SBA's Mills: Bank Lending Improving

Government and Economy

Mills: Banks Are Loaning Again

According to SBA chief Karen Gordon Mills, efforts to get money to capital-strapped small businesses are beginning to pay-off, with banks starting to make government-backed loans. WSJ.com

GM Begins Cutting 1,100 Dealers

Facing General Motors, facing a probable bankruptcy filing by June 1, is telling 1,100 U.S. dealers they will be terminated as the automaker starts shrinking its retail network. Bloomberg.com

Small Auto Suppliers Seek Government Support

Warning that the US supply base could go under because of the turmoil at GM and Chrysler, several small auto suppliers appealed to Congress for support. USAToday.com

Obama: Deficit Spending “Unsustainable”

President Obama declared that the current debt and deficit spending are “unsustainable” and warned of skyrocketing interest rates if the US continues to finance government by borrowing from other countries. Bloomberg.com

Management and Financial Issues

Going Global: Don't Get Lost in Translation
Taking your company global means change, especially when it comes to language. Here are tips to help you prevent things from getting lost in translation. ManageSmarter.com

The Path to Small Business Failure

The clues that a business is on the road to ruin are usually there—in the financials—assuming you know what to look for. CNNMoney.com

Insure Against Loss

If your personal wealth is linked to your business, you run the risk of losing both if a lawsuit goes against you or a critical customer goes bankrupt. NYTimes.com

Technology Issues

Spammers Harvesting Emails From Twitter

According to Dancho Danchev, if you're sending your email to a friend on Twitter, there could be more recipients—and responders—than you intended. ZDNet.com

Benefits and Labor Issues

NFIB Mocks Cost-cutting Promises from Healthcare Providers

Donald A. Danner, president of the National Federation of Independent Business, mocked recent promises by the healthcare industry to cut $2 trillion from health costs, telling Washington Times editors and reporters the promises were like "putting the fox in charge of henhouse security." WashingtonTimes.com

Paid Sick Days and Employee Flexibility Before the Congress

The measure, which is do to be introduced within a few days, employees would earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours they work up to a total of 56 hours—or seven days—annually. Workforce.com

Sales and Marketing

Online Marketing: Issues and Evolution
Executives from interactive ad agency and marketing tech companies weigh in on pay-for-performance, Twitter, crowdsourcing, and more. ClickZ.com

Small Business and Online Video

Getting started using online video to connect with and engage your customers and boost your search engine rankings can be intimidating, but it is worth the effort. SmallBizTrends.com

Warding Off Challengers

Competition is a part of business, and while it cannot be avoided that doesn't mean you have to make it easy for your competitors. In fact, you should make competing with you as hard as possible. Here are some tips to doing just that. BusinessWeek.com