams. They say there is free money, and there is, but not
for a for-profit business.
For information on a national grant scam that has been around for years, visit this Web
page to read an article that appeared on MSNBC.
The article talks about the State of New York's investigation of a
well-known grant "opportunities" promoter.
You do not need to purchase books or pay for help to locate legitimate
grant opportunities. The information is available for free on the Internet
and at many libraries.
To determine whether a grant opportunity is legitimate, visit
GovGrantCash.com,
http://www.govgrantcash.com.
SBIR/STTR Grants: With few exceptions, most of the
grants available to
for-profit start-up businesses are SBIR and STTR grants (Small Business Innovation
Research and Small Business Technology Research). If you have invented an innovative
product that will serve the
national interest, you may qualify for an SBIR or an STTR grant to help you develop it.
Your local Small Business Development Center
or the TECenter can help you with
the application process and the
service is free. Check out SBIR and STTR programs at http://www.idahosbdc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.view&page=22
or visit these Web sites:
Grants for Innovation: If you own an existing
for-profit business (not a start-up) that is engaged in the development of new technologies
or processes or your business uses natural resources in an innovative way, you
may qualify for a grant to develop your technology. To find grant
opportunities, visit the following Web sites:
Non-profits: If you are a non-profit organization, these sites will
be helpful:
Other Programs: Special business assistance programs for
women, minorities, veterans, the disabled, and others are available, but these are
usually for
low interest loans, government contracting opportunities, and other types of
assistance. They are rarely for free grant money.
Tax Incentives: Your business may qualify for tax
incentives,
or tax credits, for certain business activities, such as creating new jobs
in an economically depressed area, hiring welfare recipients, or bringing broadband to rural communities.
Incentives are offered at both the state and federal levels. Information
on State programs can be found on the Idaho Department of Commerce Web site at
http://commerce.idaho.gov/business/incentives.aspx. To
find federal tax incentives, do a search of the Resource
Wizard on this site.
Idaho Prime
Loan Program: The Idaho State Treasurer in cooperation with the Small
Business Administration and the banking community offers the Idaho Prime
Loan Program. This is a low-interest loan program, not a grant, that is
available to qualified small businesses. For information, visit http://sto.idaho.gov/Programs/IdahoPrime.aspx.
Energy Conservation: Loans for energy conservation
programs are offered through the Idaho Office of Energy Resources. For
information, visit http://www.energy.idaho.gov/financialassistance/.
The agency offers a Biofuels Infrastructure Grant program available
to Idaho fuel retailers located in rural areas that are interested in adding the necessary
infrastructure to sell biofuel products. Information is also available on
the Rural Energy for America grant program. Visit http://www.energy.idaho.gov/financialassistance/grants.shtml
for information.
Transportation Grants: The U. S. Federal Transit Administration in cooperation
with Idaho Transportation Department offers grants for transportation
improvement projects. Information is available at http://www.itd.idaho.gov/PublicTransportation/grants.htm
Grants for Women: Zion's Bank occasionally offers "Smart Women Smart
Money" grants. The competitive grants are for $3,000 or less and
must focus on one of the following areas:
- Community development
- Continuing education and teacher support
- Child and elder care
- Health and human services
- Arts and culture
Past winners include a 12 year-old girl. The program is currently
closed, but may be available in early 2010.
To get the truth about grants and loans, talk with a counselor at the Small Business Administration, the Idaho
Small Business Development Center, or SCORE. Contact information for each
organization is listed
in the Business Assistance section of this site. A
counselor will help you figure out the best funding options for your business. Their services are free.
For more information about grant scams, visit the Scams
& Schemes Hot Topic on this site. Also visit
the Federal
Trade Commission's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.shtm.
The FTC files fraud charges against companies that conduct grant workshops and
those advertising that, for a fee, they can provide grant
information.
For information about business loans, see the
Loans section below or do a search on the Resource
Wizard.
Home Business
Home-based businesses must conform with special regulations in addition to
the regulations associated with the type of product or service offered. For
example, you may need
a Home Occupation Permit or a Conditional Use Permit to comply with your city or county zoning regulations. Your county assessor
may
collect personal property taxes on your leased or owned business furniture,
equipment, and software.
To learn about the various requirements, go to the
Business Wizard and in Section 2 select the categories that apply to your
business and also select Home Business. Your Checklist will give you a
combined list of regulations. Also call your local city clerk's
office to find out if you need a special city license. For a list of
city clerk's offices, click here.
