Buying from Local, Independent Businesses

Here's an article explaining how various communities are putting forth educational efforts to try to show people how their buying (or not buying) from local businesses really makes a difference.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/30/smallbusiness/grassroots_stimulus.smb/index.htm?postversion=2009073017

Advertising on Cows

Even though it is a couple years old, I found it interested after watching Seth Godin's lecture about the 'purple cow'.

http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/auctions/cows01.php

It is definitely eye catching!

Google Shows Some Love To Small Business

Here are a couple links to articles I found about Google and small business:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/august/202658.html
This one talks about how Google has provided some venture capital to a couple start-ups.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/shinyobjects/article202602.html
This one talks about how the advent of Google's new operating system, Chrome OS, may open up some small business oportunities... especially for people with programming skills.

Interesting???

Franchise or Independent Business?

http://www.franchiseinfosite.com/Display_Franchise_Articles.asp?ID=441

This is an interesting article for anyone trying to decide whether to open their own independent business or a franchise. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. I’m not sure if I would like the idea of a franchise because someone else would have a lot of the control over how I run my business. I think I would much rather open an independent business. There are alot more risks with opening an independent business rather than an existing, proven, successful franchise. However, if I were to start a business, I would want full control. I want to be my own boss and make my own decisions on how to run my business. I know that all the responsibility would fall on me if problems occur but I feel it would be worth the risk in order to reap the benefits and know that I did it through my own ideas and planning.

The Recession

Working as an intern for a large mulit-billion dollar business, you may think that I do not see effects of the recession as much as other people. However, I am seeing them more and more every day. For example, not only are they laying off people in the next few months, they are also only taking on half the amount of new hires. This has a large effect on me, as I will be graduating and competing for one of these spots. Also, in looking around the office, there have been many cutbacks including no coffee or lunch for long meetings and a lot less corporate travel. In seeing these changes, I wonder how the recession is effecting the small business community.

I read an article about small businesses and the recession and it seems that they are being hit just as hard. Economists are predicting a recovery by the year 2012 but will the small businesses last that long? I guess only time will tell.

This is the article I read: http://www.morebusiness.com/recession-small-business