Small Business Marketing - Wall Street Journal

WSJEurope
Market Watch
- Market Watch
Barron's
- Barron's
All Things Digital
- All Things Digital
Financial News
- Financial News
BigCharts
- BigCharts
Factiva
- Factiva
More
- FINS Europe
- SmartMoney
- Virtual Stock Exchange
- WSJ Asia
- WSJ Americas
  - en Español
  - em Português
- WSJ Deutschland
- WSJ Radio

World » More

World » More

Loading…
Europe » More

Europe » More

Loading…
U.K. » More

U.K. » More

Loading…
U.S. » More

U.S. » More

Loading…
Business » More

Business » More

Loading…
Markets » More

Markets » More

Loading…
Market Data » More

Market Data » More

Loading…
Tech » More

Tech » More

Loading…
Life & Style » More

Life & Style » More

Loading…
Opinion » More

Opinion » More

Loading…
Real Estate » More

Real Estate » More

Loading…
Jobs » More

Jobs » More

Loading…

Businesses For Sale| Franchises for Sale| Business Opportunities

Search Advanced Search

Businesses For Sale| Franchises for Sale| Business Opportunities

Search Advanced Search

Businesses For Sale| Franchises for Sale| Business Opportunities

Small Talk
Monday Must-Reads
What you should read today from around the Web on start-ups and small businesses.

'Pivoting' Pays Off for Entrepreneurs
Today's tech entrepreneurs often cycle quickly through different ideas until they find one that sticks, and the 'pivoting' is paying off.
- Live Chat: Pivot or Persevere? Read the full transcript
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Car Dealers Fight On
More than 220 former car dealers are pressing their case that the Obama administration violated the U.S. Constitution when the car makers terminated franchise agreements while in bankruptcy restructuring.
- Photos: Dealers Challenge Government
Firms Try to Turn 'Black-Ops IT' Into Products
Tech companies are increasingly trying to redirect 'black ops IT' into officially approved channels, in an attempt to harness the creative energies of developers to create new products.
State Taps Into Brewers
In a blow to New York's growing number of small beer crafters, the state has quietly ended a tax exemption for in-state brewers after it was sued by an out-of-state distributor.
Planetary's Plan to Mine an Asteroid
Planetary Resources will outline a plan to send an unmanned spacecraft to an asteroid and mine it for valuable metals and water that could be used in further space exploration or returned to earth.
- Vote: Will this happen in your lifetime?
- Renderings: Plans to Mine Asteroids
Ranking: The 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies
What do a flame-resistant apparel maker, gold-for-cash business and petroleum distributor have in common? They're among the 50 fastest-growing companies owned or led by women in North America last year, according to an annual ranking to be released Thursday.
Giant Tongues to Fancy Socks: How YouTube Can Boost Your Bottomline
Newly launched Google AdWords for Video helps marketers and small businesses drive sales through cheap, targeted advertising on YouTube.
Small Banks Get a Freer Hand
A provision in the JOBS Act raises the number of shareholders at which small banks must register with the SEC, making it easier for small lenders to raise capital.
Old Brands Get a Second Shot
Entrepreneurs are snapping up the rights to revive popular brand names from days gone by.
- Make Sure to Check Those Trademarks
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Private Equity Dives Into Water Parks
Great Wolf Resorts, the operator of indoor water parks and hotels, in the last month emerged as the coveted prize in a rare public bidding war between two private-equity suitors.
- Video | Deal Journal
Subscriber Content Read Preview

House Passes Small-Business Tax Cut
The House passed a Republican plan to cut taxes on small businesses by as much as 20%, a measure the party characterized as its answer to President Barack Obama's "Buffett Rule."
Small-Firm Loans Lagged
Lending to small and medium-size businesses after the recession recovered more slowly in the U.S. than in other countries.
Start-Up Expands Free Course Offerings Online
Sebastian Thrun, one of the world's top robotics experts, has given up teaching at Stanford University to transform what he views as a broken college education system through online courses.
Deadline Extended for New Internet Domain Seekers
The deadline to apply for a top-level Internet domain has been extended due a technological glitch, according to the organization that oversees the Internet.
Live Chat: What Will the JOBS Act Mean for U.S. Start-Ups?
The Journal's Angus Loten moderated a discussion on the benefits and risks for small businesses as part of the JOBS Act. Read the transcript.

Where We Work

Ramping Up
Comet Skateboards of Ithaca, N.Y., has doubled sales since 2010, and expects to ship more than 10,000 custom-designed boards this year to stores worldwide. Retail prices range from $60 to $140. Here's a look at its downtown digs.
How I Built It
Hardship Inspired Franchise
Family hardship gave 41-year-old Shelly Sun the impetus to start a home-care franchising business.

Podcast

Insights for starting and running a small business. Tuesdays

Wall Street Journal on Small Business: How to go it alone if you're setting up your own business; understanding how consumers think about "going green;" and how some entrepreneurs are reviving brands we thought were dead or dying.

