Terminating Pregnant Employees
Can you terminate an employee who is pregnant during her probation period? Read more
Running a Business
Recent Running a Business Articles
Trade Secret Basics
Trade secret law gives the owner of important commercial information the right to keep others from usingit. Here's what business owners need to know to pr... Read more
If You Publish It, Will They Come?
If you've decided to jump into online publishing -- putting out an online newsletter, magazine, or othercontent that will interest your customers -- you m... Read more
Pick a Legal Location and Avoid Zoning Trouble
Legally speaking, it's far less important whether a certain spot is a good one for your business than if it'sproperly zoned for what you plan to do. The f... Read more
Zen and the Art of the Self-Managing Company
The owners of Great Harvest Bread Co. are building a "learning organization" -- a company that fosters innovation and almost runs itself. Read more
Dealing with Zoning Problems
You've found the perfect spot -- except that it lacks the zoning you need. But you may be able to work the situation to your favor. Read more
How should pricing to retailers, who buy in quantity, differ from pricing to individuals?
Offices & Operations mentor Charlie Bodenstab responds to the following question from an inc.com user: Is there a model to dete... Read more
Hiring Contractors via the Web
Hiring on the Web can be risky. You'll be dealing with strangers -- and, working with them from a distance, you won't have the benefit of encounters to bu... Read more
Behind Warehouse Doors
Although your inventory might be quite small and you think your current system works well enough, it's to your benefit to implement a scaled-down version ... Read more
How do we propose an owner financing plan to a business owner?
An inc.com user asks: We're a young couple, and there's a business we're interested in buying. We've secured some family loans,... Read more
Commercial Lease Checklist
It's crucial to understand from the get-go that, practically and legally speaking, there are oceans of differences between commercial leases and residenti... Read more
Growth Strategies of Inc. 500
Since 1982, Inc. magazine has been compiling its annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country -- the Inc. 500. This guide wil... Read more
Do I need workers' compensation insurance?
Offices & Operations mentor Mie-Yun Lee responds to the following question from an inc.com user: I've started a business and am... Read more
Father/Son Chemistry
The partners: Father and son Met: At son's birth, in 1953 Fused: 1989 Bonding... Read more
Snapshots: Partners
The partners in each of these Inc. 500 businesses knew one another long before working together. Read more
Bonding over Barbecue
The partners: Friends about town Met: 1982 Fused: 1991 Bonding event: H... Read more
Planning for Growth
One thing seems clear in today's economy: Growth seems more random and more unexpected than ever. So perhaps the fitting response to that reality is that ... Read more
From Start-Up to Globalization: The 2000 Inc. 500
The technical savvy of many companies in the 2000 Inc. 500 is just one aspect of their high level of sophistication. A number of them already hav... Read more
CEO's Regret #1: Being Distracted by a Buyout Proposal
Behind every successful CEO probably lurks at least one major regret. The best, or the luckiest, CEOs learn from their mistakes and get an opportunity to ... Read more
CEO's Regret #3: Not Trying to Go Public Sooner
Behind every successful CEO probably lurks at least one major regret. The best, or the luckiest, CEOs learn from their mistakes and get an opportunity to ... Read more
Transforming Experiences
To grow spectacularly in a tumultuous era, the 2000 Inc. 500 companies have had to invent and master a distinctive skill: real-time retooling. Read more
Snapshots: Locations
These Inc. 500 companies relocated for various reasons -- from access to skilled labor to the CEO's love of the outdoors. Read more
Snapshots: Hall of Fame Overview
Here's a survey of 30 of the 48 companies in the Inc. 500 Hall of Fame -- an elite group of companies that have appeared on the list at least five t... Read more
Snapshots: Hall of Fame Second Acts
After Mark Hamister's company made the Inc. 500 list five times in the 1980s, he sold nearly all of it and semiretired. But he's caught the entrepre... Read more
Inc. 500 All-Stars: Then and Now
What happens to entrepreneurs after their companies make the Inc . 500 list? Interviews with 12 past and present Inc. 500 CEOs show that mos... Read more
The 2000 Inc. 500 Almanac
A statistical look at the Inc. 500 companies and the CEOs that run them. Read more
The Long Good-bye
When four friends started Inc. 500 company IRIS (#192), they decided to sell the company ASAP. Eight years later, they've finally succeeded. Read more
Now, On to the Really Big Time
Some Inc. 500 CEOs are choosing to cash out through IPOs or mergers when their companies are seemingly at the height of their powers. Find out why. Read more
Flexible Flyers
Even as Kingston Technology topped the Inc. 500 in 1992, its founders were warned that the memory upgrade market would disappear. But they knew better. Read more
The Democratic Merger
When two friends decided to merge their companies, they did so in a democratic manner with heavy input from their respective employees. The result: They incr... Read more
The Inc. 500: Class of 2005?
Two 2000 Inc. 500 CEOs demonstrate that spinning off new start-ups from within can give big benefits -- and profits -- to both parent and child. Read more
Incubators Are Hot!
Incubators have gotten plenty of attention lately. A few of the 2000 Inc. 500 winners are exploring the concept themselves. Read more
2000 Inc. 500 Index
The fastest-growing private companies in America in 2000, listed alphabetically. Read more
The Two L's of Legal Compliance: Leadership and Learning
The U.S. Supreme Court has articulated its mandate to employers: Not only is a policy prohibitingharassment and discrimination in the workplace required, ... Read more
Growth: How Fast Is Too Fast?
An overview of the 2000 Inc. 500 list shows that companies today are growing at a stunning pace. But when exactly does fast become too fast? Read more
