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  • We Don’t Need No Stinking Permits
    Unless you’re renting simple office space odds are you will need to make some modifications to the space, be it adding walls, flooring, paint, electrical, plumbing, or any combination thereof.
  • Tips For Dealing With Contractors
    This week we discuss how to find a capable building contractor to build out the location. And as this series has been thus far, this segment is based on my personal experience and offered to you warts and all. As with all of my columns only the names have been changed to protect the innocent, the ignorant, and the overly litigious.
  • Time To Sign A Lease; Get Your First Born Ready
    We’ve been discussing the steps required to open a brick and mortar store. We’ve talked about startup plans and finding a location. This week we look at what comes next in the process: the negotiation and signing of one of the most dreaded legal document any entrepreneur will ever face: the commercial lease (insert scary music here).
  • It’s Not All About Location, Location, Location
    Last time we met I brought you the tale of how I scouted for and eventually found what I considered to be the best retail location for my new retail gunshop in my hometown of Madison.
  • Learn To Avoid Ugly Baby Syndrome
    Last week we talked about creating a "Startup Plan" for your new business idea. To catch you up, a Startup Plan is a detailed list of tasks and subtasks that must be completed in order to get you from the initial idea stage to opening day and beyond.
  • Do Your Homework To Find The Best Location For Your Business
    This week our discussion on starting a brick and mortar business continues. We’ve already talked about creating a Startup Plan to manage the process and conducting market research to gauge the viability of your idea. If you missed those entries visit TimKnox.com and click the "Columns" tab.
  • Never Dive Into Business Without A Startup Plan
    This week begins the tale of my recent foray into the world of brick and mortar and the startup the lessons learned there from.
  • Boy, What Were You Thinking?
    When I was a kid there were five words I heard more than all others combined. Usually coming from my father, they were, "Boy, what were you thinking?"
  • Be Careful What You Wish For
    Well, my friends, like the Terminator, politicians named Clinton, the ghosts from the movie Poltergeist, and that corn on the side of your big toe: I’m back. There are just some things that won’t go away. Sorry.
  • Don’t Let Stress Run You Out Of Business
    Stress is business is a common phenomenon and every entrepreneur must know how to handle it and grow with it.
  • How To Really Get The Competitive Advantage Over Your Competition
    One of the hot catchphrases being bounced around a lot in business these days is “competitive advantage.”One of the cool things about being an entrepreneur and business author and speaker is that I get to use all kinds of big words and phrases that make me sound much smarter than I am.
  • What Would You Do With A Second Chance?
    You could avoid the mistakes you previously made and build on the successes you previously enjoyed. You could nurture the positive relationships and avoid the bad. You could tap into your wealth of experience during times of indecision and always know where and when your time and money would be best spent.
  • Like Books, Entrepreneurs Are Always Judged By Their Covers
    Enterpreneurship requires not just hard work and knowledge of business but also a number of other things that are many times not considered too important. Grooming yourself to look good is just one of these things that enterpreneurs need to focus on.
  • Entrepreneurs, Learn This Lesson: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
    Many enterpreneurs crubmle under the weight of pressure everyday business. Here are some great tips to tackle such pressures and focus on your business growth.
  • Is Business Ownership In Your Future?
    Anyone who wishes to start a business must first do a lot of self assessment and planning otherwise the business venture may flounder easily.
  • The Process For Becoming An Entrepreneur
    Many people want to start a new business but know little about what they are in for. This article can be a great resource for such people.
  • How Do You Keep Your Best Employees From Flying The Coup?
    There is not lack of jobs for good talent today and the best way to keep your best employees around is to provide them with incentives to stay on. The end result is ofcourse the continued growth of your business.
  • Never Say It Can’t Be Done
    In business one must never say or assume that something can't be done. With a little help from ingenuity and creativity any problem can be easily solved.
  • Use Email Marketing To Keep Customers Buzzing About Your Business
    Email marketing can be used as an effective tool for communicating with customers. Its is an effective medium of communication to boost sales by ensuring that your customers constantly remember you.
  • What’s Stopping You From Starting Your Own Small Business?
    Some people simply don't have what it takes to start your own business. Others just need a bit of kicking to jumpstart them.
  • Do You Want Fries With That Management Style?
    The environment of any workplace is highly dependant on the type of manager and his/her management style. This article describes some of these management approaches.
  • What Can American Idol Teach You About Business?
    Here are some tips for entrepreneur that can help them to achieve their dreams and be successful in business.
