By Gerri Detweiler – Guest Contributor The American Rescue Plan Act has passed the House and Senate, and President Biden is expected to sign it this week. It includes a number of provisions that will help small business owners— including those who are self-employed or are independent contractors— in the form […]
Author: GROWBIZ
The case for business interruption insurance: Pros and cons
By Susan Guillory – Guest Contributor If your business had to close because of, for example, a fire or a hurricane, how long could you afford to cover ongoing expenses without incoming revenue? As a business owner, you want to protect your company against potential loss, so you invest in […]
Why Shark Tank is barking up the wrong tree: The 4 Steps from Idea to Aha
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor Shark Tank has taken the entrepreneurial world by storm. Many of my students are eagerly devouring every episode. I tell them that they are wasting their time or worse, headed in the wrong direction. Based on an analysis of 122 billion-dollar entrepreneurs and hundred-million-dollar […]
The 3 components of entrepreneurial genius
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor What is common among the following billion-dollar entrepreneurs? What is their gift that separates them from the rest of us? Sam Walton, who came out of nowhere (actually rural Arkansas) – to grab the pole position in American retail. Bill Gates, who dropped out […]
What can you learn from Airbnb: Focus on your skills – not the idea
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor Has Airbnb succeeded because of its terrific idea? Or is it because of the entrepreneur’s ability to encapsulate his idea in a fantastic pitch and attract VCs? Or is it because of the entrepreneur’s skills in finding the right strategy and executing it to […]
FIU’s Pino Center organizes record number of trainings to boost local businesses amid pandemic
During the pandemic, a common term heard among busines owners in Miami-Dade County and around South Florida is “pivot.” Retailers have pivoted to focus on more online sales, other businesses have pivoted to roll out new products or services, and restaurants have pivoted to offering more delivery or take out […]
Why 100% of venture capital can be explained in one 4-letter word
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor I know the word you are thinking of. But, actually, the word is ‘exit.’ Many have tried to explain venture capital (VC). For entrepreneurs, VC is hope in a check. They hope that VCs like their idea (hence the fascination with Shark Tank) and […]
What is a Trade Reference and when do you need one?
By Gerri Detweiler – Guest Contributor A Trade Reference is a report detailing the payment history between a business customer and its supplier or vendor. Trade references may be supplied verbally, in the form of a trade reference letter, or by reporting payment history to commercial credit reporting agencies such […]
How finance-smart entrepreneurs find financing in a finance-short world
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor There will never be enough new business financing to satisfy all the world’s entrepreneurial hopes. Having been to many venture-development conferences, I have found that one theme remains constant – entrepreneurs everywhere, and the venture developers who promote them, seem to constantly complain about […]
Grit v. Glam: The 2 faces of Billion-Dollar Entrepreneurship
By Dileep Rao – Guest Contributor Billion-Dollar Entrepreneurs (BDEs) are defined as entrepreneurs who have built ventures from startup to more than $1 billion in sales and valuation. Billion-Dollar Entrepreneurship (BDE-ship) is defined as the process used by BDEs to build these ventures. This blog explains the difference between the […]
