We find the week's best small business articles so you don't have to. Here are the top stories from this week:
1. Technology is Leaving Community Banks Behind | For as long as anyone could remember, the community bank was where you went to get a small business loan. You knew the name and phone number of your loan officer and there was a branch right down the street, just in case. Now, small business financing is evolving at breakneck speed. The traditional community banking relationship is becoming less important as innovative online lending solutions become more prevalent. There are two primary reasons for this. First is the banking industry’s reaction to the recession and the second is technology. | Read more here
2. Big Ideas in the Big Apple | New York's transformation into an entrepreneurial hotbed, some say, is a natural fit for the city that never sleeps. “New York is all about fast pace and moving quickly,” says Neil Blumenthal, a born-and-raised New Yorker who co-founded the ultra-trendy eyewear company Warby Parker in 2010. “That’s what building a startup is – how fast can you move.” | Read more here
3. Do You Know What Your Business Is Worth? You Should | With the day-to-day demands of running their businesses, most owners put off getting a valuation until a sale is imminent. But some are starting to treat the act of valuing their business as an integral part of running it. “Everyone likes to think they’re building something that they can sell someday, but unless you focus on it, you don’t know if you really are,” said Chris Myers, the 27-year-old chief executive of BodeTree, a start-up that created the software used by the Sports and Collector Car Center. | Read more here
4. 12 Digital Trends That Will Rock Small Business | The digital world is changing rapidly with profound implications for how small businesses are found online, in search, on mobile devices and in social media. Here’s my list of today’s 12 key digital trends with the greatest potential impact. | Read more here
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