Employee or Independent Contractor?
I recently provided five of my top HR tips to a local magazine. My No. 4 tip was “Don’t misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid payroll taxes or worker’s compensation insurance. Violations of wage and labor laws can result in costly fines and penalties.” We work with small businesses every day, and the independent […]
Market and Banking Advice Aid Dairy Expansion into Agri-Tourism Destination
It is rare to see a young family in Georgia make a business out of a small dairy farm. The around-the-clock work and competition from big corporate dairies has stopped many who desire such a lifestyle dead in their tracks. Not so for fourth-generation dairy farmer Scott Glover and his wife, Jennifer, who have built […]
Sales for New Product Bloom with the SBDC’s Advice
Scot LaVelle owns a successful Dalton floor covering company, Niche Custom Flooring. Through the years, he has relied on experts at the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center to advise him on ways to shore up his finances, maximize his operations and stay profitable, even during the Great Recession. “We get so immersed in […]
Strategic Planning Leads to Improved Systems that Help Americus Business Expand in the Region
Sisters Eshonda Blue and Jessica Wright of Americus, both registered nurses, were raised in an entrepreneurial family. So when their work in nursing homes a decade ago revealed a need faced by many southwest Georgia seniors, they saw a business opportunity that led them to the University of Georgia SBDC. [tweetthis display_mode=”box”]See how this #smallbiz […]
Consulting Leads Pooler Importer to Focus on Core Business, International Growth
Natural stone importer Humberto Padoan of Brazil had worked in the industry a dozen years – six after a transfer to Norcross – when he decided to open his own company. “The U.S. gives you a lot of opportunity to go into business for yourself,” he says. “I had the experience and desire, and the […]
New Product with Old Roots Plans for Rapid Production Expansion
Lou Thomann makes delicious teas from yaupon leaves and twigs hand-picked in the wild near his hometown, Savannah. He also uses locally grown honey, muscadine and scuppernong as sweeteners. “Ours is an amazing American story,” he says when asked to describe his new business, ASI Tea, Inc. “We call our yaupon teas the ‘All-American Healthy […]
SBDC Consulting Helps Savannah Musician/Manufacturer Tap the Green Note
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A journey of fearless, creative self-discovery led renowned New York City jazz musician and music educator Jody Espina into founding JodyJazz, a global manufacturing business. And at a recent TEDxCreativeCoast talk he gave, he said he couldn’t feel happier about the success this journey has brought his way. “When you’re in this positive creative flow, […]
Accurate Accounting Reduces Costs, Spurs Growth for Restaurant Owners
Jacob Skelton was a sophomore at the University of West Georgia when he started working in the kitchen at South Street Station in Carrollton. When the restaurant closed in 2008, he went to work at the bottle shop next door. At that time, Skelton couldn’t have guessed that he and his friend, Chef Sean Teehan, […]