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Money Hunt

Taking On Tax Breaks
For small businesses, the anxieties of tax season go beyond filing returns and paying on time. Many owners realize, often too late, missed opportunities for tax breaks.

GOP Lawmaker Seeks SBA Cuts
House Small Business Committee chair says reducing the deficit will help small firms, not costly federal programs.
WSJ Road Trip to San Diego….
It's always inspiring talking to entrepreneurs -- especially those who have started out small but have now grown their businesses to great heights. How does one take a kernel of an idea -- and build it into an empire?
Beating the Bankruptcy Blues
A good sign for the economy: Small-business bankruptcies have abated in the last year.
Betting Big on Recycling
Ron Gonen built a business that rewards people for their green efforts. His company, Recyclebank, ranked No. 1 on the Journal's Top 10 Clean-Tech list.
- Video: Uncovering The Next Big Thing
Small Firms Seeking Export Financing
As U.S. exports hit a record high, the Ex-Im Bank reports rising demand from small-business exporters.
Lifting the Veil on Medical Costs
Caslight Health, which ranked No. 1 in the Journal's Top 50 Venture-Funded Company ranking, aims to make it easy for consumers to comparison-shop for a doctor, test or procedure.
Getting Goods on Store Shelves
For entrepreneurs with products to sell, a wide range of sales channels abound. But identifying appropriate retailers -- and striking deals with them -- can be a challenging first-time endeavor.
- In Charge: How to Find a Sales Rep
BEER Bill Aims to Cut Taxes
Legislation is brewing in Congress to put more money into the hands of small, craft beer breweries. But its definition of a small brewery would allow even some publicly traded beer companies to benefit.
Expo Opens Doors to Gay Consumers
A small business that officiates weddings for same-sex couples is gearing up to host its second marriage equality wedding expo.
When Girl Scout Cookies Create Turmoil
Some small businesses make it a rule to prevent sales of Thin Mints or Samoas in the workplace. Others welcome the activity - as long as scouts themselves make the sale.
- Vote: Do you allow at-work solicitation?
How Do You Back Up Data?
A new survey shows business owners use physical devices rather than cloud services.
Slovenia's Small Firms Threaten to Empty ATMs
Angered by the slow pace of reforms, small-business owners go into withdrawal mode.
Minority Entrepreneurs Still Face Bias, Prof Says
Minority-owned businesses have long faced barriers when it comes to access to credit. And even today, racial discrimination may still be to blame.
Senate Passes Patent System Overhaul
The Senate voted 95-5 to overhaul the U.S. patent system, raising industry hopes that the biggest changes to patent laws in almost 60 years could soon be enacted. The House plans to take up its own bill in coming weeks.
Subway Runs Past McDonald's Chain
The Subway sandwich chain has surpassed McDonald's as the world's largest restaurant chain in terms of units.
- News Hub: McDonald's Loses Fast Food Crown
- Vote: Which do you prefer?

In Charge

Treasury Wants Your Ideas on Capital Access
In advance of a conference next week, Treasury is encouraging the public to submit questions and comments concerning access to capital.
More Small Firms May Qualify for Federal Contracts
Small Firms More Upbeat
How Small Businesses Are Aiding Tsunami Victims

How I Built It

Cinderella Dreams, on a Tight Budget
Harvard grads Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss create Rent the Runway—the Netflix of the fashion world.
- In Charge: Starting Up…Without a Business Plan
Money Hunt
Chargebacks Create Small-Business Woes
Chargebacks, reverse credit-card transactions, can happen when a consumer disputes a charge or if there's a processing error. To recoup the loss, merchants must prove to the card company that the transaction was valid, which often is hard to do.
Enterprise
Small Tech Firms Tap Into Churches
Small firms that provide services—from audio/visual expertise to website development—find that houses of worship can be a new market to penetrate.

Venture Capital Dispatch

Vote and Discuss

Are employees at your company allowed to solicit one another for Girl Scout cookies and more?

