• Business may help small farmers prosper
  Mechanical engineer Peter Frykman developed a drip-irrigation system that can be sold to subsistence farmers in China and India for as little as $5, allowing them to grow surplus crops. Frykman launched his company with a $5,000 personal investment, and one Chinese province is already testing the Driptech system on hundreds of small farms. BusinessWeek (11/12)

• Startup seeks to cash in on fashionable shows
  A Web startup called Utvee helps TV fans buy the clothes they see on shows such as "Gossip Girl." The company posts clips from the show on a Web site alongside links to an online retailer that sells the clothing seen on the program. Every time a sale is made through the site, Utvee gets a portion of the revenue. VentureBeat (11/13)

• Congress eyes help on business credit cards
  Some members of Congress are trying to help small businesses win the same credit card protections that are set to be offered to individuals. The proposal would make it harder for banks to change fees and interest rates on cards issued to businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The measure faces opposition by lawmakers such as Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y. The New York Times/You're the Boss blog (11/13)

• The dangers of execution without leadership
  Fewer than half of managers said it is their duty to inspire workers or provide direction during a crisis, according to a McKinsey study. The study indicates that managers show a bias for simply "getting things done," writes leadership coach John Baldoni. But focusing only on execution "will not provide a foundation for what organizations really need to do, and that is to grow," he writes. HarvardBusiness.org/Leadership at Work blog (11/13)

• 5 things you won't find on the B-school syllabus
  Business schools don't do a great job of teaching the human side of business, writes software entrepreneur Tim Berry. Entrepreneurs at most schools won't learn much about people skills, fairness, work-life balance, living with risk or knowing when to pull the plug, he writes. Planning Startups Stories blog (11/12)

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs readers in the past week.

• How to look smart while asking a question (HarvardBusiness.org)

• 7 sticky Web site ideas (Small Business Trends)

• Should you hire employees, temps or contractors? (Google)

• How the Volt may jolt U.S. business (Inc.)

• 3 reasons entrepreneurs fail to plan (The New York Times)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

• In which area do you plan the greatest increase in spending for 2010?
  Read the SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs Year-End Report, which will be published on Dec. 15, to find out how your peers are responding.

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