It isn't often that this page has
something good to say about the Federal Government, but the Small
Business Administration (SBA) has always held a place of esteem in as
much it is one of the few federal agencies that works wholly for the
people it purports to help, the small business owner. We would like
to introduce you now to a website that will offer more help to small
business than ever was available before,
Business.gov.
Touted as the “official business link
to the US Government,” The site, which was originally launched in
2006, is managed by the US Small Business Administration in a
partnership with 21 other federal agencies. This partnership, known
as Business Gateway, is a Presidential E-government initiative
that provides a single access point to government services and
information to help the nation's businesses with their operations.
Helping with the Regulatory Burden
One major area that the Business.gov
website seeks to address is the problem that small businesses have
with regulatory compliance. A federal study, the Final Report pf the
Small Business Paperwork Relief Task force, concluded that:
Reporting and record keeping
requirements place a heavy and expensive burden on businesses,
particularly small businesses. Compliance with these requirements is
made more difficult by the number and complexity of regulations which
impose direct burdens of compliance. Businesses are often subject to
regulations enforced by multiple Federal agencies. The need to report
information to several different government entities also increases
compliance costs, particularly when reporting or record keeping
requirements are not coordinated across agencies.
The report, which covered fiscal year
2003, demonstrated that businesses and citizens spent approximately
8.2 billion hours and $320 billion filling out paperwork and
complying with government regulations. Users spent much of these 8.2
billion hours navigating complex government hierarchies and working
their way through millions of documents that are actually meant to
help businesses comply with laws and regulations.
Business.gov addresses this issue and
seeks to save businesses the time and money spent on regulatory
compliance by providing fast, easy to understand access to business
laws, government regulations, forms and access to relevant agency
contacts. This is accomplished through the following seven areas of
the website:
Federal Small Business Guides
Business.gov Small Business Guides help
business owners to understand the regulations they have to comply
with and improve their operations. These guides, which are organized
by Business Area and Industries, offer a one-stop resource for
regulatory assistance, and include links to clearly written fact
sheets, guidelines, answers to frequently asked questions,
interactive tools, training resources, and contacts at Federal
regulatory agencies.
State and Local Guides
Through its State and Local Guides,
which include information on complying with state and local
regulations, and programs for starting and manging a business,
Business.gov provides access to over 9,000 official U.S. city
government resources as well as extensive business information from
all 50 states and territories.
Business.gov Search Engine
One very good feature of the
Business.gov website is the unique business search engine, powered by
Google's Custom Search Service. This search engine quickly and easily
finds information from federal, state and local government web sites.
This allows you to go right to the information you want without
having to visit multiple government websites.
Finding Licenses and Permits
It is often frustrating to search of
just the right license or permit, but Business.gov has an answer for
that as well. Their “Permit Me” tool allows visitors to find
listings of all of the federal, state and local business licenses and
permits that you will need to properly operate your business.
Government Agency Contacts
The Internet is very convenient, but
sometimes it can only serve as a starting point. When you reach the
point that you need (or just want) to talk to a real person,
Business.gov will provide you with a valid list of contacts,
including name, phone number, and e-mail, at all of the major federal
regulatory agencies.
Government Forms and FAQs
Business.gov provides a gateway to
finding commonly request federal forms and answering frequent
questions asked of federal agencies by small business owners.
Business Gateway Content
Partnerships
Business Gateway Content Partnership
Program on Business.gov works with industry, trade associations and
other government agencies to provide authoritative information that
helps small business comply with government regulations. Business.gov
cuts through the clutter by providing a guide to official and
authoritative resources of accurate information.
The Bottom Line
In an environment where small business
pays an average of 45% more per employee than big business does to
comply with the same regulations, the SBA's Business.gov
website is something that every small business owner should be
familiar with. The site is easy to navigate and the information is
solid. For once we can really say, “Your tax dollars at work,”
without the irony. It's so refreshing.
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