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NEWS ABOUT: small businesses

Occupy Side Effect: 21 Cafe Workers Lose Jobs

Protests damaging small business, Milk Street Cafe owner says

(Newser) - Is Occupy Wall Street inadvertently hurting the little guy? That’s what Marc Epstein, owner of Wall Street’s Milk Street Cafe, claims. Thanks to the protests—and the resulting police barricades that line Wall Street, which he says somewhat hide his eatery and make it difficult for people to... More »

Tea Partier's Protest Plan: No More Hiring

She encourages small-business owners to go 'on strike'

(Newser) - Well, here’s one idea for small businesses to help get us out of this economic mess we’re in: Stop hiring people! That’s the proposal from Tea Party Nation member Melissa Brookstone in a manifesto picked up (and derided) by Gawker and Wonkette . Brookstone’s post accuses the... More »

AOL Co-Founder to Head 'Startup America'

Steve Case to lead White House's pro-entrepreneurship campaign

(Newser) - President Obama's entrepreneurship campaign is getting a helping hand from the tech industry. AOL co-founder Steve Case will lead the "Startup America Partnership," a drive to increase investments in startups and small businesses, Bloomberg reports. The initiative already has the backing of a number of tech giants: Intel... More »

Senate Clears $30B Small-Business Measure

Dems overcome months of opposition

(AP) - The Senate passed long-delayed legislation today designed to open up credit to small businesses and award them with other incentives to expand and hire new workers. Democrats won a 61-38 vote to pass the legislation, joined by two Republicans (George Voinovich and George LeMieux). The measure would establish a $30... More »

Democrats Break Filibuster on Small-Business Bill

George Voinovich crosses the aisle

(Newser) - Republicans George Voinovich and George LeMieux crossed the aisle to help Senate Democrats break a Republican filibuster on their small-business aid bill. The bill will create a $30 billion credit fund to help banks lend to small businesses, and provide a variety of tax cuts, the AP reports. Republicans have... More »

Bailouts May Be Offered to Small Businesses

TARP funds, meant to save banks, could be used to save jobs

(Newser) - The Obama administration is working on a plan that would take money from the TARP—the $700 billion fund intended to rescue banks—and lend it to small businesses, the Washington Post reports. The money would come with few restrictions, and the government would pick up as much as 90%... More »

Tax Hike Raises Ire of Small Manufacturers

Obama plan hits hard, business owners who reinvest profits say

(Newser) - Small-business owners aren’t big fans of President Obama’s plan to let the Bush tax cuts expire in 2011, and they’re making themselves heard on Capitol Hill, Politico reports. Many small businesses file taxes as individuals, and they fall well beyond the $250,000 income threshold. The White... More »

McCain's Final Strokes Paint Obama With Lefty Brush

Democrat's tax plans amount to 'welfare,' Republican charges

(Newser) - John McCain criticized Barack Obama’s economic plans yesterday as the Republican focuses on portraying his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal with a socialist vision for America, the Los Angeles Times reports. McCain had hoped to iconic plumber Joe on his tour of central Florida, but Joe Wurzelbacher refused. Instead,... More »

Mortgage Meltdown Hits Small Builders

Wave of bankruptcies could in turn weaken regional banks

(Newser) - The housing market collapse that's sending homeowners into foreclosure is starting to hit small- and medium-size builders left with developments they're unable to sell, the Wall Street Journal reports. Buyers are canceling contracts and builders are missing mortgage payments on often highly leveraged projects. Small regional banks, in turn, could... More »

EBay Sellers Plan Boycott Week

Movement to protest fee hikes and policy changes gains steam

(Newser) - Torqued eBay sellers are giving the online auction site some pretty clear feedback about planned changes. Using eBay's own chatrooms, sellers are trying to organize a one-week boycott to protest jacked-up fees and changed feedback rules. But the would-be boycott is nothing new, reports CNNMoney, as each January eBay introduces... More »

Blogging Catches On as Marketing Tool

For consultants or creative small firms, the benefits can be great

(Newser) - Blogging is finding a niche as a marketing tool for small business owners, who like its low cost and potentially high returns. Only 5% of small business have blogs, the New York Times reports, and while many more could benefit from them, a company has to be sure of the... More »

Small Businesses Targeted for Software Violations

Industry group reaps big settlements from little firms

(Newser) - A group representing major software companies in copyright enforcement actions has been targeting small businesses for violating software licenses, reports the AP. Almost 90% of the Business Software Alliance's $13 million in settlements with North American companies last year came from small companies. Some owners say they were punished for... More »

Best States for Small Business

Some states love small business a little more than others. CNNMoney names the top 10

(Newser) - If you want your seed of genius to grow, plant it in the right soil. CNNMoney finds the most small-business-friendly states:
  1. South Dakota: No tax personal income, capital gains, corporate income, or corporate capital gains and low energy costs.
  2. Nevada: No income, capital gains, corporate income, or corporate capital gains
... More »

Mom and Pop Go Big Brother

AT&T rolls out surveillance equipment for small businesses

(Newser) - AT&T will sell technology that allows small businesses to remotely monitor their employees and places of business over the Internet. The Remote Monitor program lets a user check cameras, sensors, and other gadgets in real time over the net. “It is Big Brother, but in this day and... More »

Minimum Wage Rises Today

Federal law mandates 70-cent hike to $5.85, calls for boosts next year and in 2009

(Newser) - After being frozen for a decade, the federal minimum wage jumps today from $5.15 to $5.85 an hour. It rises to $6.55 a year from today and to $7.25 when the hike is completed in 2009. The change affects only the 20 states that haven't already... More »

New England Towns Mint Local Bucks

But utopian experiment faces some hurdles: like paying the bills

(Newser) - A cluster of towns in Western Massachusetts has created its own currency—BerkShares. The banknotes, which trade for 90 cents on the dollar, feature local heroes like Norman Rockwell and are accepted as cash at 280 cafés, shops, and even the local "chakra balancing" joint.  More »

Fake Raids Test Iraqi Reconstruction

U.S. aid to small businesses works only if it's invisible. Otherwise, companies get 'immediately shot or blown up.'

(Newser) - The American military is staging fake raids on Iraqi small businesses to confirm that US aid is being well spent—without tipping off insurgents that they have any US connection. "The only way things will work is if the US contribution is totally invisible," says a civil-affairs officer,... More »

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