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Photograph by Todd Weddle/St. Joseph News-Press/AP Photo
Your Small Business Questions, Answered
Send us your questions on challenges you face in your business. Journalist Karen E. Klein will interview experts and distill their insights into answers.
Recent
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Benefits
What the Self-Employed Don't Know About Obamacare Subsidies
In 2014, individuals earning up to about $45,000 annually through self-employment could be eligible for subsidized health insurance coverage -
Policy
Minimum Wage, Small Business, and Front Groups
Meet a Washington group aiming to discredit small business advocates who seek to raise the federal minimum wage -
Starting a Business
Medbox: Dawn of the Marijuana Vending Machine
The California company wants to be the one-stop shop for all things weed, selling pot and cannabis-based drinks and snacks from refrigerated, armored dispensers -
Policy
'Housewives' Actress Eva Longoria Recognized for Her Business Expertise
The television star is in Washington promoting minority women entrepreneurs -
Financing
As Online Sales Tax Passes Senate, What's the Word on Main Street?
E-tailers will have to grapple with new tax-compliance rules if the bill becomes law. Many online and offline businesses consider it worth the trouble -
Policy
Small Business Hiring Is Down. Nope, It's Up
Though often conflicting, a handful of new measures show small companies are expanding their payrolls -
Policy
What Do a Chemical Engineer and a Pizza Maker Have in Common?
A new report says government policies around the world often undermine entrepreneurs with potential to create high-growth ventures -
Advice
How to Lower Your Company's Property Taxes
To convince officials to reduce a company's tax burden, build a case backed with data and get peers and politicians to support it -
Policy
A California Startup Pushes Florida to Legalize Wine in Kegs
Wine keg distributor Free Flow Wines wants to make Florida change an obscure law so that the company can tap a larger market -
Taxes
Colorado and Washington Try to Figure Out How to Tax Marijuana
Proponents of legal pot said it would bring a flood of tax revenue. Not so fast -
Policy
Overlooked in the Online Sales Tax Bill: Free Tax Software
Tax collection is too complex for retailers, say opponents of a proposed law scheduled for its final vote in the Senate in May. Free software is intended to make it easier -
Policy
In the SEC's JOBS Act Lawsuit, a Message to Critics
In latest fraud lawsuit, SEC shows it's not in love with the JOBS Act -
Policy
Home Is Where the Hope Is for Midsize Companies
Executives at U.S. companies with annual revenue from $10 million to $1 billion are more confident about their local economies than they are of larger economies -
Policy
With Boston Locked Down, Small Business Steps Up
With Boston on lockdown during the manhunt for a suspect in the Marathon bombings, meet a few entrepreneurs who stayed open for business -
Financing
VCs That Back Women Beat Those That Don't
The least-connected venture capital firms are the most likely to invest in women-led companies
Read
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Benefits
What the Self-Employed Don't Know About Obamacare Subsidies
In 2014, individuals earning up to about $45,000 annually through self-employment could be eligible for subsidized health insurance coverage -
Policy
How the Insurance Industry Funded Small Business's Anti-Obamacare Message
In opposing an Obamacare tax on health insurers, the National Federation of Independent Business quietly cashed an $850,000 check from an insurers' lobby -
Smart Answers
Advice for Small Employers Confused by Obamacare
What size businesses are affected? Does it pay to drop coverage? Industry experts weigh in on a handful of common questions about the law's forthcoming requirements -
Taxes
Tax Reform Riddle: How Big Can a 'Small' Business Be?
A House bill would reduce burdens on companies with revenue of $10 million or less, but some feel the threshold should be higher -
Policy
Minimum Wage, Small Business, and Front Groups
Meet a Washington group aiming to discredit small business advocates who seek to raise the federal minimum wage -
Expanding Overseas
New Legislation Neglects Small Exporters’ Biggest Need
Three bills would streamline programs that help small businesses sell abroad. A study finds that credit is what small exporters really need -
Policy
Higher Minimum Wage? Small Business Doesn't Mind
Surprisingly, many small businesses support a minimum wage hike -
Policy
What Obamacare Means for Small Employers in 2013
One of every four business owners are uninsured, studies say, and small employers are more likely to terminate coverage -
Policy
Canada Launches a Startup Visa to Lure Entrepreneurs
Go north, young techie. Canada wants your startup -
Policy
U.S. Owes Small Contractors $3 Million, Says Graves
The GSA failed to make guaranteed payments to at least 1,280 companies, according to the House Small Business Committee's chairman -
Policy
'Housewives' Actress Eva Longoria Recognized for Her Business Expertise
The television star is in Washington promoting minority women entrepreneurs -
Financing
As Online Sales Tax Passes Senate, What's the Word on Main Street?
