4 Stimulus Plan Tax Perks for Businesses
from SM Small Biz
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (better known as the Stimulus Act) includes a laundry list of tax changes, including four provisions that will be very helpful for many small to medium-sized businesses - and who couldn't use a little help? Here’s the scoop. More

Military Style Leadership: Armed With Data
from Inc.
Companies repeat mistakes for two reasons: They never identify what went wrong, or, if they do diagnose a problem, they don't institutionalize the solution. Often, managers limit their postmortems to asking for three things that went well and three things that went badly and then initiating a round of applause for Michael, who was here all night making the presentation binders. More

How to Revive Your Work Environment
from Smart Business Magazine
When Tom Stofac accepted the position of CEO at Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio in 2005, one of his first priorities was getting employees to laugh. Adding laughter to the work environment was part of Stofac’s plan to change the organization’s corporate culture from one based on fear to one based on trust, he says. The revamped culture at LSSCO has led to more productivity from Stofac’s 750 employees. More

Frugal is Back: Do More With Less
from Entrepreneur
As recessionary gale storms blow, entrepreneurs are reining in runaway costs. "Smart entrepreneurs are doing more with less," says Joseph R. Cardamone, president of the U.S. Federation of Small Businesses. "With diminished cash flow and tight credit, only those businesses that operate efficiently will survive this economic downturn, which may last several years." So if you're going to make like a bird and go cheap, these measures can help and range from relatively to totally painless. More

Shop Talk: When Knowledge is Sales Power
from Pet Product News
Do you know what is in the pet food you carry? Do your customers? Many dog-food manufacturers spend big bucks to praise the benefits of their brands for pets. Over and over again, people see or hear the commercials and, eventually, the message is absorbed and the food purchased. But what if a pet is allergic or sensitive to something within the food? More

Green Living: Luxury Pet Show
from KABC-TV Los Angeles
Even in this economy, pet lovers are still looking for ways to pamper their pets. This year, spoiling your best friend is even better for the environment. The Luxury Pet Pavilion is a show for pets accustomed to the finer things in life. What pampered pooch wouldn't enjoy lounging on a designer bed? But this year California's largest pet products trade show has gone green, featuring several eco-friendly items. More

Pampered Pets Still Living the Good Life
from The Orlando Sentinel Animal Crazy Blog
Even though job losses and foreclosures have forced some people to give up their animals, pet-related spending in the United States actually climbed by 5 percent from 2007 to 2008. Industry experts expect the numbers to rise again this year, to a total of $45.4 billion spent on food, supplies, medical care and animal purchases. Much of the increased spending comes from pet food. Figures from market-research firm The Nielsen Co. show Americans spent $11.2 billion in major stores on pet food last year, a 10 percent increase. More