Astronauts aboard the International Space Station shared pictures, showed off their candy stash and flubbed a simple math equation as they talked to Wichita fifth-graders via a downlink.
Amid the turbulence of the plunging stock market, there's a great opportunity for small business owners — if they set up retirement plans now, they'll position themselves and their employees for big gains when Wall Street finally recovers. And it's still possible to set up a plan and get a break on 2007 taxes.
John Edwards is trying to represent the "grown-up wing of the Democratic Party," but he wasn't too mature to let his hair down on the "Late Show With David Letterman" on Tuesday.
The slowing economy and the possibility that we're headed for a recession are worrisome subjects for small business owners, whose biggest concern is how to keep sales coming in when customers are becoming shy about spending.
With the football playoffs well under way and the presidential election campaign becoming more intense, small business owners may find some of their staffers are a little distracted and more inclined to talk than work. A smart boss will tolerate some chatter, recognizing that staffers who feel good in the workplace are likely to be more productive, rather than less.
Almost every accountant has a story about a small business client who showed up on April 10 or thereabouts, expecting to start work on a company or personal income tax return. Or, worse, a client who showed up with a shoebox full of receipts and invoices, also expecting to get a return done in short order.
Small business owners who expect to hit the ground running when 2008 arrives might want to think about sitting back for a just a bit and doing some strategic and financial planning for the new year.
At Jeff Cassels' jewelry store, falling real estate values and rising gold prices are more than news headlines — they are contributors to an uncertain holiday season. At Joanie McDonald's clothing store, however, a weakening dollar is turning into a boon.
Hold the sugar.
The winter can be a hard time for staffing at small businesses — it's not just the holidays that thin employee ranks, it's also colds and the flu. Owners can cope by making it easier for staffers to telecommute and by having a pool of workers who can fill in.
OK, you still haven't gotten around to planning that holiday party for your small business. That actually may be more of a blessing than a tragedy — many of your fellow procrastinators have found that last-minute parties can be more pleasant, comfortable and fun than a more formal catered affair.
Giving employees annual performance reviews or appraisals can be one of a small business owner's most dreaded tasks. Doing them more often and going into the process with a positive rather than punitive attitude can make a review much less of an ordeal.
Many small business owners meeting with their accountants this month and next may find that year-end tax planning and projections for 2008 are a little more complicated than usual because of the uneasy economy.
The lights go out at night after the last wash at Jim Whitmore's five coin laundries — no longer does he use a fully lit store as advertising. And at Todd Waldemar's Wing Zone store, he's shutting down some of the fryers during off-peak times.
In just a few weeks, many employees at companies across the country won't be able to resist temptation — they'll visit their favorite online retailers and do some holiday shopping when they're supposed to be working.
Most small business owners put a fair amount of planning into a holiday party for their employees — where to have it, what kind of food to serve. It's likely that many don't put the same effort toward ensuring that no one gets hurt and that the company isn't sued.
Lucky employees at thousands of small businesses will be getting cash from company owners in the next few months. Some companies will call the money a year-end bonus, while others will label it a holiday gift.
The signs posted on the fences at Little League and football fields advertising local mechanics and dry cleaners are some of the best marketing tools that a small business can use.
A new tactic for Terrell Owens: instead of talking, he wrote a note. Even Owens apparently knows the Dallas Cowboys' game Sunday against New England, a pair of 5-0 teams and multiple Super Bowl winners, doesn't need any extra hype.
A tax deadline is fast approaching for some small business owners — Oct. 15 is the last day to submit returns for those who got an automatic extension of the filing date back in April.
The volatility that has shaken Wall Street the past few weeks is likely to start affecting many small businesses as well. However, the impact won't necessarily be negative.
In just a few months, many small-to-medium sized corporations will be required to join a growing trend — e-filing, the electronic filing of their tax returns and forms such as W-2s and 1099s. It's something that many other small businesses should consider, even if the government isn't mandating that they do it.
Many people dream of taking a hobby and turning it into a successful small business, and many entrepreneurs are lucky and savvy enough to make it happen. But profiting from a passion still takes hard work, and hobbyists-turned-business owners often find they spend more time running the company than enjoying a pastime.
Online search engine leader Google Inc. is wedding its instant messaging and e-mail services in the same Web browser, hoping the convenience will lure users from the larger communications networks operated by its chief rivals.