Smart Answers for Entrepreneurs

January 13, 2009

What to Pay for Liability Insurance

Our company purchases general liability coverage based upon our monthly sales total. Recently, we noticed that we have been paying the insurance based upon our total ...

January 9, 2009

Using Risk Management to Beat the Downturn

Given the current economic climate, small-business owners are wondering what risks may lay ahead, and how to identify and manage them. But rather than focusing on risk...

January 6, 2009

Gauging Small Business Owners' Confidence

Even as retailers suffered and the stock market closed out one of its worst years, the December Discover Small Business Watch showed a slight uptick in optimism among ...

December 30, 2008

Making the Case for Business Ethics

When Lipscomb University in Nashville contemplated opening a business ethics institute in 2008, its backers could hardly have foreseen how timely and relevant it would...

December 23, 2008

Before You Add an Employee to Payroll

I own a small used-car dealership and I'm in need of an employee. I've searched online everywhere on how to add an employee to payroll. I don't have payroll for ...

December 19, 2008

Getting Started in Government Contracting

President-elect Barack Obama has his incoming team drawing up an economic stimulus plan that is, by all accounts, mammoth. With private work drying up, can small ...

December 12, 2008

When It's Time to Buy Instead of Lease

Q: My business lease is nearly up and I planned to renegotiate for a lower payment. However, now I'm wondering if we should try to buy office property instead, with ...

December 9, 2008

Preparing Corporate Professionals to Start Businesses

Despite popular perception, not all great entrepreneurial ideas emerge from college dorm rooms or Silicon Valley garages. Many businesses start with the weekend work ...

December 5, 2008

Improve Your Cold-Calling Results

I own a coaching business and do a lot of cold-calling. I frequently leave messages, either with assistants or on voice mail, explaining what I do and leaving my ...

December 2, 2008

Dealing with Property After a Business Partner Dies

Two business partners and I purchased a house in Vermont as a rental business venture. One of the partners died recently. Can we simply have his name removed from the ...

November 25, 2008

Securing Venture Capital from China

I am charged with getting venture capital for our media technology company that focuses on next-generation home entertainment. This financial crisis has got me ...

November 21, 2008

Tips for Yearend Tax Planning

The conventional wisdom on yearend tax planning is to accelerate deductions and defer income. But 2008 may be the year conventional wisdom gets upended. CPA Michael ...

November 18, 2008

Taking the Pulse of Entrepreneurship

Americans expect entrepreneurs to help pull the economy out of recession, but the latest findings from an international study show a declining trend in U.S. ...

November 14, 2008

Preparing Employees for Benefits Enrollment

Smaller businesses are significantly less likely than larger ones to offer health insurance, surveys (BusinessWeek, 7/2/08) show, but there are small firms that offer ...

November 11, 2008

Resources for an Aspiring Young Entrepreneur

I read your article (BusinessWeek,com, 11/7/08) in regards to President-elect Obama's plans regarding small businesses and I am determined to start a business of my ...

November 7, 2008

Obama's Impact on Small Business

The election is finally over, and as the dust settles, it's time for some accounting. How will small businesses fare under an Obama administration? Smart Answers ...

November 4, 2008

Confusion About a Profit-Sharing Account

Q: Our small manufacturing company has a $1 million-plus employee profit-sharing account deposited with UBS Financial Services (UBS). We recently received a letter ...

October 31, 2008

Keeping a Business Alive During a Divorce

Maneuvering a small business through rough economic seas is tough enough. But doing it amid a divorce at the same time—well, the stakes are pretty high. Lisa ...

October 24, 2008

Starting a Business in the Logistics Industry

I am interested in the logistics industry. Would you please talk about how to start up a freight forwarder company?—P.D., Los Angeles Broadly speaking, the U.S. ...

October 17, 2008

How to Structure Your Sales Team

I make a product that I sell at craft fairs but I'd like to get it into retail stores, too. Do I need to hire sales representatives, and if so, what tips do you have ...

October 14, 2008

Small Business Lines of Credit: Face Your Fears

I have a small woman-owned software and computer engineering business with employees all over the country. I have a secured line of credit against my house and an ...

October 10, 2008

How Small Business Owners Can Cope with the Crisis

Record financial bailouts that are followed by historic stock market drops, frozen credit markets, and a growing global economic crisis. Each day seems to bring a new ...

October 7, 2008

Starting a Business in a Downturn

To many people, the idea of starting a new business right now sounds about as attractive as going all in on the stock market. But Peter Justen, a serial entrepreneur ...

September 30, 2008

Expert Advice on Small Business Credit

The financial crisis has touched off worries among entrepreneurs about the status of their business loans and credit lines (BusinessWeek.com, 9/26/08). Will they have ...

September 26, 2008

Tax Breaks for Electric Cars

I own a small auto dealership. Could I advertise any tax advantages to my customers if they buy electric vehicles and then buy a solar panel installation that would ...