How-To
How to beat bankruptcy
It’s not impossible to get your business out of debt and heading towards profitability. Others have done it and you can too. Facing bankruptcy can be a terrifying experience for a franchisee or small business owner. But it’s not uncommon – and it’s not hopeless either. Not everyone comes back from the brink, but Jeff [...]
How to Get Your Share of Government Contracts
Looking to bring in new business? Then you’re probably on the watch for government contracts coming up to bid. If you’re not, you should be. Together, federal, state and local governments buy over a $1 trillion dollars in goods and services each year. A not-insignificant amount of that money gets funneled into multimillion-dollar constructions projects. [...]
How can I form an advisory board?
My baking company is growing incredibly fast, and I often feel I could use a little advice. How can I form an advisory board? -Stephanie Vandegrift, Stephanie’s Premium Bakery, Dallas Dear Stephanie: “Start with a list of experts you can call on individually,” says Dorothy Adams, a board member of the Stamford chapter of the [...]
How Couples Run A Home Business Without Running Each Other Down
Combining marriage and business is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. It requires serious consideration and answers to some tough questions. Here are 10 tips for running a successful home-based business with your spouse: Determine if you can work side by side. Discuss your goals. Write a business plan and solicit feedback. Define each [...]
It’s Never Too Early to Invent
A new website and media campaign are encouraging children to use their imagination to come up with technological innovations of the future. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is working with the Advertising Council and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in launching the new initiative InventNow. The program targets kids between 8 and 11 [...]
How to Get Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract
The companies will waive the early termination fee if you die. Pretending to be dead, however, does not work well as a way to break a contract. Sprint Nextel, Verizon and Cingular, for example, may ask for a death certificate. T-Mobile says it does not. “They want to take people at their word,�? said Graham [...]
Top 5 Signs You May Be Charging Too Little
Number 5: Your client mistakes your daily rate for an hourly one. Number 4: You’ve won every job you’ve ever pitched for. Number 3: New clients are always asking what “the catch†is. Number 2: You never run out of work, yet you are subsisting on beans and ramen noodles. Number 1 sign you may [...]
