Articles Index

What's In A Name?
PR firm loses name lawsuit

Interview with Jason Alba, CEO of JibberJobber
Jason Alba is CEO of JibberJobber, which he describes as “your Personal Relationship Manager for your career.” JibberJobber grew out of his frustration in finding adequate tools to help him manage his job search. He has also become a strong advocate of both personal branding and social networking, both for job seekers and entrepreneurs. He is author of "I’m on LinkedIn – Now What??" and "I’m on Facebook – Now What??" and maintains several popular blogs to help promote his business.

Selling to Big Companies
Selling to the C-Level is the surest way to shorten your sales cycle and reduce your cost of sale. Getting in to see senior executives can be tough, but by following these guidelines you'll be welcomed with open arms.

More Publicity = Less Privacy
If you're an entrepreneur, you want all the online publicity you can get. On the other hand, you'd still like to keep your personal life private. How do you find a good balance between publicity and privacy when you know that more publicity equals less privacy? This article will show you how to balance those concerns, as well as take steps to regain some online privacy you've already lost.

Secretary of State Office Web Sites for All U.S. States and Territories
Links and phone numbers for the Secretary of State offices of all U.S. states and territories. Secretary of State offices register corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, business mergers and acquisitions, and articles of dissolution.

Writing a Business Plan - Planning Your Exit Strategy
The final portion of your business plan outlines your exit strategy. It may seem odd to develop a strategy this soon to leave your business, but potential investors will want to know your long-term plans. Your exit plans need to be clear in your own mind because they will dictate how you operate the company.

Online Networking for Author-Entrepreneurs
Book marketing is all about relationships, and you'd best learn to get good at long-distance relationships, because you will never meet most of the people face-to-face. The marketing of a book begins before the first keystroke is typed and continues long after the book is released. Online networking can support the entire lifecycle of your book, from conception to completion.

Information Overload
Most of us are awash in information - avalanches of email, letters, journals, books, articles, reports, web sites, paperwork that come our way each week. Knowing that, in order to be effective, we need to sort through the mountain of information and extract the most important nuggets, how do we approach the climb?

Tim Ferris Interview - The 4-Hour Workweek
In a digital world, it's possible to design luxury lifestyles in the here-and-now without waiting for retirement. Tim Ferriss explores extremes of creating time and mobility, including: how to check e-mail twice a day...or once per week; the end of time management and the birth of "selective ignorance"; how to travel the world without your boss (or customers) ever knowing.

Gravitational Marketing with Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller
Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller, authors of "Gravitational Marketing", believe that marketing automation is the essential key that allows entrepreneurs to focus their energies on the other aspects of growing your business that require your unique personal touch and talents. In this interview, Jimmy and Travis share their best growth tips for entrepreneurs and lessons from their own entrepreneurial journey.

The Power of Gravitational Marketing
In this excerpt from the book, "Gravitational Marketing", authors Travis Miller and Jimmy Vee explain how smaller companies can defy the laws of gravity by attracting more than their fair share of business.

Barry Moltz Interview
An interview with Barry Moltz, author of "Bounce!" and "You Need to Be a Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Own Business".

Failure Makes Choices
Since 80 percent of all new businesses fail within five years, you might as well learn to handle it. In fact, if you can start building this mind - set before you fail the first time, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Isometric Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk
Are you a desk-bound entrepreneur? If so, then you have to get a little extra exercise to make up for the fact that you're sitting all day. Exercise will also reduce stress, increase your energy and clear your mind. But the gym can seem like a waste of time. It's not the 45 minutes working out that's a problem -- it's the additional 45 minutes of prep, travel and cleanup. Well here are eight simple exercises you can do to build strength, tone and flexibility without leaving your office.

Best Business Opportunities 2005
2004's hot trends become 2005's hot opportunities. If you're thinking about starting a business this year, here are some of the best new business ideas you may want to consider.

Three Entrepreneur Resolutions for 2008
In the past, I've made a big list of resolutions. This year, it's only three. Read the first one to understand why.

Obtaining Business Licenses and Permits - The Paper Chase
You’ve made the decision to start your own business. But before you open your doors or make your first sale, you’ll need to make sure everything’s legal. This means obtaining the proper business licenses and permits. These vary by city, state and country, as well as according to the type of company you’re operating.

The Business Plan: Not Just a Blueprint
Business planning is a vital component of starting and growing a successful enterprise. Many different templates and variations of business plans exist, so you must choose the right one for your purpose and your enterprise. Having a business and knowing what to do with it are very separate issues and creating a well-executed business plan for the right reasons will enhance the odds that your venture will be one of the ones to succeed.

Writing a Business Plan - Market Analysis
You may possess all the confidence in the world that yours is a perfect product with a clearly defined customer base. If that’s the case, you’ll need to figure out how you’re going to get your product into the hands of those customers. That’s where the marketing analysis section of your business plan comes into play.

Writing a Business Plan - Management and Human Resources Plan
Your business plan should include a description of your organizational structure, including your management and human resources capabilities, philosophy and needs, the number of employees you intend to hire, how you will manage them and your estimated personnel costs.

Writing a Business Plan - Implementation Plan
Even the most well-thought-out business plan is just a stack of paper if it isn’t coupled with a plan for implementation. This is the portion of the business plan where you’ll clarify objectives, assign tasks with deadlines, and chart your progress in reaching goals and milestones. Here are some guidelines for successful business plan implementation.

Writing a Business Plan - Deal Structure
If you plan to make the rounds of venture capital firms or approach potential angel investors, you need to keep the lender’s interests firmly in mind. Simply put, these institutions or individuals want to protect their investment and generate a high return. With that in mind, here are some things to remember when structuring an investment deal.

Writing a Business Plan - Resource Planning
Identifying business resources you will bring to the venture and those you’ll need to acquire in order to start operating, such as staff, equipment and the cash to finance these necessities is another key element of the business plan.

Writing a Business Plan - Outlining a Growth Strategy
Potential investors who read your business plan will want to know how you plan to grow your business once it is off the ground. This entails more than just demonstrating how your revenue will grow. The growth strategy section of your business plan is about proving to others that you have a plan for bringing your product to new customers and new markets, and perhaps even introducing new products.

Payroll Management - Minding Your Employees’ Money
Handling the payroll can be confusing and time-consuming, although knowledge of the basics and special software can help simplify the process. As your business grows, at least one of your employees should take on the responsibility of payroll management, or you can look into the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing the job.