Maintaining a Business

Monitor ongoing requirements for your business, such as annual filings, licenses and permits.

Formulate a Strategy

1. What steps should I take to assess my existing business?

   Examine your business' strengths and weaknesses and complete the initial assessment for existing businesses form to analyze your business and determine the next steps.

2. How do I develop a strategic plan?

   Too many people think strategic planning is something meant only for big businesses, but it is equally applicable to small businesses. Strategic planning (127 KB) is matching the strengths of your business to available opportunities. To do this effectively, you need to collect, screen, and analyze information about the business environment.

3. How do I develop a mission statement?

   Strategic planning is not just for big businesses. Learn to effectively match your business' strengths to available opportunities by developing a clear mission statement, goals and objectives.

4. How do I identify potential problems and opportunities?

   Designed with the small business in mind, this audit checklist (200 KB) helps the entrepreneur conduct a comprehensive search for existing and potential problems and opportunities.

Effectively Manage Your Business

1. How do I develop a financial plan?

   The US Small Business Administration provides information on developing a comprehensive financial plan (262 KB) that outlines the assets, debts and current and future profit potential of your business through effective financial management.

2. What areas are critical to successful business management?

   Learn to examine the marketplace environment and create employment and profit opportunities that provide growth and financial viability to your business through effective management (103 KB).

3. What steps do I need to take to build a collaborative team?

   Uncover the characteristics of an effective personnel system and training program. Learn how these functions come together to build employee trust and productivity (151 KB).

4. How do I properly plan for the transfer of ownership within my family?

   Help your family business successfully survive the transfer of ownership (162 KB) from generation to generation. Proper planning is the key.

5. What insurance products might I need to protect my business and my employees?

   Get information about health coverage, small business health insurance tax credits, property and liability coverage, and workers' compensation information.

Market Your Business

1. How do I drive awareness and demand to my business?

   Unravel the mystery of marketing - putting the customer first. Discover practical marketing approaches (290 KB) to budgeting, layout and design, copywriting, media analysis and more.

2. What does marketing involve?

   Good marketing is critical to the success of your business. Marketing has many dimensions, including market research, customer service, advertising, targeting, packaging, pricing, e-marketing, and others. Investing in a good marketing plan will generate excellent returns.

Manage Your Business Tax Accounts

1. What business taxes apply to my business?

   KS WebTax is a secure, easy and convenient way to manage business tax accounts. Businesses can make electronic payments, file Sales, Use or Franchise tax returns and view online activity. KS WebTax simplifies your accounting process by having everything available in one easy-to-access location.

   • ABC distributors
   • Consumer's compensating use
   • Corporate income
   • Liquor drink
   • Liquor enforcement
   • Mineral
   • Motor fuels
   • Privilege
   • Retailer's compensating use
   • Retailer's sales
   • Withholding
2. What are electronic funds transfer payments?

   Certain business tax payments can be made online through KS WebTax via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Many of these business tax payment types also allow for online tax filing along with payment.

   • Online payments
   • Payment schedules
3. How do I file sales and use tax returns?

   Retailers can use KS WebTax to report tax activity by completing online forms, saving, and submitting when ready or by compiling data in a computer-based accounting system. They can then upload the information in a simple format file to the online application.
   

   • Retailer's compensating use
   • Retailer's sales
4. What tax types are in electronic data interchange (EDI) format?

   EDI allows the transfer of data from a business's computer to KDOR's computer in a machine-processable, national standard data format. This direct, computer-to-computer exchange of business information reduces costs, errors and time.

   • Insurance translator installation guide (148 KB)
   • Kansas insurance reporting guide (282 KB)
   • Kansas insurance reporting map (1.0 MB)
   • ABC distributors' EDI program guide
   • Motor fuel
5. What is available for motor carriers?
   • Property valuation
   • Permits and licensing
6. What type of business tax resources are available?

   The Department of Revenue offers the following resources to assist you with your business taxes.

