This Week's Stories: Feb. 23 - 27
Our March issue is now available online. Check it out. On the website, we're giving you inspiring entrepreneurs of all ages. Take PM Tenore, founder of RVCA, in Elizabeth Wilson's article, "RVCA: A Brand Like No Other." Tenore opened his first business at age 19, as he took his love for surfing and coupled it with a drive to learn clothing design. Now 35, he's created a clothing empire with art, music, surfers, skaters and models. He's created a RVCA culture all his own in his Costa Mesa, Calif., headquarters.
In "Entrepreneurs Remix the iPhone App," Dennis Romero writes about 37-year-old Michael Breidenbruecker--one of the tech-savvy bunch opening the flood gates of third-party apps for the iPhone. Breidenbruecker has created a reactive app that changes music according to how the user moves, exploiting the iPhone's musical capabilities and pushing the boundaries of this burgeoning entrepreneurial opportunity.
On the other end of the age spectrum are the recent retirees, featured in the March issue. For them, work's not driven by money or snagging the corner office; it's driven by a sense of purpose and giving back. In the magazine's "Not Ready to Retire," we show you that it's never too late to start a business, and the confidence and experience you have as you enter your second career is just what you need to start a successful business. For a slideshow of 10 inspiring 50-plus entrepreneurs, click here.
Since we revealed this year's Franchise 500 in January, our experts have told us that now, more than ever, is the time to buy a franchise because costs are low, and everything is negotiable. Jeff Elgin, Entrepreneur.com's "Buying a Franchise" columnist reveals the biggest money wasters in franchising and mistakes that many newbie franchisors make in his article, "Save on Your Franchise Startup."
In "GolfTEC Drives Franchisees' Success," we reveal a franchising concept perfect for a golf-loving businessperson. Using technology, GolfTEC is the first company to ever standardize and brand a golf lesson. With 142 locations, and having provided more than 1.5 million lessons to clients, this company is making money with every swing.
As you're racing to get your taxes filed by April 15, check out Carol Tice's "New Tax Tips for Businesses." If this was a particularly hard year for you, (and it was no doubt a hard year), we'll be following up next week with what to do when you can't pay your taxes.
Finally, the challenge this week for you entrepreneurs: Buy your employees a free lunch. That's right, in "Free Lunches Do Exist," we give the real cost-benefit analysis of productivity lost when employees take individual lunches, and the morale-raising effect of shelling out some extra dough for a corporate-sponsored lunch.
--Jessica Chen
