Best Time for Small Business

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With the rapid growth of economy and significant tax cut recently, U.S. Small-Business Optimism Index reached its highest level since 1983, according to National Federation of Independent Business.

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All the index components except Plans to Increase Employment increased or maintained the same as February, while Expect Real Sales has the highest increase rate at 3%. This historically high index shows that new policies, including tax cut and fewer regulation, have started their impacts on small business.

However, companies report that their biggest challenge is to find skilled labor. 34% of job openings, majorly in construction and manufacturing industries, are unable to fill. As a result, the number of temporary workers peaked since November 2016.

The History about Black History Month

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Early in the 19th century, after the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 13th Amendment took place the 19first steps to commemorating black history began. The history behind the creation of black history goes farther back than that of the most known African American who pioneered the Civil Rights Movement. Black history month began in the early 20th century, 1915 to be specific by a “Harvard historian named Carter G. Woodson and prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland. This was originally an event which was supposed to take place the second week of “February to coincide with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass”. During this week of February, the event caught the attention of several schools and communities all over the nation, which made people organize and host several different activities, such as history clubs, performances, and lectures.

Black history month after it gained nationwide recognition among local schools and communities, it began gaining recognition among local and state governments all over the country. This was mainly due to the fact that several decades after Black History was implemented, the Civil Rights movement began to take place in the United States around the mid 1950’s. This movement caused the Black History Week to evolve from just one week in February to the whole the entire month in order to commemorate, and push the awareness of the accomplishments that black people have done throughout the century after the Emancipation Proclamation.

By the end of the Civil Rights movement in 1968, Black History Month was being celebrated every year by campuses and local throughout the country. However, it wasn’t until 1976 that Republican President Gerald “officially recognized Black History Month” on a Federal level. Gerald Ford stated that public should ‘seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history’.

In 2018, even though it has been almost a century since the creation Black History; the ideals and values of why we celebrate such a momentous event rests in every American in the United States.

 

Author: Angel Veloz, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month

The 2018 Discretionary Budget, and what it will mean

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With regard to the public sector many budget items have been maintained as of 2018 as well. Firstly the new Administration’s first budget has been released and brings changes with it. The new era has arrived and disrupted the status quo. Under the careful crafting by the executive branch, the Discretionary federal budget has undergone a large increase in defense spending in comparison to the previous Administration.

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The discretionary budget is one of the best means to understand the priorities of the administration in power. The budget represents several departments including the DOD (Department of Defense), DOA (Department of Agriculture), DOE (Department of  Energy) as well as agencies such as GSA (The General Services Administration) and the SBA (Small Business Administration). Based on the data above, the assumption is that the new administration will devote more money and attention to the country’s national defense, than prior. This will be the highest budget the department of defense has been allocated since the $602 billion dollars it was allocated in 2008. As well as the first time the aggregate of the rest of the budget will be less than the total allocated to the DOD. While this means spending cuts in other industries as they will have to function on fewer resources, for the military this will be able to help pay for research and development, equipment and information.

The above listed agencies on the chart, are those that fall under the discretionary budget.The spending cuts while minimal will affect the day to day operations of the other departments and agencies, with less money in their programs although it will be more difficult to function it will not be impossible.

Author: Bobby Cottingham, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/budget.pdf

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2017-BUD/pdf/BUDGET-2017-BUD.pdf

Net neutrality at a glance

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In 2015 the previous administration advocated for the creation of the Open Internet Order or, Net Neutrality, the vision was to create an open unrestricted internet for all to use equally. Net Neutrality is the proposition that internet service providers should allow access to all online content without favoring or blocking particular products or websites. This idea can be beneficial to the general population because it fosters small business growth along with keeping prices low and affordable. Net Neutrality was the prerogative of the U.S. government for two years, however, it is no longer in effect. Ajit Pai, the current administration’s chairman for the Federal Communications Commission, removed net neutrality a full year after his inauguration. Pai’s drive for ridding the internet of regulated neutrality as he said in his press conference last December comes from his belief that as one of Americas greatest success’ the internet needs to be un-regulated in order to fully prosper, and that the regulations have taken us away from consumer preferences not towards them. Pai is correct in that a more open, less controlled internet is pleasing to the average consumer because it grants more access to more online applications and content.

