Our Experience with the New Experience

As everyone knows, the biggest part of an application for a new construction license is the experience section. What experience are they looking for? How much do they need? What do they consider valid experience?

For Division II Contractors, the basics are simple. In the minimum four years of experience that the board requires for licensure, if you have not gained experience in all areas of installation listed on the application then it will go for an automatic board review. They then will review your work history with you and decide whether or not you have the required experience to be able to receive a license.

Division I Contractor applications are a bit more complicated than that. They are looking for four years of experience working for a licensed contractor. To prove this, actual project details must be listed. Each project must meet four of the areas required by the statute. If the projects do not, you can list additional projects so that at least four areas are met for the requisite time frame. If there is any doubt in the reviewers mind, the applications are going straight to the board for further clarification.

College can take time off the amount of experience you need to submit. The board specifies that 1 year of college is equal to 30 earned credits at an accredited college. No matter how many credits you have, you will still need a minimum of 12 months of experience as a foreman.

The board also has provided the minimum amount of hours that 1 year of experience is supposed to be. Each year of experience is to be 2,000 hours of work under a licensed contractor. The intent is for W-2 employment. This way the individual is working legally under a contractor and is covered by all appropriate insurances. Many applicants going before the board are being asked to produce W-2s.

This is not a guarantee in any way that your application won’t go for board review. We are seeing more and more sent for review. They are really cracking down. We can help to avoid certain pitfalls that applicants are stepping into. Call us to discuss these details in depth. We are here to help.

Consumer Alert Concerning Annual Minutes

It appears that there is a scam out there regarding the annual report filing for the Department of State, Division of Corporations. Please be aware that COMPLIANCE SERVICES (not to be confused with the Florida Corporation, Compliance Services, Inc.) is mailing businesses a notice for "Annual Minutes" to be ordered for a fee of $125.

These notices are NOT from the Dept. of State, Division of Corporations. "Annual Minutes" are NOT required to be filed with any agency. Do NOT confuse these notices with the messages sent by the Division of Corporations reminding each business to file its 2012 Annual Report. If you receive this letter from COMPLIANCE SERVICES saying that you need to file your Annual Meeting Minutes--toss it out. 

You DO need to file an annual report with the Department of State, Division of Corporations (AKA Sunbiz), but these are two separate issues. Annual Reports can be filed online directly at www.Sunbiz.org or you can call us for help with the filing.

As always, the gals at Licenses, Etc. are here to help you in any way that we can. If you have any questions or need assistance, give us a call. We can help make sure that you don’t get scammed.

QR Codes – The Newest in Marketing

A new technological buzz is on the street and is spreading rapidly. The new advancement is called a Quick Response code, more commonly heard and talked about as a QR code. It is a specific matrix barcode. The words “quick response” refer to the fact that the code can be read quickly by a cell phone or reader and then can transmit unlimited data. They were originally created and used in Japan and are now being used throughout the United States in both commercial tracking applications and convenient applications for cell phone users.

QR codes can be placed on many mediums including magazines, business cards, buses, signs, and any objects users could need or want information from. The type of information that can be accessed by the individual scanning the QR code includes contact information, text, a website, a video, and more.  These codes are so advanced that they can even direct the user to compose a text message or e-mail or to receive a coupon for that specific business.

The QR code works very simply. The consumer needs to open the correct code reader application and hold their mobile device up to the QR code. The application then takes a picture of the code and directs the device to the information the code has been programmed to access.  

Download your reader application.  Choose yours based on the type of phone you have.  Each site lists the phones that support their apps:

·         KAYWA Reader:  http://reader.kaywa.com/

·         Mobile Tag:  http://www.mobiletag.com/

·         NeoReader:  http://neoreader.com/

Quick Response codes help you as a consumer and they can also help your business, no matter how small or large it is. By putting these codes on your products, flyers, invites, print advertising, etc. you can connect your clients to endless information. The potential growth for your business and possibilities to further service clients are endless.

Social Media Seminar Presented for the Interior Design Society

The Interior Design Society recently offered a seminar on social media at the Miromar Design Center in Estero, FL.  Lisa presented a beginner class in the morning and an advanced class in the afternoon.  In these presentations she touched on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  Accompanying her was Bronson Taylor of DumbPunk who spoke about websites and search engine optimization. 

