Iris Mack's Blog - Small Businesses

Origin of Franchising: Beauty & Religion (video)

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:16:00 --0100

One of the most successful business models is the franchise, but it didn't originate with McDonald's. Sir Harold Evans describes the remarkable story of a beauty salon that allowed hundreds of women to own their own businesses.

LittleBanc: Serial Entrepreneur Says Keys to Success are Persistence and Flexibility

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:34:00 --0100

Words of wisdom from a successful serial entrepreneur - Dr. Zee Aganovic - the founder of Hiconversion, a conversion rate optimization (CRO) software that lets both small and large internet retailers convert a higher percentage of existing web traffic to more leads and online sales.

Entrepreneurs: How to Perfect the "Elevator Pitch" (videos)

Sat, 21 May 2011 14:03:00 --0100

You never know when a good elevator pitch may come in handy!

Banks Reach Out to Small Businesses

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:30:00 --0100

Healthy, profitable U.S. banks say they are ready, willing and able to rev up small-business lending. Please read more here.

Venture Capital for Intellectual Property (video)

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:51:00 --0100

Advice from both sides of the venture capital table.

Venture Capitalist Bill Draper: Top 10 Avoidable Mistakes Of Entrepreneurs

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:30:00 --0100

Venture capitalist Bill Draper offers some advice based on his 50+ years of experience in the hope that at least some entrepreneurs will take some of his prescriptions to heart and maybe make their avoidable mistakes less costly.

U.S. Ex-Im Bank to Increase Small-Business Loans

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:36:00 --0100

The U.S. Export-Import Bank announced a plan Thursday to spur exports by increasing small-business loans to $6 billion this year and $9 billion a year by 2015. Please read more here.

VC Fred Wilson: What To Do When Investors Are Throwing Money At You

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:15:00 --0100

Words of wisdom from Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson.

Entrepreneurs Look To "Venture Banks" For Cash

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:15:00 --0100

Square 1 Financial is one of several startup-friendly lenders that are trying to help small companies acquire venture capital in the hope that they'll continue to use the bank's services as they grow. "We can help the startups with introductions to VCs that we know are relevant to them, their sector, their geography and their stage," says Gerald Brady, who directs the Accelerator Program at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the largest venture bank in the US. Please read more here.

Wall Street Journal: 10 Reasons to Start a Business in 2011

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:07:00 --0100

1. You'll never get laid off again. 2. You can stop asking your boss for a raise and give yourself one. 3. You can write off that new laptop, BlackBerry, iPad or printer. ..... Please read more here.

LearnVest: Helps Women Stay Out of Debt (video)

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 02:26:00 --0100

LearnVest is a personal finance site for women. In the last 12 months it has built up a readership of half-a-million unique visitors a month. It's adding an average of 650 users a day, showing that Americans are hungry for information on how to manage their money efficiently.

Young Entrepreneurs Create Their Own Jobs!

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:50:00 --0100

FIVE years ago, after graduating from New York University with a film degree and thousands of dollars in student loans, Scott Gerber moved back in with his parents on Staten Island. He then took out more loans to start a new-media and technology company, but he didn?t have a clear market in mind; the company went belly up in 2006. In October, Mr. Gerber started the Young Entrepreneur Council ?to create a shift from a résumé-driven society to one where people create their own jobs,? he says. ?The jobs are going to come from the entrepreneurial level.? The council consists of 80-plus business owners across the country, ages 17 to 33. Please read more here.

Crowdfunding: Entrepreneurs Tap the Crowd for Funds

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 21:15:00 --0100

When recent college graduate Bronson Chang wanted to renovate his uncle's candy shop in Honolulu, he decided to tap his social network for the funds via a "crowdfunding" website, instead of seeking a loan at a bank.

Crowdfunding sites?such as ProFounder.com, Peerbackers.com, Kickstarter.com and IndieGoGo.com?allow entrepreneurs to raise money collectively toward a monetary target. Entrepreneurs can create a profile on a crowdfunding site listing their monetary goals, an explanation of how the funds will be used, and an end-date for the campaign. Once the information goes live on the site, investors can pledge money toward the entrepreneur's goal. These sites typically take a small percentage of the funds that an entrepreneur takes home.

Please read more here.

Royalty Financing: Alternative Financing Option for Small Businesses

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:37:00 --0100

Some small businesses are considering royalty financing. By doing so, they are allowed to pay back a loan using a percentage of revenue. Traditionally found in industries such as mining, film production and drug development, royalty financing is being seen more among technology companies and other early-stage firms with growth potential.

Here are a few firms that provide royalty financing:

1. Arctaris Capital Partners LP in Waltham, Massachusetts

2. Cypress Growth Capital LLC in Dallas, Texas

3. Revenue Loan LLC in Seattle, Washington

Please read more here.

Veteran-owned Businesses

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 15:09:00 --0100

Support the 3 million American businesses owned by military veterans.

Learn more here.