Join the Wedding Industry as a Part-Time Wedding Planner

The wedding industry is booming. According to US Census statistics, there are over 2.2 million marriages each year. Although the current economic climate has placed a crunch on most wedding budgets, brides and grooms still need experienced and knowledgeable experts who can help plan and coordinate wedding activities.

Skills Required: Event planning and organizing skills, wedding vendor networking, budgeting, diplomacy.

Most wedding planners simply go into business because they themselves enjoyed planning their own wedding, or a friend or relative’s wedding. A

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A reader asks:

Why do you give away your business ideas for free? Is it because free business ideas are bad business ideas?

I give away “free” business ideas because I have, read about or come across more business ideas than I could every possibly execute myself. Besides business ideas in and of themselves are essentially worthless, it’s difficult to protect business ideas and pretty hard to sell business ideas (for much more than a few pounds/dollars). The value created by a business comes from the execution of the business idea, not the business idea itself.

So is a free business idea a bad business idea? Maybe

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Outlook 2010: Is the recovery for real? The economy is growing again, but there’s reason to worry the better times won’t last.

Outlook 2010: When will the job market rebound? While employment is rising, in a few key sectors the losses look permanent.

Outlook 2010: Is this a real estate boom or a bubble? Housing prices have been defying gravity, but 2010 may bring back some sanity.

Outlook 2010: What’s next for the loonie? The dollar looks likely to remain strong for a while now. But does it really matter?

Outlook 2010: Are the deficits here to stay? As Ottawa trims to tackle the fiscal hole, what America does might matter more.

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WHEN it comes to buttonholing politicians, Westpac has staked out the nation’s best location. The bank’s tiny branch inside the walled-off areas of Parliament House dutifully looks after the savings accounts of some of the nation’s most senior politicians and bureaucrats.

But for years the branch has also been a de facto base for Westpac’s government relations staff, who have plotted high-level strategies from a cramped office behind the tellers.

The Westpac branch, no bigger than a country post office, sits right beside Parliament’s only real meeting spot — Aussie’s cafe.

During the global financial crisis and recent bouts of interest rate rises, the tab at Aussie’s was running hot as Westpac frantically pushed its views to politicians from all sides and their staffers.

On the surface, the Westpac branch is one of the more obvious symbols of where business and politics meet. B

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3 Economic Indicators that Impact Small Businesses

Since the end of 2007, the economy has affected thousands of American small businesses. Some have successfully navigated through the winds of a rough economic climate, while others have given up and filed for bankruptcy. Although economic indicators are looking positive, we’re not out of the proverbial woods yet.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy publishes a quarterly small business economic indicator pamphlet that provides detailed numbers and trends about the economic standings. B

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