One of the worst aspects of the current economic reality is the continuing level of unemployment. While it continues at or around the 10% mark, it’s going to depress the amount of money spent on Main Streets up and down the US. People worried whether their next pay check will arrive are preferring to pay down their debts rather than spend. Combine this with the unwillingness of the banks and credit card companies to be more generous with credit limits and you have a perfect storm for small business to weather. It’s therefore welcome to see the Small Business Jobs Act. No matter what your politics, the idea of billion in tax breaks for business is good news. Whether it will actually do anything to create jobs is anyone’s guess. You will not find a single incentive for hiring a new employee. The government is working on the theory that, if your business makes capital investments, this will eventually create more jobs. Given two-thirds of all new jobs have been created by small business over the last three years and you understand why this breaks are targeted to the smaller businesses. Starting with the self-employed, your tax bill is going to be lower by about 15% if you pay your own health insurance premiums. The current position is that, if you employ people, the payment of their health premiums is deductible from the gross revenue of the business. But the premium for your own insurance is only a personal deduction. Just for 2010, the premiums will reduce the net earnings from your own employment. There are also changes to the system for claiming tax refunds which now allows you to go back for five years, the start-up costs limit is increased and the repayment period extended, the first year expensing deductions are doubled and the scope is extended to include leased property improvements even though they are not capital equipment, and the depreciation allowances are expanded. Finally, you can now withdraw some of your retirement savings to help cover your immediate trading losses during start-up. This is only a snapshot picture of a complex set of provisions. Further, more tax changes and breaks will probably appear during the remainder of this tax year. So you had better huddle with your accountant or tax advisor to advise you on how to take advantage of everything on offer. With the Administration on the hook to take action on unemployment, the small business market can expect more help. That some of this will affect small business insurance is inevitable. Just as the health insurance deductions have been modified to encourage more small businesses to maintain adequate plans, you can expect to see more breaks and allowances for investment. This spins off into insurance territory because, if the rate of depreciation on plant and equipment is increased, this writes down the value for insurance purposes, and so on. You may find it worth your while to have an insurance audit at the end of this tax year to ensure you have up-to-date values in place, e.g. on rebuilding costs for property insurance, the replacement of fixtures and fittings, and so on.
Advancement in technology and Internet has now helped people to make money online from the comfort of their home with little or no investment. There are many legitimate work-at-home jobs and home based businesses available today to suit different people’s needs. Here are few of them to help people get started with their own home business.
First well-known job option is a virtual assistant. People who can handle calls and have little knowledge on Microsoft office tools can definitely choose this option. Most small business people and freelancers look for an assistant who can work from their home. This method doesn’t cost them much money therefore, a person can grab this opportunity and can earn a decent amount of income per hour. These jobs can be found on many job sites listed on the Internet.
Next demanding home based business is the medical transcriptionist and this job is suitable for a person who has worked with the medical professionals. A person can either work with the individual physician or any group of medical professionals. The work of the transcriptionist is to listen to the medical professionals and type up the words. A person is usually paid on an hourly basis and a skilled person can earn up to per hour.
Next is the translator. People who have fluency in any language can go for this option. The work involves translating documents and audio files. The difficulty level generally determines the pay, and the higher the difficulty, then the higher the pay. This is one of the highly paid home based business jobs and demand for this position is highly required in scientific, management, and technical consulting.
Another great opportunity for making money online is a web designer. A person with good knowledge on designing the web page can obtain this job. The job listings can be easily found on the Internet or any local newspapers. The pay depends mainly on the experience and skill of the person, and also the difficulty in designing the web page.
Next great opportunity for home based businesses is teaching. It can be done either online or offline. If a person is expert in any academic subject they can apply for this opportunity. Offline teaching requires only presence and material for teaching. Online teaching also requires some knowledge about the Internet and some basic teaching tools.
“It’s scary when the ones who are going to drive the economic recovery and put people back to work are saying, ‘We’re going to hold off a bit because we don’t know what our government is going to do.’” So says Brian Calle. The columnist and editorial writer for the Orange County Register got fed up with public-sector jobs programs and sluggish private-sector job growth, so he decided to ask business owners why they weren’t hiring. The result is an ongoing, multimedia project called “The CEO Solutions Series,” in which business owners diagnose the problem and propose solutions. Reason.tv’s Ted Balaker sat down with Calle to discuss what should be done to spur private-sector growth, the role uncertainty plays in hiring decisions, why business leaders are often afraid to complain about public policy, and the myth of the laissez-faire CEO. Approximately 10 minutes. Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Hawk Jensen, Alex Manning, and Zach Weissmueller. Edited by Jensen Go to reason.tv for HD, iPod, and audio versions of this and all our videos, and subscribe to Reason.tv’s YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.
City Slicker’s Alternative Business Career Search Alert!
Serious job seekers may be surprised to learn that their most exciting alternative business career search options could best be uncovered in small town America.
The Milken Institute, a private think tank, annually ranks the job growth in cities, according to Time Magazine. 11 of the top 20 cities had populations well under 1 million.
The study showed that many smaller regions share characteristics that act as job magnets. These include lower costs, tax breaks for employers, funding for entrepreneurs and a deepening pool of skilled and educated workers.
Many are college towns, seats of government, or home to a big company that nourishes others. Thanks to the internet and to satellite technology, a company in Iowa can be as connected as one in Los Angeles.
So, if you thought all the job opportunities are to be found in large cities exclusively, the evidence shows the contrary is true. And if you’re looking around, this may be the right time to consider that small town environment you always dreamed about.
Job seekers who once thought their alternative business career search was in major cities and turned their noses up at small town positions . . . well, times have changed and now they’re eagerly seeking small town opportunities while pickings in the big cities are suddenly slimmer.
How do these towns come up with desirable jobs? How can they fulfill your alternative business career search aspirations?
Companies don’t move to these small towns on a whim. It generally takes money in the form of incentives. For example, Arkansas has spent 0 million on roads and airports around Fayetteville over the past decade. Cities like Fort Myers and Santa Fe offer tax abatement packages to big and small business in exchange for creating jobs.
If you’re in the job market, small town America may be your best alternative business career search choice. Of course, acclimating to smaller-town life can take time, especially for former city slickers. But, for a lot of folks, their biggest concern is that small town job opportunities may suddenly get very popular.
Whatever your geographical preferences, there’s one very important tip you’ll need to understand. You will NOT be successful if you insist on using old-fashioned job search techniques!
That’s because hiring decision-makers in small towns or large cities are not going to rely on your resume to make a hiring decision about you. That means you must be prepared to take advantage of powerful alternative job search strategies.
For example, you must discover how to develop and nuture “career partners.” These invaluable personal contacts can literally bring opportunities right to your doorstep. And you can be in the enviable position of selecting your next job rather than settling for it.
“Career partners” is just one of the many innovative techniques that can have you entertaining high-paying job offers in as little as two weeks!