Calvertbusiness092614

1915075

2014 GUIDE

193692

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1936

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2 Calvert County Business & Tourism Guide 2014


To obtain a license, you must firstdetermine what type of license youneed, if any. The Clerk’s Office issuesseveral types of licenses on behalfof the Comptroller of Maryland andthe Calvert County Government. TheClerk’s Office will be happy to pro-vide information regarding any of thelicenses they issue and to assist withany of your procedural questions. Call410-535-1600, ext. 2264. However,they cannot provide any legal adviceor be responsible for determining thetype of license you should purchase.

You can quickly obtain access toinformationon thepermits and licens-es you may need to start, relocate orexpand a business in Maryland byusing the following links:

• Business License Information Sys-tem with startup information and analphabetized list of all State licensesand permits (business.maryland.gov/start)

• Comptroller of Maryland —Business Informaton and Serviceswith business license tips, frequentlyasked questions, employer with-holding information, tax registration(taxes.marylandtaxes.com/Resource_Library/)

• Department of Assessment andTaxation with information on how toobtain a trade name (www.dat.state.md.us/)

• E-License, where you may beginthe process by providing your infor-mation but must appear in personto process the application (jportal.mdcourts.gov/license/)

How to applyIf you determine you need a license

issuedby theClerkof theCircuitCourt,you will need to appear in person toprocess the business license applica-tion. Currently, applications are pro-cessed only in an E-License format bypresenting the information in person.Youmaybegin theprocess bypresent-ing the information online throughE-License, butmust still visit the officeto process the application. The officeis located at the Courthouse, 175MainStreet, Prince Frederick.

1. Complete theapplicationbypro-viding the following information to theClerk:

• Type of license for which you are

Getting started:Business licenses

in Maryland

See Licenses, Page 5


One of the first steps tobusiness planning is deter-mining your target marketand why they would want tobuy from you.

For example, is the mar-ket you serve the best one foryour product or service? Arethe benefits of dealing withyour business clear and arethey aligned with customerneeds? If you’re unsure aboutthe answers to any of thesequestions, take a step backand revisit the foundation ofyour business plan.

The following tips can helpyou clarify what your businesshas to offer, identify the righttarget market for it and build a

niche for yourself.

Be clear about whatyou have to offer

Ask yourself: Beyond basicproducts or services, what areyou really selling? Considerthis example: Your town prob-ably has several restaurants allsellingone fundamentalprod-uct: food. But each is targetedat a different need or clientele.

One might be a drive-thrufast food restaurant, perhapsanother sells pizza in a rus-tic Italian kitchen, and maybethere’s a fine dining seafoodrestaurant that specializes inwood-grilled fare. All these

restaurants sell meals, butthey sell them to targeted cli-entele looking for the uniquequalities each has to offer.What they are really sellingis a combination of product,value, ambience and brandexperience.

When starting a business,be sure to understand whatmakes your business unique.What needs does your prod-uct or service fulfill? Whatbenefits and differentiators

will help your business standout from the crowd?

Don’t become a jackof all trades — learnto strategize

It’s important to clearlydefine what you’re selling.You do not want to become ajack-of-all trades and masterof none because this can havea negative impact on business

growth. As a smaller business,it’s often a better strategy todivide your products or ser-vices into manageable marketniches. Small operations canthen offer specialized goodsand services that are attractiveto a specific group of prospec-tive buyers.

Identify your nicheCreating a niche for your

business is essential to suc-cess. Often, business ownerscan identify a niche based ontheir own market knowledge,but it can also be helpful toconduct a market survey withpotential customers to uncov-er untapped needs. Duringyour research process, iden-tify the following:

• Which areas your com-petitors are already well-established?

• Which areas are beingignored by your competitors?

• Potential opportunitiesfor your business.

Information providedby the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration (www.sba.gov)

Making yourbusiness plan

stand out

Marketing is the process of creatingcustomers, and customers are the life-blood of your business. When devel-oping your business plan, you’ll wantto define your marketing strategy.

There is no single way to approacha marketing strategy; your strategyshould be part of an ongoing busi-

ness-evaluation process and uniqueto your company. However, there arecommon steps you can follow whichwill help you think through the direc-tion and tactics you would like to useto drive sales and sustain customerloyalty.