Be sure your business can comply
with your city, county, and/or homeowner's or
neighborhood association regulations before you decide to
open it in
your home. If you rent your home or apartment or live in a condo, check your lease agreement
or covenants to be certain you are allowed to operate a business from your
home, particularly if clients, employees, or delivery
people will come and go.
Legal Requirements: To qualify as a home-based business, the business must be
operated by a full-time resident of the home, not an employee. The
business must be a secondary use for the home; the primary use must remain
that of a residence. The business cannot change the character of the
home from that of a residence.
The business must conform to local
health, safety, and fire codes. (This is particularly important if
you plan to care for children or prepare food to be sold to the public.) If you live
inside city limits, you may be required to conduct all business activities
inside the home, not in a yard, garage, or outbuilding. You will
also need to comply with regulations concerning signage, traffic,
number of employees, parking, noise, and air, water, or soil pollution.
You may not be able to store supplies or materials in
a yard, garage, or outbuilding or park vehicles or equipment in your yard
or on the street.
Food Preparation - If you plan to sell food prepared in your home, you will
need to install a commercial kitchen in a separate area away from your
home kitchen. The kitchen must be regularly inspected and licensed by your
regional health department.
Child Care - If you plan to care for four or more children
in your home, you will need to obtain a license from your city or from
Health and Welfare. Your home will need to be inspected by your regional
health department and by the fire department.
If you don’t contact the agencies governing home
businesses, they will contact you and you may have to pay taxes and
possibly fines for the months or years you were in business before they located you. If your
business does not comply with zoning regulations or is operating without a
conditional use permit (if required), you could be forced to close the
business on very short notice.
Employees: Your city or county regulates the
number of employees your home business can legally have and the
number of vehicles they can park at your home or on a public street. You will be required to display
employment-related posters
in your home office or shop. You must also carry workers compensation
insurance and pay unemployment taxes, both federal and state.
For in-depth information on employee-related issues that may affect
your business visit the Employer Issues section of this Web site.
Tax Issues: If you are considering taking a tax deduction for your home
office or shop, check with an accountant
first. Some rules
regarding recovery of expenses may not be in your best interest. For
instance, if you take a deduction for a home office, you will not be able to use your office area or your office
equipment, including computers, for any purpose other than business. When
you sell the house, you must pay taxes on the portion of the house you deducted in previous years.
If you are considering writing off hobby expenses as a
business activity, check with an accountant first. Special tax regulations
cover hobby businesses and you must have income from the activitiy to be
able to deduct expenses.
As a small business owner, you will need to pay taxes on
the profit from your business. You will also need to pay self-employment
taxes and you may need to pay quarterly estimated taxes. For information
on tax issues, visit the Taxes
section of this Web site.
For information on Social Security requirements for the self-employed,
including independent contractors, visit http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10022.html.
Financing: Home-based businesses may have difficulty
securing loans, particularly for start-up financing. Banks
generally limit start-up funding to 50% of what you need. You might use
savings or loans from family and friends to finance the balance. To apply
for a loan you will need to have a good personal credit rating and a
well-written business plan. You will be asked to provide collateral as
security for the loan. This may include pledging your home, a vehicle, or
other personal assets in addition to business assets. Interest rates and repayment requirements vary by
lender.
Insurance: You will need to insure your business
regardless of where it is located. Check with your homeowner’s insurance
agent or an insurance agent who writes policies for home businesses. Not
all types of home-based businesses are covered by homeowner's insurance,
particularly if your primary activity, such as house painting, does not
occur at your home. If your homeowner's insurance will cover your
business, you may need to add additional coverage for business
equipment, inventory, or a business-owned vehicle.
For information on other types of insurance you may
need, such as workers' compensation or personal disability insurance, visit the Insurance
section of this Web site.
Security: Home-based businesses have security
issues other businesses do not. These include allowing strangers in your home, protection of mail, computer security,
and personal
safety issues, both in and out of the office.
Consider protecting your mail by
using a
mailing address other than your home address. It is important to have checks and
financial information sent to a post office box or another secure
location, rather than leaving them in a
mail box where they could be stolen. If you receive or send a large
number of packages, neighbors may complain about delivery
trucks coming and going. Using the services of a package shipping center can help
alleviate this problem. You can also rent a mail box at most package shipping
stores.
