Archive for April 2005
EntreWorld: “While no entrepreneur wants to consider the possibility of failure, a head-in-the-sand approach is hardly worth pursuing. Wise entrepreneurs protect themselves and their companies by learning from the fatal mistakes others have made before them. The author, a venture-fund veteran, has watched and participated in the progress of numerous entrepreneurial ventures. In this speech, [...]
More Than Half of All Businesses Are Home Based
As a home based entrepreneur, reports like the SBA report “The Small Business Economy” that StartupNation found, are very interesting: According to a recent SBA report (pdf), today 53% of U.S. businesses hang the “Open for Business” sign at home.
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting your own Business
Amazon: “This is an extensive handbook of small-business basics for those who already have the desire and drive mandatory for launching an individual commercial enterprise–but it does not include all of the specific day-to-day skills that significantly increase its chances for survival. The book begins with plainspoken advice on matters such as choosing a business, [...]
PRNewswire: Thousands of people are expected to attend 14th Annual International Franchise Expo that runs for three days in the nation’s capital. The expo will showcase more than 200 franchise systems and small business investment opportunities. The show is hosted by the International Franchise Association and will be at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center on [...]
Some People Just Don’t Understand Working At Home
Jeremy Wright: Since moving to a self-employed position 3 months ago, I’ve found that some people simply don’t understand working at home is still working. It doesn’t really bother me, it’s just not very fun to hear “so, what were you doing today?” all the time, as if I’ve been relaxing.
Pricing Strategies For Small Businesses
Law & Entrepreneurship News: “Webpronews.com has a nice article about how small businesses can repackage pricing strategies to make them more appealing without slashing prices.”
→ massageenvy.com Massage Envy is an innovative business concept that combines the ancient art of massage with modern business systems, service and pricing strategies. The Massage Envy concept is designed to provide the ultimate in convenience to time-conscious clients. The average clinic is open 7 days a week, with over 4,000 potential appointment times available [...]
Screening Your Prospects With “Speed Dating”
Rob Levinson in Startup Journal: You’ve probably heard of speed dating, a service that introduces singles to a room full of potentially suitable companions, by allowing pairs exactly eight minutes (or as few as three) for conversation… and the chance to quickly size up chemistry. The best part is the “instant-out clause” — every eight [...]
Business Entity Comparison Table
Entreworld: “This is a summary of the various forms of company structure you can use for your business, organized in a chart that’s easy to review. You can compare the sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC), general partnership, S-corporation and C-corporation types along an exhaustive set of criteria, including initial business formation, duration, liability issue, [...]
→ npiweb.com National Property Inspections, Inc. is one of the oldest and most widely respected names in the residential and commercial property inspection business, with experience and knowledge in home, building, and commercial property inspections. Each year they perform tens of thousands of inspections in the United States and Canada with clients ranging from home [...]
One year ago today: How to Fire Employees Start Up: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching and Managing a New Business Am I an Entrepreneur?
Stop Flying Solo: Get A Partner
I’ve been thinking about finding the perfect business partner recently. When you’re looking for a partner, you don’t want a clone of yourself, rather you want someone that compliments your strengths, makes up for your weaknesses and can offer a different perspective. Adam Rifkin has more: Whereas finding a romantic partner is such a regular [...]
Entrepreneur: “Winning a contest is a great way to achieve the kind of success many inventors only dream about. Sponsored by major companies like Staples and Procter & Gamble, these invention contests offer entrepreneurs major market introduction opportunities. Of course, you can’t win if you don’t enter. Check out the websites for the United Inventors [...]
Paypal wasn’t always the dominant way to send and receive money online. When they were young and trying to attract an audience, they gave away money to everyone who signed up for an account. Today, a new company called GreenZap announced that they are going challenge Paypal for the space: GreenZap is set up to [...]
Promoting Your Self Published Book
David St Lawrence: If you choose to self-publish, you will find yourself with a few weeks of almost-free time while the printers are figuring out how to print your book. It is during this time that you must take off your author hat and put on your publisher hat. It is time to think in [...]
Sydney Johnston continues her great advice about what not to sell on eBay: My second nomination for the Lame Idea About What To Sell On eBay Award is the entire idea about finding “hot” products. If you really want to know what’s sizzling, what’s fiery H-O-T, spend a few hours watching the infomercials on TV. [...]
The Entrepreneurial Mind: Venture Capitalists were busy raising money in 2004 and have some very full pockets of cash. The phenomenon is known as overhang, and you can read about it here (PDF). More cash means more deals and probably a little bit looser purse strings with the investments they are willing to take. Good [...]
