Small Biz Summit

Earlier this week, small business owners gathered at the Treasury Department to meet with members of the administration to discuss ways to loosen funding. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pledged the administration's continuing support to helping small business owners secure credit. Kevin Galvin, owner of Connecticut Commercial Maintenance, attended the summit and will tell us about his impressions of the event.

Buy A Share

With the credit crisis making bank loans harder to come by, some entrepreneurs are coming up with some interesting alternative forms of financing -- their customers.  We'll meet a small business owner, John Halko, of Comfort Lounge Restaurant in Hastings on Hudson, NY who came up with the idea of soliciting funding through gift card purchases he calls "Comfort Dollars."  For every $500 dollar gift card purchased the customer receives a $600 credit - that's a 20 % return on investment. Halko has already raised almost $40,000.

Panelists

--Jerry Silberman, founder and CEO of Corporate Turnaround

--Kimberly Weisul, editor of BusinessWeek Smallbiz

Small Biz Tech: iPhone Apps

With more than 200,000 iPhone apps available for download, there is an app for just about everything. Dan Ackerman, senior editor for CNET.com, will show off some of the best iPhone apps to help you manage your business.

Dollars & Sense: Holiday Bonuses

The holiday season is just around the corner and that means it's time for holiday bonuses. Barbara Kurka, Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources for Katz Media Group, provides some tips on how to give your employees a meaningful holiday bonus.

1. Cross-train staff

2. Set standards

3. Encourage leadership

4. Limit distractions

5. Software for CRM and contact management

Source: WSJ.com

Less Accounting provides simple software to help you manage your books. The site also links to a handy iPhone app.

Tommy Baldwin, owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing, is something of a rarity in the world of national sports teams. He's a small businessman. Baldwin had worked for many successful NASCAR teams over the years, but when the economy went south, he found himself unemployed. Baldwin decided to set out on his own and create his own racing team. Find out how he has landed sponsors and secured funding for his team in these difficult economic times.

Panelists

--Jennifer Hill, Vice President at Astia, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the growth of women-led start-ups

--Lawrence Gelburd, instructor at The Wharton School

Dollars and Sense: The Power of Why

Simon Sinek, author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action," and CEO & Founder of SinekPartners Corp, provides some creative strategies for building your business.

Learning From The Pros: B. Smith

B. Smith owns three restaurants and has been recognized by Elle Décor as one of America's ten most outstanding non-professional chefs. A true entrepreneur, Smith has also launched a line of home furnishings, and a line of specialty serve-ware. We'll find out Smith's recipe for success.

Small Biz Newsmakers: Karen Mills, SBA Administrator

President Obama recently outlined his proposal to help small business owners secure funding during these difficult economic times. President Obama urged Congress to increase the maximum size of SBA loans and also pledged to support community banks. Karen Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, discusses this proposal and other issues currently effecting small business owners.

Community Banks

In response to the increasingly stringent lending policies of commercial banks, some small business owners are turning to community banks to help them survive. We'll meet two entrepreneurs in Westwood, New Jersey who are using their local community bank to help them work through their financial troubles. Find out how a community bank may be able to help you when a larger bank can't, or won't.

Panelists

--Paul Merski, Chief Economist and Director of Federal Tax Policy for the Independent Community Bankers of America

--Norm Brodsky, Inc. Magazine columnist and author of "The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up"

--Susan Steinbrecher, founder and CEO of the management consulting firm Steinbrecher & Associates

Small Biz Inspiration

The owners of Foxy Auto & Truck Repair in North Reading, Massachusetts are definitely not your typical mechanics. See how Sally and Sheila Dawson, two sisters who grew up in their father's auto repair shop, decided to start their own garage right across the street and are finding quick success in a traditionally male dominated business. 

40Billion.com is a new peer-to-peer lending site that connects business owners and investors. Simply create a fundraising profile with your company's information and funding needs. Your company can then be viewed by potential investors.

"Never Eat Alone" - Keith Ferrazzi

"Close Like the Pros" - Steve Marx

"Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling" - Sam Richter

"Selling to Big Companies" - Jill Konrath

"Getting to Closed" - Stephan Schiffman

Source: SalesTeamTools.com

Short-term employment is pretty much a given at College Hunks Hauling Junk. Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman started the business as a summer job while they were in college and to this day, most of their employees are students who only work a few months at a time. Despite the abbreviated length of service for many of the men and women, Soliman and Friedman still invest time in hopes of building future leaders. The business' motto is "Let Tomorrow's Leaders Haul Your Junk Today." There are four core values within the company and they are non-negotiable. Each garbage truck is run as a small business and each team decides how to budget their time, energy, etc. The teams are also responsible for referrals, marketing material and the disposal of junk. Employees are entitled to bonuses and they're also encouraged to speak openly about the business and offer up ideas. Soliman and Friedman want to empower their employees for the future.

Panelists

-Harleen Kahlon, General Manager of the Personal Finance division at TheStreet.com

-Robert Walsh, Commission of the New York City Department of Small Business Services

Shine A Light

New Mexico's Sacred Wind Communications has been voted the most inspiring small business in America. The company, which provides communications services to the Navajo Nation, is the winner of the NBC Universal and American Express "Shine a Light" contest. CEO John Badal will join us on set to tell us a little more about his unique business.

Spooky Small Businesses

Halloween is almost here, and in honor of that we'll take a look back at one of the most unique companies ever featured on "Your Business." After years of performing autopsies in the L.A. County Coroner's Office, Vidal Herera founded 1-800-Autopsy, a company that started out doing autopsies, and now does everything from rent props out to Hollywood movies productions and sell fancy couches made out of rebuilt coffins.

Clicky Web Analytics provides real-time feedback to help you monitor your site's traffic. You can track a variety of things such as the number of visitors, how much time is spent on your site, and even see how people were referred to your site.

1. Location and equipment

2. Inventory

3. Salaries and benefits

4. Marketing

5. Professional fees

Source: WSJ.com

Rachel Taylor is an enthusiastic entrepreneur and inventor, but she wasn't getting the kind of sales or exposure with her product, the Clever Clip, that she wanted. Enter AJ Khubani, CEO of Telebrands, the company behind those infamous "As Seen on TV" products like the Ped Egg and the Jupiter Jack.  Khubani saw potential in Rachel's Clever Clip and signed her, which means turning over the rights of her Clever Clip to Telebrands to take over sales and marketing, the main component being an "As Seen on TV" commercial and a test marketing campaign. If the commercial test goes well in a few local markets, Telebrands then launches the commercial nationwide and gets the products into stores like Walmart and Target. If the product does well, the inventor gets a small percentage of the sales but sales are frequently in the millions. It may seem like a lopsided agreement, but Khubani takes all of the risk and spends the money upfront and the inventor sits back and cashes the check. We'll follow Rachel through the process of partnering with Telebrands and find out if the commercial test goes well

Panelists

--Divya Gugnani, CEO of Behind the Burner and a former venture capitalist

--Allan Grafman, CEO of All Media Ventures, a consulting and advisory firm for media companies and private equity investors

The Credit Crunch

As the credit crisis wears on, many small business owners are having a hard time finding traditional funding. George Cloutier, CEO of American Management Services, and Todd McCracken, President of The National Small Business Association discuss how the credit crisis is impacting different sources of funding.

Elevator Pitch

Russell Smith pitches the Glare Zapper to the panel. The Glare Zapper is a strip that protects uncomfortable and unsafe glare from distracting drivers while they are driving. Russell is looking to raise capital to expand marketing.

Outright.com provides free web-based bookkeeping services. Registered users can track expenditures, create profit and loss statements, and even prepare their taxes.