Small business in Business

Only Small business: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Small business stories and video. All of Business →

Operation Choke Point Ended in 2017. The Argument Didn't.

A Justice Department letter killed the program eight years ago. The fight over who banks are allowed to serve has outlasted it by a decade.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Running a Business With Your Wife Without Losing the Marriage

Two people, one bank account, zero clocking off. The rules that keep the company from quietly eating the thing it was supposed to serve.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

When a Side Hustle Should Become a Business and When It Shouldn't

Four signals that it's time to go legitimate, the numbers that decide it, and the honest case for leaving a good hustle exactly as it is.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

PartnerDude.com

Skills5 min read

The three contract clauses that bite, and how to find them

You won't read all forty pages. Read these three sections properly and you'll catch most of what actually costs people money.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Read Item 20 Before You Read the Franchise Brochure

The disclosure document is 23 items long and boring on purpose. Two of them tell you almost everything you need to know.

GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Putting Your Kids to Work in a Family Side Business

The real hours, the real margin, the payroll rules for hiring your own kids, and the point where it stops being worth it.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Ask for the review before you pull out of the driveway

The two-minute window after the job ends is worth more than every follow-up email you'll ever send. Use it, and stay on the right side of the rules.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Starting a Handyman Business Without Getting Fined

Licensing thresholds, the four holes in a cheap liability policy, and why hourly pricing quietly bankrupts good handymen.

GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

How To Price Side Work So You're Not Making Five Dollars An Hour

Most side hustles don't fail on demand. They fail on arithmetic. Run these numbers before you send the next quote.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Write Your Quotes So The Job Can't Come Back On You

The number is the smallest part of a quote. The scope, the exclusions and the change-order line are what keep a good job from turning into a fight.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Start Mowing With One Truck And One Trailer

The equipment list is the easy part. Drive time, February cash and the customers you say no to are what decide whether you're still cutting in year three.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideSide HustlesWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

What a Cord of Firewood Actually Pays

Real hours, real startup cost, and the cash-flow trap nobody mentions before you buy the splitter.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20265 min

Open the business account before you take the first dollar

A free EIN, one checking account and twenty minutes every Friday is the whole system. Skip it and you'll pay for it in April, with interest.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideSide HustlesDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Your Driveway Detailing Business Starts With Two Buckets

The kit worth buying, the hours a full detail really takes, and the customer who pays you every six weeks without being asked.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

Side Hustles6 min

What Freelance Bookkeeping Actually Pays From a Home Office

Startups6 min

The first year with your name on the van

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

What to Set Aside for Taxes on Side Income From Dollar One

Open a second checking account, move 30 percent of every payment out of reach, and learn the four things the IRS actually wants you to track.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

Side Hustles6 min read

What to Charge for Saturday Handyman Work

The license threshold, the insurance nobody skips twice, and the hourly math that tells you whether giving up Saturday is worth it.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

Older articles