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Kalispell Chamber offers portal to Tools for Business Success

It’s not easy being a small business owner. Especially not in today’s economic climate. All too often, business owners feel that they have to go it alone. While he/she might be an expert in a certain field, they find that their business requires them to be knowledgeable, not only about their product, but about everything from accounting to business software to taxes and governmental regulations. It’s this lack of knowledge that usually causes problems. Yes, there are experts you can talk with, often for a fee, and usually only during regular office hours. But here in the Flathead Valley, business men and women are finding a comprehensive, user-friendly online resource that can be accessed at any time of day or night.

The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce is the first Montana institution to utilize Tools for Business Success. Founded in 2007, Tools allows the Chamber to provide a full toolkit on the Chamber website to help businesses start and grow. The site is customized for Kalispell and Montana, offering local, state, federal and best-of-the-web information and resources. A glance at the homepage demonstrates the breadth and scope of the information provided.

Business Planning and Assistance: The Small Business Development Center recommends that you start with a plan. It gives you a leg up. It’s no coincidence that 19 percent of small business owners use business planning. And 19 percent of small businesses survive at the end of the year. The page provides all the necessary tools for developing a strong business plan.

Funding Programs: Why should the bank give you that loan? Where can I find sources of investment capital? How long will it take to repay my loan? What accounting software is best for my business? These and many more questions are addressed.

Business Location and Tax Incentives: This page looks at the best locations for different types of businesses, provides a list of available properties and offers information on a variety of subjects from tax incentives to zoning and cost of doing business.

Business Formation: Now that you’ve decided you want to start your own business, what’s next? From explaining the differences between corporation, sole proprietorship and corporation, there’s a Business Start-Up Kit with all the legal and tax forms you will need.

Government Requirements: Starting with a list of all the government forms due in the next 90 days, this page delves into topics such as paying quarterly estimated income taxes, complying with environmental regulations, preparing tax forms and filing 1099’s. There’s even a page with all the forms and most due dates.

Employer Assistance: This page provides guidance for attracting and hiring good employees and tells you how to pay and manage employees once they are hired.

Goldmine of Business Books: What’s new in my field? How can I stay up to date with the latest trends in my field? There’s a long list of books that can help you find the answers.

Business and Employee Training: Larger companies and corporations have training departments and large budgets to pay for training. This page provides a wealth of resources for training the business owner, the management team and even employees.

Taking your Business to the Next Step: Now that your business is established, it’s ready to grow. Right? If you hesitate to answer that question with a strong affirmative, better start evaluating your position with the information provided here.

Think Globally (International Trade): With today’s communications tools, we can be in touch with someone on the other side of the world in only an instant. There’s a huge market for goods and services outside our own country and numerous products others want to sell to us. But should your business go global? Check out the information on this page first.

Everything Local! There are some startling statistics that should convince people to buy and sell locally. The money stays in the community and helps to pay the wages of our friends and neighbors. Learn more about the 3-50 Project and the marketing tools they provide.

Marketing and Selling: You have to tell people about your business and the goods and services you provide. And you’ve budgeted for marketing. This page tells you how to determine your marketing strategy and then explains how to sell to those who walk through your door.

Selling to the Government: The headline says it all: 8 steps to doing business with the government.

Green Business Practices: There’s the Sustainable Office Toolkit, advice on developing conservation programs for your business and advice on dealing with hazardous materials.

You May Need to Know: This page provides information about privacy issues, protecting your property, essential certifications necessary for doing business and provides a list of resources for various industries.

Tools for Tough Economic Times: When times are tough, it’s time to plan. This page shows you how to benchmark with others in your industry. Is it just you or is everyone having problems? What about your competition? What are the best ways to weather a downturn? What do I do if I have more debt than I can handle? There are tools to help you deal with these and many other questions.

Disaster Planning and Recovery: We don’t like to think about it, but things happen. From broken pipes that create a small lake in your office to fires, floods and even earthquakes, it’s best to plan for a crisis before it happens.

According to Joe Unterreiner, President of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber selected Tools to provide a strong base of business knowledge for members of the business community. The program will be introduced to the membership during the November luncheon meeting on Wednesday, November 9 at the Red Lion Hotel.

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