Small Business Economy Archives

Chuck Martin 09/02/2008 Author of SMARTS and Tough Management What is your definition of a high achiever? Chuck martin talks with jim Blasingame about why it's important to be able to define what a high achiever is, and he makes a generous and free offer to Jim's audience for his organization to help determine some of the characteristics of their high achievers and how they can impact the business. Don't miss this opportunity.

William Conerly 08/22/2008 Author of Businomic: From the Headlines to Your Bottom Line How do small businesses prepare for the coming recovery? Bill Conerly talks with Jim Blasingame about the real economic conditions we have (not what the media says we have) and they discuss several things small businesses should be focusing on to prepare for the inevitable recovery, which Bill says will be sooner than later.

Donald Boudreaux 08/15/2008 Dean of the School of Economics, George Mason University and author of Globalization Can the mandated minimum wage be justified economically? Don Boudreaux talks with Jim Blasingame as they discuss the socialistic -- not economic basis -- for mandating a minimum wage, and how it actually hurts the people it is purported to help. Don also talks about his thoughts on the future of the economy.

Bill Dunkelberg 08/14/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business How is the economy according to small businesses? Bill Dunkleberg joins Jim Blasingame to talk about economic conditions that face small business owners, including credit availability, inflation and availability of qualified workers. Bill also offers his thoughts on the economy through the rest of the year.

Sam Norwood 08/07/2008 Senior Partner with Tatum, LLC How is the current economy looking? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to report on the survey his partners provided which indicates that the economy is still lagging and the immediate future isn't looking too great. Leading the challenges is credit availability.

Bob McTeer 08/05/2008 Distinguished Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis What is the greater threat: inflation or slow growth? Bob McTeer says he thinks we're in the greatest financial crisis since the Great depression, and he joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the challenges the Federal Reserve has in managing all of this. They also talk about whether there is a commodity bubble and whether it is deflating.

Richard DeKaser 07/16/2008 Senior Vice President & Chief Economist at National City Bank Should you be concerned about your bank? Richard DeKaser and Jim Blasingame talk about some of the myths, rumors and misinformation that is being distributed today about the banking industry and how to determine what is the truth. Richard also provides his thoughts on the economy for the rest of the year.

Bill Dunkelberg 07/14/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business How is the economy for small businesses? Dr. Bill Dunkleberg talks with Jim Blasingame about how small businesses are doing with regard to inflation and pricing power, sales growth, employment, capital expenditures, etc. Bill also talks about some of the larger economic factors that impact our small businesses.

Douglass Tatum 07/10/2008 Partner and CEO of Tatum CFO Partners What is at stake for the U.S. economy in the next 18 months? Doug Tatum has just returned from China and he talks with Jim Blasingame about what he saw and heard, plus they discuss the decisions -- in the marketplace and by the government -- that will have to be made to keep the U.S. economy competitive in the global marketplace.

Charles Kadlec 07/02/2008 Managing Director of J. & W. Seligman & Co. Inc. Is it time for your small business to begin offering a retirement plan? Chuck Kadlec joins Jim Blasingame to first talk about some economy issues, and then to talk about three great advantages available to small business owners by the passage of the Pension Protection Act.

Bob McTeer 06/24/2008 Distinguished Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis What is the Fed going to do with interest rates this week? Bob McTeer talks with Jim Blasingame about what he thinks the Fed will do during this week's meeting, as well as his thoughts on what we should be doing in our energy policy, including drilling for oil and building nuclear plants. Finally, Bob talks about what he thinks the U.S. economy will do for the rest of '08 and '09.

Steve Forbes 06/20/2008 Editor-in-chief, Forbes Magazine, Pres. of Forbes; author of Flat Tax Revolution: Using a Postcard to Abolish the IRS Want to know the latest on the economy and Presidential politics? Steve Forbes talks with Jim Blasingame about the financial crisis, the commodities bubble and the upcoming high-stakes Presidential election.

Bill Dunkelberg 06/12/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business What is the difference between today's students and students ten years ago? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to share some observations about the young generation entering the work place. They also discuss this month's NFIB report, the credit crisis and how small businesses are doing in the current economy.

