The Small Business Administration and the AICPA are offering an online question and answer session called "Getting Your Small Business Ready for the Tax Filing Season." 

The live chat, which will be hosted by Edward S. Karl of the AICPA, will be held on Wed., Nov. 28 at 1 p.m.  Go here to participate and for complete details.

Coffee lovers looking for a great cup of Joe don't have to wait much longer. With the help of an online funding platform, Aly and Beth Khalifa believe they've brewed the perfect cup. 

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:

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.