An overall marketing strategy

should include four different strate-gies:

• A market penetration strategy.• A growth strategy. This strategy for

building your business might include:an internal strategy such as how toincrease your human resources, anacquisition strategy such as buyinganother business, a franchise strategyfor branching out, a horizontal strat-egy where you would provide the sametype of products to different users, ora vertical strategy where you wouldcontinue providing the same productsbut would offer them at different levelsof the distribution chain.

• Channels of distribution strate-gy. Choices for distribution channelscould include original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs), an internalsales force, distributors, or retailers.

•Communicationstrategy.Howareyou going to reach your customers?Usually a combination of the follow-ing tactics works the best: promotions,advertising, public relations, personalselling, and printed materials such asbrochures, catalogs, flyers, etc.

After you have developed a com-

prehensive marketing strategy, youcan then define your sales strategy.This covers how you plan to actuallysell your product.

Your overall sales strategy shouldinclude two primary elements:

• A sales force strategy. If you aregoing to have a sales force, do you planto use internal or independent repre-sentatives? How many salespeople willyou recruit for your sales force? Whattype of recruitment strategies will youuse? How will you train your salesforce? What about compensation foryour sales force?

• Your sales activities. When youare defining your sales strategy, it isimportant that you break it down intoactivities. For instance, you need toidentify yourprospects.Onceyouhavemade a list of your prospects, you needto prioritize the contacts, selecting theleads with the highest potential to buyfirst. Next, identify the number of salescalls you will make over a certain peri-od of time. From there, you need todetermine the average number of salescalls you will need to make per sale,the average dollar size per sale, and theaverage dollar size per vendor.

Information provided by the U.S.Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov)

Defining your market strategy

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applying• Owner’s name (Individual,

Corporation, etc.)• Location address•Mailing address• Social SecurityNumberorFed-

eral Tax IdentificationNumber• Phone number•Worker’s Compensation Policy

Number or Certificate of Compli-ance Corporate ID Number andnumber of employees (if applica-ble)

• Amount of inventory, if apply-ing for a Trader’s License

• Number of VendingMachines,if applying for a Vending MachineLicense

• VIN number of vehicle, ifapplying for a JunkDealer’s License

2. The application must besigned by the owner or a corporateofficer.

3. Obtain the following neces-sary approval signatures: (obtain inorder listed)

• Planning & Zoning — must

approve ALL new licenses andany changes of business loca-tion address. Planning & Zoningis located in the County ServicesPlaza, 150MainStreet, PrinceFred-erick. Call 410-535-2346.

• Assessment & Taxation —located across from the Court-house in the Louis L. GoldsteinStateOffice Building, 2ndfloor, 200Duke Street, Prince Frederick. Call443-550-6840.

• Calvert County Treasurer’sOffice — located 1st floor, Court-house, 175 Main Street, PrinceFrederick. Call 410-535-1600, ext.2272.

4. Pay required license fees tothe Clerk of the Circuit Court —cash or check only.

General informationCourtesy copies of the applica-

tions for retail sales tax and tradename registration are availableupon request. Please contact theappropriate issuing agency formore information about thoseapplications or for informationabout other types of licenses notissued by the Clerk of the CircuitCourt.

LicensesContinued from Page 3


Many people are familiar with the conventionalwisdom about first impressions. When you only haveone chance tomake afirst impression, it’s a good ideato make the most of that opportunity. But not everyfirst impression inspires fond memories, and whileerasing a bad first impression might be impossible,that does not mean a second impression can’t trumpits predecessor.

That’s especially true for businesses. Business-es typically experience a few stumbles out of thegate, and sometimes those stumbles coincide witha customer’s first encounter with an establishment.When such experiences hurt your image, a businessowner can employ strategies to restore that imageand increase the likelihood that future interactionswith customers go as smoothly as possible.

Look the partA T-shirt and flip-flops may be your ideal outfit,

but such attire is rarely appropriate in a professionalatmosphere. First-time customers who see employ-ees decked out in less formal attire may feel thecompany also takes a lax attitude toward its work, soavoid fashion that might give the wrong impression.Consider uniforms,matching garb or simply businesscasual wear.

