CFOs see medical benefits as a recruiting tool
The Affordable Care Act created a headache for many employers, already struggling to maintain a strong bottom line in the midst of the recession
How reliable are estimates and projections of small business conditions?
f you really want to know how small businesses are doing in the current economy, you have to approach the issue from a broad perspective.
Small business optimism slides but entrepreneurs need to remain confident
U.S. small business owners appear less confident in the economy.
Officials gear up for election-fueled income tax debate
President Barack Obama has launched an election year effort to increase taxes on millionaires, touting the so-called "Buffet Rule" (after billionaire investment guru Warren Buffet) that calls for an effective tax rate of 30 percent on earners o...
Debate over small business lending wages in Congress, industry, and public
Advocates, policymakers, and entrepreneurs continue to drive efforts aimed at stimulating lending activity in the small business sector.
New law broadens investment, innovation potential in Arizona
The State of Arizona may enjoy a wave of innovation and private sector investment thanks to the passage of a new law that modifies regulatory language. Prior to its passage, many organizations were discouraged from investing in innovative projects due to...
Some small businesses up in arms against healthcare reform
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has never been far from controversy.
California small business sentiment still not very impressive
Entrepreneurs looking to incorporate in California may want to consider a recent survey of the state's small business climate.
Alabama joins 37 other states in offering corporate e-filing services
With tax season approaching, many small business owners are looking for a more convenient way to file their corporate taxes. For that reason, most states have adopted e-filing services, hoping that these less resource-intensive processes will lead to lar...
Will public discontent sway the forces of financial services?
The U.S. financial services industry continues to face a post-recession wake-up call.
For Apple, brand loyalty extends to SMBs as well
Apple's recent success seems to be marketing itself. Last week, the tech giant reached a market capitalization of $500 billion, placing it an elite club that has been reached only by Microsoft, Cisco, ExxonMobil, and GE, at varying times.In January, ...
How do small businesses feel about the current US tax structure?
With months to go before the U.S. presidential election, voters can expect the issue of taxes - particularly in regards to corporate income - to dominate much of the conversation.
Mild gain in small business lending prompts debate over recovery
Lending to small businesses climbed slightly in January, reflecting the slow but certain state of the economic recovery. The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index jumped 18 percent - the 18th consecutive double-digit gain - to reach 100.8 p...
SBE Council Report: What are the best and worst states for small business?
If you're thinking about forming an LLC in New York or the District of Columbia, you may want to think again.
Report: Small employers not likely to opt out of healthcare reform
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will do a lot to upend the U.S. healthcare system, the most notable benefit of which will be to provide coverage to an additional 30 million Americans. But how will it affect small business owners and e...
Stronger economic outlooks highlight financing needs for small businesses
The National Small Business Association reported earlier this week that small business confidence has reached a three-year high.
President proposes tax breaks to Congress as House GOP offers dueling program
The White House is moving to stimulate the U.S. small business sector through a series of proposed tax breaks.
A few tax tips for small businesses in 2012
Tax season is approaching, and with recent improvements in the economy, small businesses cannot afford to overpay on their dues or miss any crucial regulatory procedures.
Private sector slowed job creation in January
The private sector continued to add jobs in January, although at a shorter pace than in the previous month, according to data released Wednesday by ADP Employer Services. Businesses added some 170,000 jobs last month, but the gain was less than forecaste...
Software, energy, biotech enjoy crux of 22 percent rise in VC investment
Venture capital investment rose last year, with a particular surge in funding for software and biotechnology firms, according to a MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.Total VC investment reached $28.4 b...
Facebook IPO highlights California's dependence on capital gains
There's no shortage of talk about Facebook's looming $10 billion initial public offering. Analysts point out that the social network's estimated $100 billion valuation would make it the largest internet IPO in history, trouncing the current record-holder...
Talent shortage? Train staff and rethink your recruiting strategy
It's no secret: There's a talent shortage emerging in the U.S. labor force.
2012: The year of the African entrepreneur?
A revolution may be surfacing on the African continent, and it's all about entrepreneurship.
December private sector hiring spearheaded by small business
Small businesses drove a considerable uptick in private sector hiring last month, allaying many economists' fears of a major surge in unemployment.
Three tips for maximizing your crowdfunding efforts
A lot has been said about crowdfunding - the process of raising capital through social media and online donor networks.