The Missouri Small Business & Technology Center offers much information on protecting your home and yourself at http://www.missouribusiness.net/hbb/security_plan.asp,
including a recommendation that you create a security plan for your
business that details how various emergencies will be handled.
Business Telephone: Do not use your home phone number as your business number
unless you are certain other family members, particularly children, will not answer the phone
or will answer it in a professional manner. Do not use a cell phone as your primary
business phone unless you have no alternative (such as a sales rep or a real
estate agent who is rarely in the office). If you use a cell phone, you may have
difficulty listing your business in your local phone directory and in the Yellow
Pages. You will also not be listed in the Yellow Pages if you
use your home phone number as your business phone number. You must
have a separate business phone line.
Zoning: Before opening a business in your home, be
sure to check with your city or county planning and zoning department to
find out if you can legally do so. For instance, you may not be able to
operate a construction business from a private home if you park trucks and
equipment around the home or employees come and go. If
you are operating the business in violation of zoning regulations and someone complains, your business could be closed without
notice.
Also check with your homeowner's association or your
apartment or condo association to be certain your covenants allow you
to operate a business from your home, particularly if you will have
employees or clients will regularly visit your home.
Client Meetings: If
zoning regulations, your homeowner's association or apartment complex do not allow clients to come
to your home, if you have young children, an unruly pet or another distraction, or safety
is a concern, you may
need to meet clients at another location. The best solution is to meet the
client at his or her office. If that isn't possible, you may be
able to rent temporary meeting space in an office complex, library, or
another facility. Depending on the nature of your business and the formality
of the meeting, you may be able to meet at a coffee shop or another public
place.
If you can't meet clients at your home office, or you
don't want to deal with interruptions caused by unannounced visitors, don't list your address on your business cards, Web site, or in advertising
materials. Instead, list only your phone number and say "By
appointment."
Closing Your Home Business: If you decide to close
your home-based business you will need to contact several agencies.
For information, visit the Business
Assistance section of this Web site.
CAUTION - If you are starting a home business
in response to an ad about earning money at home, BEWARE! Before you pay
any money, check the links under our
Work-at-Home
Schemes and
Scams & Schemes hot
topics.
Work-at-home scams are among the most prevalent. Meet with a counselor at the
SBA or your nearest Idaho Small Business Development Center and call your
nearest Better Business Bureau before you send money. You will find them listed under Business
Assistance, Business Formation and Expansion.
The following articles from Entrepreneur magazine
and Business.gov cover numerous topics related to operating a home-based
business: http://www.entrepreneur.com/homebasedbiz/index.html
and
http://www.business.gov/guides/home-based/
Invention
Assistance
To find information on inventing, product development, commercialization,
inventor fraud, and more, visit http://www.idahosbdc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.view&page=16
or visit the Links section of this Web site by
clicking on the tab at the top of the page. Contact the
organizations listed that offer unbiased help. There are many and most are free.
Also visit the Web sites that provide information on Invention Fraud and
be sure to contact a
patent attorney. You will need one eventually, so do it early in the
process. For further assistance, contact the Small Business Development
Center office in your area.
CAUTION - Before giving money to anyone to help you with your
invention, check with the many government and non-profit organizations
offering free, unbiased help. Many scams prey on trusting inventors. They often want money up front to evaluate the
patentability of your invention, then more money to help you develop a
prototype, evaluate the market, file the patent, etc. You may get
little or no real help from these organizations. They may be reluctant to
give you qualified references of inventors who used their service with
success as well as inventors who used their service with no success (even
harder to get). They often provide no strategy for commercializing your
product (taking it to market). If they do file for the patent, the
application may be weak and not provide the protection you need. If they don’t
produce any results for you and you want your money back, you may need to
take them to court, and that can be a long and costly process.
Loans
Banks and numerous private organizations offer loans for
everything from the purchase of a business to equipment leasing to
factoring (a loan against accounts receivables). Family and friends may
also be willing to lend money to help you get started. The following loan programs
are typically available to small businesses.
Small Business Administration Loans - If your business meets the criteria, you may qualify
for an SBA-guaranteed loan. The SBA does not lend money.
Rather, they guarantee loans to qualified individuals through
participating banks. To find out if you qualify, talk with the loan
officer at your bank or visit http://www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/loanapplication/index.html.