Prioritize positive customer serviceMany businesses suffer from bad word of mouth

that’s spread when past customers share horror sto-ries of negative experiences with company employ-ees. Such a problem is easily remedied by prioritizingcustomer service. This includes emphasizing thatthosewhoanswer thephonesalwaysaddresscustom-ers respectfully and, when responding to emails orengaging inonline chats,writeprofessional responsesthat steer clear of informal language.

Customers often understand that a product maymalfunction, but poor customer service is inexpli-cable and will reduce the likelihood that a customerwill return — or spread positive information aboutyour business.

Commission a better websiteToday’s consumers often rely on the Internet to

connect with a business. Consumers may want toperuse a restaurant’smenu before booking a reserva-tion or view a retailer’s online catalogue before walk-ing into the store.

A good website can be a tremendous asset to abusiness, while a bad website can drive customersaway before they spend so much as a dollar. A goodwebsite is informative and easy to navigate. Restau-rant owners should include some photos of theirestablishment on the site to show customers the typeof ambiance they can expect when dining.

The site’sURL should includeonly thenameof therestaurant, whichmakes it easy for potential custom-ers to find the site when using a search engine. If thenameyouprefer is already takenbya similarly namedestablishment in another region, then include yourstate or city in theURL, such as JoesPizzaNY.com.

If you are not skilled at building websites, hire aprofessional tobuild it for you.Heor she canestablishthe site, set up its bones and turn the “keys” over to

you, allowing you to update it as the seasons, trendsand menus may change. Such an investment willlikely pay for itself sooner rather than later and willincrease the chances that customers’ first impres-sions are good ones.

Establish a social media presenceAnother way to rehabilitate or improve a business’

image is to establish a social media presence thatconnects the business with existing and potentialcustomers. Use the various social media platformsin different ways. A Facebook page can explain thehistory of the company, while Twitter can be used toalert followers to special promotions or events. Socialmedia can also be used to solicit customer feedback,which can be used to ensure you are meeting yourcustomers’ needs and adapting to meet those needswhennecessary.Abusiness that listens toandactivelyengages its customers is more likely to have a posi-tive image than one that does not, and social mediacan be the tool businesses use to connect with thosecustomers.

How toimprove

yourcompany

image

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CHESAPEAKE BEACHRAILWAY MUSEUMP.O. Box 1227 • 4155 Mears Avenue,

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Establishing and main-taining a lasting connectionwith customers is a goal forbusinesses big and small.Nowadays, accomplishingthat goal is easier than everbefore, as businesses cantake advantage of the Inter-net and social media to keepin touch with their custom-ers and keep those custom-ers abreast of sales or specialoffers.

But as effortless as it canseem to maintain a connec-tion with customers, estab-lishing the initial connection thatmakes customers want to bring theirbusiness to you time and again can bemoredifficult.While a greatproductorservice is at thecoreof every successfulbusiness, savvy business owners knowthe value of connecting with their cus-tomers on a deeper level. The follow-ing are some simple ways businessesbig and small can connect with theircustomers.

Share your historySharing the history of your business

is a simple yet effective way to estab-lish a personal connection with yourcustomers, many of whom may enjoylearning how your business started,especially if you overcame difficultodds before ultimately becoming suc-cessful. Sharing the history of a busi-ness that haswithstood the test of timealso inspires customer confidence, asmany consumers correctly feel that acompany that has been around a longtimemust be doing something right tokeep its doors open.

Share your story on the companywebsite, whether it’s the first thingcustomers see on your homepage orunder its own tab labeled “Our Story”or “About Us.” A story also can beshared via social media outlets.

Survey the troopsSurveys are another valuable tool

you can use to engage and connectwith customers. Surveys allow busi-nesses to learn what’s working andwhat’snotwith regard topleasing theircustomers, and customers will appre-ciate that you value their feedback andwant to know how you canmake theirexperiencesmore enjoyable.

Surveys canbeadministered inper-

son when customers visit your store.In such instances, ask customers toreturn the surveys on their next visit.Surveys also can be administered viaemail or socialmedia platforms.Whendesigning the surveys, include a sec-tion for comments where customerscan include any suggestions or con-cerns they did not have a chance toaddress when completing the originalsurvey.

