Big Bank Execs: What They Take Home

When times were good, the top executives from the largest U.S. banks made a mint. Below is the total compensation in 2007 for the 9 banks that received the first batch of government aid through TARP. read more

Top Ten Jobs for 2009

In 2009, the job market will be full of contrasts: some industries will be eviscerated while others face shortages of workers. The good news is that despite the recession, there are still real jobs to be had. The bad news is that you may have to change fields to find one.

The trick to job hunting in 2009 will be to figure out how your skill-set can translate across industries, says Elaine Varelas, a managing partner at Boston-based outplacement firm Keystone Partners, so that you’re not confined to searching one sector of the economy. “People are frustrated because it’s taking them a while to assess the job market,” she says. “They’ll have to figure out other things they can do and want to do.” Successful job-seekers will be the ones who can figure out how to take skills learned in one kind of job and translate them into assets in others.

Here are the top eight areas where work can be found in 2009: read more

CBGB Making A Comeback Thanks To NY Entrepreneurs

The notorious urinal that served patrons of the famed New York rock club CBGB for 33 years now sits retired in a basement in Manhattan’s posh SoHo district.

Plucked from the graffiti-covered walls when the club closed in 2006, the urinal is among several CBGB artifacts — such as the gritty “CBGB & OMFUG” awning that hung over 315 Bowery and a phone booth covered with punk-rock band stickers — donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, which opened its doors last week. read more

Facebook Tries To Buy Twitter

There are two kinds of companies in the Valley: those that make money, and those that don’t have to. As the economy worsens, the former group behaves like firms in other sectors, making cuts and revising earnings expectations. For the latter group, living in a VC-backed candyland, it’s as good a time as any to spend half a billion dollars on something fun. read more

Venture Capitalists Get Creative

As venture capital funds face a cash crunch driven by the financial downturn, they are taking extreme measures to ensure they can fund their investments. read more

Community Banks New Financing Option For Start up Companies

When Amy Loera was looking for a loan to expand her family’s Mexican-restaurant business earlier this year, she applied at nine different banks. They all turned her down.

Many of the banks accepted her initial application but simply didn’t take things any further, she says. Some raised concerns about the nationwide downturn in the restaurant industry in refusing her request. And some told her that if she had applied a year ago, she would have had no problem.

So Ms. Loera turned to a local lender, Arrowhead Credit Union in San Bernardino, Calif., after a business acquaintance told her the credit union had given loans to other businesses in the community. She was approved for a $643,000 loan this summer. read more

Venture Capital Financing Slows Amid Economic Downturn

Silicon Valley technology startups are adopting a new business plan: deferral.

MerchantCircle Inc., a Los Altos, Calif., Internet startup, typifies the trend. Last month, company founder Ben Smith was in New York talking to media companies about raising $50 million, with which he planned to make acquisitions to fuel MerchantCircle’s growth. But as the financial markets tumbled this month, Mr. Smith canceled two trips to New York and a roadshow to Europe to raise the capital. For now, the fundraising is on the backburner.

“When we started the year we were pushing really hard for growth,” says Mr. Smith, who in 2005 founded MerchantCircle, which provides online advertising services for small businesses. “That’s just not as important anymore. Now it’s all about cash flow.” read more

4 Steps to Assessing Your Product’s Profit Potential

I’VE TALKED TO a lot of people who have found a promising market by coming up with a product or service that would solve a problem. But they’re paralyzed about taking the next step. What if they put in the time and effort — and possibly money — and it flops?

There’s one process they’re missing. Validating your market after you’ve come up with a niche business idea is a crucial step you can’t afford to skip.

Of course, there’s no way to guarantee success, but ask yourself the four questions below. If you can check off every one, you’ll know — as much as possible — that you’re onto a winner. read more

Entrepreneurs Feel Squeeze as Venture Capital Gets Scarce

Venture capitalists are reining in spending amid the financial downturn, a shift that has implications for entrepreneurial activity.

According to two sets of data pegged for release Saturday, venture capitalists did fewer new financing of companies and spent less money in the third quarter than they did a year earlier. Venture capitalists typically put money into young companies, with the aim of profiting later when those start-ups go public or are acquired. read more

How To Pitch And Partner With Google

Chris Sacca is one of Google’s Principals for New Business Development. Here he blogs about how to get noticed, if you are interested in working with Google, Inc.

I am on the front line of inbound business proposals. I would gather I see 40-50 per day. The launch of Google Talk has probably added another 15-20 per day.

So, as I sit with trepidation considering how many emails I have flagged for follow-up in my inbox on this Sunday afternoon, I thought I would take a minute to type out some hints that will make it easier on both of us and increase the likelihood that your company and mine will get some business done. These are in random order and I might expand the list as time goes on. As always, your comments are welcome. Anything I missed? (Keep in mind, this is my personal blog and nothing herein is approved by my employer.) read more

Next Page »