Bill Brandt 06/11/2008 President and Chief Executive Officer of Development Specialists What caused Hillary to lose the Democratic nomination for president? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how Obama's organization whipped Clinton's organization with 21st century strategies. They also talk about Bill's take on current economic conditions.

Jim Blasingame 06/09/2008 Creator and host, The Small Business Advocate Show What do you know about the debate in Congress on a proposed law called "cap and trade?" Jim Blasingame reports on this debate on this bill, called the Leiberman-Warner Bill, which would make carbon emissions a commodity regulated and taxed by the government. Jim warns that this policy could be devastating to the U.S. economy and must be stopped.

Sam Norwood 06/06/2008 Senior Partner with Tatum, LLC How is the economy doing? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to report that while we may not like where the economy is the trend is looking up, including increased backlogs and credit availability.

Ray Keating 06/05/2008 Chief Economist of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council What is in store for small businesses with either of the two presidential candidates? Ray Keating joins Jim Blasingame to compare and contrast an Obama Administration and a McCain administration, including global warming and the environment, taxes, trade and foreign policy.

Bill Dunkelberg 05/20/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business What do small business owners think about the economy these days? Dr. Bill Dunkleberg joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the most recent survey he has conducted with hundreds of small business owners about the real economy they're experiencing, including hiring, credit, capital spending, etc. Jim also asks Bill if he thinks there is a commodities bubble.

Sam Norwood 05/07/2008 Senior Partner with Tatum, LLC What are business managers saying about the current and near-term condition of the economy? Sam Norwood talks with Jim Blasingame about what his partners are seeing as they manage companies around the U.S., and while the situation isn't great at this moment, the trend is definitely improving.

Bob McTeer 04/29/2008 Distinguished Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis How's the economy doing these days? Dr. Robert McTeer joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the current economic conditions, including the competitiveness of the U.S. dollar, inflation, the Fed being pulled in two directions, and what he thinks the FOMC will do with rates.

Bill Dunkelberg 04/16/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business What do small business owners think about the current economic conditions? Dr. Bill Dunkleberg talks with Jim Blasingame about what respondents to his monthly survey told him about their concerns. The overall concern is high, but is this more perception and media hype than reality? Bill also talks about what he thinks the economy will look like for the rest of the year.

Richard DeKaser 04/09/2008 Senior Vice President & Chief Economist at National City Bank How is the economy doing these days? Richard DeKaser talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the issues that created the current conditions and what he thinks small businesses will be seeing in the economy for the rest of the year.

Sam Norwood 04/08/2008 Senior Partner with Tatum, LLC Has the economy begun to turn the curve toward recovery? Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to talk about his most recent survey of partners who are running business, and he reports that most indicators are horizontal, at best, which for the time of this economic cycle, is probably good news.

William Conerly 03/25/2008 Author of Businomics: From the Headlines to Your Bottom Line A slow economy is no time to make mistakes. Bill Conerly talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the things to avoid during a downturn in the economy.

Bob McTeer 03/18/2008 Distinguished Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis How is the Federal Reserve doing since Bob McTeer retired? Bob talks with Jim Blasingame about how the Fed is dealing with current economic challenges, including some of their new tools, whether we're in a recession, the difference between a run on an investment bank and a commercial bank, economy vs inflation, and of course, Jim always makes sure that Bob treats us to his latest haiku.

Bill Dunkelberg 03/12/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business How's the economy doing these days? Bill Dunkleberg talks with Jim Blasingame about the current conditions of the economy, including how the Federal Reserve is offering a number of creative tools to help the financial markets dig out of their problems. He also explains what small business owners think about the economy and how long he thinks it will be before it returns to a growth trend.

Sam Norwood 03/07/2008 Partner with Tatum CFO partners How's the economy doing these days? Sam Norwood reports to Jim Blasingame on what his 600 partners are saying about the current state of the economy, including sales, capital spending, credit availability, etc.