About 60 individuals came to learn, making this a highly successful event.  The crowd had very insightful questions and everyone learned something.  Beth Ann Tuyls, President IDS Naples Chapter, said, “I feel a huge THANK YOU is in order!!! What a wonderful, successful event today! We have received so much positive feedback from this event.” 

To see the presentations in their entirety, click on the links below:

·  Beginners - http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/ids-social-media-for-beginners-seminar

·  Advanced - http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/ids-social-media-for-beginners-seminar

There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

Facebook for Advanced Business User

There are more than 750 million active users on Facebook.  50% are active users that log on to Facebook in any given day.  The average user has 130 friends and people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.  Last night we discussed how to leverage this information to benefit businesses.

A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Facebook Advertising

·         Check - In Deals

·         Custom Applications including Fan Only Applets

·         Posting as Your Business

·         And much more...

To see the slide presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/score-facebook-for-the-advanced-business-user-workshop.  There are active links within this presentation, so be sure to click on the pictures!   

A big thank you to Whole Foods Market Naples for donating the snacks for this event.  What an amazing spread they made available last night.  Yummy!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

The Inner Workings of Twitter Workshop

Thank you to everyone who attended the workshop last night!  We were able to discuss in depth all of the inner workings of Twitter.  The crowd had great questions and wonderful discussions were started!  We are so appreciative of these opportunities.

A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Creating custom pages

·         Using hash tags

·         Organizing Tweets with Tweet Deck

·         Twitter parties

·         And much more…

To see the presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/twitter-workshop-for-score.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

 

UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION WITH US!!

We’ve been trying to call our clients who haven’t filed their annual reports to remind them of the due date.  Unfortunately, a lot of numbers are no longer in service.  We want to be able to pick up the phone and call you when there is a deadline that we don’t want you to miss, but when we don’t have the correct contact information, that is impossible.

Please let us know if any of your contact information changes:  phone number, email address, or mailing address.  Let us be able to go the extra mile for you.  Take a moment to shoot an email to etc@licensesetc.com and let us know if you have changed your contact information. 

Do You Have $400 to Throw Away?

Yeah, neither do we!  So we want to remind you to file your annual report by May 1^st.  Every business formed prior to 2011 must file their annual report by this date.  If a report is filed late, an additional $400 penalty is levied to the standard fees.

In the past, there was a ‘loophole’ that could sometimes allow you to avoid the penalty when filing late.  That loophole was removed last year, so ALL late filings must pay the $400 late fee.  It’s definitely not worth waiting!  The standard fees are $150 for a Corporation and $138.75 for a Limited Liability Company.  If you wait until after May 1^st, that means the fees are $550 and $538.75 respectively. 

When filing your annual report, this is the time to make necessary changes.  Update your company address, registered agent and manager/officer information.  Be sure to check your spelling.  If information is mistyped, an amendment must be filed, which is an additional $35.

To clarify, this is NOT your license renewal.  Your license is up for renewal in August of every EVEN numbered year.  This is to keep your business active and retain your business name with the Department of State. If you don’t file it, the State will eventually dissolve your company. If you have any confusion on this matter, you know who to ask!

Filings are done online at www.sunbiz.org, but as always the gals at Licenses, Etc. would be happy to take this task off your hands!  Give us a call and we will make sure it is done correctly and on time! 

Upgrades to Facebook Business Pages: We Requested, They Delivered

Some really cool upgrades have enhanced Facebook for those who have business pages.  Developers have been asking admins how they can make business pages easier to use.   We responded with a number of things that we would like to add to the capabilities of business pages.  The developers listened and as of mid February they sent out emails detailing the new features they would be revealing.

The developers allowed us to see what our business accounts will look like and upgrade the pages ourselves if we would like.  All pages will automatically be upgraded on March 10^th. 

Here are some of the new features:

·         Notifications when fans interact with your page or posts – Previously an admin would need to visit the page to see if a fan posted to their page, now it will give you a notification of this just like a personal page.

·         A place to showcase photos along the top of your page – Just as the personal pages now have, pictures will be showcased along the top.  Admins can choose to hide a certain picture if they would not like it showcased by rolling over it and clicking on the X button that appears.

·         A news feed for your page - News Feed — the center column of your home page — is a constantly updating list of stories from people and pages that you follow on Facebook.  You can “switch” to the business account to see this.

·         The ability to Like and post on other pages as your page – “Switching” to the business account allows you to post on other business pages as your business.  This gives your page more visibility.  At this time you cannot post on personal pages as your business.

