All parties should engage in serious discussions before entering into a partnership. Talk about whether you share the same vision and goals. Discuss how you will handle compensation for each partner. This may become a real issue, unless if you…

Before you consider a partnership with a friend or a spouse, ask if it’s worth jeopardizing the relationship if the partnership sours. When you go into business with friends, it can be difficult to maintain your professionalism, and it can…

  Find a partner who complements you. If you know the operations aspect, find someone that can marketing. This will allow you to focus on your strengths and what you enjoy doing. As business partners, Mark and I also complemented…

1. Small business grants are far and few between. If you even qualify for one, it would have to be in a redevelopment area. Even then, you would have to be a business that is under certain conditions financially. Most…

Small Business Investment Companies–set up by Congress back in 1958 to operate as private businesses—provide equity capital and long-term loans to small businesses, especially those suffering from social or economic disadvantages. More than 400 SBICs currently operate in the U.S….

Typically public-private partnerships, these groups have sprung up around the nation. Their core function is usually to offer loans to startups and early-stage businesses, but they also provide a crucial forum for networking, and bringing VCs and other investors to…

If you can’t convince a bank to give you a sizable loan to get your business going, maybe it’s time to go the micro business loan route. Micro business loans are typically for $35,000 or less and are available to…

Several business schools hold competitions in which you can get your creative ideas in front of venture capitalists, angel investors and other potential financing sources–and the most promising business plans receive substantial cash prizes. Most of those require student participation,…

How nice would it be to have money just given to you? One government website offers a great clearinghouse for hundreds of startup grants. These grants are offered by states and governmental associations, and the list promises to get bigger…

With so many experienced, capable people getting cut loose by corporate employers, there has never been a larger pool of potential entrepreneurs. But with the implosion of so many banks and the continuing credit crunch, there has also never been…