Susan Hansen


Case Study

By Susan Hansen |  May 1, 2004

For one small tech company, the issue was simple: It could protect a potentially valuable patent, or it could tap a big new market. But it couldn't do both.  Read story

The Rent-To-Own CFO Program

By Susan Hansen |  Feb 1, 2004

Think you can't afford to bring on a CFO? No problem: Rent one instead.  Read story

Out of Control

By Susan Hansen |  Sep 1, 2003

Travis Parsons lost his CEO title when he sold to a rival. Now, he's trying to stay on --- and stay relevant.  Read story

Let Us Now Pray ... for Accu-Fab

By Susan Hansen |  Feb 1, 2003

Three years ago Gregg Page and Dennis Zullig decided that spreading the glory of God -- not making money -- would be their company's top priority. They had n...  Read story

Stings Like a Bee

By Susan Hansen |  Nov 1, 2002

Would you work for this man? Invest in his company? Consider him a role model? Read about a chief executive who boxes for pleasure and tears office doors off...  Read story

Main Street: Fine Dinering

By Susan Hansen |  Jul 1, 2002

Seventy-five years after its founding, the oldest diner manufacturer in America is still serving up retro classics.  Read story

You Had Your Chance!

By Susan Hansen |  Nov 15, 2001

Some of the best ideas are those offered by employees to employers. And some of the best companies are born when those employers say no.  Read story

Test Case

By Susan Hansen |  Nov 1, 2001

For a guy bent on bringing down a multibillion-dollar federal program for minority contractors, Randy Pech is pretty low-key.  Read story

Ground Zero: The State of Small Business

By Susan Hansen |  Oct 8, 2001

Joe Caccesse, a loan officer for the Small Business Administration, hasgotten used to mass disasters. He started out with the SBA in Northridge,California...  Read story

Obits: Plan to Make T-Shirts in USA Unravels

By Susan Hansen |  Apr 1, 2001

A series of setbacks led to Port Barre Apparel's rapid unraveling.  Read story

Ready, Set, Grow

By Susan Hansen |  Oct 15, 2000

How does the founder of the #1 company on the 2000 Inc. 500 stay calm amidst the hypergrowth? He's spent a long time preparing for it.  Read story

Obit: Sailors Hit Shoals as Boatbuilders

By Susan Hansen |  Sep 1, 2000

Two veteran boaters thought they had sailed into a great opportunity when they took over a custom boatbuilding business. But despite a smart strategy, the co...  Read story

Obit: Store's Demise Blamed on Web Auctions

By Susan Hansen |  Jul 1, 2000

The owner of a now liquidated estate liquidator blames online auctions for her store's fate. But others think she may have simply priced herself out of exist...  Read story

Obit: Map Publisher Loses Its Way in the Vast USA

By Susan Hansen |  Jun 1, 2000

By expanding beyond the limits of its sales force, this map publishing company took a permanent detour from its path to success. A business obit.  Read story

Wooden-Bowl Maker Barks Up Wrong Trees

By Susan Hansen |  Jan 1, 2000

Mike Ronchetti thought he'd found the perfect place for his wooden-bowl-making company to thrive. But he was done in by a lack of the one thing he thought th...  Read story

Origins of the 500: On the Road

By Susan Hansen |  Oct 15, 1999

Where do America's fastest growing private companies get all those great ideas? Here's why deciding to base Solutech Inc. in his sleepy hometown has paid off...  Read story

Discount Club Throws Bone to Pet Owners

By Susan Hansen |  Sep 1, 1999

Eyeing a growing market for veterinary care and pet products, a former bank officer creates a network of providers Lucky, Jay Bloo...  Read story

Bark for Room Service

By Susan Hansen |  Sep 1, 1999

Trisha Reed, owner of the Barkington Inn & Pet Resort, in Webster, Tex., is part of a new breed of entrepreneur that's catering to doting pet owners. Sinc...  Read story

Upstarts: Pet Luxuries

By Susan Hansen |  Sep 1, 1999

What is it about people and their pets? That magical bond between human and beast has yielded pounds of start-up opportunity for such ventures as a discount ...  Read story

Upstarts: Wellness Drinks

By Susan Hansen |  Jun 1, 1999

Soft-drink bottlers are cashing in by adding New Age herbs to their beverage recipes and touting the health benefits to consumers. Will the FDA continue to l...  Read story

Ticket to the Show

By Susan Hansen |  Apr 1, 1999

Here's how Professional Sports Authenticator, a Newport Beach, Calif., company, aims to cash in on both the Internet-auction boom and the surging market for ...  Read story

You-Do-It Brewery Slips Down Hatch

By Susan Hansen |  Feb 1, 1999

Faulty market research, tricky regulations, and a bad location helped drive Brew Doctors, a brew-your-own-beer store, into bankruptcy. A business obit.  Read story

Soaring Video Chain Crashes to Earth

By Susan Hansen |  Nov 1, 1998

After hiring high-priced executives to manage aggressive growth plans, a slump in the video-rental market drove Planet Video into bankruptcy. A business obit.  Read story