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OSB HEADLINES
How cliff deal affects small businesses
![How cliff deal affects small businesses](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/25/National-Economy/Images/2012-11-09T181005Z_01_WAS312_RTRIDSP_3_USA-1562.jpg)
A day late, Congress has reached a deal to avert disaster. But is the bill a win for small business owners?
Biggest small business stories of 2012
![Biggest small business stories of 2012](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
Between crowdfunding, employer mandates and “you didn’t build that,” small firms spent plenty of time in the national spotlight this year.
Debit-card changes pinch small banks
![Debit-card changes pinch small banks](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/25/Production/Sunday/SunBiz/Images/AP091218020724.jpg)
Community banks and credit unions warn lost revenue may lead them to impose new fees on customers.
Cabs warming to mobile payments
![Cabs warming to mobile payments](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/09/27/Production/Daily/Local/Images/b2-taxi.jpg)
After a city plan to install card readers in all cabs was tabled, some drivers have instead signed up for smartphone payments.
Best and worst sectors to enter in 2013
![Best and worst sectors to enter in 2013](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/12/26/Business/Images/1133601.jpg)
Heading into 2013, farmers and gas station owners are looking up, while drycleaners and funeral homes are eyeing yet another difficult year.
Franchise growth to slow in 2013
![Franchise growth to slow in 2013](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/09/03/Magazine/Images/mcds20b.jpg)
Economists expect franchise job growth to slow next year due largely to political turmoil in Washington.
In crowdfunding, a thin line between investors and customers
![In crowdfunding, a thin line between investors and customers](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/on-small-business/Images/Consumer_Spending-055a3-305.jpg)
Pebble Watches raised money on Kickstarter and missed its holiday shipping deadline. So, what now?
A small business holiday wish list
![A small business holiday wish list](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
We asked small business owners across the country what policy makers could do the give their companies a happy holiday season.
DAILY ROUNDUP
On the weekend: Small firm hiring up, cliff fix fails to fix uncertainty
Our daily blend of news, tips and trends for start-ups and small businesses.
SMALL BUSINESS ADVICE
How to show employees you care this holiday season without going broke
![How to show employees you care this holiday season without going broke](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/05/25/LocalLiving/Images/bh251.jpg)
One idea: Consider giving them an extra week of paid vacation instead of the traditional holiday bonus.
How small businesses can use big data
![How small businesses can use big data](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/09/15/National-Enterprise/Images/5020962617_22a83c501a_o.jpg)
Cloud computing has made big data analysis a powerful and suddenly affordable tool for small firms.
Prevent a holiday financing hangover
![Prevent a holiday financing hangover](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/on-small-business/Images/Credit_Cards_Late_Payments_-052d5-309.jpg)
Many business owners will spend time on the opposite side of the cash register this month. Here are some tips to avoid financing woes.
Ho, Ho, Hackers: How to protect your firm from holiday credit card scams
![Ho, Ho, Hackers: How to protect your firm from holiday credit card scams](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/celebritology/StandingArt/badsanta.jpg)
One expert provides four tips for small business owners ahead of an expected surge in scams.
COMMENTARY & INSIGHTS
Crowdfunding enters a critical phase
![Crowdfunding enters a critical phase](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/blogs/spacer.gif)
Industry officials have built obstacles in the SEC’s path to creating crowdfunding rules.
Online sales tax and the potential impact on small retailers
![Online sales tax and the potential impact on small retailers](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Content/Production/Blogs/faster-forward/Images/2010-11-17T014903Z_01_BTRE6AE1BLX00_RTROPTP_3_FILM-US-AMAZON-056.jpg)
A guide to three bills that are meant to level the playing field for online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
An underused tax credit for innovative small businesses
![An underused tax credit for innovative small businesses](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/on-small-business/Images/Catching_Waste_Energy_05703-320.jpg)
One expert explains why many small firms miss this opportunity and what Congress can do about it.
Three potential benefits of cliff deal
![Three potential benefits of cliff deal](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_90x60/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/federal-eye/Images/137661575.jpg)
How will small businesses respond to the debt deal? A finance professor lays out the most likely scenarios.
OSB MEDIA GALLERIES
EDITOR'S CHOICE
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/12/07/CapitalBusiness/Images/p200_howard2.jpg)
Entrepreneurial studies taking root at black colleges
Driven by a recession that hit minorities the hardest, HBCUs are launching programs to help students create their own jobs.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_172x114/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/10/12/National-Economy/Advance/Images/Leaders-U.S./AP100511138834.jpg)
Platforms adapting on the fly to new crowdfunding laws
One crowdfunding platform is keeping close tabs on the latest SEC proposals and adjusting its business plan accordingly.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130106224010im_/http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_172x114/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/on-small-business/Images/steve-case-Case_Foundation.jpg)
U.S. entrepreneurship headed in the wrong direction?
American entrepreneurship may suffer a massive offshore migration if Congress cannot agree on a remedy.
Columns
Thomas Heath
Value Added: A search company finds its perfect retreat in Costa Rica
COLUMN | Search Technologies meets annually in the Central American nation to talk future plans.
Thomas Heath
Value Added: Paul banks on ‘oomph’
The co-founder of EagleBank has established a record of success in real estate and banking.
Thomas Heath
Value Added: A business bound by craftsmanship and the bottom line
COLUMN | Sarah Larson has revived a bookbinding business by paying attention to clients and costs.
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