by Iris Dorbian. “Regrets I’ve had a few,” crooned Frank Sinatra in the famous song, “My Way.” That fabled lyric can also apply to many small, established business owners when they look back in hindsight at their entrepreneurial journey, comparing the glorious highs to the abysmal lows. What do some of them wish they had known way back when they launched their business? Success starts with the right people David Guralnick, president of Kaleidoscope Learning, which designs and develops...

Statistics show consumer buying is low, and many small businesses are facing sluggish sales. Beginning in March, the NFIB’s small business optimism index fell three months in a row after six months of rising. And, falling sales were cited as the number one business problem by one out of four business owners, particularly in the services sector.  Only 23 percent of owners reported higher sales, while 36 percent reported lower sales. However, there are some small business sectors that are showing...

Many small business owners say that overhead costs are one of the leading concerns, or even barriers, to starting or growing a business.  Most of those costs are associated with office space and other equipment. Today, however, business owners have the option to lease on a monthly or annual basis virtually anything from computer software and printers to delivery vans and specialized production machinery. Renting, as opposed to purchasing outright, can deliver important benefits to small...

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 start a business when you can buy one? A start up: Has no...

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, hoping that their...