Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from around the world.
- Obama Announces Small-Business Lending Push: The measures would raise loan caps and allow smaller banks to borrow money at low rates from the Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program.
- Rising Taxes Squeeze Local Operations: Property taxes are a greater part of a small business’s total tax bill, but entrepreneurs have less clout to get relief from local taxing jurisdictions.
- Businesses plan low-key parties this season: With the start of the holiday season weeks away, many small business owners are planning holiday parties for employees and clients despite the still wobbly economy.
- Small business help key to city rebirth: Detroit — City Council candidate Fred Elliott Hall says the rebirth of the city hinges not on major developments, but mom and pop shops.”The future of our city is small business development,” said Hall, 45. “That is something we are not so good at in the city.
- Remaining TARP funds enough for small business plan: WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration’s new plan to boost small business lending by providing cheaper government capital to smaller banks can be achieved within the existing resources of the government’s $700 billion financial bailout fund, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
- It’s a Great Time to Start a Small Business: Truth to tell, it’s always a great time to start a small business – if you have the knack of spotting business opportunities and the skills and resources to determine which business opportunities can be developed into successful ventures
- Canadian Small Business Statistics to Celebrate: Small Business Week was originally created to honor Canadian small businesses and their contributions to our economy – and those contributions are well worth celebrating.
- Do you earn what you should?: Some entrepreneurs chronically pay themselves too little; others, way too much. Here’s how to tell if your salary is sound.
- Kelly the Intern: Angel investors and Green guidance: PROFIT’s crack researcher explains how to get notices by angel investors and where companies can get money for going green.
- Canadian small businesses report card: Ninety eight per cent of small business owners gave their companies a passing grade in a recent TD Canada Trust Small Business Survey, which asked 1002 small business owners with fewer than 20 employees to score their performance during the past year.
- Small businesses slugged with higher rates: BANKS are charging small businesses an extra $1 billion a year in interest, risking nation’s recovery from the financial crisis
- Opposition Claims “go away” cash returns under Fair Work: Businesses are being forced to pay money for employees to leave a company under the Federal Government’s new Fair Work industrial relations laws, shadow small business and workplace relations…
- Firms Warned that corporate collapse could increase in early stages of recovery: Leading credit reporting agency Dun & Bradstreet has warned SMEs not to become complacent in the early stages of the recovery, pointing to research that shows company collapses actually increase…
- Push for establishment of register of women in SMEs to encourage more female directors: The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has recommended to the Federal Government the establishment of a national register of women in SMEs who could be considered candidates for…
- Banks Could Do Better For Small Business: CANBERRA -(Dow Jones)- Australia’s Treasurer Wayne Swan on Monday implored the nation’s commercial banks to make more of an effort to provide credit to small businesses, starved of cash since the onset of the global financial crisis.
- SMEs optimistic about next year: Small businesses believe the economy is on the road to recovery. Some 75 per cent of SMEs say the economy will see an upturn in 2010, with 61 per cent confident about their business prospects for the coming year and 35 per cent predicting an improvement by January 2010, according to BT’s 2009 Business Pulse report.
- Start-ups to save the UK economy says Digby Jones: The former head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Lord Digby Jones, claims that small businesses alone will rescue the struggling UK economy.
- Angry SMEs braced for impact of mail strikes: Small businesses in Northern Ireland are bracing for the impact of a Royal Mail strike on their operations.
- Jobcentre ‘useless’ at providing top staff: Complaints are growing over Jobcentre Plus with one in three Federation of Small Businesses members finding it ‘ineffective’ in offering help with staffing
- £1m of loans coming up for grabs: STAFFORDSHIRE County Council is backing plans to provide £1million of loans for small businesses with good ideas but a lack of funds.
- Viking Direct and WinWeb Announce Contest That Could Win Your Small Business £10,000: Viking Direct, the direct-mail office supplies channel of Office Depot in Europe and the UK, and WinWeb, providers of online small business software, today announced a competition that provides small businesses the opportunity to win £10,000.
- Email Basics For Every Small Business: Email is the most powerful business branding tool in your online marketing arsenal, providing you get the basics right.
- Automatic 30 Day Cash-Flow Forecast With WinWeb OnlineOffice Accounting Software: We all know cash-flow is king, meaning having enough money in the bank to pay the bills you have to pay. Running out of money can be a nasty surprise for business owners.
- Plan Your Business Start-Up With Swot: During the planning phase of your new start-up business, you have to consider many different aspects of your business idea, yourself and you business environment.
- Benefits of a Business Website Hosted By WinWeb: Even today over 70 % of SMEs don’t have a business website. At the same time over 60 % of all high street purchases are researched online. If you don’t have a website and a ‘potential’ local customer, looking for your service or product, will not be able to find you.
As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.
