What do the recently passed Health Insurance Reform and Jobs bills mean for my small business? By Reed Richardson Within the past month, Congress and the President passed two pieces of legislation-one minor, one major-that have elements specifically targeted at helping small businesses. But few entrepreneurs have the time to sort through legislative bills to find out just what the potential benefits are and when they might kick in. So, we've done it for you. Here, in nuts and bolts form, are...

Preparing for the worst will keep you functioning at your best By Max Berry Every entrepreneur goes into business hoping for the best, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared for the worst. Whatever business you're in, there will always be a number of things that, at any given point, could go wrong. Developing a contingency plan-or several of them-will help you survive the bad times in minimum time and at minimum cost. It will also make your business stronger as you get back on...

Don't be catch unprepared for the worst case scenario By Chris Freeburn A small business's survival can mean more than weathering the economy's ups and downs, or attracting consumer interest. Sometimes it means recovering from disaster. That disaster can come in the form of a fire that rips through your office, or the building housing it, a flood that soaks the business district in which your company is located, or a tornado or hurricane that batters your city. Such calamities can leave your...

Be sure you understand the critical role of a business attorney to your company's success It's hardly a secret that some people dislike lawyers. It's also no secret that many of the same people end up hiring lawyers when things don't go their way. Small business owners are no exception. Hiring a lawyer means spending money, for one thing, and most businesspeople would much rather forgo any expense they consider unnecessary. Lawyers also tend to bill by the hour, which can sometimes lead to...

With costs rising in every category, insurance again tops the list of small-business woes. By Reed Richardson But carriers and small businesses can lessen the pain by getting creative. When Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes," he obviously wasn't thinking about running a small business. If he had, insurance would have been right up there. Many small-business owners treat insurance as a necessary evil, the annual visit to their agent ranking just...