Inc. Magazine: January 1, 2006
Features
- (Re)born to Be Wild
- The roof leaked, the financials were sketchy, the employees were unmotivated, and the customers were disgruntled--so Mike Schwartz decided to buy the place. Now his Harley-Davidson business is a $53 million-a-year phenomenon.
- It's 2006! Whatcha Gonna Do About It?
- Talk to a bunch of entrepreneurs about the new year and you'll hear the same concerns again and again. We name them, explain them, and offer ways around them.
- Logistics
- The shipping news.
- Communication
- Get hip to blogs.
- Energy
- Go green.
- Consumer Products
- The Wal-Mart backlash continues.
- Real Estate
- Blowing bubbles.
- Interest Rates
- Going up!
- Outsourcing
- The plot thickens.
- Q&A: Joe Sitt, Thor Equities
- Transforming urban shopping, one skeptical town at a time.
- The Definitive Valuation Guide
- The Number Cruncher Versus the Vision Guy
- We asked two appraisers to put a price tag on three different companies. You'll be surprised at just how different their numbers turned out, and how subjective a business valuation can be.
- Hot or Not?
- The market is awash in capital, and more investors are putting it into entrepreneurial firms. But not all businesses are created equal. Here's a look at the most, and least, valuable industries today.
- Infinite Conferencing
- What is success in webcasting and conferencing services worth?
- Mistral Software
- They make cell phone software, but can they make a killing?
- Get the Number You Want
- The balance sheet doesn't tell the whole story. A successful valuation takes into account lots of intangibles--and they can add up. Here are five ways to boost the final figure:
- Vivid Sky
- Can a handheld guide at sporting events lead to a big win?
Priority
- A Bank, at Your Service
- The number of start-up banks is on the rise, and they're competing with the big boys by catering to business owners.
- Why One Company Switched Banks
- Follow the steps one business owner took towards financial happiness.
- Looking for Account Ability
- As with any start-up you work with, a de novo bank requires careful vetting.
- Agenda 1/06
- Talk about a big month: Father Time makes way for his replacement, and so does Alan Greenspan.
- New Year, New Laws
- An entrepreneur's guide to state policies taking effect at the start of 2006.
- Most Likely to Succeed
- Innovative tech companies prepping launches for the new year.
- Welcome to the Doll Factory
- The good news: Hollywood wants to feature your factory in a movie. The bad news: The plot is a killer.
- Young, Female, and Demanding
- Companies struggle to understand Gen-X's lack of servility.
- Decision Makers Do-si-do
- As a new year starts, three key institutions--the Federal Reserve Board, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Congressional Budget Office--are changing leaders. Out with the old, in with the new.
Hands On
- Scenes From the Talent Wars
- As the labor market tightens, employers are going to ever greater lengths to lure top performers. How aggressive are you willing to get?
- Jargon From the Jungle
- All business subcultures have their own way of talking, and recruiters are no different. Here's some slang from the frontlines of the talent wars.
- May I Help You?
- New live-chat software helps Web merchants convert browsers into buyers.
- Live Aid
- There are scores of live-chat vendors, and finding the right one can be tricky. Here are three options to suit your various needs.
- Striking Out With VCs?
- You're not alone. As venture capitalists become more risk averse, more early-stage companies are tapping the hot hedge fund market.
- Put a Hacker to Work
- TopCoder has an unusual way of finding talent. It hosts code-writing contests, in which geeks around the world compete for bragging rights and cash.
- Case Study: Was Outsourcing to India the Right Move?
- With revenue flattening, David Galbenski needed a bold new plan.
- Case Study: Update
- Singling out a new market.
- Ask Inc.
- Noncompete agreements; divorcing your factor.
The Inc. Life
- Ah, Wilderness
- Raising cows as the answer to work-life balance.
- The Dirt On Country Livin'
- How much does it cost to be a cowboy?
- Drives: It's No Ferrari, But the Frills Are Cheap
- The Mercury Milan succeeds by being pretty on the inside.
- Memo to Myself
- They lead small businesses, but have big goals.
- Travel: Now boarding: the JetBlue of Bangalore
- Discount airlines have become an international hit. We list who is flying.
- Things I Can't Live Without: Alex Algard
- Founder of WhitePages.com, the telephone directory site, and the CarDomain Network, the online community for car enthusiasts.
Columns
- Street Smarts: Be Prepared
- When your contract with a longtime client expires, do you reread every word of the original contract? No? Let me tell you a story.
- What's Next: Meet Your New Executives
- They're every bit as clever as your old ones. The difference? They may not be human.
- Grist: The Second-Mover Advantage
- Despite all the business wisdom exhorting you to smash the rules and shatter the paradigms, it can be just as smart to let others do the trailblazing.
Views & Opinions
- Editor's Letter
- Our monthly letter from the editor.
- This month's letters to the editor.
- Updates
- Progress reports on some previous Inc. articles.
- Almost a Tax Plan
- The budget deficit is deadly serious. Tax reform should be too.
