Most Clicked NFIB SmartBrief Stories
1. Goldman Sachs flooded by requests for aid
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 20, 2009
Goldman Sachs Group has been swamped with phone calls and e-mails since announcing Tuesday that it will fund a $500 million plan to aid small businesses. The bank earmarked $200 million for education and training programs and $300 million for community-development financial institutions. The institutions will administer the funds but only to companies employing at least four full-time workers and with revenue from $150,000 to $4 million in the last fiscal year. In addition, the companies must have been operating at least two years and must work "predominantly in underserved markets." Wall Street Journal, The (11/19)
2. Buffett leads Goldman Sachs' $500M initiative
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Goldman Sachs Group announced on Tuesday that it will invest $500 million in a program called 10,000 Small Businesses to loosen credit and provide college scholarships, advice, technical assistance and professional networking opportunities. The initiative's advisory board will include George Boggs, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, and Dan Danner, president and CEO of NFIB. "Our recovery is dependent on hard-working small-business owners across America who will create the jobs that America needs," Warren Buffett said. Bloomberg (11/18) Yahoo! (11/17) CNNMoney.com (11/17) Wall Street Journal, The (11/17)
3. More small firms maintain ties to "attached" workers
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 23, 2009
Katie Tyler, founder of Tyler 2 Construction in Charlotte, N.C., is one of many small-business owners who are using a tactic called "attached unemployment" when they lay off workers, filing weekly unemployment claims for workers who go on and off the payroll. About 2.5% of October's new unemployment claims were in this category, which traditionally has been used in the manufacturing sector. National Public Radio (text and audio) (11/23)
4. Roubini says small firms part of lagging second economy
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
Small businesses and millions of people who are unemployed or underemployed are part of a second U.S. economy that is still mired in recession, says Nouriel Roubini, the New York University economist who predicted the financial meltdown. "Larger firms -- even those with large debt problems -- can refinance their excessive liabilities in or out of court, but an unprecedented number of small businesses are going bankrupt," wrote Roubini in an essay for The Globe and Mail. BusinessWeek (11/18)
5. Geithner's take on federal aid to small business
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 20, 2009
When the unemployment rate passed 10%, federal crisis management finally focused on what to do about Main Street. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner defended the administration's initial focus on stabilizing Wall Street, provided his own take on crisis management and outlined a six-step plan to help small business. Reuters (11/19)
6. Understand the 4 types of buyers, and sell accordingly
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 23, 2009
To sell in a way that is compatible with the methods in which customers buy, it's important to understand the four basic buying styles. This article explores those styles, as described in "Buying Styles: Simple Lessons in Selling the Way Your Customer Buys," a book by Leadership Strategies CEO Michael Wilkinson. Selling Power (free registration) (11/16)
7. Statistics reveal that small businesses lag in recovery
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
BusinessWeek's John Tozzi made a graphic representation of NFIB's Optimism Index to study whether small business is underperforming the broader economy and whether the government reflects the disparity in reporting gross domestic product. "Though it's ticking up, the NFIB's optimism measure is way below where it has been at this point in any other business cycle since the index began in 1974," writes Tozzi. BusinessWeek (11/16)
8. Prudent planning can help company pull a higher sale price
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 23, 2009
Business owners who are trying to sell their companies tend to think that lending is the buyer's problem and have trouble understanding what may have gone wrong when the sale price is not what they hoped it would be, writes Barbara Taylor, co-owner of business brokerage Synergy Business Services. Owners who can look at their business from a buyer's perspective may be able to change their operations to add value in advance of a sale. New York Times, The (11/20)
9. Advice on the right way to fire a worker
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
In the absence of a contract or collective bargaining agreement, most employers can fire workers "at will" without having to give cause. Colleen DeBaise, author of "The Wall Street Journal Complete Small Business Guidebook," suggests that to do it right, an employer should meet with the employee privately, refer to documentation that shows unacceptable behavior, allow the employee to respond but be clear that the decision is final, and get the worker off the premises right away. Wall Street Journal, The (11/17)
10. How Facebook advertising can expand business
NFIB SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
Advertising on Facebook allows businesses to target a specific market, get paid by click or impression, and quickly modify the marketing based on results. It is important to realize that Facebook users are more interested in what is relevant to them, as opposed to company news, so coupons, gift cards and videos work well there. USA TODAY (11/16)
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