It isn't easy to ask people you know and love for a loan. The process can dredge up bad feelings and leave borrower and lender alike unhappy with the results. Related More in Small Business There's no way to ensure things will go smoothly. But an important first step is to treat the lender like a "disinterested third party" and "let emotion go by the wayside," says Joseph Astrachan, executive director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center at Coles College of Business in Georgia. In other words, don't rely on your history with the lender to seal the deal, and don't play emotional games to get what you want—treat it like a regular business arrangement. Here are some tips from experts about how to keep ... Continue reading →
At some coworking spaces, getting big doesn't mean getting out. Shared office space used to be a setup for solo entrepreneurs, freelancers or businesses with just a handful of employees. In recent years, though, some new ventures have bucked the traditional model by creating pay-as-you-go setups for sizable start-ups. Some of these spaces have vast, open floors that can be partitioned according to the size of a company, or enclosed offices with adjustable walls. And they often provide communal reception services, copiers and conference rooms—or even amenities like showers and massages. Many entrepreneurs are turning to these spaces as a way to save on overhead as they expand, as well as maintain the communal feel of the business incubators where they launched their companies. But ... Continue reading →
A guide to the new fall shows being unveiled this week at the network "upfronts": the good, the bad and the weird. John Jurgenson has details on Lunch Break. Photo: CBS. This week in New York, L.L. Cool J delivered a rap about CBS, Jimmy Kimmel roasted rival networks (and his ABC bosses) and the CW, Fox and NBC trotted out stars of their own. Courting advertisers at the annual "upfront" presentations, the broadcast networks unveiled about 40 new shows for the fall. Among them: quirky ensemble sitcoms in the style of "Modern Family," characters leading double lives and stories of fantasy intrigue. Below, a sampling of new shows and the buzz from industry pros and the Twitter peanut gallery. For critics and networks alike, ... Continue reading →
This week the Obama campaign debuted its attack on Bain Capital, the private-equity firm Mitt Romney founded. Its two-minute ad purports to tell the story of GS Technologies, a Kansas City-based Bain investment that went bankrupt in 2001. To hear the Obama campaign, this is a tale of greed: GST was a healthy, happy, quality steelmaker until Bain plundered its worth and stripped its 750 workers of their due. "It was like a vampire," laments one former employee in the ad. "They came in and sucked the life out of us." Related Video Columnist Kim Strassel on President Obama hitting up Blackstone private equity investors for money at the same time he trashes Mitt Romney's Bain Capital record and Blackstone donors. Photo: Getty Images GST ... Continue reading →
