Somewhere along the way we lost "us" and replaced it with "me." Somewhere along the way our incentives to cooperate got overshadowed by our individual interest in self-reward. But are we really better off in a country where everyone is out for themselves? Does getting ahead mean we have to leave someone behind?

While the concerns regarding the potential negative impact of certain high interest loans are legitimate, the debate has failed to consider the context in which high interest loans exist. It is too simple to label a loan "high interest" by looking only at the annualized interest rate. There are many other factors that determine the true cost of borrowing.

While it took a few years after the financial crisis for financial services start-ups to get their business models refined to the point where they can come to market they are here now, and these alternative financial services technology companies are becoming viable and increasingly common sources of financing for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Everyone said I had to use LinkedIn when I was working to launch Zillidy. I currently have over 600 LinkedIn connections, which according to the website links me to over 10.5 million professionals. So why is LinkedIn such a powerful tool for small business? I believe it's because of the following reasons.