Why Profitable Small Businesses Still Run Out of Cash
Profit is an opinion settled at year-end; cash is a fact settled every Friday — here is how the gap kills otherwise sound businesses.
Tanya Brooks · August 28, 2026What Does an SBA Loan Actually Cost a Small Business?
Priya Vaithilingam · August 26, 2026
New Overtime Rule Reversal Leaves Small Employers Rewriting Payrolls Again
A 2024 expansion of overtime eligibility was vacated nationwide in late 2024 — here is what the rollback changes for owners now.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 24, 2026
What Small Importers Now Owe After the $800 De Minimis Exemption Ends
A CBP rule that took effect June 24, 2026 ends duty-free entry for most low-value shipments, forcing small importers into formal customs procedures.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 22, 2026
How Does an SBA 7(a) Loan Actually Work?
The federal government doesn't lend the money directly — it guarantees part of a bank loan, and the guarantee percentage, not the program's advertised $5 million ceiling, is what actually decides who gets funded.
Isabel Duarte · August 12, 2026
SBA Doubles Its Financing Cap to $10 Million for 7(a) and 504 Combos
Qualified borrowers who take a 7(a) loan first can now add a 504 loan for up to $10 million in total SBA-backed financing, the agency's largest-ever maximum.
Isabel Duarte · August 7, 2026How a One-Person Business Reaches $1 Million in Revenue
Solo founders who cross seven figures share a repeatable pattern: premium pricing, productized offers, ruthless automation, and contractors instead of employees.
Isabel Duarte · July 23, 2026What Buying a Franchise Actually Costs
The franchise fee is the smallest number in the deal — total investment, royalties, and required spending decide whether the unit ever makes money.
Priya Vaithilingam · June 28, 2026
Which Insurance a Small Business Actually Needs
Most small companies need four policies — general liability, property, workers' compensation, and professional liability where applicable — and almost nothing else before they grow.
Tanya Brooks · May 5, 2026Small Business
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What an SBA 7(a) Loan Really Costs Small Business Owners
Beyond the interest rate, the SBA's most popular loan program comes with an upfront guaranty fee and a separate annual service fee, and the agency — not the bank — sets the ceiling on both.
Tanya Brooks · August 18, 2026
How to Close a Business in Good Order
An orderly shutdown settles taxes, creditors, employees, and registrations in a legal sequence — and protects the owner from the liabilities that outlive the company.
Tanya Brooks · July 16, 2026
NFIB May 2026: Small Business Optimism Dips Below Its Historical Average
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index fell 0.6 points to 95.3 in May, leaving sentiment under the 52-year average of 98 as labor costs and taxes weighed on owners.
Priya Vaithilingam · June 19, 2026
What the QBI Deduction Means for Pass-Through Owners
The qualified business income deduction lets most owners deduct up to 20 percent of their business profit — with income thresholds and service-business limits that decide how much.
Tanya Brooks · May 27, 2026Trade
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Section 301 Tariffs Now Cover 60 Trading Partners After Section 122 Expires
USTR's July 23 final action put two-tier Section 301 tariffs — 10 and 12.5 percent — on imports covering 99.4 percent of U.S. trade, with USMCA goods exempt.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 3, 2026
What a Customs Bond Covers and When You Need One
An import bond is a guarantee to Customs that duties and penalties will be paid — required for most commercial entries, sized by duty volume, and cheaper to arrange than to be caught without.
Priya Vaithilingam · July 29, 2026How a Small Exporter Hedges Currency Risk
A foreign-currency invoice is an unhedged position — and the cheap fixes, invoicing in dollars, forwards, and matching, cost less than one bad exchange-rate month.
Priya Vaithilingam · July 7, 2026How Free Trade Agreements Lower an Export Bill
The United States maintains more than a dozen free trade agreements covering goods entry at zero or reduced duty — but the discount applies only to products that qualify and shippers who claim it.
Priya Vaithilingam · June 10, 2026Startup News
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How the SBA Microloan Program Actually Works for Founders
The federal program caps loans at $50,000 and routes every dollar through nonprofit lenders. Here is what it covers, what it costs, and what disqualifies an application.
Isabel Duarte · August 20, 2026
Half of New US Businesses Reach Year Five, Federal Data Shows
Isabel Duarte · August 16, 2026July Set a Record With 14 Billion-Dollar Funding Rounds
Startups raised $65 billion in July — the most billion-dollar rounds ever in one month, led by Blue Origin's first external $10 billion raise — after a record $515 billion first half.
Isabel Duarte · August 5, 2026SambaNova and Keyfactor Raise $1 Billion Each in a Two-Mega-Round Week
AI chipmaker SambaNova's $1 billion Series F at $11 billion and Keyfactor's $1 billion private-equity round topped a week that also set a $300 million quantum Series A.
Isabel Duarte · July 25, 2026Business News
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How the SBA's $5 Million 7(a) Loan Actually Works
Priya Vaithilingam · August 14, 2026
What an SBA 7(a) Loan Costs: Rate Caps, Fees and 25-Year Terms
Federal rules cap the spread a lender may add — 6.5 points on the smallest loans, 3.0 above $350,000 — but leave the rate, the fee notice and the maturity for owners to check themselves.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 10, 2026Fed Extends Its Pause to a Fifth Straight Meeting
The July 29 decision kept the federal funds range at 3.50-3.75 percent in another 9-3 vote — a full half-year on hold, with one cut still signaled for late 2026.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 6, 2026June CPI Cools to 3.5 Percent After May's Spike
Annual inflation eased from 4.2 to 3.5 percent in June per the July 14 BLS release — the first retreat after three months of acceleration, though still far above target.
Priya Vaithilingam · July 20, 2026