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People often use the phrase “born entrepreneurs” when referring to people who seem to have something that makes them innately entrepreneurial. Most of this discussion is casual and doesn't really consider whether some people are, literally, born with a genetic make-up that makes them more likely than other people to start businesses. But recently, Read More

SmugMug in Mountain View, Calif., is an example of how a startup can grow from an at-home operation to a $12 million-a-year subscriber-driven online business. Don MacAskill tapped his family to staff an ad-free photo-sharing site. Read More

Valerie Gunderson, a Minnesota communications consultant, has been able to balance a successful at-home career with raising her two sons. Time management is a key for "microbusiness moms" like Gunderson and others who have been able to achieve the balance they couldn't get while working a "50-plus-hour-a-week" job in a conventional workplace. Read More

Artisans, historically defined as skilled craftsmen who fashioned goods by hand, will re-emerge as an influential force in the coming decade. These next-gen artisans will craft their goods and shape the economy — through upswings and downturns — with an effect reaching far beyond their neighborhoods, or even their nations. That's one of the c Read More

Does selling come easily to them, or are they struggling for every dollar? Psychoanalyst Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz deconstructs the sales team and explains why "B" players make themselves less effective. Read More

Microsoft is merging the three existing paid versions of its Office Live Small Business product into one and making that single version available for free, the company announced on February 11. Office Live Small Business is the set of Web-based services, targeted at companies with 10 employees or fewer, that are designed to complement Microsoft Read More

Last week I read the story of how the state of Pennsylvania wants to shut down the thriving eBay auction business of single mom Mary Jo Pletz, which enables her to stay home with her 6-month-old daughter Julia, who has a brain tumor. The Pennsylvania Secretary of State's reason: Mary Jo does not have an auctioneer's license. Having sold 10,000 ite Read More

While there is no single element or component that accounts for a mailing's long-term chances, analysis of long-term controls received by the Who's Mailing What! Archive—a direct mail library and competitive tracking service—reveals one common messaging tactic: a strong emotional appeal. Here are three examples of long-standing control packages an Read More

According to Deborah Micek, women are naturally better sales professionals than men. Part of the reason for this is that both men and women tend to believe that women are more trustworthy. People believe that women lie less, are more responsible and are more honest at work. She explains that her opinions are backed by Martha Barletta's book, Read More

While telecommuting has grown in popularity--about 37 percent of companies worldwide offer telecommuting as a option-- a new study says it hurts those who still travel to the office to work. The study included 240 professional employees from a medium-sized company and found that the greater the number of telecommuters at an organization, the l Read More