Marc Ballon


Success Finds Its Way South of the Border

By Marc Ballon |  Oct 26, 1999

What lurks beyond Rio Grande A leading expert on the opportunities and risks for U.S. companies in Mexico is Stephen Blank, a profes...  Read story

Upstarts: The Russian Connection

By Marc Ballon |  Jul 1, 1999

Entrepreneurs who've emigrated from the former Soviet Union are shrewdly benefiting from the crumbling economy of that once-mighty empire. And they aren't th...  Read story

All Business Is Local

By Marc Ballon |  Jun 1, 1999

Vroman's bookstore, in Pasadena, Calif., is surrounded by enemies. Big enemies. Half a mile to the west is a Barnes & Noble superstore; half a mile to the...  Read story

Hot Tip: Protecting Intellectual Property

By Marc Ballon |  May 1, 1999

Firstuse.com , a start-up based in Westlake Village, Calif., has launched an Internet site that instantly time-stamps...  Read story

Upstarts: Virtual Campuses

By Marc Ballon |  May 1, 1999

Here's how start-up University Access partnered with universities and PBS to sell long-distance learning programs. Plus: why corporations are likely customer...  Read story

What Level Playing Field?

By Marc Ballon |  May 1, 1999

Forget the notion that anyone with a good idea can launch a hot Internet start-up. The new online retailers are betting that only the big and well-financed a...  Read story

A Mother of a Board

By Marc Ballon |  Apr 27, 1999

GreenTree Nutrition and its founders Don Kendall and Eric Budin have some seriously golden contacts.The San Francisco-based company's quest to become ...  Read story

Hot Tip: Make it Quick

By Marc Ballon |  Apr 1, 1999

It pays to be brief and clear. Entrepreneurs hoping to raise money had better be able to describe a proposed venture within 45 seconds or risk losing thei...  Read story

TV for the Rest of Us

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1999

Daniel Weiss is the 29-year-old founder of Engineered Protection Systems Inc., a Houston-basedcommercial electronic-security company. EPS has seen sales s...  Read story

The New Girls' Club

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1999

Sheri Grady is on a crusade to crack what she calls the "last bastion of male domination": corporate boards.There are too few women governing corporate Am...  Read story

Upstarts: NAFTA

By Marc Ballon |  Feb 1, 1999

In post-NAFTA Mexico, opportunity abounds for small U.S. businesses. Here's why Larry Manhan, CEO of California-based BCS Inc., decided to open up shop in Gu...  Read story

The Melted Pot

By Marc Ballon |  Feb 1, 1999

Not long ago, Chamblee, Georgia gained notoriety as a city seeking to keep immigrants out of the area. Today, immigrant-owned businesses have revived Chamble...  Read story

MIT Springboard Sends Internet Company Aloft

By Marc Ballon |  Dec 1, 1998

University's business-plan contest catapults two students into entrepreneurship. For the CEO they hired, it's deja vu The old saw...  Read story

Upstarts: University Tournaments

By Marc Ballon |  Dec 1, 1998

University business-plan tournaments are spawning a variety of sophisticated start-up companies. Here's what students learn from these contests and why inves...  Read story

Hot Tip: Hiring Salespeople

By Marc Ballon |  Nov 1, 1998

Want to hire good salespeople? During the interview, ask the job candidate to try to sell you your own product -- or something like it.  Read story

Scoring on the Rebound

By Marc Ballon |  Oct 15, 1998

Sales at SurfSoft Inc., a 1998 Inc 500 winner, faltered until CEO Chuck Hickey picked up "The Deming Management Method" by Mary Walton. The book tau...  Read story

Leaning on Partners

By Marc Ballon |  Oct 15, 1998

In order to find time to run his four companies, including Inc. 500 winner Coating Systems, Michael McMahon delegates critical duties to three seaso...  Read story

Upstarts: New-Biz Watch

By Marc Ballon |  Aug 1, 1998

A look at Mark Begelman's MARS, a music and recording superstore that encourages customers to touch the merchandise, plus four shorter articles about the ret...  Read story

Extreme Managing

By Marc Ballon |  Jul 1, 1998

Jack Hartnett, head of 54 Sonic restaurants, demands that employees follow his orders unquestioningly and assumes responsibility for their personal and profe...  Read story

Upstarts: Sale of Modern Music Keyed to Customization

By Marc Ballon |  May 1, 1998

CDuctive, an online music retailer, allows shoppers to customize CDs. Also, several shorter articles about companies that provide mass customization of blue ...  Read story

Funeral Chain Exploits Demise of Tradition

By Marc Ballon |  Apr 1, 1998

Newcomer Family Mortuary ignored industry taboos by advertising discount funerals on television. Will competition usurp tradition in this high-growth industry?  Read story

Campus Inc.

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1998

An introduction to the Inc. cover story on the hottest entrepreneurial programs offered by universities. Includes brief descriptions of more unique ...  Read story

Texas Super Bowl

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1998

The University of Texas' International Moot Corp. Competition, the most well known of the country's intercollegiate business-plan tournaments, is a launch pa...  Read story

Entree to Riches: Winning at MIT

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1998

MIT's $50K Entrepreneurship Competition is the hub of a vast network of venture capitalists, angel investors, consultants, and alumni seeking the savviest yo...  Read story

Breeding Technology Entrepreneurs in Iowa

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1998

The University of Iowa prepares its engineering students for the business world by offering a technology entrepreneurship program.  Read story

Stanford Preps for Silicon Valley

By Marc Ballon |  Mar 1, 1998

Stanford University's entrepreneurial internship program primes engineering students for aggressive recruitment by Silicon Valley companies.  Read story

Start-up Covets Spokes of Northwest's Hub

By Marc Ballon |  Feb 1, 1998

Start-up airline Pro Air Inc. hopes to win over customers from Northwest Airlines with lower airfares, higher-quality service, and a focus on business travel...  Read story

Deejays' Chatter Brightens Tub Cleanser's Prospects

By Marc Ballon |  Dec 1, 1997

Paul C. Porter of Automation Inc. needed to advertise his cutting-edge cleanser but lacked the capital to compete with giants like Clorox. His savior: radio ...  Read story

Hotel Chain Bags Wealthy Acquirer

By Marc Ballon |  Nov 1, 1997

Bob Faith and John Kratzer, founders of Homegate Hospitality, saw an untapped market for extended-stay hotels, located funding, and recently merged with a ho...  Read story

Born To Be Wild

By Marc Ballon |  Nov 1, 1997

Dave and Dan Hanlon hope to challenge long-dominant Harley-Davidson for a portion of the American-made motorcycle market. Can their company, Excelsior-Hender...  Read story

The Cheapest CEO in America

By Marc Ballon |  Oct 1, 1997

After a cross-country search, we found the cheapest CEO in America. Here's what he has to say about frugality.  Read story

Upstarts: Start-up Mambos to Beat of Booming Market

By Marc Ballon |  Sep 1, 1997

With the Latino population in this country on the rise, can an English-language magazine for Latinas make it?  Read story

Competitive Edge: 'I'm Smarter Than Michael Dell'

By Marc Ballon |  Aug 1, 1997

Can a smart kid with a plan to be the first to introduce cutting-edge laptops into the market beat Mr. Dell?  Read story

Giving Unternehmers a Good Name

By Marc Ballon |  Jun 1, 1997

The president of Europe's 500, an organization of the European Union's fastest-growing companies, talks about business.  Read story