SBA.
The US Small Business Administration (SBA), created by Congress in 1953 to help America’s entrepreneurs form successful small business enterprises. See www.SBA.gov.

Salary.
Regular compensation paid to an employee as a condition of employment. Salary is generally computed on an annual or a monthly basis.

Sales Tax.
A tax on retail products based on a set percentage of retail cost.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
A comprehensive federal law aimed at corporate governance and fraudulent financial transactions.

Search Engine.
Software that indexes Web pages and allows users to search for particular keywords. Public search engines such as Lycos, AltaVista and Google constantly index Web sites and add information about these sites to their databases. Many individual Web sites also use their own built-in search engines.

Seasonal loan: A loan made for the purpose of meeting predictable and periodic funding needs, such as funding of camping gear inventory before summer purchases. 

Second-Day Delivery.
A service that promises to deliver packages by the end of the second day after the package was sent.

Security Deposit.
Money that a lessee must give a lessor as a guarantee that the lessee will make payments.

Self-Mailer.
A direct mail piece, such as a postcard, that does not require an envelope or wrapper for mailing.

Server.
A computer on a network that offers shared hardware or software resources to multiple users. The term may apply in a general sense to a computer that “serves” shared files or applications over a LAN, or it may apply to a computer running a specific application, such as a Web server or mail server.

SET (Secure Electronic Transactions).
A standard for transmitting credit card data securely over the Internet, SET uses a series of digital certificate exchanges to verify the identities of consumers, merchants and banks. Although most major e-commerce players endorse SET, the standard´s cost and complexity have hindered its progress. For now, the simpler SSL standard secures most e-commerce transactions.

Sexual Harassment.
Uninvited sexual advances or related conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Sexual harassment is prohibited by the federal Civil Rights Act of 1991 as well as by various state laws.

Shareholder Agreement.
A written agreement between a corporation and its shareholders governing the nature of the relationship and the conduct of certain corporate activities (such as distribution of profits and resolution of shareholder disputes).

Shareware.
Software that anyone may download for free and pass along to others. The creators of shareware programs usually ask users to pay a small fee if they use the product after a specified period of time.

Silent Ringer.
A phone or battery pack that signals incoming calls by vibrating or flashing a light.

Sister Company.
Sister companies share the same parent company or individual owner. Like a subsidiary, a sister company is typically a separately incorporated business.

Small Business Administration (SBA): Federal agency created in 1953 to provide management and financial assistance to small businesses. Mainly, the SBA guarantees loans through financial institutions. The loans may be used for working capital, machinery and equipment acquisition of real estate, and expansion.

Small Claims Court.
A court intended to simplify and expedite the resolution of minor disputes (such as disputes involving $5000 or less).

Social Security Tax.
Provides benefits for retired workers and their dependents as well as for the disabled and their dependents. Also known as "Federal Insurance Contributions Act" (FICA) tax.

Soft Sell.
The technique of using low-pressure appeals in sales.

Sole proprietorship: A type of business where the owner has full control and unlimited liability. A sole proprietorship is taxed at the personal income tax rate.

Spam.
Slang term for unsolicited commercial email. “Spamming” people with unwanted commercial email solicitations is considered unethical and it is now illegal in several US states. Most ISPs will terminate a user´s account if they use it to send spam.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer).
Netscape Communications developed this protocol for transmitting credit card numbers and other sensitive data over the Internet. Both Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer support SSL, which is one of the most widely used e-commerce security methods (the other is SHTTP).

Stock Option.
A right to buy a given amount of company stock at a given price for a given period of time.

Streaming Media.
Streaming technology lets users play audio or video files as they download, rather than waiting for the whole file. Popular streaming media platforms include QuickTime, RealPlayer and Windows Media Player.

Sublease.
The act of a tenant leasing the property it is leasing to yet another tenant, called a sublessee.

Subsidiary.
A company owned by a parent company, a subsidiary is a separate legal entity listed as a corporation or LLC that is required to file its own taxes.

Suze Orman.                                                                                                                                                Financial consultant/money coach and author of several books on financial literacy including The Courage to be Rich.

Systems Integrator.
An individual or a company that specializes in making different software and hardware systems work together. Systems integrators often specialize in particular applications, such as accounting, enterprise resource planning or Web and Internet systems.

System Board.
A printed circuit board in a personal computer that contains the main processor, expansion slots and other basic hardware. Also known as a motherboard.

