• Guest List -- Sunday, January 10

    Small Business & Technology

    In this special edition of "Your Business," we'll take a look some of the new technologies entrepreneurs can utilize to grow their small businesses. We'll also meet two business owners who are dealing with the dilemma of community resistance to technology.

    Mike and Karl Bergey are nothing if not survivors. Today, while their Oklahoma City-based wind turbine business is booming due to interest in renewable energy sources and federal tax credits, they face resistance from local community zoning laws which restrict the use of their products. This is not the first time the Bergeys have gone through a cycle of boom and bust. Back in the 1970's during the oil crisis, alternative energy sources such as wind turbines were a promising new industry and the Bergeys' new business flourished. Then came an oil glut in the 90's and the entire industry was wiped out…everyone except for Bergey Wind Power, who found new markets overseas. The green movement has helped their business recover domestically, but they must deal with the ongoing problem community resistance to their technology. Find out how the Bergeys are dealing with this tricky issue.

    Panelists

    --Nell Merlino, President and CEO of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence, a national not-for-profit provider of online business loans and resources for women to grow their businesses.

    --Paul Lewis, a serial entrepreneur who has founded four businesses, two of which went public and were purchased by Fortune 500 companies.

    Small Biz Tech: Best of CES

    All kinds of new gadgets are being unveiled this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Lance Ulanoff, Vice President of Content and Editor-In-Chief of PC Magazine Network, shows off some of the coolest new tech tools that can help you manage your business.

    Business War Chest: Google TV Ads

    How can small business owners create an effective TV advertising campaign without breaking the bank on an agency or media buyer? Google TV Ads can help you do just that. For years, Jason Apfel, founder of fragrance retailer FragranceNet.com, used DRTV and found it to be very inefficient. He decided to switch to Google TV Ads and has found this method to be cheaper, easier and more effective. Apfel will show us how he creates and manages his campaigns.

    Show more

  • Guest List -- Sunday, December 20

    2009 Wrap-up

    As 2009 comes to a close, we'll take a look back at what was a very difficult year for small business owners all over the country. The credit crisis made it difficult to secure a loan. Unemployment continued to rise. The new administration made fixing the economy a top priority, and President Obama pledged his support for small businesses by guaranteeing a higher percentage of SBA backed loans and urging Congress to increase the size of the loans. We'll also see how some entrepreneurs were forced to drastically alter their business models in order to survive in these difficult economic times.

    2010 Forecast

    Ken Yancey, CEO of SCORE, and William Dunkelberg, Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, discuss the economic outlook for 2010 and discuss the challenges small business owners will face in the new year. 

    Panelists

    --Rod Kurtz, Senior Editor for Inc. Magazine

    --Phil Town, investment advisor and author of "Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week!"

    Learning from the Pros

    Over the past year, we've sat down with a number of CEO's to find out how they've guided their businesses to such great success. This week, we'll take a look back at some of their most interesting pieces of advice. We'll hear from Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of Stew Leonard's, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, restaurateur Bobby Flay, iRobot CEO Colin Angle, Jake Burton, CEO of Burton Snowboards, Maxine Clark, CEO of Build-A-Bear, and Dylan Lauren, CEO of Dylan's Candy Bar.

  • Guest List -- Sunday, December 13

    Despite the economic downturn, William Panzica's Buffalo, New York based restaurant The Chocolate Bar is thriving. In fact, the unique chocolate-themed restaurant is doing so well that Panzica is now franchising the business. We'll meet Joe Novak and his wife Tammy Gunya-Novak, Panzica's first franchisees, and find out how franchising has worked out for them in these difficult economic times.

    Panelists

    --Dave Anderson, President of Anderson's Learn To Lead and LearnToLead.com, an international sales and leadership training and consulting company

    --Jeffrey A. Carr, Executive Director of The NYU Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

    --Matthew R. Shay, President of the International Franchise Association

    Dollars & Sense: Holiday Gifts

    The holidays are almost here, so what are you getting for your-hardworking staffers? Jaclyn Adler of RedEnvelope will show us some cool gifts to give to your staff.

    Elevator Pitch

    Lauren Bolin and Adam Sahaar pitch their company Urban Pirates, which provides adventure cruises around Baltimore's Inner Harbor in a 52-foot custom pirate ship. They are looking for capital to build their brand and expand into new cities.

  • Website of the week for the week of December 7

    Go4Funding.com connects entrepreneurs with potential investors. Registered users can create a profile, post information about their business, and describe how much funding they are looking for. Potential investors can then contact you if they are interested in your business.

  • Guest List -- Sunday, December 6

    The Startup Show

    In a turbulent economy with a national unemployment rate that tops 10%, many people are getting into business for themselves, either by choice or necessity. In this special edition of "Your Business," we'll discuss everything you need to know to launch your own business. We'll see how Kim and Mark Benson started a bagel business two years ago with all of their remaining personal savings, and have quickly developed a loyal following. We'll also re-visit the stories of Stacey Koerner and Janice Moskoff and see how they used their professional experiences in the fashion industry to start their own businesses.

    Panelists

    --Erica Duignan-Minnihan, CEO of Minnihan Consulting, which provides financial advisory services to early stages companies looking to raise equity capital for expansion

    --Gene Marks, President of The Marks Group, a firm that provides technology and consulting services to small and medium sized businesses

    Dollars & Sense: Roadmap to Startup

    Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation, a site that provides guidance for entrepreneurs, discusses the most important steps people can take when starting a business.

    Elevator Pitch

    Deborah Ross, CEO of Deborah Ross Designs, pitches her line of personalized heirloom wine bags to the panel. Deborah is looking for capital to invest in a major sales push and hire a sales force.

  • Guest List -- Sunday, November 22

    Small Biz Summit

    Earlier this week, small business owners gathered at the Treasury Department to meet with members of the administration to discuss ways to loosen funding. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pledged the administration's continuing support to helping small business owners secure credit. Kevin Galvin, owner of Connecticut Commercial Maintenance, attended the summit and will tell us about his impressions of the event.

    Buy A Share

    With the credit crisis making bank loans harder to come by, some entrepreneurs are coming up with some interesting alternative forms of financing -- their customers.  We'll meet a small business owner, John Halko, of Comfort Lounge Restaurant in Hastings on Hudson, NY who came up with the idea of soliciting funding through gift card purchases he calls "Comfort Dollars."  For every $500 dollar gift card purchased the customer receives a $600 credit - that's a 20 % return on investment. Halko has already raised almost $40,000.

    Panelists

    --Jerry Silberman, founder and CEO of Corporate Turnaround

    --Kimberly Weisul, editor of BusinessWeek Smallbiz

    Small Biz Tech: iPhone Apps

    With more than 200,000 iPhone apps available for download, there is an app for just about everything. Dan Ackerman, senior editor for CNET.com, will show off some of the best iPhone apps to help you manage your business.

    Dollars & Sense: Holiday Bonuses

    The holiday season is just around the corner and that means it's time for holiday bonuses. Barbara Kurka, Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources for Katz Media Group, provides some tips on how to give your employees a meaningful holiday bonus.

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