Whether you’ve been in business 10 days, 10 months, or 10 years, it’s time for a “make-over” for your small business. If you’re going to survive and thrive in the Covid-dominated economy, it’s time to think of your small business as a startup. Remember what it was like? You had an idea, a dream. You …
How Not to Start a Startup
I live in the heart of Silicon Valley, where the main industry seems to be starting businesses. As a result, I’ve seen a lot of startups come and go—and I’ve started a few myself—so I’ve had quite an education. I’ve had friends who’ve started businesses they’ve built and sold for millions of dollars. But even …
Chinese Powerhouse Aims for US Small Business
If yours is a small business interested in selling through online platforms, there’s a ‘new’ online platform looking for you. While I’ve used the term ‘new,’ Alibaba.com—part of the Alibaba Group—is not new at all. Often called “the Amazon of China,” the 20-year-old Alibaba Group has recently announced opportunities for American businesses to sell to …
7 Myths about Entrepreneurship
Teaching entrepreneurship, you’re going to run into a bunch of so-called “experts,” who are going to tell you the “truth” about starting and running a business. But much of what they’ll tell you is just not true—no matter how widely held the beliefs. 1. People are either born entrepreneurs or they’re not You’ll hear this …
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 …
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 …
“Be a Tiger” in your Small Business
This past Sunday, the great golfer Tiger Woods gave entrepreneurs and small business owners an important lesson: no matter how hard you fall, how much you fail, you can come back. Woods has had more than his share of problems, humiliation, and, let’s face it, plain bad judgment. But on Sunday at the Tour Championship …
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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