Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Use TARP to Directly Aid Small Business Lending

When the history of the worst recession since the Great Depression is written, August 2008 will stand out as a pivotal month. That appears to be when the credit crunch became a vicious cycle, consuming small businesses in a vortex of vanishing credit lines and increasingly restrictive loan terms.

For Mark Lane, president of Coed Sportswear and Printed Matter, that's when his bank of seven years called in all of their notes, despite the fact that he'd made a host of difficult decisions -- laying off employees, cutting benefits, and slashing other costs -- to maintain what he thought was a "strong, healthy" banking relationship.

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Common Sense Management

Today features the final blog entry from student submissions. It's written by Caleigh Conahan, an Operations Management Major from Hazleton, PA. Caleigh is a Junior.

The economic conditions have unveiled to the public what I like to call "the two faces of management."

First, there is the 9-5 manager who is not concerned with his/her employees or the betterment of his/her company, rather he/she believes by showing up to the office his/her job is done and pay deserved.

Second, there is the manager who has always been--or developed into--the innovative leader.

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Common Business Cash-Flow Mistakes: Tips to Avoid Them

Every business has cash-flow bottlenecks, but if your small business is so tight on cash that you find it difficult to pay salaries or meet day-to-day expenses, then it is time to look for the causes and find solutions.

Here’s how to avoid some common cash-flow mistakes – and ensure that your small business stays in the red.

Not Evaluating Your Clients’ Credit History

You should check out your client’s credit history; if you don’t, it’s very likely that those with bad credit will delay their payments. If this happens, you should cut back on how much products you are supplying them with and at the same time bill them for the maximum.

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Lower Cost for Online Business: 7 Ways to Reduce Costs

Just as you need to continuously monitor and reduce direct and indirect expenses in your regular business, you will also need to reduce costs in your online business if you want to increase your profits.

If you plan to purchase products, then do some research first.

If you plan to buy and sell, it’s important for you to research which items move fast and which move slowly.

You can do this by going to sites like eBay and observing the items that are in greatest demand. eBay also makes it possible to check out the top ten fastest-moving items.

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Negotiating a Better Deal with Vendors

Part of running a successful small business is learning how to negotiate both with your customers and with your vendors.

There is a fine line between asking for a deal and asking for too much. Just as you would not want your customers to make unfair demands about price, you should not make such demands of your vendors.

That being said, there is nothing wrong with trying to negotiate a better price, especially for items that you purchase on a regular basis.

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