Latest Business News

Gmail has been popular with small businesses because it’s easy, affordable and has a lot of functionality. But you really aren’t getting everything you can out of Gmail until you start taking advantage of some of the many third-party apps that make Gmail even more powerful. Some Gmail apps require a download; others plug into the Web version.

Regardless, if you find yourself spending a lot of your workday in Gmail, check out these apps that will make your Gmail experience even richer:

Rapportive: Rapportive kills the annoyance of sorting through windows to look up your contacts on social media while you are in Gmail. The

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Tags: Business

In what could be great financial news for entrepreneurs, Office Depot has formed a partnership with Superior Financial Group, a lender for the Small Business Authority, to provide qualifying businesses with SBA loans worth up to $25,000.

The chain supply store said that the loans come at a time when small businesses have been struggling with the poor economy. The store cites a recent Office Depot Small Business Index, which said that only 56 percent of small businesses got all or most of what they needed when applying for a loan.

According to a report from the Charlotte Observer, only 30 percent of small businesses that wanted credit would qualify for traditional SBA-backed loans.

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Tags: Office Depot, Small

Women entrepreneurs are more optimistic about the economy than they were six months ago, according to the biannual Key4Women Confidence Index survey, conducted by the Center for Women’s Business Research in April and released in June.

Asked if they thought the economy would stay the same, worsen or improve in the next 6 months, 10 percent thought it would worsen (compared to 17 percent in the prior Key4Women survey in November 2010), 43 percent thought it would stay the same (compared to 50 percent in the last survey) and 47 percent thought it would improve (up from just 33 percent in the last survey).

The women business owners aren’t just talking about improvement—they’re putting their money where their mouths are. Among t

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Tags: Economy

Fears that the Tanzanian government might move to impose a windfall levy on mining profits undermined the mood around African Barrick Gold last night.

The miner – the largest gold producer in Tanzania – saw its shares slump by nearly 8 per cent as traders fled on local press reports that the country’s state planning commission had proposed the so-called “super profits tax”. The concerns were such, and the appetite for risk so low, that the slide persisted even after the group rushed to reassure investors with an official stock market announcement shortly before noon.

“ABG is not aware of any such plans and has not been involved in any discussions or consultation in relation to this, either as ABG or through the Tanzanian Chamber of Minerals and Energy,” it said, as its shares led the FTSE 100 loser board.

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Tags: African Barrick, Barrick

Between heavy rain, special events and a death in the family it’s been a struggle for Beverly and Stephen Knight to keep up with all the chores at Azalea Path Arboretum and Botanical Gardens this spring.

The 80-acre garden, which straddles Gibson and Pike counties, has no paid employees and relies on the Gibson County Master Gardeners group to help with upkeep.

So when Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana called to see if the garden could use some helpers, the Knights jumped on the chance.

The azalea garden is one of a number of nonprofit groups that have benefitted from Toyota’s recent volunteer efforts.

Since April 15, Toyota has scheduled a number of nonproduction days to deal with a parts slowdown stemming from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

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