MarketWatch:

A project that began in response to a lumpy bowl of Malt-O-Meal is now, after nearly a decade of tinkering in his spare time, ready to hit the market.

“I wanted to find a way to make a better bowl of Malt-O-Meal in the microwave,” said Wylie. “I saw the potential of using the turntable as a source of motion very early. But it took quite a few attempts and designs to get it all working perfectly.”

The real breakthrough in development came with the addition of his patent-pending anchor bar, which maintains a consistent downward pressure on the entire assembly, holding it securely in place.

Wylie wants to use his invention to create jobs in Kansas, particularly in the Wellington area. He plans to use the money raised from the sale of the StirMate to fund research and development for future products and develop as many Kansas ideas and innovations as he can.

“The StirMate has been well received by many people who want to send the production to China,” said Wylie. “But my goal is to create jobs locally and help the Wellington economy.”

The Huffington Post:

When it comes to getting a loan for your small business, it may not come down to who you know, but where you go. Banking Grades, a new grading tool from Philadelphia-based MultiFunding, found that some of the nation’s biggest banks have the worst performances when it comes to small-business lending. Meanwhile, banks that recorded the best small-business lending performances are the ones most entrepreneurs have probably never heard of.

The big banks (defined as those with deposits of more than $10 billion) that ranked the highest for small-business lending are:

1. Zions First National Bank, Salt Lake City. Grade: A (25.44 percent)
2. First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, Raleigh, N.C. Grade: B (23.8 percent)
3. Synovus Bank, Columbus, Ga. Grade: B (19.25 percent)
4. Chase Bank Usa, National Association, Newark, Del. Grade: B (18.34 percent)
5. Bancorpsouth Bank, Tupelo, Ms. Grade: B (17.13 percent)
6. Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, National Association, Ogden, Utah. Grade: B (13.71 percent)
7. Arvest Bank, Fayetteville, Ark. Grade: B (12.82 percent)
8. Whitney Bank, New Orleans, La. Grade: B (12.02 percent)
9. Capital One Bank (Usa), Glen Allen, Va. Grade: B (11.85 percent)
10. Tcf National Bank, Sioux Falls, S.D. Grade: B (11.49 percent)

Photo by Billy Brown

The Washington Post:

The online world has become awash with opportunities to both spread the word about job openings as well as investigate possible candidates before you meet them in the flesh. But how can small businesses avoid information overload? Here are some tips:

â—�LinkedIn: Every recruiter's friend and even better than you think. LinkedIn is a great first stop for recruiters. Beyond showing their professional growth in an easy-to-read format, smart candidates request (and get!) insightful recommendations from peers, clients and friends that give an outsider's view of their performance. These are sometimes more powerful than regular references, since they are publicly displayed.

â—�Love or hate Facebook, check it out. If an applicant has an open page, this can be a great way to see beyond the resume. You can learn where they volunteer, what kind of music they listen to, what activities they participate in outside of work or what TV shows they like. This information can provide powerful insight into whether a candidate is a good cultural fit.

â—�To tweet or not to tweet. Twitter can be an awesome way to find out more about candidates. You can determine if they are interested in your business and industry subject matter by the type of news and posts they share.

Photo by MoneyBlogNewz