Small businesses are often on the cutting edge because they have to be. With smaller foundations and limited budgets, small-business owners have to think on their feet every day, developing strategies that boost productivity and the bottom line. Because a small business can not afford to embrace strategies that do not provide quick, measurable results, the trends that spring up among them are likely to make a positive difference in any company.

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Small business sentiment is on the rise to kick off 2020, with confidence nearing all-time highs, according to data from CNBC and SurveyMonkey. The CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Confidence Index climbed two points in the first quarter, from 59 to 61, as concerns over trade policy impacts lessened, thanks to a trade deal with China and the signing of the USMCA. This is a sharp turnaround from the lows seen last summer as trade turmoil weighed on Main Street’s outlook.

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Many small businesses have shut their doors but the bills are still piling up. The Small Business Administration is launching a program to assist, but many lenders are voicing concerns about it, calling the S.B.A.s expectations unrealistic.

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You might have missed it amid all the goings-on since then, but in August 2019, a new law was passed that gives small businesses (and individuals/married couples) a new and simplified way to go through bankruptcy without needing to sell off their assets.

In other words, you can keep operating your business while going through and emerging from bankruptcy. And you can do it faster and cheaper than before.

The Small Business Reorganization Act added a new section to Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Subchapter V lets entities with debts below a threshold amount go through a streamlined court process, establishing and approving new repayment plans that creditors are required to accept (creditors get input, too, but this is limited and more streamlined as well). You don't have to sell off your assets as in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and you can keep operating without needing to meet the strict Chapter 13 requirements or suffering the prohibitive expense of a standard Chapter 11 process.

Your business might be in dire straits, but weathering this rough patch might mean a return to profitability.

Kudos matter now more than ever. On average, social media endorsements of small businesses generate 23% of revenues, according to data from Amex.

Few things put more smiles on the faces of small-business owners than social media recommendations about their products or services, but now, new research proves that those online shoutouts also put cash in their bank accounts.

On average, social media endorsements of small businesses generate 23% of revenues—or approximately $197 billion—new data from American Express finds.

A business owner who spent nearly $46 million over the years on Facebook ads said he got booted from the platform without warning.

Jordan Nabigon, the CEO of the Ottawa, Ontario, content-curation site Shared, said Facebook deleted his companys main Facebook page without warning in October, and without providing an explanation. He shared a Medium post detailing his experience, which has received more than 400 claps from readers.

Nabigon spent $45,870,181 on Facebook advertising between 2006 and 2020 for Shared and his other company Freebies, according to expense reports reviewed by Business Insider. Shared employees three people full-time and 12 contract writers, Nabigon said.

Facebook increased its use of artificial intelligence to oversee advertising and other content during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nabigon is among hundreds of business owners who said they suffered from Facebook's crackdown on ad policies.

With the tax filing deadline approaching, make sure your company is getting all the assistance available from government programs. For instance, that means checking that you've fully utilized the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), the refundable tax credit designed to make it easier for businesses to keep employees on the payroll.

The credit is getting extended as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion relief package just signed by President Biden. Originally scheduled to end on June 30, ERC will continue through year end, giving business owners access to as much as $33,000 per employee in incentives.

How the credit works, depending on the time frame
First half of 2021:

Eligible employers can claim a refundable credit against the employer share of Social Security tax equal to 70 percent of a full-time employee's qualified wages paid--including certain health plan expenses--from January 1 through June 30, 2021. The maximum ERC amount available is $7,000 per employee per quarter or $14,000 for eligible wages paid in the first half of 2021.

 So, let's see.

I was the castaway on Desert Island Discs. This probably doesn't mean anything to anyone who isn't from the UK. (You can hear it at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00120cb.) 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in St Martin's Lane, with a press night on Nov 4th. I saw it (my father-in-law Jack was there as my family guest) and marvelled at how something I thought was as good as it could be when I saw it at the Dorfman Theatre had somehow managed to become bigger and better and more powerful. 