  • Expert Strategies For Hiring The Best Employees
    Hiring employees who can contribute to your business positively is a challenge for every entrepreneur. Here are some tips on how to go about this difficult and challenging task.
  • Learn To Focus On What’s Important and Farm Out The Rest
    Outsourcing your mundane tasks to focus only on the essential tasks is the best way to organize your business. The results are great not just for you but also for your business.
  • Are You Willing To Do Whatever It Takes To Succeed In Business?
    There is a very simple reason some entrepreneurs do amazingly well in business while others do not. It has nothing to do with product or location or backing or education or street smarts or dumb luck. It has more to do with people willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business.
  • What The Heck Is Podcasting And What Can It Do For Your Business?
    Podcasting is the new hype these days with many claiming it to be the future of internet and communication business. However, for many this is at best a vague term that is difficult to understand and even more frightening to use. This article will certainly help to develop a basic understanding of what podcasting actually is and how it can be used to promote your business.
  • Dealing With Contractors Teaches Valuable Lessons About Business
    The experience of dealing with contractors and other entrepreneurs is an interesting one as it highlights some key business issues. Planning, scheduling, customer satisfaction and accurate budgeting are just some of the things that play an important role in ensuring a successfull business.
  • Conducting Market Research From The Back Of A Boat
    Market research is one of the most important but often overlooked part of business management. This article highlights many real life analogies to this important business function and provides some excellent advice to entrepreneurs.
  • Without Market Research You Could Find Yourself Fishing In An Empty Pond
    Market research is a key ingredient in today's business environment. In this article Tim Knox, an expert on business, gives some sound advice to entrepreneurs about market research that can help make better business decision and make the critical difference between business success and failure.
  • Entrepreneurs On The Inside
    This article highlights the core capabilities and features that are indicative of successful entrepreneurs. Knowledgeable, friendly, prefessional and supportive of customer needs are just some of the features of entrepreneurship that this article explores.
  • When It Comes To Marketing Your Business, Think Creatively
    If your business doesn’t stand out in today’s hyper-competitive market place there’s a good chance that you won’t be in business very long. There are countless others vying for the same slice of the pie that you are. There are dozens of competitors just up the road doing all they can to get the attention of your customers and take money out of your pockets. It’s called “marketing,” and some are probably doing a better job of it than you are and some probably
    worse.
  • Operator Error Is Why Most Businesses Fail
    This is the column that probably gets me kicked out of the entrepreneurial chapter of the Priory of Scion. I look silly in those long robes anyway, so here goes. A thousand apologies to my entrepreneurial brothers and sisters, but. I think the more important question is: do businesses fail or does the entrepreneur in charge of them fail? I have to be honest and tell you that I think most business failures must be laid at the feet of the person in charge.
  • Women Entrepreneurs Prove It?s Not Just A Man?s World-
    Women are increasingly more active in starting new businesses. Top growth of their businesses indicates skills that are noteworthy for other women and men.
  • 6 Ways To Fund Your New Business
    Here are a few of the most common ways to finance a new business. All methods have pros and cons and some (or most) may not work for a specific situation. In any case one must always thoroughly investigate the ups and downs of any new venture before jumping in it with both feet.
  • Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk
    I've noticed an interesting trend lately. Usually the e-mail I receive in response to this column comes from rookie entrepreneurs or established business owners seeking my input on startup matters, financing, employee relations, general management and leadership issues, policy matters, etc. Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail)
  • The Reasons Why Most People Will Never Find Online Success
    There is no such thing as a real get rich quick opportunity. If someone tells you that you can start with no money and no experience and make hundreds of thousands of dollars overnight they are lying to you and you are a fool for believing them. Yes, you can make lots of money in a short period of time as an Internet marketer, but you're not going to get rich this week unless you hit the lottery or your rich uncle dies.
  • 11 Ways To Find Products To Sell On eBay
    I was part of an eBay Roundtable discussion recently with six other experts and we all agreed that the number one question most new (and even old) eBay sellers ask is: "Where do I find things to sell on eBay??" To help answer that question I have compiled 10 ways that anyone can use to find products to sell on eBay.
  • Is Bad Customer Service Killing Your Business?
    It’s time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I know, I’m sick of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad customer service runs rampant through so many businesses I feel it is my entrepreneurial duty to bring it to your attention. So grab a pew and prepare to listen to the sermon I’ve preached before: bad customer service is the bane of business.
  • The Business Failed, But Did You?
