I received word today from conference organizers that the inaugural Midwest Small Business Conference has been canceled.
Hopefully organizers can give it try again next year. I thought it was a great lineup. Too bad it didn’t fly.
Franchise Growth Threatened Without Bailout?
The bailout is not universally popular with Main Street America but the International Franchise Association says a bailout is needed because our credit crisis "threatens to derail the future growth of franchised businesses because it undermines the health of credit markets as well as equity markets."
There is no doubt Wall Street is hoping against all hope
Midwest Small Business Conference: October 10 & 11, 2008
The Midwest Small Business Conference is now set for October 10 & 11, 2008 at the Des Moines Marriott. This event is rescheduled from the previous announcement on this blog because the original date conflicted with the Iowa-Iowa State football game. (Conference organizers learned that not even business gets in the way of football). Fortunately the conference was able to
Rush on Business Featured in Alltop Franchising News
I am honored to be included among the Alltop franchising news selections. Some exciting things have been happening for me on the franchising front including developing the franchise disclosure document and franchise agreement for a new local franchisor, the opening of a client’s new Max Muscle franchise location just on Thursday and the completion of a franchise
Get Agreements in Writing
It’s so simple. Everybody knows you get agreements in writing, right?
Then tell me why so many people ignore this most important axiom in the business world.
Starting a Business: Review Your Mortgage
I connected this morning with Tyler Osby of Four Legacies Mortgage. I met Tyler through Twitter (you can follow him @tylerosby). I have been impressed with the breadth of information he provides. He uses Twitter in a very meaningful way by acting as a resource on the mortgage market.
Tyler brought up a great point today
S Corporation Salaries: Must be Reasonable
I have seen many articles on the Internet which state that you absolutely need to form a limited liability company (LLC) if you are a small business owner. The S corporation, once the darling of small business entities, is probably feeling a little lonely these days.
One important aspect of the S corporation is that
Franchisors Responding to Tough Economic Times
A recent article from the Wall St. Journal online discusses something I thought I would never see from a franchisor: A money back guarantee.
Others are not convinced and warn to investigate the details carefully in the Franchise Disclosure Document.
Thanks to Joel Libava for pointing out the article. Joel is a franchise consultant from Cleveland,Ohio that
IowaBiz: No Billable Hours? New Wave in Hiring Law Firms
Twice a month I blog for IowaBiz which was acquired by the Des Moines Business Record this summer. Since that time it appears the bloggers have stepped up their game. The posts have been informative and entertaining. I encourage you to take a look.
My post today for IowaBiz centers on the trend of hiring
The Olympics: Gold Medal Business Model
Great post from Susan Reid on the Small Business Trends Web site on the 15 Ways the Olympics 
Exemplify Success for Small Business Owners. In the comments of Reid’s post, Anita Campbell has some terrific words about West Des Moines, Iowa’s very own Shawn Johnson. Johnson definitely made us all proud with her