Category: Small Business Management

Why Seven Out of 10 Executives Would Prefer…

Posted by: Nick Leiber on June 10

…not to work at large corporations. This is a guest blog by Emily Schmitt, who joined BusinessWeek’s Small Business team and Investing team in June. Here’s a telling take on…

How to Find an Intern

Posted by: John Tozzi on May 26

Students are streaming out of colleges for the summer and many still may not have summer jobs or internships lined up. But connecting with potential internship candidates is challenging for…

Taking an Axe to the Heart

Posted by: Amy S. Choi on May 07

We recently took a look at just how to get those maybe not-so-enthused members of your family in on your family business. Our tips: promise total autonomy, let them run…

Do Entrepreneurs Need a Boss?

Posted by: Amy Barrett on April 30

In reading the news about Bank of America shareholders voting to strip Ken Lewis of his chairmanship title I wondered whether small companies need to think about such things. In…

Swine Flu Prompts Contingency Planning

Posted by: Nick Leiber on April 28

Does your company have a plan in place if your employees want to work from home because of worries about swine flu? It’s worth thinking about now, even though the…

Opportunity in a Terrible Job Market

Posted by: John Tozzi on February 06

Jobs are disappearing fast, with 598,000 gone in January, on top of nearly as many lost in December. They’re disappearing from small businesses. Payroll provider ADP estimates that companies with…

One more place to find top talent: the military

Posted by: John Tozzi on December 17

We just published a special report on where to find — and how to keep — top talent. I did a slide show on 10 places small businesses can look…

Restaurant Owners: Business Trends Going Forward

Posted by: Stacy Perman on November 13

With consumers keeping a clenched fist around their wallets, discretionary spending continues to drop. One of the places feeling the pinch is restaurants. For the past several months, restaurant owners…

The Impact of Dropping Oil Prices on Three Austin Businesses

Posted by: Stacy Perman on October 22

When oil prices surged, reaching an all-time high of $147.27 a barrel in July, small businesses like many, found themselves on the precipice of yet another painful hit to be…

More (Gloomy) Numbers for Small Business Owners

Posted by: Stacy Perman on October 10

This week American Express Open Economic Pulse Small Business Monitor released a survey based on the responses of 602 small business owners across the country. If attitudes and confidence help…

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…

Pain for a Retail Entrepreneur

Posted by: Amy Barrett on August 05

I was saddened to see the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by regional department store chain Boscov’s recently. Not because I’m a big Boscov’s shopper-although living in the Philly suburbs I…

Letting go of your business: Etsy founder steps back

Posted by: John Tozzi on July 29

Etsy founder Rob Kalin is climbing out of the CEO’s chair. The online craft market has grown from four to 63 employees in three years, raised some $31 million…

Should You Worry About a Talent Gap?

Posted by: Amy Barrett on July 09

There’s been a lot of debate about the looming “talent shortage”. Some experts predict a major shortfall in skilled and reliable workers as the boomers head for retirement. Meanwhile others…