News & Current Events Articles For Entrepreneurs & Small Business OwnersDunkin’ Donuts Opens its 10,000th Store in ChinaChief Executive Officer Nigel Travis of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. announced in December that the opening of a Dunkin’ Donuts café in Xi’an, China is the company’s 10,000th store globally. He told Businessweek.com of their plan to “grow faster internationally than domestically”. The company earlier announced it will also open in 500 locations in India […] Senate Passes Bill to Help Veterans Find JobsThe Daily Times editorial praises senators for finally crossing party lines to approve a bill that will grant tax incentives to businesses that will hire veterans. To recall, Republicans had been blocking President Obama’s American Jobs Act because of politics. For its part, the IFA has promised to hire 80,000 veterans and military spouses by […] Small Business Optimism Up Since JuneThe National Federation of Independent Business reports that the October level of small-business optimism index is the highest since June. “Owner optimism improved a smidge, mostly because the outlook for business conditions and real sales growth became less negative,” said the NFIB report. However, the new-jobs subindex weakened in the same month as there was […] Papa John’s Franchisee and GE Capital Franchise Financing DealGE Capital, Franchise Finance, specializing in financing restaurants and hospitality industries with over $10 billion assets, has agreed to refinance the existing debt of BAJCO Group, a Papa John’s Pizza franchisee. Papa John’s is the world’s third largest pizza company where BAJCO owns and operates 74 units in various states of America. This news was […] Banks To Increase Lending To Small BusinessesAfter meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, major lenders are increasing loans to small businesses. According to American Banker, Biden met with executives from 13 banks including Citigroup, KeyCorp and M&T Bank. Citigroup pledged $24 billion in loans to small business in the U.S. over the next 3 years. President Barack Obama has said […] There’s No Reason For Weak PR – Missing The Real Issues In The News Corp CrisisLast week Ms. Rosanna Fiske, chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), issued a news release in response to the News Corp. phone hacking scandal. “News Corp.’s misguided response to the escalating phone-hacking scandal will undoubtedly become a case study for business schools and public relations professionals on the potential perils […] The Real World Value Of The Virtual WorldAfter the first social media frenzy you’d think/hope people learned so things won’t go wrong this time around. If understanding is overpowered by greed, things won’t go wrong…they’ll go seriously awry. Screenshot – “The Hangover Part II,” Warner Bros (2011) A friend recently gave us a flyover of the island he owns out in the […] Obama’s “Birther” PR MistakeOrly Taitz will earn a brief footnote in history as the “Birther” movement leader. She was at the forefront of a movement of Birthers who doubt that the president’s birth place was the United States. She famously took the issue to a California court to find out if Obama was U.S. citizen and to hold […] New Concerns About The Mortgage Debt Relief & Tax Forgiveness ProgramAccording to the just released findings of analysts employed by the federal government of the United States of America to monitor real estate transactions in the wake of recessionary property depreciations, the Mortgage Debt Relief act has done rather more than merely alleviate the debt of deserving homeowners since taking effect on January 1, 2011. […] Making Money On YouTubeTen independent YouTube stars made over $100,000 in 2010. That is the finding of a study done by TubeMogul. By independent they mean YouTubers who were not part of a traditional media company or corporate campaign. A prime example is Natalie Tran, who is reportedly the most subscribed to YouTube user in Australia and is […] The YouTube Star Making MachineAccording to a YouTube press release: More than 13 million hours of video were uploaded during 2010. 35 hours of video are uploaded every minute. More video is uploaded to YouTube in 60 days than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years. YouTube reached over 700 billion playbacks in 2010. Less than a […] Controlling Your Media Image: Why Many Celebrities FailGenerally those who have the most trouble trying to utilize the media are those that have no real idea how it works. Simply because someone is a celebrity, or head of state, and has been continually highlighted in the media, doesn’t mean he or she truly understands the inner workings of the press. Appearing in […] The Charlie Sheen Media Saga: Is Violence Against Women Really Okay?Perhaps the strangest aspect of the whole Charlie Sheen media storm, at least from my perspective, is that the furor has been about his drug use and his tirades against his producer. Don’t get me wrong, those aren’t good things, but physically and verbally abusing women seem like activities that should be a bit higher […] 2011 … New Consumers, New Markets, New Economy Take HoldLet’s start by saying 2011 is going to be the year we wanted three years ago when the financial institutions “borrowed” our global wellbeing! It was the first time we entered unfamiliar territory because the financial meltdown didn’t affect just one country but all of us. Economic Outlook Internationally governments are feeling their way along […] Story Ideas That Will Interest The MediaAh. the story idea, the lifeblood of PR companies. But as PR professionals we are paid (in part) to dig deep for those ideas that the media will find interesting and newsworthy. What do small businesses do to find those ideas? Here are a few things you can do to find the story idea that […] The Up-Comers – The 3rd Billion Will Influence All the Rest“Life as a priestess to the virgin goddess Hestia isn’t all that hard, the most important rule is to know who you are.” – Leah (Xena Warrior Princess, TV Series) Thanks to the one billion (each) consumers in China and India, the world economy is bouncing back. Good, but … We tend to overlook the […] Clash Of The Titans 2Titans Turf Wars Hurt Us All “Have you seen what’s happening out there? Have you even bothered to look?” – Andromeda/Alexa Davalos – Clash of the Titans, 2010 (Warner Bros) Maybe people like Jobs and Schmidt aren’t omnipotent gods, but don’t tick them off. Adobe insulted Steve back in ’96 when they helped Gates first […] SBA Loan Limits On Business Buyouts – Good For Small Business?In March this year, the Small Business Administration (SBA) placed a limit on the guarantees it was extending on “goodwill” financing, capping them at $250,000, or 50% of the total SBA loan amount, whichever figure was lower. “Goodwill” financing is a part of a SBA business loan that is used to acquire the intangible assets […] Please Don’t Shoot the Messenger: How To Give Financial Advice To Baby Boomers In An Insecure EconomyThe financial planner, in this day and age, is often seen as something akin to the proverbial fox in the hen house- and may be treated likewise. The economic outlook is grim, and this doesn’t inspire confidence in clients; open any paper and dire predictions are handed out like candy at a pre-school playground. The […] Obama’s Stimulus Package – Is It Good For Small Business?The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 … … Is the official name of what is known among the general population as Obama’s Stimulus Package, occasionally called “The Stim” by various news talking heads – the ones who are clever, that is. An Obama Small Business plan does not appear to be in the works, […] |
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