Tag: Small Business
Running a small business like basketball
Q: Steve – Reading your column I get that you are a sports fan. I love to use sports analogies in my business and when I speak with my staff – I find that it is relatable. Glad to see you do the same. Do you have a favorite? — Bill A: Well, I did graduate from UCLA, but unfortunately attended after the glory days of Bruin basketball under legendary coach John Wooden. But evenRead More
50 Side Businesses You Can Start On Your Own
In the past, I’ve discussed how it’s a good idea to spend your spare time dabbling in entrepreneurship: it fills your time with something that you choose (and thus you enjoy) and sets up a potential long-term revenue stream. I also discussed how I got a side business going myself. Since then, lots of readers have written to me, asking for ideas on how to start a simple side business. What follows is a listRead More
Small business brand value is more than the Q factor
Have you noticed that every new on-air person hired by a TV network looks like a soap opera actor? They’re all young and pretty. We’re left to think that non-beautiful people need not apply. That is, unless you’re familiar with a certain marketing measurement. Marketing Evaluations Inc. is the proprietor of a marketing metric used extensively to hire on-air talent. It’s called the Q factor Score, and it’s as rude as it is simple. A prospectiveRead More
Small Business Size Standards and Definition regards
Small Business Definition regards Learn about the definition of – and qualifications for – a small business and why it’s important to know your status. SBA has established numerical definitions of small businesses, or “size standards,” for all for-profit industries. Size standards represent the largest size that a business (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) may be to remain classified as a small business concern. In determining what constitutes a small business, the definition will varyRead More
Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration
Repeal of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program Effective Immediately The President of the United States signed the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 (Jobs Act) on Sept. 27, 2010. The Jobs Act amended the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-656) by repealing the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program. The amendment was effective Sept. 27, 2010, and applies to the first full fiscal year after the date of enactment of theRead More
Obama Administration Opens Health-Insurance Portal to Small Businesses
The Obama administration has opened a new health-insurance portal to small businesses in five states after a yearlong delay of the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace for small-employer health plans. The exchange, which was shelved last year amid mounting technical problems, quietly went live for the first time over the weekend in Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio. Companies in those states that have fewer than 50 full-time workers can start using the siteRead More
Small Business Development Center Welcomes New Director
The Southern Maryland branch of the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has welcomed a new regional director – Ellen Flowers-Fields. Flowers-Fields has a history in the county, having moved to Calvert 14 years ago. She spent 10 years heading federal workforce initiatives with the Tri-County, then went to work for the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation as the deputy secretary of workforce development. She brings her background to her work with theRead More
Start-Up Lendoor Aims to Use Crowdfunding for Small-Business Loans
Crowdfunding — gathering lots of small checks from individuals to finance a company or a project — is a hot area in Silicon Valley at the moment. Now, one fledgling company in New York wants to bring the principles of crowdfunding to a dusty sector of American finance: small-business lending. The company, Lendoor, plans to introduce a way for local businesses to borrow money from their customers and other individuals online. It is the latestRead More
Chris Myers: Small Business, Startups and the Wisdom of Crowds
My fascination with the concept of crowdsourcing started back in 2004, as it did for many who read James Surowiecki’s brilliant book “The Wisdom of Crowds.” The idea that the collective wisdom of a large group could prove superior to the expertise of individuals is powerful. It has been proven out to a great degree by experiments both large and small. However, for the longest time I wondered about the commercial aspects of collective wisdom.Read More
Three Best Ways to Insure Your Small Business
Insuring your small business against a natural disaster, a fire or a catastrophic event is almost an afterthought in the scheme of daily operations, but it shouldn’t be. For starters, if you don’t have enough coverage to replace damaged or destroyed equipment, it might be harder – or impossible – to get your company running again. A quarter of businesses never re-open after a major calamity, according to the Institute for Business & Home Safety.Read More