3 Things You Should Know About Small Business: August 8

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- What's happening in small business today?

1. Mobile payments goes mainstream. Starbucks and mobile payments platform Square have signed a deal to bring the mobile payments platform to Starbucks' 7,000 locations, a landmark deal in the new era of mobile spending by consumers.

The deal also brings $25 million to the startup (founded by Twitter's Jack Dorsey) in a series D financing. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is joining Square's board, according to TheStreet.

2. Thinking about franchising your business? Learn what goes into developing a franchise agreement at this year's West Coast Franchise Expo, to be held Oct. 12-14 in Anaheim, Calif.

Besides finding hundreds of franchising opportunities with investment levels of $5,000 to $5 million, the seminar on franchise agreements is one of several sessions for attendees.

3. Technology to help your startup. Tech expert Jonathan Blum offers Entrepreneur readers several options for technology that won't exhaust the startup's budget. Typically, the more features a device has, the more expensive it is to purchase, maintain and train employees on. A new business owner may be better off with a tech solution that does one or two things well instead of a more complicated product, Blum says. He offers seven easy-to-use tools for startup, including the HP Omni 220-1125, a ready-to-use desktop computer; the Motorola Xoom 2, a basic tablet device; and virtual assistant, LongerDays.com.

-- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York.

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