Promptly respond to emailsand other feedback

Customers willing to take the timeto email a business to share theirexperiences or provide feedback, be itpositive or negative, appreciate whenthose businesses respond in a timelyfashion. A relatively quick responseto such feedback demonstrates yourbusiness values its customersand theirinput. When responding to negativefeedback, investigate any incidents orproblems before responding so youare in a better position to address thecustomer’s concerns.

Make it personalWhenever possible, personally

respond to new customers to thankthem for their business and encouragethem to return. As valuable as onlinecustomer surveys can be to your busi-ness, responding personally to surveyparticipants, customers or others whoprovide feedback, be it through a per-sonal card or note sent via the mailor a personal message sent throughsocial media, is a great way to foster alasting and positive relationship withclients and customers, many of whomwill likely spread the word about yourthoughtful gesture to friends and fam-ilymembers.

Simple ways to connectwith your customers

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The Star-Spangled Banner National HistoricTrail is a 560-mile land and water route thattells the story of the War of 1812 in theChesapeake Bay region. It connects his-toric sites in Maryland, Virginia andthe District of Columbia and com-memorates the events leading upto the Battle for Baltimore, theaftermath of which inspiredFrancis Scott Key to write ourNational Anthem.The trail traces American

and British troop move-ments, introduces visitors tocommunities affected by thewar, and highlights the Chesa-peake region’s distinctive landscapesand waterways. Congress established the Star-Spangled Banner Trail in 2008.Formore informationon the trail, visitwww.

starspangledtrail.net.

War on the ChesapeakeDuring theWar of 1812, the British occupied

the Chesapeake Bay to disrupt trade, bring warto the center of the country and draw troopsfrom the north. Waterfront towns were raidedand burned at will. Southern Maryland suf-feredmore raids and skirmishes than any otherregion ofMaryland.In an attempt to open the bay, a flamboy-

ant ex-privateer, Commodore Joshua Barney,came up with a plan to use a flotilla of nimblegun boats that could access the bay’s shallowwaters. Barney assembled 18 small gun boats,barges and sloops and headed down the bayin Juneof1812.Barney’sChesapeakeFlo-tilla came upon the British fleet com-manded by Rear Admiral GeorgeCockburn at the Patuxent River.The British chased the fleet upthe Patuxentwhere they battledon June 8-10 andagainon June26 during the Battles of St.Leonard Creek. This was thelargest naval engagement inthe history of Maryland. Thenaval engagementwas support-

ed on land by American Army, Marineand militia units. Both the land units and theflotilla engaged the British, with hundreds ofshots per hour exchanged between the twoforces. Today you can visit this location, nowthe site of Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum(www.jefpat.org).

Information provided by Choose Calvert(www.choosecalvert.com).

Star-SpangledBanner National

Historic TrailFour hundred years ago, Eng-

lishman John Smith and his smallcrew set out to explore the Chesa-peake Bay. Smith documentednearly 3,000milesof thebayand itsrivers. In December 2006, the U.S.Congress designated the routes ofSmith’s explorations of the Chesa-peake as a national historic trail.The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic

Trail offers countless opportunities for recreation and dis-covery. Take to the water by kayak, sailboat or boat. Bicycleor hike along woodland trails or follow winding roadsthrough rural landscapes and historic villages. Visit placesthat celebrate American Indian heritage and watch wildlifeinmarshes, waterways and forests.Explore your options — and a continually updated ros-

ter of special events — through the trip planner at www.smithtrail.net.Calvert County sites along the Captain John Smith Trail:• Battle Creek Cypress Swamp• Calvert Cliffs State Park• CalvertMarineMuseum• Chesapeake Beach RailroadMuseum• Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Visitor Center• Flag Ponds Nature Park• Jefferson Patterson Park &Museum• Kings Landing Park• Parkers Creek PreserveInformation provided by Choose Calvert (www.choos-

ecalvert.com)

Captain John Smith Trail


Competition has always played asignificant role in the business world,and today’s business owners knowthat the competition for customers is anever-ending battle. For startup own-ers, that competition can prove evenmore challenging.

Successful startups often cred-it their initial marketing efforts as alinchpin of their evolution from start-up to successful business. Marketing astartup involves careful considerationof a host of factors, and what’s provensuccessful for one company will notnecessarily produce similar results foranother. But there are some elementsofmarketing a startup that owners canemploy regardless of the type of busi-ness they’re beginning.

