Looking Back, Looking Forward; GoodBiz113 Ramping Up to Showcase Increased Number of Win-Win Small-Business Partnerships, Democratic Policies

As Memorial Day weekend winds down and today's hot Minnesota breezes beckon summer, we're making time to reflect on GoodBiz113's just-shy-of-five-years history.

Looking Back...
In September 2006, we launched GoodBiz113 with three objectives in mind:

1] To provide well-deserved attention to otherwise-unsung small businesses that forge innovative and socially conscious partnerships with nonprofits and/or public agencies to benefit the greater good -- and, hopefully, inspire *other* businesses both large and small to take positive social action in their corners of the Universe;

2] To cast a light on Democrats who are committed to advancing policies that genuinely promote entrepreneurship, job creation and economic recovery -- e.g., Sen. John Kerry [D-Mass.], then-Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar [D-Minn.]; and

3] To present practices and tips to help small-business owners maximize their resources -- e.g., time, energy, people, money.

Since our September 2006 launch, GoodBiz113 has showcased several socially responsible small-business partnerships, policies and practices.

We've featured businesses from coast to coast, and each enterprise has benefited from the far-reaching PR and Internet exposure -- when their profile initially posted, and in assorted follow-ups; e.g., announcing new products, services, synergies, special events.

Among the win-win partnerships we've featured thus far on a pro bono basis:

* "Minnesota Artisans Mobilize Community to Create 9/11 Stained-Glass Memorial Window: Part 1"
* "Minnesota Artisans Mobilize Community to Create 9/11 Stained-Glass Memorial Window: Part 2"
* "Louisiana Artist Brings Post-Katrina [Blue Dog] Relief to New Orleans"
* "Recycline-Stonyfield Farm Partnership Milks Resources to Benefit the Environment, Consumers and Each Other" [NOTE: We scooped Inc. Magazine on this one!]
* "Alexis Bailly Vineyard Helps U of M Cultivate Wine Industry in Minnesota, 'Where the Grapes Can Suffer'"
* "Life is good® Festivals Unite Communities, Help Kids Face Unfair Challenges"
* "Cuisine Concepts at Heart of Taste of the NFL -- AKA 'Super Bowl Party...With a Purpose' -- to Tackle Hunger in America"
* "South Cone's Sustainable Furniture-Making Serves Growing Consumer Demand; Activism at Seat of New Global Council"
* "Kessler's Helps Feed Storybook Land's Win-Win-Win Growth in Aberdeen, S.D."
* "Verve Inc. Puts Sustainable Bite on All-Natural Chewing Gum and Educational Candy-Making Kits for Kids"
* "Fairview Southdale Hospital Library Invites Employees, Patients and Community to Meet Local Authors; Suspense Writer Brian Freeman Presents on Jan. 22"

We've also shed a positive light on what President Barack Obama, SBA Administrator Karen Mills, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu [D-La.], U.S. Sen. Al Franken [D-Minn.] and other Democrats are doing to promote entrepreneurship and job creation; e.g., Startup America.

Occasionally, we've also mentioned what a too-small handful of exemplary Republicans -- e.g., Olympia Snowe [R-Maine] -- are doing to serve the best interests of small businesses. [Use the handy-dandy Google Search box, above, to research and track our posts.]

Looking Forward...
Now, as both the weather and, yes, the critical 2012 political season begin to heat up, we're preparing to ramp up our reporting about small-business synergies, as well as about the current and would-be Democratic elected officials who purport to be friendly to the diverse small-business community; e.g., artists, consultants, "solopreneurs," Main Street Mom-and-Pop retailers.

Heretofore, our parent company, YAWP! Media, has bootstrapped GoodBiz113's publishing endeavors entirely in-house. Now, we aim to fuel our enhanced reporting via crowd funding, defined by Wikipedia as "the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations."

We have other seasoned writers and social media experts at the ready to begin tackling our backlog of small-biz synergy profiles, as well as ongoing developments in the policy arena. These professionals deserve to do good work, and they deserve decent compensation to exercise their wealth of talents and insights.

Ramping Up GoodBiz113
We need $20,000 in order to make that happen for far-reaching, win-win good.