   • Income tax institute
   • Small business workshops
   • Contractor workshops
   • Licensee training program
   • Forms and publications
   • Frequently asked questions
   • Voluntary disclosure

Maintain Licenses and Permits

1. What agriculture-related licenses do I need to maintain?

   In maintaining your business, it is critical that you maintain the appropriate agriculture-related permits, forms and reports.

   Meat and Poultry Inspection Program - The Meat and Poultry Inspection Program licenses and inspects meat and poultry plants in a manner that is "equal to" federal inspection. It also responds to consumer food safety concerns involving meat or poultry products.

   Pesticide and Fertilizer Programs

   • Chemigation - The Kansas Chemigation Safety Law (KCSL) requires registering all water points of diversion (i.e.: (1) wells; (2) the point where the longitudinal axis of the dam crosses the center line of the stream; or (3) the location of the headgate or intake, in the case of a direct diversion from a river, stream or other watercourse) that will be used in the chemigation process.
   • Pesticide - It is important that you consider the following Pesticide forms and regulations associated with each of the following: Pesticide Applicator, Pesticide Business, Pesticide Dealer, Pesticide Product Registration.
   • Fertilizer - Ensure fertilizer products are properly labeled and safely stored. Safe storage preserves the integrity of the fertilizer product and helps prevent contamination of groundwater and surface water, and exposure to humans and animals. An accurate label guarantees that consumers, both urban and rural, have the information they need to choose the correct product and application amounts. In addition, there is regulation of the storage and transport of anhydrous ammonia and licensed individuals who blend fertilizer products.

   Feed and Seed Program - The Agricultural Commodities Assurance Program (ACAP) regulates the quality of feed, pet food and seed. Inspectors routinely visit feed mills, pet stores and other retail and wholesale outlets to verify that products are properly labeled and to collect samples to send to the Agricultural Laboratory for analysis. These inspections help ensure that consumers are receiving quality products.

   Dairy Program - The Dairy Inspection Program licenses and inspects dairies, milk haulers, milk bottlers, cheese makers and other milk or dairy processing facilities. They also inspect ice plants, and beer, wine and cider producers and bottlers.

   Food Safety and Lodging Program: Food Service - The Division of Food Safety and Lodging is responsible for food safety involving eggs and for inspections at grocery stores, restaurants in grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, schools, senior meal sites, mobile food units, lodging facilities, food wholesalers and warehouses, food processors and food manufacturers.

   Food Safety and Lodging Program: Lodging - Lodging facilities, including hotels, motels, boarding houses (bed and breakfast homes), lodges and rooming houses, are licensed, monitored and inspected to ensure that acceptable sanitation levels are maintained to minimize health and safety hazards that could lead to illness or injury.

   Plant Protection and Weed Control Program - Plant Protection and Weed Control staff work to ensure the health of the state’s native and cultivated plants by excluding or controlling destructive pests, diseases and weeds. Staff examine and analyze pest conditions in crop fields, rangelands, greenhouses and nurseries. Action taken to control potential infestations of new pests, whether they are insects, plants diseases or weeds, is beneficial to the economy and the environment. The program also issues the appropriate certificates for Kansas-grown commodities to be marketed nationally and internationally.

   Weights and Measures Program - The Weights and Measures Program is responsible for inspecting all kinds of commercial weighing and measuring devices involving scales used in grocery stores, grain elevators, livestock sale barns, pawn shops and other locations. They also inspect gas pumps and meters used to sell chemicals or to sell propane to home owners. They inspect packages containing edible and inedible products to ensure that the consumer receives the quantity stated on the label and verify that in-store scanners scan the correct price.

2. What type of water permits do I need to maintain?

   In maintaining your business, it is critical that you maintain the appropriate water permits.

   Water Structures Program - The Water Structures Program regulates manmade activities affecting the flow and overflow of any stream by ensuring, within limits imposed by laws and courts, that such activities are properly planned, constructed, operated and maintained for their authorized purpose without adversely affecting the environment, public health and welfare, and public and private property.

   Water Appropriations Program - The Water Appropriation Program administers the Kansas Water Appropriation Act and rules and regulations pertaining to the management of water resources. This program issues permits to appropriate water, regulates water use and maintains records of all water rights in the state.