Here's an SBA initiative that's sure to take the food crisis and economic slump head on. The SBA is launching their new initiative, the Emerging 200, geared toward inner-city businesses that show a high potential for success. By learning to sustain themselves, these 200 selected businesses can increase their outreach and impact, generating new jobs, and attracting more investors to bring up the local economy.

The SBA is also working to improve small businesses' credit access in rural areas. The program offers inner-city businesses the opportunity to be mentored by peers and experts and to attend workshops and develop expansion strategies, all in hopes of assisting areas challenged by low-income and high unemployment rates.

The SBA and its partners are currently selecting participants, and the program is expected to last from May to December. Cities that have been selected for this initiative include Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Philadelphia. For a list of the rest of the cities, and to read more on the initiative's goals, click here.--Jessica Chen

"Nearly $1 trillion in contracts are available to veterans nationwide that are entrepreneurs," said Angela Shinn, assistant deputy director, Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, Veterans Business Advocate Group. The problem, Shinn said, is that many vets aren't aware of them.

At the Arizona Veterans' Small Business Conference, taking place on June 11 and 12, 2008, veterans will learn how to maximize contract procurement for their businesses. The conference, which will be held at the Fort McDowell Resort and Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona, will include discussions, workshops and seminars on networking, partnering and marketing your business. More details and registration information can be found on their website.

Another great resource is the Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE). Their website not only lists upcoming events and conferences like the one above, but also provides basic tips and resources for starting a business, in addition to business coaching and franchise opportunities.--Whitney Chen

According to the Baltimore Business Journal , new legislation qualified businesses majority-owned by VC firms as eligible for the Small Business Innovation Research award. However, debate continues as non-VC-owned small businesses fear the SBIR grants will focus funding to a few, big companies.

In other Washington, DC news, a recent release from the U.S. Senate Committee on small businesses and entrepreneurship called for action to help small businesses feeling squeezed by the credit crunch. According to the Fed's quarterly survey, American banks have been stricter when it comes to lending to small businesses. Senator John Kerry proposed more legislation to help keep small businesses running with hopes that they will help boost the ailing economy.--Whitney Chen

Yes, according to research done by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). "Our research shows that small firms are twice as innovative per employee as larger firms, and the companies who entered demonstrate that fact," said NFIB president and CEO Todd Stottlemyer. The companies that Stottlemyer's referring to are the 10 finalists for the fifth annual Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence Award. To find out who made the cut, go to the award website.

The finalists will now compete for the national award, to be announced June 9 at the National Small Business Summit in Washington, DC.

Business.gov has gone green. Check out the green release of the website. The green launch was planned in conjunction with Earth Day, and includes a host of tools for small-business owners wanting to help their business become more eco-friendly. The site now offers green tips for both small and home based businesses, in addition to a new search widget for environmental regulations and business practices. Business.gov also shares several new resources for green vendors, green product procurement, and making environmental claims.

The site will stay green through the end of May, but all green content will remain.

The next time you're creating a travel budget for your next out-of-state conference or meeting, you may want to pad it more than usual. As of today, five of the six major U.S. airlines are charging an extra $25 to check in a second bag ($20 on JetBlue). American Airlines, the last holdout, is said to be following suit next week, and several other carries, including Alaska Airlines and Air Canada, are expected to do the same in the coming months.

As this MSNBC.com article states, it's the first of many changes that will drive up the cost of flying. "From snacks to seat selection, we're about to enter the next great age of unbundled airfares." However, according to the article, the fees only apply to domestic coach passengers who purchase lower-cost, non-refundable fares.

For business travelers, the new standards could become costly. Should you need to check a third bag for your upcoming trade show exhibit, for example, expect another $200 charge round-trip.

Think of it as making your own treasure map--with your store or business as the treasure. Wayfaring.com facilitates any person's wanderlust by allowing users to create personalized, shareable maps. Bolstered by Google Maps technology, the user can landmark various locations like favorite restaurants or knitting stores, and share them with others.

Not only can this tool locate the hottest restaurants, coffee shops and pubs, but it can also create custom, convenient routes to your store, saving clientele and employees the time and headache of getting lost. If you'd rather make the experience of finding your business--well, an experience--try partnering up with local businesses or organizations (like recycling locations or charity donation sites, for example) and mark them as key stops along the way.--Whitney Chen

Add this to the "Why didn't I think of that?" column: tear-off labeling for wine bottles. We've all been there, desperately trying to memorize the name and year of the delicious bottle of wine consumed at dinner, only to wake up the next morning with no memory of it whatsoever. South Australia's Oxford Landing has the solution. According to Trend Central, Oxford Landing's Shiraz features a tear-off section on the back of the label, complete with all the pertinent information. It's a great example of taking a traditional product and putting an innovative twist on it--something consumers will appreciate.

First there was Red Mango--or was it Pinkberry? Regardless, ever since those two rock stars of the fro-yo market burst into song, everyone's wanted to sing along to their tune. New stores produce their own renditions of the Red Mango/Pinkberry-style yogurt, with more flavors and toppings while still boasting yogurt's natural health benefits and flavorful taste.

This store, however, offers something new: self-serve fro-yo. For 30 cents an ounce, California-based Yogurtland allows its customers to dispense the flavor or combination of flavors they want directly into a paper cup and scoop the toppings they want atop their mountain of tart and/or sweet frozen yogurt. The long lines show that business is booming and the chain plans to open new stores in San Diego, Honolulu, Las Vegas, and Dallas throughout the year.

And just as quickly as the frozen yogurt trend has grown, Yogurtland's self-serve business strategy has also spread. Yogurtopia and Tutti Frutti Yogurt have adopted a similar "freedom of choice" approach with customers. Tutti Frutti Yogurt has locations in Texas, Georgia, California, and Washington State, while Yogurtopia plans to open its second California location this fall.--Whitney Chen

The April 2008 SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard, an economic indicator that tracks the health of U.S. small businesses, indicates that small business hiring increased last month and salaries decreased slightly.

Year to date, small business hiring has increased 1.0 percent and salaries are down 0.1 percent. The current average small business salary in the United States now stands at $32,567.

"Hiring was up last month but the pace of growth was very low compared to prior months," noted Michael Alter, President of SurePayroll. "Entrepreneurs are incredibly resilient, but it does appear that the economy is taking a toll on small business growth."

SurePayroll's analysis is based on payroll records of over 18,000 companies who use SurePayroll's payroll service. For more details on the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard, visit SurePayroll's website.