BizOp Blogs

MarketWatch: The IRS’s online filing system is up and running on time. No last-minute bits of legislation to change the whole playing field. What’s the big news this year? Lots of free advice and better question paths in all services. About 145 million tax returns were filed last year. The IRS... More

Michigan Business Review – MLive.com: It’s always hunting season for the next great idea. The Edsel and the smartphone have vastly opposite records of success, but they both came from the same source: an idea. In their book “The Idea Hunter,” Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer observe... 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

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

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

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

The Moscow Times: Investment banks are laying employees off by the hundreds, developers are freezing projects and oil firms are lining up to receive government aid. At some companies, however, business has never been better. “We’re seeing at least three to four times more cases lately,”... More

BusinessWeek: Here’s a welcome report for entrepreneurs this new year: President-elect Barack Obama’s massive stimulus plan is expected to include three key tax breaks for small-business owners. Details are still emerging, but the plan could include a longer window for businesses to “carry back”... More

Entrepreneur’s Tips: Although 97% of U.S. small-business owners have some degree of concern about today’s dismal economy, 26% plan to spend more on advertising – especially online – and another 60% plan to spend about the same as in 2008, according to a report from Ad-ology Research... More

Financial Post: The recession has become the consuming priority for small business owners, who don’t have the clout to lobby government for billion-dollar bailouts. But help is out there. Just look at this press release that was received the other day at my friend’s uncle’s cousin’s... More

Killeen Daily Herald: Financial counselors locally and across the country are advising people to approach holiday spending with prudence and not panic, frugality and not fear. Everyone is jittery and some have lost money in the economic downturn, but it doesn’t have to be a blue Christmas. Some... More

The Patriot Ledger: A recession can be particularly tough for small businesses that lack the resources of larger companies with staff members who can research and analyze the economic conditions and figure out their next steps. That’s why we checked in with members of The Patriot Ledger’s Economic... More

Nextgov: The Veterans Affairs Department wants to put companies owned by veterans at the top of the pecking order for agency contracting opportunities. VA published a proposed rule change on Wednesday in the Federal Register that would establish a set-aside program for veteran-owned and service-disabled... More

LaunchLab.co.uk: Small business across the UK are sceptical about the benefits of bringing the Olympics to London and even the capital’s firms are not getting too excited, a business think-tank claims. The facts: Research by the Tenon Forum, part of Tenon accountancy firm, shows that only one in 10... More