Companies are hoarding cash, stake your claim on $850 billion , there are still business opportunities available. You just have to prove your case. The 1,000 largest publicly traded companies in the United States hold a collective $850 billion in cash, according to recent research by REL Consulting. The global working-capital consulting firm compiled this statistic by reviewing financial filings through June of this year. This amount of cash is 6 percent more than last year and an astounding … [Read more...]
living from a barely profitable small business
Is it practical to keep squeezing out a living from a barely profitable small business? Should You Just Get A Job In 2012? The last few years have been tough for small business owners trying to squeeze out a living. Some are now realizing that they really don't have a business, but instead just a very risky job. Business strategist, Carol Roth calls this a "job-business." Of the 21 million small businesses in America, she says 60 percent never earn a profit in the life of the business. In … [Read more...]
3 Business Lessons From The Godfather
The Godfather: One of the most successful movies of all time can lend you some valuable business lessons. The 1972 movie The Godfather is without question one of the best motion pictures ever produced. It was the top-grossing movie of that year, won multiple Academy Awards and launched a genre of movies that catapulted the theme of organized crime into the popular culture spotlight (for better or for worse). Before the movie, there was Mario Puzo’s novel of the same title, written in 1969. The … [Read more...]
J.C. Penney Announces Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Deal
The new deal has great potential to benefit both J.C. Penney and Martha Stewart, but was the decision a wise one for J.C. Penney? On Dec. 7, J.C. Penney, a leading department store chain, announced that it is acquiring a 16.6 percent stake in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) in exchange for $38.5 million in cash, or $3.50 per share. J.C. Penney will receive one board seat as part of the deal, and MSLO will issue a special dividend of 25 cents per share. In addition to the investment, … [Read more...]
Resist The Pressure To Lower Your Standards
Here's the damage you could do to your business if you compromise quality. Why You Should Resist The Pressure To Lower Your Standards The ability to maintain your business’s standards is one of the best indicators of long-term success. Business owners can be under pressure to lower their standards for two main reasons: when conditions are abnormally bad or when they're abnormally good. If revenues and profits are down, some business owners can’t resist the temptation to lower their standards. … [Read more...]
How The SIPC Protects Your Brokerage Accounts
The SIPC was instituted in 1970 to protect client assets when a brokerage firm goes bankrupt. Here's what it can do now. MF Global, a leading derivatives broker with over $40 billion in assets, filed for bankruptcy on October 31. Headed by former Goldman Sachs CEO/Senator/Governor Jon Corzine, the company made risky investment decisions, which failed and wiped out the company’s capital. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating to determine … [Read more...]
3 Lessons From Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
Gordon Ramsay is one of the world's most renowned chefs, but also a prolific entrepreneur. Here's what he can teach us. I don’t watch much television, but from time to time, there are programs that manage to capture my attention and keep it. Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares is one such show, and it’s one I enthusiastically recommend to small business owners. Ramsay is one of the world’s most renowned chefs, having earned a total of 13 Michelin stars—an extraordinary feat. While he is mainly … [Read more...]
Profiting From Your Competitor makes a mistake
If your company tends to make good decisions, then you should be prepared to act when a key competitor makes a mistake. Capitalizing on a competitor’s mistakes can seem a bit awkward for many small business owners. Some feel badly profiting from someone else’s misery but in reality there is no reason to feel this way. Our economy grows stronger as companies that make the right decisions expand while those that tend to make poor decisions grow weaker and shrink until they close. Resources … [Read more...]
Economic Update: Positive Signals Finally Emerging
Positive Signals Finally Emerging: A closer look at three important economic indicators that are turning positive. Updating readers on the state of the economy has been a painful task over the past several years. It has been many decades since we've had such a convergence of negative results across virtually all major indicators used to measure our economic performance. While it will still be some time until we return to consistent and sustainable growth that can support the creation of … [Read more...]
Why You Should Take Advantage Of The New Free Trade Agreements
The US government recently enacted several new free trade agreements that had been stalled for years. Take advantage now. Small businesses need to take advantage of every opportunity to increase sales. In a rare display of bipartisanship, the President and the United States Congress worked together to enact several free trade agreements that had been stalled for years. These agreements will be implemented over the next few months and will give U.S. businesses direct access to markets—in South … [Read more...]
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