About the Expert

Dawn Rivers Baker
Guest News Analyst
The MicroEnterprise Journal Editor-In-Chief Dawn Rivers Baker has distinguished herself as the only national journalist exclusively covering news that affects the nation's more than 20 million small businesses. more

Small Business News from The MicroEnterprise Journal for the business that runs small and dreams big.

Small Business News Archives

Microbusiness News Briefs: House Set To Pass Smaller Health Care Bills

Microbusiness News Briefs: White House Rolls Out Small Biz Jobs Proposals

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micro Employers May Be Turning The Corner

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Panel Reviews Small Business Health Costs

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Panel Explores Getting Health Reform Right

Microbusiness News Briefs: Microloan Seen Through A Different Lens

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Committee Scrutinizes ARRA Spending

Microbusiness News Briefs: Lawmakers Eye Small Biz, Credit, and Financial Reform

Microbusiness News Briefs: Feds Want Small Firms Prepared For H1N1

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Biz Lobby Reacts To Obama Health Care Speech

Microbusiness News Briefs: Self-Employed MIA From Health Care Proposals

Microbusiness News Briefs: Credit Card Debt Increases Chance of Firm Failure

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Panel Vets Advocacy Chief and SBA IG Nominees

Microbusiness News Briefs: Obama Seeks Small Biz Support For Health Reform

Microbusiness News Briefs: Health Reform Focus Shifts to Micros and Self-Employe

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micros Say No Mandates, Frown On Public Option

Microbusiness News Briefs: Signs of Economic Recovery Abound

Microbusiness News Briefs: SBA Reauthorizaion Begins in the Senate

Microbusiness News Briefs: Health Care Consensus Emerges Against Mandates

Microbusiness News Briefs: Predicted 'Wave' of Microbiz Foreclosures Not Showing

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Committee Looks Into Alternative Financing

Microbusiness News Briefs: Health Care Reform For Real This Time?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Will Obama Blow It With Small Businesses?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Self-Employment May Do What Card Check Won't

Microbusiness News Briefs: SBA No Longer A Rudderless Ship

Microbusiness News Briefs: House Panel Almost Triples SBA Budget

Microbusiness News Briefs: Once-Promising Biofuels Industry Hampered By All

Microbusiness News Briefs: Obama's Agenda From The Small Biz Angle

Microbusiness News Briefs: Glimmers of Hope in the Economic Doldrums

Microbusiness News Briefs: Spotlight on SBA Business Counseling Programs

Microbusiness News Briefs: House Committee Looks First At Health Care

Microbusiness News Briefs: Landrieu's First Hearing Shows Promise

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Business Needs Voice On The Inside

Microbusiness News Briefs: Recovery Bill Thin on Micro Policy Goodies

Microbusiness News Briefs: NSBA Urges Congress to Remember Small Business

Microbusiness News Briefs: Obama SBA Pick Has Much To Prove

Microbusiness News Briefs: Can SBA Loans Help When Banks Aren't Around?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Time To Bring Microlenders To The Table

Microbusiness News Briefs: Second Wave of Foreclosures Threatens Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Will Ambitious Obama Plan Skip Small Businesses?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Change We Might Be Able To Believe In

Microbusiness News Briefs: Here Comes The Microbusiness Credit Squeeze

Microbusiness News Briefs: Low, Moderate Income Micros Struggle With Extra Costs

Microbusiness News Briefs: Self-Employment As Middle Class Lifejacket

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Business Lobby Approves Bailout

Microbusiness News Briefs: Needs Assessment Captures Micro Reality

Microbusiness News Briefs: McCain Versus Obama on Health Insurance

Microbusiness News Briefs: Capital Gains Non-Starter for Microbusinesses

Microbusiness News Briefs: Second Stimuls Guts Rural Micro Program

Microbusiness News Briefs: Employers Are Not Like Nonemployers!