Ajit Pai’s removal of Net Neutrality occurred in December of 2017, with the turn of the year, expect to see more in your cable plan, options for free Netflix in exchange for paying for a slightly more expensive internet bill. This is positive because immediately one will start to see faster internet and convenient packages, and collaborations between internet providers and mainstream content. As the internet progresses, now without regulation expect to see more dominance of that mainstream content and even possibly cheaper prices for that content.

While the internet deregulation brings a promise of cheaper prices to the services we use every day, it will come at the cost of budding entrepreneurs. Unregulated internet will bring in an era of pay for speed; the speed of smaller applications and content will be far slower than that of the corporate giants. Look forward to longer loading times and less accessible content if you prefer the little guy to the larger one.

 

Author: Bobby Cottingham, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

http://fortune.com/2017/12/15/net-neutrality-pai/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2014/05/14/am-i-the-only-techie-against-net-neutrality/#4e4c811170d5

A Boon for the US Economy

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On December 20th, 2017, the US Congress passes the first tax reform bill since 1986. Upon this momentous event, the U.S markets and stocks finished at the highest they have ever had this year. Two of which the Dow Jones Industrial Average “rose 55.64 points to 24,782.29 and traded more than 100 points higher”, and “S&P 500 gained .2%  to 2,684.57, with financial and energy rising .9% and 2.1%”. This increase in the stock market is showing great promises that companies are beginning to liquefy assets, and invest more in their specific departments.

In addition following the tax reform bill several companies began announced that they would be providing a higher pay, and bonuses to several of their employees. This included companies such as Comcast, AT&T, Boeing, and Wells Fargo, which announced that they would give $1000 bonuses to over 200,000 employees. They have also announced several investments of millions of dollars on new departments and employee benefits. In the case of Boeing, they stated that they “would spend $300 million because of the tax plan” and Comcast announced that in addition to the $1000 bonuses, “they expect to spend well in excess of $50 billion on infrastructure over the next 5 years.

While only a hand full of companies have declared to invest for further expansion and compensation most CEO’s believe that the tax cut will end up boosting the economy as more trust is built between investors and the markets. According to the CEO of Adrian Day Asset Management, ‘There is real hope that the tax cuts will boost the economy, which is what they were intended to do’, this will then result in more and more companies investing in new departments, and creating more higher paying jobs.

Author: Angel Veloz, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/21/us-stocks-tax-bill-wages.html

http://time.com/5074911/tax-reform-bill-company-investments-bonuses/

Business and Bitcoin

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Bitcoin is a digital form of currency that has caught the eye of several businesses, and entrepreneurs from every market. The currency founded in 2009 by an unknown person by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto, has had its highs and lows in the market. However as of recent months Bitcoins have experienced an exponential growth in it’s price, which is attracting the attention of several large businesses such as Microsoft, Expedia, and many more.

While Bitcoins are looking to be increasing in popularity, and value this does not signify that they will continue to increase for the next months, years. In fact, companies who have invested in Bitcoin are taking one of the biggest risks imaginable, due to the uncertainty of how Bitcoin will fluctuate in the market. As of December 2017, one Bitcoin is equivalent to $16,600 US dollars; due to its high risks companies who place the majority of their investments into Bitcoin have a possibility of losing millions of dollars if there is the slightest shift in its price.

Even with these high risks, there are companies as previously mentioned who are taking the plunge into the new possible era of currency. While the majority are multi-million-dollar firms that can afford to take the high risk that Bitcoin brings; this is not discouraging some small business owners to also take the risk using Bitcoin as another form of payment for their businesses. In Upstate New York, a seafood restaurant called “Ocean Blue” is one of the first small businesses to incorporate Bitcoin as a payment method for food. While there is a very high risk, the restaurant owner explained that ‘because Bitcoins aren’t associated with regular banks they are not troubled by the rising cost of credit card fees”. By using Bitcoin, they are able to control these rising credit card fees, which is one of the biggest issues that small business is running into.