For cookies, other kid fundraisers
For charities
For political campaigns
More than one of the above
No policy
Do not allow

View Results »

Management Headlines

Subscriber Content Read Preview

Parmalat Shareholders Fight for Control
Shareholders are readying for a fight to control Parmalat, the outcome of which will determine whether the dairy group stays Italian or gets taken over by a foreign company.
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Credit Suisse CEO's Bonus Blues
Executive Bonuses Bounce Back

Small Business How-To Guide

How to Decide if Entrepreneurship is Right for You
Starting a business is a lot like becoming a parent. Not only do you have to prepare for your start-up emotionally and financially, but you have to be committed to its constant needs until it's mature enough to hum along on its own. And even then (much like a child) it will always need you in some capacity, no matter how old it gets.
How to Create a Disaster Plan
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RSS Feed

Building Your Business

Audits Add Shine to Firms
Small businesses whose books are audited by a hired certified public accountant improve their chances of getting a loan than businesses with less scrutinized financial statements.
Requirements Rise for Franchise Buying
Legal Advice…on a Budget

Technology

'B-to-B's Struggle on Facebook
Small 'business-to-business' companies are trying their hand at marketing on sites like Facebook, but some find social media might not be the best way to connect with their target audience.
Getting Customers to 'Check In' With Foursquare
Baidu's CEO Pursues Growth

Financing

For Family, Payback Sometimes Slow
Entrepreneurs have long tapped family for help in launching new businesses, but recent data suggest that friends and family may be less willing to take such a gamble on their loved ones.
Start-Ups on a Shoestring
Slow Gains In Credit For Small Business

Franchising

Curves Loses Stamina, Closes Clubs
Curves, whose 30-minute workout for women once made it among the world's fastest-growing franchises, seems to be running out of steam.
Sam's Club to Offer Loans Up to $25,000
Have It Whose Way?

Columns

Small talk
By Colleen DeBaise
Small Talk
On franchising
By Richard Gibson
Upgrades Price Out Some Hotel Owners

WSJ Startup Calculator

Starting a business is more expensive than you might think. Have you thought through the assets you need? How about monthly expenses?

Use this startup calculator to figure out the true costs of launching a company. How much do you think it will take to open your business?

From Palo Alto Software, the makers of Business Plan Pro

With inspiration from the Better Business Bureau

Offers

Next Big Thing

The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies
The WSJ's annual ranking of 50 promising venture-capital backed companies shows investors are betting that the next Google will have a name like Xactly, Chegg or Zoosk.
- Top 50 Start-Ups | Video | Methodology
- Revisiting Last Year's List
- Founders Gain Clout in Venture World
- Investors Pile on Social Media
Top 10 in Clean Tech
Companies that make everything from solar panels to green crude make the Journal's 2011 ranking. No. 1 is Recyclebank.
China to Buy U.S. Plane Maker
The Chinese state-run company behind the country's stealth fighter agreed to buy Minnesota-based private-aircraft maker Cirrus, a small deal that nonetheless illustrates the expanding ambition of China's aerospace industry.
- Business and Midsize Makers Soar
Expediting Innovation Comes at a Cost
The U.S. push to spur homegrown innovation by fast-tracking the patent process might do more harm than good, some in the patent industry say, by giving money-rich companies an edge over start-ups.

Small Business Video

News Hub: WSJ's Top 50 Startups of 2011
4:09
Advisers And Families
2:35
Recalling March 9; Predicting 2011
8:18

marketplace

Industry News from

Subscriber Content Read Preview

Jack Jumps on Food Truck
Jack in the Box is rolling out a food truck, climbing on the band wagon of mobile eats.
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Nike to Raise Prices
Nike executives said the company will begin to raise prices on a broad variety of products in an effort to offset rising costs, as the company posted a 5.2% increase in its fiscal third-quarter earnings.
Colt 45 of a Different Color
A new version of Colt 45 will place the brand into a rapidly growing category that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and anti-alcohol groups: high-alcohol, fruit-infused malt beverage.
View more in Retailing

Small Business How-To Guide

Visit our How-To Guide for Small Business to get tips from The Wall Street Journal's reporters and columnists on everything from "How to Pick a Credit Card for Your Business" to "How to Attract Talent to a Small Company."
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