Government and Economy
Small Business Committee Chair Urges New SBA Chief to Spur Lending
The chairman of the House Committee on Small Business is urging the new head of the Small Business Administration to try to jump-start lending by using previously unused provisions in the economic stimulus bill. WashingtonPost.com
Plan to Aid Small Businesses Withering Under Lender Regulations
The Administration's Unlocking Credit for Small Businesses Plan may fail due to a lack of participation from lenders. The plan subjects lenders to executive pay caps and provisions of the 2008 EESA. Lenders cite these as the reason for their nonparticipation. Mondaq.com (Free registration required)
Management and Financial Issues
Taking the Next Step: Expand Your Business Cautiously in a Recession
A recession is a two-edged sword: businesses are failing and profits are down, but by that same token with all the business failures, this can also be a great time for the survivors to hunt for new customers. You just have to be careful. CNNMoney.com
Peer-to-Peer Lending Seeing High Default Rates
Peer-to-peer lending was once seen as the future of small business financing, but like more traditional lenders, grim economic realities are affecting this social-networking approach. This means that peer-to-peer lenders are suffering from high default rates as well. BusinessWeek.com
Technology Issues
Web 2.0 Payment Apps
Whether it's payment options or collaboration that's on your mind, Web 2.0 has you covered. Entrepreneur.com
Benefits and Labor Issues
Breaking the Bad News on Company Retirement Plan Cuts
Many employers struggle with the best way to tell their workforce about cuts in their 401(k) program. They need to convey accurate legal information about the change, but they want to be compassionate while sending a clear message that offers context for the decision. Workforce.com
Sales and Marketing
Be a Problem-Solver, Not a Salesman
By solving your clients' problems instead of selling them products, you become a real and necessary part of their team, and you can get rich doing it! Entrepreneur.com
Focus on Your Market with Long-Tail Keywords
With long-tail keywords—highly-focused phrases of four or more words—it's much easier to get your target market's attention because most of your competitors aren't concentrating on these specific keywords, so they are, and always will be, your golden eggs. WashingtonPost.com
Email Marketing: Learning from History
The move into new online media such as SMS, RSS, and social networking shows signs that some are repeating yesterday's mistakes. ClickZ.com
Raising the ROI for Social Media Marketing
If you do your social marketing right, the potential return on investment can be infinite, but it takes work. Here are five tips to get you started. ClickZ.com
