MAE ANDERSON

AP Business Writer

FILE - The likeness of Benjamin Franklin is seen on U.S. $100 bills, Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Marple Township, Pa. Many small businesses don’t offer a retirement plan to employees, since it can be quite costly and complicated. But the Secure Act 2.0 passed by Congress in late 2022 and being slowly rolled out is designed to make it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

The Secure Act 2.0 offers options for small businesses who want to offer retirement plans

Many small businesses don’t offer a retirement plan to employees, since it can be quite costly and complicated.

FILE - Job seekers line up for a career fair in Oak Brook, Ill., July 2, 2009. While it seems increasingly unlikely the U.S. economy is headed for recession, small businesses still face headwinds like higher costs and difficulty retaining qualified workers. But owners say they're optimistic as 2024 gets underway, according to a new survey from American Express. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

Small business owners are optimistic for growth in 2024

While it seems increasingly unlikely the U.S. economy is headed for recession, small businesses still face headwinds like higher costs and difficulty retaining qualified workers.

FILE - Ashley Crafton looks at tennis shoes at Shoe Stop in Wesleyan Park Plaza on Nov. 25, 2023, in Owensboro, Ky. About 40% of small business owners think 2024 will be a "make or break" year for their business, according to a survey by messaging service Slack.(Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP, File)

Many small business owners see 2024 as a ‘make or break’ year, survey shows

About 40% of small business owners think 2024 will be a “make or break” year for their business, according to a survey by messaging service Slack.

This image provided by Paramount shows the Paramount+ 2024 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Paramount via AP)

Here’s what you can expect from Super Bowl commercials this Sunday

Advertisers will be pulling out all the stops on Super Bowl Sunday — enlisting the biggest actors, investing in the most dazzling special effects and, they hope, going for laughs as they seek to win over viewers.

This image provided by Uber Eats shows the Uber Eats 2024 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Uber Eats via AP)

From Uber Eats’ ‘Friends’ reunion to Bud’s Clydesdales, here are the buzziest Super Bowl ads so far

If you watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, you no longer have to wait until the big game to see what advertisers have in store for viewers. Big advertisers release their ads online early.

File - A shopper walks by a store, Nov. 18, 2020 in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Small business acquisition rates in 2023 were up and down, reflecting the increase in interest rates that threw a chill into the market. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Small business acquisitions leveled off in 2023 as interest rates climbed, but 2024 looks better

Small business acquisitions were up and down last year, reflecting the increase in interest rates that threw a chill into the market.

This photo provided by Anheuser-Busch shows the Budweiser 2024 Super Bowl NFL football spot. The perennial Super Bowl advertiser is bringing back fan favorites the Clydesdales and a Labrador, in a nod to previous commercials that aired during advertising’s biggest night. Ahead of Super Bowl 58, some advertisers are releasing ads early in the hope of capitalizing on the buzz leading up to the game. (Anheuser-Busch via AP)

Bud brings back Clydesdales as early Super Bowl ad releases offer up nostalgia, humor, celebrities

Budweiser’s Super Bowl ad is bringing back some familiar characters this year. The perennial Super Bowl advertiser is bringing back fan favorites the Clydesdales and a Labrador, in a nod to previous commercials that aired during advertising’s biggest night.

FILE - likeness of Benjamin Franklin is seen on U.S. $100 bills, Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Marple Township, Pa. Payroll payments per small business moderated as 2023 came to a close, according to new data from Bank of America. The BofA report found payroll payments rose 1.7% in December at small businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Small business payroll growth is moderating, but that could mean more sustainable growth ahead

Payroll payments per small business moderated as 2023 came to a close, according to new data from Bank of America. The BofA report found payroll payments rose 1.7% in December at small businesses.

Small biz owners scale back their office space or go remote altogether. Some move to the suburbs

The pandemic has had a transformative effect on the office space landscape. Many businesses are shifting away from traditional spaces toward hybrid work and more flexible, collaborative spaces.

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are idling car factories and delaying new fashion. Will it get worse?

Attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels have unraveled a key global trade route, forcing vessels into longer and more costly journeys around Africa. The disruption has forced car factories in Belgium and Berlin to idle.

Microsoft and others are making new tools to help small businesses capitalize on A.I.

