Today marks the 18th anniversary of what has become Independent Retailer Month. The celebration has grown tremendously over the past 18 years. It demonstrates the power of small business in a community; we all can make a difference.

Last week we received an email from Steve, a long time reader of our newsletter that we first met at a trade show. Steve was sharing his concerns based on our May Small Business Conversations program with guest, Gene Sower. We definitely agree with the concern Steve has for Internet selling - particularly Amazon. In our back and forth conversation, we looked at the many changes retailing has had in the last century and know that Amazon will not be the final version of selling.

Steve shared an example of Birkenstock shoes who, like Stihl power equipment, remains true to the traditional delivery format of their products. Steve was looking for ideas. This is what we shared:

We have to be vocal to our manufacturers and distributors. We think there are too many who just see the positives of selling through Amazon and do not realize what the costs are long term. As one who reads many publications discussing all aspects of business, we as individual business owners, have to be willing to take the time to write out our thoughts and share our knowledge. These "white papers" we would create with every distribution channel we know, with our fellow business owners, the trade associations we belong to, and organizations such as the chamber of commerce, local business association and our Main Street programs.

While our writing can contain components of an emotional plea, it must also contain the statistics from our industries and the experiences within our own businesses. Of course, this requires quite a commitment of time and effort from each of us. However, if it is important to us we have to show it.

Thanks to Steve for starting the conversation. We hope you will join in.

Late in June, the United States Supreme Court gave a decision that can affect all businesses selling products and/or services that compete with an online business. The court states that states can now collect sales tax from online businesses even if they do not have a physical presence in that state.

The key phrase in the decision is, "can collect". As I read the decision, it means it is up to each state to decide if they want to collect sales tax. I think we can expect each state legislature to hear a lot from the online businesses and the lobbyists they will hire in an effort to get each state to not collect the sales tax.

There are two benefits from each states collecting the sales tax from online businesses. The first is collecting the sales tax helps to level the playing field between your business and the online business. The second benefit is the amount of sales tax that will now come to your state and community. One estimate I read states the potential collection to be between $8 billion and $23 billion a year.

The only way the collection of sales tax is going to happen is when you let your local legislator know how you feel.

Two conversations with business owners have led me to share this last piece with you. The first conversation was a business owner at a trade show on a Monday. The owner told me they were frequently checking with their business while they were gone to ask how sales were going. It seems as they left for the trade show, they knew there was not enough cash in the company checking account to cover the paychecks they had already written that were to be given out to employees on Friday afternoon.

The second conversation occurred during a phone conversation with two owners as one was asking the other where the envelope was containing the check for sales tax for the state. It was to be mailed in four days. The second owner responded they had already put the envelope in the mail. The first owner said they would hope it would take a bit for the check to be cashed as there was currently not enough money in the checking account to cover the check. What was surprising to me was this business does millions of dollars in sales each year. Yes, small businesses of all sizes can have challenges with cashflow.

Sharing these two examples, this week we are emailing an introduction to a company called Kabbage to all our readers. For small businesses they create what we call "timing" or "bridge" loans. These are very short term loans to solve this very challenge. Kabbage is not to be used for paying past due bills; increasing your inventory; or for other situations in which you cannot pay back the money in a short term.

If your business has ever had a challenge such as this, companies like Kabbage accept applications in advance of your needing the money. Many businesses go through the application process and have the line of credit to create a buffer they might need at some time.

There is no application fee, nor is there any charge until you use the funds. The application is short and simple. However, the amount of money you want will dictate how "long" the application process is; the more money you need, the more questions they are going to ask. With smaller amounts, you do not even have to talk with an individual; the application is online. Once your loan is approved, you account remains available to you until you need the money. If you find you do not need the funds, there is still no charge to you.