How to Evaluate a Franchise Business Plan
If you are thinking of buying into a franchise, you must review the business plan with an eye toward learning whether there will be enough revenue to reward ... Read more
Start-up
Recent Start-up Guides
How to Structure a Partnership
Partnerships are incredibly common--and incredibly hard to sustain. Here's how to set up a partnership that is equitable, efficient, and mutually rewarding. Read more
How to Improve Your Presentation Skills
Your presentations skills are just as important as the information you are presenting. This guide will help you prepare for a presentation and polish your sp... Read more
How to Write a Marketing Plan
Experts know that careful planning is integral to marketing success. Here's your guide to crafting a thorough marketing plan - and learning more about your c... Read more
What You Need to Know About Making a Personal Guarantee
When the bank asks you for a personal guarantee on your small business loan (and it will), here's what you need to know. Read more
How to Create a Personal Financial Statement
If you own a small business or are self-employed, this guide will help you track income and expenses on a regular basis. Read more
How to File a Trademark
Protecting your business logo from creative theft is a crucial part of growing your brand. Here's how to file a trademark with the United States Federal Gove... Read more
How to Prepare a Company for an Initial Public Offering
An initial public offering of stock can be viewed as the definitive sign of a company's success. Here is a look at the steps a company can take to prepare fo... Read more
How to Conduct Market Research
A guide to using market research to understand who your customers are and what they want Read more
How to Bring Your Invention to Market
Here's a step-by-step process for turning a good idea for a new invention into a financial success. Read more
How to Close the Deal When Buying a Business
Tips on how to perform due diligence on a business you want to buy. Plus: What it takes to close the deal. Read more
How to Find a Business to Buy
An overview of how to determine what business suits you, what you can afford, and how to perform due diligence. Read more
How to Incorporate
If you are starting a business, or you already run one but haven't thought strategically about its legal structure--S Corp, C Corp, or LLC--you need to take ... Read more
How to Raise Start-Up Capital
Can you start a business with little or no money? According to these successful entrepreneurs, you can. Read more
How to Assemble a Board of Advisers
How to set up a board of advisers to help you run your small business Read more
How-To | Running a One-Person Business
Choosing a Form for Your Business Trying to choose the right structure for... Read more
How-To | Buying a Business or Franchise
Selling a Business Selling a small business has never been easy, and in today's e... Read more
How to Find an Angel Investor
When you're in search of financing, the idea of an angel -- an individual investor with money to invest in early-stage or start-up companies -- can seem noth... Read more
How to Find Angel Investors
A look at national and local groups of angel investors that provide funding for start-ups. Read more
Tax Strategies
Tax planning is a year-round event if you want to minimize your business's tax bill. Whether it's surviving an audit, capitalizing on business deductions, or... Read more
How to Structure a Business Plan
How to write a business plan that will help you obtain financing, arrange strategic alliances, attract key employees, and boost your confidence. Read more
How to Raise Start-Up Capital
Can you start a business with little or no money? According to these successful entrepreneurs, you can. Read more
Financing: Where to Find It
Finding financing is a more complicated matter than during the dot-com years when money seemed to flow freely for any good idea that crossed the transom. Tod... Read more
Grassroots Marketing
Let's face it. You're not Procter & Gamble or Volkswagen, so when it comes to marketing to your customers, you're more likely to get a little creative than t... Read more
E-Commerce Starter Kit
There are millions of e-commerce ideas that can drain entrepreneurs of time, energy, and most important, capital. To help you find the right strategies fo... Read more
Selling a Business
The Ultimate Valuation Guide If you're thinking of selling a business, you need to know what it's worth. If you're not thinking of sell... Read more
How to Set Up a Home-Based Business
Here's what you should consider before you decide to run a company from your home. Read more
How to Profit from Market Research
Knowing what your customers want and how they want it is essential to any business. Here's how to gather information through market research. Read more
How to Conduct Due Diligence
Your goals include managing risk, finding the right professional counsel, and haggling over price. Read more
Building a Business Plan, Section by Section
Though many successful companies have been started without the benefit of a formal business plan (see "Read more
