• What small-business owners went through in 2012
  Uncertainty was the name of the game for business owners in 2012, as questions relating to the health care law and the tax code took center stage. Another key trend was that small-business owners turned to alternative lenders and pawn shops to fill the gap in lending left by banks. CNBC (12/28)      

• Why you need an e-mail marketing plan
  If e-mail marketing is proving to be a massive headache, developing a plan could help, writes Ryan Pinkham of Constant Contact. When creating a plan, you should identify an objective, set a schedule and put it in writing, he writes. "By putting your plan down on paper you'll have a resource you can refer back to each month to help you avoid any confusion moving forward." SCORE Small Business Success Blog (12/26)      

• Wise words: 10 things managers must say
  Business leaders need 10 words or phrases if they want to be effective managers, among them: "No," "Tell me more," and "What do you think?" says Jason Henham, managing director of Slate Consulting. "The right words have the potential to be transformational." Intuit Small Business Blog (12/24)      

• "Fiscal cliff" causes some owners to accelerate their business sales
  Some business owners, wary of the "fiscal cliff," tried to sell their businesses in 2012 instead of waiting to do so, according to a report. "Businesses over $5 million in value had more money to lose and were more keenly aware of the large potential tax increases coming in 2013," Chet Walden of M&A Source said. Forbes (12/29)      

• Tax tips for the new year
  Due to the potential for tax rates to increase in 2013, it might be wise to defer your deductions into next year, say experts. It may also be a good idea to consider changes in the tax code as you craft a succession plan for your company. As always, it's important to be honest about your business expenses. Bloomberg Businessweek/The New Entrepreneur blog (12/27)      

• 4 business areas you need to check in on for 2013
  As you prepare for the coming year, it's a good idea to review your financial situation, search for ways to improve your operations and focus on the big picture. "Take yourself out of the process of being involved in all the critical decisions day to day and start to work on your business growth, your long-term strategy, and things like finding cost savings," said Roger Murphy of Murphy Business & Financial Corp. Bloomberg Businessweek (12/27)      

• 6 steps to protecting your company's critical data
  B2C Marketing Insider (12/27)      

• Senate still has no agreement to avert "fiscal cliff"
  Senate leaders failed to agree Sunday on a compromise to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect Tuesday. Talks took a new direction late in the day, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opening talks with Vice President Joe Biden on how to break the deadlock. More discussions are planned today. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/30), The Washington Post (12/30), Chicago Sun-Times (12/31)      

Featured Content

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Main Street readers in the past week.

• Business owners benefit from surplus government supplies (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• Delta shows businesses how not to apologize (CBS MoneyWatch)

• Why business owners shouldn't stress about the political climate (Inc. online (free registration))

• Officials see little hope of averting "fiscal cliff" (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Why tax-code complexity is bad for business (CNBC)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

• SmartBrief will not publish Tuesday
  In observance of New Year's Day, SmartBrief will not publish Tuesday. Publication will resume Wednesday. Enjoy the holiday!      

A small business owner doesn’t need to have a Jaguar. A Ford will get him from A to B just as easily." --Scott Gillanders, chief credit officer at 44 Business Capital, as quoted by Bloomberg Businessweek's The New Entrepreneur blog