Are you the Scrooge in your small business? Remember “A Christmas Carol”—Charles Dickens’ tale of a miserly business owner…
Women Entrepreneurs Say #TimesUp
Twenty years ago, I was trying to raise venture capital for a Silicon Valley startup venture I’d launched with a female partner. We had Fortune 100 sponsors and a huge bank ready to invest a million dollars. They had just one requirement: we needed a venture capitalist (VC) to also invest. We thought we had …
Instagram Updates for Small Biz
Two years ago, I wrote a column on how small businesses could best use Instagram to grow their businesses. Geez, does that seem a long time ago now. Social media changes faster than Beyoncé changes outfits. There’s a lot you need to catch up on if you want to take advantage of the benefits of …
Honest Advice on Business Planning
Excerpted from Entrepreneurship: A Real-World Approach, 2nd Ed, now available Challenge: Identify the opportunities and challenges when launching a new business Solution: Develop a business plan to help navigate the new company on the sometimes bumpy road to success Two thirsty guys walk into a supermarket. No, that’s not the beginning of a joke. It was the beginning of …
You Built It. Now What?
Few things in life beat the excitement of starting a new business or launching a new product. Creating a startup is thrilling. Sure, there’s risk—but risk can be exciting. There’s also challenge and creativity—figuring out how to build something from nothing, finding money, solving problems. But what happens when the startup is started? You built …
8 Tech Tips for Small Biz
Today, every business is a technology business. Whether you have a one-person consulting company or a 500-person manufacturing firm, every business must use technology and use it well. Small business owners don’t need to be early adopters of technology, but you do have to be adopters. But tech can be overwhelming to a small business …
29 Businesses to Start Over Age 29 and One to Avoid
Are you a millennial stuck in a job you hate? Got kids but not earning enough to make ends meet? Still haven’t paid off that student loan? Maybe it’s time to start your own small business. I’ve got 29 great business ideas for those of you over 29—and one business to avoid. Whether it’s a …
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Think Like an Entrepreneur
Can entrepreneurship be taught? Can your students learn to be entrepreneurs, or must they be born with an entrepreneurial spirit? While some people are naturally more oriented toward an entrepreneurial lifestyle, and feel more comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with entrepreneurship, it’s definitely possible to work on developing some of the key attitudes and …
Women Biz Owners: Give Yourself a Raise
Just about everyone knows women employees earn less than men—about 80 cents for every dollar. That’s one reason many women start a small business or become self-employed. When you set your own fees, you’ll make the same as men, right? Not so fast. Self-employed women still make a lot less than self-employed men. Ladies: it’s …
