04/24/2012
The House passed on Thursday a Republican plan to cut taxes on small businesses by as much as 20%, a measure the party characterized as its answer to President Barack Obama's "Buffett Rule."

But the bill, approved on a mostly party-line 253-173 vote, is expected to stall in the Senate and has already drawn a White House veto threat.

04/23/2012
In celebration of National Small Business Week 2012, SBA is looking for creative videos from small businesses that show how they have been helped by an SBA program or service. The contest will raise awareness of the importance of SBA programs, and the impact the small businesses that use them have in their local communities.

Three winning videos will also be shown during a Google+ Hangout hosted by the SBA and the White House with SBA Administrator Karen Mills Thursday, May 24. The winners can also participate in the event with Mills while she answers questions from small businesses around the country. All qualifying videos will be showcased on SBAs YouTube page.

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04/19/2012
Tax day, or April 17, is fast approaching. And small business owners have been working overtime to make Uncle Sams deadline.

According to a survey by the National Small Business Association, 64% of small-business owners reported spending more than 40 hours this year dealing with federal taxes -- up from 57% last year. An even more striking number is the 45% who reported spending more than 80 hours ȑ or two full workweeks -- crunching their numbers.

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04/18/2012
In late February, Twitter began recruiting small businesses for a new advertising service by offering credits of up to $100 for those who signed up to help it beta-test its ideas. The service was supposed to go into testing during March the recruitment site is still live if you want to participate, and the social networking technology company hopes to sign up people for real starting in late 2012.

Meanwhile, the social networking company has released a guide to help small-business owners get started as tweeps. Some of the ideas are very rudimentary and intended for neophytes, focused on explaining how to use hashtags or retweets to reach different or broader audiences.

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04/17/2012
A new survey from the National Federation of Independent Business shows that small businesses are being seriously hurt by soaring gas prices, and Bill Fosters out-of-touch Democrat leaders in Washington are only offering policies that will make prices even worse. With small businesses in Illinois and across the country forced to scale back and raise prices for consumers under increasing pressure from rising gas prices, will Foster join his Democrat leaders in making the problem even worse?

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04/16/2012
A billion dollars - that is billion with a  B  - to purchase a company with only 13 employees and absolutely no income.

That is how much Facebook paid to acquire Instagram, a mobile, social photo application. That may sound outrageous, but come on, would not you like to know how you can grow your startup company to be the next Instagram?

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04/10/2012
When you own a business, especially a successful one, lawsuits are sometimes inevitable.  Small businesses are a popular target because people assume most will settle rather than go through the hassle and costs of defending a suit.

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04/09/2012
To say that small business owners, viewed as the backbone of the U.S. economy, have been heavily affected by the stress and strains that such a title demands, would be an understatement.

According to a new survey from U.S. insurer Hiscox, small business owners are eager to take on new challenges despite reports of increased physical and mental stress.

The study, surveying 1,002 business leaders of companies with up to 249 employees, reported three quarters of respondents claiming physical health issues as a result of stress at work. Many replied that lack of energy was a major consequence of the stress 33%, while headaches 32%, back pain 30% and anxious thoughts 29% were also frequently mentioned.

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04/05/2012
The U.S. government has missed its small-business contracting goal every year in the past decade, a sign of the continuing barriers facing companies competing with larger rivals for federal work.

The government has a target of awarding 23 percent of eligible prime, or direct, contracts to small businesses. It awarded 21.8 percent of $423 billion in such awards in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The Pentagon, which represents more than two-thirds of all prime contract revenue, has also missed its goal for 10 years, according to federal procurement data.

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04/04/2012
Google Adwords are one of the best, most cost-effective forms of marketing for any business, small or large. Now to encourage more small to mid-size businesses to explore Google Adwords, the company is offering $100 in free online ads through qualified agencies. One such agency, Lawrimore Inc., tells how valuable Google Adwords can be through an experience of a small business in the Charlotte NC area, and how you can get your free Google ads worth $100.

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04/03/2012
Dozens of business plan competitions are happening all across America, and April is one of the biggest months for these contests that provide money for entrepreneurs.

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04/02/2012
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03/26/2012
Small businesses are running lean these days, but that does not necessarily mean they are in good shape. No doubt this year will be challenging. Crossing the finish line will require being in tip top shape.
Here are some tips to get your small business in fighting condition:

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