If you'd like to support socially responsible small-business partnerships, as well as the policies and practices that fuel entrepreneurial growth, make your pledge today at our Kapipal page -- http://bit.ly/RampUpGoodBiz113 -- by choosing one of the following categories...**

PLEDGE $25
Small-Business Friend: If you pledge $25, you'll be kept apprised of GoodBiz113-related developments; e.g, new profiles.

PLEDGE $100
Small-Business Ally: If you pledge $100, you get the above -- plus name recognition on GoodBiz113.

PLEDGE $500
Small-Business Fan: If you pledge $500, you get all of the above -- plus, we'll post a live link from GoodBiz113 to your website AND we'll distribute an SEO'd press release announcing your support of GoodBiz113’s ramp-up.

PLEDGE $1,000
Small-Business Cheerleader: If you pledge $1,000, you get all of the above -- plus, we'll feature ONE small-biz partnership of your choice; e.g., your own, one of your current or would-be clients/customers. This original SEO-optimized profile will be in a reader-friendly Q&A format *and* include a live link to your website, as well as to the websites of the small business and its partner[s].

PLEDGE $2,000
Small-Business Champion: If you pledge $2,000, you get all of the above -- plus, through 2012, we'll place a 220x110 banner ad in the right column of GoodBiz113 for you to display your logo; you supply the HTML code. We'll also feature TWO small-biz synergies of your choice.

Sponsorship Packages & Offline Pledge Options Available, Too

Besides doing crowd funding via Kapipal, GoodBiz113 is also offering win-win sponsorship packages to individuals and organizations that would like to showcase *several* small-business partnerships on GoodBiz113 through 2012. [NOTE: This is another great opportunity for professionals, prime contractors, VCs and other small-biz stakeholders to provide value-added PR to their clients, vendors, suppliers, etc.]

For details about sponsorship packages and/or making pledges offline, e-mail GoodBiz113 [at] gmail.com.

Thanks, in advance, for supporting GoodBiz113's [near] tireless efforts to promote entrepreneurship, job creation, economic recovery, and the dedicated politicos working on behalf of our dynamic small-biz community -- truly the backbone of our economy.

**Businesses, take note: Come tax time, you should be able to deduct your pledge as an advertising expense. Ask your accountant.

SOURCES: U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, U.S. Small Business Administration, The White House, Wikipedia
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Be Part of GoodBiz113's Ramp-Up Phase -- for Win-Win Good! Pledge Today: http://bit.ly/RampUpGoodBiz113

Verbatim: Small Business Fuels Discourse During 2010 Midterm Election Campaigns

Periodically, GoodBiz113 puts its ear to the rail to listen to what politicos, pundits and others have recently said about small businesses and our integral role in growing the U.S. economy. Today, just eight days before the critical 2010 midterm elections, we share some views with you, our loyal readers.

* * *

"Now, I want to just say a little bit about Ron, because so much of the reason we're here is to make sure that he continues to do the outstanding work that he's doing on behalf of south Florida. They have lived here for 25 years. This is where they raised their family...

"This is where Ron helped run a small business. That's who he's been fighting for since he got to Washington -- families and small business owners -- because he's part of them, he understands them." -- President Barack Obama, on a campaign stop in South Florida to support second-term Rep. Ron Klein [D.-Fla.], who aims to beat back challenger Allen West [Miami's CBS4.com, Oct. 11]

* * *

"The Small Business Jobs Act is helping the private sector move the ball forward on job creation and economic growth... I'm pleased to see these SBA loans made to local businesses, and I expect that this law will continue to expand private-sector lending in the near term through the incentives it provides for small community lenders." -- Rep. Tim Walz [D-Minn.], teaming with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken [D-Minn.], and Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison [D-Minn.] to announce that more than $18 million in loans will go to small businesses throughout Minnesota, helping many of them remain open and creating nearly 100 jobs [TradingMarkets.com, Oct. 11]

* * *

"Spending within our means, looking at our long-term structural deficits, supporting small businesses." -- Small-business owner-turned-Congresswoman Betsy Markey [D-Col.], summing up her top goals as she seeks a second term representing citizens of Colorado's Fourth District [Capital News Connection, Oct. 15]

* * *

"I'm working with your local leaders to provide the kinds of investments to create jobs, so you're strong again and our Main Street businesses keep their doors open." -- Three-term U.S. Senator Patty Murray [D-Wash.], who has helped secure millions of dollars to repair Howard A, Hanson Dam and replace Seattle's South Park Bridge [Seattle Times, Oct. 17]

* * *

"If Republicans in Congress have their way, the millions of women who will benefit from our small-business lending programs -- from the consumer protections in the Financial Reform bill, and from the tax cuts that have helped them through a challenging economic time -- would be left without these benefits... There is an important choice for women in this country to make about whether that is the direction they want the country to move in." -- White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki [ABC News, Oct. 18]

* * *

"The President knew when he came into office that he was going to have to take immediate and bold action, or we might fall down in a hole that we could not get out of. The President takes office in January of 2009. And within 30 days, passes the Recovery Act.

