July 2nd, 2009
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President Barack Obama said Thursday that he remains confident the economy will turn around in the short term and the nation will prosper in the long term despite another dose of bad unemployment news.
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The American economy shed 467,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent from 9.4 percent
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Orders to U.S. factories jumped in May by the largest amount in nearly a year, another sign that the nosedive in manufacturing is nearing an end.
July 1st, 2009
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To serve both their interests, some major corporations, including I.B.M., Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble and Home Depot, offer programs to mentor small companies, particularly businesses owned by women, blacks, Hispanics and other groups.
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A report on manufacturing activity shows the sector contracted less than expected in June, posting its best showing since last August and another sign that a recovery may be near.
June 30th, 2009
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Americans — whose hope for the economy had been rising since March — unexpectedly lost faith this month, pushing down a widely watched barometer.
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As major corporations lay off employees, small businesses are benefiting from an unexpected windfall: Displaced talent that is now knocking at the door.
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What can you do with 140 characters or less, the length of each tweet? A lot, restaurants are discovering - everything from posting daily specials to luring followers with offers of free appetizers to offering a glimpse of kitchen life. It’s all good for business.
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Pulls affilate programs in two states, more likely. Overstock.com plans to join in the fight.
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Whether the downturn continues or we start to ride an upturn, the decisions managers make over the next two years are likely to govern not only how quickly their organisations recover, but how they perform over the next decade.
June 29th, 2009
June 27th, 2009
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Unemployment for 16- to 19-year-olds is at its highest rate since 1992 — at 22.7 percent in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is causing some teenagers to rethink their notion of work and to embrace entrepreneurship.
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Consistent with a growing body of evidence linking higher tax burden with limited entrepreneurial growth and higher closure rates, a new study has found that tax problems constitute an important reason for bankruptcy filings for a sizable number of entrepreneurs. (via: instapundit)
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The climb out of recession will be rocky and tedious but free of backsliding.
June 26th, 2009
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A new generation of online service marketplaces is giving small companies more opportunities than ever to find specialized expertise and affordable labor.
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According to new data released by the U.S. Census, the number of personal businesses - which are single person businesses with no employees - increased by close to 1 million in 2007 reaching 21.7 million. This is an increase of 4.5% over 20.8 million personal businesses recorded in 2006.
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Households pushed their savings rate to the highest level in more than 15 years in May as a big boost in incomes from the government's stimulus program was devoted more to bolstering nest eggs than increased spending.
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U.S. consumer spending rose last month for the first time since February as government stimulus pushed incomes sharply higher, the Commerce Department said on Friday, supporting the view the economy was close to pulling out of recession.
June 24th, 2009
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The new manager of the government's $700 billion bank bailout program says he sees signs the economy is on the mend even though high unemployment and falling home prices remain a threat.
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A gauge of business investment rose last month by the most in nearly five years, yet new-home sales fell unexpectedly.
June 23rd, 2009
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New research reveals that small and midsize companies use and buy software differently than enterprises do. Check your plans against your peers to make sure you're following best practices.
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U.S. chief executives took a slightly less grim view of the economy in the second quarter, but still plan to cut jobs and capital spending, according to a Business Roundtable survey released on Tuesday.
June 22nd, 2009
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Truth be told, most business plans fail to make much impression on potential investors. Most aren’t even read in full. Their shortcomings tend to be obvious even in a two-page executive summary, largely because they are written before enough real work has been done to create a solid foundation.
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Yahoo rolls out the first version of its self-serve ad product, My Display Ads, a bid to win over local advertisers and convert search advertisers to display. Yahoo isn't the first to offer self-service display; Google, MySpace and Facebook have all rolled out similar self-serve display ad systems. AOL's Ad.com is developing its own self-serve system that new CEO Tim Armstrong wants pushed out the door.
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A quarter of Americans say they have had trouble affording health care in the past 12 months, according to a survey released on Monday.
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Despite resistance, the etiquette debate seems to be tilting in the favor of smartphone use, many executives said. Managing directors do it. Summer associates do it. It spans gender and generation, private and public sectors.
June 19th, 2009
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Should employers begin to consider the value of the power and reach of an employee's social network?
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A crackdown on credit limits by card companies is squeezing the nation’s 27 million small businesses, exacerbating the problems brought on by a stagnant economy.
