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.
The site is a program under the Business Gateway Initiative, which is part of the August 2001 President's Management Agenda to use information technology in delivering government services.
In the spring of 2005, the Business Gateway Initiative conducted a focus group of about 50 business owners and found that the businesses wanted more detailed information.
"Overwhelmingly, the people we were speaking with felt that we should be focusing on business climate," Sternberg said.
The Web site re-launched on Sept. 26 to include government compliance information, among other features such as a business resource library.
While the site is a solid starting point, there are other sources for business-related information.
The Small Business Development Center provides business owners with state compliance rules and information on tax identification and how to obtain a business license.
The center also gives businesses information on zoning laws, "just to make sure where they locate their business, that it has been approved by that jurisdiction," Baker said.
In 2007, Sternberg said, the Business.gov site will allow users to customize their pages and will also include state compliance information.
The site receives between 11,000 and 15,000 hits a day, according to Sternberg.
She said the online compliance database will "remove frustration" from the search process.
"People are not usually averse to doing what they need to do, they just need to understand," she said.
To reach KAFIA HOSH:
Email: khosh@freelancestar.com