SmallBizResource Blog -- Economy

7 Tax Tips For New Small Businesses

Posted by Gayle Kesten 05:20 PM ET | Jul 27, 2009

The sun will come out tomorrow -- but in reference to when the unemployment rate is expected to peak north of 10 percent, just which "tomorrow" we're talking about depends on who you ask.

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Economy

Receivables-Based Credit: An Alternative Financing Option

Posted by Gayle Kesten 10:20 AM ET | Jun 29, 2009

From increasing interest rates to the need for higher credit scores, many small business owners have felt the strangle known as the credit crunch.

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Economy

SBA Launches Loans For Vulnerable Small Businesses

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:31 PM ET | Jun 16, 2009

"America's entrepreneurs and small businesses will be the ones to lead us out of the recession if we give them the tools they need to succeed."

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Economy | Government | SmallBizResource

Know-How For Hire: Top 100 Web Skills

Posted by Gayle Kesten 09:00 AM ET | Jun 15, 2009

While the economic recession continues to roll on, Elance's June jobs report provides an unprescribed dose of optimism -- providing you have the right skill set.

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Economy | Internet | SmallBizResource | Startups

Concerns Among Small Businesses, According To Two Companies That Serve 'Em

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:48 AM ET | Jun 12, 2009

Does it make sense to take out a business loan if you're struggling to attract customers?

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Economy | Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource | Startups

Office Depot Launches Small Business Self-Bailout Plan

Posted by Janet Attard, Courtesy of Business Know-How 08:24 AM ET | Jun 4, 2009

Looking for ideas to get through the recession? Or have you found some clever ways to get ahead despite the recession?

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Business Know-How | Economy | SmallBizResource

Small Business' Economic Confidence Continues To Improve

Posted by Gayle Kesten 10:39 AM ET | Apr 27, 2009

A mild case of spring fever? Even though nine out of 10 small-business owners still think the U.S. economy is in the dumps, their outlook continues to soften, according to the April Discover Small Business Watch.

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Economy

House Small Business Committee Hearing Discusses Future Of Small-Biz Research Funding

Posted by Gayle Kesten 05:08 PM ET | Apr 23, 2009

Encouraging technological innovation among small businesses requires more than just lip service. It requires money -- particularly during a recession when, paradoxically, budgets have been shred at a rate that in my analogy-driven mind evokes scenes from Edward Scissorhands.

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Economy | Government | SmallBizResource | Startups

5 Reasons Entrepreneurs Will Emerge From The Recession

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:52 AM ET | Apr 21, 2009

Among this week's doom-n-gloom headlines: U.S. Economy: Leading Index Shows Extended Recession. Leading Indicators Continue to Fall. U.S. May See Double-Digit Unemployment. And it's only Tuesday.

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Economy

5 Tips For Maintaining Your Integrity When Competing For Contracts

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:36 AM ET | Apr 10, 2009

Quite possibly you've experienced some panicky moments pondering your business' future. Hopefully it didn't take long to get a grip, but no one can fault you for bravely staring reality (PDF) in the face either.

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Economy | SmallBizResource | Startups

Is Green Tech Worth The Investment?

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:07 PM ET | Apr 6, 2009

Purchasing green technology -- certainly the right thing to do for our planet -- doesn't necessarily come cheap. What's a small-business owner to do?

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Economy | Green | Hardware | SmallBizResource | Software | Startups

Discover Small Business Watch Index Shows Signs Of Warmth

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:32 AM ET | Mar 31, 2009

Attitude is everything, right? An optimistic one certainly can't hurt, even when things are far from perfect. In my little part of the country, the sky is blue and it looks like spring, but one step out my front door, and I'm back in the house grabbing my gloves. Still, I know the cold days are dwindling, and maybe, just maybe, small-business owners' confidence in the economy is starting to thaw, as well.

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Economy

Recession Won't Freeze Small-Business Hiring

Posted by Gayle Kesten 05:06 PM ET | Mar 27, 2009

Just as consumer confidence influences the performance of the market, employer confidence influences their business' response to it.

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Economy

How Often Do You Talk To Your Accountant?

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:43 PM ET | Mar 20, 2009

A new study uncovers a disconnect exists between how well accountants think they're servicing their small-business clients and how well those customers say they're being serviced.

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Economy

Is Bad News Becoming Background Noise?

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:53 PM ET | Mar 10, 2009

Another day, another low.

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Economy

Small Business (Down) Town Hall

Posted by Gayle Kesten 06:09 PM ET | Mar 5, 2009

Small-business owners who haven't connected the dots between President Obama's stimulus package and what it means for them have a temporary excuse for remaining in the dark: technology.

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Economy

Thursday: Free Online Discussion About What Stimulus Plan Means For Your Small Business

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:48 PM ET | Mar 3, 2009

OK, listen up all you small business owners who told MerchantCircle they didn't know enough about President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to have an opinion about it (read yesterday's SBR post).

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Economy | Government | SmallBizResource | Startups

Small Businesses Weigh In On Stimulus Package

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:18 AM ET | Mar 2, 2009

What do microbusinesses really think about President Obama's stimulus package?

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Economy | Government | SmallBizResource | Startups

SBA Gives Thumbs Up To The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Posted by Gayle Kesten 04:16 PM ET | Feb 18, 2009

One month after becoming President of the United States, Barack Obama has made good on his economic stimulus plan, signing into law the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. And from the standpoint of the Small Business Association, we have everything to gain.

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Economy

House Small Business Committee Meets To Discuss Entrepreneurial Development Programs

Posted by Gayle Kesten 12:59 PM ET | Feb 12, 2009

A magic pill to cure the ailing economy has yet to be invented, but entrepreneurial development programs are a serious step in a healthy direction.

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Economy | Government | SmallBizResource | Startups

Short-Term: The New Long-Term Marketing Strategy?

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:13 PM ET | Jan 9, 2009

Would you consider it encouraging if I told you job losses among the smallest of businesses in December were around half that of November's numbers?

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Economy | Marketing

Your Small Business In 2009

Posted by Gayle Kesten 12:40 PM ET | Jan 5, 2009

Like my entire family smushed into my parents' spare bedroom this time last week, so, too, can small businesses expect their space to crowd with more startups in the coming year.

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Economy | Hardware | Internet | Marketing | Mobility | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software

Rounding Up The Year-End Roundups

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:54 PM ET | Dec 23, 2008

Santa's not the only one who's making a list. The Web is overflowing with lists of best-ofs. I continue to be mindful of the ones I present here on Small Biz Resource -- my radar always on the lookout for quality over quantity.

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Economy | Hardware | Marketing | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software

Ax The Payroll Tax, Temporarily

Posted by Gayle Kesten 09:57 AM ET | Dec 15, 2008

The economic stimulus plan should include a six-month payroll tax break for small businesses, whose sales are at an all-time low, says the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

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Economy | SmallBizResource

Go Ahead And Have Your Office Holiday Party

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:07 PM ET | Dec 5, 2008

A day after widespread layoffs, my former company went ahead with its preplanned summer BBQ. Biting into my burger that hot day several years ago, I couldn't help but wonder if cancelling the event could have saved someone's job.

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Economy