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Web site is boon for small business

New Web site is a one-stop shop of federal compliance information

Date published: 10/22/2006

By KAFIA HOSH

For a small-business owner with limited resources, finding the correct government regulations or key documents can be a daunting, confusing task.

Where do you locate the right tax forms? What are the filing deadlines with a regulatory agency?

In September, the federal government launched a Web site that aims to eradicate the ambiguity in the compliance process. Busi ness.gov is a one-stop site for companies to find all the federal compliance information.

If you're looking for food labeling rules, "you're going to have to figure out, do I have to go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or do I go over to the Food and Drug Administration?" said Nancy Sternberg, program manager for the Business Gateway Initiative, which manages Business .gov. "We're removing that step for you. That's really the significant benefit, we're out to provide you with information."

Business.gov includes information from 21 government agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration and the departments of Education, Labor, Agriculture, Defense and Transportation.

The site links to more than 20,000 compliance-related documents and catalogs of forms on 94 federal Web sites.

So, instead of browsing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration site for hours, the owner of a cleaning company can locate workplace safety information on Business.gov.

The site also can save business owners from hiring an accountant or an attorney to help ensure they are in compliance with government regulations, Sternberg said.

"Faster translates to cheaper," she said. "We all know time is money."

The virtual database also includes a directory of government contacts.

In an electronic age with automated phone lines, the directory allows you to "talk to a live person," Sternberg said.

The site can help a business owner begin his preliminary research, said Brian Baker, director of the Rappahannock Region Small Business Development Center, which is headquartered at the University of Mary Washington's College of Graduate and Professional Studies in Stafford County.

"If you're starting without any information, it's a good starting point," he said.

Business.gov first launched in 2004 as an online guide to opening and managing a business.

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Date published: 10/22/2006