It's the small business owner who's been pegged to lead the country out of recession.
How?
Conventional wisdom says that our salvation lies at the hands of the small-time inventor, the garage tinkerer who finds a way to make a new product cheaper, more efficiently and with better quality than his competitors.
I interview one of those small-time (and small-town) inventors in this week's Smart Answers column. Find out what really motivates him and how he plans to help save energy - and humanity.
This week's podcast features an interview with Steve Strauss, who says small business owners can do wonders with their companies if they will just get organized.
Showing posts with label inventors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inventors. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Highlights of the Week
Remember the dot-com heydey, when garages were the preferred business venue and professionals slaved away for the promise of equity in vaunted startup ventures?
Those "roaring 90s" are long gone, but startup firms still offer equity in exchange for professional services. I answer a question about how to make such arrangements and whether they're always a good idea in my Smart Answers column today.
In this week's podcast, I talk to a family business expert. Unfortunately, he says, too many family-owned businesses are behind the times technologically and also lag in strategic planning. During good times, small companies can sometimes skate along with sloppy management, but in a recession they need to sharpen their strategy or risk failure.
Finally, BusinessWeek.com's Entrepreneur Journal is a fascinating first-hand account from a couple with a terrific idea (sole covers for athletic cleats) who struggled for years - and went through $100,000 - before they brought that idea to fruition.
The takeaway: Don't monkey around with amateurs. Hire pros who are experienced in the industry you're trying to break into if you want to succeed.
Those "roaring 90s" are long gone, but startup firms still offer equity in exchange for professional services. I answer a question about how to make such arrangements and whether they're always a good idea in my Smart Answers column today.
In this week's podcast, I talk to a family business expert. Unfortunately, he says, too many family-owned businesses are behind the times technologically and also lag in strategic planning. During good times, small companies can sometimes skate along with sloppy management, but in a recession they need to sharpen their strategy or risk failure.
Finally, BusinessWeek.com's Entrepreneur Journal is a fascinating first-hand account from a couple with a terrific idea (sole covers for athletic cleats) who struggled for years - and went through $100,000 - before they brought that idea to fruition.
The takeaway: Don't monkey around with amateurs. Hire pros who are experienced in the industry you're trying to break into if you want to succeed.
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