SmallBusinessNewz

Why Social Media Is More Than Just a Fad

How long did it take you to figure out that social media wasn't just a fad? For some businesses, it didn't take long. However, some businesses are still not convinced that there is actual business value in social media.

How You Could Save This Tax Season

With the clock ticking away, tax time will be here before we know it. It's usually a stressful time, since most everyone has the fear that they will forget something. Thanks to some new legislation that is detailed in the video below, this year might not be so bad after all.

American Small Business League Sues DHS

When government contracts are distributed, there's often a concern that not enough of them go to small businesses.  Now, to ensure all the rules and regulations were followed in a situation involving Boeing, the American Small Business League has sued the Department of Homeland Security.According to the ASBL, DHS has chosen not to release certain subcontracting reports on contracts awarded to Boeing, ignoring repeated Freedom of Information Act requests.

U.S Files Suit Over SBA Loan Fraud

The United States has filed False Claims Act counterclaims against Saehan Bank and crossclaims against Steve Yong Kim and Young Soon Kim for alleged loan fraud, the Justice Department said today.The United States also filed a counterclaim and crossclaim under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act. The government alleges that Saehan Bank and the Kims made false statements in connection with the application process for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan.

Yelp Responds To Extortion Allegations

Last week, we wrote about a lawsuit that'd been filed against Yelp.  The suit alleged that Yelp representatives would sometimes offer to remove negative reviews if businesses would buy ads.  Now, the CEO of Yelp has fired back (several times, actually), but a second suit's been filed, too.

Valid Or Not Valid: The Truth about Contracts

According to the Business Dictionary, a contract is defined in part, as "Voluntary, deliberate, and legally enforceable (binding) agreement between two or more competent parties. A contractual relationship is evidenced by (1) an offer, (2) acceptance to the offer, and a valid (legal and valuable) consideration..." The valid part of the contract is especially important because, without validity, the contract is not enforceable.

Class Action Suit Filed Against Yelp

A site that the average small business owner may regard as a potential friend has managed to make a couple of enemies.  A new class action suit claims that Yelp tried to demand money from a veterinary hospital in exchange for making the business's reviews page look better.

Part 2: Protecting Your Business from Legal Concerns

BusinessWeek's Smart Answers found that there were 4 areas that had potential to give small businesses legal problems this year. Since we already discussed employee lawsuits and immigration audits and what could be done to avoid them, we're going to look at improper insurance and Internet security concerns.

Part 1: Protecting Your Business from Legal Concerns

Although some legal issues are unavoidable, many of them can be prevented. BusinessWeek's Smart Answers talked with several attorneys and found out what they believed would be the top legal issues for the upcoming year. Small businesses need to be aware of these issues in order to protect their businesses from costly damages.

Should You Franchise?

Deciding whether or not to franchise your business is a very difficult choice. However, it is a decision that many businesses face as their business grows. But how do you know if it's the right move for your business?