Archives: February 2010

Bill Would Expand Aid for Manufacturers

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 26

Back in December I wrote a story about a Michigan program to help manufacturers trying to diversify into new industries get the loans they need to do that. The $13.2...

Google's Angels

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 26

In this week's issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Kimberly Weisul and Spencer Ante report on the cadre of Google veterans plowing their cash into startups: More than 40 ex-Googlers have invested...

Mother-in-Law Market Research

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 26

This is a post by guest blogger Jeff Bussgang. I'll never forget my first marketing class at business school. Our professor peered at us with an intense glare as he...

Wednesday Links: Scams, Lawsuits, and Advertising

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 24

Beware scams where would-be financiers want advance fees before delivering loans. Crains reporter Steve Garmhausen looks at frauds targeting small businesses. A Long Beach, Calif., veterinary hospital is suing Yelp,...

Tuesday Links: A Crowdfunding Failure

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 23

Crowdfunding site SellaBand, which I profiled in 2007, files bankruptcy, GigaOm's Mathew Ingram reports. (But beer fans haven't given up on the model...) Lots of buzz about fuel cell company...

Largest Banks Less Likely To Meet Business Credit Needs

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 23

Small business customers at the nation's 18 largest banks reported less success getting credit than customers of other commercial banks, according to a report released today by researchers at the...

Monday Links: Wired Farms; Healthy Eyes

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 22

Web services for small farms, via Springwise. For those who spend all day at screens, how to protect your eyes, by Celine Roque at Web Worker Daily. Tax lawyer Harvey...

Thursday Links: Cracking Down on the Independent Contractor Tax Dodge

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 18

President Obama's proposed budget suggests tough times ahead for employers who misclassify independent contractors, Courtney Rubin reports on Inc. Has the Great Recession ended? Dane Stangler, writing on the Kauffman...

Huntington Bank to Ease Credit to Small Businesses

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 17

A regional bank in the Midwest is preparing to do what small business owners and politicians have been urging since the start of the financial crisis in 2008: increase lending...

Wednesday Links: Not As Entrepreneurial As We Think

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 17

Our culture and educational system don't foster entrepreneurs, despite what we like to think, Chris Dixon writes. (H/t VC Dispatch) Entrepreneurs are designers, even if they don't realize it, says...

Tuesday Links: There Goes the Neighborhood

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 16

When entrepreneurs move their businesses into their homes, they sometimes clash with neighbors and local zoning regs, Jennifer Levitz reports in the WSJ. How to start a business without ruining...

Why Credit Matters to Employment and Sales

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 16

Reuters' Felix Salmon looks at the relationship between bank credit and small business hiring. Even though big companies are sitting on cash, they won't drive the jobs recovery anyway, he...

Unusual Verdict: Jackson Hewitt Liable for Franchisee's Actions

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 16

This is a post by guest blogger Janet Sparks. It is cross-posted on Blue MauMau. Last Wednesday a jury found that franchisor Jackson Hewitt Tax Services (JTX) must pay a...

Weekend Links: Mardi Gras Money

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 12

Tulane economists estimate that Mardi Gras spending tops $147 million in New Orleans, including $26 million on booze, CNNMoney's Sonya Stinson reports. Huntington Bank is expanding its small business lending...

Morgan Stanley Planning Small Business Program: Report

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 12

Small business microlender Accion USA is in talks with Morgan Stanley to develop a new lending program, according to an article in American Banker this week. In a wide-ranging profile...

Wednesday Links: What Your Lousy Meetings Really Cost

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 10

A new startup calculates what wasteful meetings cost your company, MG Siegler writes at TechCrunch. State and local budget crunches mean government contractors have to wait longer to get paid,...

Tuesday Links: Lifting Lending Caps; Haiti's Businesses

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 09

Credit unions want to lift limits on the amount of small business loans they can make, currently capped at 12.25% of assets, Binyamin Appelbaum reports in the Washington Post. NPR's...

Help Us Find America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 09

Today we're launching our second annual search for the most promising social entrepreneurs in the U.S. As we did last year, we're looking for companies that aim to both turn...

Monday Links: Tips for Freelancers

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 08

Richard Greenwald, writing in the WSJ, outlines five keys to success for freelancers. Becky McCray of Small Business Survival offers four ways to distinguish your company from bigger competitors. L3Cs...

Bankers Urged to Get to Know Borrowers

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 08

Regulators want the nation's banks to get to know their small business customers better. In a statement Friday, federal and state regulators said banks shouldn't curtail credit based on negative...

Weekend Links: Wal-Mart and Target to Create Smaller Stores

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 05

Wal-Mart and Target told analysts they are creating smaller stores that could fit in the heart of densely packed cities where they have no presence, Nicole Maestri reports on Reuters....

Obama to Propose Temporary Expansions of Two SBA Lending Programs

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 05

This afternoon President Obama is proposing that Congress pass two temporary expansions of SBA lending programs, according to a White House official. These are both legislative proposals designed to help...

Thursday Links: $6 Billion in Export Financing; Women Founders; Microfinance in Haiti

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 04

Today Commerce Secretary Gary Locke pledged $6 billion a year in export financing for small businesses through the U.S. Export-Import Bank, Bloomberg's Mark Drajem reports. Vivek Wadhwa, writing over on...

Curt Schilling Earns (an Expensive) Harvard Business School MBA

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 04

This is a post by guest blogger Jeff Bussgang. In his storied baseball career, Curt Schilling has rarely found himself at a loss for words. So it was great fun...

Wednesday Links: How the SBA Works; Jobs Numbers; Made in Haiti

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 03

Why doesn't the Small Business Administration lend directly to small businesses? Robb Mandelbaum, writing on the NYT You're the Boss blog, highlights President Obama's response to a business owner who...

Up to $1 Billion from TARP to Go to CDFIs

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 03

Earlier today Treasury officials announced a new initiative that will use up to $1 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to provide lower-cost capital to banks, credit unions, and...

Tuesday Links: Obama's $30 Billion Plan

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 02

Bloomberg's Edwin Chen and Nicholas Johnston report on the latest version of Obama's plan to create a $30 billion fund to help community banks provide loans that will spur hiring...

Hints of Improvement for the Small Business Economy

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 02

Now for some good news. The small business economy is finally showing hints of improvement, according to William Phelan, the co-founder and CEO of commercial lending data provider PayNet, which...

Monday Links: Taxes; Lien Fees; the Six-Day Week

Posted by: Nick Leiber on February 01

The National Small Business Association says a tax credit for small businesses proposed in Obama's 2011 budget may not cover the set-up costs of a mandatory retirement savings plan, Bloomberg's...