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The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
As Buck Knives, Inc., celebrated a century in business, it also faced a cash crunch that was putting it out of business. CEO CJ Buck shares how his team took dramatic action (including moving the company from Southern California to northern Idaho) to fend off high-quality global competitors and to turn the historic and highly regarded company around with its own version of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
I have spent the majority of my adult life investing my own and other people's money in entrepreneurs. That's why I know the U.S. has a serious problem on its hands.
Although the stock market has tentatively rebounded, funding for the one area in which America has a distinct competitive advantage--that is, new company formation--is in scary decline. That may be a familiar refrain by now, but that doesn't make the ramifications any less real. Or less dangerous.
Never underestimate the power of a strong and authentic personal connection with another person, especially in the context of business. Why is a one-to-one relationship so gripping and powerful? Precisely because it is unexpected, it is very welcome.
Entrepreneurs can best harness the marketing potential of the Internet by designing sites that employ tactics such as bundling product offerings, says the founder of a technology company.
Learn how a clearly defined brand identity can help build your business, even in the face of fierce competition.
OK, let me get this straight: The Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy reports that 27 million small businesses in the U.S. account for 50% of the Gross National Product and employ over 50% of the workforce, and Washington figures $30 billion in loan support and some tax credits will get things done.
What's that, $1,100 per company? Wow, where do we sign up!
Our fearful leaders gave $50 billion to General Motors, and $185 billion to AIG. According to the Congressional Budget Office publication, The Budget & Economic Outlook: An Update August 2009, big business has been showered with more than $10 trillion (that's a "T") in funding and commitments, including: $1.3 trillion disbursed by the Federal Reserve, with another $2.8 trillion committed (including aid to AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, Bear Stearns; $800 billion from the Treasury, with $3.6 trillion committed (including guarantees for Money Market Funds and TARP); and over $2.1 trillion committed by the FDIC (including increased depositor insurance and more Citigroup guarantees).
Um, does $30 billion to small business make a difference?
What are the chances that, out of thousands of candidates for the CEO spot, the son or daughter of the company founder is the most competent of the bunch? Slim to none.
Say you are a member of the Ford family, and your financial security lay in family trusts stuffed with Ford Motor stock. Who would you rather bet on, William Clay Ford Jr. or Alan Mulally, the former Boeing exec now at Ford's wheel? In this case, Mulally had the presence of mind to secure $24 billion in funding prior to the recent economic collapse and thus avoided becoming a ward of the federal government, like GM and Chrysler.
Barbara Carey, an entrepreneur and product innovator, tells her story about bootstrapping her company with $800 and how she secured her first order and first manufacturer. Carey's golden rule: get your product or service order first before making any business commitments.
When it comes time sell your company, one of the toughest issues is communicating the process to employees. One positive way to do this is to establish a company culture rooted in honesty and openness, which can allay employee anxiety during a potential company sale.
Much work is involved in developing an executive compensation plan that keeps your company competitive, integrates short- and long-term goals, and contains performance measurement systems that tie back to compensation. Well-devised packages drive organizational goals and objectives and your top talent.
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