Plan Your Business Archives

The Defining Dozen: #8 – How will customers buy from you and how much will they pay?

In Step 3 of "10 Steps to Open for Business," answering the “Defining Dozen” questions is vital to writing a good business plan. The Sloan brothers describe them in detail in StartupNation: Open for Business,...

byThe Sloan Brothers

August 18, 2006

The Defining Dozen: #9 – How much money do you need and how much will you make?

byThe Sloan Brothers

August 18, 2006

The Defining Dozen: #10 – Where’s the startup money coming from?

byThe Sloan Brothers

August 18, 2006

The Defining Dozen: #11 – How will you measure success?

byThe Sloan Brothers

August 18, 2006

The Defining Dozen: #12 – What are your key milestones?

byThe Sloan Brothers

August 18, 2006

Obtaining an Affordable Health Insurance Policy

Nailing down a health-care policy for your startup business can be like the timeless, fruitless search for the Holy Grail. Entrepreneur after entrepreneur can testify to the frustrations of trying to find an insurer who...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Deciding On Health Insurance for Your Small Business

Two of the most pronounced trends in U.S. business in the past 10 years have been the rise of entrepreneurial activity and the decline in the availability of affordable health-care coverage. As a startup or...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Health Insurance Lingo – A Glossary of Terms for Small Business Owners

Navigating the health-insurance maze is a little easier if you understand the terminology. Here’s a guide to most of the important terms you’ll need to know as a small business owner: Blue Cross and Blue...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

How to Ask Suppliers to Help Your Business

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to let yourself slip into the notion that you’re operating in a lonely silo, or even that to succeed in business, it’s you – and only you – against the...

byThe Sloan Brothers

August 9, 2006

No Business Plan is Too Young for a Facelift

You did everything by the book: You put together a thorough business plan, you followed it, and whatever success you’re now enjoying proves it was a solid plan. That doesn’t mean the business plan that...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Skip Common Errors in Designing Commercial Space for Your Business

Whether you’ve already signed the lease or are still searching for the perfect commercial space, think hard – get some help if you need to - about how you’ll make it yours, and what it...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Human Resources: How to Hire in a Small Business

Growth is great, but every yin has a yang. When your small business reaches the point where it’s no longer a one-person show, it’s time to do some hiring. That can be very exciting. But...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Startup Business Dreams

Growth Great entrepreneurs, those who make it, don’t just wake up one morning and say, “Hey, kids, let’s start a business!” They prepare well ahead, so when the time is right they’re ready to parry...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

More Approaches to Grassroots Marketing Success

Grassroots marketing techniques offer great ways for your startup business to get some marketing traction while you’re trying to get off the ground, because they’re typically cheap – and they can be highly effective. Actually,...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Get the Taxman to Smile on Your New Business Home

Finding just the right spot for your new business – whether it’s a store, an office or a shop - can be a daunting challenge. The technicalities of tax codes and other regulations, as well...

byStartupNation

August 9, 2006

Controlling Your Startup Business

Cash isn’t like calories. Those, you want to burn up fast. But when it comes to the cash consumed by your startup business, the slower your “burn rate,” the better. Knowing the burn rate in...

byStartupNation

August 3, 2006

Find a Niche for Your Business, Fill It and Win

Your best chance of success as an entrepreneur is to offer a product or service that’s unique to a marketplace that needs what you and your business have to offer. Finding that niche, or creating...

byStartupNation

August 3, 2006

4 Ways to Save Money for Your Small Business

When it comes to a small business, a penny saved truly is a penny earned. Continually cutting costs, even in tiny ways, goes directly to your bottom line. And there are more ways to save...

byThe Sloan Brothers

July 27, 2006

Former Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble has got it goin’ on

Uber blogger Robert Scoble announced last month that he was leaving the "comfy?" corporate world of Microsoft to join a startup - mentioned us in his blog Scobleizer. Now here's a great example of an...

byJoel Welsh

July 21, 2006

The Juggling Ball Effect: Niche Marketing Tips

Did America need a new twist on juggling balls when we introduced a juggling kit to the U.S. market in 1992? Call us crazy, but we thought it did. We established exclusive rights to import...

byThe Sloan Brothers

July 20, 2006