The 20 Most Important Questions In Business

by Christopher Steiner and Brett Nelson
(I got this from an email called "The Agurban," and they sourced this material from Forbes Magazine.)
Entrepreneurs can't completely inoculate their businesses from the vagaries of the market. What they can do is wrestle with the fundamental questions that govern the fate of any enterprise. We've done our best to compile the 20 most important ones...
1. What is your value proposition?
2. Does your product address a viable market?
3. What differentiates your product from the competition?
4. Does the business scale?
5. How committed are you to making this happen?
6. What are your strengths?
7. What are your weaknesses?
8. What price will your customers pay?
9. How much power do your buyers have?
10. How much power do your suppliers have?
11. How should you sell your product?
12. How should you market your product?
13. How big is the threat of new entrants:
14. How do you protect your intellectual property?
15. How much start-up capital do you need?
16. How will you finance the business?
17. How much cash do you need to survive the early years?
18. What are your financial projections?
19. How do you keep the help happy?
20. What is your end game?
For more information, see Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/17/most-important-questions-in-business-entrepreneurs-management-small-business_slide_2.html

Final Installment: SBA Information about Tax Relief to Help Small Businesses

New Law Provides $12 Billion in Tax Relief to Help Small Businesses Invest in their Firms, Create Jobs
• Extension, Expansion of Tax Cuts – 8 Tax Cuts
1. The highest small business expensing limit ever, of $500,000
2. Carry-back provisions on net operating losses of up to 5 years
3. Accelerated/bonus depreciation
4. Zero capital gains taxes for those who invest in small businesses
5. Increased deductions for start-ups
6. Deductions for employer-provided cell phones
7. Deductions for health insurance costs for the self-employed
8. Limitations on penalties for errors in tax reporting that disproportionately affect small business

Beyond SBA:
• Small Business Lending Fund – $30 billion (administered by Treasury)
o The law will provide smaller community banks with low cost capital (as low as 1%) if they go above and beyond 2009 small business lending levels.
• Establishes State Small Business Credit Initiative (administered by Treasury)
o The law will provide up to $1.5 billion to States to support state run small business lending programs

More SBA Information - 3 of 4 Posts

New Law Promotes Small Business Exporting, Building on the President’s National Export Initiative
• Export Express Pilot Becomes Permanent
o The law turns the Export Express pilot loan program into a permanent program with 90% guarantees for loans up to $350,000 and 75% for loans between $350,000 and $500,000.
• State Trade and Export Promotion Grants Pilot
o The law provides $60 million in competitive grants over next three years for states to help small business owners with exporting.
• Increased Staff and Strengthened Export Counseling Resources.

Law Expands Training and Counseling:
• Major Investment in Counseling and Training
o The law provides $50 million in grants available to Small Business Development Centers.
• More Opportunities in Export Counseling (see above)