The Corporate Transparency Act may require certain U.S. companies to disclose beneficial ownership information to FinCEN to combat financial crimes.

While a Texas federal district court’s preliminary injunction puts this requirement on hold, many experts expect that to be overturned. In that event, failure to file could lead to fines of $500 per day, up to a maximum of $10,000, and possible criminal penalties.

However, filing your Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report will help you avoid fines if this injunction is overruled. Waiting could mean scrambling to meet compliance requirements or penalties. ZenBusiness makes BOI reporting clear and quick, with uncomplicated instructions and speedy processes. This is ideal for SBOs that want to avoid trouble by cleaning up their obligations in advance.

1. Determine if Your Business Must File.

A ‘reporting company’ is any business, such as a corporation or LLC, that is registered by filing documents with the state, unless it qualifies for an exemption. Exemptions apply to publicly traded companies, banks, and charities. For example, a local restaurant in Reidsville, NC would likely need to file a BOI report.

2. Identify Your Beneficial Owners.

A ‘beneficial owner’ is someone who either has substantial control over a company or owns at least 25% of it. In Reidsville, an example of a beneficial owner could be a partner in an antique shop who makes strategic decisions about inventory and marketing and holds a 40% ownership stake in the business.

3. Gather the Required Information.

Prepare:

• Business name, address, and EIN.

• Beneficial owners’ names, addresses, DOBs, and ID details.

4. File Your BOI Report.

Deadlines:

• Existing businesses: File by 01/01/2025.

• New companies (2024): File within 90 days of formation.

• New companies (2025+): File within 30 days of formation.

ZenBusiness assists SBOs in meeting BOI guidelines now and avoiding penalties. This type of service makes reporting your company’s information quick and easy.

Additional Resources:

• BOI Filing for Small Businesses

• Details on Preliminary Injunction

• BOI Filing Services for LLCs

• A Guide to BOI Compliance

• FinCEN BOI FAQ

We want to hear from you!

Don’t miss out on the chance to help us! Complete our BOI survey by December 18, 2024, and for every 25 responses, our Chamber will receive a $100 donation! Participate in the survey here! Your input is invaluable to us!

As of December 3, 2024, a Texas federal district court has issued a preliminary injunction for all states to block the CTA and its relevant regulations. However, filing your BOI will help you avoid fines if this injunction is overruled.

The dream of launching a landscaping business has an undeniable appeal: working outdoors, building something tangible, and helping clients transform their yards into spaces they’re proud to call home. But beneath the surface of green lawns and pruned hedges is a competitive, fast-moving industry where survival hinges on more than hard work and a reliable mower. Getting this kind of business off the ground isn’t just about tools and trucks—it’s about crafting a brand, mastering logistics, and earning trust one yard at a time. To build a landscaping operation that actually sticks, there's a lot more involved than just knowing how to edge a lawn.

Name It Like You Mean Business

The right name can shape how a landscaping brand is remembered before the first blade of grass is even cut. A strong name is both professional and personal—it should be easy to say, visually clean, and reflective of the work's quality. Good branding starts here, as a memorable name builds recognition and trust while setting the tone for everything from business cards to Instagram bios. For those looking to spark inspiration, try combining location, personal values, or natural elements while exploring landscaping business name ideas to find something that actually sticks.

Start Small, But Plan Like You’re Big

A common mistake for new landscaping owners is overextending too soon—buying too many tools, hiring prematurely, or trying to cover a massive service area. The better play is to begin with a tight focus, offering services that can be reliably delivered, then scaling once systems are in place. That includes not just service routes, but customer service workflows, billing, and project scheduling. Planning for growth from the start ensures the business doesn’t crumble when things get busy—or worse, successful.

Price It Like a Business, Not a Hobby

There’s a huge difference between weekend side hustling and running a full-scale business, and pricing often draws the line. Undercharging might attract early work, but it won’t cover insurance, wear and tear, taxes, or the hours spent doing estimates and follow-ups. It’s vital to break down the real cost of doing business and price services in a way that supports sustainability. Clients will pay more if they trust that the work is professional and dependable—so the business has to act like it from day one.

Land Clients Through Story, Not Just Sales

Word-of-mouth is gold in landscaping, but it starts with a story worth telling. Potential clients aren’t swayed by a list of equipment—they respond to visuals, narratives, and results. That means before-and-after photos, clear service descriptions, and a website or social page that’s not just functional but personal. Showcasing the journey of a job—from consultation to cleanup—builds a story clients can picture themselves in. And when that story matches their needs, they don’t need to be sold—they ask for a quote.