Microbusiness News Briefs: Vigilance Needed To Reduce Regulatory Burdens

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Biz Panel Considers Further Stimulus

Microbusiness News Briefs: FTC Red Flag Rules Due To Kick In

Microbusiness News Briefs: Tax Gap Panel Says Show Me The Money

Microbusiness News Briefs: Scammers Prey on Would-Be Self-Employed

Microbusiness News Briefs: NASE Updates Micro Health Coverage Picture

Microbusiness News Briefs: Panel Explores Future Biofuel Technologies

Microbusiness News Briefs: Hearing Explores Easing Energy Cost Pain

Microbusiness News Briefs: Another Scuffle Over 7(a) Loan Caps

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Firms Avoid Debt When They Can

Microbusiness News Briefs: Food Prices Prove Knotty Problem For All

Microbusiness News Briefs: Fed Forestalls Congress with Credit Card Regs

Microbusiness News Briefs: Smaller Lenders Stand Ready But Need Help

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Dems Claim Small Biz Bragging Rights

Microbusiness News Briefs: Slouching Toward Capital Access for Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Panel Tax Code Plan Has Micro Goodies

Microbusiness News Briefs: Connecting the Micro Dots on Credit Cards

Microbusiness News Briefs: Last Minute Tax Tips for Microbusinesses

Microbusiness News Briefs: Contentious Budget Plan May Help Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Panel Reviews Credit Card Consumer Protections

Microbusiness News Briefs: Panel Focuses on State-Led Health Care Reform

Microbusiness News Briefs: NSBA Launches Awareness Campaign

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micros and Capital: Is Anybody Listening?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Bill Seeks To Halt Small Biz Credit Crunch

Microbusiness News Briefs: Opening Doors for Woman-Owned Businesses

Microbusiness News Briefs: Do Micros Figure Into Stumulus Plans?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Early Innings in Expected Funding Fight

Microbusiness News Briefs: Last Minute Chores for Congress

Microbusiness News Briefs: Holiday Shoppers Have Barely Started

Microbusiness News Briefs: Congress Tries To Keep Up On Energy

Microbusiness News Briefs: Entrepreneurs Overlooked in New Bankruptcy Reforms

Microbusiness News Briefs: Fraud Case Sparks Lender Oversight Inquiry

Microbusiness News Briefs: Tax Bill Won't Hurt Most Small Firms

Microbusiness News Briefs: Eyes on 7(a), Hostile and Friendly

Microbusiness News Briefs: Panel Views Nonemployer Health Care Issues

Microbusiness News Briefs: Off To The Holiday Shopping Races

Microbusiness News Briefs: Microbiz Innovators Want A Wireless Home

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micro Health Care Tax Relief Proposed in House

Microbusiness News Briefs: SBA Launches New Rural Lending Program

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Firms Take a Back Seat on Health Care

Microbusiness News Briefs: In the Senate, Funding the Farm Bill Gets Messy

Microbusiness News Briefs: Major Microloan Tweak Passes House

Microbusiness News Briefs: SBA Plan Has Big Holes

Microbusiness News Briefs: Microbusiness Capital Woes, Explained

Microbusiness News Briefs: Patent Reform Falls Short For Small Inventors

Microbusiness News Briefs: SBA Still Accounting for Katrina Response

Microbusiness News Briefs: Enzi Tries Again on Health Care

Microbusiness News Briefs: FTC Red Flag Rules Due To Kick In

Microbusiness News Briefs: House Panel Offers Microloan Improvements

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micros Absent from FTC Spam Summit

Microbusiness News Briefs: Grasping At Straws on Health Care

Microbusiness News Briefs: Energy Bill Shoots, But Misses Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Firms Can Jump-Start Rural Economies

Microbusiness News Briefs: Proposal Lets States Try Health Care Reform

Microbusiness News Briefs: Panel Punts on Minority Access to Capital

Microbusiness News Briefs: Senate Panel Clears Loan Reauth

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micros Speak Up About The Tax Gap

Microbusiness News Briefs: New Health Care Proposal Has Minimal Promise

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micro-Friendly Lending Bill Clears House

Microbusiness News Briefs: Good Stuff, But Not For Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: A Different Tune on Health Insurance

Microbusiness News Briefs: Kerry Proposes More Support for Entrepreneurial Vets

Microbusiness News Briefs: Lending Bills Look Good for Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Can Congress Stop Fighting and Fix the AMT?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Tax Breaks Inch Through Congress

Microbusiness News Briefs: Why Micros Need to Go Green

Microbusiness News Briefs: Microbusinesses Dominate Online User Profile

Microbusiness News Briefs: In Financing, Relationships Work For Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Data Protection Bill Could Hammer Micros

