756 homers in a career is an amazing accomplishment, and it was amazing to see the home run (from my hotel room) and watch history in the making.

I hope – though I know he won’t – that Barry goes on to hit 856 home runs, to silence all the critics (many of whom never played the game) that think that anyone or anything besides Barry’s exceptional skill and talent is the cause of this record.

Congratulations, Barry!

Wells Fargo and Gallup released the results of a Small Business Survey last week. The survey concluded that the top concern of Small Business owners in 2007 is insurance. Taxes, usually the primary concern of small business owners, came in second.

Here are some typical insurance needs of many small businesses:

Property Insurance – Home based business owners need to make sure their homeowner’s policy covers their business activities. Business owners on a lease often need additional insurance, as the [...]

Over the past two months, I bet that 80% of the calls I get from small and micro business owners involve not getting paid. All too often, small businesses are getting “stiffed” on the payment by a customer, another business or vendor, or a party with whom they contracted.

Here are some ideas that might help your small business avoid the problem of getting “stiffed”:

Have all contracts for services and all contracts for goods over $500 in writing.
Get [...]

Here is a good site for researching data about your industry’s performance in Texas.

The site offers a breakdown by industry and NAICS code, and compares 1st quarter 2005 performance to the quarter/year prior.

Key statistics include weekly wage comparisons and employment percentages, giving you a benchmark to help you plan some key financials for your startup or existing business.

I just read a story in the Dallas Morning News, detailing credit card abuse by DISD employees. The story claims that between January 2004 and March 2006, a reporter was able to identify $6.3 million in charges that violated state purchasing laws or school district policy. One DISD employee admitted recently to charging over $100,000 in personal charges on her DISD charge card!!

If your small business gives employees access to company credit, this [...]

In his State of the Union last night, Mr. Bush once again mentioned Small Business Association Health Plans (AHP) as the panacea for small business health care woes.

An AHP is insurance coverage offered to members of an association. The association must exist for some other purpose than to sell insurance, for example, a trade assocation or a chamber of commerce.

It seems to me that AHP legislation only allows trade associations and [...]

A business continuity plan is exactly what it sounds like: a plan, prepared before a disaster strikes, that will quickly and efficiently get the business back on its feet and resume services after the disaster strikes.At a minimum, the following information should be included:

Company’s Policy on Implementation: should describe what scenarios will trigger implementation of the plan, who is responsible for implementing the plan, [...]

Often times, business owners only hear the potential “up-sides” of arbitration clauses. They are told that an arbitration clause will reduce their risk of a large damage award from a jury, and that arbitration is less expensive than going to Court. The business owner, excited about the possibility of reducing risk, agrees to include the arbitration clause in the contract.

But small business owners are rarely informed of the [...]

The Attig Law Firm will rarely recommend including an arbitration clause in a contract. This type of clause, where the contracting parties willingly give up their right to go to Court and instead resolve their dispute before an arbitrator, usually make good business sense only when both parties make a knowing and informed agreement to arbitrate a future dispute. Otherwise, arbitration clauses are disasters [...]

Here are some interesting facts about small business and the minimum wage:

In April 2004, the Fiscal Policy Institute released a report finding that small businesses grow faster in states with higher minimum wages.
In March 2006, Wells Fargo and Gallup released a survey in which 86% of small business owners said that a hike in the minimum wage won’t [...]