The influx of generative artificial intelligence software is transforming small businesses. Small business owners are using A.I. tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and others to check grammar in emails, punch up marketing copy and research business plans.

File - Early-morning light shines on shops on Main Street, June 11, 2022, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Small businesses face a mix of old and new challenges as 2023 begins. Regulations are a double-edged sword. They’re created to improve business dealings, discourage unfair or illegal business activity, and protect workers. But, for small business owners, they often mean more red tape, higher costs and possible penalties for failing to comply. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

What small businesses need to know about new regulations going into 2024

Regulations are a double-edged sword. They’re created to improve business dealings, discourage unfair or illegal business activity, and protect workers.

Jen Rose, a ceramic artist, poses with small garden installations that capture water to feed pollinators at her company, Bee Cups, in Dallas, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Small businesses say loans are harder to get than ever, as banks tighten lending standards and interest rates increase. Rose had a hard time finding a loan to expand her successful business. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Turned down for a loan, business owners look to family and even crowdsourcing to get money to grow

Among the many challenges small businesses face as they try to grow these days, getting a loan is right near the top. Banks big and small have tightened lending standards as the Federal Reserve hiked up interest rates the past two years.

Christmas ornaments are seen at Blackhawk Hardware on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. All signs point to a relatively solid holiday season for America’s small businesses. Yet, owners of these businesses appear to have a collective anxiety about the months ahead. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Small biz owners are both hopeful and anxious about the holidays, taking a cue from their customers

All signs point to a relatively solid holiday season for America’s small businesses. Yet, owners of these businesses appear to have a collective anxiety about the months ahead. They have their customers to thank on both counts.

This cover image released by Ten Speed Press shows "Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones" by Dolly Parton. (Ten Speed Press via AP)

Book Review: Dolly Parton gives a tour of her closet in ‘Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones’

Dolly Parton’s iconic look — big hair, big heels and tight low-cut dresses covered in rhinestones or beads — is a big part of her lasting appeal, nearly as important as her vast catalogue of country ballads and bangers that made her a star.

John Philis, a third-generation owner of the Lexington Candy Shop, prepares a Coke float at the luncheonette, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in New York. The old school business met the new world when Nicolas Heller, a TikToker and Instagrammer with 1.2 million followers, popped in for a traditional Coke float. Naturally, he made a video. It went viral, garnering 4.8 million likes. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

From Coke floats to Cronuts, going viral can have a lasting effect on a small business

Lexington Candy Shop has had a line outside for over a year since a TikTok of its Coke float went viral. The owner of Fatima’s Grill parlayed his viral fame into an expansion.

This cover image released by Plume shows "The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-fi Movies" by Ryann Britt. (Plume via AP)

Book Review: ‘The Spice Must Flow’ chronicles the legacy of the breakthrough novel ‘Dune’

The saga of how cult sci-fi novel “Dune” slowly permeated the mainstream over decades is a tale with almost as many twists and turns as “Dune” itself, and author Ryan Britt recounts it in the lively and entertaining “The Spice Must Flow,” writes AP’s Mae Anderson.

FILE - Lachlan Murdoch, left, and Rupert Murdoch attend the TIME 100 Gala in New York on April 21, 2015. Media magnate Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of News Corp. and Fox Corp., the companies that he built into forces over the last 50 years. He will become chairman emeritus of both corporations, the company announced on Thursday. His son, Lachlan, will control both companies. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Departure of Murdoch as Fox leader comes as conservative media landscape is increasingly fractured

The departure of Rupert Murdoch as the leader of Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings after decades at the helm is unlikely to have as much of an impact on conservative media overall as it would have a decade ago.

This cover image released by Harper shows "Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune" by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe. (Harper via AP)

Book Review: ‘Astor’ is a primer on the rise and fall one of America’s richest families

In their new book “Astor,” CNN Journalist Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe trace the storied Astor family’s legacy from its inception, when John Jacob Astor emigrated from Germany and established himself in the beaver fur trade, a bloody and highly competitive business.

