Young Dreamers

Last week, long lines of unauthorized immigrants formed in major cities across the country. They were waiting for applications for "deferred action," a new Obama Administration program that will put them out-of-reach of deportation and give them authorization to work - at least for two years.

This is the alternative to the Dream Act, which Obama supported but couldn't get through Congress.

Small businesses are expected to be the employers of choice for these young people once they get work cards. This week, I write about how small employers should handle the new applicants and what they should do if existing employees present authorization cards on the job.

One tip: The news that someone has gotten a card should be confined to the personnel files, not announced in the company newsletter, lest privacy concerns be violated.

Kicking Back

This spring, I wrote about the new crowdfunding law that will allow average people to invest in small businesses.

The fear of some experts I talked to is that it will be all-too-easy for scammers to collect money online and then vanish. The SEC, currently writing the regs governing crowdfunding, likely has this scenario in mind.

But another, more basic, caution is just how risky - and illiquid - startup business investments are, something unsophisticated investors may not fully understand.

Now, we've got some indication of what kinds of return startup companies are providing on one of the early crowdfunding platforms Kickstarter.

This new report shows that 75 percent of the funded projects are not being completed on time. And the investors are getting restless.

Here's a reality check from one of the entrepreneurs who is struggling to deliver:

“It didn’t really seem on the surface like it was going to be that challenging, but it has been extremely challenging,” he said. “A lot, lot slower than I expected. A lot, lot more money than I expected to spend.”

That scenario is typically true for all startup entrepreneurs. It's something to keep in mind for next year, when crowdfunding will actually involve equity in the company (as opposed to gifts and products, as is typical now) and will be open to a wider audience.

Giving Up Control

Many times, founders are negotiated out of their companies by outside investors. They aren't able to successfully manage growing concerns and aren't hitting their benchmarks, so they have to go.

But other times, founders themselves recognize that they can't scale up a company and they are grateful to bring in the pros.

I explore the idea in this week's column - check it out!

Two Roads Diverged

So many times, small decisions have big repercussions.

Take this guy, who made a wacky, spur-of-the-moment decision and has used it to tell the same story for the last decade.

Or take Lynda Weinman, founder of lynda.com. She was an animator and computer artist who taught digital and web design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in the mid 1990s. She tried to find computer manuals for her classes but was horrified by how badly they were written: So she decided to write a textbook herself, in plain English instead of tech-speak.

Most textbooks don't hit the best-seller list, but Designing Web Graphics did. Not only was it widely accessible, but Weinman hit a sweet spot in timing in 1996, when web graphics were just starting to be understood by the general public and business community.

The book was reprinted, rewritten four times and translated into dozens of languages. Weinman and her husband, Bruce Heavin, earned several hundred thousand dollars in royalties, moved to Ojai and used $20,000 to start a company.

In 2011, lynda.com had revenues of $70 million.

A frustration with bad books, a decision to create something better, and Weinman and Heavin's lives took a turn they most definitely never expected.

Dealing With Debt?

I like these microsites that the FTC and USA.gov are putting up on various topics.

Short and practical, they present the top financial issues that an individual might be dealing with and don't overwhelm with too much information and complexity.

Level the Playing Field

Everybody loves small business these days. But they get shafted by the tax code, especially on charitable deductions.

Why the disparity? Large corporations can "twist the arms" of Congress (financially speaking, of course) and small companies don't have that clout.

Is it time to even the playing field? I ask that question in a recent column.

Our Dogs, Ourselves

Dogs and cats have gone from living in the barn to sleeping in our beds (not mine, but some peoples'!).

That trend fuels the introduction of fresh dog- and cat-food, says Freshpet CEO Richard Thompson. But how difficult is it to introduce a whole new product category? Check out my column today.