    Q: After years of dreaming about starting my own business, I finally took the plunge a little over a year ago. To say the least, my dream quickly became a nightmare. The business didn't do nearly as well as I had hoped. I ran out of money within six months and had to take out a second mortgage on my house just to keep things going.
  • SWOT Analysis Is No Magic 8 Ball
    Q: A key investor in my business has suggested that I hire a consultant to do a SWOT Analysis to help plan for the future. I try not to argue with my investors, but I'm not so sure I need to have this done. What do you think?
    -- Laurie B.

    A: Laurie, before you call in the SWOT team to deal with this investor (sorry, couldn't resist that one), let me tell you exactly what a SWOT Analysis is and how it can not only help you plan for
  • What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?
    Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful, not to mention overwhelming and exhausting. It's only natural that there will be times when you wonder if it's really worth it. Asking yourself the "should I just get a real job" question simply means that your human side is showing. And as a human you have a limited tolerance for things you can not control. And that's really where the stress of being an entrepreneur comes from
  • The Big Website Question: If You Build It, They Will Come?
    When it comes to attracting customers, opening an online business (or an online branch of an existing business) is no different from opening a traditional brick and mortar shop. Without a little fanfare and a well-devised marketing plan, chances are your website will become just another spot of roadkill on the Information Superhighway.
  • Protect Your Ideas With Copyrights and Patents
    A patent is a form of protection granted to an inventor that protects his invention in the United States for up to 20 years from the date of application. Patent law states that, "whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, or any new and useful improvements thereof may obtain a patent.
  • Choosing A Business That's Right For You
    Many successful businesses have been built by taking a traditional business and making it better. Domino's Pizza was certainly not the first to offer home delivery of pizza, but they were the first to guarantee it would be delivered piping hot to your door in 30 minutes or less. Amazon.com was not the first company to sell books, but they were one of the first that would let you buy books from the comfort of your own home while sitting in your underwear
  • Business Lessons Learned At The Mall
    No offense to my mall merchant brothers and sisters, but a trip into the deepest jungle is more appealing to me than a trip to the mall. I get no joy out of trudging from store to store, attempting to communicate with salespeople from other planets, browsing discount racks of last season's dollar merchandise and peering into windows at mannequins that seem to be in some sort of inanimate pain (why can't they make a happy mannequin?).
  • Achievements Outweigh Education and Experience
    Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful, not to mention overwhelming and exhausting. It's only natural that there will be times when you wonder if it's really worth it. Asking yourself the "should I just get a real job" question simply means that your human side is showing. And as a human you have a limited tolerance for things you can not control. And that's really where the stress of being an entrepreneur comes from
  • How To Handle The Occasional Oop-See!
    First off, it's important that you understand that the magnitude of your mistake will determine the course of action you take to make amends. If your company's error was such that it caused your customer a significant amount of lost time or revenue, embarrassed them publicly, caused damage to their reputation, or otherwise negatively affected their bottom line, you may face legal repercussions that saying "I'm sorry" will not deter.
  • If It Was Easy Everybody Would Do It
    Even on the best of days running a business can be incredibly stressful, not to mention overwhelming and exhausting. It's only natural that there will
  • Managing Employees Is A Little Like Herding Cats
    I hope you have a full head of hair now, because depending on how quickly you get a grip on this situation, you could end up bald in a very short time. And if you're starting out bald all you can do is put on a cap and read on.
  • Navigating The Internet Sales Tax Laws
    Internet sales taxation has always been a hot topic for those of us who make our living selling goods and services online. One of the more controversial points is that no one, including our own government, has a clue how to implement a fair and logical Internet taxation process.
  • SBA's 8(a) Program Can Help Some Companies Compete
    The 8(a) Program (named after the section of the Small Business Act from which it comes) is an SBA program created to help small disadvantaged businesses better compete in the U.S. marketplace and within the arena of government procurement. The SBA provides business development, technical assistance and other services to the small businesses that are accepted into the 8(a) program.
  • Starting Your Business By The Book
    To begin, here's the best legal advice I can give you as a new business person: find yourself a good lawyer and make him or her your very best friend. Granted, your new best friend will charge you an hourly fee for chatting on the phone or talking business over lunch, but you'll find it to be money well spent. A good attorney can save you far more than the cost of his services. I rarely make any decision that has the potential to impact my business without first consulting my attorney.
  • The Joy and Hazards Of Finding Your First Office
    Putting your name on a commercial lease is one of the first tangible commitments an entrepreneur makes to his or her business and searching for that first office or retail space can be a truly invigorating experience.
