Microbusiness News Briefs Podcast

MNB 02/05/07: Micros on the International Stage

As I mentioned earlier, I spent most of last week in Spain (or en route to Spain), where I delivered the keynote address to the eighth annual Escala Mikros Congress in Bilbao. The conference is all about microbusinesses - their needs, their successes, and what the regional economic development agencies can do to support their efforts. I have to tell you, being surrounded by officials who were actually excited about microbusinesses was a novel, but welcome, experience.

Plus, a couple of articles that address veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses - a constituency that is at the top of lots of minds, thanks to the war in Iraq.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Escala Mikro Congress web site
Garapen, the Basque Association of Economic Development Agencies
Senate Small Business Committee
SBA Office of Advocacy

Technorati Tags:
European small businesses, service-disabled veteran owned businesses, economic development, microbusiness

Jet lag reigns supreme

Greetings!

Having returned from my trip abroad over the weekend (of which you'll hear more later), I'm just a little behind here. So, I deeply regret that the MNB Podcast will be a tad late this week.

I do expect to upload it later today. My apologies for the delay.

MNB 01/29/07: Bush Floats an Almost-Good Health Care Plan

Well, President Bush got to make a bit of history with the first-ever State of the Union speech that began with the words Madam Speaker -- a fact that he graciously pointed out as soon as he took the podium last Tuesday night. Among other things, he also proposed a health care plan which, while not without problems, is certainly worth talking about. If nothing else, it is a plan that would begin weaning Americans away from employer-provided health insurance, and that would be a very good thing for microbusinesses.

Plus, more action on Capitol Hill last week covering the tax gap and the never-ending drama surrounding that minimum wage increase.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

State of the Union 2007 (White House web site)
State of the Union: Democratic Response
IRS information and documents on the tax gap
Bill Summary and Status: H.R. 2 (THOMAS)

Technorati Tags:
State of the Union, tax gap, minimum wage increase, microbusiness

MNB 01/22/07: Lawmakers Spat Over Small Business Tax Cuts

I suppose it's possible that there's just something in the air that makes people serving in Congress slowly lose their minds, but I doubt it. And maybe the fault could lie in House Democrats trying to score rhetorical brownie points on the backs of Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans and President Bush. Maybe those Democrats, smarting under charges from the party base that they've been "spineless" for the last six years, are spoiling for a fight.

I could have wished, though, that they hadn't chosen to pick a fight over a package of tax cuts that includes a few items of use to microbusinesses for a change.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Senate Finance Committee, Summary of Legislation
Hoyer Calls for Clean Minimum Wage Bill (Press Statement)
The Conference Board
National Federation of Independent Business
Senate Small Business Committee

Technorati Tags:
politics, tax cuts, economy, microbusiness

MNB 01/15/07: Velazquez Starts Out With A Steady Hand

A lot of people seemed to think that the Democrats would surge into Washington at the start of the 110th Congress, frothing at the mouth and starting fights with President Bush just because they're Democrats and he's ... well ... not. And certainly there are some storm clouds on the horizon, especially in the little matter of the war in Iraq. But a lot of what seems to be going on during these first few weeks of the new Congress has been pretty mild-mannered and bipartisan.

Is it possible that somebody who said they wanted to "change the tone" in Washington will actually be found to have meant it? What a concept!

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

House Small Business Committee
2006 National Taxpayer Advocate Annual Report to Congress (Executive Summary)
House Ways and Means Committee
The National Association for the Self-Employed
Small Business Trends

Technorati Tags:
politics, tax reform, marketing, microbusiness

MNB 01/08/07: Net Neutrality Win Rings In New Year

Happy New Year!

The new Democratic congressional majority has gotten itself off to a cheerful, energetic and noisy start, with much promised activity and much promised bipartisanship. As to that, we'll see. There are a few matters coming down the pike that will help to establish whether the Democrats really will treat us to 'a new tone in Washington' (where have I heard that before?) or whether we'll see a certain amount of business as usual.

Plus, a promising development in the Net neutrality wars, a flurry of new bills from the Senate Small Business Committee and a preview of the looming fight over the 2007 Farm Bill.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Federal Communications Commission
SaveTheInternet.org (Net neutrality advocacy coalition)
Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA)
CFRA Working Paper: Rural Development and the 2007 Farm Bill
"Powerful Interests Ally to Restructure Agriculture Subsidies" (Washington Post, 12/22/06)

Technorati Tags:
Net neutrality, politics, 2007 Farm Bill, microbusiness

MNB 12/18/06: Credit Card Use by Micros Was Up in 2005

Since Congress is in recess and pretty much all is quiet on the policy front, this seems like a good week to check out some new research. The SBA Office of Advocacy released two reports covered in this week's Journal: one that confirms the Fed's finding that credit cards are the product of choice offered by banks to low-dollar microbusiness borrowers and one that confirms that governments should pay more attention to small businesses when allocating those scarce economic development dollars.

And the FTC is at it again: they're planning a public hearing on broadband access, the central issue is likely to be 'Net neutrality, and they're looking for speakers. Will anyone volunteer to speak for online micros? We'll see.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

SBA Office of Advocacy
Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy Hearings (FTC mini-site)
FTC Public Comment Submission Page (for comment on issues related to hearings)

Technorati Tags:
small business financing, economic development, Net neutrality, microbusiness

MNB 12/11/06: Small Business Tortoises Beat Hares

About the only thing to say about the research released by Advocacy that is the subject of this week's lead article is, "Wow!" This paper shakes an admonitory finger at previous business growth research that excludes microbusiness employers, supports earlier findings that the smallest of micro-employers show sustained job growth even through recessions, and finds that slow, steady growth that avoids business contractions is the surest way to small business success.