Small business lending highest in nearly four years
Borrowing by small businesses reached its highest level in nearly four years in November, offering further indication that small companies are investing in growth as the economy continues to rebound.The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index...
AP poll: U.S. economic growth will pick up in 2012
The pace of the U.S. economic recovery will pick up next year, although growth will remain tepid for some time to come.
Small businesses just want sales for Christmas
While the holiday season usually heralds increased consumer activity, this year may not be enough to satisfy small business owners. Recent economic woes have prompted most small business owners - 61 percent - to cite improved customer sales as the item o...
More female entrepreneurs in developing economies than developed ones
Women in developing nations are more likely to start or maintain a business, according to the most recent Women's Report by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
Four management tips for first-time leaders
While successful entrepreneurs tend to share some basic characteristics - such as being self-motivated, confident, or determined - not all are natural-born leaders. For many, the idea of managing a company and placating board members is rather daunting, ...
Small bank loans continue post-recession plummet
The volume of small bank loans to businesses in the U.S. has been waning since the recession began, according to data recently released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.While overall commercial and industrial lending by banks has risen for fi...
Small business: A public or private matter?
Small businesses are often cited as engines of economic growth, with their history of job creation and entrepreneurial innovation. Of course, the narrative in recent months has shifted toward how policy can stir activity in the sector and progress the ec...
Lawmakers reach agreement to extend two small business research funding programs
Congress may actually have flouted its partisan gamesmanship for a few brief moments to provide support for small businesses, particularly those in research and development fields.
Who's on top in the competitive mobile payment space?
Mobile payments and related technologies promise to revolutionize the way in which consumers and business alike make monetary transactions. Consider this scenario: You owe a friend money, but you don't have cash. No problem - just whip out your smartphon...
Small business optimism climbs to highest level since February
An uptick in sales and hiring projections drove up confidence among U.S. small businesses in November, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business.The NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index climbed 1.8 poin...
Three new services that give email a run for its money
Earlier this week we talked about alternatives to email. Why? Because it's a rather ancient technology, in light of other recent breakthroughs. While the simple exchange of text has been around - and useful - for thousands of years, it seems silly th...
Manufacturing sector expecting slightly greater revenues than other industries
Although the manufacturing sector has been one of the hardest hit by the recession, it appears to be more promising for the coming year than its counterparts in the service sector, according to a new report from the Institute for Supply Management.The se...
Optimism crucial as business owners enter 2012
The year is winding down and projections for 2012 are beginning to take shape. Although recent trends seem to flout the idea of a double-dip recession, pessimism and general dismay are rampant. Most notably, high unemployment and stagnant wage growth - m...
Holiday shopping season to be all about mobile
This holiday shopping season is expected to be the most mobile-friendly yet, as consumers hit stores with smartphones and tablets firmly in hand to research deals, purchase products, and even process payments.According to a survey released this week by P...
Are there alternatives to email in the workplace?
As far as internet history goes, email is about as ancient as it gets. While its value as a communications channel is clear and its age a testament to its success, there are some major disadvantages to email, especially within a professional work environ...
Defying expectations, joblessness plummets to 8.6 percent
The U.S. unemployment rate fell to the lowest rate in more than two years last month, effectively putting fears of a double-dip recession to bed. The Department of Labor reported Friday that the jobless rate now stands at 8.6 percent, well below October&...
Seasonal sales point out importance of sales and marketing alignment
Small retailers may need to ramp up their deals and services not only during the holiday shopping season, but for the foreseeable future as well. While consumers spent an estimated $52.4 billion over Black Friday weekend, preliminary data from a number o...
Private sector added 206,000 new jobs in November
Private sector payrolls added an estimated 206,000 jobs in November, according to the ADP Employment Report, surpassing many analysts' projections and offering hope for a recovery in the much-ailed U.S. job market.As usual, small businesses accounted...
NASA selects 300 small business contracting proposals
Three hundred small businesses in the U.S. are one step closer to a contracting award from NASA. Proposals were selected through the space agency's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.T...
U.S. small firms add 55,000 jobs in November
The employment situation appears little improved for small business owners and entrepreneurs, as hiring in the sector remains tempered by general economic uncertainty. According to the most recent Small Business Employment Index from Intuit, small firms ...
