Dashboard
A daily roundup of small-business developments.
What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners today.
The Economy
- Factory orders fell in the third quarter, but consumer confidence jumped to a seven-year high.
- Auto sales rose in October but the industry’s pricing outlook concerns both Ford and General Motors.
- Many economists agree that the Federal Reserve’s stimulus program has accomplished the bulk of its goals.
Retailing
- Costco will be closed on Thanksgiving!
- Small businesses report that sales and optimism are up heading into the holidays but discount-hunting shoppers could threaten the cheer.
- Lowe’s is testing whether new robots on wheels can improve customer service.
Management
- An expert says he’s seeing hints that the future of fraud is even darker.
- Here are four things to remember when you need to keep it together.
- Here are four TV shows every small-business owner should watch.
- The new chief executive at a struggling supermarket chain takes his management team on a back-to-basics minibreak.
Marketing
- Here are five critical tips for brands to win the Hispanic market.
- Here is how researching competitors can improve your blog content.
- Taco Bell darkened its social media pages in a bold marketing move intended to make millennials aware of its new mobile app.
- GoDaddy, Yelp and PayPal are teaming up to help small businesses prepare for the Super Bowl.
Entrepreneurship
- The inventor of the boutique hotel explains why he never tries to time the market.
- This is how one eighth grader is knitting her way to the top and how one new college grad made $66,000 in a month.
- Some military veterans are finding a second career as entrepreneurs.
Start-Ups
- Four University of Pennsylvania students have taken a leave to work on a start-up: “It’s like Tinder, except for friends.”
Cash Flow
- Apple Pay runs into competition.
- Alibaba’s Jack Ma says he’s open to working with Apple on payments.
Around the Country
- Here comes a second wave of votes to legalize marijuana.
- A Minnesota restaurant that specializes in African cuisine is considering drastic changes because of the recent fear of Ebola contamination.
- An ex-con in California returns to court as a business owner to thank the judge.
- These are the best and worst cities for celebrating Halloween.
- Businesses in a suburb of St. Louis are being warned of possible civil unrest.
- Amazon plans to bring 1,000 jobs to the Chicago area.
Finance
- A survey finds that Americans are feeling guilty about not investing enough in 2014.
- A former member of the band ABBA is trying to make Sweden the world’s first cashless country.
Ideas
- Here’s a game that puts players into the daily routine of the modern-day farmer.
- A new mobile app lets a user give to charities by taking photos of their logos.
- A biotechnology company is trying to commercialize the production of a sugar alternative.
- Here comes an Uber for … snowplowing.
Online
- Does anyone really want a “smart” washing machine?
- Here is how small businesses can use the latest innovations in e-commerce.
Opportunities
- In the Ohio Valley, four pipeline projects will cost up to $15 billion to build and provide thousands of construction jobs.
Technology
- Will unplugging be a trend in 2015?
- These five apps are changing the way people spend money.
- Google is working on a pill that searches for illnesses.
- These are the 10 ingredients needed to concoct an addictive mobile app.
Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.