E-tailers will have to grapple with new tax-compliance rules if the bill becomes law. Many online and offline businesses consider it worth the trouble -
Financing
Crowdfunding's on Hold. So Is Crowdfunding Fraud
Predictions about a robust new source of capital for entrepreneurs and a flood of fraudsters preying on gullible investors haven't materialized -
Policy
Obamacare's Small Business Exchanges Get Watered Down
In many states, plans to let small employers offer workers a menu of health plans have been put on hold for a year -
Financing
VCs That Back Women Beat Those That Don't
The least-connected venture capital firms are the most likely to invest in women-led companies
Shared
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Benefits
What the Self-Employed Don't Know About Obamacare Subsidies
In 2014, individuals earning up to about $45,000 annually through self-employment could be eligible for subsidized health insurance coverage -
Policy
How the Insurance Industry Funded Small Business's Anti-Obamacare Message
In opposing an Obamacare tax on health insurers, the National Federation of Independent Business quietly cashed an $850,000 check from an insurers' lobby -
Financing
As Online Sales Tax Passes Senate, What's the Word on Main Street?
E-tailers will have to grapple with new tax-compliance rules if the bill becomes law. Many online and offline businesses consider it worth the trouble -
Financing
VCs That Back Women Beat Those That Don't
The least-connected venture capital firms are the most likely to invest in women-led companies -
Policy
Minimum Wage, Small Business, and Front Groups
Meet a Washington group aiming to discredit small business advocates who seek to raise the federal minimum wage -
Taxes
Tax Reform Riddle: How Big Can a 'Small' Business Be?
A House bill would reduce burdens on companies with revenue of $10 million or less, but some feel the threshold should be higher -
Policy
Women Who Run Tech Startups Are Catching Up
Female tech entrepreneurs have traditionally lagged behind their male counterparts. They're gaining ground, according to new research presented at a recent Women 2.0 conference -
Policy
'Housewives' Actress Eva Longoria Recognized for Her Business Expertise
The television star is in Washington promoting minority women entrepreneurs -
Policy
Canada Launches a Startup Visa to Lure Entrepreneurs
Go north, young techie. Canada wants your startup -
Policy
Struggling Cities, From Detroit to New Orleans, See Startups as Saviors
Efforts are spreading to lure tech entrepreneurs to places not known for their tech scenes -
Policy
Higher Minimum Wage? Small Business Doesn't Mind
Surprisingly, many small businesses support a minimum wage hike -
Policy
A California Startup Pushes Florida to Legalize Wine in Kegs
Wine keg distributor Free Flow Wines wants to make Florida change an obscure law so that the company can tap a larger market -
Financing
Treasury’s Small Business Lending Fund Faces New Criticism
Community banks that used fund money to pay back government loans didn't do enough for Main Street, a new report says -
Policy
What Do a Chemical Engineer and a Pizza Maker Have in Common?
A new report says government policies around the world often undermine entrepreneurs with potential to create high-growth ventures -
Policy
Small Employers Are Clueless About Obamacare
A majority of business owners don't grasp the basics of the law, a new survey suggests
Discussed
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Financing
As Online Sales Tax Passes Senate, What's the Word on Main Street?
E-tailers will have to grapple with new tax-compliance rules if the bill becomes law. Many online and offline businesses consider it worth the trouble -
Policy
How the Insurance Industry Funded Small Business's Anti-Obamacare Message
In opposing an Obamacare tax on health insurers, the National Federation of Independent Business quietly cashed an $850,000 check from an insurers' lobby -
Policy
Minimum Wage, Small Business, and Front Groups
Meet a Washington group aiming to discredit small business advocates who seek to raise the federal minimum wage -
Policy
'Housewives' Actress Eva Longoria Recognized for Her Business Expertise
The television star is in Washington promoting minority women entrepreneurs -
Policy
How to Neuter Patent Trolls
Small businesses need a real defense from spurious patent lawsuits, but a proposed fix in Congress is flawed -
Expanding Overseas
New Legislation Neglects Small Exporters’ Biggest Need
Three bills would streamline programs that help small businesses sell abroad. A study finds that credit is what small exporters really need -
Commentary
Don't Ignore Those Non-Job-Creating Entrepreneurs
The presidential nominees should explain how they'll help the Gig Economy's estimated 10.6 million self-employed Americans—even those who aren't planning to hire -
Financing
Small Bailed-Out Banks Still Lagging in Main Street Loans
The U.S. offered community lenders $4 billion to loan out to small businesses. Some have done a better job than others -
Taxes
Pricier Penalties for Tax-Reporting Scofflaws
Small employers who miss IRS deadlines must pay steeper penalties this year. The maximum failure-to-file penalty is now $500,000 -
Policy
Behind Women’s Shrinking Share of Federal Contracts
Government contract awards to women-owned firms are dropping faster than contracts to businesses owned by men -
Policy
Three Months After Sandy, a Report Card on Small Business Relief
SBA loan approval rates for Sandy are more than twice as high as those for Katrina and Rita -
Policy
With Guns Banned on Big Marketplaces, a New Site Steps Up
Weapons prohibitions on Amazon, EBay, and Google Shopping are creating room for specialized marketplaces such as FreeGunShow.com to connect buyers and sellers -
Policy
Canada Launches a Startup Visa to Lure Entrepreneurs
Go north, young techie. Canada wants your startup -
Policy
Explaining Obamacare's Baffling Tax Breaks for Small Business
Small employers have been slow to take the law's tax credit for offering health coverage. Accountants blame complicated rules -
Policy
On Health Care, Small Business Just Wants to Move On
Now that Obamacare is alive and well, small businesses want to know how to comply
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A daily roundup of the most compelling stories about small business and entrepreneurship
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