NRF: Record 226 million Americans shopped over Black Friday weekend
Defying many analysts' projections, retail sales over Black Friday weekend broke records and offered a wave of hope for the state of the economic recovery, much of which has been mired in recent months by weak consumer sentiment.According to the data...
Small businesses cite uncertainty and weak sales as top impediments to growth
When it comes to growth within the small business sector, owners may run off a variety of reasons why markets have stalled and rendered their expansion efforts a challenge.Most analysts point to hiring in the sector as one of the leading economic problem...
A few bright spots remain for small businesses
The current economy has been anything but a playground for entrepreneurs looking to form an LLC. While high unemployment has racked worker sentiment and driven up turnover rates, a weak credit market has made financing a challenge.With market conditions ...
Congressional deficit 'supercommittee' resigns to failure
Members of a 12-person bipartisan "supercommittee" are expected to announce they have failed to come up with $1.2 trillion in spending cuts, triggering an automatic $1 trillion in reductions over nine years. Most of those cuts will target defense and nat...
Surge in October retail sales offers hope for the economy
Retail sales climbed in October, marking the fifth straight monthly gain and providing further evidence that the economy is not headed toward another recession. However, with persistent troubles in unemployment and consumers credit, among other factors, ...
Occupy Wall Street movement bares evictions, predictable narratives
Municipal officials have launched a nationwide crackdown on Occupy Wall Street camps in their respective cities, citing growing public safety and sanitation concerns as the reason for a slew of recent evictions.
Encampments in Portland, San Francisco, an...
TD Bank: More small firms expect to meet or exceed revenues
While recent studies have shown a marked slowdown in confidence among small businesses, the sector appears to anticipate otherwise stable revenue and employment levels in coming months.According to a recent survey by TD Bank, two-thirds of small firms ex...
SBA acknowledges credit gap among small businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration has ramped up its lending activities in recent years. While the agency does not actually distribute loans, it offers guaranteed repayments to banks of up to 90 percent.Since the recession, business leaders and entre...
Global Entrepreneurship Week aims to put spotlight on social ventures
This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week, a worldwide celebration of innovators and job creators hosted by the Kauffman Foundation. With a focus on driving global economic growth through startup and entrepreneurial activity, GEW arrives amid an otherwis...
Bernanke stresses feds' need to support small business
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, often a punching bag for frustrated business advocates, asserted this week that policy makers need to think carefully about how to support small businesses.Since the economy tanked in 2008, the Fed has been leveragi...
Small business confidence picked up in October but remains weak
Optimism among U.S. small businesses nudged upward in October, although conditions remain too bleak to offer an otherwise hopeful forecast for the economy. The National Federation of Independent Business' Small Business Optimism Index increased 1.3 p...
Gallup: Americans trust local figures for job creation
While Congress continues to struggle reaching an agreement over how to address the nation's looming employment crisis, Americans appear to hold the most faith in small or local enterprises.According to a new Gallup poll, approximately eight in 10 sur...
Bank Transfer Day: A blessing in disguise for big banks?
How successful last Saturday's Bank Transfer Day was in driving consumers to community banks and credit unions may not be known until large institutions release their quarterly financial reports.However, according to the Credit Union National Associa...
Economy adds 80,000 jobs in October as unemployment dips to 9 percent
The employment situation improved slightly, albeit unenthusiastically, in October, as payrolls added 80,000 jobs on the month, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department. Only the private sector showed net job gains with 104,000 new positi...
Borrowing among small businesses improves in October
Lending to small businesses grew in September, although at a slower pace, according to the most recent Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index. The 14 percent increase marks the 14th consecutive month of double-digit monthly gains and a sligh...
ADP: 110,000 new jobs in October surpass expectations
The U.S. private sector added 110,000 jobs last month, according to the most recent ADP National Employment Report.The data surpass many economists' expectations and provide a few rays of hope ahead of Friday's employment report from the Departme...
Tepid hiring among small businesses in October
Small businesses, creators of roughly two-thirds of all new jobs, added 30,000 positions in October, according to the latest Small Business Employment Index from Intuit. This figure marks a 0.14 increase over the month before and a 1.17 percent hike from...
Business group's open letter to President Obama: regulatory reform now
A number of business advocacy groups released an open letter to President Barack Obama this week, outlining five key steps to improving conditions for small businesses through comprehensive regulatory reform.The National Federation of Independent Busines...
