Most high school students gear up for college with the anticipation that they will graduate in 4 years and find a job after college graduation, right? Not anymore. Finding a job has been extremely difficult for college students and especially stressful for those students and families who are unable to afford the cost of higher education without student loans. I recently read an MSNBC article that said “student loan debt in the U.S. now totals more than $1 trillion. That’s more than all the outstanding credit card debt in the country.”  Recent reports state that college seniors in 2012 owed an average of $25,250, up five percent from the previous year. Aside from that, parents of college students had an average of $34,000 in student loans for their children. The more staggering statistic indicated that the number of the parental loans jumped 75 percent since 2005-2006. And what about the fact that more than 2 in every 25 students who graduated college in the last five years and will need to get a master’s degree?  Is higher education “worth it” after all?

One of things that I, like other small businesses, like to talk about is that in 2010, 2 out of 3 jobs were created by small businesses.   I’m also always touting the idea that small businesses are the engine of the economy and when small business rebounds, we’ll see the US finally completely emerge from the recession.  Two articles recently released one by national website MSNBC.com and the other by local LI Business News, countered this idea...

On Friday it was announced that the payroll tax cut will be extended for the remainder of the 2012 year.  Instead of the normal 6.2 percent level, Congress has decided to keep the Social Security payroll tax at its lower 4.2 percent rate and to extend unemployment benefits.  While this is a short term solution to increasing the cash flow in the economy by providing 160 million working Americans with a slightly larger paycheck -approximately $1000 per year on a $50k salary- the Congressional Budget Office said that the bill would increase federal deficits by $89.3 billion over the next ten years.  They will account for the lost revenue for Social Security benefits by pulling from general tax revenue, which will ultimately add to the budget deficit... 

Governor Cuomo just announced the launch of the “New New York Leaders Initiative”, a program designed to entice young professionals and college students to serve in state government...

Yesterday I wrote about the problem of producing enough STEM graduates to fill jobs and keep the US competitive. According to Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM fields have the greatest potential for job growth in the 21^st century and will make higher wages. Today, let’s talk about what we can do as professionals and parents to get our kids on a path to economic competitiveness... 

When it comes to producing new workers in the STEM fields, the United States falls well behind other advanced countries, a new report finds.   So, what is STEM and why is this important?  STEM is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Why are these falling numbers a problem?  Well, per Ronald Ehrenberg, director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, research has shown that innovation in a country’s economy is dependent upon how many workers have degrees in these fields...

According to a report from the Associated Press, the number of jobs waiting to be filled rose in December, thanks to hiring in factories, retail and business services.   This number hit almost a three year high, marketing more good news for the economy.

According to the Labor Department's Job Openings and the Labor Turnover Survey, there were 3.4 million jobs open at the end of December, compared to 3.1 million at the end of November...

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, retailers are reaping the benefits of yet another holiday that spurs increased spending.  “According to a National Retail Federation survey of nearly 9,000 consumers, shoppers will spend an average of $116.21 on traditional Valentine’s Day merchandise, such as greeting cards, flowers and candy, this year, up 11% from $103.00 in 2010”.  What I found interesting was that “32% of consumers plan to do their Valentine’s Day shopping online.”  So while an increase in spending bodes well for small business, such a large number of purchasers shopping online does not... 

What do both small business owners as well as large business owners have at their disposal?

Well if these organizations have been in business any length of time they better have made a few clients happy. Many small businesses overlook the fact that they have “Raving Fans” to spread the good word about their company. Many small business owners put a tremendous amount of time, energy and money on all kinds of ads in local publications or networking groups. These are all necessary to a point but the easiest way to expand a business is to let your “Loyal Followers”, or as Ken Blanchard puts it, “Raving Fans”, act as your best sales reps...