Time Running Out for Tax Relief

A number of business tax breaks will expire at the end of this year.

Making Employees Take Time Off

Some business owners offer incentives for workers to go on vacation. Others simply make getting away a requirement.

A Tip From Fabio, Beefcake Entrepreneur

The romance-novel coverboy provides this lesson in entrepreneurship: If you believe it, you can sell it.

Google Targets Small Firms

Tapping the local small-business ad market, the search-engine giant makes it easier for owners to buy search ads.

Magnolia to Sell Franchises Overseas

The New York cupcake purveyor popularized by "Sex in the City" looks abroad.

• Slideshow: Cupcakes Go Global

Financing for Michigan Firms Ready to Roll

The InvestMichigan! Mezzanine Fund will receive $130 million to help capitalize high-growth firms in the state over the next five years.

LBO, Recession Singe Quiznos

Quiznos is on the brink of default thanks to a leveraged buyout at the top of the market, the recession, sour relations with franchise owners, costly rents and stepped-up competition from rivals like Subway.

Franchise Group Allowed to Pursue Suit

An association of Edible Arrangements franchisees was granted permission on Tuesday to proceed with a lawsuit it filed against their parent franchise system in September.

Small Book Stores React to Borders' Demise

The failure of Borders Group Inc. doesn't signal the end of the brick-and-mortar book industry, says a national association. In fact, at least one independent shop owner already attributes a boost in sales to the big chain's disappearance.

Micro-Business Hailed in Big Easy

New Orleans hosts a White House-led effort to promote entrepreneurship as a key to the recovery.

Study: Recession Hit Small Firms Harder, But Credit Not to Blame

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Thursday that small firms saw more job losses during the recession than large firms mainly due to weak sales and economic uncertainly.

Hackers Shift Attacks to Small Firms

In a growing threat to small businesses, hackers are expanding their sights beyond multinationals to include any business that stores data in electronic form.

• Video: Hackers Cripple Small Businesses
• Audio: Small Firms Often Lack Tech Security

Millennials Make Millions

Three siblings sold their social-networking company myYearbook.com for $100 million in cash and stock, a reminder that life-changing payouts aren't just the province of Facebook and its red-hot peers.

Town Disappears, One Small Business Remains

Coming out of the recession, many small businesses are trying to lure back customers. But in the case of the Empire Store, a convenience grocer and gas station, the effort has been a lot tougher.