Entrepreneur Magazine: July 2001

Good Thinking
Lonely burden of innovation wearing you down? Tap the entrepreneurial zeal in your employees, and they'll start pitching ideas faster than you can implement them.



Be Your Own Boss Features
At a Loss?
Never fear. Here's all the pumping, priming and know-how you need to lift yourself from the pink-slipped masses and turn the loss of your job into a business even your former employer will envy.

Quick Change
How fast can you make a million? For these companies, the answer was one year. But who knows? Maybe you could do it in less.

Biz 101
Designing Women
A "by women, for women, about women" attitude is making this greeting card company a success.

Group Effort
It takes a village to raise an entrepreneur: Meet the chief.

Seller Beware
Tips to keep retail buyers from kicking your product to the curb

Burning Question
What was your first big buy after starting your company?

BizStartUps.com
Finishing Touches
Your site is almost complete...but first figure out how Web surfers will find it and what they'll see when they get there.

Franchise Focus
Summertime Sell
If you can wait out the winter months, a frozen-dessert franchise could be a hot seller for you, too.

Innovations
Home Fires Burning
Spark nationwide success for your product with some sales fuel from your local neighborhood stores.

Opportunities
Franchise-Me-Downs
Franchisors are refranchising their company-owned units and selling them to you. Is that a good thing?

Take a Chill Pill
Bahama Buck's is making the big bucks with flavored ice.

What’s New
Things popping up and sitting up (arf!) in franchising today

Smart Ideas
MBA 101
Business school showed them a perfect market: business school students.

What's Your Problem?
Food for Thought
Even the crankiest reporter can't resist a news release full of local flavor and entrepreneurial spice.

How Much Tax Will the Taxman Take?
Here's how to find out.

Almost Famous
What’s That Smell?
With the fragrances (like tomato and dirt) this fashion-student-turned-fragrance-mogul has concocted, it could be anything. But we're betting it's the sweet smell of success.

Books
Loosen Up!
If every hour of every day is all planned out, you may actually be hurting your business.

Bulletin Board
Something Ventured
From angels to vcs, new roads for investment capital continue to open up.

Calendar
Calendar 7/01
Check out these trade shows, expos and seminars.

Editor's Note
Dream It. Do It.


Feedback
Feedback
Letters from our readers

Buyer Zone
Money in the eBank
Online banks still battle consumer distrust.

Insurance
My Bad!
You've just accidentally burned your office down: coverage for when it's not the landlord's problem.

Legal
Regulatory Rumble
The successful movement to stall OSHA's Ergonomics Rule shows how you can help shape the federal regulatory process—and maybe avoid a pain in the neck.

Management Buzz
Management Buzz 7/01
Parent-friendly business and tax breaks when you help your commuting workers

Smart Moves
Worse Left Unsaid
Make sure employees tell you what's on their minds, especially in a downturn.

Staff Smarts
When Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
What do you do with an employee who is incompetent but can't see it?

Success Coach 2001
The Bright Side
When moments of truth become moments of opportunity

Breakthrough
Golden Girl
When granny talks, people listen.

Game Plan
Show and Sell
Give your potential customers front-row seats for your ads with rich e-mail.

Marketing Buzz
Marketing Buzz 7/01
Promoting your business through community concierge services and cheap publicity

Net Sales
Who Wants to Know? You Do.
Conducting a survey online is cheap and fast--and you can do it yourself.

Real Deal
Word Games
Don't let yourself get tangled in the other side's tricky talk.

Sales Success
Open Sesame
You don't need a secret password to get through your prospects' doors. All it really takes is a good strategy.

Tactics
Slogan's Heroes
When it comes to making your mark, finding the right catch phrase is half the battle.

Ask the Rainmaker
Fair Game
What to know about your loans before buying another business

Dollar Signs
Rock Bottom
Bankruptcy reform aimed at system abusers might make it impossible for struggling businesses to get out of the hole.

Funds
Experience Counts
Finding stability in an unstable market

Money Buzz
Money Buzz 7/01
Available help if you're having trouble closing a financial deal, repeal pending for Depression-era bank law and investing in the bond market

Money Makeover
Mass Appeal
Reaching consumers nationwide is this restaurateur's plan for her healthy fast-food business. What will it take?

Raising Money
Money Order
Venture capital is within reach, but you have to work for it. Follow these steps to that deal-closing handshake.

Tax Talk
Lie Down With Dogs . . .
And you'll end up with some mighty hefty fees.

Biz Travel
Air Share
How does going in halfsies on a corporate jet sound?

Brand Aid
Brand Anew
When a company no longer does what its name promises, it's time to change names and market like hell.

Capitol Issues
Bad Influence
Senate sends message: hands off the office of advocacy

Global
’Tis the Season
Why wait 6 months when the Southern Hemisphere is ripe now?

Hot Seat
Seasoned Greetings
Good morning. Welcome to Entrepreneur magazine . . . sorry, needed some practice.

It Figures
It Figures 7/01
What online shoppers in the U.S. want, "smart" U.S. cities and more

Smarts Features
You Suck!
Don't take it personally: That's just post-dotcom backlash talking. Or is it?

Money Talks
The billionaires want to keep paying estate taxes. What do you want?

Herky-Perky
The perks to keep and cut

Seems Like Yesterday
2001 already? Must be time for '90s nostalgia...and we were barely over the '80s!

Loophole Lotto
Next time you write a check to the IRS, you may wonder whether you really have to.

Want Fries With That?
Is this the aftermath of a Three Stooges pie fight or just the latest spa trend?

“Oh, Yeah? Prove It!”
Bringing both sides of the patent issue together to find the truth about prior art

Piece Treaty?
Global interests may soon discover that breaking up the Web is hard to do.

It’s Lies! All Lies!
Those legendary business stories could be just that.

Snapshot
Carlton Calvin
39, president of Razor USA LLC, in Cerritos, California

Tech Toy
Wire Not?
Check out this hands-free, wire-free headset.

Wheels
Car Loves Driver
Let your vehicle nurture you during those long commutes.

Women
Lost Count
The U.S. Census Bureau gets stingier about classifying businesses as women-owned.

Buyer's Guide
Lean and Mean
When it comes to saving your business's time and money, thin is in.

Cool Clicks
Cool Clicks 7/01
Check your commute before you hit the road and launching a virtual press room

Digital Edge
The Penguin’s Revenge
Look out, Microsoft. Linux may soon power more servers than you.

Gear
Gear 7/01
Staying organized with the Palm OS and pint-sized printers

Hot Disks
Hot Disks 7/01
Reviews of E-mail Gatekeeper, Outlook Mobile Manager and RealBridge 3.0

Net Profits
Now or Never
Busy customers won't wait around for help. Before you become a dotcom statistic, consider opening the lines of communication.

Tech Buzz
Tech Buzz 7/01
Congressional bills that could affect your business, dial-up modems and more

Wireless
You've Got . . . an Ad?
Advertising hits the wireless Web.

Easy on the Eyes
Sick of squinting at those tiny screens?