Business & Finance

Gone are the days when the majority of customers paid cold, hard cash for their purchases. Some of the most intrepid greenback supporters even brought piles of the stuff to the bargaining table when it was time to seal the deal on an automobile. In a world where convenience and security vie for the top spot on everyone’s priority list, paying with plastic has become standard operating procedure. If you’re still on the fence about whether your business can gain from joining the credit card revolution, take some time to check out three of the main benefits.

Watch a competent surgeon at work and you’ll immediately notice that he/she pays special attention to her tools. He/She uses the most state-of-the-art instruments available, organizes them carefully, and makes sure he/she takes advantage of every piece of technology at his/her disposal. As a business owner, your approach should be exactly the same. Here are five indispensable keys to your future success.

Take off your entrepreneur hat for a moment and replace it with consumer headgear. Now, imagine yourself attempting to make a purchase at a local store using your American Express card. “I’m sorry,” you are told, “We don’t accept AmEx.” This isn’t the first time your card has been refused, but it makes you wonder why. Now, switch to your merchant hat and let’s find some answers.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will conduct a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Availability and Disparity Study designed to determine whether minority- and women-owned business enterprises have had equal access to federally assisted transportation contracting opportunities within the state.

In an ongoing effort to combat telemarketing scams, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced Friday the recent filing of a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against several Arizona-based businesses and individuals. The defendants are alleged to have targeted mainly elderly consumers in a “work from home” business opportunity scam.

For businesses looking to reduce expenses in 2014, now is the best time to upgrade lighting to maximize SRP rebate dollars and energy savings. Lighting consumes up to 40 percent of a commercial facility’s energy and is typically the least expensive equipment to replace.  

Last month, the Community Alliance Against Family Abuse (CAAFA) was saddened to read the story of Carie Charlesworth, a teacher in San Diego, California whose abusive husband stalked her at the school where she taught second grade. The Holy Trinity School fired Ms. Charlesworth and prevented her two children from continuing to attend. Firing an employee does not terminate the problem of domestic violence at the workplace. When a victim of domestic violence is fired for her abuser’s actions economic independence is taken from the victim and other victims are shown that reporting potential danger to the school results in termination. Reaching out for basic advocacy from an organization like CAAFA could have helped reinforce the safety of Ms. Charlesworth, her children, and the school.

The Obama administration stated Tuesday it is delaying for one year, until January 2015, the requirement that businesses with more than 50 employees provide health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty. The announcement by the Treasury Department comes after numerous complaints from businesses that the requirements were too complicated and difficult to implement in time.

As a business owner, it’s important to understand how the Affordable Care Act can affect your business. However, with so many misconceptions about how the Affordable Care Act works, this can be difficult.  To clarify the myths versus facts, we’re launching a new blog series called “Myth vs. Fact: The Affordable Care Act and Small Business”.

The Internal Revenue Service today announced a simplified option that many owners of home-based businesses and some home-based workers may use to figure their deductions for the business use of their homes. In tax year 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available, nearly 3.4 million taxpayers claimed deductions for business use of a home (commonly referred to as the home office deduction).

Join us November 7, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM for a job fair for veteran job seekers, active duty military members, guard and reserve members, and military spouses.

Small, nonfarm businesses in 15 Arizona counties and neighboring counties in California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). "These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought beginning January 1, 2012," Alfred E. Judd, Director of SBA's Disaster Field Operations Center-West.