Blog
September 21, 2012 - 2:13pm
Earlier this week, SBA Administrator Karen Mills and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden held a Google+ Hangout with a small business that helped NASA land the Curiosity rover on Mars. Staff from ATA Engineering joined the Hangout to explain their role in the Mars Science Laboratory and how small businesses can expand their markets by working with the Federal government.
September 21, 2012 - 1:15pm
Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina yesterday, where she discussed the Commerce Department’s initiatives to strengthen the city and the region, spurring economic development and creating jobs. Over the past few years, local officials have shared how the federal government could best help cities that were hit hard in the recession and in the years leading up to it.
September 21, 2012 - 8:43am
Life after 50 opens the door to many opportunities and new interests, and being retired or near retirement may give you the time, resources and experience that will allow you to be more passionate about these than you have ever been before. It may be time to find the answer to the “what’s next” question you’ve been pondering.
In fact, we’re seeing a growing number of people over the age of 50 – we call them encore entrepreneurs – look to small business ownership as their next big opportunity. Think of it as a great concert. What’s the best part? The encore!
September 20, 2012 - 4:56pm
When a friend or family member asks what you do to help small businesses, what do you say?
SBA assists with creating and fostering of small businesses through financial, technical, and contract assistance.
What’s your favorite thing about what the SBA does for small businesses?
SBA leverages public and private partnerships to benefit small businesses.
Is there a particular small business “success story” that comes to mind when you think about how the SBA helps people?
September 20, 2012 - 4:45pm
Guest blog post by Matt Erskine, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic DevelopmentAn impressive new training facility opened this spring at Delaware Technical and Community College’s campus in Georgetown and is expected to retrain former auto workers for new jobs in the emerging green sector. Energy House, designed to resemble an actual residence, serves as an educational lab where these workers can get a new start by learning about innovative energy-efficient technologies and renewable materials.
September 20, 2012 - 12:38pm
A small business credit card should always be the credit card you use when making business purchases. Transactions such as paying for gas in a company car, buying office supplies or taking clients out for lunch are all acceptable ways to use a small business credit card.
When it comes to personal credit cards, you should not use them for business expenses. This can potentially jeopardize the protection of the corporate veil because you are co-mingling funds. Did you know corporate veil piercing is the top litigated issue in corporate law today?
September 20, 2012 - 10:30am
Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Wednesday that it is awarding eight new education grants to
enhance science education activities in classrooms, aquariums, museums and
other institutions across America. These awards support six unique, multi-year projects and will share $4.5 million in grants from the
NOAA Office of Education’s Environmental Literacy Grants Program. Projects are designed to increase stewardship
and informed decision-making within a diverse pool of educators, students and
the public to help promote environmental literacy.“NOAA’s
September 20, 2012 - 7:24am
When it comes to purchasing products as consumers, our buying behavior typically falls into two buckets:
1. Impulse purchases (e.g., that garment that caught your eye at the store)
2. Planned purchases (TVs, cars, cell phones, tablets, vacations, home renovations, etc.)
The key difference between these two purchasing models is the length of the sales cycle – and it’s an important distinction for business owners to know. Why?
September 19, 2012 - 6:15pm
Today, Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank visited the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. today, where she announced the winners of the third round of the i6 Challenge, a national competition to advance American innovation, foster entrepreneurship, increase the commercialization of ideas into viable companies, and create jobs.
September 19, 2012 - 1:54pm
The Obama Administration's number one priority is to strengthen our economy, create jobs, and restore economic security for the middle class. One way to help strengthen the economy is to make the U.S. the top destination for international visitors.