I was one burrito away from getting a free one at Gordito’s, and I was really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately for me, my stomach, my colleagues and the Mount Vernon area of Baltimore, Gordito’s Cafe, at 336 N. Charles St. has closed after having only been open for a couple of months.

The anticipation for a “homestyle” Mexican restaurant opening half a block from The Daily Record’s offices was immense (at least for me it was). I mean, who doesn’t love a good burrito?

They redecorated the space — inside and out — painting it with bright yellows, oranges and greens, which stood out from the other earthy-colored buildings on the block.

But a few weeks ago, a small paper sign appeared on the glass windows stating that Gordito’s would be closed temporarily until further notice due to personal family issues. A couple of weeks after that, a giant “Lease/Sale” sign appeared, covering most of the storefront.

My heart sank. OK, well not really. But I was disappointed.

And whether or not Gordito’s closed due to family reasons, it has become a small part of a large, unfortunate statistic: the high rate of failure for small businesses.

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A lot of what we post here on the Business page qualifies – in some way – as news. Sometimes we try to be entertaining (I hope we succeed occasionally). Sometimes a reporter will share his or her experience covering a story on government, business, the environment or development.

We don’t write often about how to grow a small business or start a new one. On our Web site, we recently added a daily video tip for small business owners. If you’d like to see more of this type of content – let us know. Post a comment on the blog or email me.

In the meantime, the WSJ has done the job for us, in a roundup of 15 Entrepreneur Blogs worth reading. They chose based on how much tangible information each blog gives; if they offer motivational stories for entrepreneurs; if they help you build a business.

They break down the blogs’ missions into five categories:

1. Dominate a niche (think recycling or e-commerce).

2. Motivate/inspire/teach (Seth Godin’s popular marketing blog is a classic example).

3. Offer tools (want some help with a business plan? try smallbiztrends.com).

4. Entertain and promote (for instance, a fashion designer who keeps a juicy online diary).

5. Company founders who blog about their business and life (Honest Tea’s Seth Goldman is an example).

What other business-related blogs do you read regularly? What brings you back to them?

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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Investing in franchise ownership can be a big financial commitment for small businesspeople, but now there’s one more – free – tool at their disposal.

An online course dubbed Franchising Basics is now available, free of charge, from the U.S. Small Business Administration and franchise consultants FranNet.

The course will cover franchising options, strategies for growth, and common pitfalls. Participants will even get a certificate of completion at the finish.

A quick perusal of the SBA’s online training offerings shows no shortage of courses, on starting a business, management, marketing and government contracting. Might be worth a look.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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Small business owners have it tough. Forget about floating holidays, cushy benefits or corporate IT support; oftentimes, they have only themselves to rely on in a jam.

That’s why the producers of the PBS series “Small Business School” aim to make successful small business owners larger-than-life.

Dedicated exclusively to telling the stories behind small businesses, the weekly series takes you inside hundreds of companies so you can learn from owners who are the best in their category.

The business owners featured on the show have created jobs for at least ten years, they are considered leaders by their peers and they’re often beloved in their local communities.

And – I’m telling you this because – starting today, clips from the show will be featured on The Daily Record Web site.

Each day, a 1-4 minute video clip from the show will be offered, courtesy of Producer/Host Hattie Bryant (above) and “Small Business School.”

Take a look at today’s clip, and let us know what you think the unique challenges of being a small business owner in Maryland are.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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