Microbusiness News Briefs: Proposed SBA Budget Continues Cutting Trends

Microbusiness News Briefs: Micros on the International Stage

Microbusiness News Briefs: Bush Floats An Almost-Good Health Care Plan

Microbusiness News Briefs: Lawmakers Spat Over Small Business Tax Cuts

Microbusiness News Briefs: Velazquez Starts Out With A Steady Hand

Microbusiness News Briefs: Net Neutrality Win Rings In New Year

Microbusiness News Briefs: Credit Card Use by Micros Was Up in 2005

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Business Tortoises Beat Hares

Microbusiness news Briefs: Micros and Credit Cards, Mixed Blessing

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Business Finances Survey Released

Microbusiness News Briefs: Kerry Outlines Senate Panel Agenda

Microbusiness News Briefs: New Gizmos, Old Issues in the Next 'Tech-ade'

Microbusiness News Briefs: FTC Welcomes The Micro Perspective

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Business Policy in a Democratic House

Microbusiness News Briefs: Bush Addresses Small Business Groups

Microbusiness News Briefs: Microloan Substitute In The Works?

Microbusiness News Briefs: SBA Lending Sets New Records in FY2005

Microbusiness News Briefs: Census Finds Fewer Home-Based Firms

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Firms More Practical Than Partisan

Microbusiness News Briefs: Bill Prods Angel Investments in Small Businesses

Microbusiness News Briefs: The Evolving Microbusiness IT Market

Microbusiness News Briefs: Small Businesses as Fall Guys

Microbusiness News Briefs: Disaster Response, A Year Later

Microbusiness News Briefs: EMI Versus Scott Smith, Round Two

Microbusiness News Briefs: Where's The Will To Fix Microloan?

Microbusiness News Briefs: Congress Quietly Proposes Almost-AHPs

Microbusiness News Briefs: Home Based Micros Skip Tax Break

Weekly News Briefs: Dark Clouds on the Economic Horizon

Weekly News Briefs: Weathering the Great Flood

Weekly News Briefs: Net Neutrality Advocates Need Micro Support

Weekly News Briefs: Small Biz Lobby Silent on Net Neutrality

Weekly News Briefs: Home-Based Business Get Better Return on Revenue

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Shuffles Services to Vets

Weekly News Briefs: Tax Bill May Penalize Telecommuters

Weekly News Briefs: Health Insurance Bill Dies on the Floor

Weekly News Briefs: Stalemate Over Health Plan Bill Finally Ends

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Administrator Hector Barreto Resigns

Weekly News Briefs: Multiple Liability Makes ID Theft Costly For Micros

Weekly News Briefs: Identity Theft Hits Small Businesses Too

Weekly News Briefs: House Panel Wonders If IRS Is Picking On Small Business

Weekly News Briefs: The Beginning of the End for SBA?

Weekly News Briefs: For The Economy, January May Be As Good As 2006 Gets

Weekly News Briefs: Senate Budget Moves Bode Well For Micros

Weekly News Briefs: Health Care Bill Won't Gather Dust This Time

Weekly News Briefs: The SBA Gets A New Inspector General

Weekly News Briefs: Internet Sales Tax: A War of Words

Weekly News Briefs: The Contracting Program The Feds Forgot

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Budget: Same Stuff, Different Day

Weekly News Briefs: Internet Sales Tax: A War of Words

Special Edition: Five Long Months After The Storm

Weekly News Briefs: Surprise Sluggish 4th Quarter Growth Is A Puzzle

Weekly News Briefs: Access to Capital Is Recurring Theme For Micros

Weekly News Briefs: Non-employers Burned By A Broken System

Weekly News Briefs: FTC Reports on CAN-SPAM Effectiveness

Weekly News Briefs: What Economic Role Do Microbusinesses Play?

Weekly News Briefs: 2005 Microbusiness Legislative Review

Weekly News Briefs: Minority Owned Micros Get No Help From New Bills

Weekly News Briefs: The Curious Mix of Religion and Microbusiness

Weekly News Briefs: Divergent Conclusions From The Same Numbers (Almost)

Weekly News Briefs: Senate Panel Finally Moves on Health Insurance

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Takes Massive Budget Hit — Again

