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We're seeing from sources that the massive financial reform package passed recently by the U.S. Senate will not negatively impact investment in the small business and entrepreneurship community. Time will tell. Tighter regulation might certainly tend to further tighten bank lending but perhaps this isn't the best source of business financing anyway ... Read More

It may say more about the state of affairs in our society and our economy than anything else, but the truth is that you need to borrow money. Lending and credit have become such integral parts of the way our society does things with money that your entire financial reputation is not based on how you manage your money; it’s based on how you manage your cred Read More

Would it surprise you to learn that startup activity in the U.S. is at it's highest point in 14 years even topping the activity during the famed DotCom boom? A report from the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity relates this very fascinating statistic and raises questions (at least in some minds) about whether we really need to use more tax payer money to encourage loans for small business Read More

As National Small Business Week draws to a close, we look back on highlights including these remarks from U.S. President Barack Obama. Obama talks about his administration's efforts to help small business grow through elimination of capital gains tax for some businesses and government funding to encourage more bank lending Read More

It seems that credit unions and community banks, the kinds of institutions that usually loan to small businesses, are prevented from doing so as much as they would like because of a credit cap that limits the amount of lending permitted for them under law. Now credit unions are asking that the cap be lifted allowing them, and community banks, to approve more loans for small businesses. And guess who's objecting to the change! Read More

Thanks in part to the recession, businesses especially in the "lower-middle market" are handling their own financing with buyers when it comes time to sell. When a buyer can't get the loans they once did to cover purchase of a company from a bank often the business being purchased is providing the additional needed financing usually with longer involvement in the company after closing Read More

By now, many of you may have heard that BizSugar was honor last week with the Best Of Tech Award For Best Social Media App from the Northeast Ohio Software Association. I wonder if the community would join me in thanking our global team of moderators, great executive board and others who have been such a great help in making BizSugar the social media site it is today. Also thanks to our wonderful community members. You made it all possibl Read More

In a world of identity theft and the selling of customer information, how you handle the data collected from customers says a lot about your business. It also says a great deal about the amount of trust customers are likely to put in you. The Better Business Bureau has put together this video and post to share some tips on how to deal with customer information and how to protect the information with which you have been entrusted Read More

What's in a name when picking one for your business. Quite a lot, say some entrepreneurs who fret over what to name their new venture during startup. Not only will the name you choose stay with you for a long time, but it will communicate much about your values and your business to customers. It will be a first impression but must also leave a lasting impression and with all of this said, here are some other thoughts from Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs Read More

This podcast from Barry J. Moltz looks at the trend toward remote work or working from home (or just about anywhere else you can think of but the office) and the money it can save for both businesses and their employees. Not to make things appear too rosy, there are, of course, some negative aspects when it comes to life/work balance. (You can reach a point where you're sort of always working.) But there are positives too. Listen to conversations with Margo Day, Vice President of Small and Midmarket Solutions at Microsoft; Chuck Wilsker, CEO of The Telework Coalition and Alexandra Levit, author and columnist for the Wall Street Journal and decide whether a remote work arrangement might be right for your business.
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