BizOp Blogs

HeraldNet: Sometimes the greater challenge for entrepreneurs isn’t landing on a winning idea; it’s finding the money to start a new business venture. It’s been said there are three common sources for funding — family, friends and fools. In reality, personal savings and investment... More

FreshBusinessThinking.com: Online social network for homeworkers Enterprise Nation is giving £100 to 100 businesses and would-be businesses for their “good ideas”. The competition, in association with PayPal, is asking its members how they’d spend the money on their ventures, awarding... More

PC World: After just over a year as a coveted, invitation-only beta, Google has officially launched Google Voice as a free service for all. Google Voice adds another component to the suite of tools available from Google providing small and medium businesses with cost-effective tools enabling them to... More

Despite that fact that it is 2010 and today’s marketplace being technologically driven, you might be surprised at how just many small-businesses still don’t accept credit card payments. If your small business doesn’t currently take credit/debit cards than you are really missing out on a sizable... More

BBC News: One of the big issues for ambitious small firms looking to grow is how to attract new customers. You know you have a great product, or offer a good service, but how do you best make yourself known to would-be buyers? Here Ganesh Selvarajah, an advisor at Business Link, the government-funded... More

Atlantic Online: To stanch the flow of continued job losses (with 263,000 jobs lost in September, up from 201,000 in August), the White House is weighing new options. Among them are more stimulus-style projects as well as traditionally conservative approaches such as tax cuts for small businesses.... More

Techdirt: I know a fair number of patent lawyers and copyright lawyers who are quite skeptical of what’s become of patent and copyright law — and who readily admit that the law has gone way beyond what is reasonable or what the law was designed to do (i.e., “promote the progress…”).... More

FranchiseTalk: * Check that existing business continuity contingency plans address long-term absenteeism rates. In particular, check to see if core business activities can be sustained over several weeks with only a minimal workforce available. * Identify your company’s essential functions, which... More

Entrepreneur.com: Everything is cheaper Let’s face it: There is great value right now in this and in world markets. This is the right time for fantastic deals in virtually every category, from land and equipment to commercial office space, personnel and labor. As asset prices have been knocked... More

Americans for Tax Reform: On Monday, the Obama Administration announced a series of government-focused solutions for America’s small business sector. Unfortunately, none of them involve long-term ideas to incentivize small businesses to be created or hire more employees. Below are ten ideas President... More

New York Daily News: No tax question is too tough for New York’s top accountants, and Your Money is putting them to work for you — for free. The annual Daily News Tax Hotline is returning this week to assist filers. An all-star team of certified public accountants will be on hand tomorrow, Wednesday... More

Virtual Entrepreneur: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 16, 2009. It is massive, not only in dollar amount ($787 billion), but also in length (781 pages, single-spaced). The legislation represents about $1 billion of tax and appropriation... More

MarketWatch: Unable to get loans at banks, more small-business owners are turning to credit unions. Most credit unions didn’t get in on the subprime-loan market, so they’re not smarting from multibillion-dollar losses like many banks. Many also have extra cash because deposits increased... More

Buffalo News: For four decades, Hal Leader owned and ran Printing Prep, steering it through one industry change after another. Even in retirement, the founder remains ebullient about the digital printing and graphic company’s latest innovations, like images applied to a set of blinds or a tablecloth.... More