  • Turnkey Dropship Websites Save You Time, Trouble and Money
    Lucky for you and me there are now a number of companies on the Web that can help folks like us set up a turnkey dropship website without ever breaking a sweat
  • Use Noncompete Agreements To Help Protect Your Business From
    Renegade former employees riding the free enterprise wave is one reason noncompete agreements are gaining in popularity among employers who hope to use them to help protect their business from competitive threats launched by former employees. Many employers are now demanding that key employees sign noncompetes as a stipulation of employment.
  • Website Design Considerations
    If you want to be a web designer, be a web designer. However, if the key focus of your business is building widgets, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that your time would be better spent building widgets, not Web sites.
  • Writing The Book On Great Customer Service
    You probably can't compete with the superstore on volume of inventory or on price, but there are other things you can do to help keep the customers coming in your door. One of the best ways to ensure customer loyalty is to offer superior customer service.
  • Franchises Offer Shortcuts, But Not Control
    Franchising can be a great way to start a business career, but you should make sure you're not just trading one job for another. Unless you plan on being an absentee owner, which I highly discourage, you are gong to be working in the business just as an employee would, so be sure the business you choose doesn't turn your lifelong dream into a never-ending nightmare.
  • The Great American Customer Service Unawareness Campaign
    I'm so sick of you so-called business experts always saying the customer is always right. This is my business, not the customer's, so I'm the one who's always right. Sure, they can have an opinion, but in the end it's up to me to decide who's right and who's not. And if the customer doesn't like it they can take their business elsewhere.
  • Taking Your Business International
    I called on Jose Rodriguez, President of RISMED Oncology Systems, a Huntsville company that provides high medical technology to radiotherapy professionals around the globe, to get his input on the subject. Jose is an old friend and client and if anyone can give pointers on doing business internationally, Jose is the man
  • What's The Best Product To Sell Online?
    I wish I had a dime for every time I've been asked, "Tim, what's the best product to sell online?" I also wish I had a nickel for every blank stare I received when I answered: "That's simple: information." I'd have enough money to finance another startup or two.
  • Is The eBay Fee Increase Actually Good For Business?
    This will be the fifth rate hike in as many years for the auction giant and should really come as no surprise. Price hikes are a normal course of business. It was the size of the hike that has many sellers upset.
  • Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business?
    With so many people selling on eBay these days this is a question I get all the time. To many eBay sellers the thought of running an actual business is about as appealing as getting negative feedback, so they go out of their way to convince themselves that selling on eBay is really "just a hobby" and therefore, should not be susceptible to income tax laws
  • How To Create Your Own Info Product
    In the last article we talked about why informational products are the best type of products to sell online. An informational product can be a digital book (known as an e-book), a digital report or a white paper, a piece of software, audio or video files, a web site, an ezine (electronic magazine), or a newsletter.
  • Does Your Website Induce Seizures?
    If visitor's are not clicking past your fancy Flash intro page, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that therein lies your problem. Remove the Flash intro page for a few weeks to see if your website's click-through rate improves and the number of page views increase. "Click-through rate" refers to the number of visitors who click links on your homepage to go deeper into your site. "Page views" refers to the overall number of web pages that were viewed by visitors.
  • Don't Fall For The Latest Internet Identity Theft Scam
    The shear number of PayPal customers is one reason it has become a popular target of scam artists trying to steal personal information from individuals and businesses alike. Identify theft is on the rise. Thanks to the Internet stealing someone's identity has never been easier.
  • When It Comes To eBay, Don't Follow The Herd
    While it's true that selling products on eBay can be a quick, low cost way to launch an online business, following the herd by selling the "hot product" of the moment, is not a great idea. To the contrary, chances are you will be stomped in the ground by the herd and left lying in the dust with your unsold inventory in hand.
  • Perceived Value Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
    Pricing is an important aspect of every business because price is used to create financial projections, establish a break even point, and calculate profit and loss. It's also important to establish a good price point from the beginning because it is much easier to lower prices than to raise them.
  • The "Other" New Year's Resolution
    "This year I will start my own business!" I call it "The American Dream Resolution," and like most New Year's resolutions it is a proclamation of intent that is often made, but seldom carried out (at least in an effective manner).
