Entrepreneur Magazine: February 2004

Beyond Basic Training
We don't know what you've been told, but boot camp's worth its weight in gold. These intense leadership training courses are changing the way entrepreneurs do business. Think you can handle it?



Be Your Own Boss Features
The Race Goes to the Swift
The 101 fastest-growing franchises for 2004 are gunning for the lead.

What Not to Do
A seasoned entrepreneur reveals the 17 most common mistakes startups make and how to avoid them -- plus, the 5 things you must do to ensure success.

Biz 101
Take Your Shot
Your small start-up really does have a chance at succeeding in a marketplace full of big-name competitors.

Sticky Situations
Three entrepreneurs share their ethical dilemmas—and why they're better because of them.

Bragging Rights
It's OK to toot your own horn every once in a while. Here's how to pull it off.

Rest Insured?
Insuring your company from the get-go may be expensive, but it's crucial to your survival.

Innovations
Keep It Simple
You don't need a mammoth staff or an elaborate office to make millions from your invention.

Opportunities
Major Dough
A former baseball player decided to take a swing at making gourmet pizzas.

Measuring Up
Searching for a good idea? Just take a look out the window.

What's New 02/04
Three's a crowd, eight's a date

Real Life
A Perfect Landing
Having successfully navigated start-up negotiations, Jack and Diane get ready for franchise ownership.

Smart Ideas
Smart Ideas 02/04
Pizza box advertising, tracking song trades and more

Success Coach
Chain Reaction
Want to make a real connection while networking? Build lasting relationships by offering solutions to others' needs.

What's Your Problem?
Desperately Seeking Web Designer
Don't know the difference between HTML and a URL? Here are some things to think about when seeking a Web site designer.

Almost Famous
Good Spirits
Life's little twists molded the man who has patrons tapped into yard-high beers and gourmet food.

Editor's Note
Thinking Pink? Think Again


Feedback
Feedback 2/04
Letters from our readers

Resources
Resources 02/04
Web sites, organizations, events and more to grow your business

Insurance
Null and Void
Withholding the truth may cost you your policy.

Legal
Neither Fish Nor Fowl
Test the regulatory waters early if your product doesn't fit into a recognizable category.

Management Buzz
Management Buzz 2/04
How work is really judged, security clearances for government contracts and more

Real Deal
Bulking Up
A little training each day helps you pump up your game at the bargaining table.

Smart Moves
On a Roll
Stuck for extra office space? Mobile furniture could help you maximize the space you've already got.

Staff Smarts
Got It Covered
If you can't afford to offer employee benefits on your own, why not join forces with a PEO?

A+ Ads
Getting Physical
An ad inviting prospects to interact with the publication in which it appears can really grab attention.

Ask the Expert
Speak Up!
The ins and outs of hiring a spokesperson

Marketing Buzz
Marketing Buzz 02/04
High-speed networking and high-energy branding

Retail Register
Can't Beat These Receipts
Use register read-outs as a promotional tool

Sales Force
Short and Sweet
Speeding up your regular sales cycle is an excellent way to make your company's profits soar sky-high. So what are you waiting for?

Sales Success
Pump It Up
When it comes to making the sale, projecting a confident attitude is key. So what can you do to give yours a boost?

Tactics
Take It Outside!
Looking for new marketing opportunities? Then maybe it's time to consider the great outdoors.

Dollar Signs
On Bended Knee
Will that big-name client end up making—or breaking—your business?

Funds
Power Play
Utility stocks have gone back to basics.

Money Buzz
Money Buzz 2/04
Tips for diversifying your investments, rising tuition and more

Personal Finance
Good Funds Gone Bad
Should you dump shares of fund companies implicated in scandals?

Raising Money
Cross That Bridge
Juggling growth and financial risk is one balancing act you can't afford not to master.

Tax Talk
States of the Union
States back a uniform sales-tax system that would raise additional revenue. What will the change mean for you?

Biz Travel
Fresh Finds
Check out these new digs on your next trip to the Big Apple.

Books
Branching Out
For faster growth, take what you do best to a whole new level.

Capitol Issues
Level Playing Field
The SBA evens the odds for smaller businesses seeking to win contracts.

Hot Seat
Where There's Smoke . . .
One entrepreneur feels the heat of anti-smoking laws.

It Figures
It Figures 2/04
The cost of pain, innovative adults and more

Smarts Features
New Arrivals?
Signs of recovery have some businesses hiring.

A Pop-Up Victory
Competitors' ads could muscle in on your Web site.

Safe Bet
Federal funds are motivating VCs to invest in security firms.

Breaking the Silence
Brushing up on your small talk is more important than you think.

Fast Track?
If The Bridge Act gets past "go," fast-growth businesses could benefit from a tax deferral.

Bad Apples
Business owners share their hiring horror stories.

Tuning In
These entrepreneurs do business to the beat of a different drum.

Is That Kosher?
Here's a food niche you may not have considered.

Keyed Up
The SEC could force companies to take security more seriously.

Snapshot
Snapshot 02/04
Allison Kugel, 29, founder of LongIslandLefty.com and TireSignal.com, Plainview, New York

Tech Toy
Spies Like Us
The hard drive you wear on your wrist

What's the Point?
Shipping News
Strategy is everything when it comes to successful exporting.

Wheels
Greener Machines
If fuel economy is what you need, a hybrid could be the answer.

Women
That's My Baby
Who says running a business and motherhood don't mix?

Buyer's Guide
Switch It On
It may be high time to maximize your network's performance, now that there are newer, cheaper Ethernet switches in town.

Connections
Hearing the Call
Not quite ready to cut the cord? Never fear—your local Bell will offer VoIP, too.

Digital Edge
Testing, 1,2,3 . . .
Are tablet PCs Really all they're cracked up to be? We took one model for a spin to find out.

Gear
Gear 2/04
Fully-stocked mobile device and wireless networking made safer and easier

Hot Disks
Hot Disks 2/04
New and improved e-mail, bundled creative software and more

Net Profits
Codes of Conduct
Using coupons can be a great way to get new customers to visit your site—if you do it right.

Tech Buzz
Tech Buzz 2/04
Data recovery; what'll be hot in e-commerce

Wireless
Chip Ahoy!
Soon, handheld devices will harbor wi-fi chips.

It's All Coming Together
A hybrid cradle saves you wireless phone minutes.