But duping uninformed customers into spending money on something they could otherwise get for free might just be a little worse.

So, in keeping with it’s core business of cashing in on customer ignorance, it should come as no surprise that Best Buy is now selling the Ubuntu Linux operating system for $19.99.

Why is this notable?  For those unfamiliar with Ubuntu, or Linux in general, this software is available free of charge.  Legally.  You don’t have to sign up for anything, be a member of some special club, or buy something to qualify.  Ubuntu is free, as are most Linux distributions (distros).

You can download Ubuntu from the official website or request a free CD.

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Stay tuned!

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The action cannot be completed. The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable. Outlook must be online or connected to complete this action.

This often occurs when attaching a new Outlook client to an Exchange mailbox in the mail control panel interface. This error is so common that Microsoft wrote a handy Knowledge Base article to address the issue: (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927481).

However, the article doesn’t touch on what - in my experience - is the most common cause of this error message: improperly configured software firewalls.

Now if you have a smart enough firewall, it will prompt you to either allow or deny access between Microsoft Outlook and the remote server when Outlook attempts to contact the Exchange server for the first time. Many firewalls, including every version of Microsoft’s Windows firewall I’ve used, will not prompt you or provide any indication that the firewall is blocking the connection.

Of course this will only fix the problem if your DNS is configured correctly (which you can check with nslookup or by pinging the server), and you know that your Exchange server is functioning properly (which you can verify by using Outlook Web Access in your browser, or by testing the mailbox on another user’s workstation).

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I know it sounds stupid; I mean how could you possibly forget something so exciting and potentially revolutionary? I’ll tell you how. Because of everything else in the world that is seemingly there only to distract you and rob you of your productivity. Things like traffic and morning radio, and the fact that you didn’t bring along a pencil and notebook when you had that epiphany as you were jogging this morning.

No worries. I’ll bet your cell phone is nearby.

Chances are, your secretary is busy updating her MySpace profile so there’s no point in calling her. Instead, we’re going to call Jott.

Jott is an online transcription service that uses a combination of automated systems and human interaction to transcribe your voice messages, so the finished transcriptions are remarkably accurate. You call a toll-free number, record a voice message, and Jott converts it into text that can be sent via email, SMS (phone text message), or posted to a blog.

You can set up a contact list and send transcribed messages to a single recipient, a group, or to yourself. You can even schedule reminders that can be sent to your email or back to your phone at the specified time. There are a ton of other ways to use Jott so instead reciting them all here, I’ll just link to Jott’s How To page.

As is the trend with Web 2.0 products, Jott is currently in public beta, but it feels very much like a finished and polished product. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Google snap them up and sit on the technology like they did with Grand Central and dozens of other Internet products. Time will tell.

Incidentally, Jott is free, so don’t let any more of those good ideas get away.

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I suggest you print this checklist and keep it at your desk. As you accomplish each item in the list, you’ll see your profits steadily increase. Before you know it you’ll be earning a full time income from the web!

On with the checklist. Remember, you do not have to do these all at once. Work your way through the list one step at a time. Once you have every item on this list, you should really be seeing some steadily growing profits…

A website with your own domain name
A professional-looking website is a must in order to make a go of an online business. A domain name at a mere ten bucks or so a year tells potential customers you’re serious about business. As for the site itself, you can create it with a website template and a free html editor if you’re handy with the computer. If you’re not, you can have your pre-designed template customized by professional “template tuners”.

Proprietary products and services
The best way to the highest profits is to offer at least one product or service that you own the rights to. Either create something that the market demands or purchase exclusive rights to something. This is an area that stumps many people but if you use your imagination and draw on your past experiences, job and even hobbies, you may be able to come up with something. As you consider ideas, you can do a little keyword research and see if anyone is searching the web for that topic. This will tell you if there is an interest in your subject.

A merchant account and secure credit card ordering
In order to make a serious income online, you MUST be able to securely accept credit card orders. You can do it with a merchant account of your own, or use a service like 2Checkout or Paypal. Or, if your product is digital, you can use a service like Clickbank.

