Trade & Economic News: Government Launches New Web Portals to Help U.S. Business

From USA.gov. New Website for American Businesses.  On October 28, 2011, the President issued a challenge to government agencies to think beyond their organizational boundaries in the best interest of serving America’s business community and start thinking and acting more like the businesses they serve. He directed the creation of BusinessUSA, a centralized, one-stop platform to make it easier than ever for businesses to access services to help them grow and hire.

To strengthen America’s competitiveness in the global economy, businesses will need to be equipped with the best tools and information available to support innovation and job growth in the 21st century. BusinessUSA is your front door to all the government has to offer.

Small Business Resources

Government Agency Resources

• Small Business Administration (SBA)- Small Business Resources
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – Small Business and Self-Employed Resources
• U.S. Department of the Treasury – Small Business Program
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – Small Business Resources
• U.S. Census Bureau – Small Business Resources for Market Data
• International Trade Administration (ITA) – Exporting for Your Business
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) – Small Business Resources

Starting a Business

• Starting a Business
• International Business
• Business Help: Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
• Incorporating and Registering a Business
• Tax Education for New Small Business Owners

Business Loans and Other Funding Options

• Financial Funding for Inventions
• SBA – Business Loans, Grants, and Financing
• Export-Import Bank of the United States
• Business Loans for Military Personnel and Veterans
• Unlocking Credit for Small Businesses

Operating a Business

• Retaining Business Records
• Preparing Your Business for a Disaster
• IRS: Business Hotlines
• Protecting Security-Related Business Information
• Helping a Small Business Comply with Laws and Regulations
• Tax Guidance for Independent Contractors
• Closing a Business – Federal Tax Obligations
• Financial Funding for Inventions

Expanding a Business

• Expanding Your Business
• Small Business Resource: Greening Your Business
• Special Tax Breaks for Small Businesses
• Unlocking Credit for Small Businesses

Expanding a Business

• Government Business Programs for Women
• Help for Minority Business Owners
• Business Loans for Military Personnel and Veterans
• Assistance for the Disabled to Start a Business

Another newly launched portal is: Startup America Policy Challenge.  Challenge.gov is an online challenge platform administered by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in partnership with ChallengePost that empowers the U.S. Government and the public to bring the best ideas and top talent to bear on our nation’s most pressing challenges. This platform is the latest milestone in the Administration’s commitment to use prizes and challenges to promote innovation.

What is a Challenge?  A challenge is exactly what the name suggests: it is a challenge by one party (a “seeker”) to a third party or parties (a “solver”) to identify a solution to a particular problem or reward contestants for accomplishing a particular goal. Prizes (monetary or non–monetary) often accompany challenges and contests.

Challenges can range from fairly simple (idea suggestions, creation of logos, videos, digital games and mobile applications) to proofs of concept, designs, or finished products that solve the grand challenges of the 21st century.