SmallBusinessExecutiveInforming, Inspiring and Connecting Businesses
Steep slowdown in startups impacts economy
Submitted by the Kauffman Foundation (KANSAS CITY, MO.), May 2, 2012 – Building on a long-term trend, the nation’s business startup rate fell below 8 percent for the first time in 2010, marking the lowest point on record for new firm births. New firms as a percentage of all firms continued a steady downward trend [...]
Panzanzee incubator targets social enterprises
One of Chicago’s newest incubators is aimed at social enterprises. Panzanzee offers co-working spots in its 2,200-square-foot space as well as the opportunity for social entrepreneurs to address a group of professionals with a specific problem and receive advice, according to a Forbes story. Unlike startup accelerators designed to prepare young technology firms for venture [...]
Fast growing women-led firms employ 27,000
BrightStar Care, a Gurnee, Ill.-based staffing services firm owned by Shelly Sun, was named the fastest-growing woman-led business in North America in April. The Top 50 women-led businesses, which were ranked by Women Presidents’ Organization and American Express Open, generated a combined $4 billion in revenue in 2011 and employed 26,883 workers. The number of [...]
Intellectual Property Drives U.S. Economic Growth: Commerce Dept.
Submitted by the U.S. Commerce Department WASHINGTON – The U.S. Commerce Department today released a comprehensive report entitled “Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: Industries in Focus,” which finds that intellectual property-intensive industries support at least 40 million jobs and contribute more than $5 trillion dollars – or 34.8 percent of – U.S. gross domestic product [...]
Angel investor market picks up: UNH analysis
Submitted by the Center for Venture Research DURHAM, N.H. – Following a considerable contraction in investment dollars in 2008 and 2009, the angel investor market continued to recover in 2011, a trend that began in 2010 in investment dollars and in the number of investments, according to the 2011 Angel Market Analysis released by the [...]
Business owners optimistic, but slow to hire
Submitted by SurePayroll Nationwide, SurePayroll Scorecard data shows hiring in March was down 0.2 percent from the prior month, but paycheck size remained flat. Despite this, optimism among small business owners was 70 percent, the first time optimism has reached 70 percent since May 2011. When small business owners were asked about their hiring plans moving forward in 2012, the SurePayroll’s [...]
Economic outlook mixed: Kauffman Foundation survey
Submitted by the Kauffman Foundation (KANSAS CITY, MO.) April 3, 2012 — Despite remaining generally confident about the prognosis for their own businesses, startup company owners sent mixed signals about their overall economic outlook for the next 12 months, according to the 2012 second quarter Kauffman/LegalZoom Startup Confidence Index released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman [...]
How one founder braced for the competition
What do you do when a competitor the size of Starbucks Corp. comes out with its own version of your product? Robert Stiller, the founder and chairman of Green Mountain Coffee Rosters in Waterbury, Vt., which makes the Keurig coffee brewer and K-Cup coffee, decided to hedge his bets by selling $66.3 million of his [...]
New Tyree award to offer $25,000 cash prize
By the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Mesirow Financial have launched a James Tyree Emerging Business Leadership Award competition in honor of the late business and civic leader. Tyree served as chairman and CEO of Mesirow Financial and chairman of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. The award is to be presented annually to the [...]
Illinois lags in development of women-owned business — but why?
Illinois might be ranked fifth in the nation in number of women-owned businesses, but the state has some catching up to do in other measures of business development. The number of women-owned companies in Illinois totals 366,700, putting it ahead of most states but behind California, New York, Texas and Florida, according to a new report [...]