  • The Business Autopsy: A Fact Of Life
    Last week we discussed the importance of performing an autopsy on a dead business. No, I haven't been watching too many of those wonderfully graphic, TV forensic investigation shows. The reason I recommend you do a business autopsy is to uncover the exact reasons why the business died
  • The Thick Line Between Buddy and Boss
    I have made just about every business blunder you can imagine. I am like the Evel Knievel of the small business world, if Evel Knievel wrote a weekly column on motorcycle safety. One of the more unpleasant things I've had to do is fire a good friend who was not doing the job I hired him to do. He needed a job, I needed an employee, so I thought I would give him a shot
  • There Are No Dumb Business Questions, Not!
    I've gotten a few head-scratchers in response to this column. You know who you are, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I have a confession to make. Writing an advice column, whether it be advice for love or money or business, is often hard to do with a straight face. Occasionally a question comes over the digital transom that just makes me go, "Huh?"
  • What's The Customer Service Buzz About Your Business?
    If you're a regular reader of this column you know that my number one pet peeve is bad customer service. Nothing chaps my backside more than paying hard-earned money for a product or service only to have the provider of said product or service become apathetic, obnoxious or just downright rude after the transactional smoke has cleared.
  • When It Comes To An Office Lease, It's ALL Fine Print
    One of the biggest mistakes many entrepreneurs make when leasing commercial space is not reading the lease. Forget reading the fine print. When it comes to a lease its ALL fine print. Don't believe me? Let me tell you the true story of my friend, Homer, whose name I have changed to protect the ignorant.
  • Entrepreneurs Just Get Better With Age
    According to recent studies 22 percent of men and 14 percent of women over 65 are self-employed. That's compared to just 7 percent for other age groups. According to a Vanderbilt University study the number of entrepreneurs age 45 to 64 will grow by 15 million by 2006.
  • How To Handle Customer Billing Snafus
    Seriously, whether the client owes you the money or not is a moot point. Yes, you made an accounting mistake, but if the client agreed to pay you a certain amount each month in exchange for certain services rendered, and you have been under-billing that client for delivering those certain services, the client owes you the money, period.
  • The Secrets Of Starting A Successful Ebay Business
    If Fred Sanford were alive today, Alex, I'm sure he'd be earning his ripple money by selling quality junk on eBay. While it's also true that one man's junk is another man's treasure (I have a garage full of treasure to prove this point), your chances of building a profitable business selling "junk" on eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter) are slim to none.
  • How To Create Multiple Streams of Online Income E-course
    I love the E-course concept because it gives you the opportunity to learn from the comfort of home. There are no heavy books to lug around, no rushing off to class, no smelly dorm roommates :o)
  • Do You Have What It Taks To Be An Entrepreneur
    There are a variety of skills you'll need to succeed as an entrepreneur and chances are do not possess them all. One of the great things about being an entrepreneur is that if you lack certain skills you can always hire people with those skills to help round out your company skill set.
  • Taxing Your eBay Profits
    As a small business person-slash-advice columnist I dread the first quarter of the new year. Not because in my mind my own business fortunes start at zero again every January or because I have already dismissed every New Year’s resolution I made when the clock rang out the New Year. No, the reason I dread the first quarter of the new year is that my email box floods with questions about business taxes and the IRS, my two least favorite subjects on earth.
  • Taxing eBay Part Deux
    Several folks argued that just because their little eBay hobby generated a little cash, that didn’t make it a full blown business. It seems they consider the income from their little hobby to be financial manna from Heaven and thereby not taxable by earthly tax collectors. I’ve always been amused by folks who try to impress me with talk about their “little side business” but when the subject turns to taxes they suddenly refer to it as “my little hobby.”
  • Franchising Pros and Cons
    Some folks offered helpful insights and suggestions on how to pick a franchise and a few things to watch out for, while other emails came from current franchise owners asking me to help them sell their operations to Anthony R.
  • If You Build It, Will They Come?
    Assuming that a website will automatically attract customers is the single biggest mistake that many business owners make. It is this mistake that eventually leads them to dismiss their website as a failure and abandon their online sales efforts.
  • Maintaining Your Business Website
    If you want to be a web designer, be a web designer. However, if the key focus of your business is building widgets, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that your time would be better spent building widgets, not Web sites
  • Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy
    I have helped many clients set up online credit card processing systems and more than once I've had to sit down with the bank issuing the merchant account and educate them on how online payment systems work. Don't believe me? This is a direct quote (here's the Bible, here's my hand) from the manager who was in charge of processing Internet merchant account applications at a local bank, "When someone pays online how do they swipe the credit card in their computer
  • The Business of Identity Theft
    The allure of PayPal is that it does not require the seller to have a bank merchant account through which to process credit cards. Anyone with a verifiable email address and bank account can use PayPal and the service can be implemented almost immediately after registering.
