This Week in Small Business: Free iPads - NYTimes.com

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A weekly roundup of small-business developments.

Your Fiscal Cliff Update: It?s a Snooze

Howard Kurtz thinks the debt talks are a snooze: ?For the moment, both sides are merely going through the motions.? Sage?s most recent snapshot shows a strong majority of small-business owners are worried. Two Gallup polls find small businesses pulling back on hiring and capital spending. A campaign to fix the debt enlists 2,500 small-business leaders. The Obama tax plan would be no small deal to small businesses. A cartoon in the New Yorker offers an interesting perspective on the ?fiscal cliff.? Mike Shedlock suggests? an ?incredibly easy? way to balance the budget without repealing the Affordable Care Act and without raising taxes.

Recession Strategy: Just in Case

Alan Tonelson says we?re not even halfway back from the Great Recession. Jeff Cornwall offers advice for navigating a recession. This article explains how an event-management service, Eventbrite, survived the recession. Grant Cardone says there are five ways for employees to succeed in a bad economy, including, ?Assume the economy will not improve?: ?You need to make yourself so valuable to your employer that there is no way the company could consider firing you.?

Health Care Update: Progress?

Even as Pennsylvania joins 21 other states in opting out of providing a health insurance exchange, the secretary of health and human services says progress continues. Kim Kardashian?s cat dies.

Apocalypse Watch: Four Days to Go

A newly discovered asteroid almost hit the Earth. And here?s why you shouldn?t be worrying about the fiscal cliff.

The Economy: Did Something Bad Happen Last Month?

The National Federation of Independent Business reports that its small-business confidence index registered one of its lowest readings ever. But David Beckworth thinks that confidence could be restored with the appropriate monetary policy ? an explicit, rule-based nominal gross domestic product target. The Federal Reserve plans more bond purchases and sets thresholds on unemployment and inflation. Peter Boockvar has a question for the chairman of the Fed. But here?s my question: How can we be worried about a recession if people are paying $50 for a cup of coffee made from these coffee beans?

The Data: Housing Is Up and Profits Soar, but ?

The housing recovery continues, and the apartment and condominium markets remain strong. Retail sales rebound. The American chemical industry is crediting shale gas for a rosy outlook. The National Restaurant Association is predicting a record year ahead ? with the possible exception of those restaurants that call their customers ?fat? ? and the food truck industry is projected to continue its rapid growth. The trade gap widened, however, while wholesalers? revenues were down (pdf) and inventories up. Jared Bernstein warns that just because profits are soaring, that doesn?t mean everything is fine. And Loren Steffy does not want you to become too excited about gas priced under $3 a gallon. Apple?s ?big manufacturing boom? in the United States will bring 200 jobs. This was the scariest chart at last week?s DealBook conference.

Employees: Free iPads

Michigan becomes the 24th right-to-work state. Employees say they love working for these tech companies, and a study finds that employers generally hire people they like. Most participants in another survey said they felt overworked but many find their work-life balance satisfactory. This guy needs to work on his free throws. A company in the Midwest surprises its employees with iPads. Laura Spencer warns freelancers to avoid health hazards like vitamin D deficiency. An $822,000 worker highlights California?s pay issues.

Cash Flow: A Bad Week for Bankers

Rana Foroohar reports on the particularly bad week experienced by the banking industry. But Robert Hof says not to worry, because venture capitalists are doing just fine. Pamela Ryckman reports on a win for small businesses in a bank fraud case. Equipment financing is projected to surpass $740 billion in 2013. Rhonda Abrams suggests buying a business car or van right now. Maya Pillai wants you to invest in paper clips. ADP offers year-end payroll tips. Here are 10 noteworthy Kickstarter projects from 2012.

Management: Stop Whining

Heather Allard shares five ways to set yourself up for success in 2013, and Beth Goodbaum explains how small businesses can reinvent themselves for 2013. These are five leadership lessons you can learn from watching ?The Walking Dead.? Paul Morin says stop whining and put your big boy pants on. Lisa Swan says the early bird does not always get the worm. A Web-based small-business connection network introduces a recommendation engine that promises to revolutionize the way small businesses work together. Hillary Reinsberg admits that 2012 wasn?t that great for women in business. Trent Reznor will introduce a music-streaming service.

