You’re the Boss Blog: Today in Small Business: The Skills Gap

What's affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners today.

Washington

Federal agencies are "hitting the gas" on a number of regulatory initiatives that are central to President Obama's "go-it-alone" agenda.

Taxes

Here is the case for repealing the corporate tax. And the case against repealing the corporate tax.

Employees

An economist argues there really is a skills gap — and business owners are not just whining. Working at home can make you happier, but face time at the office has value, too. An online payment system that is popular in Europe — just enter your email address and your postal code — is looking to expand globally.

Technology

Data upstarts discover that "free is not a business model."

Entrepreneurship

A 13-year-old starts her own business to make children happy. A 12-year-old boy's entrepreneurial spirit has rankled at least one neighbor.

Taxes

Microsoft has nearly $93 billion in cash overseas, and it has reduced its tax bill by almost $30 billion.

Social Media

Small businesses are a more profitable source of advertising revenue for Facebook than big corporations like Coca-Cola.

Marketing

Here is how to win on "Shark Tank." Gay-themed sporting events are becoming routine.

Retail

Creating an "atypical registry" — for high school graduates moving to a college dorm, for people buying a new home — can increase retail sales.

Opportunities

A start-up has created an online trading platform that helps people find the best Bitcoin prices at various exchanges.

Ideas

Four prep school students show off a magnetic invention that repels sharks and stingrays. A new phone-charging bracelet makes a fashion statement.

Around the Country

Assessing the winery damage in Napa Valley. North Dakota's secretary of state has approved a ballot measure that, if approved by voters, would end the requirement that majority ownership in pharmacies be held by pharmacists.

Around the World

How the myriad rules facing driving schools (and 36 other highly regulated professions) in France can stifle competition and inflate prices.

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.

 

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