Think Seasonally, Operate Year-Round

Landscaping is seasonal in most parts of the country, but a smart operator finds ways to stay in motion all year. That might mean offering snow removal, gutter cleaning, holiday lighting, or even consultations during winter months. More than just filling the calendar, this keeps the brand in clients’ minds and cash flowing during leaner times. It also positions the business as a year-round presence, which deepens client relationships and adds layers to the service menu.

Hire for Fit, Train for Skill

When it’s time to grow, hiring can be a make-or-break move. A fancy resume means less than a team member who shows up, communicates well, and shares the business's vision for how clients should be treated. Technical skills can be taught, but attitude and dependability come baked in. The best hires are those who see themselves growing with the business—and who treat each lawn like it’s their own front yard, not just another square of turf to get through.

Starting a landscaping business is not unlike building a garden: it takes time, care, planning, and some digging through the dirt. It’s easy to get caught up in the rush for fast profits or flashy marketing, but the businesses that last are the ones built on trust, rhythm, and a deep understanding of the people they serve. It’s not the shiniest tools or the biggest truck that brings long-term success—it’s the details, the follow-ups, and the reputation that grows with each job. For those ready to invest in those roots, the growth will come.

Adobe Acrobat is a versatile software suite that offers a wide range of benefits for small and local businesses. From document management to collaboration and security features, Acrobat is an indispensable tool for organizations of all sizes for many reasons:

Efficient Document Management: Acrobat provides robust document management capabilities, allowing businesses to create, edit, organize, and archive documents seamlessly. With features like merging, splitting, and indexing PDFs, businesses can streamline their document workflow and reduce paperwork clutter.

Cost Savings: Acrobat offers cost-effective solutions that eliminate the need for expensive printed materials, courier services, and physical storage space. By going digital with PDF documents, businesses save on printing and shipping costs, reduce paper waste, and lower their overall operational expenses.

Enhanced Collaboration: Collaboration is key in today's business landscape, and Acrobat facilitates this through features like commenting, annotation, and real-time co-editing. Small businesses can collaborate with remote team members, clients, or suppliers, allowing for seamless communication and feedback on documents. This collaborative approach can significantly improve productivity and the speed of decision making.

Professional-Looking Documents: For small and local businesses trying to make a mark in a competitive market, the presentation of documents matters. Acrobat offers a wide range of formatting and styling options to create professional-looking documents. From customizing fonts and colors to adding watermarks and headers, businesses can enhance their brand identity and create visually-appealing materials.

Secure Document Handling: Acrobat provides robust security features, including password protection, encryption, and digital signatures. Small and local businesses can ensure the confidentiality and integrity of their documents, especially when handling sensitive information like customer data and financial information.

Mobile Accessibility: In today's fast-paced business world, being able to work on the go is crucial. Acrobat offers mobile apps that allow small businesses and local businesses to access, edit, and share documents from their smartphones or tablets. This mobility ensures that critical tasks can be addressed promptly, even when employees are not in the office.

Compliance and Legal Benefits: Acrobat helps businesses maintain compliance by providing tools for digital signatures and document tracking. This is especially valuable for businesses that need to meet stringent regulatory standards, like healthcare and financial institutions.

Streamlined Workflows: Acrobat integrates seamlessly with other popular software applications, including Microsoft Office and various cloud storage services. This integration streamlines workflows, making it easier to convert documents to PDF format, collaborate on documents, and access files stored in the cloud. Small and local businesses can save time and reduce errors by using these integrations.

Electronic Forms: Acrobat allows businesses to create interactive electronic forms that can be filled out online, reducing the need for paper forms and manual data entry. This simplifies the customer experience and ensures accurate data collection.

Just take a look at how Acrobat revolutionized the way The J. Morey Company runs its business. As an insurance agency, J. Morey handles a lot of paperwork — all of which was physical documentation until 2015, when president Joshua Morey digitized the firm’s paperwork with Acrobat. Because they no longer rely on wet signatures that have to be scanned into the computer system or sent via snail mail, the process of signing, password protecting, and sending signed documents takes only a minute instead of 20 minutes, freeing up as much as 10 hours a month per employee.

