Dog & Pony

As a small business owner, your retirement plan may be nothing more than hoping your company will one day grow into something you can sell. As an article in Newsday notes, however, even the smallest of businesses should consider offering 401(k) plans: In fact, thanks to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief...

The wind industry posted a record year of growth in 2008.  But even high growth green-tech companies are being left to twist in the wind by wavering government policies. Reports SustainableBusiness.com: The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all previous records in 2008 by installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity, despite...

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), the House Minority Whip, spoke with Marc Ambinder about what Republicans really want out of the stimulus package. Seems like a top priority is help for small business owners. Here is an excerpt from the Atlantic: You'd have some meaningful tax relief for small business. There's a lot...

Rick Warren, powerful evangelist, Obama inaugural ceremony prayer-giver and author of the best selling "Purpose Driven Life," is launching "Purpose Driven Connection," a quarterly magazine for the evangelical community, reports the Wall Street Journal. In some respects, the venture represents a sweet spot for publishers, who often think of their brands not...

Today is the start of the Chinese New Year. And according to the Chinese zodiac, the stars are aligning favorably for Barack Obama. Reports The Examiner: Obama was born in 1961, a Year of the Ox. Four 12-year cycles later, 2009 is also a Year of the Ox, which means this could...

Is there anything less refreshing than airplane sleep? Oscar Dios, an entrepreneur in Sweden, thinks people will give his new hostel, which is built out of an abandoned jetliner, a try for the novelty and savings, reports Reuters. Dios says it is the world's first jumbo jet hostel, an actual jet-plane at...

UPS has commissioned two surveys to gauge the outlook of its small business customers. The first was in September and October and the second was in December, so UPS is sharing how perspectives have changed since the recession really hit America's collective consciousness. General optimism has not changed that much since the...

President-Elect Barack Obama used the message of hope to win the U.S. presidency. It turns out Mr. Obama is not the only one selling hope these days. According to an article in Forbes, entrepreneurs in the self-help genre have been doing quite well these days. Banking, autos, publishing, retail, manufacturing--the recession...

90% of small business owners would still rather start their own business than work for someone else, despite the recession, according to a new survey commissioned by Elance and Microsoft Office Live Small Business and conducted by independent research firm Decision Analyst. The results, which are summarized in Entrepreneur Magazine, suggest that...

This week, GM is showing off a new concept car called the Cadillac Converj.  It is a luxury electric car that runs on the same battery as the new Chevy Volt, GM's first mass-produced electric car which is currently in the works. According to EV World: While the Converj is largely a...

In a bizarre move, Apple, which has been trying to green its image recently, will not be issuing a formal corporate social responsibility report, if its board gets its way. Reports Greenbiz.com: The company issued a proxy filing last Wednesday in which it urged shareholders to vote against a shareholder resolution proposed...

The length of your fingers may indicate whether you have what it takes to be successful in business, according to a new study at the University of Cambridge in England. Here is the surprising synopsis from the AP. Researchers at the University of Cambridge in England report that men with longer ring...

Brian Ring is the program director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards for Greater Los Angeles, a prestigious program that honors the men and women who excel at growing and sustaining market-leading businesses. Brian gives us some insight into what it takes to be one of the best...

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports supposedly help companies track their environmental and social impact. The reports prove to customers and other regulators that industries are taking the lead when it comes to tackling social issues. CSR advocates even argue that this approach helps the bottom line and at least bolsters a company's...

Not every small business advocate is on board with President-Elect Obama's stimulus plans. The benefits to small businesses are still unclear, which is one reason why a refund on business taxes has made its way into the plan, according to the Associated Press. The American Small Business League (ASBL) has also expressed...

Mallika Chopra, daughter of Deepok Chopra, is an accomplished author and Founder of Intent.com, an interactive social media wellness network that is bringing like-minded people together to share content, resources and connections to better their lives. A gifted entrepreneur, Mallika speaks of these difficult economic times as an opportunity for everyone to...

We haven't seen any figures yet on how well comedy clubs are doing this recession.  As the economy rumbles, more people may want to take refuge in a house of laughter.  One thing is clear, though.  Comedians are losing a vital source of material this month.Here is a recap of George W....

LinkedIn is one of the few booming Silicon Valley startups this recession.  Traffic has doubled in recent months as professionals are getting laid off.  Many use the social network to find new job opportunities. According to a USA TODAY article, "Bad news for workers is good news for LinkedIn": The surge accelerated...