Even though the transition from fiat currency to data currency is a very difficult process, business big and small are beginning to take the first steps to take part to use Bitcoin for future investment. By being one of the first companies to take the leap into a possible new era of currency, they will be able to grow and expand their business beyond what they are currently capable of.

Author: Angel Veloz, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2017/12/08/a-restaurant-in-upstate-new-york-is-accepting-bitcoin-should-you/?utm_term=.79069cb5c798

US Job Surge-Unemployment at a 17 Year Low

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Small Business Saturday – Celebrating the backbone of our economy

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The Great Recession – which officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009 – began with an 8 trillion dollar burst of the housing bubble and an unprecedented wealth lost to millions of Americans. The resulting loss of wealth led to sharp cutbacks in consumer spending, the loss of consumption combined with the financial market chaos by the housing industry, lead to a complete collapse of business investments which in return lead to dramatic job cuts in all sectors. Businesses of all sizes and industries suffered greatly from the great recession, but the biggest losers were the small businesses of the local communities.

By the summer of 2009, the economy stopped contracting and started what has to be the slowest recovery in modern American history, however, the businesses continued to suffer. The big box retailers survived the recession with minor setbacks due to their deep pockets and the cultural shift of spending in bad financial times. However small businesses took the biggest hit with over 200,000 storefronts going out of business.

The impact of the recession on small businesses became apparent, the backbone of the economy was bleeding badly. Initiatives led by the federal and state governments as well as major banks and venture capitalist became more vibrant in an effort to revive the small businesses of America. In 2009, with a push from American Express, Small Business Saturday was born. Similar to Black Friday but strictly for small businesses, Small Business Saturday follows Thanksgiving and kicks off the holiday shopping. Just one year after the launch of the program, local officials across the nations started to take notice and promote the movement. In 2011, with the backing of elite politicians including President Obama, the Senate voted to pass a resolution in support of Small Business Saturday. The day celebrates small businesses and their impact on the local communities, it also urges consumers to shop locally to empower these businesses. In 2016, small businesses reported 15.4 billion dollars in sales on Small Business Saturday. Small Business Day went from a cause to a day of celebrations. This year, 2017, Small Business Saturday will take place on the 25th of November.

The role small businesses play in the American economy is fundamental and undeniably important to the survival of our competitive markets. Small businesses are responsible for 64 percent of all new jobs generated since 1995 and have the ability to fast drive a recovery from any recession. Small Businesses revives competition, increases local hiring and embraces diversity and they must be celebrated and supported for doing so.

Sabre88 takes pride in the 843,989 small businesses in our home state of New Jersey and aspires to inspire entrepreneurs to elevate our state and nation. Sabre88 wishes all small businesses a busy Saturday and prosperous year.

 

Author: Faris Souman, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

Based on data from the Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profiles – https://www.sba.gov/advocacy/2017-small-business-profiles-states-and-territories

Small Business Saturday is on Nov 25. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2017, from https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/

Small Business Saturday | The U.S. Small Business Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2017, from https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-initiatives/small-business-saturday

Wireless Communications for Computer Motherboards

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Every year, computer performance has increased exponentially due to a huge surge in new technological methods in order to enhance computers processing power. One of these methods consists of compacting transistors into a tighter space in Silicon microchips, which helps speed up communication across the motherboard. However, by compacting transistors into a smaller area has also resulted in “packing the wiring between the microprocessors tighter together”. This has caused a phenomenon is known as “signal leakage” to occur, which is causing some slowdown or ‘interconnect bottlenecking’ communication between the different parts of the computer chip. As technology continues to grow exponentially, transistors and wiring will continue to be compacted into an even smaller space; causing interconnect bottlenecking to be more of a predicament in the upcoming years of “high-speed computing systems”.

