Business Tips

October 15, 2023

Protect Your Business: A Simple Guide to Cybersecurity

In today’s digital world, keeping your small business safe from cyber threats is very important. Cyberattacks can cause big problems, like stealing your data or money, hurting your reputation, and even shutting down your business. But don’t worry! The NIST Cybersecurity Framework can help you stay safe, and we, at the Connecticut Small Business Development […]

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July 3, 2023

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for a while, SEO is an important piece of your marketing strategy. It helps your website rank higher in search engine results pages, driving more traffic and increasing your chances of making sales. In this post, we’ll cover some SEO tips that small business owners […]

June 7, 2023

The Employee Retention Credit & IRS Scam Alert

The ERC, sometimes called the Employee Retention Tax Credit or ERTC, is a valuable credit for businesses and tax-exempt organizations that qualified for this pandemic-related credit in 2020 and 2021. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently shared information on the warning signs of aggressive ERC marketing and details on how promoters lure victims. Claiming […]

Image portrays self-employed Caucasian woman putting together a flower arrangement at her shop.
June 1, 2023

Self-Employment Taxes 411

Self-employment taxes can confuse small business owners, independent contractors, freelancers, and those with ‘side hustles,’ all candidates for estimated quarterly taxes. First, quarterly taxes are due to the Federal IRS and the CT Department of Revenue Services, and they are generally required if you expect to owe $400 or more in taxes for the year […]

December 1, 2022

Federal Worker Discrimination Poster Updates

On October 20, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, referred to as the EEOC, issued a completely redesigned poster that replaces the current mandatory EEOC poster. It includes extensive changes that reflect multiple regulatory changes made over the past eight years. All covered U.S. employers are required to update the posting immediately. The updated poster […]

November 22, 2022

Last Minute Marketing Tips for Small Business Saturday

A holiday sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday falls on November 26, and it’s a prime opportunity to highlight the benefits of shopping locally for the holidays to nearby consumers. People can put money back into their community by shopping small, helping local stores and restaurants regain ground after the COVID-19 […]

November 17, 2022

Important Tax Changes to Your 1099-K

  Form 1099-K reports earnings from payment cards and third-party network transaction providers. This new change could impact your business if you sell online through Square, Etsy, eBay, and others.   What is Form 1099-K? Form 1099-K is an official Internal Revenue Service (IRS) document called “Payment Card and Third-Party Network Transactions.” Payment processors use […]

November 2, 2021

Getting Your Veteran-Owned Small Business Certified

The Vets First Verification Program helps Veteran Businesses and Serviced Disable Veteran Businesses apply for set asides for the VA. These opportunities to sell to the VA are only available to certified businesses. Small businesses that are Veteran-Owned should consider applying for certification for their business, whether it is their Veteran Owned Small Business Certification […]

October 4, 2021

Labor Law Impacting Lodging, Food Industry, and Building Services

As small businesses juggle the many challenges and changes brought on by the pandemic, we wanted to make sure to bring this to your attention in case you missed it. Please take time to consider the information presented below, as non-compliance with this new law may result in legal action from laid-off employees. If you […]

July 30, 2021

How the New Marijuana Law Impacts Employers in Connecticut

On June 22, 2021, Governor Lamont signed the Act Concerning Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis into law, legalizing the use of recreational marijuana in our state. The new law allows adults (21 and older) to have on their person up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana or have up to 5 ounces in a […]