The Right Job at the Right Time
Peg Rosen

An estimated five million women across the country have hired themselves as head honchos and launched their own home-based business. With many working moms out of a job and at-home moms eager to bring in extra income, the idea of being your own boss is becoming more attractive than ever. So how do you figure out what's right for the times? And how do you get started on a business?

Launching Your Own Business After Age 50
Mark Miller

Many factors will drive a major trend toward boomer entrepreneurship in the years ahead. For some, that will mean launching full-scale businesses with partners, investors and employees, office space, and all of the accompanying headaches. But far more will start very small ventures that allow their owners to mix work, play, and other pursuits

Behind the 'Mompreneur' Myth
Kimberly Palmer

We've all heard the stories: A mom has a big idea, such as inventing a device to prevent toddlers from unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper, and overnight she becomes a millionaire. It sounds easy -- but is it? Here's myths -- and realities -- about becoming a successful mompreneur

Creative Ways to Combine Work & Family
Kimberly Palmer

Sharon Reed Abboud, author of All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success, writes about 'the new mommy track,' or the trend towards mothers finding creative ways of combining work and family after their children are born. Abboud says telecommuting, freelancing, and owning your own business are all ways to make it possible

How Payroll-Tax Holiday Affects Small Businesses
Matthew Bandyk

Supporters in Congress claim that the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act will create jobs by making it cheaper for businesses to add new employees. The good news is that small businesses may be more likely to use the incentives to add jobs that would not have otherwise been created. The bad news is that not many small businesses will find the jobs bill's incentives appealing.

Rules to Reduce Risk When Starting a Small Business
Robert Pagliarini

Instead of taking a risk that could end in a cataclysmic strikeout, your goal is to limit the risk of financial catastrophe. This means containing projects so that a swing and a miss doesn't have the potential to ruin your life. Here are five rules to reduce risk when starting a small business

Banking Laws Leave Small Business Vulnerable to Internet Fraud
Kathy Kristof

Many tax advisors tell their self-employed clients -- including those who are 'consulting' while looking for work -- to open separate business bank accounts to make it easier to separate business and personal expenses for tax purposes. Don't do it. This common tax advice could turn into a banking nightmare that puts every dollar in your business account at risk.

Small-Business Tax Breaks in 2010
Matthew Bandyk

There is good news for small-business owners this tax season. Some of the tax breaks that may seem out of reach or overly complicated are actually worth the effort. And there are some new tax breaks this year that appeal to many business owners -- not just the most successful. Here's a guide for small business owners for overlooked tax breaks

Kick-Starting a Small Business of Your Own
Kerry Hannon

In this strained economy, more and more workers are exiting the once secure realm of corporate jobs -- many because of layoffs -- and starting their own businesses. Last year, more than 600,000 small firms were started in the U.S. Trouble is, only half will survive beyond five years. Here are some steps to help you land among the winners

When to Make a Personal Course Correction
Joyce Lain Kennedy

My small business is teetering, mostly down but with an occasional burst of recovery. I feel the stress of the economy closing in on me. After 15 years, I'm thinking maybe I should rethink what I'm doing with my future. You've seen recessions come and go. So, what words of wisdom do you have for me?

Perils of Running a Business From Home
Matthew Bandyk

Millions of business owners who work from home have avoided the burdens of renting or buying office space. Telecommunications technology has made running a business out of your home easier than ever. But home-based businesses face some unique challenges. They include complicated legal topics that few people think about before they go into entrepreneurship. Here are a few ...

The Baucus Healthcare Plan: What Small-Business Owners Need to Know
Matthew Bandyk

The Senate Finance Committee put forth a new healthcare bill that removes those penalties on businesses. Instead, it offers carrots to employers that provide healthcare, while keeping a few sticks. The bill, associated with its main sponsor, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, seeks to expand insurance coverage through the creation of nonprofit insurance exchanges at the state level. These exchanges will be open to small businesses with up to 100 employees

Small Businesses Hold on Despite Economy
Matthew Bandyk

Conventional wisdom holds true when it comes to small businesses struggling in an economic recession. Small businesses drive the nation's economy so when the economy slows down, they take the brunt. Compared with large businesses, they have less of a cushion of capital. Tight credit makes business expansion difficult. And economic slowdowns can expose fundamental flaws in business plans. But despite all these disadvantages, the number of small businesses as a whole seems to be recession-proof.

Entrepreneurship Is the New Retirement: 10 great places to start your own business
Emily Brandon

Entrepreneurship Is the New Retirement: 10 great places to start your own business. Entrepreneurs never really retire; they just move on to their next project. These days, it's boomers -- not techie 20-somethings -- who most embody the entrepreneurial spirit. Over the past decade, the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity was among people between the ages of 55 and 64

10 Great Places for Entrepreneurs to Retire: Jump in Start-ups Led by Baby Boomers
Emily Brandon

Entrepreneurs never really retire. Contrary to the stereotype of 20-somethings starting Web-based businesses in their basements, it's actually the baby boomers who best embody the entrepreneurial spirit.

Entrepreneur: 6 Tips for Starting a Small Business After Age 50
Emily Brandon

Starting a business is difficult at any age. Here are some tips to help baby boomer start-ups boom: Tap your network. Use your experience. Find start-up funds

The Failure Myth Revisited
Vincent A. D'Elia, Regional Director Bergen SBDC

The myth of failure that, "9 out of 10 businesses close in their first year" is far from the truth. The US Census Bureau's, Business Information Tracking Series, is used to track 5.5 million employer firms every year. It showed that 66 percent of new businesses survive two or more years, 50 percent survive four years and 40 percent survive six years or more.

It's the Right Time to be an Entrepreneur
Vincent A. D'Elia, Regional Director Bergen SBDC

A PRESIDENTIAL REPORT TO THE U.S. Congress stated that small businesses have always been the backbone of the economy and account for the most innovation and job creation. It further states that small businesses have sustained the economy in weaker times and have contributed to the continuance of long-term growth. Today 90 percent of these small businesses employ more than 52 percent of the American workforce.

Midlife Entrepreneurs: How One Entrepreneur Decided to Take the Leap
Mark Miller

Some people start businesses later in life because they want to; others do it out of necessity after a job loss. Steve Vernon is among the fortunate ones who made the leap to entrepreneurship on his own.