Weekly News Briefs: Micro Cries For Broadband Fall on Deaf Ears

Weekly News Briefs: Non-Employer Numbers See Explosive Growth in 2003

Weekly News Briefs: Health Coverage Study Paints A Grim Picture

Weekly News Briefs: New Credit Alliance May Ease Reporting Woes

Weekly News Briefs: Pension Reform Still Leaves Out Small Employers

Weekly News Briefs: Small Business Committees Get Back To Work

Weekly News Briefs: Advocacy Commemorates 25 Years of RegFlex

Weekly News Briefs: Small Biz Support Outfit Hits The Ground in Katrina's Wake

Weekly News Briefs: Preparing for the Economic Storm After The Hurricane

Weekly News Briefs: Economic Conditions Were Great Last Quarter, Says Advocacy

Weekly News Briefs: Everybody Remains Calm As Clouds Gather on Economic Horizon

Weekly News Briefs: The Proper Care and Feeding of Congressional Staffers

Weekly News Briefs: Microbusiness Owners Weigh In On Tax Reform

Weekly News Briefs: House Passes AHP Legislation — Again

Weekly News Briefs: Small Businesses and the Energy Bill

Weekly News Briefs: Small Business Development Center Bills Get Another Shot

Weekly News Briefs: More on Child Protection Registry Compliance

Weekly News Briefs: New E-mail Laws Poised to Kill the 'Killer-App'

Weekly News Briefs: Parents' Tax Break Gets It Right This Time

Weekly News Briefs: Budget Surprises on the House Floor

Weekly News Briefs: LowDoc Provokes Another Loan Fight

Weekly News Briefs: Jonsers Fulfill A Microbusiness Jones

Weekly News Briefs: House Appropriators Poised to Restore Microloan

Weekly News Briefs: Rural Development in the Information Age

Weekly News Briefs: Gauging the State of Women's Entrepreneurship

Weekly News Briefs: Where's the Beef on Social Security and Micros?

Weekly News Briefs: Capitol Hill Performs For Small Business Week

Weekly News Briefs: Special Issue - Focus on Health Care

Weekly News Briefs: Battered Consumers Grow Skittish

Weekly News Briefs: Micro-corporations On The Rise

Weekly News Briefs: Banking Mergers Continue To Impact Small Businesses

Weekly News Briefs: AHP Legislation Clears First Hurdle in the House

Weekly News Briefs: Regulatory Reform Gets Early Attention in the House

Weekly News Briefs: NAS Reports on SBA Women-Owned Contracting Report

Weekly News Briefs: Small Business Advocates Talk Taxes

Weekly News Briefs: The Politics May Be Ripe For Movement On AHPs

Weekly News Briefs: The Pros and Cons of Microloan

Weekly News Briefs: Bush Proposes Further Cuts To Small Business Programs

Weekly News Briefs: Bush Addresses Small Business Issues Early in Speech

Weekly News Briefs: Credit Reporting Rules Hamper Microlender Efforts

Weekly News Briefs: Taxpayer Advocate Trashes Tax Complexity

Weekly News Briefs: Social Security Reform and Microbusiness Fallout

Weekly News Briefs: Small Business Lobby Gathers 2005 Agenda

Weekly News Briefs: The 109th Congress: Small Business Legislative Preview

Special Issue
2004: The Year in Microbusiness Policy

Weekly News Briefs: Micro-Friendly Email Accreditor Opens Its Doors

Weekly News Briefs: Advocacy Releases New Number Set on Women, Minorities

Weekly News Briefs: Appropriations Dust Starts To Settle — Sort Of

Weekly News Briefs: Omnibus Appropriation Cuts SBA by 19 Percent

Weekly News Briefs: Microbusiness Joins Discussion on Email Authentication

Weekly News Briefs: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Weekly News Briefs: Loan Volume Falls As Fees Increase

Weekly News Briefs: Committee Republicans Call 108th A Job Well Done

Weekly News Briefs: Another Fight Brews Over 7(a) Subsidies

Weekly News Briefs: Congressional Late-Season Wrap Up

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Reauthorization, the Second Time Around

Weekly News Briefs: Senate Appropriators Back a Bigger SBA Budget

Weekly News Briefs: White House Releases Details on Opportunity Zone Plan

Weekly News Briefs: Congressional End-of-Session Preview

Weekly News Briefs: African-American Woman-Owned Businesses Lag in Growth

Weekly News Briefs: FTC Posts Initial Proposed CAN-SPAM Regs

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Sets Loan Records and Spins Microloan Decline

