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Wednesday February 24, 2010

Small Business Financing

January 29, 2010

Five Ways to Protect Personal Assets

A few years ago, you took out a $300,000 loan for your business because you anticipated continued growth. But the economy soon fell apart, and so did your business. ...

January 22, 2010

A 'Systemic Shift' in Small Business Lending

Lesia Bates Moss knows opportunity when she sees it. Shortly after she became president of Seedco Financial, a New York-based nonprofit lender with balance-sheet ...

January 8, 2010

A Jump Start for Stalled Small Business Lenders

In recent months President Obama has pressured banks to increase lending to small businesses in order to spur job growth. Now, a long-awaited program approved in the ...

December 22, 2009

Five Lessons from the eBay-Craigslist Fight

Back in 2004, eBay (EBAY) purchased a 28.5% stake in Craigslist for $32 million. The online auctioneer and the online classifieds company planned to expand into global...

October 16, 2009

Perform Due Diligence on Potential Investors

Before your company receives an infusion of equity capital—whether from a venture capital firm or an angel investor—an investigation into your operations ...

September 29, 2009

An Entrepreneur Prepares to Pass the Torch

It's a classic dilemma. A first-time entrepreneur creates a thriving company from scratch with the potential to be The Next Big Thing, but her investors thinks she ...

September 1, 2009

Entrepreneurs Turn to Alternative Finance

The credit binge and the crash that followed have left entrepreneurs in a bind. Banks, faced with rising defaults, dramatically tightened lending standards to reduce ...

July 17, 2009

CIT's Fate Worries Retailers and 'Factor' Industry

The retail industry is bracing for a possible bankruptcy filing by CIT Group (CIT). The New York-based commercial lender is the biggest player in the business of ...

July 17, 2009

ARC Loans' Weak First Month

Diego Iorio sounds like the kind of small business owner the government's new ARC loans are made for. His two-employee audio gear retailer, SIRS Electronics, had been ...

June 23, 2009

As Bankruptcies Surge, Fewer Emerge

As the effects of the recession continue, the high number of business bankruptcies—7,514 in May, up 40% from the prior year—shows few signs of abating. ...

June 15, 2009

Turning Nonprofits into For-Profits

The nonprofit Bikestation reached a crossroads in late 2007. Founded in Long Beach, Calif., in 1996 to design, build, and manage bike transit centers, the 10-employee ...

June 12, 2009

When Your Business Loan Affects Your Personal Credit

The third sentence in the letter Gary Kerr received earlier this month about his $50,000 loan from Capital One (COF) surprised him: "We'll begin reporting your loan ...

June 2, 2009

The SBA Sees a Lending Shift

Small business lending was still growing through the first half of 2008, albeit more slowly—and much of the growth was via credit cards rather than traditional ...

May 29, 2009

No Relief for Small Business Cardholders

Joseph Rosmann thought he was a model small business credit card customer. A 65-year-old general contractor in Bellevue, Wash., Rosmann typically charges between ...

May 7, 2009

Snipping Credit Lines for Small Businesses

For small business owners, a line of credit can be a lifesaver, giving them a buffer against cash-flow problems and enabling them to handle regular expenses such as ...

April 24, 2009

Cash Vanishes from Merchants' Accounts

In the midst of the worst economic contraction in decades, some small business owners are experiencing an additional—and brutal—cash squeeze, this time at ...

April 3, 2009

Mills Vows to Reinvigorate the SBA

Editor's note: This is an updated version of the story. President Barack Obama's pick to head the Small Business Administration, Karen Gordon Mills, was approved on ...

March 20, 2009

A Primer on Changes to SBA-Backed Loans

President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner recently announced sweeping changes for the Small Business Administration's loan programs. Are these ...

March 17, 2009

Tax Advice from a Former IRS Auditor

Everyone wants to maximize their tax deductions and reduce what they owe the government. But remember: If you report income as a small business owner, you face a ...

February 27, 2009

Three Steps to a Sound Business Model

Portero, which operates an online market for luxury goods, secured $6.6 million in venture capital financing earlier this month. In the press release announcing the ...

February 17, 2009

Hidden Tax Tips for Entrepreneurs

Are you missing tax deductions you're entitled to? Small business owners, self-employed workers, and independent contractors can write off many legitimate business ...

February 6, 2009

When to Postpone Efforts to Raise Capital

Even when the economy is growing, it's often difficult to raise equity capital for an early-stage company, with only a tiny number of entrepreneurs actually securing ...

January 30, 2009

How to Vet a Merchant Cash Advance Provider

If you're considering a merchant cash advance for your business, how can you evaluate the provider? Even the largest providers, who say cash advances have gotten a bad...

January 27, 2009

Community Banks Increase Small Business Loans

About six months ago, David Klein, owner of Scientific Fire Prevention & Environmental Services in Long Island City, N.Y., decided to apply for a bank credit line ...

January 23, 2009

The Perils of a 'Down Round' Financing

When entrepreneurs work with equity investors to structure an angel or venture capital round of financing, most have to agree to an anti-dilution provision in the term...

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