Keep your initial focus nar-row

Successful startups often start witha small target customer base and gofrom there. Though it can be temptingto market your business to any and allpotential customers, targeting a smallnumber of customers who are mostlikely to help you establish the busi-

ness could be more in line with yourinitialmeagermarketing budget. Oncethose customers you initially targetedhave helped you establish and growyour business, you can then considertargeting a broader customer base.

Contact local mediaLocalmedia canbe a friend to start-

ups if the owners of those startupsallow them to be. Contact the localnewspaper and local radio station tolet them know your business is open-ing. Let local newspaper reporters tryyour product and write a review, andgo on local radio to announce yourgrand opening, which should includesome type of incentive (free food,product raffles, etc.) to attract poten-tial customers. Local media benefitswhen local businesses thrive, so devel-oping a partnership with local mediaearly on can prove beneficial to yourstartup for years to come.

Use social media to youradvantage

Traditional media isn’t the only

media startup owners can use to theiradvantage. Social media is anotherway to engage customers; just be sureto use your social media platform formore than just promotion. While pro-moting products is a great way to usesocial media, such platforms also arean ideal way to share interesting infor-mation about your products and evenyou and your employees. Socialmediaplatforms now vary greatly, and eachcan be employed in different ways.For example, Instagram is a great wayto share photos of new products or in-store events, while Facebook can bea great tool to share the story of yourbusiness and how it came to be.

Reward loyal customersCustomers love to know their loyal-

ty is being rewarded, and incentivizingthat loyalty is a great way for startupsto establish a customer base. Loyal-Blocks, for example, is a loyalty-mar-keting tool for traditional brick-and-mortar businesses that allows them toconnectwith their customers,whocanearn special offers or rewards towardproducts each time they check in on

their smartphones when making pur-chases in the store. The cost of enroll-ment in such a program or the costof incentivizing purchases will likelyprove negligible the larger and moreloyal your customer base becomes.

Don’t shy away fromrecognition

Recognitionof your efforts is a greatway to build a strong reputation, sodon’t be afraid to participate whencommunities are doling out awardsto local businesses. You may or maynot need to apply for such awards, butdon’t feel sheepish if you must apply.Awardsmake for great (and often free)publicity, and awards are earned onmerit, so they’re nothing to be embar-rassed about.

Building a startup can be as chal-lenging as it can be rewarding. Mar-keting plays a significant role in manysuccessful startups, and there aremany steps startup owners can take tomarket their business effectively.

Get the word out: Effectively marketing your startup

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The Patuxent Wine Trail presents thewineries of Calvert, Prince George’s and St.Mary’s counties, bounded by the Patuxentand Potomac rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.The birthplace ofMaryland, the area is rich inhistory and flavor, home to many historicallandmarks, lighthouses and quaint water-front towns.

The regionoffers stunningwater vistas andbeautiful rolling farmland that will soothe thesoul. The area’s soil and climate are a closeapproximation of the famed Tuscany region,and local wine makers are creating sump-tuous award-winning wines to rival thoseanywhere.

Every aspect of the region’s charms are ondisplay at the seven wineries on the PatuxentWine Trail. Roam the trail and sample superbwines in a restored tobacco barn, on theslopes of a rolling vineyard or along the banksof a pristine creek. You will be treated withwarmSouthernMaryland hospitality andwilltake home awealth ofmemories.

Local wineries include . . .• Cove PointWinery, a smallmicro-winery

in Lusby, is the first licensed and bonded

winery in Calvert County. Cove Point obtainsgrapes and juice from local growers as wellas other sources. Located at 755 Cove PointRoad, Lusby. Call 410-326-0949.

• Fridays Creek Winery, which boasts anacre of vines to tour and a larger vineyarddown the road on the shores of the Patuxent.Located at 3485 Chaneyville Road, Owings.Call 410-286-9463.

•PerigeauxVineyardsandWinery,amicro-winery specializing in making the highestqualitywines fromtheirownestate vineyards.Features 8 acres of vines on a 27-acre farm.Located at 8650 Mackall Road, St. Leonard.Call 410-586-2710.

• Running Hare Vineyard, set on 300 acresin the heart of Calvert County. Features alandscape reminiscent of Napawith a uniquevineyard. Located at 150AdelinaRoad, PrinceFrederick. Call 410-414-8486.

