Category: Tools and Information

SBA Reinstates Lender Fees to Restore Financial Integrity of 7(a) Loan Program | Small Biz Trends

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The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has reinstated lender fees for its 7(a) loan program, reversing a Biden-era policy that the agency said contributed to financial instability and undermined the program’s zero-subsidy requirement. The action was announced Thursday as part of a broader effort to address what the SBA described as “gross financial mismanagement” under the previous administration.

“Since its inception, the SBA’s 7(a) loan program has launched millions of small businesses, driving economic growth and job creation. But the Biden Administration’s actions to undermine the financial integrity of the program now threaten to leave taxpayers on the hook,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “To safeguard taxpayer-backed capital and small business formation, the SBA is taking immediate action to reverse these policies, starting with the restoration of lender fees to protect the future of the program.”

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Cyber Security Risks That Threaten Businesses | Business

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If your business depends on computer systems to operate, you need to understand the cyber risks you face and how they can impact your company. A cyberattack could leave you financially responsible for consumer losses and significantly impair your business operations for days or even weeks. In this article, we explain the different types of cyber risks and what you can do to reduce them.

What is cyber risk?

Cyber risk is the threat of data loss, property destruction or ransom demands resulting from a hack of your company’s information technology (IT) systems. Cyberattacks can result in a financial loss or disruption to your business. They can also harm your brand’s reputation if consumers don’t feel their information is secure with your organization.

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2025 Guide to Business Investment: Get the Best Investor Offer

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Every business needs funding to launch and grow. Often, that funding comes directly from the founder or a business loan. For some businesses, though, getting to that next level requires the help of a business investor. That avenue can be rewarding but carries unique challenges, such as finding the right investors and successfully courting them. Whether you court venture capitalists, angel investors or crowdfund your investments, you must recognize a good deal from a bad one to avoid getting burned.

What makes a good investment deal?

If you create a detailed investor persona and a compelling pitch, your hard work will eventually pay off, and you will be rewarded with an investment deal. However, not all investment deals are created equal. How can you tell the good from the bad? Don’t just jump at the money. Stop to think about where the deal in question can get you down the line and how it might influence the overall growth of your business in the long term.

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Please don’t use your wall as a projection screen | Digital Trends

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The biggest reason to get a projector is because its image can be, well, big. When you first experience watching a blockbuster movie, or playing a game, or cheering on your local sports team in your living room with the picture taking up most of your wall, it’s exciting and intoxicating. But if you’re watching that wall-sized picture on the literal wall, you’re not only visually doing yourself (and the money you spent on an excellent projector) a disservice, you’re affecting the projector’s performance. Potentially to a drastic degree.

Now, if you’re using a pico projector or something that’s designed for its portability that only costs a few hundred dollars, by all means use a wall for some quick temporary viewing or to have on in the background. But if the whole idea was to replace your TV with a projector, it’s important to understand why you should stop using a wall as your screen surface.

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How to watch Saturday’s partial solar eclipse | Digital Trends

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The moon will be passing in front of the sun on Saturday in a phenomenon known as a “partial solar eclipse.”

As the name suggests, it means that unlike a total solar eclipse, a part of the sun will still be visible, but the spectacle is still worth enjoying if you’re in a location from where it can be viewed.

Those places include parts of North America, Europe, Africa, northern Asia, small parts of South America, throughout Greenland and Iceland, as well as much of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

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Shaping a Bright Future: Key Skills for Aspiring Communication and Public Relations Professionals | The Startup Magazine

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Key Takeaways

  • Understanding foundational skills is crucial for future success in communication and public relations.
  • Developing soft skills can significantly enhance career prospects.
  • Staying updated with industry trends can set professionals apart in competitive markets.

In today’s whirlwind pace of today’s digital and interconnected world, communication and public relations have emerged as pivotal players in steering public perception and cultivating essential relationships. For those eyeing success, acquiring and honing the right skills is non-negotiable and a key part of public relations professional development.

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Tech for Good: 10 Female Leaders Making a Positive Impact  | The Startup Magazine

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When it comes to startups, females are making strides on a number of fronts.

For example, the United States has seen a surge of women choosing the path of entrepreneurship. According to the 2024 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses report there are 14 million women-owned businesses, employing nearly 12.2 million people and generating $2.7 trillion in revenue. This makes up a total of 39.1% of all U.S. businesses.

Data also suggests that female entrepreneurs have a powerful influence on other areas of the workplace. A landmark global study found that female-owned businesses empower other women and employ more women on average than male-owned businesses.

Yet despite these positive changes, gender-based discrimination in the corporate workplace is actually on the up after years of progressive change. The Young Women’s Association found that workplace discrimination against women hit a three-year high in 2024.

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Best Portable Chargers (2025): iPhones, iPads, Laptops and; More | WIRED

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PORTABLE DEVICES HAVE a Murphy’s law-like ability to run out of power at the least convenient moment: as you step on the bus, right in the middle of an important meeting, or just as you get comfortable on the couch and press Play. This is why you need the best portable chargers handy, to make all those situations a thing of the past.

There are hundreds of portable battery packs, and picking one can be confusing. To help, we’ve spent years working our way through all of them. This obsession started when WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson lived off-grid in a vintage RV, powered primarily by solar panels. But even if you’re not living in an off-grid solar setup, good power banks will come in handy. These are our favorites. Be sure to check out our Best MagSafe Power Banks guide for Apple-specific portable chargers, and our Best Portable Power Stations guide if you need more power.

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Apple’s iPhone 17 might come with a big selfie camera upgrade | Mashable

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Apple might be preparing for a big selfie camera upgrade on the iPhone.

According to analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors), all the devices in the iPhone 17 lineup (that includes the iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone 17 Air) will have a 24-megapixel front camera.

That’s a pretty big upgrade given that the currently available iPhones all come with a 12-megapixel camera. Other details are absent, though Apple sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo previously said that the camera will “significantly improve the image quality”.

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How Ann Arbor’s sustainable energy utility could impact future power grids | Fast Company

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An experiment is underway in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that could change how communities generate and distribute power in the future.

The city, with voters’ strong support, is launching its own sustainable energy utility. This new utility won’t replace DTE Energy, the local investor-owned power company, or even use DTE’s wires.

Instead, Ann Arbor will slowly build out a whole new modern power system, starting with installing rooftop solar and battery storage and reducing energy usage in individual homes and businesses whose owners opt in. The city then plans to expand by connecting homes and neighborhoods into microgrids and by using community solar and networked geothermal to allow broader access to clean energy.

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