Choosing Your Business Name, Five Crucial Steps
Before committing to a business name, invest time in domain searches, trademark verification, online and e-commerce audits, and state-level business name checks.
Looking for Oz, Behind the Curtain: How Business Really Works
Pulling back the curtain on how business works reveals a complex but fascinating world of strategy, operations, leadership, and people. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a curious consumer, understanding these elements can help you confidently navigate the corporate landscape. Like Dorothy, you don’t need a wizard to succeed. However, you need a clear path, a strong team, and the courage to keep moving forward.
Best States to Incorporate: Compare Delaware, Nevada, Texas, and Wyoming
Choosing where to incorporate your business shapes your legal, financial, and operational future. Each state offers unique advantages and challenges, from Delaware’s legal predictability to Nevada’s low taxes.
Dexit Explained: What Every Business Should Know and Do
The Dexit trend signals a seismic shift in corporate governance. Corporations leaving Delaware challenge every business to rethink incorporation, governance, and costs. Whether you stay in Delaware, explore Nevada, or Texas, proactive planning is critical. Assess your needs, strengthen governance, and engage stakeholders to navigate this evolving landscape. Delaware’s dominance may wane, but your business can thrive with the right strategy.
Strategic Customer Acquisition: Organic vs. Cultivated Growth
Effective customer acquisition is the lifeblood of a new business, especially in its early stages. When customers organically discover and buy your products or services, it proves your business is viable. Early wins can mislead you. The real challenge isn’t attracting...
Seven Mistakes Businesses Make in Their First Year
The first year of business is exhilarating and overwhelming at the same time. You're excited about the potential and eager to prove your idea's worth. You may also be simultaneously anxious to be your boss and scared of leading the organization; your money is on the...
Looking Inside the Gig Economy with GigSalad CEO/Founder Mark Steiner
If you are in the music industry or other creative endeavors (e.g., acting, speaking), then you have been living in a gig economy [1] for your entire career. Gigs have been around for centuries. However, the gig has come to a new level of visibility in recent years...
10 Elements of Successful Businesses
While every business has elements that are unique to it. Every successful business shares common characteristics with other successful businesses. Concept The first element of a successful business is a clear concept of what the business is and does. This concept is...
One Great Idea: Focus for Success
In today’s fast-paced, competitive business landscape, one strategy stands above all others: focus. Focus drives success by aligning an organization’s resources, actions, and vision toward clear, measurable outcomes. It’s about prioritizing customers, markets, core...
We Will Figure It Out…When We Get There
One of my new clients is launching a brand-new business. This is the first time she has owned a retail business, and the setup of the operations is expensive. The building requires extensive renovations, and the basic equipment will be another huge investment. Then there are the product and staffing costs. For this client, the time from the investment of substantial funds to opening day will be six months, if everything goes perfectly, but it is more likely to be nine months. I have been encouraging her to spend time developing a business plan that includes an understanding of the day-to-day costs of being open, such as inventory costs, labor costs, and the number of clients that can be served per hour, etc. She doesn’t want to “waste time” (her words) on a business plan. She is confident she can figure it out when she gets the doors open.