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Starting a small business takes a lot of hard work and talent. Keeping a small business going takes even more of the same. According to labor statistics, more than 80 percent of businesses fail within the first year—but very few reports explain why.

According to a new survey put out by Merchant Circle , 70% of all small businesses now market themselves on Facebook. This seems like a no-brainer

Start-ups and small businesses are always looking for ways to sell what they have more effectively. SalesSpider CEO Russell Rothstein knows this, and created a small business social network for early stage and growth companies. SalesSpider is the largest networks of its kind, with over 750,000 members, and a growth rate of 20 to 30,000 users a month

Only half of new small businesses survive beyond their fifth anniversary.

WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT Sales increase for fitness and sports centers, the small-business sector with the strongest growth from 2009 to 2010: +13.62% Sales decrease for car washes, the small-business sector with the weakest growth from 2009 to 2010: -12.18% Sageworks TRENDS Among people who text, the average number of text messages sent per month: Men: 555 Women: 716 The Nielsen Company State of the Media 2010 THE WORKPLACE Area, in square feet, of workspace lost by the average office worker from 1994 to 2010: 15 International Facility Management Association HIRING The portion of small businesses hiring in 2010 that said they added fewer workers than they needed: 42% Reasons for hiring: Replace an employee who left: 41% Support growth or expansion plans: 21% Some other reason: 18% Don't know: 1% Revenue or sales has increased: 13% Economy is getting better: 5% Tax credit for hiring unemployed workers: 1% Wells Fargo/Gallup TAXES Lowest and highest overall tax burdens for entrepreneurs: South Dakota: 1st New Jersey: 50th Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council REALITY CHECK Retail price, per gallon, of black ink in the average printer ink cartridge: $4,371 PC World THE ECONOMY Increase in the sales of trucks and cargo vans—considered a useful indicator of small-business activity—in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with a year earlier: 24% Edmunds.com

The last couple days have brought numerous positive reports about the economy. Most show jobs climbing, others show decreased layoffs and still others indicate increased capital investment. But what isn’t being talked about is what’s going on with the country’s smallest businesses

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Even in the most favorable business climate, starting a company is no small feat. Imagine daring to set up shop as a woman under the Taliban regime.

%excerpt% Continued here: Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Moog Music

IBM's Watson , a super-computer best known as a Jeopardy-winning robot, might not exist if not for Dr. David Ferrucci

Each day, Inc.'s reporters scour the Web for the most important and interesting news to entrepreneurs. Here's what we found today

Incorporating sustainability into any company's operations is a hefty issue. But it's also an increasingly popular shift to make. "It's an increasing liability to not do it," says Summer Rayne Oakes, co-founder and CEO of Source4Style , the online fabric marketplace, which is based in New York City

Today I participated in a conference held at the Treasury Department on access to capital. The session, which was convened by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Karen Mills, head of the Small Business Administration, explored what the government can do to make it easier for entrepreneurs to access growth capital. I participated on a panel that explored the environment for initial public offerings or IPOs

Personality tests – also known as behavioral assessments and predictive tests -- have come a long way since "Miracle on 34th Street." That's the film where a nice old man who maintains he's Santa Claus is fired from Macy's after flunking a dubious applicant quiz given by a self-styled shrink. Good tests today are about more than qualifying a candidate for a slot, says Dr. Todd Harris, director of research at PI Worldwide , Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, which has furnished testing to organizations of all sizes around the globe since 1955.

Once again , the White House wants to hear ideas about innovation in general and eliminating impediments to startups in particular from you Fast Company readers. [video_twistage 1] On March 23, from noon-12:40 p.m. EST, Fast Company senior editor Nancy Cook will travel to the White House with your questions in tow to moderate the panel, "Startup America--Reducing Barriers." It's part of the White House's Startup America initiative, which began with an executive order in January by President Obama, instructing federal agencies to identify and take steps to reduce old or burdensome business regulations.