Most Clicked SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs Stories
1. 6 strategies for coping in 2009
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Dec 31, 2008
David Silverman has come up with six strategies for entrepreneurs coping with fears in 2009. Among them: Invest immediately if you have a great product, remain focused on the customer and do not give up. HarvardBusiness.org (12/29)
2. How Walt Disney built his World
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Jan 05, 2009
When Walt Disney wanted to build theme parks in California and Florida, the corporation that bore his name decided the move was too risky. Undaunted, Disney financed the parks out of his own pocket, then sold them back to the company that was too timid to believe in his vision. Having "the courage to innovate" is one of six lessons entrepreneurs could learn from Disney's life, John Sviokla writes. HarvardBusiness.org (12/30)
3. Trimming the fat -- and frills -- from fitness clubs
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Jan 02, 2009
There are no smoothie bars or steam rooms in the average 2,500-square-foot Snap Fitness club -- just lots of busy folks looking for a quick workout that won't bust the family budget. Peter Taunton planned his bare-bones fitness empire back in 2002, but he says the concept is perfect for these tough economic times. "We offer a fitness product that screams value," he says, and more than 800 franchisees seem to agree. Forbes (01/12)
4. What to do when business gets too personal
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Dec 30, 2008
Sometimes, managers have to set aside emotions for the sake of the bottom line, says veteran entrepreneur Norm Brodsky, who shares a couple of stories about personal relationships negatively affecting businesses. "You simply can't make good business decisions unless you are able to put emotions aside and analyze a situation objectively. I believe there is no more important -- or difficult -- skill for an entrepreneur to learn." Inc.com (12/28)
5. Finding happiness in little jars
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Dec 31, 2008
Tom Burrough, 43, was a well-paid advertising executive who opted to stay at home with his children. Then he founded a niche baby-food company. "You have the big players producing pretty poor food but doing quite good branding and then the smaller players producing good food but with no clue about branding or marketing. I met some very committed people in the baby food business but they called their dishes names like 'Little Rosie's Smiling People.' I thought, this isn't a toy." Telegraph (London) (12/30)
6. Liquid glasses promise sight to the poor
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Dec 30, 2008
A retired Oxford University physics professor has developed affordable, fluid-filled glasses that let wearers adjust the strength of their lenses without the aid of an eye doctor. The invention could improve the vision of up to 1 billion people in the Third World by 2020. Telegraph (London) (12/22)
7. Generation Y Me
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Jan 02, 2009
Chastened by the recession, Millennials may be losing the sense of entitlement that irked so many business owners, but realism comes at a price. "The recession is creating lower turnover, but also higher frustration among young people stuck in jobs," warns one inter-generational consultant. Economist, The (12/30)
8. Capitalizing on the new recessionary lifestyle
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Dec 30, 2008
Consumers -- those still able to shop -- feel they have enough "stuff" and are thinking about values and authenticity, say prominent trend forecasters. That may sound like more doom for stuff makers and peddlers, but knowing the trend can help a business position itself. "People have lost trust in a lot of institutions that were once deemed unquestionably reliable," says Ann Mack, director of trend-spotting at advertising heavyweight J. Walter Thompson. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (12/24)
9. Would anyone notice if your company went away?
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Jan 02, 2009
Cost-cutting will be necessary for most companies in 2009, says entrepreneur and author Bill Taylor, but smart entrepreneurs will balance those cuts with a "burst of creativity" to forge stronger bonds with customers. "Small gestures of kindness, good cheer, surprise and delight, can send huge signals -- especially in perilous economic times," he writes. HarvardBusiness.org (12/23)
10. Bringing the entrepreneurial mindset to life
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Jan 05, 2009
"Life Entrepreneurs" by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek argues that the entrepreneurial mindset is about more than building a great business -- it's about building a great life. In an interview, Vanourek says "tapping into their passion" gives entrepreneurs a competitive edge, allowing them "to do something better, to do something more efficiently, to do something exciting, to do something that benefits humanity or their community." Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (free registration) (01/04)
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