At a time when banks remain reluctant to approve business loans, many are issuing more and more unsecured personal loans. SmartMoney reports that SunTrust Bank handed out 23 percent more personal loans through September 2011 than it did in the same period a year ago, while TD Bank issued 5 percent more personal loans. Wells Fargo and Capital One also say their personal loans are up.
Tag: business
The Enemy is Us | The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on Venture Capital Investing
In “WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY… AND HE IS US” , Lessons from Twenty Years of the Kauffman Foundation’s Investments in Venture Capital Funds and The Triumph of Hope over experience no detail is spared in a direct, unflinching look at how a $2BN, entrepreneurial foundation under performed the S&P 500 through group think and the willingness to be lead.
A long read, and somewhat technical, but truly worth the time. It makes a lot of what we’re seeing make sense.
Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES:
- S&P / Case-Shiller Home Price Indices
- Mass Layoffs and Unemployment Claims
- Employee Compensation on Par with Inflation, Industry Specific Compensation Varies
- Events of Interest
- June 26: 2012 LA NABE Robert T. Perry Awards Luncheon
- July 25: 2012 LAEDC Mid-Year Economic Forecast
INSANE Graphic Shows How Ludicrously Complicated Social Media Marketing Is Now | Business Insider
Maybe this is the reason General Motors went “mental” and pulled its Facebook ad budget.
Why Best Buy is Going out of Business…Gradually | Forbes
“How is that any of your business?” I asked him. “All right then,” he said, the fake smile unaffected, “You folks have a nice day.” He slinked back to his pit.
How to Conquer the Fear of Selling | BusinessNewsDaily.com
You own your own business but you hate selling? You’re not alone. Even though being a good salesperson is essential to the success of almost every business, a lot of people feel uncomfortable about the act of selling.
“Fear comes from the unknown and it is a psychological response to a perceived threat. You can chip away at this fear by creating a sales process and following some simple steps that give you confidence in your own skills,” said Dave Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training, a leading global sales and management training company.
Mattson proposes five steps that business owners can take to minimize their sales fear:
Six Design Mistakes to Avoid in Your Store | Entrepreneur.com
Retailers know they must provide quality products and good service to thrive, but too often, they overlook the importance of store design to their success.
Shopkeepers sometimes try to cut corners or simply don’t plan their commercial space well. They may skimp on lighting fixtures, for example, or fail to allot enough space for the inventory they will need to carry. “There is a tremendous amount of failure in retail,” says Jerry Birnbach, a Somers, N.Y.-based store-planning consultant. “Had [store owners] done a little due diligence upfront, they would not have failed.”
Here are six common mistakes to avoid when designing your store:
Accidentally Released – and Incredibly Embarrassing – Documents Show How Goldman et al Engaged in ‘Naked Short Selling’ | Matt Taibbi – Rolling Stone
In other words, 107% of all Overstock shares available for trade were short – a physical impossibility, unless someone was somehow creating artificial supply in the stock.
You can read the actual motion here. Pay attention to pages 14 – 18.
You can see an amazingly accessible discussion about the practice of ‘naked short selling’ and why you should be pissed by the CEO of Overstock.com, here.
Wal-Mart Mexico Bribe Inquiry Silenced | NYTimes.com
Wal-Mart dispatched investigators to Mexico City, and within days they unearthed evidence of widespread bribery. They found a paper trail of hundreds of suspect payments totaling more than $24 million. They also found documents showing that Wal-Mart de Mexico’s top executives not only knew about the payments, but had taken steps to conceal them from Wal-Mart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. In a confidential report to his superiors, Wal-Mart’s lead investigator, a former F.B.I. special agent, summed up their initial findings this way: “There is reasonable suspicion to believe that Mexican and USA laws have been violated.”
The lead investigator recommended that Wal-Mart expand the investigation.
Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES:
- U.S. Trade Deficit – Substantial Fall in Imports Leads to a Decline in Trade Gap
- California State Finances in March
- March Retail Sales, Inflation, and Consumer Confidence Moving in the Right Direction
- Events of Interest
- April 18: VITA Global Networking Breakfast
- April 19: L.A. NABE Monthly Meeting
- April 27: LABC Sustainability Summit
- May 16: 2012 LAEDC International Trade Outlook
Dispatches From The Front 