Once again, here at You’re the Boss, we spent the year in the small-business trenches. Unlike some publications, we don’t emphasize the stories of rock star entrepreneurs who never seem to struggle; instead, we emphasize the struggle.

Our journalists look for issues and trends that small businesses need to understand. And our bloggers – most of whom actually own and run businesses – write about their experiences on the front lines. They share the ups and downs, what’s working and what’s not, the lessons learned. And along the way, they benefit from the feedback of some of the smartest small-business readers around.

While a year of tough economic conditions and nasty politics produced some lowlights, here at You’re the Boss we had lots of highlights. A sampling:

Jay Goltz wrote about how to diagnose what’s wrong with your business. And the one task he can’t seem to delegate. And his moving conversation with the owner of a start-up who was trying to decide whether to give up. And his reaction to a commenter who said she was satisfied being a mediocre employee. And whether good bosses have to be cutthroat. And why it’s silly not to check references.

Paul Downs wrote about his desperate struggle to figure out what went wrong with his Google Adwords campaign. And why he’s looking for a new bank. And the mechanics of firing people. And trying to make an especially difficult customer happy. And how much money he takes out of his business. And how he decides how much to pay his employees.

Jessica Bruder wrote about how small businesses are using services like Fiverr, Yext, and TaskRabbit. And why a fast-growing flower business won’t hire anyone who has experience in the flower industry. And a Harvard professor’s theories on why start-ups fail.

Bruce Buschel wrote about his endless efforts to collect on his insurance claims. And a surprise offer from a generous gentleman.

Melinda F. Emerson wrote about a diner that has mastered social media. And how a business can struggle to make social media work. And how you can use social media to test an idea before you try to sell it.

Adriana Gardella wrote about the struggles of her She Owns It business group, including: one owner’s plans to redesign her Web site, the technologies that got the owners through Hurricane Sandy, one owner’s attempts to improve her business’s tag line, the perceptions that woman- and minority-owned businesses battle, why it’s so hard to find good job candidates, how the owners have been trying to make sense of health care.

Ami Kassar wrote about grading banks on their small-business lending. And about why one company passed up the opportunity to appear on “Shark Tank.” And the advantages of starting a company without outside financing. And what businesses need to know about merchant cash advances. And whether the big banks are keeping their commitments to small businesses. And the right way to think about the S.B.A. And why some businesses aren’t ready for bank lending. And why small-business lending is such a confusing mess.

Robb Mandelbaum wrote about the impact of health insurance reform on businesses in Massachusetts. And about Jon Stewart’s serious proposal to encourage entrepreneurship. And about Mitt Romney’s views on small businesses. And whether big businesses really want to help small businesses (or just get good publicity). And why the health care tax credit is eluding so many small businesses. And why one small-business owner is expecting the worst from the health care overhaul. And how the so-called Buffett rule would affect small businesses. And how some surprisingly large businesses — including one you may have heard of! — benefit from small-business set-asides.

Cliff Oxford wrote about how to handle the brilliant jerk. And an entrepreneurial doctor who isn’t afraid to shake things up.

Josh Patrick wrote about how the sale of a business can go terribly wrong. And the joys (and dangers) of running a microbusiness. And whether owning a business is likely to get you through retirement.

MP Mueller wrote about wondering just how honest you can be with certain clients. And how it’s possible to build a brand even if you can’t afford advertising. And a stunning new social media tactic. And her advertising agency’s struggle to attract new business.

Tom Szaky wrote about why his social business was eager to strike a deal with tobacco companies. And how he interviews job candidates. And his problem with performance reviews.

Barbara Taylor wrote about using your 401(k) to buy a business. And how to judge whether a business for sale is worth the asking price.

Ian Mount wrote about a nut retailer who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy the perfect domain name – only to have it cost him more than 70 percent of his organic Web traffic. Darren Dahl wrote about the surprising number of products that businesses are trying to sell on a subscription basis, including dog food. He also wrote about how some small businesses are being priced out of using AdWords. Glenn Rifkin wrote about a restaurateur who used to deal drugs, once stole a municipal bus and now manages a company with nine businesses, more than 250 employees and more than $19 million in annual revenue. And Eilene Zimmerman wrote about a family farm that has had to try to explain to its customers why its rice contains arsenic.

And every week, Gene Marks scours the Web so that you don’t have to — looking for links to all of the stories that have the biggest impact on small-business owners. On Tuesday, he selected the best of those stories from the last year.

Happy New Year from the You’re the Boss team.

Article source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/how-to-run-a-small-business/?partner=rss&emc=rss