Small Business Certification Requirements: Fill & Download for Free

You can’t solve a problem by blaming the wrong cause. Big chain stores are not killing mom and pop stores. Let’s look at the top two culprits:1) CustomersCustomers are the proximate killers of mom and pop stores.Now, this should be obvious, but I guess we need to remind folks:Customers themselves are choosing to take their money to big chain stores rather than to mom and pop stores, which results in …(Ta-Dah!)… the death of mom and pop stores.Why? Let’s turn again to Business 101:Because the big chain stores give customers a better tradeoff of price, assortment, selection, convenience, terms, hours, environment, parking, credit, financing, inventory, etc.The customer is getting more total benefit for their dollars and for their time by shopping at big chain stores than they would receive by shopping at mom and pop stores.Now, those (few?) authoritarians who realize this, complain that the customer is a dum-dum, and they try to replace customers’ preferences with theirs.But that’s not fair! It’s the customers’ money that their labor created, and it’s their time that they are spending shopping. Frankly if these authoritarians had any empathy and humility it would be obvious even to them: customers should be able to spend their money and their time wherever they durn well please!(But, thank you for your opinion, Big Brother. :)In fact, some people could argue that those who condescend to tell customers what their tradeoffs “ought to be”, given that they don’t even know these people and are rarely anything like them, are the real dummies.And arrogant dummies to boot.2) GovernmentBut a more important question can be asked:“How can big chain stores offer such a better package of shopping to customers?”Which brings us to the second biggest killer of mom and pop stores (and, as you will see, this culprit directly impacts killer #1.)It’s government.More specifically, it is the government’s heavy-handed, bureaucratic implementations of taxes[1] and regulations[2] and zoning[3] and inspections[4] and reporting[5] and minimum wages[6] and background checks and licenses[7] and handicap access[8] and bathroom requirements[9] and window display restrictions[10] and shake-down lawsuits[11] and equal employment[12] and affirmative action [13] and immigration enforcement[14] , and trade barriers[15], and restrictions of personal safety[16], and social security and withholding[17] and insurance regulation, and sexual discrimination, and sexual harassment, and sick leave, and …… and ad seemingly infinitum[18] .Government, because it “cares so much about us”, creates far too much overhead and hassle for mom and pop to be able to handle on their own. It makes running a small business much too costly and too hard, and sadly, way too much of a headache, relative to how Big Business can amortize the high government overhead costs across numerous business lines and numerous employees and headquarters staff.So, the customers see higher prices, less selection, fewer hours, worse environment, less customer service, half-dead owners, etc. and they make their decision accordingly.But what they don’t see is the cause, their noble government helping them out. (Motto: “Caring uppermost for the consumer, and of course, for our friends, the mom and pop store”).Optimism among small-business owners remains below average, with owners reporting no net growth in employment. And yet they don’t report competition from larger businesses or poor sales as their top concerns. Instead, they list “taxes” and “government regulations and red tape” as their biggest problems- Government is killing small business - The Boston Globe(Notice in the graphs below that “regulation” and “taxes” have almost always been bigger concerns than “big business” for small businesses:)Source: http://www.nfib.com/assets/SBET-November-2016.pdfSolutions: Authoritarian versus LibertarianThe normal authoritarian fixes are to pass more laws and more regulations, but this time, the authoritarians assure us, why, they’re going to protect the mom & pop stores and hurt those big mean ole’ chain stores. Because authoritarians? Why, they ain’t nothing if not always on the side of the little guy!Ha!“Please, Br'er Fox, don't fling me in dat brier-patch!”They are ignoring decades of public choice theory.Do they not understand regulatory capture?“More government?”, Big Business strokes its chin. “Ex-ce-lent!”Large companies will just spread out the costs of more lobbying, of “working with” government, of expert testimony, of writing regulations, of providing jobs to retired, helpful regulators, of court cases, of campaign contributions, of public relations projects, of conventions, of hosting junkets, of putting together “educational retreats”, of fees and taxes and reporting costs, of ….The mom and pop stores? One thing we know for sure is that they won’t be there, camped out in the regulators’ offices kissing butt and filing hundred page briefs and attending hours of boring “public hearings”; they’re too busy toiling until 2AM filling out their government report forms, and then getting up at 6Am to sweep their sidewalks.The libertarian solution is simple:Take Big Government out of the equation. If customers want certifications, and assurances, and insurance, and special privileges for certain favored identitarian groups, well, let private