Patriot
Express - In 2007 the SBA created the Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative for veterans and
active duty members of the military community wanting to establish or expand
a small business. Ask your banker for details or visit http://www.sba.gov/patriotexpress/index.html.
CAPLines - an SBA loan program that helps
established businesses meet short term and cyclical working capital needs.
Talk to your banker or visit
http://www.sba.gov/financialassistance/borrowers/guaranteed/7alp/FINANCIAL_GLP_7ALP_SPECIAL.html
ARC Loan Program - This is a new,
temporary program authorized by the Federal Recovery Act.
The program is designed to help profitable, established
businesses (not start-ups) that are experiencing financial
problems related to the recent down-turn in the economy.
Up to $35,000 may be obtained in an interest-free loan
with deferred pay-back of up to 18 months. Loan proceeds
can be used only to make payments on existing loans,
including credit card debt incurred for business purposes.
For more information, contact a bank that offers SBA
loans.
Idaho Prime Loan Program - The Idaho State Treasurer in cooperation with the Small
Business Administration and the banking community offers the Idaho Prime
Loan Program. This is a low-interest loan program
available to qualified small businesses. For information, visit http://sto.idaho.gov/Programs/IdahoPrime.aspx.
Energy Conservation Loans - Loans for energy conservation
programs are offered through the Idaho Office of Energy Resources.
Information is available at http://www.energy.idaho.gov/financialassistance/.
Angel Investors - Angel investors
are individuals or small groups who invest in start-up
businesses that have the potential to provide a high rate
of return in a short time, usually high tech businesses.
To find an angel investor, talk with your CPA, banker, or
lawyer and ask for a referral. Most angel investors do not
like to be approached directly by business
owners. To find angel investors who invest in
your particular type of business, do a search on the Resource
Wizard.
SCORE publishes the 60 Second Guide to
Financing Your Start-up Business at http://www.score.org/financing_startup.html.
The guide will help you determine your financing needs and
offers tips on approaching lenders.
To find banks and other loan providers in your area, do a
search of the Resource Wizard on this site.
Before applying for a loan, you may want
to read through the Business Loan Checklist found
at http://www.business.gov/finance/financing/loans/loan-checklist.html
to be certain you have all the necessary documentation.
Non-Profits
Non-profits are regulated in much the same way as
for-profit businesses. This site is designed primarily for for-profit businesses, but
you can find useful information by going through the Business Wizard and
answering the questions about your business. The information will be
particularly helpful if you have employees or use the
services of independent contractors.
To be classified as a non-profit, a business must obtain
approval from the Internal Revenue Service. The process can be expensive
and time-consuming and not all business activities qualify. Your attorney can help
with the details and file the application for
you. For information on becoming a non-profit, visit http://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html.
The application form is found at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1023.pdf.
You may find the IRS information on The Life Cycle
of a Public Charity, found at http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=122670,00.html,
to be helpful.
The Idaho Non-profit Center offers much information. The
Center can help with creation of a board of directors, volunteer
recruiting, fund raising, writing by-laws, creating a Web site,
financial record keeping, and other issues. Their Web site is found at http://www.idahononprofits.org/
If you are thinking of starting a non-profit
organization, you can find helpful information at http://www.idahononprofits.org/ResourcesResearch/HowtoStartaNonprofit/tabid/73/Default.aspx
The Idaho Law Center publishes the "Handbook
for Idaho Nonprofit Corporations" and "Now that I
am on a Non-profit Board, what do I do?" Both are helpful booklets
that explain Idaho laws concerning non-profits. To obtain a
copy, contact the Idaho Law Center at 208-334-4500. There is
a cost for each.
For information about state sales and income
taxes that may affect your organization, refer to the Idaho State
Tax Commission's "Sales
Tax Brochure #50, Nonprofit Groups & Churches" and
page 1 of Idaho Form 41 instructions, "Who Must File a Form
41."
If your non-profit is engaged in activities
involving children, the elderly, or vulnerable adults, your
employees and volunteers will need to submit to a background
check and be fingerprinted. For information, visit http://www.isp.state.id.us/identification/ApplicantNCPAFingerprintProgram.html.
Scams/Schemes/Fraud
Many scams and schemes prey on people wanting
to start a small business. Among them are:
The following organizations offer assistance in dealing
with scams, schemes, and fraud in the business community:
- Better Business Bureau -
investigates business schemes and charitable giving scams - http://www.bbb.org.
Visit the Business Assistance page on
this site for
links to local BBBs.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
-
investigates consumer fraud complaints. File a complaint on-line
at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.
- Econsumer.com
- created by over 20 nations to address cross-border consumer
complaints - http://www.econsumer.gov/english/
- Idaho Attorney General -
The Consumer Protection Division investigates complaints of consumer
fraud and regulates telemarketing activities, including enforcing the No-Call
and telephone solicitation laws in Idaho. For information, visit http://www2.state.id.us/ag/consumer/about.htm
- Idaho Mortgage Fraud Resources -
report suspected cases of mortgage fraud, both personal and business - http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/mortgage_fraud/report_Idaho.asp
- Idaho Real Estate Enforcement Division
- report illegal acts committed by real estate agents licensed in
Idaho - http://www.idahorealestatecommission.com/enforcement.html
- Internal
Revenue Service - investigates tax fraud complaints and tax
schemes - http://www.irs.gov/compliance/enforcement/article/0,,id=121259,00.html
- Internet Crime Complaint
Center - This is a joint effort of the FBI and the National White
Collar Crime Center to locate and prosecute Internet schemes and scams
- http://www.ic3.gov/
- National Check Fraud
Center - investigates complaints of check fraud. For
information, visit http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/fakecheck.htm.
Also contact your bank.
- National Association of Insurance
Commissioners - investigates complaints of suspected
insurance fraud. File an on-line report at
https://eapps.naic.org/ofrs/.
Also contact the Idaho Department of Insurance at http://www.doi.idaho.gov/investigations/investigation_home.aspx.
- National Fraud Information
Center - accepts complaints, particularly against telemarketers
and Internet schemes. Complaints are forwarded to the proper
agency for investigation.
http://fraud.org/about.htm
- National Inventor Fraud
Center, Inc. - information on frauds committed against inventors -
http://www.inventorfraud.com/
- U.S. Department
of Justice Criminal Division - investigates violations of Federal
law, including bank fraud, securities schemes, computer and internet fraud,
intellectual property crimes, and other
complex white-collar
crimes. http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/reporting.htm
- U.S.
Postal Service - investigates mail fraud complaints and schemes
involving the U.S. mail system - https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/. If you are a victim of identity theft that involved the mail, visit https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/IDTheft.aspx
or call toll-free 877-876-2455.
- WHAM Undercover -
investigates and reports on work-at-home schemes - http://www.wahm.com/under.html
Substance
Abuse in the Work Place
The U.S. Department of Labor maintains a Web site,
"Working Partners," to
help employers address the issues of drug and alcohol use in the work
place and to assist in creating employee policies on substance
abuse. The site is located at http://www.dol.gov/workingpartners/welcome.html
OSHA guidelines - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/substanceabuse/index.html
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- http://www.drugfreeworkplace.gov/
U.S. Department of Labor elaws - The Impact of Substance
Abuse in the Workplace - http://www.dol.gov/elaws/asp/drugfree/benefits.htm
Tax Payer
Identification Number
All businesses must have a tax payer
identification number. If your business is a sole
proprietorship with no employees, you may be able to use your Social Security
Number. If you
have employees or do business with
corporations or government agencies, you will need to obtain
a Federal Employer Identification Number, which will be your
tax payer ID number. Your bank may also require you to have an EIN for account identification purposes. For information on obtaining an
EIN visit the Internal Revenue Service Web site, http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html.
There is no cost to obtain an EIN and the process is quick
and easy.
If you change the name of your business or
the entity type, you may need to obtain a new EIN. For
information click on the link above.
If your business offers employee health insurance, you will need to use a National Standard Employer
Identification number for electronic claims reporting. The
Department of Health and Human Services recommends that
businesses use their Federal Employer Identification Number
(EIN) as their health insurance identification number. For
information, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/EmployerIdentifierStand/
Idaho does not issue a state tax payer ID
number; your federal number is acceptable for doing business
in Idaho.
Venture Capital/Angel
Capital
Venture Capital: Finding venture capital seems like the answer to many small
businesses' funding needs. And it may be if you have a solid business plan, a track
record in your industry or a related one, a qualified management team, and
you don’t mind giving
up a piece of your business and having someone watching over your shoulder.
