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RECENT ISSUES

Editor’s Choice Posts

  • Cutting Edge Strategic Planning For Small Business Survival
    November 29, 2009

    STRATEGIC PLANNING Large companies place resources and focus on strategic planning at least once a year. Small businesses seldom complete a strategic plan. Yet in every way, planning is just as impo …

  • Powerful New Glenn Beck Video Alluding to Pending Collapse of the Dollar
    November 20, 2009

    Blog Editor’s Note: Glenn Beck is labeled a “conspiracy theorist.” However, you can rest assured no one presenting views this extreme on a regular basis could do so from a corporate …

  • $4.8 trillion – Interest on U.S. debt
    November 20, 2009

    Blog Editor’ Note: That’s nearly 5 million million dollars and nearly half the current Federal deficit, which continues to rise at an unprecedented rate. But don’t worry, analysts ca …

  • Economists Opposing Federal Reserve Audit Have Undisclosed Fed Ties
    November 20, 2009

    Blog Editor’s Note: This piece delivers more exposure than the usual establishment press critique of the current controversy surrounding the Federal Reserve. However, the focus on key economists …

  • 1 million stimulus jobs?
    November 20, 2009

    House panel investigates By Richard Simon (The Los Angeles Times) Reporting from Washington – Hundreds of new jobs in phantom congressional districts. Nearly 500 new teaching slots in a Chicag …

From the Print Edition

  • 7 Simple Ways to Law-Proof Your Business
    October 27, 2009

    By Kurt Andrew Schlichter, Esq. The article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009 While the economic downturn will increase most businesses’ exposure to legal problems, it …

  • Managing Your Business During Difficult Times
    October 27, 2009

    By Angela L.H. Sayers, CPA, MBA This column ran in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009 The stock market is extremely volatile and our investment portfolios have plummeted. So how ca …

  • Efficient IT Planning is Key to Recession Survival
    October 22, 2009

    By David Whitehead The financial crisis may not be the only thing putting a strain on your business. If your IT upgrades didn’t keep pace with your growth during the boom years, chances are expensive …

  • The Real Estate Weather Report
    October 6, 2009

    By Ken Roberts This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s second issue of 2009 If the real estate climate was reported like the weather, it might sound something like the following: “Expe …

  • 5 South Bay Organizations Upping the Eco Ante
    October 6, 2009

    By Brian Simon This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s second issue of 2009 While entire nations must grapple with the harsh implications of “global warming” and how to address it …

Management Insider

  • Cutting Edge Strategic Planning For Small Business Survival
    November 29, 2009

    STRATEGIC PLANNING Large companies place resources and focus on strategic planning at least once a year. Small businesses seldom complete a strategic plan. Yet in every way, planning is just as impo …

  • CalChamber Goes to Court to Protect Businesses from Additional Wage-and-Hour Lawsuits
    November 20, 2009

    (The California Chamber of Commerce) The California Chamber of Commerce is urging the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal to reverse a district court ruling that could result in numerous more wage-and-hour la …

  • Ten Questions with Jeffrey Pfeffer
    November 12, 2009

    (How to Change the World) Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. He is the author or co-author of twelve …

  • 3 Things that Stop Sales
    November 6, 2009

    How comfortable are you in asking people to become a paying client? Once you know what’s getting in your way, it will be easier to overcome these issues. By Kaya Singer (BizNik) If you own a sm …

  • Workplace Poster Needs Updating
    November 6, 2009

    Required Updates Due to EEOC Notice Change (The California Chamber of Commerce) A new mandatory change to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) notice in the Employment Notices Poster mus …

Marketing and Sales Insider

  • The Secret to Making Your Brand Truly Great
    November 20, 2009

    By Dan Huston Although many business leaders are obsessed with the concept of branding, few really understand what it means to develop a successful brand. Here’s what it really takes. (Biznik) H …

  • Your New Economy Customer
    November 13, 2009

    Recession Springboarding! By Tommy Jaye Positioning your business for the economic recovery starts now! It’s no longer “business as usual.” Small business owners and entrepreneurs …

  • Understanding the Buzz Around Social Media
    November 12, 2009

    Finding the Right Social Media Mix By Baltej Gill You might have heard that social media can help build your brand, promote your product and services, help collect feedback from your customers, incre …

  • 3 Things that Stop Sales
    November 6, 2009

    How comfortable are you in asking people to become a paying client? Once you know what’s getting in your way, it will be easier to overcome these issues. By Kaya Singer (BizNik) If you own a sm …

