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Small Biz Bulletin - March 2023
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Welcome to the Team!
The Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs is pleased to welcome Davon K. Gardner to our team as Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs. In this critical position, Davon will monitor, research, and analyze current law, legislative histories, and legislative proposals that relate to small, minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses. He will support the implementation and administration of Maryland's three socioeconomic procurement programs, serve as a liaison to members of the legislature, develop testimony, write position papers, and prepare legislatively-mandated reports. He will also represent our office to stakeholders across the state and actively participate in training and outreach programs. Davon brings a wealth of experience from past work with the Maryland Department of Human Services, the Mayor's Office of Employment Development, and the Law Office of Frank D. Boston, III. He is a graduate of Coppin State University and the Community College of Baltimore County. Davon is an avid basketball player and youth basketball coach. Welcome Davon!
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For Your Information
Annual Business Filings
The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) recently announced the availability of 2023 annual report and personal property tax return filings and extension requests for businesses registered in Maryland. All domestic and foreign business entities must file an annual report or request an extension by April 17, 2023 to maintain their "good standing" status with the department. SDAT reminds customers about two recent changes to annual report filings. (1) Businesses with less than $20,000 of business personal property will no longer be required to report personal property with their annual report. (2) SDAT's expediting fee for the rush review of an online business filing has been reduced from $425 to $325. Businesses that own, lease, or use personal property in Maryland may also need to file a personal property tax return with the annual report. More information is located on SDAT’s forms page. Those who do not meet the deadline to file the required annual report risk falling out of "good standing" status and may enter "forfeited" status soon thereafter. Businesses that are currently not in good standing because of failure to submit previous annual filings may now file up to ten years of overdue annual reports and personal property tax returns online to regain the ability to legally conduct business in Maryland. The quickest and easiest way to submit business filings is through SDAT’s award-winning Maryland Business Express website. Once submitted online, annual reports are updated to a filed status on the business's Maryland Business Express page the same day as online submission. Businesses that request a two-month filing extension through SDAT's online extension system will have a deadline of June 15, 2023.
Maryland Business Express
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Ready, Set, GROW! Procurement Connections Webinar
Meet vendors from five state agencies at our Ready, Set, GROW! Procurement Connections Webinar on March 15 at 10 am. This business development event connects vendors with buyers from several state agencies. Each will share what they are looking to buy right now, what is in the pipeline, and how to connect with them directly.
Participants will gain insights on how our small, minority, women, and veteran procurement programs work and learn strategies for mining public data to help with their business development efforts. Our guests for this procurement connections webinar are:
- Maryland Department of Health
- MDOT - State Highway Administration
- Maryland Stadium Authority
- Maryland State Police
- University of Maryland - College Park
If any of these units are potential customers, you don't want to miss this event. Guests receive the buyers' direct contact information and can participation in a moderated Q&A session. There is no cost to attend, just register in advance.
Ready, Set, GROW! Procurement Connections Webinar
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How's Your Elevator Pitch?
In person networking events are happening all over Maryland and you need to be ready with a masterful elevator pitch. You get a limited amount of time to peak interest in your company, no longer than a ride in an elevator. While some elevators are slow, your elevator pitch should be no longer than 60 seconds. Keep it goal oriented and focus on the problems you solve. Arrange the content in a logical manner, and practice, practice, practice. You want to sound confident and natural when delivering your elevator pitch. The goal is not to land a sale, but to gain your prospect's interest and earn a second, more in depth conversation in the future. It's a lot to pack into a little amount of time, so you'll want to script it out. Here are some great tips and examples from the small business mentors at SCORE.
Elevator Pitch: What, Why and How?
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Networking & Training Events
T.I.P.S. Webinar Series
Training and Insights for Procurement Success
Don't miss our March webinar series with two great free classes. Join us for the T.I.P.S. Webinar Series in March. Our topics are carefully curated to help you improve core competencies and gain an insightful understanding of the state's procurement processes. There is no cost to participate, just register in advance to receive the participation link.
Never stop learning! We have a great schedule of monthly classes. Visit the T.I.P.S. Webinar Series webpage to see the full 2023 schedule or download the slide deck of last month's classes. You can also check out our YouTube Playlist to view any of the recorded sessions over the past year.
T.I.P.S. Webinar Series
T.I.P.S. Webinar Series Playlist
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We Want You!
We continually share information curated specifically for small, minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses on our social media platforms. We'll inspire you with our #MotivationMonday series and connect you to a broad range of small business resource organizations. We also share information about loan programs and funding opportunities as well as small business events and training programs. Please join our social media community and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook
Twitter
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