Category Archives: Growing Your Business
Business Lending Creaks Back to Life
If your business has been stuck in neutral because you can’t get a loan, it might be time to get out and try the banks again. While many business owners have been wringing their hands over the frozen credit markets,…
Is Your Business Ready for the Recovery?
There’s a growing drumbeat of economic experts who say the recession is ending. Recently, Federal Reserve Bank chair Ben Bernanke described the economy as “leveling out.” The most recent edition of the Beige Book, the Fed’s summary of commentary on current…
The Power of Free
To put a new twist on an old song, what have you done for free lately?In a down economy, some businesses are prospecting for clients by doing a few free jobs, the Wall Street Journal recently reported. The story quotes one Boston firm, Studio…
‘Shark Tank’ Judges Hunt for Entrepreneurs (part 5 of 5): Q&A with Kevin Harrington
Kevin Harrington, CEO of TVGoods.com, LLC, is in his natural element on ABC’s show “Shark Tank,” listening to entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas and deciding whether to put his money behind them. In the 1980s, he founded a direct TV…
Is Your Small Business Getting the Help it Needs?
I’ve heard a lot of complaints recently from small-business owners. The economy is down, they’re hurting, and they feel like no one understands their pain.But someone does, and they’re offering lots of help. The question is, are you taking advantage…
‘Shark Tank’ Judges Hunt for Entrepreneurs (part 4 of 5): Q&A with Daymond John
“Shark Tank,” ABC’s reality TV show featuring capital-hungry entrepreneurs and five investors holding the pursestrings, is well underway as we near the end of the judges’ line-up. The spotlight today is on Daymond John, founder of FUBU The Collection, a…
How Credit Cards Kill Your Small Business
With banks turned stingy about handing out small business loans, more and more small business startups are turning to credit cards as the primary vehicle for their business spending needs. We always knew that was risky, but a new study…
Government Contracts Short Small Biz
There’s good news and bad news for small businesses interested in doing business with the federal government. A report recently released by the Small Business Administration assessed how much small businesses got last year, and whether the feds met their…
Creating a Business Other Companies Want to Buy
Some entrepreneurs are workaholics. They envision themselves working to build their businesses for the rest of their lives. But that’s not everybody. Some business owners think in terms of building their baby up for a few years, and then selling…
5 Reasons Why Soaring Small-Business Bankruptcy Rates Are Good
Every new story that comes out about climbing small-business bankruptcy rates seems to send small business owners I know into a new downward cycle of negativity. Which I always think is a little odd. More on why in a minute….