Archives: September 2008

Will good ideas still get funded?

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 30

Adam Davidson at NPR's excellent Planet Money blog asks the right question: "Will normal banks stop lending money to people and companies that deserve it?" The single biggest selling point...

More on the small business credit crunch

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 30

I want to flag this segment from CBS News Sunday on small companies facing tighter credit. It touches on some of the things we've been reporting lately, including the credit...

Rescue for Small Business?

Posted by: Amy Barrett on September 29

As the debate about the now-stalled government bailout continues, supporters continue to argue the plan is critical to the health of small business in this country. So what's actually in...

Customer Financing

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 25

Some small businesses, squeezed hard by the credit crunch and unable to obtain bank loans, have found unique sources of funding. The New York Post reports that the popular Five...

Operators Are Standing By…

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 25

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Ronco, the company Ron Popeil, “father of the infomercial” founded. Tele-savvy Popeil of course, is the man behind such items as the Veg-O-Matic,...

Your chance to cut red tape

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 23

Want to re-write the federal regulations that affect your business? Then take a look at the SBA's Regulatory Review and Reform Initiative. The idea is that you can tell the...

Bon Appetit Recession Style

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 22

According to an item in New York magazine, some of the city’s tony eateries are paring down along with the economy, lowering prices and offering incentives to fill tables...

How are you preparing for the fourth quarter?

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 18

The chaos on Wall Street this week makes one thing clear: those hoping that the economy will stabilize in 2008 will be disappointed. Any small business owners planning on a...

Another craft marketplace for artisans

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 17

Stowe Boyd points us to CraftNetwork, another craft marketplace connecting developing world artisans with customers around the world, along the lines of the World of Good eBay store I mentioned...

Ten Resources for Nervous Entrepreneurs

Posted by: Nick Leiber on September 16

With Monday’s dramatic global sell-off in the financial markets, you're probably already aware that the credit crunch will only get worse. You're also probably thinking the crisis isn't over yet....

Lessons from Ike

Posted by: Amy Barrett on September 15

As if small businesses needed a reminder, the devastation of Hurricane Ike was fresh evidence that even a moderate hurricane can cause widespread damage. So the question is: How ready...

Training supports entrepreneurship in underserved communities

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 12

Today we bring you excerpts of my conversation about race and entrepreneurship with Robert Fairlie, one of the leading experts on the subject. Fairlie answered my questions about his new...

Fresh Video Series: The Therapeutic Garment Maker

Posted by: Nick Leiber on September 11

Our ongoing series Fresh profiles standout startups before they become household names. Now we're adding videos of some of the featured entrepreneurs to the mix. Catch the latest in the...

Paying business debts before home mortgages, Part II

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 11

Just a brief follow-up on the item I posted Monday on how business owners are paying their commercial debts even as many fall behind on home loans. In the comments,...

Speaking in Tongues

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 10

On September 5th Businessweek.com published my interview with KISS front man Gene Simmons in which he talked at length about his business prowess and well, himself. While we weren’t too...

Fresh Video Series: A New Generation of Bar Codes

Posted by: Nick Leiber on September 10

Our ongoing series Fresh profiles standout startups before they become household names. Now we're adding videos of some of the featured entrepreneurs to the mix. Catch the latest in the...

Fresh Video Series: Highly Attractive Work Gear

Posted by: Nick Leiber on September 10

Our ongoing series Fresh profiles standout startups before they become household names. Now we're adding videos of some of the featured entrepreneurs to the mix. Catch the latest in the...

Success for high school entrepreneurs

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 10

We just published our annual list of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs. One nominee that didn't qualify, because the company is a non-profit, has a story that we want to highlight...

Is Small the New Big?

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 10

It used to be way back in the day, that consumers shopped for their produce, meat and fish at a variety of individual purveyors. Then came the small grocer and...

Entrepreneurs pay business debts before their mortgages

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 08

Small business owners are more willing to default on their home mortgages than on their business debts, according to research out today from credit bureau Experian. Some 312,000 business owners...

Suggest questions on race and entrepreneurship

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 04

Next week I'm scheduled to interview Robert Fairlie, a UC Santa Cruz economics professor and co-author with Alicia Robb of a new book called Race and Entrepreneurial Success. Fairlie's book,...

Big Technology for Small Book Publishers

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 04

The gap between small, independent book publishers and the big houses is narrowing. At least in terms of technology. According to a story in the NYT independent publishers will now...

Thomas J. Bata (1914-2008) R.I.P

Posted by: Stacy Perman on September 03

According to the Canadian-based company that bears his name: Thomas J. Bata, also known as “shoemaker to the world” has died. The Czech-born Bata, fled Europe in 1939 and emigrated...

eBay: fostering entrepreneurship in developing countries?

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 03

Sarah Perez at ReadWriteWeb reports on a new eBay marketplace for green and fair-trade products called World of Good. It's a partnership with the organization of the same name,...

Mortgage problems for the self-employed

Posted by: John Tozzi on September 02

Alt-A mortgages were designed for people with good credit who had trouble documenting their income -- people like the self-employed. Not as risky as subprime but not quite prime either,...