Acrobat’s features and tools allow The J. Morey Company and more than 500,000 other organizations worldwide to reduce costs while scaling their businesses. In fact, when Joshua took over the company in 2015, it had four offices with a total of 18 employees. After just three years of implementing Acrobat into its workflows, the company grew to 150 employees across 11 offices.

Acrobat offers a wide array of benefits for small and local businesses. From efficient document management and cost savings to enhanced collaboration and security, Acrobat empowers these businesses to operate more effectively and competitively in today's digital age. Its user-friendly features and mobile accessibility make it a valuable tool for businesses looking to streamline their operations, improve productivity, and deliver professional-quality documents to their clients and customers. Learn more about how Adobe Acrobat can help your business here.

In the ever-thickening maze of digital commerce, small businesses are facing a deceptively complex challenge—how to manage content across languages and regions without losing their voice. As brands attempt to connect with audiences in Tokyo, Toronto, and Turin all at once, the pressure to maintain consistency has never been greater. Fragmented tools, siloed teams, and localized content chaos threaten to dilute even the most carefully crafted brand identity. This is where systems integration workshops step in, not as a tech seminar, but as a strategic lifeline.

Redefining the Workshop: Not Just for IT

The word “workshop” doesn’t exactly light a fire in the hearts of marketers or small business owners. But when reimagined through the lens of content strategy and operational clarity, these sessions become something far more valuable. Systems integration workshops bring together IT, content creators, and business leaders under one roof to deconstruct the current mess and rebuild a sustainable way forward. Instead of passively receiving information, participants dissect their own workflows, uncover translation gaps, and learn how their tools can start speaking to each other again.

Beyond Translation: Building Consistency at the Core

Content management across languages isn't just about swapping out words. Brand tone, cultural nuance, product positioning—all of it has to remain consistent while being tailored to new audiences. Workshops focused on integration push teams to consider how translation tools, content repositories, and regional marketing calendars can sync instead of clash. The result is not just a multilingual site or campaign, but a system that keeps the message aligned from South Korea to South Carolina.

Streamlining Video: The Role of AI

As video becomes the universal language of digital communication, the importance of video translation with AI has surged to the forefront of content strategy. These advanced tools, capable of multilingual dubbing while preserving both voice identity and lip-sync accuracy, offer a new frontier in unifying global messaging. When woven into broader systems integration workshops, they become more than flashy tech—they enable workflows where marketing teams can scale visual storytelling without breaking consistency or cultural nuance. That means maintaining a distinct brand voice across continents while giving regional audiences content that feels made just for them.

From Chaos to Cohesion: Taming the Toolset

Most small businesses start out scrappy, piecing together content tools like a puzzle they don’t yet know how to solve. Maybe it’s a Dropbox folder for images, a Google Doc for product blurbs, and a CMS that’s a decade old. Integration workshops confront this reality head-on, offering a guided teardown of existing systems with a view toward reassembly. The goal isn’t to buy new software—it’s to help existing tools play well together, and to ensure the process is scalable as global efforts expand.

Human-First Automation: When Tech Meets Empathy

Automation is typically pitched as a way to do more with less. But in the context of multilingual content, it's just as much about clarity and empathy. Integration sessions encourage businesses to look beyond pushing buttons and start thinking about workflows that respect the people using them. That means reducing duplicated efforts for translators, eliminating versioning chaos for content teams, and making approvals less of a guessing game. When tech is designed around real behaviors and roles, automation becomes more than a buzzword—it becomes relief.

Collaboration Without Borders: Aligning Culture and Process

It’s one thing to translate content; it’s another to align cultures. Systems integration workshops give small businesses the framework to design processes that encourage regional insight without compromising the global voice. This might mean establishing clear roles for local teams in content adaptation, or using shared dashboards to track global performance metrics. It fosters a sense of inclusion across borders, turning far-flung contributors into co-authors rather than outposts.

Integration isn’t a one-off achievement; it’s a posture, a mindset. The best workshops don’t just give attendees a list of tools to adopt—they instill a culture of intentional system design. Small businesses that participate in these sessions often come away not only with cleaner processes, but with a deeper understanding of how to evolve as they grow. It’s not about being perfect from the start, but about committing to a structure that’s both flexible and durable. In a world where audiences are global and attention is scattered, that kind of clarity is more than an advantage—it’s a necessity.