There is a tendency for prudent people to have a Plan A, or what they really want to have work, and a Plan B. In business, though, your Plan B should be to support Plan A. The true reason for having multiple plans is when there is an outside factor which can influence whether or [...]
In a conversation with a client, we discussed a piece of advice he had received from a venture capitalist in regard to his business. He had been seeking an investment of a few million dollars, most of which would be spent on development and hardware infrastructure for the business. The business already had clients lined [...]
Often in my line of work, I have conversations with people who have thought of an idea for a product or service, and are looking to turn it into a business. The first barrier they need to cross, namely, having a GOOD idea, has been crossed via validation from potential customers of the product or [...]
I have a client with an interesting employee – he can take a product, and figure out who the best customers of this product are. He knows how to reach those people, as well as the people who would ultimately pay for the product. He can get these people to seriously consider using his product [...]
A common question when starting a business is in regard to choosing a jurisdiction under which to operate. For example, here in Canada you can incorporate provincially or federally. In the US, you can incorporate in any of the states, provided you meet their requirements. Other countries will allow you to form a corporation under [...]
A service provider recently sent me a bill for some work she had done for me. The job was not large, but I had requested a quote for the work before approving it, and when the invoice came, the price was slightly higher than had been indicated in the quote. I debated the merits of [...]
One of the best resources that a business owner can get is a mentor. I am not referring to a coach per se, but a mentor, and the distinction is important. A mentor can help a new business owner gain experience without the pain of making mistakes (or at least, reducing the pain and frequency [...]
When HP was first founded, it was done on the basis of a product which had been built out of curiosity and then sold, followed by requests for more. The engineers then built another product, and then another, each of which sold to more and more customers. The company grew on the basis of many [...]
Elie Kochman is the author of Advice for Small Business Owners and the founder of Optimal Upgrade Consulting. Using his experience working in the corporate world along with his exposure to the world of small businesses, he writes these articles to assist others avoiding common pitfalls of growing a business. His experience in the corporate world, building his own business, and working directly with other growing businesses has given him some perspective on the trials and pains of running a business.