Effective sales literature
While a professional website and a great product are important to your success, every business expert agrees on one thing… it is the marketing that will make or break your business. The web is filled with superb websites containing outstanding products and services, that never make a profit. An effectively written sales letter could make the difference for many of those site but the owners simply do not realize that. If you are not versed in writing sales copy for the web, get a book on it or hire a professional, proven copywriter to do it for you.

Website traffic
Obviously you’ll need website traffic before you can start making any money. There are tons of ways to get traffic without paying much, if any money. Some of the best strategies I’ve used include free traffic networks, search engines, link swaps, affiliate programs and article/content sharing. All these grass roots strategies can bring targeted traffic, often at no cost. If you want more details on these strategies, you’ll find them in last week’s BizWeb eGazette.

Your own opt-in list
Growing an opt-in email list is absolutely essential to your long-term success online. The best way to grow a list is by giving away something of value such as a free ebook, email course or even a newsletter. A combination of all three works best for me, as it has grown my list to more than 150,000 subscribers. Your list will be your bread and butter. Not only can you use it to form relationships with your potential clients, you will be able to announce new products and services and affiliate products and services.

Great customer support
You’ll need to find a way to help your clients one on one. If you can do it yourself, that’s a great way in the beginning. Eventually you should consider using a virtual assistant or a help desk so you can concentrate on other business aspects such as marketing.

An affiliate program
Call it what you want — an affiliate, associate or reseller program. Your site needs one! This allows other businesses to refer customers to your site and earn money. In turn, your marketing efforts are multiplied over and over. It’s like hiring a giant sales force and paying them only when they make sales!

Joint venture partners
Having an affiliate program in place is only the beginning. You need to fill that affiliate program database with super-affiliates! You can do that by regularly contacting potential partners and “making deals” with them. You promote their product or service and they promote yours. Give them a complimentary copy of your product and offer them a special commission rate. Let them know you will reciprocate their efforts. Joint ventures are a two way street and there are an unlimited number of potential JV partners out there. Never stop looking!

Add-on products and services
You should regularly offer your customers products and services related to your own. Your best bet is to offer the products and services of your affiliates, as it is a great way to return the “favor” and create lasting business relationships. Also try to mix in products that create residual income for your company, such as web hosting services or software.

There you have it — a checklist of web business essentials. I suggest all newbies print this checklist and keep it at their desk. As you accomplish each item in the list, your business will be growing right along with your bank account balance!

* Article used with permission from JDD Publishing’s Internet marketing site. Their website marketing guide and internet marketing new show you how to grow a business on the Internet.

Note: JDD Publishing affiliates are invited to replace live byline links with their affiliate links. Affiliate links can be attained by downloading this special work at home report.

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Five things many Search Engine Optimization firms won’t tell you — but that you need to know before you spend a dime.

So, you want your website to rank high on Google and other search engines. To do that, you’re planning on hiring a search engine optimization (SEO) firm. Good move — maybe.

A good SEO firm can help make your rankings and sales skyrocket. That’s the good news. The bad news is there are a lot of SEO firms out there that will charge you big bucks without delivering results.

As someone in the SEO business myself, I’ve heard countless horror stories about people who have gotten ripped off by paying for services they didn’t need, or simply not understanding what their SEO firm is supposed to be doing on their behalf.

Below are some of the truths of the SEO industry many firms will never tell you. Knowing these insider secrets can save you thousands of dollars and many hours of frustration.

1. Most SEO work follows the 80/20 rule.

In other words, 20% of the work will account for 80% of the results. If that’s true (and believe me, from personal experience I know that it is), you should make sure that the fee structure reflects this. Ask for an itemized quote, so you can make sure that you aren’t paying too much for the other 80%.

For example, a lot of SEO experts will tell you they’re going to spend X number of hours tweaking your site’s keywords and meta tags, but there’s really no hard evidence that those techniques have a significant impact on your rankings. Doing simple things like making sure your page structure is “search engine friendly” (ensuring all your pages can be indexed by search engines) is infinitely more important.

As part of a comprehensive SEO strategy, you still want the other 80%, but you want to make sure that the bulk of the priority (and cost) is focused the effort that will produce the most results.