"Now, in the first 100 days of the Recovery Act, that gives tax relief to more than 110 million people, cuts taxes for small business eight different times. In that 100 days, authorizes 3,000 transportation projects, starts on the path to improvement...

"And it doesn’t stop with the Recovery Act. Already this year, the President signed the HIRE Act, which gives specific incentives for companies to hire people who have been unemployed for a period of time, and gets through the Small Business Jobs Act, which brings up to 16 the number of times he cut taxes for small business, reduced the capital-gains rate to zero for anybody starting their own business or investing in a small business." -- Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, during the second edition of his White House White Board [White House, Oct. 19]

* * *

"I look at the jobs issue as a step-by-step process. The Recovery Act stopped our economy from going off a cliff and saved the jobs of millions of teachers, police, firefighters, first responders and others. I also have seen firsthand how it has created private-sector jobs across Wisconsin -- whether it is building a new bridge in Medford, a water sanitation system in Wisconsin Rapids, or a senior center in Plymouth.

"The next step was the HIRE Act, which gave businesses that hired workers that had been unemployed for 60 days a tax break.

"And now we have passed the Small Business Jobs Act to free up credit, so small businesses -- responsible for the majority of job creation in our country -- can expand and create jobs.

"I want to continue these targeted efforts with a jobs tax credit, which would extend and expand the HIRE Act tax break by making any business that hires new workers, expands hours or expands payroll, eligible for a tax break. As we continue to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, this type of tax break will help businesses next year when they are in a better position to hire." -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold [D-Wis.], during a Q&A interview [Telegraph-Herald Online, Oct. 21]

* * *

"I think that would be a terrible mistake... Our economy depends on a financial system in which everyone competes on a level playing field, and everyone is held to the same rules—whether you’re a big bank, a small-business owner, or a family looking to buy a house or open a credit card." -- President Barack Obama in his weekly address, warning that if Republicans take control of Congress this November, they would repeal consumer protections in the Frank-Dodd financial regulatory reform legislation, which he called "one of the most important victories" he has achieved in office. [Weekly Address, Oct. 23]

* * *

"Clark, an attorney and mother of two, is a respected legislator from St. Cloud who was first elected in 2005. Endorsed by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Clark has been a strong advocate for small-business owners, and pushed for the development of angel investor tax credits in the state." -- Editorial endorsement of Tarryl Clark [D-Minn.], who is challenging two-term U.S. House Rep. Michelle Bachmann [R-Minn.] to represent voters in Minnesota's Sixth District [Star Tribune endorsement, Oct. 24]

* * *

"Barbara Boxer's top priority is to create jobs and turn our economy around. She is fighting to provide more loans to small businesses, provide tax breaks to the middle class, cut our deficit in half by 2013, rebuild our roads and bridges and make California the hub of the new clean-energy economy.

"With so many people out of work, it's shocking that her opponent still wants to go back to the job-killing policies of yesterday. Polices that led to 700,000 job losses a month and the crisis on Wall Street due to deregulation.

"Boxer is working hard to reverse those policies and replace them with smart, targeted initiatives that create jobs here at home -- jobs for today and tomorrow...

"Boxer knows that small businesses are the lifeblood of strong local economies. This is why she supported the Small Business Jobs Act, so that small businesses can expand and create jobs. This legislation includes a provision based on a bill authored by Boxer that would create a $30 billion small business lending fund to help community banks extend credit to small businesses.

"The legislation will help small businesses compete for large federal contracts, increase the maximum size of SBA-backed loans and reduce the fees associated with these loans. The bill also includes $12 billion in tax incentives to help small and medium-sized businesses expand and create new jobs.

