The Thing That Would Not Die
Toy maker Playing Mantis had a devout online community. So why did they almost kill it? Read more
Start-up
Recent Start-up Articles
A Simple Approach to Sales Forecasting
How do you forecast sales accurately? The trick is to break the sales down into manageable parts. Read more
Bring New Life to Your Vision Statement
There is noeasy recipe that guarantees a successful vision-in-action. It's an organic process, not a once-a-yearevent. You can only be willing to try vari... Read more
What legal questions most concern venture capital firms considering an investment?
Law & Taxation mentor Richard S. Morse Jr. responds: Venture capital firms will look at the scope and duration of any existing non... Read more
What questions should I ask venture capitalists before accepting their money?
Law & Taxation mentor Richard S. Morse Jr. responds: Too often, in my experience, entrepreneurs are looking for money from any ... Read more
I'm starting a business but have no market research budget. What are some inexpensive techniques?
Marketing & Advertising mentor Jay Conrad Levinson responds: The least expensive marketing technique of all is to create a question... Read more
Simply Stupendous Press Kits
Now that you've hissed your way through that sibilant headline, let me just say I feel your migraine. But that's nothing compared to the ... Read more
Creation Theory
Why is Haystack Toys cofounder Dan Lauer traveling the country and meeting with inventors? To test his theory that consolidation in the toy industry has sque... Read more
The Road Not Taken
CEO Norm Brodsky discusses why, of all the challenges people face when they decide to start a business, one of the most difficult is learning to say no. Read more
Can You Survive the Ebay Economy?
If you think Web auctions are only for collectibles, you're in for a surprise. These online agoras now sell everything from moving services to real estate wh... Read more
Making the Online Connection in China
China and its one billion-plus population have long been the envy of the business community, ranging from huge international consumer goods companies to f... Read more
Nordahl Brue: My Biggest Mistake
Nordahl Brue Founder and CEO of Bruegger's Bagel Bakeries, based in Burlington, Vt. My partner, Mike Dressell, and I started Bruegg... Read more
The Complete Franchise Business Plan
What's the big difference between a traditional start-up business plan and a start-up franchise plan? Essentially, the latter must combine compone... Read more
Capital Training
BELLEVUE, WASH. -- Roxanne Benton Darling toyed with starting a business for two years. "I've started and stopped a couple of times, but for whatever reas... Read more
Pick the Target Audience, Then Tailor Your Plan
One of the key steps in preparing your business plan is targeting it to the right audience. If you're seeking out financing, for example, will your pl... Read more
Infusing Strategy into your Business Plan
Your marketing strategy outlines how you will offer your products orservices to your customers and what will entice them to buy, and normally involves tar... Read more
Insights into an Internet Company Business Plan
Q: I am working on a business plan for myInternet start-up company and am wondering what the next step should be. ... Read more
Think Multipurpose Marketing
Effective marketing strategies always work double time -- feeding off each other and creating a ripple effect. Just like multi-function equipment, your ma... Read more
Keep Your Plan Alive
A military adage by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz states, "No battle plan survivescontact with the enemy." For businesses, this translates to "A st... Read more
Free or Low-Cost Staffing Options
Internships Internships can be a great source of free or low-cost labor. In order to convince interns to work for free or for subm... Read more
Start-Up Saga, Part 2: Unveiling a Mission
Editor's note: In December 1999 Knowledge@Wharton and inc.com published "Anatomy of a Start-Up, Part 1: The Cl... Read more
Myth 3: Smart Money Makes You Smart
Think any Internet start-up can get venture capital? Not true. Entrepreneur Cliff Young had to grow his company before the VCs came calling. Read more
Myth 4: Razzle-Dazzle Makes Web Sites Great
Does being bigger and bolder make a great Web site? Here's how the Edler Group discovered that functionality is better than technothrills. Read more
Myth 5: Brand Is Everything
NetGrocer.com's interim CEO Fred Horowitz shifted his site's focus from branding to selling groceries -- and created a spectacular turnaround in the process. Read more
Myth 7: Community, Community, Community
Think you need a chat room on your Web site to be successful? Here's how Paramount Services realized that not every Internet business begets a cult. Read more
What Business Is Amazon.com Really In?
With more than $550 million in losses over the past five years, how can Amazon.com seriously expect to become a viable retail business? Inc. offers ... Read more
Making Friends: The Name of the Angel Game
I am on the advisory board of a company that is creating a very interesting software product. As an Internet-based product, it's in a white-hot market spa... Read more
Do Sole Proprietors Need an Employee Identification Number?
Q: I'm starting a business as a sole proprietor. I don't plan to have any employees. Do I need an employee identification number, or can... Read more
