Software of the Month Club 1996 May/Software of the Month Club 1996 May.iso/mac/ISO9660/ZIPFILES/SBA962.ZIP/F107.SBE

Text File | 1996-02-15 | 14.1 KB | 332 lines

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        │USEFUL TELEPHONE HELP LINES AND INTERNET SITES:│
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TELEPHONE HOTLINES.  The SBA and several other government
agencies maintain toll-free telephone "hotline" information
services to assist businesses and taxpayers.  Some of the
more important ones to know about are the following:

    . SBA Answer Desk: 1-800/827-5722 (or 1-800-UASK-SBA)

      This is the toll-free number of a new small business
      information and referral service offered by the SBA,
      which you can call from anywhere in the continental
      United States, except Washington, D.C.  In the
      District of Columbia, call 653-7561.

      This answer desk is a system providing voice mail
      messages on a wide variety of small business subjects.

    . SBA On-Line:  The SBA has set up its first electronic
      bulletin board system, called SBA On-Line, to help
      distribute information about its services and publi-
      cations.  There is no charge for this service.  You
      can browse through various files remotely or download
      them, for free, to your computer.  Even the phone
      lines for this BBS are toll-free.  To log on, dial:

         -  1-800-697-INFO (for 2400 or 9600 baud service)

    . Small Business Hotline: [phone]

      This toll-free line is a specialized free service
      offered by the Export-Import Bank to small exporters
      needing general information or problem-solving assis-
      tance relating to doing business abroad.  It provides
      information on export credit and on assistance avail-
      able from other government agencies and the private
      sector.

    . Interagency Trade Information Center:  1-800/USA-TRADE

      (For general information on exporting, provided by
      various U.S. government agencies.)

      NOTE:  For information on taxes and other aspects of
      doing business in various foreign countries, the ac-
      counting firm of Ernst & Young publishes a series of
      booklets for each of a large number of countries.
      To obtain one of these country guides, call or write
      the Ernst & Young office near you.  (Ernst & Young
      offices are located in most major cities and in al-
      most every state.)


    . EPA Small Business Ombudsman: 1-800/368-5888 (or, if
      busy, try 1-703/305-5938)

      Like certain Scandinavian countries, the Environmen-
      tal Protection Agency now has a "Small Business
      Ombudsman" to give easier access to the EPA, help
      you comply with EPA regulations, and make sure you
      are fairly treated in any disputes with the EPA.

    . Internal Revenue Service National Toll-Free Line:
      1-800/TAX-FORM

      Use this number (1-800/829-3676) to obtain IRS tax
      forms, publications, etc.  The IRS also puts on free
      small business workshops nationwide.  To call for a
      reservation, use the IRS national toll-free number.

    . Americans with Disabilities Act information:  For in-
      formation on ADA, call the U.S. Justice Department's
      information line:  1-202/514-0301

    . Social Security Administration: 1-800/772-1213

      If you want to find out what records the Social
      Security Administration (SSA) has of your earnings
      and your projected benefits at retirement age, you
      can file a simple form requesting a detailed print-
      out of this information (and hopefully find they
      haven't lost your files).  This is something every-
      one should do once every few years, since, if the
      SSA has made a serious mistake in your earnings
      record, you have only a limited number of years in
      which you can contact them and have your record
      corrected.

      To obtain the request form, call the above toll-free
      number.  Or, if you prefer, you can write the SSA for
      this form at:

                      Consumer Information Center
                      Department 72
                      Pueblo, Colorado 81009

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    . California Franchise Tax Board Information Center
      Phone Numbers:

      In California, call (toll-free):

      . From Area Codes 209, 408, 415, 707, and 916:
        1-800/852-7050
      . From elsewhere:   1-800/852-5711

      From outside of California call: 1-800/852-5711

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    . Hawaii Business Action Center (One-stop center for
      all state permits at 1130 N. Nimitz Hwy., Suite
      A-254, in Honolulu)

      From Oahu, call:   1-808/586-2545
      Neighbor Islands Toll Free Number:  1-800/225-6723

    . Hawaii Small Business Information Service
      (Honolulu):  1-808/586-2600
      Neighbor Islands Toll Free Number:  1-800/541-3289

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    . Wisconsin has announced an automated forms and docu-
      ments retrieval system, "Fax-a-form," available for
      use by anyone with a fax machine.  The system provides
      access to a telephone menu that allows you to select
      Wisconsin tax forms and publications and have them
      faxed back to you, and is available 24 hours every day.
      The telephone number for Fax-a-form is [phone].

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HELPFUL INTERNET AND WORLD WIDE WEB SITES (MODEM AND
INTERNET ACCESS REQUIRED):

Many businesses, government and nonprofit organizations have
set up home pages (or "storefronts") on the World Wide Web
of the Internet, where you can browse through or download
information, view videos and catalogues, and place orders
for merchandise, in some cases.  Some of the more useful
sites for small businesses include the ones listed below.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:

    . FED WORLD -- This is the central clearing site for
      Internet sites that are related to the federal govern-
      ment.  It's a good place to start to locate and review
      available information for a wide array of federal
      agencies and departments.  Its Web address is:
      http://www.fedworld.gov

    . SBA ONLINE -- The Small Business Administration has
      a Web site, providing tips for starting, financing,
      and expanding a small business, at the following
      Web address:  http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov

      It includes links to other Web sites, including a
      nifty new "U.S. Business Advisor" site that is under
      construction at present.

    . IRS -- Even the Internal Revenue Service now has a Web
      site from which you can download tax forms and instruc-
      tions and obtain other tax information.  You can download
      forms and other items to your computer and print them out
      later.  The IRS Web address is:  http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/

    . EDGAR -- The SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commis-
      sion) Web site contains corporate filings that have
      been submitted to the SEC under the securities laws,
      including 10K's, 10Q's and other forms.  EDGAR's
      address is: http://www.town.hall.org/edgar/edgar.html

    . THE WHITE HOUSE -- The Clinton Administration has set
      up this popular Internet site, which offers informa-
      on many areas of the executive branch of the federal
      government, among other things.  The address on the
      Web is:  http://www.whitehouse.gov

    . THOMAS -- Not to be outdone by the executive branch,
      the U.S. Congress has set up THOMAS, a huge collection
      of accessible information about the workings of the
      Congress, including the full text of House and Senate
      legislation.  You can now read the full text of pending
      bills for yourself, without need to hire an expensive
      and Gucci-shod Washington lobbyist to tell you what is
      in a proposed new bill.  THOMAS can be reached at:
      http://thomas.loc.gov

STATE GOVERNMENTS:

    . STATE INFORMATION -- You can now access a wide range
      of business and tax information for any of the states
      via the Internet.  In most states, you can now directly
      access the state's laws, download tax forms, and access
      on-screen information on a wide range of business, tax
      and regulatory subjects.  A good starting point for a
      search of state Web sites is the following "Yahoo" Web
      site, which lists all of the states -- simply click on
      the state whose governmental information you wish to
      peruse:   http://www.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__States/

@CODE: CA
    . CALIFORNIA TAXES -- The California Franchise Tax Board
      maintains a World Wide Web site, which contains nearly
      all state tax forms, instructions, and publications,
      which you may download for free.  AlSO, The FTB has even
      created its own CD-ROM containing California tax forms,
      which you can obtain.  The FTB's Web address is:
      http://www.ftb.ca.gov

    . CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION (SBE).  The SBE,
      which administers the sales and use tax and many other
      California taxes, now has a Web site, from which users
      can obtain sales/use tax rates in any of the state's
      counties and other information.  The SBE's Web address
      is:  http://www.boe.ca.gov/boe/

    . CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS -- This Web site
      provides information on 3 areas:  (1) Financial assist-
      ance, (2) the California Small Development Center Prog-
      ram, and (3) the Marketing and Advocacy Division.  Its
      Web address is:  http://www.ca.gov/commerce/sb_home.html