Weekly News Briefs: Small Business Politics Gets A Bit Messy

Weekly News Briefs: Issues 2004: Direct Assistance Programs

Weekly News Briefs: Microloan's Fate in the Senate's Lap

Weekly News Briefs: The Value of Coming Out of Hiding

Weekly News Briefs: New Life Breathed Into Microloan

Weekly News Briefs: Issues 2004: Regulatory Relief

Weekly News Briefs: Panel Approves Zero Funding For SBA Loans

Weekly News Briefs: SBA's Fate Remains Murky

Weekly News Briefs: Hitting the Ground for Microloan

Weekly News Briefs: Curiouser and Curiouser SBA Reauthorization

Weekly News Briefs: Issues 2004: Jobs

Weekly News Briefs: GOP Spat May Stall Health Care Bill

Weekly News Briefs: The Fantasy and Reality of Women-Owned Businesses

Weekly News Briefs: Issues 2004: Taxes

Weekly News Briefs: If It Ain't Broke, Break It

Weekly News Briefs: SBA Focuses on Home-Based Business

Weekly News Briefs: The Oft-Ignored Potential of Microbusinesses

Weekly News Briefs: Trends: Not Everybody Is Leaving The Rural Life

Weekly News Briefs: Issues 2004: Health Care

Weekly News Briefs: HUD Cans Proposed New RESPA Regs

Weekly News Briefs: Updated Stats Show Things Trending Micro

Weekly News Briefs: The SBA Legislative Drama Continues

Weekly News Briefs: New Health Insurance Plan Floated by Senate Democrats

Weekly News Briefs: Adding Microenterprise to the Development Mix

Weekly News Briefs: The SBA-Capitol Hill Saga Continues

Weekly News Briefs: Budget Proposal Prompts High-Speed Hearings

Weekly News Briefs: Proposed SBA Budget Hammers Microenterprise

Weekly News Briefs: NASE Announces 2004 Legislative Agenda

Weekly News Briefs: Questions Remain About 7(a) Program

Weekly News Briefs: They're Ba-ack: SBA 7(a) Program Resumes

Weekly News Briefs: Manzullo To The Rescue on RESPA Regs

Special Report: Year-End Legislative Review

Weekly News Briefs: Anti-microbiz HUD Rule Gets The Go-Ahead

Weekly News Briefs: FTC Report May Signal Movement on IP Issues

Weekly News Briefs: GAO Says Budget, Feedback May Hamper SBA

Weekly News Briefs: Big Doings From Small Packages
With the holidays looming and U.S. armed forces in harm's way overseas, the time is ripe to help our boys in uniform as they help us here at home

Weekly News Briefs: U.S. Economy Back In The Fast Lane

Weekly News Briefs: Herding Entrepreneurs Into Teams

Weekly News Briefs: Senate Taskforce May Signal Movement on Health Care

Weekly News Briefs: Blistering 3rd Quarter Growth Wows The Wonks

Weekly News Briefs: A Day with SBA Administrator Hector Barreto

Weekly News Briefs: Microloans Decline in Fiscal 2003

Weekly News Briefs: On The Road To Tax Code Reform

Weekly News Briefs: The Economy May Be Turning The Corner At Last

Weekly News Briefs: Another Brick in the Remote Sales Tax Wall

Weekly News Briefs: September 22, 2003

Weekly News Briefs: September 15, 2003

Back To Work on Capitol Hill
Legislators will be a busy bunch now that they're back, but quite a few small business bills will stay on the back burner

Advocacy Touts More We-Knew-That Research
Contrary to the spin, this new report from Advocacy paints as mixed a picture for small business as there is for the whole economy

How Small Town USA Becomes An Entrepreneurial Magnet
The winner of this award demonstrates that the nation's hotbeds of entrepreneurship needn't all be found on the coasts

Congressional Unfinished Business
As viewed from within the small business universe, Congress has an awful lot of work left to do when they get back from vacation

Progress Report on Bush Small Business Agenda
They don't criticize the agenda, but House Small Business Committee Democrats question White House commitment

Bill to Reauthorize A New and Improved SBA
The House version of the SBA reauthorization is comprehensive, so that we'll hardly recognize the agency if the bill becomes law

Advocate Seeks To Create A Voice For Home Business
This year's Home-Based Business Advocate lives up to the title by urging Washington to do more for home business

Fighting Back (and Winning) in Trademark-land
Might doesn't always equal right and microbusinesses can fight back against the legal heavyweights

AHP Opponents Grow More Aggressive
The industry groups in opposition to Association Health Plans are getting bolder and playing dirty