• Solomons Island Winery, one of the firstof a new generation of wineries in Maryland.Located at 515 Garner Lane, Lusby. Call 410-394-1933.

Information courtesy of Choose Calvert(www.choosecalvert.com)

Patuxent Wine Trail

Grapes ripening at RunningHare Vineyard in PrinceFrederick.

Staff photo by MEGAN JOHNSON


The U.S. Small Business Adminis-tration (SBA) is not your only sourcefor small business loans. State andlocal economic development agenciesas well as numerous nonprofit orga-nizations provide low-interest loansto small business owners who maynot qualify for traditional commercialloans.

Make sure you are prepared whenyou decide to apply for a small busi-ness loanwith these tips.

Documentation neededfor small business loanapplications

While every loan program has spe-cific forms you need to fill out anddocuments you need to submit, youwill likely need to submit much of thesame information for different loanpackages. Before you start applying forloans, you should get some basic doc-umentation together. The followingare typical items that will be requiredfor any small business loan applica-tion:

• Personal background: Either aspart of the loan applicationor as a sep-arate document, you will probably beasked to provide some personal back-ground information, including previ-ous addresses, names used, criminalrecord, educational background, etc.

• Resumes: Some lenders requireevidence of management or businessexperience, particularly for loans thatare intended to be used to start a newbusiness.

• Business plan: All loan programsrequire a sound business plan to besubmitted with the loan application.The business plan should include acomplete set of projected financialstatements, including profit and loss,cash flow and a balance sheet.

• Personal credit report: Your lenderwill obtain your personal credit reportas part of the application process.However, you should obtain a creditreport from all three major consumercredit rating agencies before submit-ting a loan application to the lender.Inaccuracies and blemishes on yourcredit report can hurt your chancesof getting a loan approved. It’s criticalyou try to clear these up before begin-ning the application process.

• Business credit report: If you are

already inbusiness, you shouldbepre-pared to submit a credit report for yourbusiness. As with the personal creditreport, it is important to review yourbusiness’ credit report before begin-ning the application process.

• Income tax returns: Most loanprograms require applicants to sub-mit personal and business income taxreturns for the previous 3 years.

• Financial statements: Manyloan programs require owners withmore than a 20 percent stake in yourbusiness to submit signed personalfinancial statements. You may also berequired to provide projected finan-cial statements either as part of, orseparate from, your business plan. Itis a good idea to have these prepared

and ready in case a program for whichyou are applying requires these docu-ments to be submitted individually.

• Bank statements: Many loan pro-grams require one year of personaland business bank statements to besubmitted as part of a loan package.

•Collateral:Collateral requirementsvary greatly. Some loan programs donot require collateral. Loans involvinghigher risk factors for default requiresubstantial collateral. Strong businessplans and financial statements canhelp you avoid putting up collateral.In any case, it is a good idea to preparea collateral document that describescost/value of personal or businessproperty that will be used to securea loan.

• Legal Documents: Depending ona loan’s specific requirements, yourlender may require you to submit oneor more legal documents. Make sureyou have the following items in order,if applicable:

—Business licenses and registra-tions required for you to conduct busi-ness

—Articles of Incorporation—Copiesof contracts youhavewith

any third parties—Franchise agreements—Commercial leases

Information provided by the SBA(www.sba.gov)

Think you have what you needfor a business loan application?

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Leasing commercial space is a factof life for many business owners. Theexpense of commercial leasing is con-siderable,but cost isnot theonly factorto consider when leasing a commer-cial space. The following are a few tipsfor business owners when negotiatingtheir commercial space lease.

• Enlist some professional help.While seasoned business owners maybe able to negotiate their commer-cial lease on their own, new businessowners often benefit from the ser-vices of real estate brokers and realestate lawyers. Real estate lawyers cannegotiate your lease, explaining keyterms and conditions that may proveconfusing to first-time business own-ers. Real estate brokers can help youfind the right location, and many realestate brokers have a longworkinghis-torywith landlords. Such relationshipscan make the negotiating processeasier, and they also can benefit busi-ness owners looking for the best pos-sible location for their businesses. Realestate brokers often get first choice atthe most desirable locations, so team-ing up with an established real estatebroker can increase your chances of

landing a desirable property.• Emphasize affordable renewal

options. The length of commercialleases favored by small businesses isoften similar to the length of a leaseon a private residence. Though thelanguagemight bemore complex thanthat of a private residence lease, thelength of a commercial lease agree-ment is typically one to two years.But business owners must be diligentregarding renewal options and thecost of such renewals. Come the endof your lease terms, you don’t want

to be met with a considerable andunexpected hike in rent just as yourbusiness is starting to take off. Work toget themost favorable renewal optionspossible so more of your operatingbudget can go into your products andnot toward your lease.

