Created on January 20, 2016 The United States and Latin America have one of the most active trade relationships in the world - one that continues to provide opportunities for U.S. businesses of any size and in almost any sector. That is why the U.S. Commercial Service will host the next Trade Winds Business Forum in Latin America, Sept. 6-13, 2016. Trade Winds--Latin America Webinar Series Our...

Created on January 7, 2016 U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that registration is now open for the third SelectUSA Investment Summit to be held June 19-21, 2016, in Washington, D.C. The Summit’s theme is “The Innovation Advantage” and will feature investment opportunities from every corner of the United States for global investors, while high-profile business and government...

The U.S. Census Bureau, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) have teamed together to fund the first annual survey focused on the characteristics of employer businesses and their owners. The Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE) is a supplement to the Survey of Business Owners (SBO), which collects economic and demographic information every five...

Created on December 9, 2015 Are you a small business owner with an amazing success story to tell? If so, submit your nomination today for the 2016 National Small Business Week Awards. Nominations are currently being accepted online at http://awards.sba.gov . For more than 50 years, SBA has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions in their local...

Created on November 3, 2015 It’s time to get covered. Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage started on November 1 and runs through January 31. HealthCare.gov is working for millions of Americans and it’s ready to help even more get covered. The deadline is December 15 to sign up for coverage that starts on January 1, 2016. If you want to start the New Year with coverage, you must sign up by December...

Minority businesses are playing an integral part in keeping the ‘Made in America’ product strong as the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to rise. Minority-owned manufacturing firms employ 342,000 workers and have recently grown faster than their non-minority counterparts in three areas— the number of firms, employees and gross receipts. MBDA’s increased focus on manufacturers over the past few...

Searching the web for contracts can be extremely frustrating. If you are not familiar with the process a simple search can present a list of contracts that can take days to review. How can you simplify the effort while still keeping it effective? Tip 1: Make sure you are registered in the System for Award Management . You must have an active registration in SAM to do business with the Federal...

Whether retirement days are near or far, you should be up-to-date on the types of retirement plans available to you and your employees. The plans you will hear most about are IRA, SEP, SIMPLE and 401(k). In addition to providing for your retirement, they may offer significant tax benefits today. Individual Retirement Arrangement, IRAs are plans that let you set aside money for your retirement...

How much does it cost to start your own business? Of course, the answer depends on your business model and your chosen industry. However, a useful estimate based on a 2009 study conducted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation puts the average cost of starting a new business from scratch at just over $30,000. Many small businesses, particularly freelance, online and home-based businesses come in...