What do you think of as a “small” business?

Under $5 million
Under $10 million
Under $20 million
Under $1 billion

View Results »

Financing

Should Equity-Based Crowd Funding Be Legal?
Yes, says Dave Lavinsky, because businesses would get access to many more potential investors with a strong motivation to become loyal customers. No, says John M. Torrens, because it would create complications for people on both sides of the transaction, and there are better ways to get capital to entrepreneurs.
Tax Credits for 'Angels' Get Clipped
Raise Cash on Crowdfunding Sites

Franchising

Tough Times for Franchising
Two closely watched disputes now playing out in the courts are shining a spotlight on tensions between franchise owners and management.
Franchises, on a Smaller Scale
Franchising 2012 Outlook: Better Than 2011 Reality

Building Your Business

10 Things Your Employees Won't Say
We reveal all the lies and deceptions that go into an honest day's work.
Fire These Employees to Boost Your Business
Rise in Start-Ups Draws Doubters

Technology

Should Small Businesses Get New Top-Level Domains?
Yes, says Kevin Wilson, because it promises new choices and innovation. No, says Douglas J. Wood, because it will mean expenses for businesses and confusion for customers.
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Start-Ups Resist Facebook's Pull
The Race to Nab Web Addresses

Management Headlines

Women on Verge of Chief Executive
A pipeline of women in senior executive positions indicates that the ranks of female CEOs in the U.S. will grow in coming years. The Journal highlights 10 women who recruiters are keeping an eye on.
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Falcone Agrees To Step Aside
Global Law Firm Requires Global Vision

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
See All

RSS Feed

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

Tax Report

Shielding the Family Business
The Tax Court has just blessed a technique that owners of closely held businesses can use to pass assets to heirs with a minimum of taxes and complications.
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Fast-Food Franchisees Bulking Up
Weaker sales following the recession are prompting many big fast-food chains to adopt leaner business models by unloading company-owned outlets to franchisees.
An Obscure Kind of Insurance That Hinders Small Businesses
If you can't get a so-called surety bond, you aren't invited to the party.
Live Chat: When to Pivot, When to Persevere With Your Business Idea
Entrepreneur and author Steve Blank took reader questions about adapting your business plan to changing market conditions. Read the full transcript.
Crowd-Funding Industry Braces for Regulation
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to come up with rules to regulate the nascent crowd-funding industry.
Frustrated Inventors: Wal-Mart Wants You
Wal-Mart knew it was in unknown territory when it launched a contest for inventors to compete for a coveted shot at selling their creations through the world's largest retailer.
- Video: Will the 'Showel' Make It to Wal-Mart?

About the Small Business Team

The Wall Street Journal's small business team breaks news and delivers features on entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing small businesses. From start-up financing to selling a business, we cover the emerging trends and major issues, in print and online.

Email: Send tips or questions to smalltalk@wsj.com

Contributors

Vanessa O'Connell
Small Business Editor
vanessa.oconnell@wsj.com
@VanessaOConnell
Sarah Needleman
Assistant Small Business Editor
sarah.needleman@wsj.com
@sarahneedleman
Angus Loten
Reporter
angus.loten@wsj.com
Emily Maltby
Reporter
emily.maltby@wsj.com

marketplace

Industry News from

Microsoft to Invest in Barnes & Noble's Nook
Microsoft is investing at least $605 million in Barnes & Noble's Nook digital-book business, as the software giant pushes deeper into the e-books business and props up a rival to the iPad and Amazon's Kindle.
Subscriber Content Read Preview

Chinese City Frees Wal-Mart Workers
Authorities in the Chinese city of Chongqing, formerly run by Bo Xilai, released two Wal-Mart employees who had been jailed six months ago over mislabeled pork.
- Timeline: Wal-Mart's Woes
Subscriber Content Read Preview

A General-Store Race Is On
Dollar General, whose discount stores have stolen bargain-seeking shoppers from Wal-Mart Stores, is trying to grab a share of the grocery business.
View more in Retailing

Partner Center

An Advertising Feature

Follow Small Business News

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURES

Editors' Picks

Google Engineer Spilled Data Scoop
Titanic II Planned by Australian Billionaire
Two Brothers, One Goal: Land the Only Spot at the Olympics
Escape Tangles Ties Between U.S., China
Subscriber Content Read Preview

California Sifts Gold Claims

Small Talk

Where We Work

What do you think of as a “small” business?

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?

Offers

Small Business

Highlights

About the Small Business Team

Email: Send tips or questions to smalltalk@wsj.com

Contributors

marketplace

Industry News from

Partner Center

Follow Small Business News

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURES

Editors' Picks

Customer Center:

Create an Account:

Help & Information Center:

About:

WSJ.com:

Tools & Formats

Digital Network

Foreign language editions: