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Small business owners are busier than most people on earth, and that's why Your Biz is here. For seasoned business owners and budding entrepreneurs alike, we'll tackle it all - health care, franchising, taxes, the latest gadgets and even how to balance work and life. Yes, it's possible, even when you're your own boss.

JJ Ramberg

JJ Ramberg is the anchor of “Your Business,” MSNBC’s weekly show on small business. In addition to her extensive television reporting experience, Ramberg has a background as an entrepreneur and co-founded GoodSearch.com. She has an MBA from Stanford Business School.



Guest List -- Sunday, Jan. 4

Posted: Monday, December 29, 2008 9:57 AM by Andrew Littell

See how small businesses can save money by launching health initiatives in the workplace. Wheeler Interests in Virginia Beach, VA was named one of the country's fittest companies by Men's Fitness magazine. Owner Jon Wheeler gives employees free access to an on-site gym, pays for smoking cessation programs, and provides healthy lunches in the workplace. Employees are also entitled to blood pressure screenings and cholesterol checks. Wheeler Interests doesn't have sick or vacation days, and the company says it saves $10,000 a year on each employee.

Panelists:

--Vincent Ashton, Executive Director of HealthPass, a non-profit organization which helps small businesses obtain health care for employees.

--James Barood, Executive Director of the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

--Farnoosh Torabi, Senior Correspondent for investing web site TheStreet.com, and author of "You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not."

How To Succeed in Small Business: Sales Strategies in a Recession

Michael Port, author of "The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite" provides some tips on how to boost your sales even in the worst economic periods.

Elevator Pitch

Phil Micali, founder of bWell-informed, an interactive and personalized on-line learning experience to help people understand their health insurance options better, is looking for capital to increase IT support and server capacity.

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Comments

Only in a severe recession will you find quality professional talent lining up to get a job with no vacation.  That may be the definition of desperation, but someone please tell me . . . is that "Healthy"? Men's Fitness Magazine?

In the real world most of us have found it best to attract and retain talent in respectable fields (obviously subtracting Banking and Business . . . and apparently now men's fitness journalism) by offering employees a comprehensive benefits package with more vacation than less - - lest you flush any $ savings from health insurance down the thirsty drains of recruiting, hiring, training and lost work time.  If talent acquisition and employee retention are of no value to you, by all means, offer tofu at work. Everyone loves tofu.  

Jim H., Milwaukee, WI (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 1:39 PM)



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