FILE - A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen, May 4, 2021, in Washington. The IRS is pausing accepting claims for the Employee Retention Credit, a pandemic-era tax credit, until 2024 due to rising concerns that an influx of applications are fraudulent. The IRS said Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, that hundreds of criminal cases have been started and thousands of ERC claims have been referred for audit. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

IRS will pause taking claims for pandemic-era tax credit due to an influx of fraudulent claims

The Internal Revenue Service said Thursday it will pause accepting claims for a pandemic-era tax credit until 2024 due to rising concerns that an influx of applications are fraudulent.

This cover image released by Gallery Books shows "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult" by Maria Bamford. (Gallery Books via AP)

Book Review: Comedian Maria Bamford details her mental health issues with compassion and humor

Comedian Maria Bamford details her decades-long journey to address her various mental health issues with compassion and humor in her new memoir, “Sure I’ll Join Your Cult.”

Dan Dawson, owner of Horizon Divers, poses outside his dive shop in Key Largo, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. Dawson saw business boom during the pandemic. Now it's back to pre-pandemic levels. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

For small biz reliant on summer tourism, extreme weather is the new pandemic -- for better or worse

FFor small businesses that rely on summer tourism to keep afloat, extreme weather is replacing the pandemic as the determining factor in how well a summer will go.

FILE - Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, center, points to damage as he speaks with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell during a tour of wildfire damage, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. On Friday, Aug. 18, FEMA said it approved $2.3 million in assistance to roughly 1,300 households in Maui so far, as the federal government tries to help survivors of the devastating wildfires. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FEMA has paid out more than $5.6 million to Maui survivors, a figure expected to grow significantly

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has approved more than $5.6 million in assistance to nearly 2,000 households in Maui so far as the federal government tries to help survivors of the devastating wildfires.

Jonica Moore, who's more than a decade into her second career as a wedding photographer, shoots photos as she walks home, Friday, July 21, 2023, in the Brooklyn section of New York. Moore said that said adding more social content to packages will likely require her to hire another person to help with weddings. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Wedding photographers adapt to couples who want instant images and less tradition on their big day

More and more couples are throwing out the playbook for a traditional wedding -- and posing new challenges for the people they hire to create the perfect images of their big day. During the pandemic, many weddings turned into elopements.

A vendor helps a customer at a produce stand at the Union Square farmers market, Saturday, June 17, 2023, in New York. Small vendors at farmers markets say the 2023 season is shaping up to be strong, as farmers market continue to benefit from swells of regular customers that grew during the pandemic and new vendors stalls that started during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Farmers markets thrive as customers and vendors who latched on during the pandemic remain loyal

Farmers markets gave people something they desperately sought during the pandemic: A place to shop outdoors, and at the same time support smaller, often local businesses.

Amazon wants small businesses to help make deliveries in rural areas and big cities

Many small businesses have long relied on Amazon’s platform and delivery pipeline to boost their business. Now, Amazon wants to enlist them to help with deliveries, too.

Scabby, a giant inflatable rat used by organized labor, stands at a union action outside a Petco on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in New York. For decades, inflatable rates like Scabby have been looming over union protests, drawing attention to construction sites or companies with labor disputes. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Scabby the Rat gives bite to union protests, but is he at the tail end of his relevancy?

“It’s kind of unfortunate, changing times, older members of the public know exactly what the rat is for,” said James Smith, union activity administrator for the NYC District Council of Carpenters. “The newer generation sometimes doesn’t — one person thought that we were protesting a building that ne

FILE - The Twitter splash page is seen on a digital device, Monday, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. By hiring Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO, Friday, May 12, 2023, Elon Musk is welcoming a veteran ad executive to the helm of the social media site. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

What to know about Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino

Musk announced Friday that he’s hiring Linda Yaccarino to be the new CEO of San Francisco-based Twitter, which is now called X Corp.

Construction workers update the roofing on a high rise at 160 Water Street in Manhattan's financial district, for the building's conversion to residential apartments, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Cities reviving downtowns by converting offices to housing

The building, empty since 2021, is being converted to 588 market-rate rental apartments that will house about 1,000 people. “We’re taking a vacant building and pouring life not only into this building, but this entire neighborhood,” said Joey Chilelli, managing director of real estate firm Vanbarton

Georgia governor vows a fight after MLB yanks All-Star Game

Baseball fans are divided about Major League Baseball’s decision to pull this summer’s All-Star Game from Georgia over a new voting law that critics say will hurt communities of color. But Gov.