The first thing Rissy Sutherland and Jack Keilt did when they bought into the Honest-1 Auto Care franchise in 2008 was have the company take a year-and-a-half hiatus from expanding its franchise network. Drawing on their experience as owners of individual franchises, Sutherland says, “We looked at what was important to us as franchisees, from our franchisors … and chose to take … [More]
Small Business Prospers in the Global Village
Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) engaged in international markets are twice as likely to be successful as those operating only domestically, according to a recently completed study by IHS that was commissioned by DHL Express. IHS studied SMEs in the blocks of countries referred to as G7 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan) and BRICM … [More]
Bytes: March 2013
A Source for Bids BidSource is a one-stop connection to an aggregate of procurement bid opportunities available with the federal government, Arizona government agencies and school districts plus government bid opportunities available in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Denver. The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce … [More]
Loan Modification May Be Option if Loan Is Current
As the economy slowly turns itself around for many, small businesses that have been hanging on even if struggling may have more financing options available to them than they’re aware of. For a business to be able to get any concessions from a bank, however, it’s imperative that it start talking to the bank before getting behind in payments on its business loans. That goes … [More]
Critical Time Window for Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives
The IRS tax code that provides federal tax incentives on energy improvement investments, §179D, expires at the end of 2013. While energy efficiency upgrades need to be completed by Dec. 31, 2013, to qualify, opportunities exist in two areas: accelerating future projects into 2013 and reviewing projects dating back to Jan. 1, 2006, that resulted in energy savings. Either of … [More]
What’s in a Name? Arizona Law Firms Gain Marketable Options
As of last month, law firms in Arizona have the option to name themselves a trade name rather than being required to use the attorney’s surname, with the limitation that the trade name must be truthful and accurate and not be misleading, such as implying an affiliation with a government office. This brings Arizona in conformity with a majority of the other states nationwide on … [More]
Manufacturing Company Expands, Works with Schools to Fill Void in Work Force
Anticipation of increased market demand drove the decision by LAI International — a strategic supplier of precision components and subassemblies for original equipment manufacturers — to consolidate its three Arizona manufacturing plants and expand its Arizona presence into a 32,400-square-foot facility in Tempe. “It’s a ‘perfect storm’ when customers are telling you, ‘You need … [More]
Bytes: February 2013
Find More Like This A new, simple-to-use website helps find business books and articles with its “what business books to read” search engine. Have a problem? Curiosity piqued about something read elsewhere? Copy content (up to 10,000 words) into the search box and Epi-Biz will do the rest. It is a free service by the Institute for the Study of Coherence and … [More]
Alliance Creates Resource to Fund Business Growth
Expected to help kick-start the flow of capital to businesses for loans they need to grow, At Work for Arizona Business Loan Alliance launched last month with $12 million committed to fund loans of $50,000 to $500,000 to businesses that lack adequate equity investment or sufficient collateral for a conventional loan but are otherwise creditworthy. Forging this groundbreaking … [More]
Council Launched to Address Fraud, Security and Identity Theft in Digital Age
Identity theft comes in many unexpected guises that can harm a business, a realization that prompted LifeLock to sponsor the recently launched Council for Identity Protection. Says Todd Davis, chairman and CEO of LifeLock, “It is our belief that challenges in the digital age are not independent, but must be viewed with a more integrated view of the problem and ultimate … [More]
