Software Club 210: Light Red/Club_Software_210_Light_Red_Micro_Star_1997.iso/sba/f414.sbe

Text File | 1997-01-01 | 19KB | 421 lines

@142 CHAP 11

      ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │   RELATED BOOK ON DOING BUSINESS IN THIS STATE    │
      └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The author of this software program, Michael D. Jenkins,
J.D., CPA, is also the principal author of a book entitled
"STARTING AND OPERATING A BUSINESS IN @STATE."

This book is just one of a series of 51 such books, one for
each of the 50 states, plus a Washington, D.C. edition.
Most of the various editions are co-authored by CPAs with
the accounting firm of Ernst & Young, in the respective
states, or by other local experts -- lawyers, CPAs, business
professors or others -- in each state.

This book series, the only one of its kind, is used
throughout the nation in SBA offices, Small Business
Development Centers, college and university classes, by law
and accounting firms and other business advisors, and by
over a million small businesses who have purchased copies of
this book series since the first (California) edition was
published in 1981.

INC. MAGAZINE, in a 1994 cover article entitled "In Search
of the Small Business Bible," reviewed several hundred small
business self-help books currently available, and selected
6 as "The Best of the Best." One of the six winners was the
STARTING AND OPERATING A BUSINESS IN ______ series.  The
INC. editors noted that this book series is:

  "...a comprehensive--and truly frightening--catalog of the
   regulations affecting most businesses in your state....
   it's invaluable to have all the information in one place."
   (April, 1994 issue)

Similarly, the New and Small Business Journal (now the
National Small Business Journal) wrote in a 1994 review:

  "Here is a book that can help virtually every small
   business owner operator.  It has been a best seller in
   Atlanta for many months, and for good reason -- it's
   loaded with a tremendous amount of useful information in
   a terrific format.  And not only is it a nontechnical,
   'readable' manual, it is about as current as possible...."
   (March, 1994 issue)

The National Public Accountant's review concluded that:

   "It is probably the most useful small business self-help
    book available on the market." (Sept. 1994 issue)

The editors of Forbes Magazine, in a November 4, 1996
article, reviewed a number of small business "self-help"
books and concluded that most are not worth the paper they
are printed on.  Nevertheless, the Forbes article opined
that there were a few good ones, reviewing the "Starting
and Operating a Business" series and giving it, along with
only four other books, a strong recommendation.

This book series, which is found in all major bookstores and
in most discount warehouse clubs, as well, is published by
PSI Research, 300 N. Valley Drive, Grants Pass, OR 97526, at
$24.95 for the paperback version ($29.95 for looseleaf binder
version).  Each is about 275 to 300 pages in length, and
includes important state and federal tax forms, detailed
checklists, and a number of preprinted "tear-out" postcards,
each of which you can drop into the mail to quickly and easily
request important forms, free booklets and other information
from various state and federal government agencies.

The books series is updated annually, and each of the books
can be ordered by using out the order form that this program
will automatically print out for you, before you exit the
program.

Each of the books (the whole series takes up several feet of
shelf space) goes into far greater detail on most subjects
than this software, and covers a number of areas not
addressed in this program.  We think you'll find the book
edition for your state a very useful addition to your
library, particularly if you need more in-depth analysis
than we are able to provide in this software.

@CODE: AK CA ID NM OR WA
@CODE:NF
      ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │GENERAL INFORMATION ON DOING BUSINESS IN THIS STATE│
      └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
@CODE:OF

@CODE: AK
Alaska, the 49th and by far the largest state, is not only
the last American frontier and an exciting place to live or
visit, for the outdoor enthusiast, but is also a land of
opportunity for the beginning or business owner.  The state
is an almost ideal business location, with few business
taxes, vast natural resources, a strong tourism trade, and
a government that is committed to creating a friendly
environment for business.

There is no state personal income tax, no gross receipts tax,
no state wide property or sales tax, and no inventory tax or
property tax on intangible assets.  About the only taxes a
business needs to face is the corporate income tax, specific
natural resource taxes, and local sales taxes, generally at
rates of 3.5% to 4%, in some cities, such as Juneau, Nome,
Ketchikan, and Homer.

Located strategically on the Pacific Rim, Alaska is well
situated for international trade, which is a growing part
of the state economy.  Anchorage International Airport, one
of the busiest in the U.S., is located almost midway
between New York and Seoul, Bonn and Peking, and London
and Taipei.  With its network of modern highways, railroads
and deep ocean seaports, Alaska has an excellent
infrastructure and is surprisingly accessible.

On the down side, the state has long had a history of
alternating boom and bust periods, beginning with the
Klondike Gold Rush in 1898 and the more recent North Slope
"Oil Rush" in recent decades.  At present, the Alaska
economy is experiencing some "rough sledding," as both
the oil business, which is undergoing consolidation and
downsizing, and the fishing industry, which is suffering
from a potentially ruinous decline in fisheries, are in a
shrinking, rather than an expanding mode, the consequences
of which are felt by almost everyone doing business in the
state.

Alaska provides a "one-stop" business assistance center,
which provides information about the economy and necessary
steps to initiate a business in the state.  For assistance,
contact the Alaska Division of Economic Development in
Juneau, at [phone].

@CODE:OF
@CODE: CA
California, which has by far the largest population of any
state in the union, with approximately 30 million consumers,
offers an almost boundless market for all types of
businesses.  Its highly developed economy is the nation's
largest (and the world's seventh-largest) and is also one of
the most diverse of any state.  For several decades, the
words"California" and "growth" were almost synonymous, and
it was common knowledge that the California economy and the
price of California real estate could never go in any other
direction but up.  That, of course, is history.

Old myths die hard, and those days of unbridled optimism
and growth in California have come to an end, at least
for now; businesses operating in the state that intend to
survive have had to make some painful adjustments in recent
times.  The rapid growth of the economy and population in
the 1980s pushed real estate prices in much of California
to almost unheard-of levels.  But by 1990, property values
finally peaked and began to decline in much of the state
for the first time in many years.

The seemingly endless growth in the California economy
has also stalled in the last few years.  The state has
experienced a severe economic contraction as layoffs
expanded in certain key industries--such as construction
and defense-related areas--and as major employers shifted
facilities to other states with lower taxes, fewer
environmental problems and restrictions, and lower housing
and living costs.  Unlike prior national recessions that
always seemed to skip over California, the last recession
was felt in full force here, even as many formerly stricken
parts of the country, like the Midwest, were making strong
recoveries.

A confluence of several factors, including the national
economic recession, plus defense and aerospace cutbacks,
have added to the woes the state