Small Business Administration

When the Chino Hills earthquake hit July 29, Heidi Gallegos was having lunch with an associate in nearby Diamond Bar. "Once the jolt hit, we were, like, frozen and watching the doors, thinking 'Do we stay or do we go?' " said Gallegos, chief executive of the Regional Chamber of Commerce -- San Gabriel Valley. A mile south on Diamond Bar Boulevard, diners at the Whole Enchilada were "in shock," General Manager Sandy Ball said.

Dear Karen: Do you have some tips on using coupons to attract new customers? Answer: In a tough economy, consumers desperate for a break may be more willing than ever to use coupons. Coupon-sharing website DealLocker.com, where you can submit your coupons, has had a 40% jump in usage in the last month, Chief Executive Jonathan Lieberman said. He recommended that you target consumer frustrations to strike a chord with your clients: "Offer a 'gas-saver' free shipping coupon, for example."

Cash and lots of it. That's what Memory Glass owners Nick Savage and Loren Dion will need to pay for the growth they want for their Santa Barbara business, said consultant Gerald W. Harter, chairman of the Santa Barbara chapter of SCORE, formerly known as Service Corps of Retired Executives.

California regulators want to expand a pilot program under which utilities offer interest-free loans to small businesses that want to buy energy-efficient gear. The three big utilities that tried the program last year are on board to enlarge the effort.

Dear Karen: I need new marketing materials but can't spend a lot. Where do I look? Answer: Personal referrals are the best way to choose service professionals. Ask other entrepreneurs what graphic design and printing firms they use, meet with two or three and choose the best quality and service for your budget. Note how long it takes to get responses, said Andrew Field, president of PrintingForLess.com. "You want a fast answer when you first approach them.

To serve the fast-growing ranks of female business owners like Kathy Macias, who runs a Riverside auto repair shop, the Small Business Administration has added more than two dozen assistance centers in the last two years. Now, that pace has ground to a halt. No new federal women's business centers will open in the 2009 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, because of funding constraints, according to the Small Business Administration official who oversees the grant program.

As a credit crunch squeezed borrowers during the last three months of 2007, Los Angeles bucked the national downward slide in loans backed by the Small Business Administration. Driven by a higher number of smaller deals, loan volume here increased 3.5% to 1,319 from 1,275 in the year-earlier period, according to agency figures. But the amount lent fell $15.3 million, or 5.5%, to $265.2 million.

Business is booming at the Los Angeles office of the Small Business Administration, which operates loan guarantee, contracting support and small-business skill-building programs for the 12 million residents of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. SBA-guaranteed loans made by 150 lenders in the district broke the 6,000 mark for the first time in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30. The record total of 6,194 amounts to a 21% annual jump.

Architect Rita Kalwani is frustrated by a years-long delay in the launch of a federal program that would help small businesses owned by women earn a share of the $412-billion federal marketplace. Since it graduated from another contract-assistance program three years ago, Kalwani's company, Irvine-based Kal Architects Inc., has seen revenue drop by more than half from its peak of $3.8 million. The employee count is down by a third to 15.