SBA Proposes Major Changes To SBDCs
The flap over the WBC program has gotten all the attention, but the proposed changes to the SBDC program would be more profound

Economic Reports Still A Mixed Bag
Advocacy reports that we're poised for growth, but we may stay 'poised' for awhile yet

Survey Says ... Bush Plan is So-So
That "small business friendly" stimulus plan that just got signed isn't so friendly, say microbusiness owners in this NASE survey

WBC Grants Become Bone of Contention
Senator Snowe wants to increase WBC funding but SBA Administrator would rather dispose of WBC sustainability grants

Suing For The Right To Recycle
This self-described capitalist took a load of trash and made a business from it, but a couple of companies want to stop him

Snowe Introduces First of SBA Reauthorization Bills
With its focus on what real business owners really need, this bill augurs well for remaining re-authorization requests

Self-Employment Help Added to Vets Benefits
New legislation will let vets use their benefits for entrepreneurial training but disabled vets are still punished for opting to start microbusinesses

Small Business Lending Really Is Profitable
A new report gives the SBA some good ammunition to use in their efforts to recruit more lenders for their programs

Major New Microbusiness Bill Introduced
It looks like the self-employed and microbusiness owners may be getting Congress to recognize unfair taxing practices and fix them

Gearing Up For The Main Event
The brewing battle over the size and shape of a new round of tax cuts has little to do with the economy and everything to do with politics

Manzullo Hopes To Engineer Manufacturing Recovery
Given recent events, this bill enjoys wildly bipartisan support and may actually succeed in doing nice things for the economy while mending fences abroad

A Flurry of Pre-Recess Small Business Bills
Once again, everybody has chores before recess; Snowe and Kerry seem to be clearing the decks for post-recess action

Small Biz Doings On Capitol Hill
Between STAR loan subsidy rates and an independent Office of Advocacy, it was a productive week for House and Senate Committees

Will Small Business Goodies Survive Tax Cut Trim?
If history repeats itself, those small business targeted tax cuts will fall by the wayside on their way through Congress

Predicting the War's Impact on the Net
Just in time for the initial offensive, Forrester Research releases its predictions for what the military action will mean for the Net

Proposed HUD Rule Draws Protests
This piece of a big ticket reform effort over at HUD is bad for consumers and bad for small businesses

NASE May Have Scored In Congressional Hearing
Amid the various AHP cheering sections in Washington last week, NASE President Bob Hughes may just have nailed one for microbusinesses

SBA Budget Proposal Doesn't Walk The Talk
For all the talk about the value of small business, neither the President nor Congress will put their money where their mouths are.

SBA Still Playing Games With 7(a)
The more you watch the antics of the SBA, the more you get the feeling that they just don't WANT to guarantee small business loans anymore.

AHP Legislation Introduced In The House
Congressman Don Manzullo introduces a bill in the House that would allow AHPs and all parties rejoice -- almost

NASE Proposes Micro-Business Stimulus Plan
What a relief that there's finally somebody in our corner in the small business lobbying universe

The State of the Union of Guns and Butter
Our fortunes as business owners are tied to impending war, with uncertainty about Iraq being one of the main albatrosses around the economy's neck

The Neverending Patent Story
Another seemingly bizarre patent enforcement case may cause frames-based web site navigation to become become scarce among microbusinesses

Senate Finally Passes 7(a) Loan Fix
All that brangling last year led to nothing, but now the Senate passes this bill without a squawk

Stimulus Plan A or Plan B?
Partisan politics has produced competing economic stimulus plans but neither scheme is of much use to microbusinesses

Holiday Season Brings Mixed Economic Results
Microbusiness retailers did well online this holiday season, but the current numbers indicate continued economic uncertainty

Bush Administration Seeks Input From WIPP
White House staffers went looking for innovative ideas to spark economic growth and that's what they got from these women business owners

The Unshakable Past That Needs Shaking
The usually adroit GOP just keeps on getting bitten by their own appendage-eating leaders on the issue of race

Study Reveals Best Practices For WBOs
The NWBC releases its first study under the auspices of Chairwoman Marilyn Carlson Nelson, on women and access to capital

Wounded In Action In The Junk Email Wars
In their efforts to rid the Internet of junk email, the warriors against UCE have been forcing some microbusinesses out of business

7(a) Rate Fix Limps Into The Sunset
Political manouvering marred attempts to fix those subsidy rate calculations; has the SBA adopted a workable, long-term solution?

