Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:41:13 PST Washington Post - Main Street Financing Challenges http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/9567343-1.html Washington Post - Main Street Financing Challenges en-us Copyright 1999-2009 Washington Post All Rights Reserved. Washington Post http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/asset/image/general_site_image/3472344.gif http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/9567343-1.html 46 144 Small Business Construction Contractors Must Pay Attention to Detail http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/construction/construction-overview/13464506-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/construction/construction-overview/13464506-1.html The construction industry is unique in many ways when it comes to normal business practices. To be a profitable contractor or sub-contractor, one must understand the concepts of lien waivers and retainage. Dotting your Is and crossing your Ts is very important. Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:45:00 GMT Bank Lending in Q3 – Bad and Getting Worse http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/13455022-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/13455022-1.html U.S. commercial banks had another dismal quarter ending September 2009. Loan volume was down for the 5th straight quarter, commercial real estate and credit card defaults are up, and banks are not through stopping the bleeding. No wonder businesses can’t get loans in today’s market. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:55:00 GMT Finally a Nice Gift from Wall Street to SMBs http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/trade-development/trade-development-finance-banks/13423578-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/trade-development/trade-development-finance-banks/13423578-1.html Many people are calling Goldman Sach’s $250 million dollar investment into small business education a PR ploy. I call it the best thing that has happened on Wall Street since the recession started. Nothing is more needed in today’s recession than small business education. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:40:00 GMT The Curse of Doing Well in Today's Economy http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/13414132-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/13414132-1.html When Washington decision makers passed the stimulus plan they neglected a critical support that businesses would need in order to respond to an improving market. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:25:00 GMT Poor Customer Service Can Be Very Costly http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/operations-customer/13391341-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/operations-customer/13391341-1.html Poor customer service can break a company, especially when your customers are expecting you to provide critical services to their company. Does your company stand out among those that win in part by having great customer service? Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:30:00 GMT CIT Group Bankruptcy and DIP Financing http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/13363496-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/financial-performance/13363496-1.html Small business owners using CIT should be every vigilant. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:25:00 GMT Good Videos on YouTube – SCORE Chicago http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/government/government-support-business-small-assistance/13351990-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/government/government-support-business-small-assistance/13351990-1.html SCORE is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to helping small businesses succeed.The SCORE Chicago chapter has produced a number of short videos focused on small businesses. The information provided on them is good. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:10:00 GMT Don’t Get Too Excited about Q3 GDP Figures http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-conditions-recession/13343680-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-conditions-recession/13343680-1.html Yesterday, President Obama's economic counsel released the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the 2009 third quarter ending September 30, 2009. These figures were significantly inflated by several temporary stimulus programs and don't correlate with the performance of several major industry segments. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:35:00 GMT Don't Become a Victim of Fake Financing Scams http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/13319565-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/13319565-1.html With small business credit getting tighter by the day, more and more innocent business owners are falling victim to crooks and thieves who are determined to separate honest business owners from their money. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:35:00 GMT Keeping Accurate Mileage Records http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/trends-events/audits/13281259-1.html http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/trends-events/audits/13281259-1.html Do you know the IRS guidelines for mileage deductions well enough to oversee your employees? records and make sure everything is in compliance in case of an audit? Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:40:00 GMT