It's collected a slew of five star and four star reviews, and a bunch of award nominations.

If you're in or near London, you should see it. It's special. https://www.oceanwestend.com/

It's on until May 14th 2022, when we lose the theatre to another show, and Ocean goes on tour around the UK.

(Remember, every day they release a limited number of £25 Rush tickets at https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/21527-ocean-at-the-end-of-the-lane)

In October and November I was working on Good Omens 2 and on Anansi Boys, each on a different side of Edinburgh. Both astonishing casts and crew. Anansi Boys is shooting in one of the biggest studios there is. You won't believe Brixton...

I'm back in New Zealand currently to be with a small boy and his mother. (I got very lucky in the MIQ lottery.) I've been able to showrun remotely, because technology is amazing these days and lets you do that, but it's definitely easier to do while I'm in Scotland, and easier on everyone else to have me there.

Which reminds me... There's a piece of Good Omens news I've been keeping close to my chest, but I think as we prepare to go back to shooting, it's time to let this particular Cat out of the bag:

When I first started planning Good Omens 2, I thought it would be a good idea to have what I started referring to as "minisodes" -- stories that begin and end within a larger episode, ones that dive into history. And I thought it would be fun to invite some other people to write the minisodes. We have three of them.

We've announced that I'm co-writing the show with John Finnemore. We haven't told you that John has also written a solo-story set in biblical times, though. He has. It's thoughtful and funny and wise.

We haven't told you that novelist and screenwriter Cat Clarke wrote a story set in Victorian times in Edinburgh, have we? She did...

I asked Cat if she wanted to say something about it, and she replied,

 ‘When Neil kindly invited me to join Good Omens 2, I bit his hand off. (Terribly sorry about that, Neil. Hope you’re managing to type OK?) It’s been an absolute joy to play in the glorious sandbox that Neil and Terry created. I can’t wait for the world to see our favourite angel and demon get into a wee bit of a pickle in Edinburgh.’

And there's one other minisode, written by two people working together: Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman. Jeremy is a writer (and one of the members of the League of Gentlemen -- he was portrayed by one Michael Sheen in the League of Gentlemen movie) and Andy's a writer, a worker of strange miracles and an actor. They are best known as a collaborative team for writing Ghost Stories, as a play and a film. Their story is set in London during the blitz.

They sent me a message too: ‘We’ve had such a great time writing for Good Omens 2. It’s been a true privilege to be allowed to dive into Aziraphale and Crowley’s lives. We hope we’ve been able to bring laughs, magic and a few scares to this wonderful world.’ 

...

Sandman on Netflix is doing brilliantly. I can't wait for everyone else to see what I've been seeing.

And from 28th of April until the 26th of May, hitherto unknown strains of Covid permitting, I'll be on an American Tour, doing most of the cancelled and postponed Evenings With Neil Gaiman from 2020 and 2021. Details at https://www.neilgaiman.com/where/ and links to tickets on each entry. (Madison WI has already sold out.)

...

And I didn't get to write a New Year's Wish, because I've been sole parent for Ash while Amanda is away at a lovely Yoga and Hiking retreat in the South Island, and there wasn't the time to write one and stay up with a small boy to welcome in the New Year. Perhaps I'll write a belated one, perhaps not... (This blog is being brought to you by an iPad and Scooby Doo and Mystery Incorporated.)

 I spent yesterday in Dallas, at the Heritage Auction headquarters -- I had decided to auction off some artwork and memorabilia to benefit two charities (The Authors Literary Fund and the Hero Initiative, which help authors/writers and comics creators who have fallen on hard times or who need help), and, just as importantly, I wanted to give something back to the artists whose art I was entrusting to new custodians. 

It seems to me fundamentally wrong and inequitable that art that artists sold for $50 or a hundred dollars thirty or forty years ago now sells for hundreds or thousands of times that amount, but the artists, most of whom are old, some of whom are no longer working or not working as they were, never see another penny. I decided the best way to change that would be to set an example, and show people another way of doing it.

