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The Senate is debating a bill this week that would make it easier for small, privately-held companies to go public, as part of a package of legislation to promote economic growth called the JOBS Act.

All week we’ve been hearing from listeners about their Great Recession stories. Some of you have lost jobs, while others have taken pay cuts or moved out-of-state in search of employment. And there are those of you who have created your own employment opportunities: the small business owners of the bunch.

But nothing comes easy when you start from a clean slate. Two Takeaway listeners join us who have ventured to create their own small businesses, while maintaining other part-time work in order to make ends meet.

Karen Mills, head of the Small Business Administration, and the newest member of President Obama's cabinet, discusses what the administration is proposing to help small businesses, particularly in urban areas.

While Republican presidential candidates continue to call for smaller government and fewer federal agencies, Barack Obama this morning proposed to consolidate six departments focused on business and trade.

Reports are that this was a relatively successful kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Business owners, how was your Black Friday through Cyber Monday? Who's shopping, what are they buying, how are you luring them in? Let us know!

New York is a city of specialists from foodies to academics, laborers to shopkeepers. Every Wednesday, Niche Market takes a peek inside a different specialty store and showcases the city's purists who have made an art out of selling one commodity. Slideshow below.

New York is a city of specialists from foodies to academics, laborers to shopkeepers. Every Wednesday, Niche Market takes a peek inside a different specialty store and showcases the city's purists who have made an art out of selling one commodity. Slideshow below.

Fong Inn Too in Chinatown is one of the oldest family-run tofu factories in the country, but the fourth generation has little interest in keeping the tradition going. For now, preservation of the legacy rests squarely on the founder's great grandson.

The nation's debt crisis has all eyes on the politicians on Capitol Hill. But we wanted to know how the debt crisis is playing out in different cities across the country — what local fears and concerns are, and what people have to say about what's happening in the District of Columbia. We headed to Denver, Colo., Detroit, Mich., and Miami, Fla. to hear what people have to say about the current debt crisis.