Ten Reasons Not to Buy a Franchise
Thinking about buying a franchise? Nolo has ten franchise red flags that should cause you to potentially consider investing your time and money elsewhere: Questionable profitability. High start-up costs. Encroachment. Lack of legal recourse. Limited independence. Royalty payments. Inflated pricing on supplies. Restrictions on post-term competition. Advertising fees. Unfair termination. Always do your due dilligence.
The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century
Amazon: “Based on the top-selling Best Home Businesses for the 90s, here is a completely updated, comprehensive look at the leading businesses for small and home-based entrepreneurs in the 21st century. This invaluable guide provides comprehensive profiles of more than one hundred hot new businesses that promise the top opportunities for small-business people in the [...]
New Parents Make Good Entrepreneurs
NY Times: “For some people having a baby disrupts careers; for others it makes them. A new generation of parent-entrepreneurs – many of whom are survivors of the Internet boom and bust – discovered an unfilled market niche when they began looking for baby gear and children’s furnishings that met their standards for form and [...]
The IRS and eBay: Tax Season Is Here
AuctionBytes.com: It’s that time of year – April 15 is looming. As if I wasn’t already thinking about it, the Associated Press ran an article about eBay sellers and whether they were required to report eBay income on their taxes. How do you know if you are required to report eBay income in your taxes? [...]
→ barkbusters.com Bark Busters is an in-home dog training company, founded in 1989 in Australia. Today, their proprietary holistic and humane dog training system is currently operating in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan, and is expanding into the U.S. with franchise opportunities available in all 50 states. With over 180 franchisees [...]
Recording Out of Pocket Expenses
Real Life Accounting: “There are several ways to record ‘out-of-pocket’ expenses for the owner of a business on your books. How you do this depends of what type of business organization is being used. For example: Sole proprietor; Partnership; or Corporation.”
This week’s Carnival of the Capitalists is up at Law & Entrepreneurship News.
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Business Cycle
Sean Corrigan in Mises Economics Blog: “After my article ‘We shoulda seen it coming,’ I received vast amounts of feedback from genuine entrepreneurs who talked of their personal experiences in dealing with Fed-induced cycles. I decided, then, to rewrite the article and expand it. The result is The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Business Cycle (PDF).”
Entrepreneur on starting a restaurant: “The numbers add up to a tremendous opportunity: Every week, Americans consume an average of 4.2 meals that are prepared away from home–that’s 218 meals per year and increasing. By 2010, the restaurant industry will operate more than 1 million units, with sales of $577 billion capturing 53 percent of [...]
Ajarn’s SQL Corner: “There are a lot of misconceptions, myths, bad advice and outright lies about what it takes to be successful in business. And most of those are continually spread by people who have never gone into business for themselves. Unfortunately, some of them are spread by people who went into business, failed at [...]
When Is An Idea The “Right” One For An Entrepreneur?
Business Pundit: “I’m torn about what I think. Should entrepreneurs wait for that perfect intersection of passion, knowledge, experience, opportunity, luck and money? Or do you just need two or three of those to hit at the same time? Let’s face it, we don’t want.. to be busy with something else when we could be [...]
→ premiergarage.com PremierGarage, a division of Premier Specialties, Inc., was formed in the late 1990′s specializing in Residential Floor Coatings, Cabinetry and Organizational systems. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, their focus is on providing their clients with the highest quality products and installations available. They utilize only the latest state-of-the-art materials and technologies available to create [...]
→ geminitubrepair.com Gemini Tub Repair is currently seeking franchise partners to join their rapidly growing franchise network. Opportunities are available with an established reputation for excellence and strong industry relationships in a business that enjoys both extremely low start-up costs and the potential for a tremendous return on your investment. Gemini Tub Repair performs bathtub [...]
Yahoo Small Business: “When you use part of your home for business, you may be able to deduct expenses for what the IRS calls the ‘business use of your home.’ If you meet the technical requirements of the tax law, you should be able to deduct a percentage of many of the costs of running [...]
The Entrepreneur As American Hero, Revisited
On the advice of my father, I reread through Walter Williams’s speech that I mentioned yesterday and I discovered that I missed this gem: In truth, in a free society, income is earned through pleasing and serving one’s fellow man. I mow your lawn, repair your roof or teach your kid economics. In turn you [...]
Small Banks Help Small Business
Don’t make assumptions about a bank’s lending methods based on their size — it can be deceiving as Ronald Reed found out when he tried to find money to help him grow: “I assumed a bigger bank would have more money to take chances on [small companies] vs. a smaller bank that I assumed would [...]
Inc. Magazine’s Twenty Six Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs
Inc.: “Inc. magazine goes behind the scenes with 26 entrepreneurs who best exemplify the extraordinary drive, creativity, and passion of American business. Our top 26 list, one for each year of Inc., spans the gamut of the entrepreneurial world, from names you know well, such as Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and Martha Stewart; to Tony [...]