Can Small Businesses Fight Back On IP Issues?
In fairly low-key fashion, Scott Smith fires the first shot in what he hopes will be the small business IP revolt

OMB Procurement Proposals Make Waves
Will these long-awaited OMB recommendations to combat contract bundling work to get microbusiness into the federal marketplace?

Fading Confidence Dulls 4th Quarter Hopes
Consumer confidence plummets but some say they haven't buried their wallets completely

Grading The 107th: Was It Small Business Friendly?
Differing views on what is good for small business produce differing opinions on the success of the 107th

More Small Businesses Fall Victim To Patent Gouger
A string of questionable intellectual property suits is wreaking havoc among online small businesses

NASE Builds Awareness Through Microbusiness Pledge
The venerable small business lobbying organization hopes to focus legislative attention on mirobusiness and the self-employed

Does Contract Bundling Matter To Microbusinesses?
Contract "bungling" is on the rise, cutting microbusinesses out of federal procurement just when they've been invited in

Anti-Fraud Apps Leave Us Out In The Cold
MasterCard prepares to roll out a new authorization tool that would be a great weapon against the chargeback scam, but it's not available to microbusinesses

SBA Ponders Smaller 7(a) Loans
Every time you turn around anymore, it seems somebody else in Washington wants to make life harder for small businesses

Twice The Victim: A Tale of A 9/11 Survivor
This lady, with her incredible story, could be the microentrepreneur's "triumph over adversity" poster child

The Care and Feeding of Entrepreneurs
This NCOE guide to policy platforms that encourage job creation and growth would be useful to policy makers if they listen

The Most With The Least
A new estimate of current U.S. firm size and revenue raises questions about policy decisions for small business

Tort Reform: A Small Business Issue
People are sometimes inspired by legal actions against Ford and McDonalds to sue the auto mechanic down the street

Waco Summit Covers Small Business Ground ...
Contrary to what the media thought was going to happen, participants say the President's summit hit small business issues

Is It Micro-Business-Friendly Or Micro-Business Gouging?
A new report from Advocacy finds lots of big banks that give credit to microenterprises, but they push high-cost credit cards to do it

Efficiency Takes On Efficacy At Senate Roundtable
How many ways should the federal government use to get needed services into the hands of a scattered small business population?

Accounting Reform May Impact Smaller Firms, Too
Amid intensive partisan spin, the Office of Advocacy quietly reminds legislators that there are small stock issuers and small accounting firms, too

The SBA Almost Gets It Right
Following recommendations made by the GAO in a report last October, the SBA is restructuring but they're still managing to leave actual small business owners out of their planning

PayPal and eBay: Good or Bad for MicroBiz?
Will eBay use PayPal to mend its fences with the little guy or alienate him further? It's too early to say, but the auction giant knows it needs to do something

Leaving Lots of Stones Unturned
When it comes to helping welfare recipients towards self-sufficiency, business ownership often doesn't seem to show up on the radar

Paperwork Relief Bill Due To Become Law
After endless stalling, the smallest of businesses get some help with their administrative burden through the legislation passed by Congress last month

Does The Push For Procurement Help?
Policy solutions that don't rebuild the procurement system from the ground up probably don't help small business very much

Folks Trust The Boss But Not Business
Even though consumers say they trust their employers with personal info, they also say that corporate privacy policies are not to be believed

A Patent On E-Commerce?
This business method patent infringement case is likely to have broad implications for the future of e-commerce and small businesses

Advocacy Reaches Out To The OMB
The bad feeling between Advocacy and the OMB goes way back, but if the interests of small business are to be served they'll have to bury the hatchet

Capital Access Still Exercises Lawmakers
Experts discuss small business access to capital -- again -- while Senator Kerry stumps for a pair of bills he hopes will help -- again

Feds Fail The Scorecard
Federal procurement is an issue that few microbusinesses worry about but, if the feds can get their small business act together, procurement could be lucrative even for the smallest of businesses

Battle Of The Lobbyists Over AHPs
That's not spring warming the air, that's the lobbyists turning up the heat in Washington on the issue of Association Health Plans

Is The SBA Taking The Right Tack?
There's a lot of talk about outreach to the business that need help most, but in many ways the agency is designed to be less responsive to smaller businesses

The Quest for Simplified Taxes
Pipe dream or realistic objective? Simplifying federal tax compliance is another item on the President's small biz agenda but will it happen?

