small business

Louisiana will no longer accept new applications from small businesses for the state’s coronavirus relief fund, State Treasurer John Shroder announced…

The looming fiscal cliff has dominated talks between lawmakers and the administration, but there is a regular (non-fiscal) legislative session starting in…

This year, one lucky little company's professionally produced commercial will air during the Super Bowl's third quarter — all free — thanks to a contest held by the software firm Intuit. The four finalists include an organic egg farm and a natural compost supplier. For Intuit, it's a smart way to drum up more business.

Crowdfunding is popular among musicians, filmmakers and artists looking for a way to finance their next project. Now the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering rules that would allow small companies to solicit investments over the Internet and sell shares to the public.

New businesses normally create many of the new jobs in the American economy. But since the financial crisis, the pace of business formation has slowed sharply. Some economists worry that with fewer companies forming for five years now, that's going to stunt job growth for years to come.

Franchising is commonplace throughout the retail and service economy, whose pioneers included a former servant turned hair salon owner in the late 19th century. Such businesses are not for everyone, but Gary Robins, who owns dozens of Supercuts, says the setup has allowed him to grow more quickly than if he were on his own.

When politicians say that small businesses are key to job growth, what most people imagine are mom-and-pop shops — the dry cleaner or coffee place. It may make a good sound bite, but research shows that most small businesses stay small. Only a fraction of these do grow into something big.

Small businesses are celebrated and exalted as the hard-working, most deserving members of the political economy. They get tax breaks, and they're touted as the engines of job creation. But it turns out that when trying to figure out what a small business is, there is no one definition.

Last month the Obama Administration pushed back the employee mandate under the Affordable Care Act by one year. Employers with 50 or more full-time…

Economist Ray Keating, with the Small Business Entrepreneurship Council, talks about the nation's economic environment for small business.Historian &…