  • Stage Your Business to Sell
    November 4, 2009

    (Sacramento) – Before you put your business on the market to sell, be sure you are prepared so you can get the best price possible. The California Association of Business Brokers (CABB – a non-profit …

Legal Insider

  • RB Chamber Helps Stop Anti-Job Proposal
    November 4, 2009

    AB 793 and AB 943, two harmful legislative proposals that would have put businesses in Redondo Beach, were defeated in October when the Governor vetoed both pieces of legislation. The Cham …

  • 7 Simple Ways to Law-Proof Your Business
    October 27, 2009

    By Kurt Andrew Schlichter, Esq. The article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009 While the economic downturn will increase most businesses’ exposure to legal problems, it …

  • Protect Yourself When Making Written Offers
    October 20, 2009

    By DeAnn Flores Chase Attorney at Law There are many reasons why a business owner should have legal counsel when starting a business.  The following is an example based on a true story:An owner of re …

  • 7 Steps to Surviving a Lawsuit
    October 6, 2009

    By Kurt Schlichter, Esq, Attorney at Law This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine in the second issue of 2009 As the economy worsens, more businesspeople find themselves being sued.  Ge …

Human Resources Insider

  • Truer U.S. unemployment rate is 17.5%
    November 6, 2009
    (The Ticker – The Washington Post) Each month, as regular readers know, I like to unpack the new unemployment number and get behind the data. The news this month continues to be grim. Indeed, it …

  • Workplace Poster Needs Updating
    November 6, 2009
    Required Updates Due to EEOC Notice Change (The California Chamber of Commerce) A new mandatory change to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) notice in the Employment Notices Poster mus …

  • House Democrats Prepare For Close Healthcare Vote
    November 5, 2009
    WASHINGTON (Reuters – The New York Times) – Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives hustled on Thursday to count votes and round up support for a sweeping healthcare overha …

  • Health Plan “Hurts More Than Helps”
    November 5, 2009
    (Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce)  Consider the plight of the hard-working employee who’s earned the right to obtain benefits from their employer after years of loyal service – a coverage plan tha …

  • CalChamber Partners to Train Employees
    November 4, 2009
    CalChamber Keeps California Companies Competitive; New Partnership With ETP Will Facilitate Training for Thousands of Employees Statewide The California Chamber of Commerce and the Employment Training …

Real Estate Insider

  • Mortgage Holders Rent Back Their Homes
    November 5, 2009

    Fannie Mae: “Deed For Lease” Program Will Let Thousands Rent Out Homes To Avoid Foreclosure By Alan Zibel (Associate Press – The Huffington Post) Thousands of borrowers on the verge …

  • Goldman’s new role: taking away people’s homes
    November 2, 2009

    By Greg Gordon (McClatchy Newspapers) SAN JOSE, Calif. — When California wildfires ruined their jewelry business, Tony Becker and his wife fell months behind on their mortgage payments and experienced …

  • Wilbur Ross: ‘Huge’ Commercial Real Estate Crash
    October 30, 2009

    (Bloomberg) Billionaire investor Wilbur L. Ross Jr., said today the U.S. is in the beginning of a “huge crash in commercial real estate.” “All of the components of real estate value are going in the …

  • New home sales fall 3.6%
    October 28, 2009

    (Associated Press – Los Angeles Times) WASHINGTON – Sales of new homes dropped unexpectedly last month as the effects of a soon-to-expire tax credit for first-time owners started to wane. …

  • The Real Estate Weather Report
    October 6, 2009

    By Ken Roberts This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s second issue of 2009 If the real estate climate was reported like the weather, it might sound something like the following: “Expe …

American Residential Real Estate

Strategic Planning for Small Business Profitability

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Large companies place resources and focus on strategic planning at least once a year. Small businesses seldom complete a strategic plan. Yet in every way, planning is just as important to a small business as to a large business.

While operating a small business successfully can be very rewarding, the typical small business does not have the staying power financially to weather a business downturn. Avoiding a business downturn requires that business managers not only attend to the day-to-day functions of the business but also have an eye on the horizon so that “bumps in the road” … Continue Reading

Powerful New Glenn Beck Video Alluding to Pending Collapse of the Dollar

Blog Editor’s Note: Glenn Beck is labeled a “conspiracy theorist.” However, you can rest assured no one presenting views this extreme on a regular basis could do so from a corporate media platform unless powerful interests want the public at large to get used to these kinds of ideas. So perhaps Beck’s corporate masters are “conspiracy theorists,” or at least pretending to be.

