Steve Jobs. Marshall Field. Thomas Edison. Famous male entrepreneurs are household names, but March is Women’s History Month, so it’s time to celebrate women entrepreneurs. It’s easy to think of women entering the work force as a modern phenomenon. But women ran and built successful companies for centuries, small businesses and large enterprises. Successful women …
Who’s Got the Best Small Business on TV?
Small business is the second most admired institution in America, yet it’s rare to see small business owners on television. Cops? Sure. Dysfunctional families? Plenty. Even aliens. Small business owners? Not so many. But if you look hard enough, you’ll find a few fun entrepreneurs when you kick back with some popcorn and turn on …
Lean Startup: Five Things Your Students Need to Know Now
“Experiment, Expedite, Iterate.” That’s Google’s mantra of new product development, and it closely aligns with one of the hottest trends in entrepreneurship today: the lean startup. As an entrepreneurship educator, you’re likely familiar with the lean startup movement, promoted by author Eric Reis. In a nutshell, the lean startup approach emphasizes speed: launch a product …
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Entrepreneurs: What’s Your Exit Plan?
When you’re about to launch your great new startup or building a small business, you don’t spend a lot of time pondering how you’ll eventually leave it. Sure, you might imagine your terrific new app will be bought by millions. Or perhaps you think one day you’ll make enough money to retire. But without a …
7 Keys to a Winning Proposal
A few weeks ago, a potential large client made a reasonable, but nerve-wracking, request, “Can you send me a proposal?” It’s not unusual—in many small businesses, creating proposals are a critical part of the sales process. Whether you’re bidding to build a company’s new website or a homeowner’s new deck, your proposal plays a large …
Follow Your Heart and Make Money Too
February is the month for Valentine’s Day, and all around, you’ll see hearts and flowers. But when it comes to starting and growing your small business, have you followed your own heart? Small business owners are notorious for sabotaging their own companies when they fall out of love with what they’re doing. Once you lose …
Monkey Brings Success to Small Business
Hold on tight: here comes the year of the monkey. And it should be a great, if tumultuous, year for small business owners and entrepreneurs. If you’re just starting a business, it portends to be a particularly auspicious year for launching new ventures. February 8 marks the beginning of the Chinese, or lunar, new year. …
Making Your Small Business Look Big
Has a prospective client ever said your small business was too limited to serve their needs? Does your small business lack expertise in critical areas? Well, there’s a way to add skills, size, and strength without hiring a single employee. Join with others to form a “virtual company.” What’s a virtual company? It’s an alliance …
Commit Yourself to the Turn
It’s not typical to get small business guidance on a ski slope, but one of the most useful pieces of advice I ever got came when I first learned to ski many years ago: “Commit yourself to the turn.” Whenever you want to go in a new direction—in skiing or small business—you have to follow …
