Don't Mess With Success

Today was one of those days that underscores the foolishness of trying to "time the market." A day I'm glad I didn't miss out on!

Shop Local

Since today is Small Business Saturday, I hope you will do some shopping at a small business in your neighborhood, village, town or city today! 


The concept was created last year in grassroots fashion and has spread, with a number of important business sponsors this year and the U.S. Small Business Administration also on board. According to their data, small businesses have generated two out of every three net new jobs in the U.S. over the past 15 years and they employ over half of all private sector employees.

For more information on how to support Small Business Saturday in your area, check out the SBA site, the Facebook page (which had 2.6 million "likes" as of yesterday) or use #SmallBizSat on Twitter.com.


Happy shopping!

Startup Help

Thinking about starting your own venture in 2012? Take advantage of some excellent, free business startup resources online.

The National Association for the Self-Employed has put together a small business startup kit  on its website. Topics covered include: how to think like a business owner; how to handle your tax responsibilities; choosing the proper business structure for your company; how to fund and market your business.

The Startup America Partnership, an Obama Administration initiative that has brought together some of the brightest U.S. entrepreneurs, has a dynamite website packed full of great resources and information.

And of course I would be remiss if I didn't plug our fantastic small business channel at Bloomberg Businessweek.com. If we haven't already written about your business problem or issue, email me and I'll try and address your question in an upcoming column.

Ways To Help

A new study reports that 7 in 10 Americans say they will cut back on charitable donations this holiday season. 

The good news is that there are ways to give without getting hit directly in the wallet.


First, shop small and shop local. Studies show that every dollar you spend with local merchants gives back exponentially to your community.


If you're shopping online, use GoodShop.com, a site that funnels a percentage of every purchase you make back to your favorite charity. The site also donates about a penny to your designated charity every time you do an Internet search. GoodDining.com, an affiliated program, does the same for your restaurant purchases.


Both American Express and CitiCard allow you to donate unused reward points to a charity of your choice.


If you work for a large corporation, they may have a Volunteer Time Matching program that donates funds to match the volunteer hours you put in at your local food bank or community charitable organization. I volunteer at Foothill Unity Center every year, setting up several of their big events, and I wish I had a way to get matching funds for them.


Collect old cell phones and other electronics and donate them to a group such as Gazelle.com. You can use such a donation to raise money for a community group or have cash generated from your donation go directly to a charity you designate.


For even more good ideas, check out this slide show from Bankrate.com.

Close the Gap

"Until women are as ambitious as men, they are not going to close the achievement gap." 

Read more from this interview with Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg. I think she is finally someone who's willing to tell it like it is for women entrepreneurs and executives.

Global Entrepreneurship Week

This is Global Entrepreneurship Week and 123 countries are reportedly participating this year.

The idea, launched by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, is to focus efforts on helping "current and aspiring entrepreneurs gain the knowledge, skills and networks necessary to grow sustainable enterprises."

This year, there are 1,400 organizations signed up to host 3,500 events in the U.S.

If you want to find out what's going on in your area, check out this list of state-wide activities.

America's Vetrepreneurs

Most Americans are grateful to our military for the sacrifices they make to protect us.  The majority of service members report that they get "thank-you's" when they're out in public and strangers buy them coffee or pick up their tabs in restaurants.

But once they leave the service and shed their uniforms, veterans are not easy to identify. Turns out while we hear a lot about disabled veterans, homeless veterans and jobless veterans, many veterans are becoming entrepreneurs. 

I write about some "vetrepreneurs" and some efforts to support them in today's Smart Answers column. Check it out.