Since 1994, I have been running my own small business (it is a consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management). In the early years, the best way to get information was by reading a few self-help business books and visiting a couple of websites from time to time. Now it seems like there are a million websites and books and experts trying to tell me how to be successful. And another million bloggers and experts who interpret the daily political, economic and cultural news and events that affect my company.

What small business owner has time to sort out all of this stuff? Well, now that The New York Times has listed me as a blogger, I guess so. I am going to spend the time each week and summarize everything that is happening that affects my business. I’m going to highlight the best comments from smart people that will help me understand these events. I’ll add some of my own comments. I hope this exercise will help me manage my business better. Maybe it will help yours too.

Welcome to Dashboard.

STILL A BUYER’S MARKET A huge job creation program that was part of last year’s stimulus bill will expire soon, which could mean even more people will be out of work. “The federal program has helped employ nearly 130,000 adults and paid for nearly as many summer jobs for youth, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal policy institute in Washington.” But wait… a new report from the Conference Board says that demand for online jobs has increased by 30 percent (that’s one million jobs) since the official “end” of the recession in June 2009. Still, it looks like unemployment is going to stay high for a while.

IT’S OVER, HE TELLS YOU While many were busy watching the premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” (wow, that palinita moves!), the government announced that the recession ended in June 2009. Don’t you think so? Neither has Steve King, a researcher who argues that for many small businesses, the recession…isn’t over. In August, Mr. King wrote about the “2-Speed ​​Economy”, explaining that larger companies were recovering faster than smaller ones (funny, he came to this conclusion even without visiting my company). He now forecasts that “the small business economy will emerge from recession at the end of this year and begin to grow early next year.”

HERE’S ANOTHER RESCUE Maybe we should stop complaining about China all the time. A recent report listed 25 American products that depend on huge protective trade tariffs just to survive. (Hey! That’s the jacket I wore to all the high school dances on slide #8.) I bet these business owners aren’t complaining about the government.

HEALTH CARE RENEWAL PROGRESSES Key provisions of the health care plan have gone into effect. NPR has an interesting interview transcript that reviews the changes for both individuals and businesses. You may also want to point out this invoice summary to your employees. Many business owners still complain about higher premiums. Meanwhile, a new poll says the new bill doesn’t go far enough.

NEED A TICKET? The Phillies clinched the NL East this week, which means I’m going to be paying big for playoff tickets. This Harvard Business Review report provides some tips for getting great ticket prices. Oh, and it also helps business owners like me figure out their own pricing challenges. It’s helpful, but do you really think a Harvard professor will negotiate better than a reseller from South Philly?

SMALL BUSINESS POLICY Just before Congress recessed, the Small Business Jobs Bill was signed into law, offering incentives for banks to make loans and tax breaks for businesses that buy equipment. Some tax guys are excited about it. And remember the old saying that rain is good for farmers? This guy says the bill is too. Me? I think it’s a trick.

LEAVE THEM LAUGHING Where do you want to spend your advertising dollars? With the recession behind us, a new report says that “most retailers plan to increase spending on the Internet and mobile channels over the next 12 months. Additionally, most retailers plan to advertise more aggressively during the shopping season.” Christmas 2010″. Don’t want to spend more money on ads? Then, according to a new product from this sales training trainer, all you need to do is make your customers laugh more.

HE FEELS SICK? I’m watching a bill in New York City that, if successful, could affect businesses across the country. “The bill would require businesses to provide employees up to 72 hours, or nine days, a year of sick leave. For a business with fewer than 20 workers, the maximum number of paid sick leave hours would be 40 , or five days”. The costs for small businesses could be enormous.

TECHNOLOGY SPENDING Fortunately for my business, a new survey from technology dealer CDW predicts that information technology spending by small businesses is on the rise. Thirty-six percent of small businesses that participated in the survey said they planned to purchase new computer hardware in the next six months, and 51 percent of small businesses planned to purchase new software in the next six months. Thank you, Microsoft, for creating Windows 7 and forcing the entire world to upgrade.

A NEW MARKET FOR MY PRODUCTS? Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the big picture. Scientists say they have found a new Earth-like planet very close. Like Los Angeles last week, temperatures can hit 160 degrees (or as frigid as minus 25 degrees), but in between, in the land of constant sunrise, it would be “shirt-sleeve weather.” said a co-discoverer, Steven Vogt, of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

NEW THOUGHTS ON STARTING OUT What is the outlook for people looking to start a business? A new Wharton article outlines the challenges and hot spots. Leonard Lodish, a Wharton marketing professor, says there’s been a shift: “In 2006 and 2007 it was much easier to get funding if you had a good idea and a good track record. Now you have to prove you have a business case.” that really works.” The best-positioned industries appear to be those that have continued to attract investment dollars, particularly green technology and renewable energy, as well as Internet-related businesses. Before launching that new company, you might want to Check out this new report on some of the worst celebrity entrepreneurs. I’ve been away for a while. Any messages from Heidi Fleiss?

MOODY’S INVOLVED This week, credit rating giant Moody’s announced its own website to provide more information specifically for small business owners. The site “features small business economic news and analysis and timely articles. A variety of recent credit and economic data is also available, ranging from auto and retail sales data to daily mortgage and foreign exchange rates.”

HE’S OUR BOY Rep. Todd Platts, Republican of Pennsylvania, won the “Guardian of Small Business” award from the National Federation of Independent Business for his support of small business legislation in the 111th Congress. Congressman Platts also received the award during the 110th Congress. But before you get too excited, the NFIB presents “Guardian Awards to 202 US representatives who voted yes on key small business issues at least 70 percent of the time during the 111th Congress.” It’s like my kids’ T-Ball league: almost everyone wins!

A FASTER WAY TO PAY At the TechCrunch conference in San Francisco, PayPal announced a new way to make deposits using “moving images.” The new app will allow a user to take a photo of the front and back of a check with their iPhone’s camera, and it will be added to their PayPal balance. Great, here is my first entry.