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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Small Business Tax Changes May be on the Way

The Small Business Tax Modernization Act of 2008 has been introduced to the House Ways and Means Committee and it has a great deal to offer small businesses struggling in today's economy. Have a look at it now and join us in watching it work its way through Congress.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

New Life for the ADA

There are some amendments coming that will change the way the ADA works and how it is interpreted by the courts.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

A Lesson in Sales

What makes for good or bad salesmanship? I had a lesson in proper salesmanship last weekend while out looking for a new car that gave me the answer.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Religious Accommodation: Where to Draw the Line

There is a drama playing out in Greeley, Colorado. Muslim workers at the JBS Swift meat packing plant wanted their lunches on the evening shift moved from 9pm to sunset. They also wanted breaks for prayer. Swift tried to compromise, now there is a threat of legal action. It all begs the question of just how accommodating businesses really should be. Should the personal desires of the employees win out over the interests of the business? That is the real question.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Social Networking’s New Arena: Hiring

Employers have discovered a new way to screen job applicants--the applicant's own pages on sites like FaceBook and MySpace. The idea is to get a real idea of what the applicant is really like when suit comes off. It's amazing what hiring managers have found, and how much their discoveries have affected their hiring decisions.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Even with E-Verify, the ICE-man Cometh

American employers are in the forefront--whether they like it or not--of our nation's fitful efforts to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Many thought that by voluntarily adopting DHS's E-Verify program, they could quickly and accurately check the status of new hires and protect their company from legal trouble. As it turns out, neither of these hopes seems to have come to pass.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

The High Cost of Business in the City by the Bay

San Francisco may be the City by the Bay, but it is also a place where abusive government regulations are forcing small businesses to bear the burden of Mayor Gavin Newsom's "vision" of his city. You have to wonder, how much longer it will last?

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Al
Al

ABC Moves from Partner Discounts to Total Business Solutions

The ABC Partner Program is growing by leaps and bounds. First we were adding partners with an eye toward leveling the playing field through discount business services. Now we have grown to a point where we can offer you total business solutions.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Customer Service for a Price

We have heard of customer service being a perk for the select few, now we hear of a company that charges you to have a customer service agent that knows what they are doing? Will it ever end?

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

When Loyalty Programs Go Bad

Loyalty programs, buying clubs and the like are great customer relationship tools, but only if you use them right. Make a mistake with yours and you could hurt your reputation as well as your bottom line.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

When it Comes to Marketing, Nothing Succeeds like S.U.C.C.E.S.

What makes some marketing ideas survive while others simply wither on the vine? Here we have one secret of marketing success and boy is it sticky!

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Standing on the Platforms: What Small Business can Expect from the Parties

We are caught up in the madness of the election cycle yet again, and both sides are doing their best to suggest that they are the best answer for America. There is an old saying: "What's good for business is good for America." Which one of our major parties lives up to that adage, which will be best for not only America but for you and your small business? The answer is in the platforms. Let's take a look.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

The SBA’s Top Ten for Regulatory Review and Reform

Small Businesses pay about 45% more per employee for regulation compliance than big businesses do, but the SBA is working to ease that burden. Take a look at how they are doing.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Energy Prices: A Lesson in Supply and Demand

Nancy Pelosi asked some "Drill Here, Drill Now" demonstrators if she could drill their brains. It was a stupid remark but it shows either a fundamental disregard for the realities of the market, or a fundamental ignorance of them. Here are the facts, decide for yourselves.

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Charles M Cooper
Charles M Cooper

Small Business: When it’s Time to go Global

We have all heard about the “global marketplace” and many small business owners have wondered just how to tap into this much-discussed global customer base. We have some suggestions to get you started.

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