House and Home

Companies Embracing Holiday Cheer

Dec. 12, 2005 --Swept up in the holiday spirit, or perhaps too much eggnog, small-business owners are saying thanks to their employees by ...  Read more

Her Kind of Town

How landscaper Christy Webber (Inner City 100 2004's No. 54) mowed her way into the hearts of Chicago's elite.  Read more

What Products Should I Sell?

My business is to show people where they can find products to sell without investing a single penny in inventory. The approach is called drop shipp...  Read more

Insect Inside

Inspired by the cockroach, Orbital Research Inc. has developed an advanced control system that aims to prevent airplane and car crashes.  Read more

Insect Inside

Inspired by the cockroach, Orbital Research Inc. has developed an advanced control system that aims to prevent airplane and car crashes.  Read more

The Perfect Internet Business

Garden.com is one of the hottest Internet companies around, but what's so special about it is how basic it is. Here's what you can learn from the secrets of ...  Read more

Cancel the Christmas Party!

Tips on hosting a successful holiday bash, including keeping it fresh and exciting, allowing employees to plan it, saving money, and limiting your liability.  Read more

Get a New Perspective

R D for new goods and services is too important to be left to the same folks. Here's why.  Read more

I run a sideline home business but have a full-time day job. Can I claim a home office deduction?

Law & Taxation mentor Barbara Weltman responds: As long as your sideline business is the principal place of business for that acti...  Read more

The Conversion Of Skip Kelly

Last summer, Skip Kelley was running a small-time home-remodeling business. Then he found Mr. Build.  Read more

Report: Economy Ruins Party Mood

Workplace holiday parties are a bellwether of economic conditions, research shows.  Read more

Plant Waterer

Biotech firm has come up with a soil additive that absorbs, stores, then releases large amounts of water.  Read more

Getting The Bugs Out

In the extermination business, there is Al Burger and there is everybody else. What does he know that the others don't?  Read more

Business For Sale: Massachusetts Garden Center

An up-close look at a business for sale that includes price rationale and the pros and cons of the purchase.  Read more

"Three people go to a cocktail party in Chicago, and one ends up with a new job. Three people go to a cocktail party in California, and two end up startin...  Read more

My Place: Rick Hawkins’s Clifftop Manor

Building your home on a cliff has its advantages. Check out the view from the shower.  Read more

Venus's Designs

Venus Williams is the latest athlete to turn entrepreneur, and she's showing her usual flair.  Read more

Health Care for Unmarried Partners

How one company extended health benefits to include employees' unmarried partners.  Read more

I Wish I Could Compare Notes with Other CEOs in My Industry

If you can't find a networking group in your industry, why not create your own? To benchmark his own business practices against the best ones in his indus...  Read more

Back To Bricks And Mortar?

If you're reading this blog, chances are you are a small business owner or self-employed professional (at least that's our target audience - others welcom...  Read more

The Ultimate Sales Incentive

What's the ultimate sales incentive? A seller of dirt has found that awarding free vacations is one way to move tons of product.  Read more

Planning For "the Next Economy"

Paul Hawken's provocative approach to corporate strategy is more than just small talk.  Read more

The Greenhouse Effect

Gene Gage wanted a quiet life in the country where he could indulge his hobby of growing herbs. That was before he hitched his wagon to an Internet star.  Read more

Use the Right Marketing Numbers

A marketing expert and entrepreneur tells why marketing strategies not based on hard data are doomed to fail.  Read more

The Greenhouse Effect

Gene Gage wanted a quiet life in the country where he could indulge his hobby of growing herbs. That was before he hitched his wagon to an Internet star.  Read more

Hot Tip: Don't Make a Personal Guarantee

One small business banker says that a personal guarantee isn't always necessary.  Read more

Fewer Employers Planning Holiday Parties

Growing economic woes have fewer business owners in a party mood this year, a recent survey shows.  Read more

Cultivating Growth

Behind the quaint New England facade of White Flower Farm lies a market-driven company fueled by repeat business and one of the highest average orders in the...  Read more

Upstart of the Year

When Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) announced in May 2006 that it would shut down its Maytag division in Newton, Iowa, it offered transfers to a select group of emp...  Read more

60-Second Business Plan: Talking Trash

Tom Szaky is working with some pretty slimy partners in his new venture. But TerraCycle, and its worms -- yes, worms -- may just create a whole new niche in ...  Read more

Employers Scrapping Holiday Perks

Fewer workers will be getting year-end bonuses or other gifts this season, HR managers say.  Read more

When It's Time Leave the (Home) Office

There are two kinds of entrepreneurs; those who like working at home, and those who don't. Here's how to know when it's time to go.  Read more

The Society Gets Down To Business

As if things weren't tough enough in the microcomputer business already, a new set of players may soon be joining the fray trade associations. Such, at an...  Read more

MyPunchbowl is Aiming to Knock Evite Off Its Party-Planning Pedestal

  The Pitch: MyPunchbowl.com offers everything you need to plan a party or event. Evite is our largest rival, but what we do is diff...  Read more

Buy Web Apps? Webware Lets You D-I-Y

A growing number of small businesses do-it-themselves when it comes to Web applications. Python, Coghead, and even Microsoft have developed tools to allow ev...  Read more

Profiled Web Site: Garden Escape

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When Entrepreneurs Need Help

We have a new survey on Inc.com. I'm pasting it below. It can be tough to run a company and make time to walk the dog, drive the kids to baseball p...  Read more