Beck is generally right on target with his key facts. However, he generally points the finger at the undefined “left” as the villain. Let’s just say the real villains are far more diversified than that. So put away … Continue Reading

$4.8 trillion - Interest on U.S. debt

chart_interest_debt.03[1]Blog Editor’ Note: That’s nearly 5 million million dollars and nearly half the current Federal deficit, which continues to rise at an unprecedented rate. But don’t worry, analysts can still find individual pieces of data that sound optimistic.

Unless lawmakers make big changes, the interest Americans will have to pay to keep the country running over the next decade will reach unheard of levels.

By Jeanne Sahadi

(CNN Money) Here’s a new way to think about the U.S. government’s epic borrowing: More than half of the $9 trillion in debt that Uncle Sam … Continue Reading

Economists Opposing Fed Audit Have Undisclosed Fed Ties

Blog Editor’s Note: This piece delivers more exposure than the usual establishment press critique of the current controversy surrounding the Federal Reserve. However, the focus on key economists with Fed connections ignores the fact the identity of the private investors with controlling interests in the Federal Reserve is what they REALLY don’t want you to know. That’s why Fed supporters are open to a little more transparency they can control, but will put their full global financial weight in front of any attempt to conduct a full audit of the organization.

(This Huffington Post) As the debate over an audit of … Continue Reading

1 million stimulus jobs?

House panel investigates

By Richard Simon

(The Los Angeles Times) Reporting from Washington – Hundreds of new jobs in phantom congressional districts. Nearly 500 new teaching slots in a Chicago school district that employs only 290.

As the White House tries to show that its massive stimulus package has created or saved 1 million jobs, media outlets and critics have contended that some of the administration’s numbers are faulty.

On Thursday, a congressional committee tried to sort out the questions: Are the flawed data the result of Democratic spin meant to show that President Obama’s economic policies are working? Or are they … Continue Reading

CalChamber Goes to Court to Protect Businesses from Additional Wage-and-Hour Lawsuits

CalChamber_In_Court_2009_125_WEB(The California Chamber of Commerce) The California Chamber of Commerce is urging the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal to reverse a district court ruling that could result in numerous more wage-and-hour lawsuits against California employers.

The CalChamber is arguing that the district court ruling fails to follow the plain language of the law and disregards the long-standing California requirement that exemption determinations be made based on an analysis of employees’ individual job duties.

The CalChamber has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Employers Group in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in … Continue Reading

The Secret to Making Your Brand Truly Great

By Dan Huston

Although many business leaders are obsessed with the concept of branding, few really understand what it means to develop a successful brand. Here’s what it really takes.

(Biznik) How do you define your brand? Is it how you position yourself in the minds of stakeholders and the public in general? Is it shaped by what people think you do and how you do it? Is it determined by the design of your website, the quality of your marketing collateral or the success of your public relations efforts?

I just finished reading Gregg Lederman’s Achieve … Continue Reading

Fed’s Kohn sees no asset bubbles building in U.S.

Blog Editor’s Note: The largest expansion of central bank-issued fiat currency in the history of mankind attacking the greatest financial blowout ever encountered in terms of size isn’t creating an asset bubble? If so, it’s because they can only patch the balloon so many times before it can no longer hold hot air, and that’s all it ever was anyway.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve’s low interest rate policy was meant to encourage investors to move into riskier assets and there are no signs currently that an asset bubble is building in the United States, the central bank’s number-two … Continue Reading

Starting a Vanpool

(Metro.net) Put together a group of at least 5 people interested in forming a new vanpool to a worksite in Los Angeles County, and you may be eligible to receive a $400 monthly lease subsidy with the Metro Vanpool Program

Building interest to start a vanpool serving my area
Do I need to own a van to start a vanpool?
Steps to getting started
If I start a vanpool, do I have to be the … Continue Reading

Kilroy Realty To Sell $150 Million in Notes

Blog Editor’s Note: Kilroy Realty has major holdings near LAX and Long Beach Airport.

By DEBORAH CROWE

( Los Angeles Business Journal) Kilroy Realty Corp. said Monday that its operating partnership will offer $150 million in senior debt in a private placement to institutional buyers.

The Los Angeles real estate investment trust said the exchangeable senior unsecured notes from Kilroy Realty L.P. will be due 2014. The interest and exchange rates and other terms will be determined in negotiations between the company, operating partnership and initial purchasers. Under certain circumstances, the notes may be exchanged for cash up to the principal amount … Continue Reading


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