Media room

April 4, 2007

Online Resource Center Provides a Much Needed Boost for Small Business Owners

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small firms represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms in the United States. These small businesses play a crucial role in supporting the U.S. economy by generating 60 to 80 percent of the country's new jobs on an annual basis, yet without help, many of these small firms will be forced to close their doors within the first few years of their existence. As a way to assist small businesses nationwide, Assurant Employee Benefits, a Kansas City based provider of non-medical employee benefits, offers entrepreneurs access to an online, interactive tool that provides small business owners with useful articles, tips, and tools designed to help owners manage everyday aspects of their businesses.

"Assurant Employee Benefits understands the importance of small firms to the American economy, and that is why we created the Small Business Center as a way to help small business owners not only simplify the way they manage their employee benefits, but also provide them with some much needed tools that can improve their chances for survival," said Mike Peninger, president and CEO of Assurant Employee Benefits

The Small Business Center provides entrepreneurs with important information in areas such as taxes, benefits, marketing, and finance by providing them with expert insight through articles posted on the site's Expert Column. This column is written by Jane Applegate, one of America's most respected small business management experts and author of four books on business success. "As a small business owner, I feel it is my responsibility to pass on information that can help others achieve the success that I have enjoyed," said Applegate. "Most small business owners are great at what they do, but lack some of the necessary knowledge that they need to successfully manage other aspects of their business, and that is what the Business Center provides to them."

Small business owners looking for an opportunity to pick Applegate's brain on ways they can improve and grow their businesses can do so through the site's Q & A with Jane interactive resource. Here, owners are welcome to submit questions relating to their individual business and enjoy the benefits that come from having an expert's point of view.

In addition to the advice from Jane Applegate, small business owners can obtain important information through the site's Tips and Resources section. This section contains simple, but useful tips from field experts that anyone can use to manage and grow their business.

"The information posted is designed to provide business owners with a quick guide to some of the issues that all owners must deal with, but often neglect for lack of time or resources," Peninger said. "Additionally, this section provides links to some of the nation's best small business resources, such as the SBA or the National Small Business Association."

Clients of Assurant Employee Benefits can access the company's exclusive online tool, Online Advantage, at the Small Business Center to manage their existing policies with just the click of a mouse. Using Online Advantage, clients can:

• View and update census
• Process employee enrollments and terminations
• Input name changes or corrections
• View bills
• Download policy specific forms
• Ask questions from dedicated customer service support

Resources such as those offered by the Small Business Center provide small business owners with expert advice that can help the survival of one of the nation's most important assets. To access the Small Business Center visit the home page.