Most Clicked SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs Stories
1. 8 expenses that can trim your tax bill
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 15, 2010
Treadmills and tropical retreats might not seem like valid tax deductions, but experts say they can be -- if you plan right and keep good records. Decorating the office and sharpening your skills are other activities that can help ease the pain on April 15. Wall Street Journal, The (03/14)
2. The elevator pitch in hard copy
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 16, 2010
Ever have trouble boiling your business plan down into bite-size morsels that investors can easily digest? A Web tool called Plan Cruncher may be able to help. Users respond to a series of questions about their business, then Plan Cruncher spits out a one-page summary, complete with icons designed to visually communicate the opportunity to potential investors. VentureBeat (03/11)
3. Should you bail when you fail?
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 17, 2010
Current thinking on "lean startups" teaches that entrepreneurs should launch a business on the cheap, then walk away and try something else if things don't work out. But that sounds a lot like giving up, writes Mark MacLeod, who has been involved with more than 20 startups. Every new company experiences peaks and valleys, but "[b]owing out during an early valley is not the way to go," he writes. StartupCFO.ca (Canada) (03/11)
4. 10 measures leaders can take to motivate
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 18, 2010
Most people respond to the same motivational stimulus. Having a clear vision, saying thank you and trusting your team are some of Jo Owen's keys to keeping a team on target. Owen also suggests showing you care for each team member, but not trying to be friends. BNET (03/08)
5. To make a sale, tell a tale
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 17, 2010
Blake Mycoskie got his entrepreneurial start in college, where he launched a door-to-door laundry service that expanded to four campuses before he cashed out. Next came an outdoor-media business, followed by a stint on reality TV. His travels with "The Amazing Race" led indirectly to his current venture, TOMS Shoes, which got national exposure with an AT&T ad campaign. An odd career path? Sure, but a compelling story is part of a company's appeal, Mycoskie argues. CNNMoney.com/Fortune (03/16)
6. Why expertise alone won't make you successful
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 16, 2010
Expertise in your specialty is only half of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, says Wendy Enelow. And the other half? "If you can't capture and close clients, it doesn't matter how great your services are," she says. If "sales" isn't your thing, Enelow offers tips on gaining confidence -- or finding good outside help. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Workforce (03/15)
7. Choosing the right social medium for your message
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 19, 2010
If you're thinking of committing precious time or ad dollars to social media, a study from Chitika may help ensure your message is reaching the right audience. By studying site referrals from the most popular social networks, researchers discovered that Twitter users are obsessed with news, while MySpace users love celebrities. Check out this article's accompanying pie charts for many more examples. Mashable (03/18)
8. Virtual shopping looks virtually unstoppable
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 15, 2010
The strong growth of online shopping is expected to continue as the economy recovers, going from about $155 billion last year to an estimated $248.7 billion in 2014, according to Forrester Research. In 2009, despite the recession, about half of the U.S. population made an online purchase, spending an average of about $1,000 each. Three retail categories -- computers, apparel and electronics -- accounted for more than 44% of all online purchases. FastCompany.com (03/11)
9. First-year stories: Checking in with recession startups
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 16, 2010
The long recession created many reluctant entrepreneurs, and this slide show checks in with some who were first profiled a year ago. One of those is Sheila Bermel, who founded a company that designs trade-show booths, bulked it up to eight employees, laid half of them off, then rebounded again with a big corporate account. Although her business continues to struggle, she brought in $1.45 million in revenue last year, making her one of the big success stories in this group of more than 20 startups. Bloomberg BusinessWeek (03/09)
10. Breaking the advertising addiction
SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs | Mar 18, 2010
Entrepreneurs are finding that ads are an unreliable way to monetize their business, and micropayments are becoming the preferred alternative. Micropayments allow customers to choose exactly what they need, and companies benefit from a greater flow of small orders, Chris Cameron writes. "[W]e are discovering that the default revenue model on the internet should probably be the simplest one," according to a blogger quoted by this article. ReadWriteWeb.com (03/17)
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