Even though the economy is still sluggish, things are much better than a year ago, when it looked like the global financial system was about to fall apart. In fact, it may be a good idea to expand your business.

Keep in mind that during times of big change, there are also big opportunities. However, to take advantage of these, you really need to go beyond your own abilities. In other words, you need to think about hiring.

Unfortunately, the hiring process is scary and complicated -- with many rules and risks. But an excellent new book can help out: Hire Your First Employee (get your free copy). Actually, I had a chance to talk to the author, Rhonda Abrams.

According to the latest American Express (AXP) OPEN Small Business Monitor report, there are signs of improvement. Yet, the fact remains that cash flow continues to be a problem for many business owners. In fact, they have had to take some tough measures, such as cut costs, renegotiate contracts, sell personal assets and even get a second job.

But there is another way to help deal with cash flow problems -- that is, get better at invoicing and collections. While this can be uncomfortable, it is a necessity for any successful business.

Let's face it, payroll is one of the drudgeries of running your own business. It's a big expense and complicated. Actually, some companies have imploded because of payroll problems.

So what to do? Here are things to consider.

Online Services: Just like with anything nowadays, there are online services to manage your payroll. One of the best I've seen is PayCycle.com, which is now owned by Intuit (INTU).

It's usually tough finding the right gift for an entrepreneur. Hey, the best thing would probably be a loan or some customers, right?

OK, being realistic, there are some gifts to consider. Let's take a look:

The Cloud: It's all the rage right now -- that is, on-demand software services. The good news is that much of it is affordable. Take a look at Salesforce.com (CRM). The company has a small business edition of its customer relationship management (CRM) offering that comes to only $50 per year.

With the recession, the federal government implemented a variety of tax-saving programs to spur business. But as should be expected, there are limits. Might some of the tax-breaks go away next year?

To get some insight on the matter, I had a chance to talk to Michael D'Avolio, who is a senior tax consultant at Intuit (INTU). When considering any tax advice, you certainly should talk to a pro.

By any historical standard, it's been a horrible recession. Just surviving has been a big accomplishment.

However, this "survivor mentality" can be a problem. If anything, it can prevent your business from eventually growing.

Growing? Yes, that's right. Taking a look at the recent economic indicators, it does look like the economy is on the mend.

H&R Block did pretty well considering revenues declined almost 3%. Earnings from continuing operations were flat at $2.09 per diluted share. This was enough to beat estimates of $2.05 per share according to this source.

Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ: MSFT) personal finance tracking program MS Money (not to be confused with msmoney.com) has been futilely chasing Intuit's (NASDAQ: INTU) Quicken since the early days of Windows. Apparently, the company has finally taken note of all the red on its financials and is mercifully pulling the plug on the program.

According to CNet's Ina Fried, Microsoft will put the program down tomorrow. It is currently only distributed online, and the company will discontinue updating it for current users after January of 2011.

I don't expect much wailing and gnashing of teeth from those savvy enough to track their finances with a computer program. Quicken has proven a reliable program so widely adopted that it serves as a template for other, similar programs.

Back in 1999, former Intuit employees -- René Lacerte and Martin Gates -- saw an opportunity in building an affordable, web-based payroll system for small business. So, they started a company called PayCycle.

It was certainly prescient. In fact, this week PayCycle sold to Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) for $170 million.

Besides having a strong on-demand offering, PayCycle also has a large customer base, which comes to roughly 85,000 small businesses. No doubt, this will be a lucrative cross-sell opportunity for Intuit. At the same time, PayCycle will help deal with the intense competitive environment, which includes players like ADP (NYSE: N) and Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX).

• Deutsche Bank upgraded AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it views the risk/reward as favorable at current levels. Deutsche raised its target price to $41.50 from $38.
  
• FBR Capigal upgraded Charlotte Russe (NASDAQ:CHIC) to Outperform from Market Perform following the company's Q2 results on expectations merchandise improvements and cost-cutting efforts will drive continued margin expansion. The firm raised its target on shares to $15 from $10.
  
• Oppenheimer upgraded Fidelity National (NYS:FIS) to Outperform from Perform as it believes the Metavante (MV) acquisition makes strategic sense and the stock's risk/reward is favorable. The firm's target price is $25.
• First American (NYSE:FAF) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.
  
• Nokia (NYSE:NOK) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Parker-Hannifin NYSE:(PH) was lifted at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

Back in college, I took a tax course from H&R Block (NYSE: HRB). It was a great learning experience – and also meant I could earn some extra bucks (at least during the first quarter of the year).

Well, even though the web has become a competitive threat for tax preparers -- such as from Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) -- there is still lots of opportunity for the human touch. After all, the U.S. tax system always seems to get more complicated (especially lately). In fact, with the incoming Obama Administration, there are some new deductions and credits, so it's a good idea to have a pro help out.

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) closed at $15.86. HRB May option implied volatility is at 53, July is at 51; below its 26-week average of 56, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) closed at $25.39. INTU May option implied volatility is at 41; July is at 42; below its 26-week average of 49, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.