Art Kleiner 03/03/2008 Editor-in-Chief of strategy+business When we send petro-dollars to the middle east, what are they being spent on these days? Art Kleiner talks with Jim Blasingame about how the countries in the middle east are directing their wealth toward growing diversified economies that will thrive after the oil is gone.

Patrick Byrne 02/29/2008 Chairman of the Board & CEO of Overstock.comŽ What's in store for the economy in the future? Patrick Byrne joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the current economic conditions and what we can expect in the future. Buckle up, because Patrick is not a optimistic about the long-term economic situation as Jim is.

Donald Boudreaux 02/25/2008 Dean of the School of Economics, George Mason University and author of Globalization Is globalization good or bad? Don Boudreaux talks with Jim Blasingame about the history of globalization and the impact of the 21st century version of this phenomenon. And of course, these two can't have a visit without invoking the timeless wisdom of Bastiat.

Bill Brandt 02/18/2008 President and Chief Executive Officer of Development Specialists What does Hillary have to do to win the Democrat nomination? Bill Brandt is a well-connected Democrat adviser and he talks with Jim Blasingame about the current party competition and the challenge ahead of Hilary. They also talk about Bill's new responsibility in helping to preserve and grow jobs in Illinois.

Bill Dunkelberg 02/13/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business How's the economy REALLY doing? Bill Dunkleberg talks with Jim Blasingame about his most recent survey of small businesses and what they told him about the economy they're experiencing.

William Conerly 02/11/2008 Author of Businomics: From the Headlines to Your Bottom Line You're probably planning for an economic slowdown, but are you also planning for an upturn? Bill Conerly and Jim Blasingame discuss some of the things you should be doing to make sure you're ready for a slower economy, but they also talk about not being surprised when your economy starts getting better.

Sam Norwood 02/07/2008 Partner with Tatum CFO partners How is the economy looking? Sam joins Jim with a report on what his national partners are saying the economy look like to them and it's not pretty. Tatum now puts the chance of at least one negative growth quarter at 75%.

Bob McTeer 01/29/2008 Distinguished Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis How is the Fed doing managing the economy? Bob talks with Jim about the job the Fed is doing as it faces a number of national and global challenges.

Gary Moore 01/23/2008 Author of Faithful Finances Is Wall Street the tail wagging Main Street's dog? Gary and Jim discuss this and what you and I should think about the economic challenges the global economy is facing.

Bill Dunkelberg 01/15/2008 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business What do small business owners think about the economy? Bill talks with Jim about the most recent report he has compiled from responses by small business owners about what they're experiencing in the marketplace. Bill also offers his thoughts on what to expect from the economy for the rest of the year.

Sam Norwood 01/08/2008 Partner with Tatum CFO partners How is the economy doing right now? Sam talks with Jim about the most recent report from the 600+ Tatum partners from around country, and what it shows regarding current market conditions of sales, capital spending, hiring, credit availability, etc.

Chad Moutray 01/02/2008 Chief Economist for the SBA's Office of Advocacy How is the small business sector doing? No one knows more about this than Chad and he joins Jim to discuss some of the facts and figures that demonstrate the contribution small business is making.

Donald Boudreaux 12/31/2007 Dean of the School of Economics, George Mason University and author of Globalization What does one of the top economists in the U.S. think about direction of the economy? Don joins Jim to talk about some of his ideas about the economy, taxes, globalization and politics.

Ray Keating 12/14/2007 Chief Economist of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council Is there a conflict between Wall Street and Main Street? Jim thinks there is and he and Ray talk about this, including the part the national media play in the tension.

Bill Dunkelberg 12/11/2007 Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business What do small business owners think about the current economic conditions? Bill joins Jim to discuss the results of his recent survey of small business conditions, what they think the Fed will do with interest rates, and whether we're headed toward a recession or not.

Sam Norwood 12/06/2007 Partner with Tatum CFO partners How is the economy doing? Sam brings his monthly report and talks with Jim about some of the news, which is not all great, but also, not all bad.

Bob McTeer 11/19/2007 Distinguished Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis How's the economy doing? Bob talks with Jim about how he sees the many issues that make up the economic picture we're all watching these days and how he thinks the economy will shake out in 2008.