SBA Readies Small Business Program For Women

SBA finalizes contracting program for women

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced it will begin implementation of its women-owned small business (WOSB) contracting program.

The rule is part of the Obama Administration’s overall commitment to expanding opportunities for small businesses to compete for federal contracts, in particular those owned by women, socially and economically disadvantaged persons and veterans. This rule identifies 83 industries in which WOSBs are under-represented or substantially under-represented in the federal contract marketplace.

In addition to opening up more opportunities for WOSBs, the rule is also another tool to help achieve the statutory goal that 5 percent of federal contracting dollars go to women-owned small businesses.

“Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing sectors of our nation’s economy, and even during the economic downturn of the last few years, have been one of the key job creation engines in communities across the country,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said.

“Federal contracts provide critical opportunities for owners of small firms to take their business to the next level and create good-paying jobs,” Mills added. “Despite their growth and the fact that women lead some of the strongest and most innovative companies, women-owned firms continue to be under-represented in the federal contracting marketplace. This rule will be a platform for changing that by providing greater opportunities for women-owned small businesses to compete for and win federal contracts.”

The agency expects the program to be available for WOSBs in early 2011.

Employers Expect To Increase Hiring In Fourth Quarter

Labor market moving towards stabilizing

U.S. employers anticipate a slight gain in employment levels for the fourth quarter of 2010, according to a new survey from Manpower.

Compared to one year ago, employers in all four U.S. geographic regions surveyed anticipate hiring increases. Employers in the Northeast and South have the most upbeat hiring intentions, with a Net Employment Outlook of +6%. Employers in the West are the most reserved, with an Outlook of +1%.

When adjusting for seasonal variations, Northeast employers anticipate the strongest shift compared to one year ago at this time, with a considerable increase in hiring confidence year-over-year. Compared to Q3 2010, employment prospects are stable in the Midwest and South, while employers in the Northeast and West expect hiring to decrease slightly in Q4 2010.

“After a period of very negative hiring sentiment in 2009, we have seen greater stability for the employed throughout 2010, although with only modest increases in hiring plans. This stability is an important platform to establish for more robust labor market growth in 2011,” said Jonas Prising, Manpower president of the Americas.

“Looking back at where we were in 2009, the employment environment is more promising now, however many employers are still unsure about how the economy will fare and how robust the recovery will be. Until we move beyond this uncertainty, we are unlikely to see employers hire in a meaningful way, and this is evident in their consistently modest hiring plans.”

Hertz Offers Discounts To Small Business Owners

Hertz teams with ExpertFlyer on discounts

Hertz and ExpertFlyer.com have partnered to offer small businesses savings on travel services including Hertz rental cars, ExpertFlyer.com memberships and discounts from other corporate program participants.

The Hertz Business Account Program offers exclusive savings and benefits to small businesses including up to 20% off car rentals, complimentary membership to Hertz #1 Club Gold for the first year, and the ability to earn credits toward free rentals.  In addition to savings on Hertz products and services, members enjoy exclusive savings from other program partners including American Express OPEN and FedEx.  These benefits, and more, will be available to all new and current ExpertFlyer subscribers.

“Our goal at Hertz is to provide customers with a value proposition that exceeds their expectations,” said Michael Senackerib, Chief Marketing Officer, The Hertz Corporation.

“Building our Business Account Program with travel service partners such as ExpertFlyer expands that proposition to small businesses to help them maximize their budgets, especially during these trying economic times.”

As a corporate partner in the Hertz Business Account Program, ExpertFlyer.com will extend a 15% discount on its subscription fee to all Hertz program members.

“ExpertFlyer offers a series of unique travel tools that allow business travelers to make well-informed travel decisions,” said Chris Lopinto, President and co-founder of ExpertFlyer.com.

5 Tips for Saving Money

How you can use discounts to save big!

Everyone loves to receive discounts, right? Well, did you know there are multiple ways in which your business can save? Anita Campbell, the founder of Small Business Trends, recently wrote a post that revealed 5 tips for finding discounts for your business. They were so good, we just had to share them.

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As the above video points out, where these discounts are found might come as a surprise to you. For example, the first place to check is in all recurring invoices and billing statements. Many times, there are discounts in these documents that you could be eligible for.

It could be that the discount is available if you make an early payment. To take advantage of this opportunity, set up automatic electronic payments to ensure that you don’t miss out. If you pay by paper checks, then post reminders to make sure that you get the discount and save money.

Another way to get a discount is to simply ask. You will never know what will happen until you try it. If you have had a long relationship with a specific vendor, see if you can reach an arrangement that would honor your past loyalty. Another approach could be to ask for a discount on the promise that you commit to do business with them for a certain amount of time.

Thirdly, if you consolidate your services and use one provider, you will likely get a discount. This method draws double benefits since the consolidation not only makes the roles of management easier, but it also could bring in a large amount of savings. Telecommunication, Internet, and insurance companies often offer services such as these.

Partnering with vendors is the fourth method that Campbell raises. By partnering with vendors, you could receive frequent discounts as well as other perks. Credit card companies, financial institutions, and online communities are just a few of the organizations that have these programs.

Lastly, signing up for vendor newsletters usually provides discounts. Most businesses shy away from these discounts because they don’t want to receive all the email. However, sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. These newsletters distribute lots of coupons and, sometimes, even include coupons from their business partners.

In the end, all these discounts could add up to a lot of money over time. The money that you save could be used in many aspects of your business and could also help it grow.

Are you taking advantage of these discounts?

Consumer Confidence Up In August

Jobs outlook weighs on consumers

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index which fell in July improved moderately in August.

The Index now stands at 53.5 (1985=100), up from 51.0 in July. The Present Situation Index decreased to 24.9 from 26.4. The Expectations Index increased to 72.5 from 67.5 last month.

“Consumer confidence posted a modest gain in August, the result of an improvement in consumers’ short-term outlook,” said Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center.

“Consumers’ assessment of current conditions, however, was less favorable as employment concerns continue to weigh heavily on consumers’ attitudes. Expectations about future business and labor market conditions have brightened somewhat, but overall, consumers remain apprehensive about the future.  All in all, consumers are about as confident today as they were a year ago (Aug. 2009, 54.5).”

Consumers’ view of current conditions continued to weaken in August. Those claiming business conditions are “good” decreased to 8.7 percent from 8.8 percent. However, those stating business conditions are “bad” declined to 41.9 percent from 43.3 percent. Those saying jobs are “hard to get” increased to 45.7 percent from 45.1 percent, while those claiming jobs are “plentiful” declined to 3.8 percent from 4.4 percent.

Consumers’ expectations improved moderately in August, but overall, they remain pessimistic. Those anticipating an improvement in business conditions over the next six months increased to 17.0 percent from 15.8 percent, while those anticipating conditions will worsen declined to 13.4 percent from 15.3 percent.

Consumers were also slightly less pessimistic about future employment prospects. Those expecting more jobs in the months ahead increased to 14.6 percent from 14.2 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs decreased to 19.4 percent from 20.9 percent. The proportion of consumers expecting an increase in their incomes held steady at 10.6 percent.