06/23/2009

Now Available: Government guaranteed, interest-free loans

If yours is an established, viable, for-profit small business and you could use some help paying off existing debt, then you should look into an America's Recovery Capital (ARC) bridge loan. These are interest-free, deferred-payment loans of up to $35,000 and are guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). As with all SBA financing programs, the ARC loans will be made by commercial lenders, not SBA directly. ARC loans will be available through SBA-approved lenders as long as the money holds out, or through September 30, 2010. --Brian Luskey, Associate Editor

04/14/2009

Sizzling Opportunity: Hot Dog Carts

Looking for a startup with low cost of entry and extra ketchup? The Wall Street Journal reports that downsized workers are finding opportunities as street-corner hot dog vendors, sending the sales of hot dog carts way up. About $2,000 gets you a starter cart; a skilled vendor on a corner with high foot traffic can pull in about $400 a day. The good (or bad) news is that municipalities typically limit the number of carts in an area, so stake your claim early. The best news: Americans typically eat 7 billion hot dogs every summer. If you're serious about getting on the hot dog wagon, read our Guide to Pricing and Costs of Hot Dog Carts. --Jeff B. Copeland, Content Product Manager

03/11/2009

Social Networking Site for SOHO Business Launched

SOHOBizTube.com is a new business-to-business social networking site for the small office/home office (SOHO) crowd. The site is owned by Milwaukee-based SOHO Publishing, which also operates MagazineSOHO. The idea is to help SOHO biz owners leverage some of the increasingly popular social media tools to promote their business and connect with other SOHOers. For those unfamiliar with social media for business, the site can help you use tools such as blogs, video, podcasts, Twitter and -- most importantly -- connect you with examples of other SOHO businesses that are using these tools. -- Daniel Kehrer, Editor of Business.com

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Now Available: Government guaranteed, interest-free loans

Sizzling Opportunity: Hot Dog Carts

Social Networking Site for SOHO Business Launched

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