The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on March 12th that it will provide Disaster Loan assistance to small businesses impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19). Alexandria SBDC will assist Alexandria businesses with their application processes when those loans are made available. The Disaster Declaration for businesses in our area has not been made yet so we… Read more »

This post is written by Bill Reagan, Executive Director of the SBDC and first appeared in the Alexandria Times on November 7, 2019. One of the common characteristics of highly successful business owners is their tendency to ask really good questions – and lots of them. Even if you consider yourself business-savvy, you can never… Read more »

This post is written by Bill Reagan, Executive Director of the SBDC and first appeared in the Alexandria Times on March 7th, 2019. Savvy business owners are planning now for potential effects from the shutdown of all Alexandria Metro stations this summer. There are many considerations including impacts on your employees and customers, but one… Read more »

This post is written by Bill Reagan, Executive Director of the SBDC and first appeared in the Alexandria Times on September 6, 2018.  Some of the chief disrupters to businesses momentum involve real estate. First there’s the challenge of finding the ideal location – appealing and convenient for customers and where your business activity is… Read more »

This post is written by Bill Reagan, Executive Director of the SBDC and first appeared in the Alexandria Times on March 17, 2017. For many of us, understanding financial matters is a challenge, and options for financing the startup or expansion of a business may be difficult to grasp. This is a perfect example of a… Read more »

As we begin 2016, many small business owners start gathering the necessary documents for filing their 2015 taxes. Small businesses who have employees or independent contractors are required to distribute tax forms (W-2 for employees, 1099 for contractors) by the end of January.  If in the past you have been getting your blank forms from… Read more »

Over the years, we have recommended resources that Alexandria small business owners can access to become more productive, make contacts or solve problems. We believe it is important to focus on one of those resources this month — the Small Business and Residential Facilitation Office of the City’s Permit Center. Alexandria city government recognizes that obtaining… Read more »

This post is a continuation of last week’s topic and was written by Patricia Frame of Strategies for Human Resources, our guest author for our solopreneur blog series. Recently, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued new guidance on when a person is an independent contractor and when they are an employee. Even if you… Read more »

We know how important good data is for small businesses as they develop their business plans or look to grow their businesses. In the past, it has been challenging to get the information needed from a single source. Now, there’s a new tool available to help small businesses with their research needs. Earlier this month,… Read more »

Do you accept credit cards as payment for the goods and services that you provide to your customers? These days, most small businesses answer “yes” to that question. For those who currently swipe the magnetic stripe on credit cards, including most restaurant and retail establishments, there are major changes coming soon that may have serious… Read more »