companies offer such certifications. Small businesses will be able to decide if the costs are worth the customer benefit, and customers will themselves weigh trust in their local provider versus third-party assurances.Let the customers decide. We can’t know if Big Business will win out over small business, even if we remove the inevitably unfair advantage of Big Government. But when Big Business is not being unduly, unfairly advantaged by the violence of Big Government, we will be able to find out! How? By watching how customers decide to voluntarily spend their own money when small business are not hamstrung by bureaucratic busybodies.And if big chain stores win out, why, good for them!But right now, it’s not fair. The winner is more because of the interventions of Big Government, and not what is best for us customers and certainly not what is best for mom and pop.Unfortunately, most of the people who purport to be concerned with the disappearance of the mom and pop stores, why, they have all types of solutions …… and every one of them start with increasing Big Government.And then they scratch their heads and wonder,“Where the heck did all those mom and pop stores go?”(Must have been Walmart that done them in!)See related:How Government Favors Big BusinessCan libertarian small government eliminate crony capitalism?Who benefits most from Big Government?Do libertarians ignore economies of scale?How Government Destroys Society ValueWhat would business owners do with the cash from a tax cut?How does licensing hurt the poor?Who should regulate capitalism?The Arrogance of GovernmentAre libertarians or authoritarians more narcissistic?What mistakes do politicians repeatedly make?How are government regulations a threat of violence?What types of people want to regulate others?Why Private Folks Would Do a Better JobWhich is more effective: government regulation or private certification?What regulations do libertarians advocate?Do employers actually want to pay their employees lower than minimum wage?What libertarian reforms could be done at the local level?How libertarians solve the transgender bathroom issue?→ Other Cronyism Essays by Dennis Pratt → Table of Contents to Dennis’ Libertarian WritingsFootnotes[1] The Heavy Tax Burden and the Plight of the Small Business - Being Libertarian[2] Small Businesses Win Some Regulatory Relief[3] small business - Karl Dickey's Blog[4] https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/AV%20All%20Business%20Printable%20updated_tcm3-27756.pdf[5] Could Trump’s Deregulation Be a Lifeline for Struggling Entrepreneurs?[6] Will a Higher Minimum Wage Close a Beloved Bookstore?[7] Stossel: Stop! You Need a License To Do that Job![8] Unreasonable Accommodation[9] Texas small business owners speak out against transgender bathroom bill[10] Chicago to Businesses: Did Licensed Contractors Hang Those Window Signs?[11] Serial ADA lawsuit filer striking Bay Area[12] Employee Rights: What Small-Business Owners Need to Know[13] The 7.63% Solution[14] SAFE Act an Expensive Boondoggle[15] We Need Actual Free Trade, Not the TPP[16] Philly Votes to Regulate Bulletproof Glass in Corner Stores[17] Invisible Taxes: The Government Dirty Secret[18] Look What These 25 Regulations Are Doing to Small Businesses

There is a litany of people who started successful businesses and who didn't have a business or BCom degree. Here are a few you might know of:Bill Gates - Microsoft CorporationCoco Chanel - Coco Chanel brand cosmeticsDebbi Fields - Mrs. Fields Cookies.Henry Ford - Ford Motor CompanyJenny Craig - Jenny Craig Inc weight-lossMark Zuckerberg - FacebookMary Kay Ash - Mary Kay Inc cosmeticsMichael Dell - Dell Computers Inc.Milton Hershey - Hershey’s Milk ChocolateRay Kroc - McDonald’s.Richard Branson - VirginSteve Jobs - AppleSteve Wozniak - AppleWalt Disney - Walt Disney CompanyFrom my own experience, I have started many small businesses and never had a business or BCom degree.See, the skills and mindset needed to start a business are vastly different from the skills needed to manage one. From what I have seen, university degrees focus more on business from a corporate rather than small business point of view anyway and are skewed more to business management than to business startup. So I think that the value of a university degree in helping you start and manage a small business is rather limited.This maybe because the best place to learn about how to start and manage a small business is from people who have actually done it many times and these people are rarely employed by universities to teach because their experienced-based learning does not meet the academic accreditation standard required by universities.If you really want to learn about starting and managing a small business, look for a mentor with experience in the field, read the opinions and advice from online forums like Quora or seek out courses that specifically focuses on this type of undertaking. Many government departments run courses to help people in this regard.Here is an example of a free online course Learn with an online course, sponsored by the Australian Government that will help you to become a a skilled micro business operator with competencies in planning, problem solving and management. If you are in the Brisbane Australia area, check out the course I facilitate here - Certificate IV in Small Business Management - Start your Own Business.

