Small Business Insider

by Raymond J. Keating – November 30 is the kind of day that’s supposed to get this economist’s juices flowing. After all, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released its latest update to third quarter GDP and the Federal Reserve published the latest edition of the Beige Book. Unfortunately, neither offered much to get excited […]

Curated by Karen Kerrigan – How to Turn Holiday Shoppers Into Year-Round Customers ZenBusiness: “Right now your holiday shoppers are visiting your website, social media pages, and store. In just a few short weeks, though, the holiday shopping will be over, but you can get those holiday shoppers back and turn them into loyal, year-round customers […]

by Raymond J. Keating – Small Business Saturday arrives on November 26. It’s a day established to emphasize the importance of small businesses as the Christmas holiday shopping seasons really kicks into high gear after Thanksgiving. In local communities across America, shoppers are being encouraged to “Shop Small” as part of the annual campaign. Such […]

by Raymond J. Keating – With Thanksgiving upon us, even during tough economic times – such as our current bout with stagflation and uncertainties about where the economy is headed – there’s a great deal to be thankful for in this country. As SBE Council notes each year, we should all be thankful for the […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The Democratic majority on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a policy statement meant to make sense of how the agency will alter the interpretation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act dealing with “unfair methods of competition.” In reality, it’s more accurate to note that this […]

SMALL BUSINESS INSIDER by Barbara Weltman – When a company needs to scale up to meet growing demand or outsource specialized work, it may either hire an employee or engage an independent contractor. As a rule of thumb, it costs about 30% more to hire an employee, due compensation costs, as well as payroll taxes, […]

SMALL BUSINESS INSIDER   by Raymond J. Keating – November 11 is Veterans Day. It’s a date to mark and thank all of the men and women who have served this nation in the armed forces. As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs explains: “Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  Periods of high inflation also wind up being times of volatile inflation from month to month. For good measure, inflation is a difficult monster to tame, as substantial price increases get ingrained in the expectations of businesses and consumers. We’re seeing evidence of each of these phenomenon currently. First, as […]

BY BARBARA WELTMAN – Bank of America’s 2022 Workplace Benefits Report found employers play an important role in their employees’ financial wellness. Employees are stressed (62%) by current economic conditions and employers (97%) today feel very responsible for employee financial wellness (only 41% of employers felt this way in 2013). Offering financial wellness support can lead to […]

SMALL BUSINESS INSIDER by Raymond J. Keating – The calendar has turned the page from October to November. And if small businesses weren’t already thinking about holiday sales, well, they certainly are now, given the importance of the holiday season to the bottom line for the entire year. What are some of the early takes […]