Difficulties:

As of recent years, scientists have discovered that one of the easiest ways to transmit data is using light at different frequencies. This form of transmitting information can also be applied to silicon microchips, however, according to Pablo Jarillo-Herrero this is a very difficult task to accomplish due to the fact that Silicon does not emit light; in order to use this method scientists must use materials which are able to emit light.

In addition to Silicon’s poor light-emitting properties, it also one of the most selective semiconductors there is since not many semiconductors are compatible with Silicon. While many materials such as Gallium can enhance optoelectronics and optical communications on computer chips; they, however, “cannot be grown on Silicon very easily because they are incompatible”.

Another difficulty that is presenting itself is that the majority of the materials that emit light, emit it in the visible spectrum. As previously stated Silicon does not emit light very well, the reason for this is because Silicon absorbs light in the visible spectrum. Therefore, placing a material which emits light on a Silicon microchip would result in no light to emit.

Solution/Benefits:

In a recent paper written by Ya-Qing Bie, who has joined up Jarillo-Herrero states that they have been able to create a device which both emits and detects light that “can be integrated into Silicon CMOS chips”. This device was created from a new semi-conductor called Molybdenum, is an “ultrathin” almost 2-D material which unlike other semiconductors this material is compatible with silicon, and “it can be stacked on top of silicon wafers” according to Jarillo-Herrero.

In addition to the compatibility, this material emits light, but unlike other semiconductors this material emits light in the infrared spectrum, which can’t be absorbed by Silicon. This will then result in higher communication speed, and reduce slowdown since all information is being transmitted using different light frequencies.

 

Author: Angel Veloz, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note: Original Sources

http://news.mit.edu/2017/ultrathin-films-semiconductor-optical-communication-silicon-chips-1023

 

A day for the heroes

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Years ago today our enemies laid down their arms in accordance with an armistice which renders them impotent to renew hostilities, and gave to the world an assured opportunity to reconstruct its shattered order, the victory of arms foretells the enduring conquests which can be made in peace when nations act justly and in furtherance of the common interests of men. To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations. A message from President Woodrow Wilson in which he expressed the willpower of a nation on the first anniversary of the peace signing and the surrender of the Central Powers of Europe that ended World War I.

The speech of president Wilson marked the first organized form of celebrating the nation’s war heroes in modern times. A tradition that grew deeper and larger with every passing year and every recorded victory by our armed forces. On the 13th of May, 1938, the Congress passed the (52 Stat. 351; 5U.S. Code, 87a) Act that dedicated the 11th of every November as a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as the Armistice Day. In 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th, it is also common to notice two minutes of silence in Great Britain and the Commonwealth nations at 11 am.

The military men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from every walk of life; they are parents, children, grandparents, friends, neighbors, and Sabre88 employees. At sabre88 we hold the values of freedom and service dearest to our hearts and embed patriotic pride throughout our corporate structure. We not only strive to provide our government agencies and armed forces with state of the art services, we also take pride in doing so. Determined to serve the common purpose of this nation and committed to value those who embody the spirit of service and sacrifice, Sabre88 is proud to be led by veterans at the highest levels of our corporate ladder. In the spotlight of this year’s Sabre88 Veterans Day celebrations, would like to honor a person who is our very own Business Development Manager,James Hansel. A veteran of the Navy who embodies the most American of ideas liberty, freedom and unity. We take pride in veterans like Ron Oliver, Brian Schweikert, Sherrod Curry,Robert Lightfoot and Bruce Conte who risked their lives to protect our ideals and spent their youth anchoring our enemies and now elevating our company’s performance every day. We thank our Sabre88 veterans and all the men and women that served in our armed forces. America is better off because of your service.

Author: Faris Souman, Sabre88 LLC

Editor’s note:Original Sources

Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. (2007, January 26). Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. Retrieved November 01, 2017, from https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

History.com Staff. Veterans Day Facts.History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/holidays/veterans-day-facts.