by Monica Peña | Jun 8, 2020 | News & Events
To Our EGBI Community,
We are filled with sadness and frustration over the recent events against African Americans these past few months. We join the call to find ways to stop police brutality and heal our nation. These horrific acts have led to unrest across the country. We must come together to ensure all of our brothers and sisters are permitted the same opportunities and equal justice.
For the last fifteen years, EGBI has been working to help individuals achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Along with our partners, we are working to break down the barriers many minorities in our communities face. By providing training, coaching and support services to small businesses, our clients are receiving the tools necessary to develop sustainable businesses. Businesses that are making a positive impact in our community.
Today, we proudly stand with our partners as we work to create a better nation. A nation where everyone, regardless of the color of their skin or where they were born, will be treated equally and be able to pursue their dreams. We mourn for these beautiful lives that were taken way too soon, but we must never forget and never stay silent.
In Solidarity,
Board and Staff of EGBI
by Monica Peña | Apr 1, 2020 | Success Stories
- Reach out to a friend you haven’t contacted in a week.
- Fill out your EGBI annual survey so Barbra can stop stressing.
- Help shape your community’s future. Fill out the Census.
- Post something on your company’s social media accounts.
- Don’t forget to stretch at 30 seconds a day.
- Organize your junk drawer.
- Add something positive on your personal social media accounts.
- Take a walk around the block and get some fresh air.
- Review the EGBI’s COVID-19 Resource page.
- Clean out your closet and be ready with a fresh new look for when this is over.
by Monica Peña | Mar 27, 2020 | Business Tips
Due to the current unprecedented events, many of us have been forced to move our work remotely or adjust to a new way of communicating from our homes. Now the questions is, where do I even start? Here is a quick go to list to begin.
DropBox Bring your files and cloud content together with the tools your team wants to use.
Free Conference Call provides HD audio conferencing, screen sharing and video conferencing with up to 1000 participants. Sign up for a free account.
Google Free access to Hangouts Meet, which allows up to 250 participants and live streaming up to 100,000 viewers per domain, and G-suite until July 1, 2020 .
Jamm Free platform for voice and video collaboration for teams working remotely (integrates with Slack) .
Loom Video recording and sharing service offering boosts to free service plan, discounted prices on LoomPro, and free access for educational institutions through July 1, 2020 . There is no recording limit until July 1, 2020.
Microsoft 365 Free 6 month trial of Microsoft 365 E1, with web-based Office apps and business services including email, file storage and sharing, meetings, and instant messaging
Webex– Video Conferencing, Online Meetings and Screen Share
Zoom Online video and web conferencing platform .
by Monica Peña | Mar 17, 2020 | Business Tips
By Nara Lee
Is your
business experiencing down time? How can
we make the most of these unexpected
weeks for our small businesses? Change this time into your chance to improve
your business productivity through some online activities! Here are some tips for your work online.
- Prepare for incoming questions and requests
People
might be facing a lot of unexpected difficulties which could last longer than what
we originally anticipating. In this situation, small business owners shouldn’t panic
and must prepare for incoming questions and requests from clients. For
instance, the owner of a restaurant business adjust his business to now offer
delivery services and prepare for cancellation calls.
- Create and organize your client email list
You probably haven’t
had enough time to create and organize your email list because of your busy
schedule, but this is a necessity for all business owners. Creating and organizing
email list helps you find out whom to send event information for your business
marketing. When you’re organizing the list you also need to segment it, consider
the type of customers you will communicate to like potential customers and
current clients.
- Make a website or rebuild your business website
After this period,
you may not have the time to rebuild your business website. Take this chance to
improve it which you’ve been put off for a long time. If you still don’t have
your business website, I have some suggestions for website tools. Squarespace, Wix,
Bigcommerce, Weebly, and WordPress are well-known website builders and Google
my business also offers free website builder for small businesses.
Don’t be frustrated
by this global crisis that came from the virus. You can overcome this hard time
by improving your online work productivity!
by Monica Peña | Jan 14, 2020 | Business Tips
By Carlos Nazario CPA, JD
Taxpayers have the option of choosing to deduct as costs of using their vehicle a standard mileage rate or the actual costs involved. The best approach is to be able to compute both and take the biggest deduction.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2020, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:
• 57.5 cents per mile driven for business use, down one half of a cent from the rate for 2019,
• 17 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down three cents from the rate for 2019, and
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.
So for example if on 2019 a business used a car exclusively for business purposes and drove it 15,000 miles, with the following actual expenses: repairs and maintenance $50, gasoline $2,000, depreciation $3,000, insurance $1,500. Actual expenses total $6,550, and when compared to the standard mileage amount of $8,625 (15,000X0.575), the taxpayer may elect to take the higher deduction of $8,625.