S Corporation.
A form of corporate organization where the profits of the entity pass through to shareholders and are taxed on their personal returns under subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code.

T-1.
A type of high-speed Internet connection that carries data at more than 1.5Mbps. An even faster version, called T-3, operates at speeds up to 44Mbps.

Target Market.
A specified audience or demographic group that an ad, product or service is intended to reach.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).
These two communications protocols form the foundation of the Internet, allowing any two computers that support TCP/IP to communicate with one another.

Tax Credit.
A dollar-for-dollar reduction in the tax. Can be deducted directly from taxes owed.

Tax Deduction.
A part of a person’s or business‘ expenses that reduces income subject to tax.

Teleconferencing.
A meeting conducted by telephone among people in different locations.

Telemarketing.
Using the telephone to sell, promote or solicit products and services.

Telephony.
A catchall word describing the world of communications — from wireless phones to digital computer communications to voicemail systems.

Telnet.
An Internet-based protocol for connecting to a remote host or server. Telnet was once the main way to access other computers over the Internet, and it supported a variety of text-based email, file transfer, chat and information retrieval programs.

Temporary Employee.
An employee, often hired and paid by a third party, who fills in staffing shortages caused by special projects, seasonal coverage, leaves of absence or other reasons.

Tenant Improvements.
Refurbishing a rental space for a new tenant. Improvements may include repainting, recarpeting and moving walls. In high-vacancy markets, landlords often entice tenants with money for tenant improvements. In tight rental markets, tenants may be on their own.

The Secret.                                                                                                                                                                            Highly acclaimed filmed based on the law of attraction with business and success coach, Jack Canfield.

The Success Principles.                                                                                                                                                     Guide book for success in life and finances, written by Jack Canfield.

Tort.
A civil wrong or injury that results in a legal action for damages to rectify the wrong.

Tracking.
Overnight shipping companies typically enable their customers to find out when a package was picked up, when it passed through certain regional shipping centers and airports, and when it was delivered. Tracking information is available either through toll-free phone numbers or Web sites.

Trademark.
A name, phrase, logo, image or combination of images used to identify and distinguish a business from others in the marketplace. The term is often used to include service marks, which apply to businesses providing services as opposed to selling products. Trademarks can be either registered or unregistered, with different levels of protection.

Trojan Horse.
A program that appears to serve a legitimate purpose but actually performs a destructive or unauthorized activity. Trojan horses differ from viruses mainly in that they do not replicate themselves.

Trustee.
A person or legal entity that holds money or property for the benefit of another. The owner of the money or property is known as the beneficiary. In most cases, the trustee and the beneficiary can be the same person.

Two-Way Paging.
A feature of some pagers that lets users transmit confirmation that a message has been received.

Unemployment Compensation.
Money paid to eligible people who have lost a job and are actively looking for work. Unemployment compensation is partially paid by the employer´s unemployment insurance contributions.

Unfair Competition.
A broad term describing illegal commercial activity ranging from trademark infringement to false advertising. Federal and state laws regulate unfair competition, and the remedies available range from money damages to court injunctions.

Unix.
A computer operating system used mostly in high-end workstations and servers. A number of companies produce not completely compatible varieties of UNIX The well-known “open source” Linux operating system is a variety of UNIX

Unsecured Debt.
A debt that is not guaranteed by a specific piece of real or personal property. If the debtor defaults, the creditor does not have the right to seize specific property to satisfy the debt.

Upsell.
A technique to increase the value or quantity of a sale by suggesting additional options or upgrades. For example, a fast-food restaurant may upsell by suggesting that a customer buy a larger drink or an order of French fries.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
The text address that allows users to find a particular Web site or Web page. The links on Web pages also consist of URLs, which are embedded in the HTML code on the page. URLs comprise of a domain name followed by the file path to a particular file on that domain´s Web server.

Usable Square Feet.
The amount of space renters can actually use. Usable square footage is usually less than rentable square footage because it deducts common areas such as public corridors, elevators, lobbies and bathrooms.

Usenet.
An Internet service that provides thousands of discussion lists, or newsgroups, on a variety of topics. Users can read newsgroup postings or they can add their own. Most newsgroups are completely open, although some are moderated. You can view Usenet newsgroups with special software built into browsers and email programs or via one of several Web-based services.