The American financial crisis seems to never end, with a rising debt ceiling, plummeting stocks, and conservative spending from consumers. Veteran and new business owners will be feeling the blow of this recession, like every other sector in the economy. In addition, small businesses have to contend with slow growth, low sales volumes, and playing catch-up with financial obligations. Business owners who want to keep growing can resort to a simple solution: the merchant cash [...]

It seems like every time you open a newspaper or news website, all you see is bad news. U.S. stocks are falling, the price of gas is rising steadily, and while the government managed to avert a shutdown, officials are nowhere near reaching an agreement for next year’s budget. Small businesses that have loans with the Small Business Administration are facing a looming shutdown. If it were to happen, all but the vital services would [...]

Because of vendor and employee payments, loan debts, rent, and other operating expenses, small businesses are “the most vulnerable sectors of the market in times of economic uncertainty.” A bill passed by the U.S. Congress in 2001 published these findings, which most business owners are experiencing during the current recession. If you have secured a cash advance or loan, you can order more inventory, remodel your location, or plan an expansion. However, in these times of  “economic [...]

Contrary to popular belief, recessions do not spur entrepreneurship, at least according to a study released by the Kauffman Foundation. In this study, data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Small Business Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, covering 1977 through March 2009 was used.  “About 600,000 new businesses were formed each year during that 30-year period. The data includes formally established new enterprises as well as new franchise locations and other outposts of [...]

Despite recent reports of growing small business owner optimism,  the National Federation of Independent Business released news of a decrease in the Small Business Optimism Index. According to the federation, the index decreased 0.3 point from November to December, to 88.0, signifying an increase in pessimism amongst small business owners. Though the index did decrease, there were segments in the index in which optimism improved or remained the same.  For example: The sub-index covering sales [...]