A Quick Reference Guide for Start-up and Existing Small Businesses in Austin & San Antonio

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1 Personal Preparation Research and Focus Business Structure Business Plan A Quick Reference Guide for Start-up and Existing Small Businesses in Austin & San Antonio Business Development Tools Federal/State/Local Contracting Opportunities Marketing Strategies Funding Opportunities Additional Resources September 2015 Austin-San Antonio SCORE Forum Personal Preparation Resource Austin-San Antonio SCORE Forum Before committing to starting a business, review your credit history, cash flow, collateral, and character references as well as your business management experience. The links below are guides to assist you in determining your ability to make a go of your business. The websites contain small business guides which are intended to serve as roadmaps for starting a business. They are both comprehensive and easy to use. They also contain numerous electronic links for additional information. These links contain business plan formats, financial plan formats and marketing plan formats. (click on templates & tools) Open Create a Life Plan, review and construct a plan using down loadable templates to include current status, ideal life, your loves, your skills and capabilities, your track record, your ideal life style, and your goals. This central site allows you to request a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

2 After completing a business plan, go to and follow the 4 steps listed in this guide. Determine your business structure and name. Determine the potential tax responsibilities of the new business - federal, state and local Determine necessary licenses, permits, certifications, registrations and/or authorizations Determine federal and state employer requirements. STARTING A BUSINESS IN TEXAS Starting a business in Texas requires you begin with a business plan and then follow the four steps outlined in this comprehensivedocument: Research and Focus Check this website for information on how to conduct market analysis, develop marketing strategies, identify your competition and obtain templates to help with preparation of cash flow, breakeven, and collateral estimates. Online training is also available for conducting a marketing analysis, targeting markets, and protecting your business with patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Other useful sites include: Use for market research for B2B General demographics Local libraries also have a wealth of information / Determine Business Structure All businesses must have a legal identity. Many factors must be considered when choosing the best form of business ownership. This SBA website provides an over- view of your options. If you choose to register as a sole proprietor, your business name must be on file with each county clerk s office. Register at: County Clerk websites surrounding Austin: Travis: Williamson: Hays: Burnet: Bell: County Clerk websites surrounding San Antonio: Bexar: Comal: Guadalupe:

3 To register as a corporation apply to the Secretary of State. / Phone: For legal advice contact the Austin Lawyer Referral Service / Phone: Or American Bar Association Network The IRS has a number of small business products and forms you may order online: / Phone: Federal Unemployment tax is part of a federal and state program under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA). You report and pay FUTA tax separately from your social security and Medicare taxes and withheld tax. Personnel/Hiring Texas Workforce Commission Personnel Policies is excellent resource: Use this document to classify your employee: CREATING A COMPLETE BUSINESS PLAN Click on link to business tools to find templates for Business Plan, Cash Flow and other start up templates and workshops Business Plan Software These sites provide sample plans to review: Federal, State and Local Contracting Opportunities Federal SBA assists small companies gain access to federal contract set-asides The HUBZONE (Historically Underutilized Business Zones) Contracting program encourages economic development in underutilized business zones. Learn more: contracting-support-small-businesses The WOSB Federal Contract Program provides greater access to federal contracting for economically disadvantaged women.learn more: The Office of Women s Ownership and Entrepreneurial Development is a component of Entrepreneurial Development s network of training and counseling services: State Click on forms to get HUB certification application: Local The Small Disadvantaged Business Certification Program helps small business compete and participate in the federal contracting and subcontracting arena.

4 City of Austin Certification Click on business & investment for links to doing business with the government: / Marketing Strategies The Score website has templates for marketing plans and other useful tools. Click on Templates at. Using Social Media for Marketing your Business. The most used: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin For beginners check out these sites: Using your Website for Marketing A free tool for listing your website on Google, Bing and other local search engines easily: Duct Tape Marketing Small Business Trends SEO free tool and guide: We recommend Word Press and plug in Yoast to build your website or blog Check out the rates for logo designs: Test to see if your website is mobile friendly: url= Funding Opportunities In some circumstances SBA will guarantee a bank loan. Loan guarantees must be applied for by the bank. Call for loan briefing schedules or go to the local website for a list of events and a list of SBA Certified, Preferred and Express Lenders. SBA Lender: Sue Malone: [email protected] Karen Schimpf: [email protected] MicroLenders Micro lenders are more willing to loan money to startup businesses. Interest rates are usually higher than for commercial banks and limit loan amounts to $50,000. The sites below are micro lenders. Should I use credit cards to fund my business? Veterans Online Score Counselors provide business advice to the military community. This SBA site provides resources to help veterans with business development. Investors The Central Texas Angel Network provides quality early-stage investment opportunities for accredited Central Texas angel investors. State and local contracting opportunities should also be explored.

5 Additional Resources The IRS website provides information on starting, operating or closing a business, what taxes each form of business is required to pay and how to pay them. It also provides information on how to apply for Form SS-4 either online or by phone. / Census data on a variety of demographics This site talks about not only patents and trademarks, but also talks about copyrights. For obtaining information about NAICS. Generates Profit and Loss statements for selected businesses, based on sales. A quick reference to assist Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) It is important to determine what your market will be, have a rough estimate of your cash flow requirements, and what you will need to breakeven each month. Sales Tax Permit Every sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or other organization going into business should call the office of the State Comptroller to determine if a Sales Tax Permit is required for the product you sell, rent, lease or for the service you render. There is no fee for this permit. Open a Separate Bank Account Assemble all organization paperwork and EIN or Social Security Number. This will help keep business records from becoming mixed with personal records. It s highly recommended that an accounting system be implemented such as Quick Books, Quicken, Peachtree or an Excel spreadsheet. Assistance in Locating a Certified Public Accountant This site provides assistance in locating a CPA. Texas Society Enrolled Agents List of Austin CPA s Licenses There is no General Business License requirement in Texas. Check with City Hall for licensing or zoning requirements or contact the State Licensing Office. Questions related to Austin zoning and licensing call Danny Brewer at SBDP at the Business Solutions Center (BSC) First Floor One TX Center Insurance For liability, assets, vehicles, business disruption information go to this site. publications/p334/ch08.html Franchise Opportunities A list of franchise businesses is available at the following site: Consultants to give you free assistance in buying a franchise: Restaurant Ownership If you are interested in opening your own restaurant go to this website: Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs Personal Property Tax: All businesses and not profits must file a listing of their personal property as of January1st of each year. The form is due on or before the 15th. The form may be acquired from your county appraisal department or at

6 SCORE offers free and confidential face-to-face mentoring at chapter offices and counseling at Local workshops are conducted to meet the needs of both start-up and existing businesses. -San Antonio SCORE Fo SCORE Austin 5524 Bee Cave Road, Building M Austin, TX [email protected] ************** San Antonio SCORE 615 E. Houston St., Suite 298 San Antonio, TX [email protected] Copies of this publication shall not be made without the express permission of the Austin-San Antonio SCORE Forum. For further information, contact SCORE Austin, Bee Caves Road, Building M, Austin, TX Thanks to BusinesSuites for their support in publishing this directory. Austin-San Antonio SCORE For