StartupNation Blogs

So you’ve got some ideas, a decent prototype, and a couple customers to boot…now what?  Sadly, many would-be entrepreneurs fail at running a business before they even start.  The complexity of a business plan, lack of funding, and an army of competitors all create a standstill that causes those flames of business freedom to flicker.  [...]

Whether you’ve established a small business, are in the midst of launching one, or simply considering it for the future, it’s certain you want at least one thing out of this investment: success.
Starting and running a small business isn’t a cakewalk. It’s hard to believe, but over 50 percent of small businesses fail in their [...]

Here’s more from Suzy Batiz, our latest source of inspiration in the StartupNation community. She’s made over $1 million in first year revenue for her Poo-Pourri product line. Want your own success story featured here someday? Then read what Suzy shares below in Part 3 of her advice to fellow entrepreneurs.
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In Suzy’s words:
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How do you [...]

Sounds like a dream come true has occurred among us. Through the winning combo of tenacity, a great idea, having access to the right information and support network here at StartupNation, Suzy Batiz made over $1 million in first-year revenue selling her novel toilet scent spray product line called, “PooPourri.” Yes, you read that correctly.
You [...]

Here’s a link to the webcast of my 8 Secrets to Startup Success.
Throughout April and into early May, I was on a seminar tour with the folks at Microsoft Office Live Small Business. The tour, Vision to Venture (aimed at women entrepreneurs), was a huge success. Hundreds of people showed up in St. Louis, San [...]

If you are in the process of launching or revamping your business and you have a solid business plan in place, there is just one more element of organizational planning you need to consider. It’s very important to create or improve upon a mission statement for your company that your team members can agree [...]

I’m going to the Detroit Tigers baseball game tonight with my bride Suzanne. Section 144, Row L, Seats 8 & 9. The reason we’re going to this particular game is that the Tigers starting pitcher is Chad Durbin. Chad is a StartupNation community member and is preparing for life after his major league baseball career [...]

We have a lot of philosophies about entrepreneurship and small business here at StartupNation. One of them you will hear us mention often on the radio show or at live appearances is that "this is the golden age of entrepreneurship". And essentially what we mean by this is that there has never been a better [...]

My new company’s business plan went from beta to final release today. I’m very proud of the final product, and am excited to circle back to to prospective investors.
In my opinion, Jeff and Rich have written the definitive "how-to" on business plan authorship. But how do you plan to write a business plan? [...]

I was going through old files recently, and came across some archived business plans from several past companies. Man, how things change…
Business Plans are necessary inasmuch as they put your company’s strategy on paper. You’re forced to think about how you will accomplish your objectives, and if you’re raising capital, the business plan [...]