2. You CAN receive a guarantee.

Many big SEO firms say to watch out for anyone who guarantees results. They’ll tell you most places that do so are nothing but scam artists.

Here’s the truth: I can absolutely guarantee I can get any business ranked in the top 10 on Google for any keyword you choose. It all depends on how much money you’re willing to spend and how long you’re willing to wait for the results. If an SEO firm is confident in their ability to improve your rankings, why wouldn’t they offer you a guarantee?

3. You CAN see immediate results.

Most SEO firms will try to tell you it takes months to see tangible results. Wrong.

In fact, it’s often possible to see results within a week, depending on the keywords you’re targeting. I know because I’ve accomplished this for my clients time and time again. Unless you’re going after extremely competitive keywords, if the SEO firm bidding for your business says it will take three months to accomplish anything, they’re probably just looking to sign you up for a lucrative long-term retainer.

4. SEO work is NOT too complicated to explain in detail.

Too many SEO experts will balk if you ask them to explain in detail the work they’re going to do for you. But don’t let them off the hook. While some strategies may indeed be technical, most of the techniques are easily explained — especially some of the most important ones (see point #1 above about the 80/20 rule).

If you’re going to pay someone a lot of money to work for you, you deserve and explanation of exactly what they’re going to do.

5. The greatest factor in SEO has NOTHING to do with your web site.

In my research, I’ve found that around 80% of the Google ranking factors have nothing to do with the web site itself. The real determining factors are links to your site from other web sites.

As long as your site is easily crawled by Google, most of the energy should be focused on getting these outside links. If an SEO firm tries to sell you an expensive package to simply “optimize” your site for Google, it’s probably going to cost you a lot of money for very little result.

* Article used with permission from JDD Publishing’s Internet marketing site. Their website marketing guide and internet marketing news help you grow a business on the Internet.

Note: JDD Publishing affiliates are invited to replace live byline links with their affiliate links. Affiliate links can be attained by downloading this special work at home report.

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Today I want to share with you the 10 most common myths that are keeping people from earning their slice of the Internet cash pie.Without a doubt, one or more of the following online business myths, reside in nearly every potential business person’s head, while they contemplate starting their own Internet income stream.

Here are the myths, exposed and shattered…

Myth #1: I’m not smart enough to have my own business.

Perhaps. But doubtful. True, online business is NOT for everyone. But I do feel that it IS doable for ALMOST ANYONE, including 99% of the people reading this newsletter right now. If you have an average level of intelligence and a desire to learn, you can grow an income stream from the web. You just have to do it the right way, and that means you CANNOT chase business opportunity after business opportunity. You have to build something of YOUR OWN. Something of VALUE. Something that will help other people. It’s all about sharing something with other people. That’s the seed that can blossom into profits via affiliate programs, your own products or services, advertising revenue and many other income streams.

Myth #2: I don’t have the time it takes to start or grow an income source online.

Working for “the man” can eat up quite a bit of your time. Add in a significant other, maybe a family, a commute and what do you have left? For people working 80+ hours a week to make ends meet, starting a business MAY be impossible. But for most folks working full time jobs, it IS possible. I worked 40-50 hours a week plus I had a 2 hr. a day commute 10 years ago. I had a significant other and a baby on the way. But I found a couple hours a night to get a business started. I used my commute time to record ideas onto a small cassette recorder. I brainstormed during idle times in the day. If you want something bad enough, there is almost ALWAYS enough time to make it happen. Burn the midnight oil for a few months and see what happens.

Myth #3: I don’t have the money it takes for a new business.

That’s doubtful. The cost of online business really can be dirt-cheap. Ten years ago it was FAR more expensive to start a business online than it is today. Website design no longer costs thousands of dollars. In fact, you can do it for less than $50 if you are willing to do the work yourself. Even if you have to hire someone you can have a pre-designed website template modified for a few hundred bucks. There are also monthly services available for the cost of dinner out, that handle all your needs such as web hosting, growing an opt-in list, following up with prospects, accepting orders and even starting an affiliate program. None of these services were available ten years ago. Now they are cheap and more effective than ever.

Myth #4: I’m not an expert at anything.