We have done the hard work for you, and tested a number of website builders based on their ease of use. Here is our list of five of the best website builders for small businesses and refer here for more details in “Clasy Website Builders” where I was able to get the best solution for website builders.SquarespaceSquarespace is one of the best website builders in this list. While they do not have a free plan, their subscription options range from $ 8 to $ 24 per month, all of which include a free domain name. You can also use a domain name that you already have in all levels of Squarespace accounts.Your website builder is a combination of templates and "blocks" of content, which you can drag and drop to your site. All Squarespace templates are responsive and mobile ready from the start, which means you will not have to deal with a mobile site. Squarespace also has a large electronic commerce control panel, which allows you to add a store for your site in minutes. Squarespace sites are SEO friendly, too..ShopifyIf you are looking to run an online store first, and a second website, Shopify is the site for you. Although Shopify focuses primarily on the side of e-commerce websites, they do submit a website builder and software blog, so your can build a site around your store. Its editor is quite simple to use; all customization's are made through template adjustments, and you can change the copy of the page directly in the template. They also have an example gallery for you to look at if you need inspiration. Your Shopify site will be SEO friendly, have unlimited products, and no transaction fees when using Shopify Payments.WeeblyRight off the bat , Weebly is a free website builder with great flexibility. Weebly asks what is the focus of your site, and allows you to designate your business industry. While Weebly's free subscription has an extensive app store for buying apps on a case by case basis, they do offer a $ 25 per month business plan specifically to help you with an online store; It comes with a free SSL certification and unlimited products. This plan unlocks all the features Weebly has to offer, too, so you do not miss out on anything. Like Squarespace, Weebly has a set for managing an online store, but some functions require the business plan to make the most of them.Wise Building Site, Weebly uses a drag-and-drop editor is combined with a good selection of templates. The templates are grouped by variations on a theme and that are clean and professional looking. Weebly also comes powered with a mobile version of each of the IT templates, although you can not build your own version of the mobile site. Most importantly, you can create a domain name of your own, and all accounts have SEO options to increase your visibility in search engines.WixWix recently made a change in its structure - changing Flash templates to HTML5 - that has given your site a longevity that does not previously count. Wix offers a wide variety of templates, divided by industry, so it's easy to find a template that can work for you. They have even created mobile versions of each of their templates, which you can edit and configure separately from the main site. This is an advantage if you really want to personalize the mobile experience for your fans. All customization goes through a drag-and-drop editor for each template.Wix sites are SEO friendly, and SEO is based on per page. They have a large app store, through which you can add features, such as a showcase, to your site. The showcase is easy to manage, and, like Weebly and Squarespace, has its own specialized menu. Wix offers a wide variety of plans, all of which include a free domain, ranging from $ 4 to $ 24 per month. If you are simply looking to try Wix, though, you can run a site for free with only a few payment doors.YawlYola is designed for business websites, instead of personal and business sites. They have a free site subscription and a simple to use drag and drop editor. Since Yola sites are built for companies, it comes integrated with programming applications, e-commerce applications, and customer mailing lists. If you go into creating websites without knowing what to do, Yola will provide a wizard that can help you get started.Yola's drag-and-drop editor is quite simple to use, although it is possibly the most limited option on this list. There are some good templates, but your options are limited and generic.