What would we do without credit cards? Credit cards help you leverage your buying
power, and you can use them when confronted with a temporary financial emergency. Additionally, they are used as a form of security deposit - when you rent a car, for example.

It is therefore important to understand small business credit cards, how they work, and what is going on in the industry. Perhaps interest rates have lowered, giving you the opportunity to switch to a different card and get a lower interest rate. How would you know this if you were not staying up to date with credit card news?

Running a small business requires similar vigilance with news. Every day, you read information, gather tips, and receive advice about your business - and much of it helps you stay abreast of the industry and helps you make informed decisions. Who knows, it may even give you an advantage over your competition!

Check out the articles below, or click here to find relevant articles on other sites.

One of the most common mistakes that many people make when starting a business is using personal credit cards in order to fund the operations of their business. This can prove to be disastrous to your personal debt ratio, credit score, and your overall financial future …Continue

It is important to establish business credit for many of the same reasons that personal credit history is important. A small business with a solid credit history opens up many new opportunities, including …Continue

Building a strong credit rating can be one of the easiest things you’ll encounter in your small business operations. First, you need to apply for a small business credit card and begin using it …Continue

When starting a business or even expanding a business there are two options available to you for obtaining additional funding. Those options are a business loan and a business credit card. …Continue

Until recently, most credit card companies focused their attention primarily on consumers and ignored the potential as well as the needs of small business owners. Much of this lack of interest was …Continue

Credit is key to helping any business operate at maximum efficiency. It gives you the flexibility to allow for seasonal fluctuations in your business operations and gives you the freedom to achieve peak growth. …Continue

Obtaining a credit card that is specifically for your small business is one of the best ways to establish business credit. But be careful when completing your application for a small business credit card. …Continue

According to a New York Times article published recently by Jane Birnbaum, small business merchants are lobbying to get banks to negotiate fees that they claim are too high …Continue

Small business owners like Joe the Plumber are sitting on the edge of their seats these days, as they await small business legislation from the new Obama administration. …Continue

According to Sharon Mcloone of The Washington Post, Small Business Development Centers are being fortified by lawmakers and others at a time when many small businesses could use the help …Continue

News out this morning is that banks now have money to lend, so is a dearth of borrowers the new problem? According to a Herald Tribune article, government bailout dollars have indeed loosened the credit markets …Continue

In response to the current credit crisis, the Small Business Administration has announced change, effective immediately. All new SBA loans can now be made with a LIBOR rate …Continue

According to a recent New York Times article by Mickey Meece, bartering in the United States is on the rise at a time when cash is tight and small businesses are letting workers go. …Continue

It is not necessary to be a US citizen or have a green card to get a credit card and begin building good credit. Any individual with a US visa can follow the steps to get a social security number …Continue

According to a recent article by Andrew Johnson in the Arizona Republic, small business owners in Arizona are finding it difficult to fund their operations these days, …Continue

With $700 billion in TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) funds approved to be spent in a bailout effort, and many in line with their hands out, Secretary Hank Paulson has decided to invest first in financial institutions …Continue

Despite a recent infusion of TARP funds to lending institutions, businesses continue to report tight credit conditions and a dependence on business credit cards …Continue

‘Tis the season for bargain hunting, and with so many reeling from the economic downturn, this is true more than ever now. Shoppers will be lured to big-box stores by low prices that small businesses …Continue

Despite the Treasury Department’s efforts to unfreeze credit by directing billions of dollars to banks, it seems credit is as tight as ever, and small businesses are still finding it hard to get affordable loans. …Continue

Hurt by bad loans made to home buyers with shaky credit histories this decade, banks have tightened their lending standards and are eliminating risk by slashing credit lines. …Continue

As the Federal Reserve contemplates another interest rate cut, possibly to an all time low, small businesses face an economy that continues to sink deeper into a recession. The hope is that this action will help halt the downward …Continue

No doubt, these are challenging economic times, but if you’ve got some good ideas, a business plan, and that positive entrepreneurial spirit, you can still give it a go. According to Jennifer Kilgus, …Continue

Many small businesses are coming around to the value of doing business online, and a web presence is becoming more and more popular as technology advances and the internet grows. …Continue

As small business owners brace for a tough 2009, we can only imagine what the picture will look like a year from now, and the forecast is not pretty. Banks have all but stopped lending, …Continue

Today’s generation of young doctors is coming out of school saddled with enormous debt from rising college and medical school tuitions, only to enter residency training programs …Continue

Because we’re in unchartered waters, small business owners might be frozen and lacking a plan for 2009. However, there is actually a lot they can and must do. The rapidly evolving economy in crisis and the transition to a new administration …Continue

It seems the American Small Business League is wrestling with the appointment of Karen Mills as new head of the SBA…hmmmm. At a time when small businesses are hoping to pin down government contracts …Continue

If you are a small business owner who has just heard from your credit card company about a credit line reduction or elimination, you are not alone. As if credit wasn’t tight enough, …Continue

While small business owners anxiously await new legislation from the Obama administration, many have put plans on hold until the details are unveiled. Primary concerns are health insurance, …Continue

According to a post from the Pittsburgh BusinessTimes, Eric Zarnikow, SBA’s associate administrator for capital access, is planning to host a Web chat …Continue

We often hear economists say, “small business is the engine of our economy”, and this engine is sputtering. Government has recently spent more than a trillion and a half dollars …Continue

How much longer will small business owners have to wait before the government addresses their health care predicament? According to Todd Stottlemeyer, president and CEO …Continue

During this financial crisis and deepening recession, many have been complaining and calling for credit card policy reform, and new legislation has already been passed …Continue

Last December new credit card legislation was passed that will change the way the industry does business in the future, and many are encouraged, while some in Congress are pushing …Continue

According to the American Small Business League, Nancy Pelosi  is backing a loophole in the Obama stimulus plan that will damage the middle class economy …Continue

If you’re one of the 2.6 million Americans who lost their jobs in 2008 and are facing the worst job market in decades, you may be considering going into business …Continue

Now more than ever, it is important to know and manage your credit score if you want to get a small business loan, and one reason to check your credit report is to look for errors …Continue

No wonder banks are being stingy with small business loans these days.  According to a Wall Street Journal article by Marshall Eckblad, financial institutions and the SBA are reporting big problems …Continue

The problem of declining SBA loans is being addressed in the House and the Senate while both small business owners and banks await the details. According to an article by Kent Hoover …Continue

Today Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced a new government plan to get credit flowing again, and it includes a special initiative to help small business …Continue

It’s that time of year again; small business owners are thinking about taxes, and this year they’ll be looking to the government for relief. Already there have been extensions of measures set to expire in 2007, …Continue

Obama has now signed the eagerly anticipated new stimulus plan, and small business owners aren’t jumping for joy. In fact, if you stroll around the web you’ll find small business owners are continuing …Continue

In tough economic times small businesses can expect to be targeted by even more desperate scammers, so business owners need to be more vigilant than ever. For example, this week …Continue

Whether or not a small business will survive a recession, or come out of one even stronger, could be dependent on how its employees are managed, according to some business advice …Continue

According to a recent news release, the Small Business Administration will now be offering a variety of podcasts to help small business owners manage their business in this tough economy. Podcasts can be downloaded to a computer …Continue