You don’t have to be. I was a phone guy. I decided I wanted to start a business on the Internet and started researching every aspect of it. Before I knew it, I knew more about the subject than everyone I knew. People started asking me questions and it soon dawned on me that I was now an “expert” on Internet business. So I decided to help more people by writing a book. The point is, you can BECOME an expert in almost any topic that interests you. The world wide web contains a WORLD of information and it is all at your fingertips. Take a topic that gets you excited and BECOME an expert. It’s fun to enrich your mind and even more fun to enlighten the minds of others!

Myth #5: I have nothing to sell.

You don’t need anything to sell right away. You can start by promoting existing products and services in the niche you choose. Chances are you will not be the first person entering that niche. And chances are there are already products or services for sale in that arena. You can promote those existing products or services on a commission basis, via those merchants’ affiliate programs. While you’re doing that you can be developing something of your own to sell!

Myth #6: Someone is already doing what I want to do so it is useless trying to compete.

This is one of the worst excuses, yet one of the most common I see. Many people think that if an idea is already being implemented online, that they “missed the boat”. What they fail to realize is that if their idea is being done, then it may be a successful idea, and something worth pursuing! Remember, there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of sites doing similar things on the web. Heck, if I had this attitude ten years ago I would still be working for the man. After all, I’m not the first guy to come along offering business advice.

Myth #7: The only people making money are people telling others how to make money.

Another one I hear a lot — usually from someone too lazy to ever succeed. Sure, there are a lot of so-called web business gurus offering advice on how to make money online. But in the grand scheme of things, these businesses comprise FAR less than 1% of ALL businesses online. Your business online is what YOU want it to be — always remember that. If you want to be an online business guru, do your research and join the fray. But only do it if that is what you truly want to do, not because it looks like the only way.

Myth #8: I’ve tried plenty of business opportunities with no success — it’s just not for me.

Maybe it’s not. But chances are, your failure is from chasing different business opportunities, instead of building your own business from the ground up. That includes setting up a website of your own, growing your own opt-in list, communicating with and helping people, networking with other businesses in your niche and MAKING it happen!

Myth #9: I’d need a top search engine ranking to get anywhere and that’s almost impossible.

I’ll agree that it MAY be almost impossible to get a top search engine ranking in some niches. But the fact is, you do NOT need a top search engine ranking in order to succeed on the web. I’ll submit right now in writing, that a top search engine ranking can be grossly overrated. In fact, I have a site that has a top ranking in a hotly contested market, with THE top keywords. How much traffic do you think that top ranking brings the site each month? 10,000 visitors? 5,000 visitors? Try 300. Yes, search engine ranking, like ALL marketing strategies online and off, does NOT stand up well on its own. Effective marketing is all about using MULTIPLE strategies, and many strategies work FAR better than search engine positioning.

Myth #10: I’d need a big advertising budget to get any results.

Wrong. The web is a PERFECT medium for implementing grass-roots strategies. A few that I’ve used with great success include joint venturing, networking, opt-in marketing such as email newsletters and email follow-up series’, commission-only marketing such as ebay and affiliate programs, ad co-ops, and more. These strategies are dirt-cheap and amazingly effective. In fact, BEFORE the web you could get away with the argument that a big advertising budget was needed to grow a business. The web changed that long ago and it continues to be true today.

There you have it. The top 10 Myths about Web Business that are keeping literally millions of people stuck in that J-O-B (Just Over Broke). If you’re not on your way to generating profits online, you may find that you believe one of those myths. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let a false belief keep you from one of the best opportunities in centuries — an online business of your OWN. There really is no lifestyle like it!

* Article used with permission from JDD Publishing’s Internet marketing site. Their website marketing guide and internet marketing news help you grow a business on the Internet.

Note: JDD Publishing affiliates are invited to replace live byline links with their affiliate links. Affiliate links can be attained by downloading this special work at home report.

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So you want to start a business? Perhaps, you want to make money. Perhaps, you want to change the world. Perhaps, you don’t want to work the “typical” job. This book will guide you through the process of starting and running your own business successfully.

Introduction

In economics, business is the social science of managing people to organize and maintain collective productivity toward accomplishing particular creative and productive goals, usually to generate profit.

