Carl Lavin, managing editor at Forbes.com , has posed a question to those of us in the blog network: Recently, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a jump in the unemployment rate to 10.2%.Some economists think we could be looking at 10.5% by early next year.   Given these grim fo ... Read more

John Wark over at his blog Old Dog New Trick discusses the new Kauffman study about job creation in America.  One of the interesting points from the Kauffman study is the importance of "churn."  From Old Dog New Trick : Churn means we have to keep starting new companies every year ... Read more

With all the talk about taxes and healthcare, don't take your eyes off the push for increased regulation. One of the consistent talking points in Washington is that much of our economic woes stem from under-regulation of business.  The 31st annual Regulators' Budget Report published by W ... Read more

A digital voice recorder makes a great gift for someone - or for yourself. Olympus DS-61 digital voice recorder It's hard to beat their convenience for business people, students, and travelers. They're perfect for those situations where you don't have pen and paper (or a laptop) handy ... Read more

My favorite way to start the day: coconut and freshly juiced apples w/ ginger! ... Read the full post ... Read more

Each passing month, each passing quarter, the news gets no better.  The economy is going nowhere. The National Federation of Independent Business Index of Small Business Optimism remains wallowing near its lowest levels since the NFIB first began this survey decades ago.  In the 1980-82 ... Read more

If w'ere going to sell online successfully, we have to pay special attention to the customer's experience with our website. Reading Jason Burby's piece How Are You Treating Your Online Customers? brought this issue of customer success into focus for me. It's not just a matter of making it eas ... Read more

Project Management can easily make or break a company of any size. If there’s anything I miss about working for “the man” it’s having someone else responsible for managing client communication, deadlines, and the tedious tasks that interfere with the bulk work. Even though ... Read more

My column in this week's in the Tennessean addresses the imperative of staying nimble in the market and listening to what it tells you about your business: I have had some interesting discussions with some accidental entrepreneurs the past few days about what I call "business plan paralysis." ... Read more

As small business owners, we get to experience customer service from both sides, as customer service providers and as customers of other businesses. What was your worst customer service experience and how do you ensure that your customers and/or clients don't experience that kind of customer ser ... Read more