From Forbes.com:

“In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush pledged to help put affordable health care within reach of all Americans. Rising health care costs have hammered small businesses for years, so any help on this front is big news for entrepreneurs. Of the nearly 47 million people uninsured in the U.S., 63% work for small businesses, according to a report by the Employee Benefits Research Institute, a nonprofit research firm.

But exactly how much help can small fries hope to get? Work through the numbers on Bush’s proposal and the benefits look modest–at best.

No one argues that, when it comes to health care, small businesses bear a proportionately greater burden than the Wal-Marts of the world. That’s why so many entrepreneurs don’t offer health insurance–to their detriment. Talented employees want to work for companies that offer health plans: Buying health insurance on their own in the open market is usually far more expensive because UnitedHealth Group (nyse: UNH – news – people ), Aetna (nyse: AET – news – people ) and other big insurers prefer to spread their risks underwriting large groups…..

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Many small business opportunities are nothing more than get-rich-quick schemes that tend to not pay off in the long run. While it’s possible to start a small business with a relatively little financial investment, the time you invest is more precious … and you’ll never get it back. Be prepared to devote a lot of time to a new small business, and be wary of opportunities that gloss over this.

Ultimately, the best small business for you is one that incorporates your strengths and interests. Screaming banner ads may claim to know what the best opportunity for you is, but that’s just advertising. You will succeed in an investment that connects to your abilities and backgrounds; starting a business in a field you know nothing about (except that the ads looked good) is naive.

A little research goes a long way; so does consulting a business broker. Gathering as much information from trusted sources is the best preparation a prospective business owner can get. Opportunities that require large investments–of time or money–shouldn’t be jumped into hastily; take your time, inform yourself, and go in smartly.

Excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:

“More than anything else, what most prospective franchisees want to be sure of is that the franchise you are considering is a good all-around business opportunity. We can use other words like “great” or “solid” or “reputable” to illustrate what you’re looking for in a franchise, but the bottom line is you want to know that everything needed for success exists and that there are no major flaws with the franchise.

The following checklist for determining whether a franchise is solid is subjective, but it’s based on many years of experience. If you want to know that you’re looking at a solid franchise opportunity, make sure to check the following factors carefully:

1. Responsiveness during the investigation process….
2. Direct operational training….
3. Other training….
4. Marketing programs….
5. Real estate and construction assistance….
6. Financing assistance….
7. Litigation history….
8. Financial strength of the franchise company….
9. Financial strength of the unit operations….
10. The attitude of the existing franchisees….

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(FSB Magazine) — When a new product from Microsoft debuts, it doesn’t arrive quietly. Instead it gets tracked through the R&D pipeline by trade magazines, bloggers and carefully controlled announcements from the marketing department.

Small-business innovations don’t work that way. They tiptoe into the market, heralded by minimal PR (if any) and propelled instead by the inventor’s enthusiasm.

What makes that more ironic is that small businesses these days come up with better ideas more consistently than their corporate competitors. “Rates of R&D growth among small firms tend to have been higher than among large R&D-performing firms,” says John Jankowski, director of the R&D Statistics Program at the National Science Foundation.

To find these innovative companies you need a field guide, and that’s were FSB comes in. Exploring everything from ocean-generated electricity to six-foot roses to an ATM for books, the stories on the following pages offer a preview of the companies, products, people, trends and ideas likely to make news in 2007 – all from the world of small business.

Read 10 big ideas for 2007 from Fortune Small Business

Falling fuel prices may seem like good news for entrepreneurs. But a properly designed gas tax could be even better.

(FSB Magazine) — Like many entrepreneurs, Tedd Saunders finds most taxes annoying. He co-owns seven East Coast hotels, including the Lenox in Boston, and would love to see the estate tax gutted. He also rankles at a hotel room tax levied by lawmakers in his home state, dubbed “Taxachusetts.”

Yet Saunders supports a higher tax on gasoline – even though it would raise costs for his employees who commute to work by car and might boost prices charged by his suppliers.

Says the hotelier: “We need to make tough choices to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to recognize this looming crisis of climate change and what it will do to our lives and our businesses.”

As FSB went to press, the cost of gas had plummeted 26 percent since July, to a national average of $2.21 a gallon. In the past that would have been considered good news, but the reaction today is decidedly mixed. In a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, 59 percent of respondents nationwide said they would support a gas tax if it would result in less fuel consumption and less global warming.

Read Full Article from Fortune Small Business