The Debate Over Economic Gender Parity
Do women in business suffer from stereotypes or from the consequences of their own lifestyle choices? The answer depends on who you ask

Congress Gets Started On Bush Small Biz Agenda
Last week, House Small Business Committee Chair Manzullo introduced item one of Bush's plan: increased expensing for new investments

FTC Extends Comment Period On Proposed DO-NOT-CALL Registry
A national database may protect consumers from obnoxious telemarketers but do these proposed rules mean Big Brother hurts small business?

Small Biz Emergency Bill Finally Passes Senate
Procedural pussyfooting ceased and this much-needed legislation unanimously passes the Senate -- finally!

Bush Proposes Small Biz Agenda
After more than a year in office, President Bush has finally produced a plan to help small business

The Better-Late-Than-Never Stimulus Package
It couldn't get much more watery than this watered-down version of an economic stimulus package, but at least it will be useful for smaller businesses

EMI vs. Smith: The Fat Lady Hasn't Sung Yet
Wahmpreneur finally hears from Entrepreneur Media, with their own take on their trademark infringement suit and its current status

Senate Committee Sees Red Over Proposed SBA Budget
While acknowledging that it wasn't "as bad as last year", the President's budget proposal for the SBA was not a big hit in Committee

NAFE Looks At Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
The National Association of Female Executives celebrates 30 years of 'Women@Work' at their annual conference this spring in New York

Victory For The Little Guy in Entrepreneur Ruling
In another David and Goliath story, small business owner Scott Smith triumphs in court over the trademark-wielding Entrepreneur Media

House Committee Urges Action On Small Biz Health Insurance
The House Small Business Committee listened to a number of different proposals to help small business get better access to insurance

State of The Union For Small Business
While President Bush said nothing about small business in his speech, interested parties had plenty to say to him when it was over

Partisan Sqabbling Mars Small Biz Agenda
Both sides of the aisle propose to help some of the businesses some of the time and ignore what would help almost all of them.

White House, SBA To Host WBO Conference
If this meeting goes as planned, policy makers will stop talking for a few minutes and listen to small business owners

Trademark Twilight Zone Surrounds
The legal fights over variations on the "entrepreneur" theme continue to beat up on actual entrepreneurs

SOHO Economic Forecast For 2002
What about 2002? Small businesses see recovery just around the corner

2001: The SOHO Year In Review
What with terrorist attacks and a recession, you wouldn't think it, but overall SOHO businesses have had a good year

Political Sleight of Hand Over Emergency Small Biz Bill
Small businesses are being forced to shut their doors while the Administration plays politics with emergency relief bill

Insurance Bias Against Small Biz Presents A Policy Dilemma
Insurers throw lots of hurdles at small employers and some want to figure out how to get those hurdles out of the way

Emergency Small Biz Bill Stalls In Senate
This small biz recovery bill is wildly popular in both houses of Congress but a lone legislator uses parliamentary procedure to delay what he can't defeat

Businesses Pressed Into Service For Homeland Defense
The newly enacted USA Patriot Act will require businesses to report "suspicious transactions" but somebody had better get around to telling the business owners about that.

Will Any Of That Stimulus Help Us SOHOs?
Current political reality for America's 22 million very small businesses is all about the "silent majority"

Why That Stimulus Package Might Not Work
Tax cuts or payouts to citizens? Neither, when the real problem is risk averse investors and corporations with damaged credit

Compliance Costs Are Killing Small Business
Advocacy reports that regulatory costs fall disproportionately on small business, but will these findings prompt action?

What's Up With Internet Sales Taxes?
The moratorium expired and there's no new taxes to collect, but that's going to change in the not-too-distant future.

Congress To Mull Small Biz Bills
There are plenty of nifty small business measures being considered in the House and the Senate, but will they help in the short term?

More Small Businesses Fall Victim To Patent Gouger
A string of questionable intellectual property suits is wreaking havoc among online small businesses

Holiday Season Brings Mixed Economic Results
Microbusiness retailers did well online this holiday season, but the current numbers indicate continued economic uncertainty

Weekly News Briefs: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Weekly News Briefs: Weathering the Great Flood

Microbusiness News Briefs: Energy Bill Shoots, But Misses Micros

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