  • The Internet Tax Man Cometh
    If your small business is like most, the majority of your large purchases are made locally from companies that already collect sales tax. Furniture and computer equipment are typically the largest ticket items a small business buys, so unless you bought your desks and computers off of Ebay (which is highly possible these days) you should be OK.
  • With a Lease, The Devil Is In The Details
    This week we'll discuss the most important aspect of the process: signing a commercial lease (insert dramatic music here). One of the biggest mistakes many entrepreneurs make when leasing commercial space is not reading the lease. Forget reading the fine print. When it comes to a lease its ALL fine print
  • What's In A Name? When It Comes To Your Business, Plenty!
    In fact, deciding on a business name is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. The right business name can help you rise above the crowd while the wrong business name can leave you trampled in the rush.
  • Credit Cards, Merchant Accounts, and Your Bottomline
    The decision to accept credit cards is a wise one for any retailer. I agree with financial guru Dave Ramsey's teachings regarding the use and abuse of credit cards. Many people dig deep holes with credit cards that are hard to climb out of. But, from a practical business point of view, any retail business that does not accept credit cards is leaving money on the table.
  • Do You Pay Taxes On eBay Income?
    Last week's column on whether you were required to report income earned from eBay sales to the IRS sparked a number of additional questions and comments from eBay sellers who were hoping that I could somehow validate that their eBay activities were mere hobbies instead of actual businesses and therefore not susceptible to IRS taxation
  • Business Is No Guarantee of Riches
    We have all had customers who expected far more than was their due: customers who were unreasonable, overly-demanding, condescending, hard to please and sometimes, even dishonest in their dealings with you. When a customer's reasonable expectations become unreasonable demands you must decide whether or not that customer is doing more harm to your business than good.
  • Is Your Website Credit Card Friendly?
    If you think hooking up a brick-and-mortar location with a credit card system stymies most bankers, try asking them how to do it on your website.
  • Build A High Profit Business With Online Affiliate Programs
    An affiliate program simply means that you sign on as an affiliate marketer for someone else's product. It's your job to market the product, send the company customers, and get a cut each time a sale is made from your efforts. Affiliate program commissions can range from as little as 2% for high ticket items up to 50% for ebooks and informational type products. As an example, let's say you sign up with Amazon.com's affiliate program.
  • Cut Start-Up Costs By Using a Dropshipper
    Dropshippers, as they're called
    --are an excellent way to start your e-business and, if done properly, don't have to be a costly endeavor. There are literally hundreds of companies out there that will dropship products for you, everything from gifts and housewares to power tools and furniture.
  • Don't Be Afraid To Give Problem Customers The Boot
    We have all had customers who expected far more than was their due: customers who were unreasonable, overly-demanding, condescending, hard to please and sometimes, even dishonest in their dealings with you. When a customer's reasonable expectations become unreasonable demands you must decide whether or not that customer is doing more harm to your business than good.
  • Teaching Large Companies To Think Like The Little Guys
    The fact that innovation and entrepreneurship run rampant in smaller companies, but is often suppressed in larger companies is nothing new. Management guru Peter Drucker first addressed the issue in his 1985 book, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Drucker wrote that one of the most often-asked questions in many a 1985 boardroom was, “How can we overcome the resistance to innovation that plagues most organizations?”
  • Teaching The Big Boys To Think Small
    Last week I told you about a recent report from The Conference Board that has a lot of big company CEOs concerned about competition from smaller, more innovative and entrepreneurially-minded companies. To refresh your memory, The Conference Board's CEO Challenge 2004 reported that 87% of the 540 global businesses surveyed cited innovation and enabling entrepreneurship as priorities for their companies, and 31% considered these issues of "greatest concern.”
  • Opportunity Does Not Knock
    I can tell you that as a breed, entrepreneurs are an impatient lot and many jump on the first business bandwagon that comes along just for the sake of being in business. That’s a big mistake that usually comes back to bite them in their entrepreneurial behinds.
  • Veteran Entrepreneurs Are Growing In Ranks
    What my eldest offspring doesn’t understand is I have a great life. In fact, I am living the life I have always dreamed of living. My life just happens to revolve around Planet Business. I am an entrepreneurial addict, a business junkie. Business is my chocolate, my Krispy Kreme donut, my nicotine, my caffeine, my crack. Maybe I’ll start a 12 step program for entrepreneurs who want to kick the habit and charge a cover to get in.

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