BALTIMORE, MD – Last week Joe Flacco of the NFL champion Baltimore Ravens became the highest paid player in professional football – or did he? The Super Bowl MVP and the Ravens agreed to a six-year, $120.6 million contract, earning an estimated $20.1 million per year. But like lesser-paid Americans see on their payroll stub every week, Flacco was only the highest paid player in the NFL until taxes were figured in. Because Joe Flacco earns his living in Maryland and Drew Brees throws the pigskin in Louisiana, the title of highest “earning” player in
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RICHMOND, VA – In spite of glowing words of support from Washington, small businesses continue to be smothered by a mountain of needless regulations. Supposedly these regulations are for the protection of our citizens, but Martha Boneta, a small-time farmer in Fauquier County, Virginia, sees things differently. Boneta hosted a birthday party for eight 10-year-old girls, but apparently without the required “events permit.” The county also took issue with her selling items such as birdhouses and yarn that she had not made herself. For this she was fined $5,000. Outraged local farmers showed up at
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Small and independent business owners all over the country have a serious problem.  They need loans, but they can’t get them from the banks.  At the same time, the federal government is flooding the airwaves with promotions for easy money programs and bragging about how much capital is available.  Clearly, there’s a disconnect, and it’s one that you can overcome by seeking out non-traditional funding for small business projects. Traditional funding is loaded with strings and fine print.  After you slave over the loan application, regulatory issues seem to crop up at every turn.  The
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Interest in alternative financing methods is accelerating all over America.  This is no accident.  It is a direct reaction to the way banks seem to have shut their doors for good.  If you’re not trying to borrow a million bucks, they don’t want to talk to you.  Even if they do “open a dialogue” with you, the conversation often stalls out.  At the same time, favored business projects and big businesses seem to be getting handout after handout from the government.  What’s going on? A large part of what’s going on is regulation.  Red tape,
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Grim economic forecasts can trouble new small-business owners. But veteran entrepreneurs will tell you this is not the time to give up hope. Instead, it’s time to strategize so that your business will weather the recession. During a recession it is possible for your business to survive and thrive, when you make smart decisions…. In a tough economy, volume is important, and you want to keep your customers happy and coming back for more.