Tag Archives: business coaching

Entrepreneurship in American History

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John Steele Gordon

The following is adapted from a speech delivered in San Diego, California, on November 15, 2013, at a Hillsdale College Free Market Forum on the topic “Markets, Government, and the Common Good.”

The word “entrepreneur”—one who undertakes, manages, and assumes the risk of a new enterprise—comes from the French, where it literally means “undertaker.” The word was borrowed into English in the mid-19th century­—perhaps the golden age of the entrepreneur—when the number of new economic niches was exploding. The activity of entrepreneurship, of course, is much older, going back to ancient times. As for America, our nation was founded, quite literally, by entrepreneurs. Continue reading →

Marketing

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Marketing business sales Offering value is not enough. If no one knows (or cares) about what you have to offer, it doesn’t matter how much value you create. Without Marketing, no business can survive – people who don’t know you exist can’t purchase what you have to offer, and people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer won’t become paying customers. Continue reading →

5 Reasons You Should Pay Someone to do Your Accounting

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Many small business owners start out thinking they will do everything they possibly can in their business to keep costs low, including doing their own accounting.  Some have learned the hard way that small errors can add up to a big mess. Continue reading →

$1,423,400 and Counting!

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We just filed a report with the Economic Development Administration (EDA) on the impact the Cumberland Business Incubator has had since February, 2013. Our number for Private Investment Generated came to $1,423,400! This is money that our clients have spent in their businesses on real estate, building expansion, equipment, rent and build out. Continue reading →

First Hire

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Your initial employees can make or break the place.  Choose wisely.

The first few employees at your startup are crucial. They set the tone for your company and determine whether you fade out or make it to the next level.

“Hiring the right people is absolutely critical in the beginning, because each person you add will have a significant impact on shaping what will – and won’t – be valued, and how people will behave,” says Chris Cancialosi, founder and managing partner of gothamCulture, a New York-based organizational consultancy. Cancialosi was interviewed for Entrepreneur magazine about attracting and selecting employees to create the right corporate culture from the start. Continue reading →

3 Reasons to Apply to a Business Accelerator Program

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From Forbes by Ryan Frankel

Technology, access to capital and tremendous desire to start a business has made launching a new venture easier than ever. The growth in new businesses has been met by a proliferation in business accelerator programs designed to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their pursuits through carefully designed programs and access to mentors, talent and capital. Continue reading →

3 Myths & Productivity

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Ask almost any business owner or professional how they are and the most likely answer you’ll get is “Busy”.  The problem with ‘busy’ is that it doesn’t equate to productive (as in getting the most important things done) – it generally just translates to busy.

Busy makes you feel like you’re getting a lot done. Busy makes it look like you’re getting a lot done. Busy makes you work longer hours…according to a recent Gallup study the average work week is now 47 hours and almost 40% of workers are working more than 50 hours a week (despite the fact that the data clearly shows that longer hours don’t equate to more productivity). Continue reading →

Standing Room Only & Hot Fudge Sundaes at CBI Pitch Night!

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Pitchers

Pictured left to right: Holly Hanson (Director Cumberland Business Incubator), Kimberly Williams (Spa Escapes), Ben Ford (Dendrophilia Landscapes), Cathy Kimmerly (OH Fudge!), Stuart Sitton (Select Auto Sales), Allison Crawford (Momentum Behavior Analysis), Jody Franks (Franksarousa Farms), and Facilitator Diane Morey (A to Z Printing)

Congratulations to the entrepreneurs who made their Pitch to the standing-room-only assembled crowd at the Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI) on Monday May 4th. Seven business owners worked on their business concepts for nine weeks utilizing a business model canvas approach called CO.STARTERS in preparation for Pitch Night. Five of the entrepreneurs were intent on growing existing businesses while two were developing brand new businesses. Continue reading →

Find the Gap – Part 2

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Architects: What makes a creator an architect? These creators identify openings and as blank-sheet-of-paper builders, they construct solutions from the bottom up. They have the unique ability to see vacancies and envision how separate parts can fit together to form new logical designs. Continue reading →

Find the Gap – Part 1

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The Creator’s Code by Amy Wilkinson is based on interviews with 200 entrepreneurs who have started companies that individually generate more than $100 million in annual revenue or social enterprises that serve more than 100,000 people. What the author found was 6 common threads in how they achieved entrepreneurial success.

In each case, the entrepreneurs describe the reason for their work as more than money – their goals were to make a mark on the world. In the 5 years of work the six skills that make creators successful came to light. Creators are not born with an innate ability to conceive and build $100 million enterprises. They work at it. They all share certain fundamental approaches to the act of creation. The skills that make them successful can be learned, practiced, and passed on. Continue reading →