To find a venture capitalist, check with your banker,
attorney, or accountant for a recommendation to a company that
specializes in your field and then arrange an introduction. (Most VCs don't like
cold calls.) Most venture capitalists prefer companies in rapidly
growing industries, such as technology or bio-technology. Even then, only a small percentage of
businesses (less than 1%) qualify for venture capital funding.
Venture capital funding is a fertile field for scam artists. They may
ask for a sizeable up-front fee to review your business plan with no assurance that they will
fund
your business. Before you make a commitment, do some research on the VC firm. How long have
they been in business? How large is their investment fund? Who are their
partners? What is their expertise? Get a list of their past investments. Check their
references. Do they have a Web site? What equity percentage of your
business do you have to give them? Did you find this VC firm through
legitimate sources (attorney, accountant, banker)? Call the chamber of
commerce and the Better Business Bureau in the community where they are
located and ask about them. Contact the Attorney General’s office in the
state in which the business is located and ask if complaints have been
filed against them.
Angel Investors: If you don't need enough money to
qualify for venture capital financing or your business is in the early
start-up phase, you may qualify for funding from an angel investor.
Angel investors are wealthy individuals or groups that provide smaller
amounts of money than venture capital firms. Like venture capitalists,
angel investors usually prefer to invest in rapidly growing small
businesses that will provide a high rate of return on the investment in
a short time period. They will expect a seat on the board and may also take a management position within the business.
Your banker, attorney, or CPA may be able to arrange an
introduction to an angel investor. Like venture capital, only a small
percentage of businesses qualify for angel funding.
An online Venture/Angel Capital Resource Directory can be found at
http://www.vfinance.com. The
site matches investors with businesses seeking venture capital. Another
site that also matches investors with entrepreneurs is Active Capital, formerly
known as ACE-Net. Their Web site is located at http://activecapital.org.
Women,
Minorities, Veterans, Disabled
Special business assistance programs may be available to
businesses that employ or are owned by women, minorities,
veterans, or the disabled. For assistance in locating a program, contact your nearest
Idaho
Small Business Development Center or Small Business Administration office.
If you are a veteran or active duty military, you may qualify for the
Small Business Administration's new Patriot
Express pilot loan program. For information see Loans
above.
Numerous government contracting opportunities are also
available. Some of them can be found in the Links
section of this site. Others can be found by doing a search on the Resource
Wizard on this site. Also see Government
Contracting/Procurement above.
Work-at-Home
Schemes
We have all seen the ads on telephone poles, in the
classified section of newspapers, and on late-night TV. They sound so
promising, so easy. In reality, many are scams. Among those are envelope
stuffing, jewelry assembly, multi-level marketing, and medical billing or claims processing. Before
you invest money, check it out. Visit the Web
site of the Federal
Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/inv14.shtm
or http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/02/bizoppflop.shtm. For
information in Spanish, visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/sinv14.shtm.
The Better Business Bureau's Web site contains
information on work-at-home schemes at http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=436
The U.S. Postal Service will file postal fraud
charges against those who perpetrate fraudulent
work-at-home schemes. For information, visit http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/tx/tx_2008_0225.htm.
Also visit the Web site of Work-at-Home-Moms
Undercover at http://www.wahm.com/under.html.
This organization investigates and reports on work-at-home
opportunities, the good and the bad.
Before accepting a work-at-home
"opportunity," talk to a counselor at the Small Business
Administration or the Idaho Small Business Development Center. They are listed under Business
Assistance, Consulting and Counseling on this Web site. Talk to your
local Better Business Bureau. Also visit
the Scams & Schemes
topic above.
Zoning
Compliance
Every city or county has
zoning regulations with which your business must
comply. Don't sign a lease or a purchase agreement
until you first check with your city or county planning and
zoning commission to be certain you can legally operate your
type of business in the area you have chosen. Zoning laws prevent
certain types of businesses from operating in certain
areas. For instance, you would not be able to build a
convenience store in an area zoned for agricultural
use, nor can you establish a construction business in a
residential area.
If you open your business in violation of
zoning regulations, you can be immediately shut down when
planning and zoning inspectors find you or when a neighbor
complains and it may be
difficult to terminate the lease or purchase agreement.
Home-based businesses must also conform to
zoning regulations. More information on this topic can
be found under Home Business
above.
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