Last night I heard on the news that the average price of a gallon of gas is under $3. Sure enough, when I drove by the gas station on my way to work this morning, the prices had dropped. Which makes sense: It costs less, so businesses should charge less. But that’s not the case with all commodities, says this Wall Street Journal article.

Despite the fact that the price of commodities like corn, natural gas and chemicals have fallen, the small companies that purchase them still haven’t experienced the price drop.

If this sounds like your business, check out the article for tips on how you can lower costs while you wait for the price you pay to drop.

I’m going to go out on a very sturdy limb here and assume that if you’re a reader of this blog, then your business probably has a Web site and risking it even more, I’m going to assume you sell your products and services through it.

If I’m wrong, shame on you!. If not, then I recommend you go and read this article on NFIB.com about why you need a Web site. After you read the article, I invite you to go to smSmallBiz.com and read about how to keep your Web site secure, especially against common threats that pervade websites. The article offers nine tips to help keep hackers at bay.

While small business owners recognize the importance of using resources diligently all the time, cutting costs has become even more critical during this economic downturn. There are various changes you can make in your daily work routine to be more cost-efficient, but Small Biz Technology offers some ideas on how you can use technology (some of which you might already have) to help save money:

• Use video-conferencing software instead of flying to meetings


• Scan and send large documents instead of using a courier service


• Use laptops instead of desktops and separate monitors to decrease energy costs


• If your business is outgrowing its current location but you don’t want to take on the costs of moving right now, encourage employees to work from home if possible. Added bonus: Employees save on fuel costs, too.

We all hear the gloom-and-doom news on a daily basis about the economic downturn, but here’s some good news to take to the bank: A majority of Americans still believe in small business. In fact, most Americans believe small business owners are more likely to rescue our economy than any government, nonprofit or corporate institution.

In a recent poll sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation, 70 percent of registered voters surveyed said that the health of the economy rests on the success of entrepreneurs; and more than 60 percent said they had more faith in small business owners to guide the U.S. economy than congressional leaders or Fortune 500 CEOs. Of course, the only downside to the survey was that more Americans expressed reluctance to start a business right now. Though more than half of the survey’s respondents reported seeing opportunities for starting a business, only a quarter said they would actually consider it in the next five years.

What role do small businesses owners really play in the economy and how can they save us from the current economic crisis? Check out this commentary by Kauffman Foundation president Carl J. Schramm, who outlines the answers to these questions in an in-depth analysis on CNN.com.

I know it’s out there and poses a real threat, but I personally don’t give identity theft much thought. But if you’re a business owner who shares my sentiment, you’d better get it out of your system—and quick. According to this smSmallBiz article, Nevada has become the first of several states to require businesses to encrypt customer information that is transmitted electronically (Massachusetts will follow suit in January).

But even if you don’t work in Nevada or Massachusetts, the new regulations there are still cause for concern as they will affect businesses that do business with customers who reside in those states. Check out the article for one Nevada small business owner’s solution to complying with the new regulation.