To “switch” between personal accounts and business accounts:

·     You must be an admin of the page

·     Go to the business page

·     In the upper right hand corner of the page, find the link that says “Use Facebook as [Business Name]”

·     Repeat steps and click link that will now say “Use Facebook as [Your Name]” to switch back

These changes allow businesses a lot more freedom and visibility with their pages.  As always, if you would like to discuss options for marketing your business with Social Media, contact Lisa Adams at 239-963-5369. 

Less Than a Week Left to Grandfather

We are down to the final week.  Anyone who wants to apply for the Home Inspection or Mold Remediation or Assessor License has very little time left.

The DBPR requires that they receive your application by the end of the day on Monday, February 28^th. 

If you are looking to submit your application in the Grandfathering timeframe, the gals at Licenses, Etc will take care of you.  Please contact us immediately to get this process started.  This will be a rush situation because we are into the countdown, so for $400 for the first application and $200 for each additional we can assure a thorough job that will ensure you won’t miss out on the chance of a lifetime. 

What You May Not Know About Worker’s Comp.

Have you obtained workers' compensation insurance or filed for an exemption with the Division of Workers' Compensation?

The Facts:

·        An exemption only costs $50 and is good for 2 years. 

·        Up to 3 people per company can be exempt. 

·        A person must own at least 10% of the company to file for an exemption.

·         If the company qualifier is NOT an owner, he or she MUST be covered under the company’s WC policy. 

·        Same holds true for any non-owner employee. 

You may think you’re “legal” because you’re covered under one company’s name, but that may not be the case.  When you license a company, you are required to either have WC insurance or a WC exemption for that company, EVEN IF THAT COMPANY ISN’T ACTIVELY WORKING AT THE PRESENT TIME.  The DBPR requires you to be in compliance with Chapter 489.114 and says, “any person, business organization, or qualifying agent engaged in the business of contracting in this state and certified or registered under this part shall, as a condition precedent to the issuance or renewal of a certificate or registration of the contractor, provide to the Construction Industry Licensing Board, as provided by board rule, evidence of workers’ compensation coverage pursuant to chapter 440.”

What can happen if you are caught without workers’ compensation coverage or an exemption for any and all companies that you qualify?  The department shall notify the persons or entities governed by this section who have been determined to be in noncompliance with chapter 440, and the persons or entities notified shall provide certification of compliance with chapter 440 to the department and pay an administrative fine in the amount of $500. The failure to maintain workers’ compensation coverage as required by law shall be grounds for the board to revoke, suspend, or deny the issuance or renewal of a certificate or registration of the contractor under the provisions of s. 489.129.

You can find the exemption form here: http://www.myfloridacfo.com/wc/pdf/DWC-250.pdf. 

Or call us and we will give you information on how to get coverage. 

Would you like to verify your WC status with the state?  Go here:  https://secure.fldfs.com/WCAPPS/Compliance_poc/wPages/query.asp to access the state’s records for WC coverage and exemptions.  If you’re not listed, you need to resolve this immediately!

These rules may not have been actively enforced in the past, but this is the law.  The Boards are tightening their reins and pursuing prosecution.  You really cannot ignore this.

Please contact us if you have questions about any of the next steps you should be taking after receiving your license.  We are here to help you.

Florida UC Assessment

It appears the Florida Department of Revenue is hitting mailboxes this week with tax assessment notices [bills].

These taxes ARE NOT due to an incorrect filing or underpaid deposit.

In a nutshell, the Florida unemployment ‘piggybank’ has been empty for years.  Because that fund is basically insolvent, Florida continues to borrow from Uncle Sam to meet its unemployment obligations.

All of us as Florida employers must bear the burden of paying the interest on that debt, and that is what these notices pertain to.  It appears the state is examining a look-back period of 7/1/09 through 6/30/10 for the purposes of computing each firm’s obligation.

The formula for calculating the payment is specified by law.  The calculation is based on your taxable wages reported from 7/1/09 through 6/30/10 which is listed as line 1 on your bill.  There will be a flat charge of $25 for any delinquent quarter which is line 2 on your bill.

Call us with any questions.

-    Thanks to Greg Borden at Olde Florida Payroll for this information.

