Time to Serve and Sacrifice: Obama's Call to Small Business

Government and Economy

Obama: Workers and Businesses Must Serve and Sacrifice
The president's inaugural address praise for American workers and entrepreneurs may serve him well as employers brace for a spate of pro-union legislation and health care reform.

Schapiro: Time to Sarbox Small Business
The incoming SEC chief is calling for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance for smaller companies. The law mandates that publicly traded companies—and some private ones with public debt—get independent certification that they have reliable internal controls over their financial reporting.

New Rules to Limit Lobbyist Influence in Federal Investment Decisions

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has announced several key reforms to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA), outlining limits on lobbyists and special interests.

Weak Economy Strangling Small Businesses

Small-business owners are making tough choices, laying off workers, cutting hours and curtailing long-planned expansions, as worried consumers cut costs and lenders make it harder for owners to get cash. Considering small businesses are the nation's job engine, it's a trend that's got the experts worried.

Management and Financial Issues

Death by Regulation: Is Peer-to-Peer Lending Next?

The growth of "peer-to-peer" or social network lending, where borrowers and lenders dispense with traditional intermediaries like banks, has caught the interest of the SEC. Now, it seems, archaic and inflexible government regulation might kill the promising way to fund small businesses.

Technology Issues

Email and Your Marketing Toolbox
Here are some essentials relating to your email marketing including tips on message headers, the message body and email lists.

Ten Motivators That Inspire Participation
Approaches for encouraging people to develop content on behalf of a brand.

Benefits and Labor Issues

Youth Migration Prompts Companies to Relocate
Data show a surge in the attractiveness of near-downtown locations for today's highly recruited younger workers. Some companies have decided to shift their operations to downtown areas to take advantage of the trend.

Motivating a Multi-Generational Team
It's hard to motivate through the generational diversity of employees in today's workforce, especially if you only have a single, uniform program.

Recruiting Top Talent in a Downturn

The economy has ruthlessly simplified many of the variables in employment decision making. Today, stability and job security are more important than perks and compensation. However, it is not yet an employer's market; top recruits and employers are now on fairly even ground.

Sales and Marketing

Practicing Bestow Networking
The fundamental reason that typical networking processes are somewhat unproductive is that everyone involved is looking for what they can get. Instead, they should be thinking of what they can give.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Start Selling

While it's easy to make excuses for poor sales performance in a recession, a successful salesperson will always seek out opportunities to increase revenue. Here are a few ideas to help you reach your goals.