Here's the New York Times article before the auction: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/arts/design/neil-gaiman-auction-collectibles.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Xk0.5PkB.9iQtuvn6Bwof&smid=url-share

And here's me in Dallas two nights ago, walking around the exhibition before the auction with Robert Wilonsky from Heritage, with guest appearances by my oldest friend Geoff Notkin, whose fault this all is: 

Title: Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 1/31/2005 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/25/2022 12:00:00 AM

Collaborating with a major US prime, Portsmouth Aviation develop a UK standard weapon system for the Royal Air Force. Portsmouth Aviation develops a new solution for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (NBCD) systems in conjunction with the Royal Navy. ... Portsmouth Aviation Ltd Airport Service Rd Portsmouth Hampshire PO3 5PF Tel: +44 ...

The Great War is a channel on YouTube that covers the 1914-18 conflict that engulfed a large part of the planet.  A unique documentary with a massive scale that is filled with video clips and still images taken at the...

In summary, quite a useful general purpose car without being too shouty

Great vehicle otherwise. Just this issue causing me disappointment

Singer, songwriter John David (JD) Souther passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78. He co-wrote a couple of songs with Jimmy Buffett, “Livin’ it Up” and “The Good Fight”. He co-wrote several hits …

This is a reasoned argument by Joanna (Why I Don't Vaccinate My Children) posted on Erwin Alber's VINE facebook page which was started in 2009, to help parents make an informed choice on behalf of their children. Image credit topnews.ae Joanna responds (below) to a lady who published an article saying that unvaccinated children are the cause of recent increased pertussis (whooping cough) outbreaks in areas where vaccination is actively pursued......

Many thanks g to Cristina in Greece for her report on this - originally published on her justiceforgreece blog as A seed For Change a documentary project by Alex Ikonomidis and the declaration on seed freedom Alex Ikonomidis is a Greek film maker who lived, studied and worked in Lebanon. After returning to his native Greece and serving his time in the military, he took up his profession there and was happily going along, producing in the world of media and advertising when, suddenly, the economic crisis hit. Through the crisis, Ikonomidis recognized that when money becomes more and more scarce, it is important to be where food is grown. This brought him to embark on a documentary project. A Seed for Change is his soon-to-be-released feature length film documenting why agriculture must start with seed freedom. Chemical inputs are often toxic and are disruptive to human health and the environment. "Standardized" seeds, as imposed by the agro-chemical conglomerates through legislation pushed through in much of the civilized world, are destroying our heritage of biological diversity, created by nature and harnessed by farmers for producing our food over thousands of years....

"Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them." This is good advice, especially for democracies, which tend (as even Plato and Thucydides noted) to have short-term attention spans. But we shouldn't forget an equally important lesson, articulated most forcefully by Nietzsche: The health of a person and a people also depends vitally on the capacity to forget. Forgetting is necessary to free ourselves from imperfectly understood "lessons of history," so that we can see the challenges ahead clearly, without preconceptions or prejudice. Forgetting is also the better part of forgiving, and there are whole domains of political controversy -- indeed, whole regions of the world -- where a little less history could be of service in this respect.
--Eliot Noyes, Getting Past the Past

RIP, H.S.T.

(See also “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Regrettably necessary,” and “Don’t Vote!”)

The latest version of the official YouTube app, now with in-page playback! Experience the latest and best version of the official YouTube app.... [License: Ad-Supported | Requires: Android | Size: Size Varies ]

You can goto View - Styles and change "All Styles" to "Applied Styles" in the drop-down option.You can Select everything (Ctrl+A) and then use Format > Clear Direct Formatting (Ctrl+M). That would wipe away all the styles, and would start you from a clean slate.

The settings for Tools > Options > Language Settings > Writing Aids > Options > Minimal number of characters for hyphenation. These settings are over-ridden by any formatting in the document itself.

The line divisions can be improved by running Tools > Language > Hyphenation as a final touch on the document. This tool not only works interactively, giving you more control, but also generally does a better job than the on-the-fly hyphenation, if run when the document is complete.

