Do you own and operate a franchise? Many entrepreneurs and new small business owners go the route of owning a franchise to get a running start into an established business niche using a recognized name and operating paradigm. However, most often, these entrepreneurs depend too much on the franchisor to perform all search engine optimization tactics. Alas, that folly usually costs the entrepreneur valuable search engine ranking.

The fact is that even with a recognizable name, you need to announce your location, business hours, product or service offerings, special deals, etc.

Read more…

U.S. Chamber of Commerce not weighing in on $30-billion lending bill.

At a time when many small business owners are looking to Congress to enact a $30-billion small business lending bill, some of the nation’s most prominent lobbying groups have remained largely silent.

Bloomberg reports that the country’s three largest pro-business groups, the U.S.

Read more…

Business Credit Bureau

As a business owner it’s important for you to understand the integral role that a business credit bureau plays in the world of business finance. The data it collects on your business can impact whether or not your application for credit is approved or declined, the rate of interest your company will pay and even the amount of credit you can obtain.

In simple words, a business credit bureau is a repository of collected trade and credit information on millions of companies.    

All this collected data is compiled into what are known as business credit reports which are furnished to potential creditors so the creditors can make sound credit granting decisions.

The integrity of this information being disseminated is vital to the success of our country’s credit system.

So it’s essential for you to know how a business credit bureau gets its information about your company. The more i

Read more…

Mortgage rates increased in the latest survey released this morning. Home mortgage interest rates increased after making all time lows in the prior week’s Mortgage Applications Survey released by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Both 30 year mortgage rates and 15 year mortgage rates are increased from the lowest lowest point ever in last week’s mortgage survey.

The average contract 30 year mortgage rate increased to 4.69 percent for the week ending July 23, 2010, an increase from the previous week’s average 30 year mortgage rate of 4.59 percent. Mortgage discount points on 30 year mortgages averaged 0.88 points, down from the prior week’s average of 1.04 points mortgage points.

Current 15 year home mortgage rates are also higher for the week ending July 23, 2010. The current average

Read more…

Administration comes out in favor of healthcare reform

When it comes to healthcare legislation news for entrepreneurs, there is one business organization that is firmly in support, thanks to money-saving tax credits within the bill.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Region VII administrator, Daniel Hannaher, recently wrote that small businesses with fewer than 25 employees who make less than $50,000 a year will be entitled to a tax credit of up to 35 percent.

Read more…

Massachusetts bankruptcies increase 25 percent.
The first half of the year has not been kind to consumers and businesses in Massachusetts.

According to the Warren Group, a Massachusetts-based firm that publishes real estate and financial information pertaining to New England, bankruptcy filings in the Bay State rose 25 percent in the first six months of the year when compared to the same period in 2009. Read more…