Growing your business can be extremely exciting, but also a bit scary. Some small business owners are content staying with their business as is, but others are looking to expand, whether that’s making a leap from a side hustle to a permanent gig, moving from a home office to a physical location, or introducing more product offerings. This week we are sharing some tips about business growth, such as knowing when you’re ready to embrace your job as a full time venture, how the gig economy can play a role in growth, and general tips.

As a small business owner, processing payroll is just one item on your to-do list, but ever-changing regulations and tax code updates can make it the most time-consuming task in a given week. These tax updates occur at the federal, state, and local levels, and depending on where your business is based and where your employees live, some small businesses have it tougher than others. We’re starting this monthly series to focus on state-specific tax considerations, to help you keep up with what’s changing around you.

Last month, we covered New York, and this month, the spotlight turns to Pennsylvania (PA). While this is by no means a comprehensive list of Pennsylvania tax and payroll regulations, we are highlighting a few key things to know.

As humans, our brains are hardwired to need social interaction. It’s a basic need like food and shelter. We know that being a small business owner can be challenging and overwhelming, which is why you need to make sure you have a support system in place. This week, we are focusing on the relationships that will help you thrive as a small business owner. Additionally, check out what other entrepreneurs have to say about how their friendships and work relationships help them succeed.

Here at SurePayroll, small business is our business. We are always working to create and share content that can help small business owners like you. Check back every Friday to get some light reading in before the weekend hits.

With temperatures rising (finally!), staying focused at your desk is likely proving a challenge. It’s the time of year to spend as much time outside as possible, whether that involves grilling out or picnicking, taking your runs from the treadmill to the greenway, or engaging in a seasonal sports league.

Most of you probably read this blog and think “I could really use more payroll tax content.” We kid.

Spring is the season that for many represents growth and new beginnings. People get excited to leave the snow and bitter cold from winter behind, and gear up for warmer days, fresh flowers, and the delightful sounds of birds chirping. Because of the energy of the spring season, it’s the perfect time to not only dig into some spring cleaning at home, but tackle your small business as well. We have some tips for the different ways you can spring clean your small business.

National Employee Appreciation Day is an unofficial holiday observed each year on the first Friday in March. If your small business employs others, you should definitely mark this holiday on your calendar. 

The holiday season has come and gone, presents have been unwrapped, your tree is down and decorations are away, and you’re nearly a month into 2018. But while your small business is gearing up for the new year, your consumers might not be as ready to dive right in. While December is known for being a big spending month, particularly in the consumer space, the same cannot always be said of January. 

You probably think January 17^th is just another day. In reality, January 17^th is actually Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day. While this isn’t an official bank holiday, it’s does mark how quickly people abandon their positive intentions for the New Year. 

We know, we know—‘tis the season for “New Year, New You” style articles. And yes, we’ve already covered some best practices for being physically and mentally healthy as a small business owner in 2018…but have you considered your small business health even more holistically? Including, for example, financial health? This final installment in our three-part New Year health series will focus on getting your finances into tip-top shape throughout 2018.

Last week in the first of our three-part New Year small business health series, we focused on ways to be more proactive about your physical health in 2018. But as we all know, holistic health is about more than just your cardio rate and how much you can bench press—it also includes areas like mental and financial health. In today’s post, part two in the series, we will cover some best practices for being mentally healthy in the coming year.

We know what you’re thinking, “another article on being healthy in the New Year (insert eye roll emoji).” And you’re right – to an extent. We are going to share some health tips for the new year, but with a spin to fit your lifestyle as a small business owner.

This week, Americans officially kick off the holiday season with the celebration of Thanksgiving (don’t worry, we won’t tell if you’ve already been blasting holiday music since November 1).

Small Business Saturday is quickly approaching, taking place this year on November 24. In a previous post we discussed what Small Business Saturday is and shared some of the important stats from 2017. 

Since 1952, Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving Day, has been known as the day that kicks off the holiday shopping season. Since its start, the unofficial holiday has evolved in ways such as starting earlier and earlier each year, most recently bleeding into Thanksgiving Day, and has become characterized by countless videos of consumers going wild for crazy cheap items as basic as dish towels. 

Running a seasonal business has its upsides: for some small business owners, it offers a revenue stream that comes with built-in flexibility and work-life balance as you can plan for and take advantage of cyclical business shifts. But, as with all things, there can be drawbacks to seasonal small business, not least of which are: getting the maximum return out of the busy season, and ramping down costs during the off-season.

An appealing aspect of becoming a small business owner is the ability to be your own boss and run things the way you want. While this is exciting, it can become overwhelming fast when you realize how many tasks are on your to-do list. When you are the one running the show, how do you prioritize all of your tasks to be your most productive self?

With only half of all Americans set to meet their retirement savings goals, it stands to reason that the earlier you start planning for retirement, the better. But when it comes to small business owners and employees, planning and saving for retirement might at first seem like a bigger challenge.

Are you in the 2/3 of Americans who are NOT saving for retirement?