    . CALIFORNIA ELECTRONIC ADDRESSES -- You can get a com-
      prehensive listing of over 160 California Government
      electronic addresses by downloading a text file over
      the Internet.  For details on downloading this copy-
      righted information, go to the following Web site:
      http://www.cpsr.org/dox/cegi.html

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    . WASHINGTON STATE -- The state of Washington maintains
      a number of Web sites, including sites for the legis-
      lature, the governor's office, and the secretary of
      state.  You may need the Adobe Acrobat file viewer to
      read some of the information.  For links to all state
      agencies, go to the following Web address:
      http://www.wa.gov/

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PRIVATE SITES:

    . YAHOO -- The ultimate roadmap to the Web.  It is an
      enormous index to the Web and includes an excellent
      search engine, to help you get to the information
      you need, business-related or otherwise.  Its Web
      address is:  http://www.yahoo.com

    . WWW VIRTUAL LIBRARY -- Add this site to your Web sites
      hotlist!  It contains a collection of lists of sites
      kept by various parties throughout the world, on almost
      any conceivable subject area.  You can link directly to
      any of those sites, including business-related ones, for
      lists of useful sites on the topics of your choice.  It's
      like an index of indexes, and a great place to start your
      research on any subject.  Its address on the Web is:

   http://www.w3.org/hypertext/datasources/bysubject/overview.html

    . UCSD LIBRARY -- The University of California at San
      Diego library makes available a reference shelf with
      much information that can be useful to businesses. Its
      various menu options include dictionaries, encycloped-
      ias and a facility for linking to the United Nations
      to get the United Nations Currency Exchange Rates.
      Address on the Web is:  http://www.ucsd.edu

    . MARKET RESEARCH -- Two key sites for locating companies
      that are on the Net are BizWeb and the Commercial Sites
      Index.  BizWeb is sort of a "yellow pages" listing of
      of companies, arranged by category, but also includes a
      handy search engine.  The Commercial Sites Index lists
      thousands of companies that have set up a home page on
      the Net.   Access BizWeb at:   http://www.bizweb.com
      or Commercial Sites Index at:  http://www.directory.net

    . ENTREPRENEURS ON THE WEB -- This site contains a wide
      range of resource information on different aspects of
      running a business, and includes links to other legal
      and business sites.  Its Internet address is:
      http://sashimi.wwa.com/~notime/eotw/eotw.html

    . ENTREPRENEURIAL EDGE ONLINE -- Contains numerous modules
      of advice on many aspects of starting or running a small
      business, plus links to many other useful home pages.
      Address:  http://www.edgeonline.com/

    . ONLINE SERVICES' SITES -- If you have memberships on
      America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy, or the Microsoft
      Network, contact some or all of the following sites:

      -- America Online:  Go to the area on AOL known as the
      Entrepreneur Zone, which provides a number of business
      information services and content providers, such as
      business magazines.  Keyword:  ezone

      -- Compuserve:  The Working from Home Forum contains
      a wide range of downloadable software, and you can
      interact with other home-based entrepreneurs to exchange
      ideas and information.  Go:  work

      -- Prodigy:  On the Prodigy service, the main business
      bulletin board and discussion group area is the Entre-
      preneur Exchange.  Jump:  entrepreneur exchange

      -- Microsoft Network:  The business information publish-
      ing giant, Commerce Clearing House (CCH), maintains an
      area on the MSN called the CCH Business Owner's Toolkit,
      which offers a wide range of basic information on business
      laws and taxes.   Go word: CCH

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    . CALIFORNIA STATE BAR -- The State Bar maintains a
      Web site, with information for lawyers, including the
      complete text of the Rules of Professional Conduct
      and the State Bar Act, at:  http://www.calbar.org

    . CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION AND CODES OUTLINE.  This private
      experimental search engine permits you to do your own
      legal research, by searching the California Constitution
      and statutory Codes, including tables of contents, and
      directories you can browse.  Its Web location is:
      http://www.jhhw.com/codes/index.html

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