What would you do if every time that you gave your child allowance, he or she spent it and then some?

What if over a period of years, your child not only spent its allowance regularly, but racked up credit card debt -- debt that you are responsible for --...

As pathetic as the sex "scandal" (Triangle? Quadrangle? Pentagon?) surrounding General David Petraeus has become, it has created some serious consequences. One of the most far-reaching and overlooked consequences is that it is reinforcing the professional glass ceiling for women.

That's right: This scandal will invariably hurt business and...

For a while, the mantra in small and medium-sized business was that 'time is money.' However, with tough economic times continuing, that has changed to 'money is money,' leading businesses that previously looked for outsourcing opportunities to now bring some of those business functions back in house. It's a reversal...

With the debates surfacing Mitt Romney's suggestion to cut federal funding to PBS, Americans became mired in a challenge that has been facing us even more than usual over the past year: lack of context. There is a constant rush to judgment based on both headlines and partisan lines that...

Sanford "Sandy" Weill, one of the individuals at the forefront of the Glass-Steagall Act repeal in 1999, sent waves through Wall Street when he recently changed his position. In a CNBC interview, Weill not only called for the banks to be broken up, but he said generally that...

Are scantily clad men and women, nudity or even pornography shocking anymore? Our liberal culture means that you almost can't view an advertisement, movie or music video without seeing nearly everything, or in some cases everything, being put out there. While sex sells and I love that people are comfortable...

On July 6, Minimus.biz, a niche e-commerce company that focuses on travel-sized and individual-sized items, celebrates entering its ninth year in business. I had the opportunity to interview Paul Shrater, its cofounder, to explore how the company went from a boot-strapped startup to one that Internet Retailer named to its...

Attacks against Mitt Romney and his private equity background with Bain Capital continue and are likely to be a cornerstone of the Democratic and media dialogue during the remainder of the campaign. President Obama lamented that at Bain, Romney worked to "maximize profits" for investors, not to benefit...

Every business dreams of having something go "viral," but sometimes it happens when you least expect it or with unexpected outcomes. For a small business, this can be especially daunting as online gossip or negative reviews can be the difference between securing or losing a potential customer (and sometimes hundreds...

On Monday, Oprah Winfrey appeared on CBS This Morning and was candid that her experience launching her OWN network was not as she had expected (you can view the video clip at the end of this piece), which mirrors the experience of almost every entrepreneur. She said that...

As technology evolves at a breakneck pace and new tools are created to reach and connect with customers, many businesses are losing focus on how to effectively utilize the tools to drive the results they are seeking.

As a business, you have to think about more than just the tools,...

Access to capital is one of the biggest issues facing small business today. The JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, which was overwhelmingly passed in the House Thursday, is a package of 6 bills intended to create more access to capital for entrepreneurs and small business owners. But does it...

Just a short time ago, it was widely accepted that the front-runner for the GOP nomination was Mitt Romney. While Governor Romney has myriad relevant experience, significant dollars to spend on advertisements and other qualities that should position him well for both the nomination and the presidency, he has had...

The hype over losing U.S. jobs to overseas companies has gone the way of so much of the economic and financial rhetoric these days- statistics getting in the way of a good story. Research published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco shows that, "in 2010, imports...

Late last year, 21 year-old Ludwick Marishane of Cape Town, South Africa was named the 2011 Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2011 GSEA (Global Student Entrepreneur Awards), beating out 1,600 other student nominees from 42 countries. Ludwick won the title for his product Drybath, the only non-water...

Months ago, I began to research Occupy Wall Street and with so many participants and sympathizers having different views and perspectives, it was incredibly difficult for me to make heads or tails out of the movement. However, the one common thread I did observe through my interviews and surveys is...

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) are those little boxes that look like warped chess boards that have popped up everywhere from print mailers and business cards to even bus stops. These bar codes on steroids allow businesses to take their advertising and make it immediately actionable.

As a...

What could the Twilight franchise and Breaking Dawn possibly teach you about business? Quite a bit, actually. With the last installment in the uber-popular Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn, bringing in the big bucks all over the globe, here are a few business lessons you can take away from this very...

Social media can be a powerful tool to listen to, engage with and gain access to customers that you would otherwise not be able to connect with. However, the Holy Grail in social media is finding a path to move those dialogues "back to your house"; that is, to be...

There is a realistic solution for creating jobs and turning around our country and it lies with small businesses. Let's talk "simple math," as President Obama noted in his remarks just a few days ago, but my version of simple math has a both a view of the...