Plus final moves on both the House and Senate sides of the Small Business Committees just before final adjournment of the 109th Congress. R.I.P.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

SBA Office of Advocacy
House Small Business Committee Democrats
Congressman Steve Chabot's web page
National Journal Composite Conservative Score Ratings (Project Vote Smart)
Senate Committee on Small Busienss and Entrepreneurship

Technorati Tags:
small business research, House Committee assignments, SBA, microbusiness

MNB 12/04/06: Micros and Credit Cards, Mixed Blessing

We're back to microbusinesses and access to capital this week, with a story on market research conducted by various folks in the microenterprise development field on the entry of banks into the micro-credit market. The fact that the mainstream financial services industry is making capital available to microbusinesses is a good thing, but their product of choice -- credit cards -- raises some questions about the cost of that capital.

Plus we have the wonderful, heart-warming story of a lucrative online microbusiness born of a family's struggle to save a child's life. Pay a visit to Alex's Coupons if you get a chance.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

The Aspen Institute
Microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effective, Learning and Dissemination (FIELD)
Alex's Coupons
Evening Magazine segment on Alex's Coupons
GAO report on SBIR program

Technorati Tags:
small business lending, microlending, small business innovation research, microbusiness

MNB 11/27/06: Small Business Finances Survey Released

It's mostly about money this week, with our lead story on the release (finally!) of the latest Federal Reserve Board Survey of Small Business Finances. There's also a relevant piece this week about microenterprise development, and microfinance, in the U.S.

The upshot of all this is that access to capital is clearly still a problem for micros but not enough people seem to feel any sense of urgency about addressing the issue.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
National Women's Business Council
SBA Office of Women's Business Ownership
Association of Women's Business Centers
ACCION International

Technorati Tags:
small business finances, woman-owned businesses, microenterprise development, microbusiness

MNB 11/20/06: Kerry Outlines Senate Panel Agenda

We head into Thanksgiving week with a report of a thankful-sounding Senator John Kerry outlining his agenda as the newly appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in the 110th Congress. Kerry definitely sounds like he's ready to roll; we'll see if he can accomplish as much as he hopes.

Plus new research on small business lending and some tips from Shop.org to help online microbusiness retailers make the most of the already-in-progress year end holiday shopping season.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Senate Small Business Committee Democrats
SBA Office of Advocacy
Shop.org

Technorati Tags:
small business policy, small business lending, 2006 holiday shopping season, microbusiness

MNB 11/13/06: New Gizmos, Old Issues in the Next 'Tech-ade'

Election week was last week and an interesting time was had by all. Of course, while the rest of the media's eyes were all fixed on the ballot box, your trusty microbusiness reporter was preoccupied with the duel matters of the intersection between the Interent and e-commerce and the nation's microbusinesses.

And a sub-theme for the week was in defense of microbusinesses themselves -- fun, fun, fun!

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade - FTC hearings
JupiterResearch
SBA Office of Advocacy
White House Press Conference (transcript)

Technorati Tags:
new technology, e-commerce, midterm elections, microbusiness

MNB 11/06/06: FTC Welcomes The Micro Perspective

A couple of months ago, I was complaining in The MicroEnterprise Journal about the FTC's Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade hearings because the voice of microbusinesses was likely to be absent from the proceedings.

Well, blow me down! Event organizer Catherine Harrington-McBride, an FTC staff member, heard what I had to say and decided to invite me to participate. Later this week, I'll get my chance to instruct the agency on some microbusiness consumer protection issues that are likely to arise from upcoming technological developments.

How cool is that?

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade - FTC hearings
Senate Small Business Committee, Democrats
Online Holiday Sales Will Reach $32 Billion This Year According to JupiterResearch (press release)
Forrester Research: 2006 Online Holiday Retail Sales To Hit $27 Billion (press release)

Technorati Tags:
politics, technology, 2006 holiday shopping season, microbusiness

MNB 10/30/06: Small Business Policy in a Democratic House

What would this midterm season be without a bit of a preview of what will become of the House Small Business Committee under Nydia Velazquez? Especially since current Chairman Don Manzullo brought the subject up by distributing a press release last week that was scarifying enough to be a worthy segue into Halloween week?

Plus Senator Blanche Lincoln on rural development and a new research initiative from the Center for Women's Business Research.

Listen to this week's podcast.

For more information:

House Small Business Committee
Senator Blanche Lincoln
Center for Women's Business Research

Technorati Tags:
women owned business, small business policy, rural development, microbusiness

MNB Podcast Special: An Interview with Senator Blanche Lincoln

We're launching a new project here at The MicroEnterprise Journal, to conduct interviews with members of the Senate who are also members of Generation Jones: born between 1954 and 1965 and mistakenly called Boomers for most of our lives.

Jonsers are an interesting mix, possessing both the idealism of the Boomers and the realism of GenXers. We are less prone to ideological dogma and more inclined toward practical problem-solving. After all the partisan sniping of recent years, Jonsers are coming into a position in which they really will have the power to change the tone in Washington.

That represents a pretty titanic shift in the way things are done in our nation's capitol. As a sort of preview, I'll be talking to some of them begining with this conversation with Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, on the issue of rural development.

Listen to Senator Lincoln interview.

Technorati Tags:
politics, rural development, Senator Blanche Lincoln, microbusiness