By Colleen DeBaise
Adapted from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL COMPLETE SMALL BUSINESS GUIDEBOOK (Three Rivers Press).

My business, in operation for more than eight years, has been slow lately. There is little cash flow and debts are past due. Unsecured credit cards and business lines are up to their limits. Basically, we can't afford to pay our bills.

By Ian Sherr
Apple Inc. is boosting efforts to appeal to a new type of customer: small businesses. The consumer electronics giant responsible for the iPhone is seeking to hire engineers in as many as a dozen U.S. retail stores to put together Apple-based computer systems for small businesses, according to recent job postings on Apple's website.

By Sarah E. Needleman On a recent morning, Frank Christopher arrived at the New York nightclub he co-owns to find its online reservation system wasn't working.

By Emily Maltby Behind the credit squeeze on small business lies the collateral gap. Many small businesses, thwarted in efforts to get loans, are saying it takes money to get money.

By Mike Michalowicz If there's one thing we small-business owners need it's more time in our days. If you're like me, you're constantly on the hunt for the secrets to doing something faster, better or cheaper.Hiring employees is no exception.

By Deborah Solomon WASHINGTON—The Treasury Department, under Congressional orders to shrink and end sooner the much-maligned Troubled Asset Relief Program, plans to curtail two programs originally intended to help consumer and small-business lending.Treasury officials say they plan to end a long-delayed, never-utilized $30 billion program designed to boost small-business lending and

By Jeffrey Ball HOUMA, La.—Oysters are dying in their beds in the brackish marshes of southern Louisiana, but the culprit isn't oil spilling from the Gulf.

By Suzanne Vranica As more and more advertising dollars flow into social media, some Madison Avenue firms are seeking to grab a piece of the action. But it will be a tough fight as the space is overrun with companies seeking to own the segment, from start-ups to public-relations firms.

By Tom Barkley WASHINGTON -- A government watchdog criticized the Obama administration's push to close auto dealers quickly last year during bankruptcy proceedings for Chrysler and General Motors Corp., saying the accelerated process may have exacerbated job losses in the midst of a recession.

By Colleen DeBaise
Adapted from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL COMPLETE SMALL BUSINESS GUIDEBOOK (Three Rivers Press).
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Understanding how money moves in and out of your company will help you measure the amount of cash you have on hand—and prepare you for any surpluses or shortages down the road.