Startup
Best of Mentoring: Jonathan Pascual on Kickstarter Campaigns
Jonathan Pascual’s mentoring series looks at creative thinking for startups as they prepare to open their doors and grow into success. Jonathan and Fran discuss how to learn the fundamentals of your business and industry, how to connect with customers and your larger community, and what it takes to reach profitability. In this session, Jonathan…
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Midweek Reading: Audits, Vacations, and Innovation
The IRS is finding that audits are an ineffective way to close the “tax gap” with small businesses, and in 2015 recouped its smallest total from audits in 13 years. A survey found that two-thirds of small business owners think taking a vacation is good for their business, but only 25% actually did so. Google…
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When Should You Incorporate?
Just like sports or comedy, when it comes to incorporation, timing is everything. Incorporate too soon, and you may be stuck paying unnecessary fees and taxes, filing unnecessary reports, and just generally wasting your time and money. Incorporate too late and you could face unlimited liability. Here are some factors to consider when timing your…
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Midweek Reading: Ditching Reviews, Firing Customers, and Emptying Shelves
Online reviews are more and more prevalent, and yet often trusted less and less. Some businesses are actively working to undermine the system, while others embrace it with all its absurdities. Sometimes you have to fire the customer. Here’s how to identify which ones are a problem, and how to handle the situation. The bookstore…
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Best of Mentoring: Jim Flannery on Putting Company First
Jim Flannery’s mentoring series is all about supporting new entrepreneurs, and how startups can put themselves in the best position to succeed. He and Fran talk about the common themes in the lives of successful entrepreneurs, the importance of listening to customers, and how incubators like Four Athens help startups. In this session, Jim shares…
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We All Need Mentors
Mentors play such an important role in our lives. I know that my mentors made a huge impact on me, in both football and business. And even now, at 76 years old, when I’ve started more than 20 companies on my own, I still have people I go to for insight and learning. It never…
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Midweek Reading: Vets, Nice Guys, and the Sharing Economy
The SBA helps teach the basics of being a business owner to veterans, service members, and their spouses through the Boots to Business: Reboot program. Nice guys can finish first, as a wide range of studies has found. More people are familiar with companies like Uber and AirBnB than the actual industry they’re a part…
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Midweek Reading: Capital and Crowdsourcing
Head of the US Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet talked in an interview about the importance of improving entrepreneurs’ access to capital. People have turned to the crowds for help raising money, and now small businesses are going to the crowds for help making business decisions, using crowdsourcing to replace the focus group. The new…
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5 Tips for Working with Lenders
Obtaining a loan is a challenge that many entrepreneurs face during the first years of running their business. Whether you need money to fund a new project or to expand on an existing one, here are 5 tips for working with lenders that can help you seal the deal on that loan to put your…
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Midweek Reading: Names, Pharmacists, and Injuries
A good business name matters, so avoid these four major business name mistakes, including difficult spelling and ambiguity. There are nearly 300,000 licensed pharmacists working in the US, many still with independent pharmacies holding off the national chains. This interview with an independent pharmacist looks at the challenges of the business. According to an extensive…
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