The etymology of “business” refers to the state of being busy, in the context of the individual as well as the community or society. In other words, to be busy is to be doing commercially viable and profitable work.

The term “business” has at least three usages, depending on the scope — the general usage (above), the singular usage to refer to a particular company or corporation, and the generalized usage to refer to a particular market sector, such as “the record business,” “the computer business,” or “the business community” — the community of suppliers of goods and services.

The singular “business” can be a legally-recognized entity within an economically free society, wherein individuals organize based on expertise and skills to bring about social and technological advancement.

In predominantly capitalist economies, businesses are typically formed to earn profit and grow the personal wealth of their owners. Notable exceptions to this rule include many cooperatives, non-profit organizations, and government institutions.

In other words, the owners and operators of a business have as one of their main objectives the receipt or generation of a financial return in exchange for their work — that is, the expense of time and energy — and for their acceptance of risk — investing work and money without certainty of success.

However, the exact definition of business is disputable as is business philosophy; for example, most Marxists use “means of production” as a rough synonym for “business.” Socialists advocate either government, public, or worker ownership of most sizable businesses. Some advocate a mixed economy of private and state-owned enterprises. Others advocate a capitalist economy where all, or nearly all, enterprises are privately owned.

Sole Proprietorship: a business owned by one person. The owner may operate on their own or may employ others. The owner of the business has total and unlimited personal liability of the debts incurred by the business.

Partnership: A partnership is a form of business in which two or more people operate for the common goal of making profit. Each partner has total and unlimited personal liability of the debts incurred by the partnership.

Cooperative Business: (often referred to as a Co-Op business or Co-Ops) use a cooperative business structure: for-profit, limited liability, but with members of the co-op share decision-making authority. Co-Ops normally fall into three types: consumer co-ops, producer co-ops (common in agriculture) and worker-owned companies. Co-Ops are fundamental to the ideology of Economic democracy.

Private Limited Company (Ltd): a small to medium sized business that is often run by the family or the small group who own it. The owners and managers are only liable for the business up to the amount they have invested in the company, and are not liable for the debts incurred by the company unless they have signed a personal guarantee.

Public Limited Company: a business with limited liability, a wide spread of shareholders and in the UK, a share capital of over £50,000. The owners and managers are only liable for the business up to the amount they have invested in the company, and are not liable for the debts incurred by the company (unless they have signed a personal guarantee, which usually is not the case for a large corporation).

In the United States and some other countries, a limited company is known as either a corporation or a limited liability company.

There are many types of businesses, and, as a result, businesses can be classified in many ways. One of the most common focuses on the primary profit-generating activities of a business, for example:

• Manufacturers produce products, from raw materials or component parts, which they then sell at a profit. Companies that make physical goods, such as cars or pipes, are considered manufacturers.
• Service businesses offer intangible goods or services and typically generate a profit by charging for labor or other services provided to government, other businesses or consumers. Organizations ranging from house decorators to consulting firms to restaurants and even to entertainers are types of service businesses.
• Retailers and Distributors act as middle-men in getting goods produced by manufacturers to the intended consumer, generating a profit as a result of providing sales or distribution services. Most consumer-oriented stores and catalogue companies are distributors or retailers.
• Agriculture and mining businesses are concerned with the production of raw material, such as plants or minerals.
• Financial businesses include banks and other companies that generate profit through investment and management of capital.
• Information businesses generate profits primarily from the resale of intellectual property and include movie studios, publishers and packaged software companies.
• Utilities produce public services, such as heat, electricity, or sewage treatment, and are usually government chartered.
• Real estate businesses generate profit from the selling, renting, and development of properties, homes, and buildings.
• Transportation businesses deliver goods and individuals from location to location, generating a profit on the transportation costs

There are many other divisions and subdivisions of businesses. The authoritative list of business types for North America (although it is widely used around the world) is generally considered to be the North American Industry Classification System, or NAICS.

Unlimited Liability: a situation in which owners of a business are liable for all the debts that the business may incur.

Limited Liability: a situation in which the liability of the owners of a business is limited to the full paid-up value of the share capital.

