News › Archives

Small brick-and-mortar shops that rely on seasonal sales are seeking creative ways to avoid last year’s bloodbath of discounting, as cash-strapped consumers are expected to gravitate toward big-box and discount retailers. Read more

Now that Naked Pizza has its federal disclosure document, the health conscious takeout pizza enterprise is going nationwide. Read more

Small-business owners are in a Catch 22. Obtaining financing for their companies can be difficult without a strong business credit history. At the same time, banks and credit-card issuers have tightened standards and don’t want to risk providing loans or lines of credit to small companies that don’t have proven track records. Read more

Louisiana’s recently renewed Sound Recording Investor Tax Credit could give the state an edge in film scoring, even for films shot outside Louisiana. Read more

New Orleans, the largest MSA in the state, will add only 3,000 jobs in 2010 and 2,500 in 2011. While most of the growth will be driven by construction, upcoming layoffs at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and weak tourism numbers will offset many of the construction gains in the region. Read more

More small businesses are looking to make the federal government a client, since it’s a smart way to diversify sources of revenue when regular clients aren’t biting. The U.S. government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, spending $500 billion last year. Experts say your business has to be ready for this kind of work; sound accounting systems and experienced contract attorneys must be in place to make sure your business is protected and doesn’t fail to meet the government’s expectations. The challenge, still, is how to maneuver your way into the system and find a governmental need that your business can provide. Read more

Much to his chagrin, Mark Rosenbaum, owner of Rosetree Glass Studio on Algiers Point, lately finds himself directing tourists back across the Mississippi River. Read more

Your first financial resource for starting a business will always be your personal stash. Exactly how much you should dig into your own pocket can depend on your life stage. A thirty-year-old single person who’s built up a sizable savings is in a different situation than a forty-year-old parent who’s the sole breadwinner for a family. Read more

With the recession promising to tighten holiday spending this year, New Orleans artisans and vendors of second-hand treasures are turning to the flea-market-style format to sell their wares jointly. Read more

In this challenging economy, Corporate America is hunkering down and limiting spending on products or services that don’t address critical needs. That’s made it more difficult than ever for small businesses to attract and land corporate accounts. They’ve had to do even more prospecting – more calls, more networking, and more seeking of referrals…Read more