The Power of the Press Release

You are constantly looking for the best ways to market your business… but I bet you are missing one of the most obvious ones:  The Press Release!  And guess what, other than the time put in, they are free.  Plus a newspaper article holds a lot more credibility in people’s eyes than an advertisement because it appears to be coming from a trusted, third-party source, rather than the company itself.

Let’s start by saying what a press release is.  Wikipedia defines it as “a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value.”  This means if you have something that people would want to know about, the press wants to hear about it.  This can be anything from a charity event you are hosting to the hiring of a new employee.

Press releases have a very regimented format and will only be considered by the media if written correctly.  There are many online sources to guide you, and there are even entire books written about this topic.  Take a moment to read up on this to be sure that you don’t waste your time.

Once your press release is written, choose the media contacts that you will be sending it to.  They are usually listed on the websites of the papers and trade associations.  Remember, not all of the media contacts out there are looking for the same stories.  A charity event would be directed to most of the contacts, but a new employee would go to the business section writers and trade publications.  So think about what you are sending and be realistic.

Thank them when your article is used.  This is such a simple thing, but so many people forget to do this!  You like to be thanked when you do something nice. They do, too. 

The last tip I will leave you with… Only send a press release once.  You may not hear back from your contacts even if they plan on using your story, but do not hassle them.  Nothing will put you on their block list quicker.

So take a moment and learn to use this powerful tool.  Or give us a call.  We offer press release services.  Isn’t it time to see your name in the headlines?

Time Is Almost Up to Grandfather for Home Inspection and Mold Licenses

Our phones have been ringing with questions about Mold and Home Inspection licenses.  These new licenses came into existence in July of 2010.  The DBPR has provided a short window of time to get licensed via Grandfathering—a process with dramatically fewer requirements than the normal licensing procedure.  The deadline to Grandfather for these licenses is March 1, 2011.  It is important to note that having a State Certified Contractor license has NOTHING at all to do with getting any of these licenses; however having these new licenses may be a nice compliment to the licenses that you may already hold.  Grandfathering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the DBPR.  Future requirements will be as stringent as the requirements to become a Certified Contractor!!

Mold Remediation and Mold Assessment are two separate licenses.  Each can be grandfathered in one of two different ways.  By far the easiest is by belonging to a state or national mold-related association, completing 30 hours of CEUs for Mold Remediation and 60 hours of CEUs for Mold Assessment on mold related services, and applying with the DBPR.   The other option is to Grandfather via Experience.  To do this you must establish at least 3 years of experience by submitting at least 40 invoices for mold assessment or mold remediation (as applicable to the license desired). The DBPR may investigate the validity of a mold invoice and, if the applicant submits a false invoice, may take disciplinary action.  
There are also two ways to grandfather into a home inspector license.  The easiest way is to belong to a state or national home inspection association, complete 14 hours of home inspection CEUs, and then apply with the DBPR.  The other option is to Grandfather via Experience.  To do this you must establish at least 3 years of experience as a home inspector and complete at least 14 hours of verifiable education on home inspection services. To establish the 3 years of experience, you must submit a list of at least 120 home inspection reports. The DBRP may investigate the validity of a home inspection report submitted and, if the applicant submits a false report, may take disciplinary action. 

Please note that these licenses are individual licenses—they do not qualify a business.  This means that there must be a licensee on site at each project that is being worked on.  So there will need to be a licensed mold remediator on each project while work is being performed.  You cannot have staff working on a project without having a licensee present.  Assessment work can only be performed by a licensed assessor.  Reconstruction can only be performed by an appropriately licensed contractor.

How can Licenses Etc. help you get licensed quickly and easily? 

As always, we make preparing the application forms as easy as possible for our clients.  We have created a special discounted fee structure for people who are trying to beat the grandfathering deadline.  Because we know that many of you will be applying for two or maybe even three of these licenses, we’ve developed a package deal. 

Initial Licensing:  Grandfathering (via certification and education only)

Mold Remediator, Mold Assessor or Home Inspector:

1^st application per applicant:  $300—additional concurrent applications $150 each

This charge includes the following:

§   Typed, easy-to-read forms (with the exact information required to get your application approved the first time!)

§   In-depth, 2-time review of the entire application package to ensure everything is exactly right and all necessary supporting documents are included

§   Overnight shipping to the DBPR

§   Monitoring of DBPR’s approval process and immediate response to any issues that arise

§   Unlimited time from us to provide assistance and answer any questions you have related to the license and application process

§   A copy of your entire license package sent to you once we send it to DBPR

You will need to provide proof of certification by a state or national association for the requested license type(s) through proof of a proctored examination and also proof of completing the required number of hours of education per license type(s).  We can provide information on different courses that are available…just let us know if you need details.