Most businesses must accomplish similar functions regardless of size, legal structure or industry. These functions are often organized into departments. Common departments include (but are not limited to):

Accountancy

typically responsible for financial reporting, financial controls and the raising of the capital necessary to run the business.

Human Resources

typically responsible for hiring, firing, payroll, benefits, etc.

Marketing and sales

responsible for selling the business’ goods or services to the customer and for managing the relationships with the customer

Marketing

typically responsible for promoting interest in, and generating demand for, the business’ products or services, and positioning them within the market

Sales

finding likely purchasers and obtaining their agreement (known as a contract) to buy the business’ products or services

Operations

makes the product or delivers the service

Production, costs, and pricing|Production

produces the raw materials into the delivered goods, if they require processing

Customer service

supports customers who need help with the goods or services

Procurement

responsible for acquiring the goods and services necessary for the business. Sometimes organized as:

Strategic sourcing

determines the business’ needs and plans for acquiring the necessary raw materials and services for the business

Purchasing

processes the purchase orders and related transactions

Research and Development

tests to create new products and to determine their viability (e.g. pilot plants)

Information Technology

manages the business’ computer and data assets

Communications/Public Relations

responsible for communicating to the outside world

Administration

provides administrative support to the other departments (such as typing, filing, etc)

Internal Audit

an independent control function typically accountable to the Board of Directors for reporting on the proper functioning of the other departments

Management is sometimes listed as a “department” but typically refers to the top level of leadership within the business regardless of their functional role.

Most legal jurisdictions specify the forms that a business can take, and a body of commercial law has developed for each type. Some common types include partnerships, corporations (also called limited liability companies), and sole proprietorships.

The major factors affecting how a business is organized are usually:

• The size and scope of the business, and its anticipated management and ownership : A smaller business is more flexible, larger businesses or those with wider ownership or more formal structures, will usually tend to be organized as partnerships or (more commonly) corporations. In addition a business which wishes to raise money on a stock market or to be owned by a wide range of people will often be required to adopt a specific legal form to do so.
• The sector and country : private profit making businesses are different from government owned bodies. In some countries, certain businesses are legally obliged to be organized certain ways.
• Limited liability : corporations, and limited liability partnerships, protect their owners from business failure, and are treated as separate entities, whereas an unincorporated business or person working on their own is usually not so protected.
• Tax advantages : Different structures are treated differently in tax law, and may have advantages for this reason.
• Disclosure and compliance requirements : different business structures may be required to make more or less information public (or reported to relevant authorities), and may be bound to comply with different rules and regulations.

Many businesses are operated through a separate entity such as a corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company. Most legal jurisdictions allow people to organize such an entity by filing certain charter documents with the relevant Secretary of State or equivalent and complying with certain other ongoing obligations. The relationships and legal rights of shareholders, limited partners, or members, as the case may be, are governed partly by the charter documents and partly by the law of the jurisdiction where the entity is organized. Generally speaking, shareholders in a corporation, limited partners in a limited partnership, and members in a limited liability company are shielded from personal liability for the debts and obligations of the entity, which is legally treated as a separate “person.” This means that unless there is misconduct, the owner’s own possessions are strongly protected in law, if the business does not succeed.

Where two or more individuals own a business together but have failed to organize a more specialized form of vehicle, they will be treated as a simple (USA: general) partnership. The terms of a partnership will be partly governed by a partnership agreement if one is created, and partly by the law of the jurisdiction where the partnership is located. No paperwork or filing is necessary to create a partnership, and without an agreement, the relationships and legal rights of the partners will be entirely governed by the law of the jurisdiction where the partnership is located.

A single person who owns and runs a business is commonly known as a sole proprietor, whether he or she owns it directly or through a formally organized entity.

