The travel and convention business is under pressure from national economic woes and concerns about terrorist threats.

Andrea Gold and Gary Yamamoto own Gold Stars Speakers Bureau, a company providing speakers, celebrities and trainers for organizations and events across the country and around the world.

For the first time in company history, Gold Stars revenues are not increasing. To get advice on maximizing revenue and profits, Gold and Yamamoto met with business consultant Steve Marr.

Has the rash of free financing for new cars, no down payments and $2,000 to $4,000 in cash rebates birthed troubles for the auto industry?
Are the auto companies facing a fall-off in sales in 2003? Are they headed for deep, rough waters and troubled finances

Laura Joyce-Miss Laura to her customers-loves to throw parties. So it's only logical that her business, Once Upon A Time, is devoted to children's dress-up and birthday parties. To find strategies to increase profits, she recently met with small business consultant Steve Marr.

Martha Retallick grew up in Pennsylvania. She attended college at the University of Michigan, earning a bachelor's degree in economics in 1979. After college, she started an editorial job with a nonprofit organization but was laid off within a year.

Sally Huss products are created and sold from the home gallery in California. The company does not accept returns, offer marketing assistance or provide a business model for stores to implement, says [Steve Marr]. Some successful Sally Huss Galleries carry a mix of 30 to 40 percent Sally Huss products. The Russos have started diversifying their products, and Marr suggests calling other galleries to identify complementary merchandise that sells well.