Marketing: Free Wine!

Here are eight great location-based mobile campaigns from 2012. Christopher Null has some excellent advice about determining whether your small business needs a mobile app. Consider these six steps to improve your Web site?s search engine optimization or this more technical discussion on how to build a faster site. James Chartrand has a special gift for you: free wine! Among Daniel Kehrer?s 20 digital trends that marketers need to know is: ?Consumers are hyper-informed. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. Internet users go online to search for information about products and services, and about one in three will post a product review or comment online, and social media plays a critical and growing role.?

Social Media: Best LinkedIn Pages

Etsy sellers can now e-mail their customers. Here are 10 users you should follow on Pinterest. Twenty-three percent of the nation?s top brands have a dedicated customer service handle on Twitter. LinkedIn announces the 12 best LinkedIn company pages of 2012. Justin Fishaw wants you to pay attention to three up-and-coming social media sites.

Around the Country: Colbert for Senate

Twenty percent of North Carolina voters want Stephen Colbert to replace their current senator. New York City introduces an ad campaign to help businesses recovering from Hurricane Sandy while Planet Soho reaches a million customers and forges new partnerships. Chicago?s West Side entrepreneurs get help. Dell?s new Center for Entrepreneurs gives small-business owners access to technology, capital, expertise and resources. A producer and online retailer of ready-to-assemble sofas, chairs and sectionals has been named a top small-business innovator. A January 2013 event in Miami will offer ways for small businesses to grow by using the cloud. A 10-week professional business course for aspiring entrepreneurs who either have an idea for a science business or have already started a business and need a plan to grow is enrolling students in New York. The Small Business Administration introduces new online services to help small businesses grow. Vermont is the healthiest state (again). And imagine seeing this as you?re driving on the Interstate.

Around the World: We Are (Not) No. 1

China is now the world?s top manufacturer and its bank lending rises. But Gordon Chang says ?move over Michigan ? China is the world?s next rust belt.? Japan?s economy continues to shrink. France?s credit rating is affirmed. German investor confidence jumps to a seven-month high. Russia builds a $4 billion city for entrepreneurs. Iran introduces its own YouTube. A Saudi child uncannily imitates a siren. London?s black cabs will soon be getting free high-speed Wi-Fi hot spots. Android overtakes Apple in Australia. Andrew Whitehead and Thomas Viegas say that Iceland is coming in from the cold. Google avoids $2 billion in global taxes in Bermuda.

Technology: No More Cassettes?

Gmail, Facebook and Tumblr suffer failures. Yahoo revamps its e-mail. Microsoft?s Surface tablet goes retail. Sony discontinues the cassette recorder. I.B.M. announces an optical communication technology for future computing systems that uses light instead of electrical signals to transfer information, allowing large volumes of data to move quickly between computer chips in servers, large data centers and supercomputers. Here are three ways small businesses can leverage big data. Om Malik shares three tech breakthroughs that will help boost our digital and online future. Ron Schenone explains why you should never trust laptop and tablet reviews. Here are the advantages of virtualization. Oh, and by the way: Apple Maps can make you really lost, but Google saves the day for iPhone users.

Tweet of the Week

@myconfusedface

Facebook was down almost 20 minutes. For some, these were the most productive 20 minutes of the year.

The Week?s Bests

Thursday Bram says there?s a side benefit to hiring an accountant who knows how to sell online: ?In addition to getting help from someone who understands how your business functions and may have some ideas for growing it, an accountant who is up to date on technology will be a lot easier to work with. There are accountants out there who still require their clients to burn CDs of their bookkeeping data or, shudder, print out reports on actual paper.?

Bryan Janeczko shares his 2013 start-up trends, including domestic manufacturing: ?With the advent of 3-D printing (on-demand manufacturing of basic household plastics and items from buttons to toasters), highly skilled labor, lower production costs, manufacturing in this country is superappealing. Businesses can customize more quickly and can provide superior customer experiences.?

This Week?s Question: Who do you think offers the best insights into small business?

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.

Source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/this-week-in-small-business-free-ipads/

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