How to Create a $1 Million Business

Get inspired to turn your vision into reality.

Million-Dollar Mania

You don't need a bright idea or a winning lottery ticket to amass that much cash.

Rising Sales Spur Small-Business Growth

Smalls see opportunities to expand as lending loosens up.

Best Rewards Credit Cards for Small Businesses

These cards can help business owners get cash back and discounts on supplies and services.

Ripple Effects of Unemployment

The longer that workers are unemployed, the more all of us are affected.

Big Changes Ahead for Health Care

No matter how the Supreme Court handles President Obama's reform law, the approach to medical insurance will be remade.

Find an Encore Career Serving Other Seniors

The aging population provides an abundance of business opportunities for baby boomers looking for a career switch.

Help Wanted? Find It with Social Media

Forget sifting through résumés from people you don't know. Use LinkedIn, TalentVine and other sites to engage and cultivate talented workers.

Life After a Layoff

Ken Proskie of Evanston, Illinois, an environmental and occupational health and safety consultant, was laid off at age 52. Instead of looking for another corporate job, he struck out on his own.

Earn Higher Returns with Microloans

Microfinance investments can yield 5.5% or more -- often while helping schools and nonprofits.

Online Communities Help Raise Start-Up Cash

Last-minute Tax Breaks for the Self-Employed and Moonlighters

Buy new office equipment before year-end to qualify for extra tax breaks.

Business Lending to Rise in 2012

Banks have healed from the financial crisis. They might even find themselves competing for customers.

A Lost Season for the NBA?

The prospect of empty basketball arenas spells revenue losses for many businesses.

8 Low-Cost Franchises for Hard Times

Laid off or having trouble finding a job? Tired of working for somebody else and looking to start a business of your own?

Sell Your Business to Fund Retirement

Plan ahead to prepare your firm for the sales block and to smooth the transition to retirement.

Debit-Card Swipe Fees Costing You?

We could end up paying higher bank fees without seeing a reduction in retail store prices.

Big Firms Prosper as Small Business Struggles

Record corporate profits suggest that the economy should be booming. But small firms — the main engine for job growth — still have it tough, particularly at the bank.

Entrepreneurs Are Back in the Game

More workers are going it alone, but getting a loan is still tough.

Firms Find the Lending Rules Have Changed

Going forward, business fundamentals will be more important than owners' personal finances.

Exercise That Really Pays Off

Yifan Zhang of Boston and a fellow Harvard grad launched Gym-Pact, which uses "motivational fees" to prod club members to work out more often.

How to Build a $1 Million Business

A Group-Buying Site for Small Businesses

GroupPrice.com makes it easy to get deals on services, supplies and software to help your company grow.

Is It Price Gouging or Good Business?

Economics follows the amoral laws of supply and demand. And seemingly ethical behavior can have unintended consequences.

Social Media Help for Small Companies

New software services make it much easier to check out what people are saying about you.

Business Expense Tax Deductions

More Microloans for Small Businesses

Lenders that typically do business abroad are helping to fill a small-business lending gap made wider by the recession.

The Small Business Conundrum

Are we in love with the real thing or just the image?

Local Businesses Find Strength in Numbers

Independent business alliances are helping small and midsize companies build markets, cut costs and boost profits.

Baseball Fan Buys a League of His Own

Software entrepreneur Bob Duff of Fairfax, Virginia, purchased an adult hardball league, for the love of the game.

Retirement Plans: Help for Small Firms

On tap: Assistance and guidance for small businesses looking to help bolster employees’ nest eggs.

A Hot Trend: Home-Based Businesses

Tech advances and a weak job market spark a rise in businesses run from home.

Six Tax Breaks for Small Business

Plus steps to ease the credit crunch for smalls -- all in a bill moving rapidly through Congress.

10 Best Cities for the Next Decade

They 10 metro area cities are prosperous, innovative and generate plenty of jobs, too.

Best Cities 2010: Burlington, Vt.

The economy in our number-eight pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade is powered by the green movement.

Best Cities 2010: Rochester, Minn.

High-tech, health-care and hospitality industries fuel growth in our number-six pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade.

Best Cities 2010: Salt Lake City, Utah

The talent pool is deep and costs are low in our number-five pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade.

Best Cities 2010: Topeka, Kan.

A diverse economy keeps our number-ten pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade prosperous.

Best Cities 2010: Boulder, Colo.

Science meets scenery in our number-four pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade.

Best Cities 2010: Austin, Texas

Our number-one Best City for the Next Decade is a hotbed for small business -- and music.