The other costs for you are the class/membership fees, the DBPR application fee, and the fingerprinting fee. The application fees must be separate checks made out directly to the DBPR for $330 for each license that you’re going to acquire. The fingerprinting costs are $57.25.

This pricing is valid for deposits received no later than February 15^th 2011.  Applications must be RECEIVED at the DBPR no later than February 28^th, 2011. 

Call us now and you can have the paperwork in hand when you complete the class.  What could be easier than walking out of class with everything together and ready to mail?  Contact us NOW…we’ll make things easy for you!

New Online System at the DBPR

The DBPR has implemented a new online system.  EVERYONE who has a license will need to Re-Register on the DBPR site to have access to their personal account.  If you’d like assistance, we can take care of this for you for $50 for the first license and $10 for each additional license in the state of Florida.  If you’d like to complete the process yourself, here are the steps you’ll need to follow:

Start here:  https://www.myfloridalicense.com/ActivateAccountInstruct.asp

Pick your profession (construction industry), and then click the registration button. 

A new window will open.

·         Enter your name (as it appears on your license)

·         Enter your email address (this will be your username) it will also be where your temporary password will be sent.

·         Answer one of three ‘secret’ questions:

1.       Mother’s maiden name

2.       Where you were born

3.       Street where you grew up

4.       Or you can create your own question.

·         Enter the randomly generated letters at the bottom (security thing)

At that time, an email will be sent to you with a temporary password that IS case sensitive.

You can then hit the ‘return’ button and go back to the login page.

·         Enter your username (email address) and password.

·         You will be taken to a page where you can then create your own password.

Now you’re logged in.

But here’s the crazy part.  Now you have to tell them which licenses are YOURS!!

·         Click on: Link an Existing License to My Account

·         Choose your profession (construction)

·         Choose your specialty (CGC, CPC, CFC, etc.)

·         Enter only the NUMERIC portion of your license

·         Click on Next

You’ll then be prompted to enter your SSN and another of those random security things.

It will then allow you to add the license number to your account.

*  You will need to repeat this process for all licenses.  *

Once these steps are complete, you can now click on your license to do maintenance options:

·         Address change

·         Change of status from Active to Inactive

·         View CEU credits

Feeling overwhelmed?  We are more than happy to help you with this process.  Contact us and we will get this off your to-do list immediately.

’Tis the season for Scammers!

Do you ever feel like everyone is out to get you?  Well, don’t dismiss that feeling all the time.

There’s a new scam out that is aimed at business owners.  The email you receive will start out with this:

Do not disregard this message. Your email address was provided by the
Florida Division of Corporations regarding YOUR COMPANY’S NAME.

NOTICE

ANNUAL REPORT ORDER NOW DUE:

Then the email will go on to list your federal tax ID number and lots of other personal information.

It even goes so far as to say that, “Your email address was supplied to us by the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations.”  This is not true!

When one of our clients called this morning to ask what this was, we immediately took action and called the Department of State.  They have NOTHING to do with this company.  Another clue was the fact that it’s too early to even file annual reports.

This is a SCAM and should be disregarded.

The real truth?  You DO need to file annual reports after the 1st of the year, but not through Arvitas.  Annual reports can only be filed through SUNBIZ.ORG.

Ever have a question about something like this, call us.  We are here for you.

Winding Down the Year

As the end of 2010 approaches, there are several things to do for your business to finish out the year and prepare for the new one:

Talk to your CPA - Find out if there is anything you need to do to cut your tax bill. December may be your last chance to take advantage of special programs with tax benefits.

Check deadlines - Make sure none of your county or state licenses, permits or other requirements don't expire on 12/31 and if they do, take care of it now before the holidays take over and you forget. Also check on anything that expires in January so you can be prepared. Florida Annual Reports aren't due until 5/1, but you can start filing on 1/1. Need help tracking all your deadlines? Check out our License & Business Maintenance Services.

Review your goals for 2010 - What did you hit? What did you miss? Why did you miss them? What can you still accomplish in December? What can you do differently next year?

Prepare your goals for 2011 - Create your plans of action while you're at it. If you want to boost revenues by 20%, how are you going to do it? Create a monthly schedule so you can be working on these goals every month.

