Resources for Family-Run Businesses
Craig Aronoff and John Ward are the authors of Another Kind of Hero: Preparing Successors for Leadership and Family Business Succession: The ... Read more
Running a Business
Recent Running a Business Articles
Could Your Kids Run Your Company?
If you dream of a family dynasty, it's time to start planning. Last April 73-year-old Herman Shooster flew from Florida to Texas f... Read more
Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Office buildings can harbor pollutants that make employees sick and decrease their productivity. The cofounder of Verifone Inc. describes how his company bui... Read more
Selling Stock Abroad
Thomas Burnham may look like an ordinary restaurateur. But when it comes to raising money, he sees himself as a pioneer. "We are the Lewis and Clark of ne... Read more
We're Outta Here
A business owner describes the drawbacks to running a business at home and explains why she and her husband are happier now that they've moved their business... Read more
Two Men and a Bottle
The cofounder of Nantucket Nectars recounts how he and his partner, Tom First, started their business almost unintentionally and soon found themselves runnin... Read more
Expanding Internationally: Grow as You Go
Large companies routinely take advantage of the enormous potential of international markets. They simply budget for the expansion, spending whatever it ta... Read more
Upstarts: Sale of Modern Music Keyed to Customization
CDuctive, an online music retailer, allows shoppers to customize CDs. Also, several shorter articles about companies that provide mass customization of blue ... Read more
Do I Really Need a Written Agreement?
Is a handshake enough when entering a business alliance, or should you protect yourself with a written agreement? Here's what a written "memorandum of unders... Read more
Don't Worry, Be a Little Unhappy
CEO Brodsky suggests that legal disputes rarely yield an ideal solution for either party. If you're prepared to be a little unhappy with the outcome, you'll ... Read more
Nine Steps Toward the Home Office of Your Dreams
What to think about when it comes to design, equipment, and management. Read more
Techniques: Microcases
How two companies solved problems with technology. Topics include developing a system for managing pet kennels and off-the-shelf software for tracking invent... Read more
From Steer to Eternity
American beef producers are revolutionizing their industry with technology. New tracking systems allow ranchers to document every aspect of a cow's life, imp... Read more
All in the Family
Anthony Scaturro, CEO of EZRider, explains to his father, the CEO of Ski and Sport Shack, why he should get with the times and use technology to help run his... Read more
There's No Office Like Home
A look at how four entrepreneurs designed unique home offices to meet their specific needs, personal tastes, styles of work and physical limitations. Read more
Creating Companies of Companies
Once a company grows beyond a few employees, it's easy for people to lose sight of the business. They work in departments. They worry about keeping the bo... Read more
Free Association
Many salespeople give thumbs down to ever buying a list of sales leads. Doug Cobb, founder of a subscriber-based newsletter publisher in Louisville, saved... Read more
Global Export-ise
Looking for information that can help you tap foreign markets? When it comes to resources for developing international trade, start at home--with ... Read more
Go Snow City Hall
If you're trying to sell a product or service to a government agency --local, state, or federal--be aware that bidding is the rule. That i... Read more
Associated Press
As a financial planner and investment adviser, Betty Hedrick knows the value of numbers. By cross-promoting the Hedrick Co., her $600,000 business, with s... Read more
Paying Homage to Royalty
You are convinced that your new invention is destined to be the bedrock of a new company. If so, ask yourself these questions: Do I want to own 60% of a c... Read more
Sales: Up for Election
"We underestimated the politics behind purchasing decisions in government offices when we started in this business. One of an elected official's primary r... Read more
Avoid Party Animals
Selling to governments can take a notoriously long time. In desperation, many companies succumb to the charms of so-called political consultants, who prom... Read more
Rallying Overseas Reps, Training Article
Rallying Overseas Reps ... Read more
Work Your Way Out of the Office
Many CEOs who work long, hard hours dream of cutting back. Although it may be a while before you can reduce your hours at work, even today you can
Hands-Free Travel Computing
Personal information managers are all the rage, but how do you use one of those tiny keyboards when you're driving? Jeffrey Epstein has found a better alt... Read more
Don't Pay Until It Works
Buying his first network was a disaster for Joe Alloway, owner and founder of Credit Union Marketing, in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The idea was to link writer... Read more
Who Says You Can't Survive EDI?
Even before Jody Kozlow Gardner and Cherie Serota knew what it was, they dreaded electronic data interchange (EDI). Belly Basics, in New York City, is the... Read more
Computerize on a Shoestring
Time is of the essence in Allison Rosson's $1 million design and manufacturing business. Mike & Ally, in New York City, makes decorative purse, bath, and ... Read more
Streamline, Then Automate
Lantech's plant runs on technology that could have been installed 40 years ago. Instead of a shop humming with numerically controlled lathes and automated... Read more
Buy It or Build It?
Tim Litle's business processed mail-order companies' credit card orders. Each day, Litle & Co., in Salem, N.H., faxed its customers information on the pre... Read more
Track Hardware Depreciation
Most electronic equipment -- e.g., computers, fax machines, telephones -- has a five-year life on tax depreciation schedules. After that, it's considered ... Read more
Share Data with Your Suppliers
Some growing companies are extending their data sharing with their large customers. And, rather than having to establish systems that are compatible with ... Read more
Getting a Fix on Outside Contractors
Air Taser, a stun gun manufacturer in Scottsdale, Ariz., decided the best way to handle order fulfillment was to outsource. If you outsource any process, ... Read more