"Boxer strongly supported the economic Recovery Act that will help provide nearly 65,000 small-business loans, including 9,600 loans to Californians worth $5.2 billion in lending authority. These loans will make it possible for successful small businesses to expand, hire more employees and further stimulate our local economy." -- Former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer [1991-1998], endorsing U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer [D-Cal., pictured above with supporters] for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate [San Jose Mercury News, 10/24/2010]

SOURCES: ABC News, GovTrack.us, OpenCongress, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Times, StarTribune,com, Telegraph-Herald.com, The White House
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Sens. Landrieu, Stabenow Join Small-Business Advocates to Discuss How Democrats Are Standing Up for Small Business and Creating Jobs

U.S. Senate Small Business Committee Chair Mary Landrieu [D-La.] and Democratic Steering Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow [D-Mich., pictured] joined Terry Gardiner, of Small Business Majority, and Frank Knapp Jr., president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, at a press conference this morning to discuss how Senate Democrats have cut taxes and invested in small businesses.

Democrats have worked to make it easier for small businesses to hire new workers and afford their expenses. The measures that Democrats have passed have the potential to create an additional one million jobs this year.

While Democrats are fighting for small businesses and the middle class, Republicans have fought to give tax breaks to rich CEOs who have shipped American jobs overseas. Senate Democrats remain committed to passing a small-business jobs package that will continue to bolster small businesses in the coming weeks.

"We hear time and time again that America’s 29 million small businesses are the backbone of our economy," said Sen. Landrieu. "These entrepreneurs are the ones that felt the economic downturn first and most directly, so it goes without saying that helping these Main Street businesses has been, and will continue to be, a priority for this Democratic Congress.

"After witnessing big businesses and Wall Street CEOs get bailouts and tax breaks, middle-class families and small businesses were left to fight the economic downturn alone. Congress had to respond. With the incentives Congress has put in place to aid this country’s entrepreneurs, small businesses can continue their work of creating jobs and putting this economy back on track to success.'

"Small businesses have been hit hard by the economic downturn and global credit crisis," Sen. Stabenow noted. "That’s why almost every major piece of legislation passed in this Congress has provided assistance to small businesses. We have provided tax cuts to help pay for the cost of health care, tax cuts so companies can invest in advanced manufacturing, and provided access to much-needed capital. Together, these incentives are supporting entrepreneurs across the country, which is critical to helping our economy and creating new jobs.”

"Small businesses have been hit especially hard by the recession," said Gardiner, a former 22-year commercial fisherman who now serves as Small Business Majority's national policy director. "Many pieces of legislation passed by this Congress -- including comprehensive health-care reform, tax credits to hire new workers, and tax incentives for renewable-energy businesses -- will go a long way in helping small businesses, and the economy, get back on track."

"We worked with Congress to lower taxes and make health care more affordable for small businesses," Knapp noted. "Before the new health-care law passed, 40 percent of our businesses with fewer than 50 employees could afford to offer the benefit to their employees. Now they [all] can.

"This new law is good for small businesses, and our organization will continue to look for ways to work with Congress to lower costs for small businesses."

To view the video of the press conference, go to: http://bit.ly/LandrieuStabenowSmallBiz.

SOURCES: HealthReform.gov, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, U.S. Small Business Administration
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Sens. Klobuchar and Franken Join Call for Help to Small Businesses; Letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner Signed by 18 Democratic Senators

This week, Sens. Amy Klobuchar [D-Minn.] and Al Franken [D-Minn., pictured] joined 16 of their colleagues to call on U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to take immediate steps to utilize TARP funding to stabilize community banks and improve credit availability for small businesses.

“The American economy won’t recover until our small businesses recover,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “Small businesses are the engines that drive job creation in this country. Opening up credit and expanding into new markets will spur economic growth and strengthen our economy.”

“Credit for small businesses is crucial to the American economy and essential for getting us out of this recession,” said Sen. Franken. “Minnesota businesses shouldn’t continue to suffer because banks on Wall Street are unable to manage their balance sheets.”

Joining Sens. Klobuchar and Franken in sending the letter were Senators Patty Murray [D-Wash.], Patrick Leahy [D-Vt.], Carl Levin [D-Mich.], Jeff Bingaman [D-N.M.], Tom Harkin [D-Iowa], Barbara Mikulski [D-Md.], Herb Kohl [D-Wisc.], Tim Johnson [D-S.D.], Bill Nelson [D-Fla.], Debbie Stabenow [D-Mich.], Maria Cantwell [D-Wash.], Ben Cardin [D-Md.], Sherrod Brown [D-Ohio], Jean Shaheen [D-N.H.], Jeff Merkley [D-Ore.], and Rolland Burris [D-Ill.].

