Current Issues

SBA: Size Matters

By Anita Campbell - Nov 19, 2003 - Leave a Comment

The U. S. Small Business Administration increased the size definition for small businesses in the facilities support services industry. The limit on the size of business that can be called "small" used to be $6 million (US) in average annual receipts -- now it is $30 million (US).The new size … Read More

The Market Wasn’t Ready

By Anita Campbell - Nov 16, 2003 - Leave a Comment

I received an email about my November 14th post about micropayments. The message suggested that I'd really blown it back in 1999 by not jumping on the micropayments business then.I beg to differ. (Actually, I'm not really begging -- I AM differing.)Ever heard the phrase "the market wasn't ready … Read More

Intellectual Property More Valuable to Business

By Anita Campbell - Nov 10, 2003 - Leave a Comment

A major trend affecting business is the trend toward the "intellectualization" of property. Simply put, the majority of a business's assets used to be tangible (real estate, equipment). But over the past 25 years that has all changed. Now the majority of a business's value is in intangible … Read More

Business Success Runs in the Family

By Anita Campbell - Nov 5, 2003 - 1 Comment

Individuals with experience working in a family-owned business are much more likely to be successful in their own businesses.A recent study by two university professors, Dr. Robert Fairlie and Dr. Alicia Robb, indicates that simply having a relative who owned a business was not the key factor--the … Read More

Small Business Vulnerable to Identity Theft

By Anita Campbell - Oct 31, 2003 - 2 Comments

As if small business didn't have enough to worry about, here's another concern.Small companies that do a lot of business online are as susceptible to identity theft as consumers. Especially the kind of identity theft that is carried out through "spoofing" or "phishing." Spoofing and phishing … Read More

Key Bank Supports Small Business

By Anita Campbell - Oct 29, 2003 - Leave a Comment

Key Bank has once again improved its Web site dedicated to small business, at www.key.com/smallbiz. The site contains a lot of information about growing and managing a business, and not simply product information. The site even includes an interactive tool that small business owners can use to … Read More

Small Businesses Part of Global Marketplace

By Anita Campbell - Oct 27, 2003 - 1 Comment

The following comments appeared in the Small Business Advocate Newsletter. They reflect the converging forces of globalization and the Internet on the SMB market:"Hopefully it won't come as a surprise that your small business is part of a global marketplace. That means your competitors are across … Read More

Overly Broad Patents Threaten SMBs

By Anita Campbell - Oct 23, 2003 - Leave a Comment

Overly-broad Internet and software patents threaten small businesses. Such is the insightful point of view of Internet guru, Don Pavlish. Point in fact: In 1994 Eolas Technologies obtained a U.S. patent claiming to have invented the concept of browser plugins. Plugins are used to seamlessly … Read More

Small Businesses Unprepared for Disasters

By Anita Campbell - Oct 22, 2003 - 1 Comment

Most small businesses underestimate how long it will take to rebuild their property, resume operations and return to previous income levels in the event a disaster strikes. What's worse, the majority do not have business income insurance to recover costs/damage such as payroll, operating expenses … Read More

Small Businesses Encouraged to do Business Overseas

By Anita Campbell - Oct 17, 2003 - Leave a Comment

The SBA has launched a new Web site to assist small businesses in determining the risks of doing business overseas. The Website, www.AssessYourInternationalRisk.org, has been developed in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A spokesman said the initiative would "provide small business … Read More

Government Contracts for Small Businesses

By Anita Campbell - Oct 7, 2003 - 1 Comment

A significant number of small businesses are doing government work. Yet, overall, small businesses are not competing as effectively for government work as large firms.That's according to a study reported in today's Wall Street Journal. Small businesses report that less than 5% of their total … Read More