More than three-quarter of young adults delay major life changes
Last week, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported U.S. student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt in total volume for the first time ever. The report brought further attention to some of the grievances facing students and recent college ...
Now is the time to develop a strategy for the holidays
Last year's holiday shopping season broke a number of records, with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and the days leading up to Christmas all showing record figures, including nearly $30 billion in online spending alone.
While figu...
Real GDP grew by 2.5 percent in third quarter
The U.S. economy expanded by 2.5 percent during the third quarter, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, allaying many fears of a double-dip recession and offering further proof of a steady, albeit slow, reco...
Twice as many U.S. workers afraid of layoffs than pay cuts
Unemployment is at 9.1 percent, and the economy needs to create 125,000 jobs per month just to keep up with population growth - it has not done so since April. Meanwhile, economists project the jobless rate will stay north of 8 percent through next year....
NSBA: Rising costs drive small firms to alternative energy
As if weak consumer spending, price inflation and a struggling credit market weren’t enough, small businesses have been forced to grapple with rising energy costs as well. According to new research from the National Small Business Association, such...
SBA: Small firms major drivers of green tech innovation
It's been said that small businesses and entrepreneurs are the drivers of innovation in this country. While that argument may be up for debate, the sector appears to be leading in the green technology sector.According to a report released Thursday by...
Geithner points out strengths of discontinued Small Business Lending Fund
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner defended the much-criticized and now defunct Small Business Lending Fund this week, arguing the final volume of administered loans was ample proof of its success.The SBLF was a $30 billion pool of capital available to ...
U.S. student loans to exceed $1 trillion this year
Perhaps giving weight to some of the grievances among the Occupy Wall Street protesters, total student loan debts are expected to surpass $1 trillion for the first time this year, a new report from USA Today shows.The average full-time undergraduate stud...
U.S. slides to No. 10 in best countries for business
The U.S. has long held itself as a bastion of business and economic might. While its historical credentials may warrant this standing, trends in recent years have slid in the opposite direction.Forbes magazine's most recent rankings of the best count...
Wage growth expected to pick up slightly next year
While the U.S. labor market is not expected to improve much over the next year, a new report suggests wage growth in the private sector may, albeit mildly.The third quarter Wage Trend Indicator from analytics firm BNA climbed to 98.36, up from 98.21 in t...
President's American Jobs Act dies in Senate
The U.S. Senate failed to pass President Barack Obama's American Jobs Act Tuesday evening, as all 46 Republicans and two Democrats voted against the measure, which needed 60 votes to pass.The plan would have allocated $447 billion to job training pro...
NFIB: Small business confidence improves slightly but marred by ongoing challenges
A closely watched index of small business confidence edged up in September after months of declines, suggesting the economy may begin to take on a more vigorous recovery.The National Federation of Independent Business' Small Business Optimism Index c...
Tech firms team up for AmEx's Small Business Saturday event
Facebook, Twitter and Google are joining American Express in promoting this year's Small Business Saturday. The date, the Saturday after Thanksgiving (November 26), is mashed between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and follows a similar consumerist et...
Recession not over for household income
New research may point to why economic sentiment has been so low over the past several months, despite the fact that the recession ended more than two years ago. According to a study by Sentier Research, household income fell more in the years following ...
Job market favors critical-skill employees, but average workers face struggle
Read any headline about the current U.S. employment situation and you'll gather it's quite an employer's market right now. Americans are taking lowlier positions at reduced wages just to stay employed.However, the segment of "critical-sk...
Employers added 103,000 jobs in September but unemployment unchanged
The U.S. employment situation was largely unchanged in September, even as payrolls added a collective 103,000 positions, according to data released Friday by the Department of Labor. Unemployment remained at 9.1 percent, as most of the jobless rates for ...
Small firms have little faith in U.S. economy prospects
Small businesses have decaying confidence in the U.S. economy, according to a new survey from PNC Financial Services Group.Analysts have been hard-pressed to find hopeful prospects for U.S. or European markets in recent months. Hopes for improvements hav...
Some Texas taxpayers to face late filing fee beginning this month
Taxpayers and business owners in the state of Texas may face a new penalty fee for late tax filings, as the state comptroller's office seeks to add new revenue streams in light of considerable budget challenges.A report from the office of Texas compt...
