Business
This Week in Small Business: Twisting Our Wealth Away
What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners this week.
The Fed: Let’s Do the Twist
The Fed considers Operation Twist. Paul A. Volcker warns to beware of inflation. Republican leaders plead with the Fed not to make any more moves. The Fed gets pessimistic and makes the move — and the markets plunge (and plunge again).
The Deficit 1: Obama Reveals His Plan
President Obama proposes a $3 trillion deficit-cutting plan, asking for a $3 tax increase for every $1 in cost cuts. The Brookings Institutions William Gale summarizes here. Rick Newman lists the plan’s biggest losers. Keith Hennessey thinks it contains a lot of gimmicks. The Economist says it’s all politics: “Even if the plan offered today goes nowhere, it is a document he can carry proudly into the election to portray Republicans as unrepentant friends of the rich, a message that, judging from recent polls, resonates with the public.” David Brooks says he’s an Obama sap. Kel Munger says
Am I Focusing on the Wrong Part of My Business?
An owner’s dispatches from the front lines.
It is now more than three years since the economy took a nosedive. For most small businesses, this has been even more challenging than previous recessions because we have also had to deal with the real estate collapse, a credit crisis and changes in the marketplace brought on by the Internet and other forces. Not an easy time. And I don’t see much evidence of a bounce back coming soon. I have come to the conclusion that it is time to reassess.
First of all, Einstein had it wrong. Not his theory of relativity. That seems to be holding up quite well (not that I would know). But he’s also the guy who said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Too often, I think that’s really the definition of small business.
I don’t think that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is necessarily insane; conditions change and business is not a perfect science. That said, this is the way a lot of small-business owners, including me, tend to operate. Whether i Read all…
This Week in Small Business: Everyone’s Pointing Fingers
A weekly roundup of small-business developments.
What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners this week.
The Nation: A Brave Man
A hero receives the Medal of Honor (and this Marine wins a prize, too).
The Debt Ceiling: Are They Insane?
Wait a second. The budget deficit is shrinking? Stuart Shapiro wonders if our politicians are great negotiators or just insane. Gallup finds Americans prefer spending cuts and are open to tax hikes. Anthony Orlando confronts five myths about the debt-ceiling crisis. (For me, this video sums up the debate so far.)
The Data: Retail Is Up But So Is Misery
Consumer prices record the largest drop in a year. Mark Perry lists the Top 10 manufacturing industries of 2010. Hotel demand increases. Retail sales increase slightly (pdf). The Association of American Railroads reports steady growth in rail traffic. It turns out commerce has a pulse. The United States trade gap widened to near a three-year high in May. T Read all…
Does Your Business Need An Emergency Contingency Plan?
Disasters can strike anywhere at any time. Whether it is man-made or natural, disasters can be crippling especially to small businesses. When you think about it, what small businesses should be investing in is a feasible emergency contingency plan. But the reality is, 62% of surveyed small businesses do not have an emergency plan in place.
An emergency contingency plan is a plan that is designed for preparation in case things go wrong. It is in effect, a preparation for anything that could happen. Having a contingency plan does not mean that you are dwelling on the negative, it means that you are giving extra protection for you business. Any business can suffer from serious incidents which may impede normal operations. When incidents like that happen and theres no contingency plan, you may lose the business.
The first task you need to undertake in order to create a comprehensive contingency plan is to make a list of possible disasters that may affect your normal business operations.
Top 5 Misconceptions About Running Your Own Business
One thing I realized in reading Carol Roths The Entrepreneur Equation is that people really have some misconceptions about what it means to run a business. Its not working 4 hour weeks, with no stress and the ability to take vacations without worrying about the business (for most of us). Heres where people go wrong in their thinking:
1. Ill Be My Own Boss
Yes, youll run your company, but being your own boss probably means you think you can do essentially whatever you want. Beer Mondays? Maybe. Until you realize the extreme cost and the fact that employees are drunk rather than working when youre paying them. Flip Flop Fridays? That could workunless you have potential clients in the office who are turned off by your programmers hammertoes.
You answer to far more people than youd expect as an entrepreneur. You have to keep your employees happy. Maintain good relationships with vendors. And, oh yea, keep your customers coming back.
Competitive Business to Start At
Doing business is not easy and there are lots of things that you need to learn concerning the process of it. There are many people who are now longing to be in the business world and take the opportunity in being successful. If you love what you are doing, there is no reason for you to give us and being in the business world can be smooth at all. When it comes to popular business today and we can do even in the internet, it is now possible to check out Online Forex. There are many people are longing to be part of the foreign exchange market and know the terms in doing business with it.
It is possible for you to be an Online Forex Broker and know how the process of trading can be possible. Being at foreign exchange market can be challenging because you are able to encounter lots of business partners or even clients all over the world. You can do transaction with lots of people who are also longing to be part of the business world.
It is possible to work with an Islamic Forex Broker and do business in real time and in easy terms. It is important to make sure that you know the primary purpose of your business.