A few relevant factors to consider in deciding how to operate a business include:

1. General partners in a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership), plus anyone who personally owns and operates a business without creating a separate legal entity, are personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business.
2. Generally, corporations are required to pay tax just like “real” people. In some tax systems, this can give rise to so-called double taxation, because first the corporation pays tax on the profit, and then when the corporation distributes its profits to its owners, individuals have to include dividends in their income when they complete their personal tax returns, at which point a second layer of income tax is imposed.
3. In most countries, there are laws which treat small corporations differently than large ones. They may be exempt from certain legal filing requirements or labor laws, have simplified procedures in specialized areas, and have simplified, advantageous, or slightly different tax treatment.
4. In order to “go public” (sometimes called IPO) — which basically means to allow a part of the business to be owned by a wider range of investors or the public in general — you must organize a separate entity, which is usually required to comply with a tighter set of laws and procedures. Most public entities are corporations that have sold shares, but increasingly there are also public LLCs that sell units (sometimes also called shares), and other more exotic entities as well (for example, REITs in the USA, Unit Trusts in the UK). However, you cannot take a general partnership “public.”

Most commercial transactions are governed by a very detailed and well-established body of rules that have evolved over a very long period of time, it being the case that governing trade and commerce was a strong driving force in the creation of law and courts in Western civilization.

As for other laws that regulate or impact businesses, in many countries it is all but impossible to chronicle them all in a single reference source. There are laws governing treatment of labor and generally relations with employees, safety and protection issues (OSHA or Health and Safety), anti-discrimination laws (age, gender, disabilities, race, and in some jurisdictions, sexual orientation), minimum wage laws, union laws, workers compensation laws, and annual vacation or working hours time.

In some specialized businesses, there may also be licenses required, either due to special laws that govern entry into certain trades, occupations or professions, which may require special education, or by local governments who just want your money. Professions that require special licenses run the gamut from law and medicine to flying airplanes to selling liquor to radio broadcasting to selling investment securities to selling used cars to roofing. Local jurisdictions may also require special licenses and taxes just to operate a business without regard to the type of business involved.

Some businesses are subject to ongoing special regulation. These industries include, for example, public utilities, investment securities, banking, insurance, broadcasting, aviation, and health care providers. Environmental regulations are also very complex and can impact many kinds of businesses in unexpected ways.

When businesses need to raise money (called ‘capital’), more laws come into play. A highly complex set of laws and regulations govern the offer and sale of investment securities (the means of raising money) in most Western countries. These regulations can require disclosure of a lot of specific financial and other information about the business and give buyers certain remedies. Because “securities” is a very broad term, most investment transactions will be potentially subject to these laws, unless a special exemption is available.

Capital may be raised through private means, by public offer (IPO) on a stock exchange, or in many other ways. Major stock exchanges include the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq (USA), the London Stock Exchange (UK), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Japan), and so on. Most countries with capital markets have at least one.

Business that have gone “public” are subject to extremely detailed and complicated regulation about their internal governance (such as how executive officers’ compensation is determined) and when and how information is disclosed to the public and their shareholders. In the United States, these regulations are primarily implemented and enforced by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other Western nations have comparable regulatory bodies.

As noted at the beginning, it is impossible to enumerate all of the types of laws and regulations that impact on business today. In fact, these laws have become so numerous and complex, that no business lawyer can learn them all, forcing increasing specialization among corporate attorneys. It is not unheard of for teams of 5 to 10 attorneys to be required to handle certain kinds of corporate transactions, due to the sprawling nature of modern regulation. Commercial law spans general corporate law, employment and labor law, healthcare law, securities law, M&A law (who specialize in acquisitions), tax law, ERISA law (ERISA in the United States governs employee benefit plans), food and drug regulatory law, intellectual property law (specializing in copyrights, patents, trademarks and such), telecommunications law, and more.

Businesses often have important “intellectual property” that needs protection from competitors in order to stay profitable. This could require patents or copyrights or preservation of trade secrets. Most businesses have names, logos and similar branding techniques that could benefit from trademarking. Patents and copyrights in the United States are largely governed by federal law, while trade secrets and trademarking are mostly a matter of state law. Because of the nature of intellectual property, a business needs protection in every jurisdiction in which they are concerned about competitors. Many countries are signatories to international treaties concerning intellectual property.

The study of the efficient and effective operation of a business is called management. The main branches of management are financial management, marketing management, human resource management, strategic management, production management, service management, information technology management, and business intelligence.

Businesses can be bought and sold. Business owners often refer to their plan of disposing of the business as an “exit plan.” Common exit plans include IPOs, MBOs and mergers with other businesses.

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