Following, is the full text of the letter sent to Secretary Geithner:

* * *

February 3, 2010

The Honorable Timothy Geithner
Secretary
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Secretary Geithner:

We write today to express our deep and growing concern about the deteriorating condition of community banks and the lack of credit availability for small businesses across the United States.

Community banks play a significant role in providing credit to businesses in communities throughout the country. They provide approximately one third of all loans under $1 million and half of all loans under $100,000.

Despite the return to profitability for most of the large, Wall Street banks that received the lion’s share of public assistance under Troubled Asset Relief Program [TARP], the survival of hundreds of small, community banks remains in question. With considerable exposure to future losses on loans tied to real estate markets -- both residential and commercial -- we call on you to take immediate steps to dedicate more attention and resources from TARP to stabilize this critically important segment of the banking industry.

According to data provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation [FDIC], 148 banks have failed since 2008. These failures impose significant costs on the Deposit Insurance Fund [DIF] and have far-reaching economic ramifications on the communities and businesses they serve.

The continued existence and steady growth of hundreds of billions of dollars in non-performing loans is placing further strain on banks across the country; 552 institutions were on FDIC’s “Problem List” as of the agency’s publication of its Quarterly Banking Profile for the Third Quarter of 2009.

This ominous overhang of impaired assets is necessitating that banks restrict lending and build capital to protect against further losses. Indeed, according to data released by the Federal Reserve, credit has continued to contract since 2008. The tight credit environment -- particularly impacting households and small businesses -- continues to undermine the effect of aggressive monetary and fiscal policies put in place to accelerate economic recovery and job growth.

Small businesses remain the real engine behind job growth in the U.S.; over the past 15 years, over 64 percent of all new jobs were created by small businesses. However, under the weight of the economic recession and significantly reduced consumer demand, many small businesses have been forced to adjust their cost structure, including eliminating jobs. With credit-card lines and other forms of revolving credit being cut, those businesses that are trying to maintain their workforce are finding it increasingly difficult -- and, in some cases, impossible -- to access the liquidity they need to weather through this downturn.

Although recent economic indicators show the economy is slowly beginning to stabilize, small businesses continue to suffer. This is a key underpinning to the weak labor market and creating a drag on our efforts to more quickly reduce real unemployment, which remains above 10 percent. To help establish real, sustainable economic recovery, we must take new, decisive action that addresses the trend of declining credit availability head-on. Failure to do so may result in a heightened risk of a prolonged economic downturn similar to that experienced by Japan through the 1990’s.

Existing programs created by the Treasury to address the plight of community banks and improve credit to small businesses have unfortunately had little impact to-date. Therefore, we have developed new approaches that can improve existing programs to strengthen community banks and have put forth a number of new proposals to improve the availability of credit for small businesses. We strongly believe these ideas provide new strategies and opportunities to take precious taxpayer resources away from programs that have largely benefitted the Wall Street firms that bear a great deal of responsibility in bringing about the financial and economic crisis, and redirect them to programs that can help bring back jobs and restore prosperity in our communities.

Strong, decisive action must be taken immediately to reassess the full range of options where public resources, including TARP, can better help address the economic crisis and strain being felt by American families and businesses on Main Street. We look forward to working together with you in this effort, because it is integral to establishing the foundation necessary to support a swift and sustained economic recovery to the future.

Sincerely,

Senators Patty Murray [D-WA], Patrick Leahy [D-VT], Carl Levin [D-MI], Jeff Bingaman [D-NM], Tom Harkin [D-IA], Barbara Mikulski [D-MD], Herb Kohl [D-WI], Tim Johnson [D-SD], Bill Nelson [D-FL], Debbie Stabenow [D-MI], Maria Cantwell [D-WA], Ben Cardin [D-MD], Sherrod Brown [D-OH], Amy Klobuchar [D-MN], Jean Shaheen [D-NH], Jeff Merkley [D-OR], Rolland Burris [D-IL], and Al Franken [D-MN].

SOURCES: FinancialStability.gov, Sen. Al Franken
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