Dashboard
A daily roundup of small-business developments.
What’s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners today.
The Economy
- July was another record-setting month for North Dakota oil.
Washington
- For foreign tech entrepreneurs, getting a visa to work in the United States is a struggle.
Start-Up
- Here are 30 start-ups to watch.
- Ryan Seacrest starts a clothing label.
Around the Country
- An iconic Bellmore, N.Y., hardware store is closing after nearly 100 years.
- Customers panic when a popular New York City fitness center closes for renovations.
- States that raised their minimum wages had stronger economic growth.
- The battle for casinos has become a beauty pageant in reverse with communities jockeying to to show how desperate they are.
- Local officials of an Ohio town ask a church and the owner of a strip club to stop fighting.
Around the World
- A Chinese city has a new way to deal with pedestrians talking on their cellphones.
- Could a vote for Scottish independence plunge the United Kingdom back into recession?
Finance
- Why “Shark Tank” doesn’t represent the real world of investing.
Social Media
- A social media expert explains why your business should be on Instagram.
- Urban Outfitters has become “the official clothing store of Outrage Twitter.”
- A public relations executive is starting the Museum of Public Relations.
Taxes
- You can calculate your 2014 tax refund here.
Management
- Here’s what to do when inspectors or regulators come calling.
- In this podcast, Super Business Girl explains how she gets “unstuck.”
Technology
- A drivable car was 3-D printed in 44 hours.
- Here are seven tech projects that could revolutionize your daily life.
- A tech writer laments that we’re all nerds now.
- Intel is confident wearables are the next frontier, but it’s taking an anti-Apple approach to the gadgets.
Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.