May 2011
COVER STORY
How a Business Can Change the World
Want to make a difference? A nonprofit is no longer your only option. Here are six business models with social missions.
FEATURES
The Great Cupcake Wars
You know who plays for keeps these days? Cupcake makers. The stakes are high. Ditto, our correspondent’s blood sugar
How I Did It: Tumi's Charlie Clifford
Shares are set to start trading at $18 a share. Here's how Charlie Clifford created one of the globe's top luggage brands.
Case Study: When a Competitor Attacks Your Company Online
When a competitor attacked their company online, Ken Sim and John DeHart had to decide how to fight back.
COLUMNS
Street Smarts | Norm Brodsky
Building Your Business
Columnist Norm Brodsky talks about deciding which opportunities a small business should pursue.
Street Smarts | Norm Brodsky
How to Drum Up Customer Referrals
Columnist Norm Brodsky offers his advice on how to drum up more customer referrals and sales leads.
Street Smarts | Norm Brodsky
Are You CEO Material?
Norm Brodsky gives tips on how to determine if you are the right person to take your company to the next level.
Get Real | Jason Fried
How to Hire an Assistant
For the first time in 11 years, columnist Jason Fried needed an assistant. But was he really ready to let go?
Balancing Acts | Meg Cadoux Hirshberg
Why Entrepreneurs Should Take Sick Days
Business owners strive to control their lives and fortunes—and then illness strikes, and everything falls apart.
THE GOODS
4 Great New Business Laptops
We tested four new notebooks with fast processors and loads of features. Here are the results.
3 Mobile-Advertising Services
A look at different ways to target customers on their mobile devices
Online Legal Help on a Budget
A look at websites that could help reduce your legal bills
A Gadget That Lets You Track Prized Possessions
The Garmin GTU 10 alerts you when it enters or leaves boundaries you set up online.
4 Fabulous Golf Resorts
These stay-and-play resorts are great for business travelers who want to get back to nature.
My Favorite Tool for Collaborating
Entrepreneur Paul Gladen explains how he uses Mavenlink to work on projects with his employees, contractors, and clients.
Can Apps Make You a Better Networker?
Tech Trends columnist John Brandon gave several networking apps a whirl at a recent event for teleworkers. Here’s what he found.
Big Idea: An Antimicrobial Gym Towel
The story behind the Silver Towel, a bamboo towel with bacteria-resistant nanosilver particles
PASSIONS
CEO Passions: Volunteer Firefighting
On the weekends, tech entrepreneur Jonathan Hefter puts out fires as a volunteer firefighter.
INNOVATION
Innovation: A Long-Distance Fingerprint Scanner
Advanced Optical Systems says it has developed a device that can capture fingerprints from up to 6.5 feet away.
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STRATEGY
Should You Switch to Green Packaging?
More companies are opting for recycled packaging and other environmentally friendly packaging materials, but making the switch can be tricky.
Would You Take Business Advice From a College Student?
Would you take business advice from a college student? Jen O'Neal did. That's why the founder of Tripping created an advisory board of young people.
Elevator Pitch: Vozeeme
Vozeeme matches manufacturers with trucking companies. Co-founders Anastasia Andreeva and Maria Ioveva want to raise $500,000. The experts weigh in.
Creating a Smart Export Strategy
Pankaj Ghemawat, author of World 3.0 talks about how businesses should approach a global strategy.
BEHIND THE SCENES
The Business of a Greenhouse
A look at the companies that provide the heating system, pond fish, skylights, and irrigation system for Marnie’s Pavilion in the Denver Botanic Gardens
LAUNCH
Comic Books for Entrepreneurs
A company takes six best-selling business books and transforms them into fully illustrated comic books.
Why You Should Delegate
Sachin Agarwal of Posterous talks about the huge rewards that can come from delegating, despite its difficulty.
Entrepreneurs in the News
The latest on Danny Meyer, Rodney Henry, and Lauren Conrad
Inc. Data Bank
Thirty percent of workers would trade more compensation for more time off, among other intriguing statistics.
Book Review: Little Bets
As a former venture capitalist, author Peter Sims addresses the idea of creative innovation.
Hot New Market: Smarter Window Glass
The market for energy-efficient window glass heats up. Here are four promising businesses vying for the market.
Location Matters When Hiring for Talent
New research finds that entrepreneurs who locate their businesses where the local talent has strong ties to the communities fair better.
LEGACY
Obituary: Bil Dunaway of The Aspen Times
Remembering the life of an entrepreneur who was a big force in turning tiny Aspen, Colorado, into a major destination
VIEWS & OPINIONS
Editor's Letter: Organizing Principles
How nonprofits can find the right business structure
A Start-up Combines Slim Jims and Red Bull
Meet Brian Levin, the founder of a new product that combines Slim Jims and Red Bull, coming to a supermarket near you.
Inc. 5000 Update: H&H Gun Range
The owner of a fast-growing shooting range talks CEO pay, regulation, and the typical firearms buyer.
Reader Mail: May 2011
Readers respond to Jason Fried’s cover story about getting good at making money and our special report on customer service.