Plan your marketing and advertising for 2011 - How and where are you going to advertise? What kind of special promos are you going to offer? Create your plan and budget - this is NOT the place to be cutting back. You can't increase revenues without new customers. Don't forget to include the most cost effective marketing resource - Social Media Marketing. It's how businesses keep in touch with prospects and customers these days. Find out more about our Social Media Marketing Services.

Get your license! - If you've been procrastinating on a new license you've already tested for, what are you waiting for? All the fees and expenses you've paid so far might be tax deductible. Why not finish the process? If you're testing in December, you can still get your application submitted - and possibly approved - before the end of the year. Another goal accomplished! If you haven't tested but there is a license you want to obtain, start working on it. Register for the next exam (February), contact the schools, get your books and talk to us. There's no time like right now to get your license!

We all know how December turns chaotic with the holidays, vacations, employees on break, special closures, parties, etc. And then January blows right by as we recover from the holidays, catch up on what didn't get done in December and prepare for the new year. By being a little proactive, you can set yourself up to finish 2010 on a high note and start 2011 with a bang!

New Service From Licenses, Etc!!!

As discussed last week, remembering all the deadlines for a licensed contracting business can be quite stressful, especially when you have multiple licenses in multiple states. We alluded to a new service offering by Licenses, Etc. that can remove this stress for you.

We are now offering License & Business Maintenance Services! For a low annual or monthly rate, Licenses, Etc. will keep track of all your due dates for your license(s), business registrations, workers' comp exemption and county registrations. Not only do we remind you - we actually take care of it for you! We file your annual report, renewals, etc. As always, if there is anything we can't take care of 100% for you, we'll provide you with exactly what you need and instructions for doing it quickly and easily.

We can do this for Florida and for any other state in which you're licensed! You also get a FREE subscription to LE Alerts, our new subscription-based service that keeps you up-to-date on all things related to your business and licenses.

If you simply want the reminders so you can take care of business yourself, subscribe to LE Alerts. For only $25 per month, you receive:

• Personal phone call to remind you to file your company’s Florida Annual Report.
• Personal phone call to remind you to renew your Florida license during license renewal years.
• Prompt email notification of all approaching deadlines, including tax deadlines, renewals, etc.
• Immediate email notification of changes to licensing requirements, new licenses, new opportunities, etc.
• Special discounts and promotions offered only to LE Alerts subscribers.

For more information about our new License & Business Maintenance Services or LE Alerts, contact us at 239.777.1028 or 239.777.8321 or email LEAlerts (at) LicensesEtc(dot)com.

 

License Maintenance

All Florida contractors licensed by the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) or the Electrical Contractors Licensing Board (ECLB) needed to renew their licenses by August 31, 2010. Hopefully, you've already taken care of this!

License renewals serve as a reminder of all the things contractors and business owners have to stay on top of to keep their businesses running. Most of our clients remember to renew their licenses, probably because of all the reminders they're given - from the state, from continuing education providers and from us. Still, some forget. And then there are all the other things that slip through the cracks:

• Business Annual Reports - In Florida, these are due every year by May 1. This is totally separate from your license. Every business, whether contracting or not, must file this report. If you miss the deadline, it's a $400 penalty. Ouch!! If you don't do it at all, the state dissolves your company and you are technically out of business.
• Local Business Taxes - Formerly known as Occupational Licenses in Florida, these are county taxes that must be paid every year, usually only in your "home" county. Counties differ on the due dates. In some counties, it's the same day every year. In others, it's the anniversary date of when you first filed. If you don't pay on time, more penalties. And you won't be able to pull permits.
• County registration of your state license - Some Florida counties only require you to register once and you're good until something changes with your license. Other county building departments require that you maintain registration every year. Unlike Local Business Taxes, county registration is required in virtually every county you work in. You can't pull permits without it. So be sure to stay on top of all of these!
• Workers Compensation Exemption - This expires every two years from the date your receipt was issued. If you don't renew in time, you can fall into extensive legal issues with the state and licensing board.

If you have multiple licenses, the above might be multiplied. If you have licenses in other states, the headache's increased exponentially.

We have good news for you! Licenses, Etc., is putting together a new offering of License & Business Maintenance services. Stay tuned to find out how we can remove your headache. Want to know more immediately? Contact us through www.LicensesEtc.com.