Technology and Business

For over 40 years, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) has facilitated job growth by fostering the development of minority-owned business here in the United States. Minority business enterprises (MBEs) create jobs in a variety of economic sectors, from manufacturing to hospitality services and everything in between.  

To ensure that our country remains competitive in the future, we must ensure that minority-owned businesses are providing the jobs of the future. That’s why MBDA works to help minority-owned businesses participate in some of our fastest growing sectors including high-tech, healthcare IT, and green energy.

Advancements in technology and new developments in information technology bring more opportunities in the tech sector. As healthcare providers improve and update the way they store and share medical records, there will be growing jobs in healthcare IT. Finally, as we transition from fossil fuels to cleaner modes of energy production, there will be more and more opportunities in the green, renewable energy solutions our children and grandchildren will come to rely on.

These jobs may be updating our electrical grid, maintaining infrastructure, or manufacturing new materials, such as solar panels.

Regional innovation clusters are based on a simple but critical idea:  if we foster coordination between the private sector and the public sector to build on the unique strengths of different regions - while creating the incentives for them to do so - we will be better equipped to marshall the knowledge and resources that America needs to compete in the global economy.

The $33 million Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge that the Obama Administration announced yesterday will help capitalize on shared strengths, encouraging America's regions to plan more strategically to support long-term growth and an environment where the private sector can succeed.  It reflects an understanding by both private sector leaders and policymakers that we must implement strategies that capitalize on the full extent of regional assets and ensure that the benefits of cluster development extend to all workers and communities throughout the region.

It’s important to recognize that consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious. Eco-friendly practices may seem costly but can serve as a great investment for future growth in businesses as it reduces costs and creates happier customers.

Business.gov provides suggestions and information from fellow business owners as well as industry and government experts.  Linked to the site, you can find a Green Business Guide that offers tons of tips on how to pursue and maintain a green business.  Recommendations include how to reduce energy costs, how green technology develops energy efficient upgrades, what kinds tax credits there are to green technology developments, and more.  By cutting down on expenses and becoming more consumer-friendly, your business can open up opportunities for growth.

Most banks charge a percentage of each transaction, called a discount rate, and a fixed per-transaction fee. There is often a fixed monthly fee, a monthly minimum order, and a one-time setup fee as well. A payment-processing system, whether hardware- or software-based, is an additional expense, as we shall see.

Fees for merchant accounts are like interest rates on loans - they vary depending on the perceived level of risk to the bank. Users of credit cards may refuse to pay certain charges for a variety of reasons, ranging from returned products to honest errors to fraudulent charges. Banks want to encourage the view of credit cards as a safe and convenient way to buy, so they are generally pretty lenient about allowing buyers to make chargebacks, as they are called.