WSJ: Here’s a new twist on startups: Buy a brand first – then start your company. At Circlerbrands.com, there are several for sale, like “We Do the Math” for aspiring accountants or “BloomService” for someone looking to get a foothold in the floral industry. Each brand already has a registered... More

New York Times: Creative inspiration often strikes at the most unexpected times – in the shower, while out for a walk or lying on the sofa — and with depressingly less frequency at the office when workers are actually paid to generate it. But business travel can be fertile ground for discovering... More

As I mentioned in the beginning of this series, Small Business owners do not have time to research every aspect of law related to their business. But there are a few facts and resources with which they need familiarize themselves. Having done that, the next step is knowing when the issues are complicated... More

Unfortunately, we live in an age where business owners cannot be too careful in the people they employ. People bring alot of baggage with them into your business, and you need to know who it is you are dealing with. So, it is extremely advisable to use bacground check as screening devices in the hiring... More

You don’t have to be an attorney to own and operate a successful small business. There are far too many things to do in keeping a business running for an owner to get bogged down in matters of law. However, there are many areas of law involved in a small business. So, it is essential that small... More

Search Engine Watch: “Free” is a word that perks up ears and piques interest. In marketing, sometimes “free” is too good to be true, but in some instances, free is good. How can you market your Web site on a limited budget? It can be done. Here are 30 things you can do to get... More

It used to be that airlines, hotels, and rent car companies did double back over flips to cater to large companies with big budgets. But many larger compaines are starting to tigtening thier purse strings in their travel budgets. So, great travel packages are opening up to smaller companies. If you... More

Virtual Entrepreneur: Like most small business owners, I have my eyes on the prize with expectations based on the potential of future expansion. While my current small home business is still in the early growth stages and has not developed to the size where I needed to incorporate, I decided early on... More

Trading Markets: The U.S. Small Business Administration his week launched its latest free online course, Business Opportunities: A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts. The instructional, self-paced guide is easy to follow and available on SBA’s Website at http://www.sba.gov/training. From the SBA’s... More

By Brian Solomon – TMCnet: There is a perception – even among minorities – that minority business loans and venture investment aren’t profitable. But that simply isn’t true. In fact, a key finding of the Kauffman Foundation report is that minority business loans are very successful. According... More

TheStreet: Small-business software has become like running a restaurant. It’s all about the service. Word processing, spreadsheets, project management and many other hard-core business tasks for the small enterprise are now being delivered online. There is no need to download or install software... More

Kansas City Star: 2 groups want to put more money into the pockets of low-income workers this tax season. Kansas City area taxpayers failed to claim an estimated $34 million in Earned Income Tax Credits last year. The United Way and the KC CASH Coalition want to help taxpayers take advantage of this... More

Seattle Post Intelligencer: When you go into business for yourself, it’s easy to forget that you don’t call all the shots. You get to hire who you want, sell what you want, advertise where you want, and basically do whatever you want, right? Wrong. Like it or not, your customers play an... More

CPA Technology Advisor: Whenever I sit down with a client, the question almost always comes up: “What can I do to improve my business?” My answer always starts with: “Run your small business like a big business! When is the last time you had a board meeting? Do you have a budget?” Directors,... More