First, let me say this: I love Sears. Part of it is a guy thing . . . they have one of the best high-quality tool selections of any big-box store, as well as a great selection of automotive offerings, be it tires, batteries, or some pretty cool automotive accessories. I loved dropping the car off and getting (not shopping . . . getting; guys don’t shop; they just find it and buy it) everything else I might need, from suits to skivvies, while the car was being repaired.

Icall them “stealth taxes.“ These are direct taxes that are indirectly applied so that most people attribute them to something else. For example, one of the first taxes initiated by Congress this year was the federal tobacco tax increase. Taxes on cigarettes were increased to $1.01 per pack, up from 39 cents. When the price of cigarettes went up, most smokers blamed it on the tobacco companies, but they were simply passing on the costs to the consumer.

Times sure have changed in the cross-promotions world. Years ago, when I taught the concept of cross promotions, it was simple: Noncompeting businesses promoted one another via usage of fliers or coupons, with the aim of sending customers back and forth. It was, and remains, one of the cheapest and most effective methods of increasing traffic for most small businesses.

Passion is crucial part of self-employment During the recession, I have spent several hours a week discussing the possibilities of self-employment with people who have found themselves unexpectedly among the unemployed. Frustrated by the lack of success at quickly finding another similar job and disappointed at the many years of faithful work simply disappearing into thin air, many eventually choose to look in a different direction and contemplate self-employment.

Beanie Babies. Cabbage Patch Kids. Tickle Me Elmo. The names may conjure up visions of people standing in line, begging and cajoling sales clerks in the hopes of getting their hands on one of these hard-to-find treasures. “There is a certain portion of the population that likes to have what other people can’t have,“ says Stu Neal, president of GearMax USA Ltd., a Hanover County-based maker of backpacks and bags.

Despite all the hype regarding state and federal guarantee programs becoming more accessible, most small-business owners are still running up against brick walls when it comes to obtaining loans. While the Obama administration is patting itself on the back with news releases regarding loan guarantees to small businesses, in reality the Fed—another arm of the government—has cracked down on lenders’ requirements regarding portfolio standards.

On Feb. 18, the Small Business Administration released information on the effects of the stimulus bill on SBA programs. The bill provides $730 million to the SBA and changes many of its lending and investment programs. “There’s a lot to digest in the legislation,“ acting SBA Administrator Daryl K. Hairston said. “SBA has established teams to tackle a wide variety of policy decisions, system modifications, regulatory changes, legal requirements and new program launches authorized by the president and Congress.“

Tools for tracking your advertising dollars Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is I don’t know which half.“ That quote is attributed to John Wanamaker, a famous 19th-century retailer who opened the first department store in Philadelphia and went on to be appointed U.S. Postmaster General by President Benjamin Harrison.

The headlines are everywhere and stark: 57 percent fewer SBA-guaranteed loans were processed in the last quarter of 2008 than in 2007, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. They also announce that the dollar value of processed loans was down more than 40 percent, totaling $1.95 billion compared with $3.24 billion a year earlier.