Okay, so the ladies have weighed in, and we choose to be hopeful about Business in 2013. Now I’m the first to say “‘HOPE’ is not a strategy.” But that doesn’t mean that we can’t read tea leaves, and pay attention to the new business we’re seeing across industries and regions. Check out this survey […]
Many business owners believe the act of selling their business is similar to passing the baton in a 400 meter relay: once you’re finished running, you get to relax. In reality, buyers will insist that you stay on for a transition period – anywhere from six months to five years – during which time you […]
White House job summit: Obama pushes business – Money “‘The number 1 priority is to get banks lending to small businesses because small businesses create the majority of jobs in the United States,’ [Google’s Eric] Schmidt said.” This quote comes from the article in CNN’s Money.com (link above). Finally! Is Washington beginning to “get it”? […]
If you don’t have an ARC loan, you’re not alone! The America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) Loan Program was introduced in June 2009 by the US Small Business Administration “to provide up to $35,000 in short-term relief for viable small businesses facing immediate financial hardship to help ride out the current uncertain economic times and return […]
It may be a fact of life for your business. To keep your doors open, you may have had to furlough or even lay off some employees. No one likes to do that. Even when you jettison marginal performers, no one enjoys the process, least of all the business owner.
If it DOES happen to you, are you aware that the layoff isn’t the end of the process? What about those employees who are still with you? Oh, they’re lucky to have a job, you might say. But they are scared no matter what you say or do – and who can blame them?
To protect your business, you need to take several more affirmative steps. Most won’t cost you any money, but they do require effort and caring.
How to Innovate in a Downturn – WSJ.com What do nylon, Hewlett-Packard and the iPod have in common? Would you believe they all launched during a major financial downturn? Excellent article by Harvard B School Prof and McKinsey partner Bhaskar Chakravorti from the Wall Street Journal, chastening entrepreneurs that this is NOT the time to […]
Practically Speaking – Small Businesses Critical of Stimulus Bills – NYTimes.com If you’re a small business owner, chances are this headline resonates. The author of this NYTimes article quantifies the sense that many of us have had about the stimuli under discussion: “only 0.05 percent of the House bill is dedicated to small-business lending programs, […]
How Obama’s SBA Chief May Change the Agency – BusinessWeek: ” Good overview article in Business Week about an Obama appointment. Karen Mills has good Corporate business roots, coming from family business Tootsie Roll (no joke!) to earning a Harvard MBA (we Kellogg alums will try not to hold that against her), then tours at […]
2009 Will Be an Economic Engine for Change Interesting article from HBR Online, predicting the coming year will be “an economic engine for change.” Author Jeff Stibel offers some historical examples supporting his point that economic upheavals create the greatest opportunities. I rather like his analogy with forest fires as a necessary part of nature’s […]
Angel Investing Down Check out this article in Inc.com. Maybe not a huge surprise but economic uncertainty is impacting the private equity world. But there are some recession-resistent markets for startups that may disprove the rule: green technologies, renewable energy, and health care, to name but a few.