Small banks, credit unions, microlenders outshine large banks in small business loan approvals
Community banks approved more small business loans in September over the previous month, according to a report released Wednesday by Biz2Credit. Lending to small firms also increased among credit unions, community development financial institutions and m...
Immigrants constitute half of New York's small businesses
New York City and its outlying region are extremely diverse, and even more varied is the city's immigrant population. But how do these groups impact the local economy? In one very big way: small business.According to a study released this week by the...
ADP: Private sector employment shows slight gains in September
Given the relative strength of Wall Street and the wider financial services sector in comparison to the rest of the U.S. economy, it may be surprising to note how tepid its employment recovery has actually been since the recession began.According to the ...
Double-dip recession inevitable, group says
The economy is headed, inescapably, to another recession, says the Economic Cycle Research Institute. Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of ECRI, argued last week that a recession has likely already begun - an argument that came one day after the Comme...
September hiring improves among small firms
September may have been a good month for small business - at least in comparison to other recent months. Hiring in the sector expanded 0.3 percent over August, equating to roughly 55,000 new jobs, according to the most recent Small Business Employment In...
Treasury: Small Business Lending Fund is dead
The Small Business Lending Fund - a $30 billion pool of capital set aside as lending incentives for community banks - has been scrubbed. Congress passed the measure last year in an attempt to spur hiring among small firms, but for a number of reasons the...
States, business groups challenging healthcare reform
A number of states and business organizations are challenging the legality of last year's healthcare reform law. This week, the Obama administration is expected to respond to the appeals, which were tendered by 26 states and the National Federation o...
SBA allocates $30 billion for small business exports
The Obama administration continues to stress the importance of boosting exports as a means of generating new revenue for businesses. Specifically, efforts such as the National Export Initiative, which aims to double business exports by 2015, have been me...
Small business sentiment falls to two-year low
Heightened economic uncertainty, political impasse, high unemployment and ongoing debt crises all collaborated to rack confidence among small businesses in the third quarter.The Vistage CEO Confidence Index, which measures optimism among small business l...
Facebook to launch small business advertising program
In a bid to increase its appeal in the small business community, Facebook is planning to launch a program that would allocate millions of dollars in advertising credits to small companies throughout the globe.In collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Com...
Small businesses hiring more than in 2010
The nation's smallest employers are counted on to produce roughly two-thirds of all new jobs, but recent slowdowns in market activity have discouraged many from hiring. Wage growth has remained flat, and unemployment is expected to float around 9 per...
Banks pledge to ramp up small business lending
Small businesses seeking a line of credit may find relief in a string of lending pledges signed by 13 U.S. banks. The effort is hoped to stimulate hiring and investment among the nation's smallest employers.Vice President Joe Biden and Small Business...
Cost-cutting idea: Switch to electronic payrolls
Small businesses have been looking for ways to scale back their budgets. While smaller payrolls certainly help, there are some less obvious strategies that can help nudge out those tiny expenses that add up to a whole lot.For example, electronic payrolls...
Survey queries small businesses on jobs act
Politicians, political players and media pundits all seek to leverage the voice of the unemployed to progress their own agendas, but the more heated the debate gets, the more jobseekers seem to be ignored.A new survey by Job.com aims to put the spotlight...
Confidence sinks as Jobs Act emerges as final hope
Small businesses in the U.S. continue to reel from adverse conditions. Aside from sporadic pockets of credit availability and widespread consumer pessimism, there are few signs of hope on the horizon.Lately, business owners have begun looking to Presiden...
Four tips for boosting your financing/marketing balance
When it boils down to it, there are two main functions a business should be focusing on in times of trouble: marketing and finances. While saving capital and banishing costly budget items can help sustain your bottom line, improving public relations and ...
How to Keep Your Corporate Books
Bookkeeping is an important aspect of running any business, particularly ones in the midst of expansion. While companies are not legally obligated to maintain their books in any specific manner, they should be thorough and accurately indicate a business'
How to Keep Corporate Records
From INCyclopedia, the incorporation encyclopediaContents: Types of Corporate Records → Articles of Incorporation Bylaws and Operating Agreements Resolutions and Minutes Annual Reports Shareholder List Shareholder Communication Co...