community
November 2011
COVER STORY
Inside the Mind of a Runaway CEO
After a dozen years as CEO, Jared Heyman stepped away. Far away. But could he and his company really live without each other?
FEATURES
Social Media Marketing by the Numbers
Social media marketing is all the rage. But does it really pay off? Here's a look at six strategies and how smart companies are using them.
How I Did It: Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic
Rachel Ashwell was a single mother when she opened her first Shabby Chic boutique. Then the financial crisis hit.
Case Study: Family Business Succession
Case study: An entrepreneur's son questions whether to follow in his father's footsteps at the family business.
Translating Viral YouTube Videos Into Sales
Want to go viral? Forget traditional PR and create an irreverent video hit.
Stan Richards's Unique Management Style
An in-depth look at how one man built the nation's largest independent advertising agency on one principle: Creativity doesn't need a muse. It needs a drill sergeant.
COLUMNS
Get Real | Jason Fried
Telling Your Company's Story in Video
Jason Fried explains why he has hired a full-time filmmaker to document 37signals' every move. Perhaps you should too.
Street Smarts | Norm Brodsky
Norm Brodsky on Overcoming Your Fear of Competition
Norm Brodsky says that buying a business to stifle competition is never a good move. Focus on your own business.
Street Smarts | Norm Brodsky
Norm Brodsky on Identifying Outstanding Salespeople
Norm Brodsky says that good salespeople focus on the particular feature the customer cares about.
Street Smarts | Norm Brodsky
Norm Brodsky on Dealing With Picky Customers
Norm Brodsky explains how to handle clients who insist on working only with you. The key: Re-sell them on the merits of your whole team.
THE GOODS
Rev Up Your Old PC
A review of four software programs designed to find and remove junk that is slowing down your computer.
Not Your Father's Whiteboard
Tired of ho-hum presentations? Try Sharp's new interactive whiteboard, which is actually a 70-inch touchscreen monitor.
DIY Tools for Creating Smartphone-Friendly Websites
Inc. reviews DudaMobile and FiddleFly, two services that convert regular websites to mobile sites.
My Favorite Tool for Organizing Data
Entrepreneur Ryan Goodman explains how he uses Roambi to turn spreadsheet data into interactive files that he can access on his iPhone.
4 Cell Phones That Can Take a Beating
Just how tough are rugged phones? We tested them to find out.
A Souped-up Digital Pen
A look at Wacom's Inkling, a digital pen designed to record drawings.
Things I Can't Live Without: Keith Britton of My Fashion Database
Britton's favorite things include Action Method Cahier notebooks and Theory's Kris HL Jacket.
A New Way to Share Trip Plans
The skinny on TripIt's new shared calendar, which makes it easier to keep track of coworkers.
Lost and Found: Smart Tags for Luggage
A look at two services that help retrieve lost items, including bags, laptops, and phones.
INNOVATION
Innovation: A Blood Test on a Chip
Claros Diagnostics has created the mChip, which can produce accurate test results from a single drop of blood in 10 minutes.
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STRATEGY
How Sweetgreen Connects Through Music
Hey, kids: Let's put on a show! What a music festival can do for your business.
The Way I Work: David Sacks, Yammer
If you're the type who likes to weigh all the data before making a decision, you're not cut out to run a start-up.
Elevator Pitch: Verbling
Can you say $1 million? A language-learning start-up is hoping that investors can.
Breaking Into the New Hispanic Marketplace
Break Media's new site, TuVez, is aimed at Hispanic males. Here's how it's been growing fast while navigating a complex new market.
Comparison of Crowdfunding Websites
A successful crowdsourcing campaign can generate buzz, provide proof of concept, and, oh yeah, raise a bunch of start-up cash.
BEHIND THE SCENES
The Business of Night Patrol at the Newark Police Department
Here's a look at the companies that provide the uniforms, safety partitions, dispatch software, and handcuffs that make night patrol in Newark, Delaware, possible.
LAUNCH
Congress Targets Online Ad Tracking
New bill allows consumers to turn off online tracking by clicking a button. Will Do Not Track hurt small businesses?
Book Review: The Rare Find
Author George Anders' book The Rare Find is the instruction manual for finding and recruiting the best employees.
How One CEO Took on the Law
Stymied by a city ordinance, Omar Ansari of Surly Brewing had to fight the law to launch his craft brewery.
Stop Feeling Like a Big Fat Loser
The founder of an online shopping community implores other entrepreneurs to be more honest about their problems.
Data Bank: Mixing Business and Politics
Small business and politics are as intertwined as ever. What are entrepreneurs' top priorities for Washington?
Data Bank: Where Owners Are Hiring (And Not)
What areas of the country are gaining jobs at small companies? New data reveals surprising answers.
Why it Pays to Help Holiday Shoppers Relax
Retailers use festive music and decorations to put customers in the giving spirit. Perhaps they should also consider back massages and pedicures.
Up Close With Leaders at the Inc. 500|5000 Conference, 2011
Inc. 5000 CEOs talk about the most fun they've had at work, what secrets about them would surprise their employees, and what they really think about earning an M.B.A.
Data Bank: How Much Angel Money is There Really?
In uncertain economic times like these, angels tend to guard their cash carefully. How much did they actually invest last year?
Gourmet Lunches for Start-ups
Gastronaut, a San Francisco catering company, delivers lunch to local tech companies such as Square, Grockit, and Yelp.
Data Bank: What Your Customers Do When They're Mad
How many more people will your customer tell about a bad experience versus a good one?
LEGACY
Obituary: Rose Kravitz, 1916-2011
For 72 years, Kravitz ran the Kravitz Delicatessen, a Youngstown, Ohio, landmark that offered a corned beef that rivaled any in the country.
VIEWS & OPINIONS
The Ballad of Jared and Carl
The evolution of a complex feature story about a peripatetic entrepreneur, Jared Heyman, and his keep-the-office-fires-burning counterpart, Carl Fusco.
