The Export-Import Bank of the United States unveiled its Global Access initiative this week to help 5,000 small businesses with up to $6 billion in loans to increase exports.  And while the Small Business Act of 2010 has helped community banks and others lower their lending costs to small business, there are more trends to be watching for in 2011.

Tech trends include a number of areas that small businesses need to watch – social media, operating systems and online marketing among them.  And, of course, marketing trends for the year ahead remind small businesses everywhere of the opportunities that abound when a focused plan is in play.

It’s Friday!  A new year will soon begin, so come up with a plan to change things up.  That can mean a plan to increase sales by 10 % or a blueprint for the changes you’d like to make in your business.  No matter what’s in store for your business in 2011, below are some good reads to get inspired, to get motivated or to bring you some new ideas you can infuse into your business. 

Kudos to this duo and their catering business which started up in 2008 – they heavily use social media technology to promote their services.  So, those in the hospitality business, do you tweet your menu?  If not, why not?

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has a number of initiatives in play now for small business, including some additional funding for loans.  This week, SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns – a former Verizon executive – discussed and answered questions here about the 2010 Small Business Jobs Act, as well as opportunities available under the Recovery and Affordable Care Acts.

Recently I spent some time with one of our daughter’s college sorority sisters’ father – we were helping both of our young adult children move from two different places to two more different places.  But that’s a story for another day.

The father and his brother own a laminate woods product company that they started more than 30 years ago and the last two years have been tough – to put it mildly.  He explained that he still has to make trips to Japan, China, Singapore and Europe to keep up his relationships with suppliers so that when the market comes back, they'll still have a business.

There's always something happening in the world and the online world has become more of our waking hours which means - as always - that small business needs to be alert to the latest trends and tips for you.  This week, there are a number of good posts included here with one focused on Facebook's announcement of its geo-location option - Facebook Places.  With more than 500 million Facebook users and still growing, this may be one you'll want to take a closer look at for listing your business.