3 Things You Should Know About Small Business: Nov. 14

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- What's happening in small business today?

1. Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks off. Today kicks off the third annual Global Entrepreneurship Week, with events sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation literally around the world to engage and inspire entrepreneurism.

"For one week each November, students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders and government officials come together to pursue one cause -- to spread the power of entrepreneurship," according to a statement by Kauffman CEO Carl Schramm. "It's during this time that we celebrate the innovators who bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare."

Events include:

Cleantech Open Global Ideas Competition Finals and Awards Competition in San Francisco. The competition seeks the best clean-technology ideas from around the world. At the award ceremony (date still TBA) finalists making a short pitch to an audience of about 2,500 investors have a chance at winning $100,000 to invest in their business.

Khemka Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at The Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India. The Khemka Forum on Social Entrepreneurship will host its annual event Nov. 17-18. India's most influential entrepreneurs, academics, investors, philanthropists and others will come together to discuss social entrepreneurism.

2. Another small-business lending fund? Sen. Mary Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana and chairwoman of the Senate Small Business Committee, is frustrated that a fund set up to extend money to struggling small businesses on Main Street did not get used as much as it should have. She's hoping to launch a second, more effective program.

"We may be able to at some point in the future launch [a new fund] despite the fact that Republicans have been opposed ... that is smaller than our first attempt but nonetheless successful for the banks that find the federal government a good partner in trying to get money for Main Street," Landrieu told TheStreet.

Do you have suggestions for a better small business lending fund? Email me at [e-mail] and we'll make sure the senator sees them.

3. Start-up businesses' contribution to the job pool is shrinking. According to the most updated figures from the U.S. Census, job creation from start-up businesses is on the decline. A report shows that 2009 had the lowest level of job creation from start-ups since 1980.

-- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York.

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