::: Hispanic SMB ::: Resources and Community for the Latino Owned Enterprise :::

Three things your small business must do to survive La Recesion
Ok, it's here .. la recesion. Even if the Fed tells you that "technically" it is not a recession, reality on the ground tells us it is here. And so it is time to get focused on the fundamentals- those things that will help you weather the storm. Here are the three things you need to do to survive:

New report: Hispanic-owned firms in the United States expected to grow 90.9 percent to 3 million
A new report by HispanTelligence forecasts continued rapid growth in the number of Hispanic-owned business in the U.S. According to the data, the number is expected to grow 41.8 percent in the next six years to 4.3 million, with total revenues surging 39 percent to more than $539 billion.

Hispanic SMB Forums: Are you taking advantage?
This August will be two years since HispanicSMB.com was luanched and while the response from the Hispanic business comunity has been overwhelmingly positive, we are not sure all of you are taking full advantage of the this one feature .....

Pack your bags: two more great events for Hipanic SMBs
We just got wind of two new events that you may want to consider attending. One of them is in DC and the other one in California and so no matter where you are at in the country, one of the two is near by. Oh, yes, they are both in June and so you still have time to plan.

New Study Suggests Minorities Adopting Online Technology Faster
A new study suggests that minorities - including Hispanics - are expanding their technology ownership to a relatively wide range of new categories relative to non-Hispanic whites who tend to stick to the main trends and show little aspiration for expanding into innovations on the market.

Will they bail us out too?
The Fed bails out Bear Stearns with tax payers' money. And so I got a call from a friend of mine in Florida who is wondering if the Fed will bail out his struggling fleet of taco trucks. The answer: probably not.

Hector Barreto, former SBA chief, joins Zana Network Advisory Board
Some of you may recall that after leaving the SBA, Hector Barreto took over as chair of the non-profit Latino Coalition. In addition to this work, Mr. Barreto has just taken a seat on the advisory board of Zana Network, an online marketplace for SMEs. Here's the scoop:

The Andean Crisis: Love in the time of Cholera
Trade between the U.S. and Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador is in the billions of dollars and as expected a significant percentage of that is driven by Hispanic small businesses here and there. And so naturally many of us followed closely the "telenovela" that unfolded this past week triggered by Colombia's incursion into Ecuador to eliminate a top FARC commander.

Castro is "gone", ahora que?
By now everyone knows that Fidel has chosen to "retire" (well, kind of ...). And so for certain entrepreneural Hispanic types, the question now is: could this signal some type of opportunity if his stepping down means some type of cuban style "perestroika."

Mark your calendar: great events for Hispanic entrepreneurs
The spring business event season is upon us and there's a lil' bit of everything for everyone: from hanging out with Televisa chair Emilio Azcarraga to hanging out in D.C. with the US Chamber of Commerce. Read on to learn about three upcoming events you won't want to miss.