Laura Palotie


What Kind of Business Are You Running?

As a budding entrepreneur, one of the first decisions you'll make is choosing your company's legal structure. And three letters like 'Inc.' can mean much mor...  Read story

Lenders: Credit Standards Tougher

Small business owners are getting turned away by banks in greater numbers, lenders and policy experts say.  Read story

The Drive-In Theater Turns 75

Even in the age of the multiplex, hundreds of entrepreneurs still make their living hosting outdoor movie nights. Rick Cohen, whose family has owned the Tran...  Read story

Our Favorite Flicks

How does operating a drive-in theater influence one's taste in movies? As part of our feature on the drive-in's 75th anniversary, we decided to ask theater o...  Read story

Quicker Retail

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Thanksgiving Travel Plans Unscathed

The souring economy won't keep Americans from visiting family over the holidays, a survey finds.  Read story

Baby Boomer CEOs Shunning Retirement

A study finds older business owners are reluctant to step down without a clear successor in their family.  Read story

Green Travels

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Retail Cargo Hits Four-Year Low

Expecting weaker holiday sales, many store owners are trimming inventories, retailers say.  Read story

Employee Confidence Down

Most U.S. workers don’t expect to lose their jobs, but are worried about their prospects if they do, Spherion reports.  Read story

AmEx Tips

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Web 2.0 Attracting Small Firms

The number of small businesses using social networking is expected to double in the next year, a study finds.  Read story

Startups Relying on Loans and Savings

A study finds entrepreneurs prefer risking their own money instead of turning to family members or investors.  Read story

Paper or Plastic?

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Small-Business Mood Tanking

Owners say they're taking home less cash from their businesses, Discover reports.  Read story

Restaurant Owners Struggling

More Americans are eating at home to curb household expenses, a survey finds.  Read story

Calling the HR Hotline

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

More Workers Paying for Flu Shots

Employers are shifting workplace health costs onto employees, a study shows.  Read story

Retailers Expect Weak Spending

Christmas might be scarier than Halloween this year, retailers say.  Read story

Thinking Global

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

What Kind of Laptop Are You?

Are you a tricked-out or geeked-up marvel of technology evolution or are you an all work and no play workhorse? Find your laptop personality.  Read story

CEOs Tight-Lipped on Crisis

Lacking info, many workers fear the worst from recent economic turmoil, a survey finds.  Read story

The View from Main Street

As the Dow continues to drop and banks sit on their money, some entrepreneurs say they are cutting back on spending, while decrying a "crisis of confidence" ...  Read story

Guilt-Free Giving

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Workers Fear Lost Benefits

The economic crisis has older employees worrying about retirement, a survey finds.  Read story

Making IT Work

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Making IT Work

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Consumer Spending Flat

Wage gains last month were offset by higher prices, the government reports.  Read story

Consumer Mood Sours

The worsening financial crisis burst rising expectations earlier this month, a survey finds.  Read story

Extra Credit

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Recession or Opportunity?

For young entrepreneurs who launched businesses in the booming markets of the past few years, the Wall Street meltdown presents their first real economic cri...  Read story

Employers Guarding Top Talent

As the economy sputters, business owners say retaining the best workers is crucial.  Read story

Study: Singapore Tops for Startups

The World Bank says Central Asia and Eastern Europe lead the world in pro-business reforms.  Read story

Job Security Fears Rising

More workers are worried about having to find another job, a survey finds.  Read story

The Trappers

For generations, Maine has been the unofficial lobster capital of the world. But it took a pair of 20-something brothers to directly link seafood connoisseur...  Read story

Show Me the Money!

They say it takes money to make money. But when you're young and trying to start a business, where do you turn for that all-important start-up capital?  Read story

Recession School

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Jobseekers Vetted With Short Contracts

Employers say offering temporary work allows them to better evaluate job candidates.  Read story

Friendlier Skies

A weekly look at the latest products and services designed to help you run a better business.  Read story

Worker Confidence Inches Up

The nation's employees were feeling better about the economy last month, Spherion reports.  Read story