What ideas get you excited? What are you authentically excited about? Switchyards founder and CEO Michael Tavani believes that is a key question for business owners. “If I’m passionate about it, then I’m going to be thinking about it a lot, and I’m going to put it out there,” he says. “It’s authentically me.”  Those…

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Sometimes the struggle is to find an idea. But other times the struggle is to make an idea – or set of ideas – more focused. Michael Tavani, founder and CEO of Switchyards in Atlanta, Georgia, believes this is a process every company needs to go through. “I think companies start off as really scattered…

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Many entrepreneurs come up with multiple ideas, and it can be a challenge to negotiate changing visions. Michael Tavani, the founder and CEO of Switchyards in Atlanta, GA, shares the story of how he and his company changed their business model to keep the company growing.  Tavani started with a question: “What is it that’s…

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Starting a business for the first time is not for the faint of heart, even in a stable economy. You face uncertainty at every step of the process—one hurdle after the next, until you eventually you reach a point of exhaustion. So why go on? What drives entrepreneurs to pursue business ownership, despite the hardships?…

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Q. Is an LP the same as an LLP? If not, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each entity? LP stands for Limited Partnership, while LLP stands for Limited Liability Partnership. The two structures are very different from purpose, governance, and legal liability perspectives: Limited Partnership (LP) LPs are commonly used for long-term real…

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Have you ever found yourself putting off a project because it just “wasn’t the right time”? While we can always come up with a reason not to do something, it’s all too easy to keep kicking the can down the road forever, and never actually do anything. There’s no such thing as the “perfect time,”…

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Everybody says to do what you’re passionate about. But what comes first: the business or the passion? GoSmallBiz CEO Fran Tarkenton shares his thoughts on this important concept for every business owner in this video!

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Who are encore entrepreneurs and what is their relationship with small businesses? Encore entrepreneurs are defined as entrepreneurs that are over the age 55, according to the Spring 2021 “The Megaphone of Main Street: Unsung Entrepreneurs” report presented by SCORE. (Previously, the internet might have referred to these entrepreneurs as boomer entrepreneurs.) An encore entrepreneur’s…

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Did you know that Tennessee has over 150,000 small businesses? Small business is booming in the state and now is the time for you to finally take the plunge and start your own business. If you’re wondering about how to start an LLC, what kinds of paperwork your need to complete, and where to begin, we…

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Did you know that here in the Evergreen State there are over half a million small businesses, employing 1.4 million people? Are you thinking about starting a new business? Or have you recently made the leap and joined the ranks of these half a million small businesses?  If so, then you could wonder what kind of…

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