Facebook has 1 billion users around the world, and the social media website can be an effective way for small-business owners to target customers.

According to Peter Weedfald, author of “Green Reign Leadership,” there are 10 principles needed to succeed on Facebook. Here they are:

Cary’s Galaxy Cinema is closing its doors after eight years of bringing foreign, documentary, independent and Bollywood films to the Triangle.

Employees had known since June about York Properties’ plans to redevelop the site, but didn’t know when the hammer would fall. On Wednesday, they found out they had less than a week before their last day. Current and former employees planned to get together at the theater Sunday night to mark the occasion.

The owners of the business are looking into places to re-open, but nothing is concrete.

Read the full story here.

Most new businesses may be eager for new clients, but sometimes taking any job that comes your way can create some unwelcome hassles.

Rieva Lesonsky, CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media and custom content company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship, offered five tips to SCORE on obtaining worthwhile clients for small businesses.

As Veterans Day approaches, the U.S. Small Business Administration says it's continuing to build on its programs for military veterans.

The SBA helps tens of thousands of veterans each year with small business financing, comprehensive business training and counseling and access to federal contracts.

“Around Veterans Day, our thoughts turn to the men and women who are currently serving in the Armed Forces, as well as to all veterans who have made sacrifices and served our country over the years,” stated SBA Administrator Karen Mills in a press release. “When you consider the leadership and management skills our veterans develop while on active and reserve duty, it’s no wonder we see so many of them choose the path of small business ownership.”

Nearly one in 10 small businesses nationwide are veteran-owned, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.  Collectively, these 2.4 million small businesses employ almost 6 million Americans and generate more than $1 trillion in receipts.  In the private sector workforce, veterans are 45 percent more likely than those with no active-duty military experience to be self-employed.

SBA supports veteran business owners through entrepreneurial training and mentoring, access to capital, and business development opportunities through government contracts.

For more information, visit www.sba.gov/vets  and www.sba.gov/reservists.

After stuffing themselves with Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes, shoppers around the country brave the middle-of-the-night cold and crowds and head to malls and big-box stores in search of Black Friday holiday shopping deals that seem almost too good to be true.

Now shoppers can extend their shopping frenzy into Saturday. 

Small Business Saturday is Nov. 24 and follows the Black Friday model. According to a Small Business Saturday press release, 67 percent of participating small businesses will offer discounts and deals, and 47 percent of small businesses will use Small Business Saturday as a holiday shopping tool that elevates sales and attracts customers.

Check out Shop Talk on Nov. 20 for an area preview.

Among the issues facing small business owners are the fiscal cliff, the expiration of tax cuts for the wealthy and a desire for a fiscal strategy that helps develop the economy while cutting back on the national deficit.

According to a Small Business Majority opinion poll, a majority of small business owners are in favor of allowing tax cuts for the wealthiest expire at the end of 2012. However, small business owners are against the expiration of tax cuts for the middle class. 

Small Business Majority is expected to release more polling results on Nov. 14.

By Joyce M. Rosenberg — The Associated Press

New York – President Barack Obama's re-election to a second term takes away some of the uncertainty that small business owners have been carrying around. The question now is whether he can satisfy those who say he hasn't done enough to help them expand and create jobs. 

During Obama's first term, the president pointed to steps he took to help small companies, such as proposing the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 that cut taxes for small companies and made it easier for them to obtain federally guaranteed loans. These steps have helped some small businesses start their recovery from the recession. 

Global Entrepreurship Week is making its way to UNC. 

According to the event's website, it's "is the world's largest celebration of innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth, and expand human welfare."

The weeklong program runs Nov. 12 through Nov. 18 and offers panel discussions, networking events, speakers and more. Go here to get tickets and register.

The election is over. And according to John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority, a national small business advocacy program, there are key areas that small businesses, the Obama Administration and Congress need to work together to address. 

Sisters Jessica and Wendy Clark are cleaning up in the cleaning business.

In 1994, Wendy founded Carpe Diem Cleaning in Durham with three clients and $100. Her goal was to make a living, serve others and live without regret.

And she has done just that.

With the help of Jessica, the business reached the $1 million annual revenue mark in 2011, it's expanded to Greensboro and has about 400 clients and 33 employees. But most importantly, it's allowed Wendy the chance to help the people around her. She's transformed a hosiery mill into a center for nonprofits, one of which helps refugees adjust to life in the United States, and founded Bless Durham as a way to connect faith-based communities.

Correspondent Monica Chen tells the story of Wendy and Jessica Clark and Carpe Diem in Wednesday's Durham News, Read it here.