A lot of theories have been circulated for why small businesses aren’t hiring — the bank lending crunch, emotional nervousness about the economy, high taxes, low sales. This week, noted Case Western Reserve University professor Scott Shane weighed in with his theory: It’s all about the residential real-estate collapse . Shane gives several reasons why the real-estate bubble’s pop has paralyzed entrepreneurs. Among them: 1)... 

Bros. According to the Urban Dictionary, they’re young, white alpha males found most commonly in Southern California beach cities, they drive lifted trucks, wear tilted mesh hats and talk primarily about chicks and beer.  Read More →

The e-mail message was alarming and ominous: Thinking the above message must be spam, the folks at The Inn at Mount Snow in West Dover, VT, immediately logged onto their Facebook account, where they were promptly confronted by the following message at the top of their Page: Definitely not spam, and according a statement provided by Facebook to Entrepreneur magazine, it’s intentional. “With millions of Pages on Facebook, we rely on... 

In the downturn, many companies have scrambled to change what they do. They’re quickly added products or services, introduced multiple new versions, marketed to many new audiences. So maybe it’s time to ask — are you in over your head? Unfocused? Are you simply doing too much? Some businesses have taken the opposite tack in the downturn, stripping down their company to the bare essentials . They’re staying laser-focused... 

Where can you go when you need a loan and banks aren’t lending? One answer is to private lenders who make you pay through the nose. New reports are that so-called “hard money” lending is on the rise — and small businesses’ use of hard money threatens many of these business’s very survival. Long a frequent lending source for real-estate speculators, hard money has been inching into more mainstream small-business... 

Shortly after I launched my web design firm in 1995, I did something my accountant told me was pretty crazy. I sold my house in Hollywood, Fla., moved to New York City, cashed in my mutual funds and put every dollar I had into a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights that I couldn’t afford on what I was making as a freelance writer. Looking back, my contrarian bet was a pretty smart move. Not only did my Brooklyn brownstone double in value over... 

Troubling statistics have been rolling in lately about job losses. While the beginning of the recession saw the shedding of thousands of jobs en masse at major corporations, by the end of last year, job cuts were concentrated at small businesses. While financial aid aimed at small businesses continues to sit in the Senate , the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 62 percent of cuts were at firms with less than 50 workers  Read More →

Pop-up stores are popping up everywhere. All the big brands are into them — Pop Tarts opened up a Pop Tarts World pop-up in New York City’s Times Square earlier this month.  Read More →

It may seem early to be stressing about taxes, but many business owners are already worrying about April 15.  Read More →

Last week, a friend of mine sent me a story from a local paper quoting several bloggers complaining about letters they received from Philadelphia tax authorities demanding $300 for the privilege of doing business in the City of Brotherly Love. “The real kick in the pants,” says Marilyn Bess , who claims she’s only made about $50 from her environmental blog, MS Philly Organic , over the last few years, “is that I don’t... 

After the initial buzz dies down, most of the chatter surrounding Facebook Places — the just-now-released location-based check-in tool — will likely focus on how it might affect similar social networking tools like Foursquare , Loopt ,  Read More →

It’s undeniable that the recession has created a more conscious consumer. Coming off a binge of consumption, more people are simplifying their lives and looking for new ways to save money. The age-old practice of bartering has recently seen resurgence online where people are trading everything from books, to cars, to manual labor. “Swapping is a very natural behavior that occurs in all of our everyday lives, traditionally with our... 

Can just one employee do one single thing different and completely transform your company as a result? They can. The story of Johnny the Bagger , currently making the rounds of retail blogs, shows how it can be done. The story begins with employee-motivation expert Barbara Glanz . The Contagious Enthusiasm author  Read More →

Imagine pulling up a chair in a fine bakery, sipping on a latte…and having a personal, half-hour chat with President Barack Obama about your small-business concerns.  Read More →

In Don’t Believe Everything You See on the Web , WomenEntrepreneur.com columnist Francine Schill writes that “just because a company has an awesome website doesn’t mean it’s legitimate.” Francine is absolutely right. Let’s face it, tossing up a sophisticated looking site these days is as easy as dressing up as your favorite character from Mad Men this Halloween. The availability of content management systems...