The Characters at line end and Characters at line begin fields can sometimes be manipulated to improve hyphenation by playing one off against the other. Working by itself, the Maximum consecutive hyphenated lines field can also make a difference. adjusting the settings on the Text Flow tab. The number of letters at the end and start of the line should be 1–4. The typographical convention is not to allow more than two lines in a row to end with a hyphen.

In this message on Matthew 17:14-21, David addresses some critical questions about healing and what the Bible says. Some may object to any emphasis on healing as a distraction from the gospel's central message. However, the record of the Gospels and the Acts is that healing was intrinsic to Jesus' revelation of the Father to humanity. In this teaching, learn how faith affects healing and how our unbelief can affect our faith. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...

As cooler weather approaches word comes back to The Man in the Can that the construction in the park is complete. Can the Man in the Can lead the park animals back to the park through rats, snakes, crows and other perils?




MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast





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Révélateur, entre-autre, d'une certaine conception de l'effort pour combler le déficit public... On apprend dans Le Canard enchaîné que l'homme qui justifiait sa faramineuse augmentation de 206% par un souci de transparence perçoit toujours depuis le...

La Chine a promulgu� mercredi des politiques fiscales pour soutenir le d�veloppement stable et sain du march� de l'immobilier. Le minist�re des Finances a d�clar� que le pays augmenterait les incitations en termes de taxe sur les actes pour...

... Lees verder: Grinnik, foutje bedankt… (The Sun noemt krant oud-aanvoerder van Ajax)

te koop:2 houten onderlijnen dozen voor 15 cm onderlijnen (52 pinnen per doos)1 houten onderlijn doos voor 10 cm onderlijnen. (66 pinnen)1 houten onderlijndoos voor 15 en 25 cm onderlijnen (22 pinnen voor 25 cm en 20 pinnen voor 15 cm)1 houten onderlijnendoos voor onderlijnen van ca. 40 cm (22 pinnen)dozen zijn 3 x gelakt en zo goed als nieuw.afmeting doos: 43 x 20 cm.prijs: 20 euro per doos of 80 euro per 5.prijs is exclusief verzendkosten.

68%. E’ la percentuale di visitatori che aggiungono almeno un prodotto al carrello senza concludere l’acquisto. Un numero alto, perché il carrello è usato come contenitore temporaneo, ma soprattutto perché il percorso di acquisto è spesso molto lungo e complicato. A Meet Magento presenterò alcuni suggerimenti per … Continua a leggere→

L'articolo 10 accorgimenti per migliorare il checkout e-commerce proviene da Fucinaweb.

A good-looking 4-game slate of NBA action tonight, and the Daily DFS Breakdown will help you cash on DraftKings and FanDuel

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

One of the last big slates of the NBA season is on the docket this Wednesday, so cash in on DraftKings and FanDuel with our top DFS plays

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

We look at this 5-game slate of NBA action and bring you the best options for your DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

There's a huge slate of NBA action tonight and we bring you the top values, plays, and games to target for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups

There is a 9-game slate of NBA action on Saturday night and there are tons of value plays to help you craft balanced DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

We break down this 4-game slate of NBA action with the top plays for your DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

There is a huge 10-game slate of NBA action this Monday night and the Daily DFS Breakdown will help you cash on DraftKings and FanDuel

We bring you the top plays,values, and fades for your DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel with a 6-game slate of NBA action on the docket tonight

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

Fantasy Basketball Expert Nate Weitzer will help you cash with your DFS NBA lineups. This is a free preview of his PREMIUM NBA DFS Rundown!

This is a huge slate of NBA action today and the Daily DFS Breakdown will help you cash on DraftKings and FanDuel

Fantasy Football Expert Mark Morales-Smith dives deeper into the third-year wide receiver theory.

There are some fantastic DFS value plays for this 6-game slate of NBA action. Find out who you should target for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups in our daily breakdown