Starting A Business

Tailoring your goals and expectations to reality will help you succeed

By Max Berry

A certain amount of ambition is necessary when running your own business. If you aren't expecting a lot from your idea and yourself, it will be hard to deliver much to your customers. But at what point does ambition become a hindrance? If your expectations are too high for one person-or one business-to meet, they may be doing more to hold you back than push you on. Dreams of glory ...

By Adducent

Perhaps you need to do something new, a change from what you've been doing or you hope to build the financial security you aren't able to find by working for someone else. Maybe you can't find the right job to suit you and having your own business could be the solution. Whatever the reason; if you have the "itch" to have your own business you have two choices:

Do you start a business?

Do you buy a business?

Why ...

Is My Personality Right for This?

By Chris Freeburn

Many people dream of being their own boss - of setting their own hours, making their own terms, and having the big office where all the important decisions are made. It's a tempting idea, one nurtured by a national culture that prizes the ideal of the rugged individual who strikes out and remakes the world according to his or her vision. And every year, tens of thousands of Americans launch their own businesses,...

1. Start Smart
2. Plan Ahead
3. Set up Systems
4. Seek out Sales
5. Aim for Growth
6. Leverage Opportunities
7. Plan Your Exit

1. Start Smart.
Identify a niche. Don't compete to be the lowest cost provider. Look for what makes your product or service unique and adds a special value for the client and charge for that value. Every business has many facets. Start with what you know and like; start a business that has meaning to you. Ke...

According to the Center for Women's Business Research, there are over 10 million firms in the U.S. that are at least 50 percent female-owned.
By Kenyunia Ransom

Women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people and generate over $2.5 trillion in sales. With those numbers growing each year, the number of women who are both entrepreneurs as well as moms keeps growing too.

So are you among these estimated 6.9 million women? It's a 24 hour a day job, you are a mom,...

A well-executed business plan is a critical first step for every new business.
By Max Berry

You think you’re ready. You know what sort of business you want to start. You’ve written down your idea, narrowed its focus, and done the basic research. Now, what’s the next step? Turn that idea and research into a formal business plan.

Writing a detailed business plan is an essential step toward getting your business off the ground. Not only will ...

Be sure to do all your homework before you take the plunge and start your own business.
By Max Berry

So you want to start your own business? Maybe you have an idea you think is so good, you believe it will be a sure-fire hit. Or perhaps you are simply sick of working for someone else and just want to strike out on your own. The first step in founding a business is to define exactly what your new business will do, in as specific terms as possible.

If you don...