• Pay attention to extra fees. Manycommercial leases include fees inaddition to the monthly rent. Main-tenance fees are common, and theremay even be a separate set of mainte-nance fees when sharing commercialspace. When negotiating your lease,ask to see a list of the costs and feescurrent tenants typically incur eachmonth.Whendiscussingmaintenancefees, confirm who must pay for lessroutine maintenance, such as HVACor plumbing repairs, and be sure toget such information included in thelease.

When discussing such fees, inquireabout utility costs as well. Utilities areoften the responsibility of the tenant,but it still behooves business own-ers to confirm who will be paying themonthly utilities.

• Negotiate an exclusivity clause.Business owners often don’t want

their competitors to move in acrossthe street, and they certainly don’twant them to move into the samebuilding. Protect your business fromsuch a development by negotiating anexclusivity clause into your lease. Suchclauses prevent landlords from leasingother spaces on the property to yourcompetition.

• Carefully read the default lan-guage. Before signing a commerciallease, business owners must familiar-ize themselves with the default lan-guage therein. Determine what hap-pens if youdefault on the lease, includ-ing if youwill be locked out upon yourfirst missed payment and if the land-lord will immediately initiate evictionproceedings in such instances. Manycommercial leases also include lan-guage stating tenants are responsiblefor any legal fees landlords accrue inthe case of a default. Though it mightbe difficult to negotiate the defaultlanguage in a lease, business ownersshould still know that language priorto signing a lease.

Negotiating a commercial lease that works for you

Buying locally is a greatway for consumers tofindthe products and services they’re looking for andhelp their local economy along the way. The smallbusinesses in your community may be owned byyournext-doorneighbor,who relies onhis or her fel-low townspeople to keep the business going strong.

Buying locally is not only beneficial for local busi-ness owners; keeping money in your communityalso benefits consumers and local folks in a numberof ways.

• Buying locally creates jobs. The number ofunemployed men and women has graduallydeclined in recent years, but those figures are stillhigh in many communities. Buying locally createsjobs in your community, potentially creating a jobfor you or a friend or familymember.

• Buying locally helps the environment. Buyingwithin your community reduces the amount of fuelyou’re likely touse for aweekendshopping tripwhilealso reducingpollution. Inaddition,many local storeowners use localmaterials and ingredients, reducingthe amount of fuel consumed to get products intothe store.

• Buying locally creates a more closely knit com-munity. Juggling a career and a family can makeit hard for men and women to get to know theirneighbors and other members of their community.Buying locally is an opportunity to strengthen thatbondwith yourneighbors, creating a close knit com-munity in which residents may feel safer and morecomfortable.

• Buying locally ismore convenient. Convenienceis paramount tomany consumers, and buying local-ly saves both time and money. Driving to a farawaymall or shopping center or paying costly onlineshipping fees is not nearly as quick or convenientas shopping within your community, where youcan purchase and take home items on the same daywithout using a full tank of gas or paying for ship-ping.

• Buying locally benefits your local economy. In2004, the consultancy Civic Economics was com-missioned by Chicago’s Andersonville Chamber ofCommerce to examine the economic impact of 10local businesses against that of chain businesses.The study found that of every $100 spent at local

businesses, $68 remained in the local economy,while only $43 of every $100 spent at chain storesremained in the local economy. That’s a significantboost to your local economy, and all it requires isshopping at local retailers.

• Buying locally can increase your property value.Homeowners might be able to increase the valueof their homes by buying locally. A joint study fromIndependent We Stand and Civic Economics foundthat cities with a strong centralized small businessdistrict had a 54 percent greater increase in propertyvalues than communities that did not have such adistrict. A more thriving local community, includinga thriving shopping district, is no doubt attractive toprospective home buyers.

The many benefits of

buying locally

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