Posts Tagged ‘startups’

Three economic trends for 2011 (fueled by startup goodness)

Mike | January 3rd, 2011

2011 is going to be a great year for entrepreneurs – even better than 2010. The past year saw startups on the rise, an increase in venture capital funding (both in real dollars and numbers of companies funded), a resurgence of IPOs, and the rise of David against Goliath, as best represented by Groupon’s spurning [...]

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10 random online resources for Entrepreneurs (2010 version)

Mike | December 27th, 2010

Seeing as how it’s the end of another year, I thought I would take a shot at a 10 best list of my very own. But instead of focusing on just one category of thing, I am going to mix it up and make it about various resources any entrepreneur might benefit from. Tools, blogs, [...]

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Ten small business tax planning tips for 2010!

Mike | December 20th, 2010

Well it’s that merry time of year again. We’re gonna rest a bit, enjoy the slow pace for the next couple of weeks, take the opportunity hang out with friends and family, perhaps even sip an egg nog. Let’s see now, what else are we looking forward to? Ah yes – tax planning! The end [...]

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Lean Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses and Startups

Ross | December 15th, 2010

Small businesses and startups face many challenges when marketing their products and services. Small businesses and startups have minimal brand recognition, are often located in geographic or demographic areas that limit their marketing options, and most have small (or non-existent) marketing budgets. Some marketers advise small businesses and startups to research and create strategic marketing [...]

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Business plans for entrepreneurs – Part III: refinement

Mike | December 13th, 2010

In this installment of my posts for entrepreneurs about creating business plans I discuss the second of the “3-Rs,” Refinement. Iteration of your idea is critically important and I share some thoughts about this process and some ideas on how you can strengthen your own plan with a few simple techniques. Let me know what [...]

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Great reads on small business and entrepreneurship

Mike | December 6th, 2010

The fragmentation of mass media comes with its own set of benefits and detriments.  So while there is more and more great content available to us, it gets more difficult to track down the best bits. Starting with this post, I am compiling some of the articles I most enjoyed, found most thought-provoking, or felt [...]

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Small business and startup issues: paperwork galore

Mike | November 29th, 2010

Last year’s healthcare bill, love it or hate it, contained a provision that slipped in under the radar, but that will have a substantial impact on small businesses and startups. The bill contains two important changes to how 1099s have been used historically. First, 1099s will now have to be issued for goods as well [...]

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Business plans for entrepreneurs – Part II: research

Mike | November 22nd, 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I started a series of video posts for entrepreneurs on creating a business plan. I very much believe that this part of the process is critical to building a strong company. The short video below contains my thoughts on the research process. I hope you enjoy and will look forward [...]

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Team Coco and the new world of digital marketing

Mike | November 15th, 2010

Last May, when Conan O’Brien spoke to an audience at Google, he described his situation as akin to being “a prisoner in a 14th century cell writing little things on a piece of paper and throwing them out the window.” Having been contractually barred from television appearances upon his departure from NBC, Conan was forced [...]

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Business plans for entrepreneurs: the three ‘Rs’ – Part I

Mike | November 8th, 2010

Some have argued that a business plan is not necessary when starting up your venture and that entrepreneurs can better spend their time on other things. I strongly disagree and argue that the very process of writing a business plan leads to a stronger, more sustainable business. In the following short video (the first in [...]

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