Posts Tagged ‘small businesses’

Family Investors? More Like Donors.

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

“Experts generally advise entrepreneurs to ask for an amount that their loved ones can afford to never get back, and say the recent recession is in some cases proving this point.

‘The reality is most companies do not succeed,’ says William D. Bygrave, a professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College who co-wrote a 2010 study on the expectations and motivations of informal start-up investors, including family, friends and strangers.

Dr. Bygrave’s findings show that about half of such investors anticipate a positive return on their investment, while the other half expect to lose part or all it. ‘The closer the relationship between an entrepreneur and an investor, the lower the expected return,’ his research concludes.”

What do you think?

If you borrowed money from a family member for a business venture, how likely would you be to pay it back? Would you sign a formal agreement or try to keep the loan “casual?”

Don’t Just Buy Local – Buy Personal

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

“Recently I saw a small business shut its doors. I feel terrible because I am partly to blame.

I never stopped by this store. While I can tell myself it was more convenient to shop at a large retailer, the truth is I didn’t stop in because I never saw any cars in the parking lot. I was uncomfortable with how both of us would feel if I browsed and didn’t make a purchase: He disappointed, me guilty.”

What do you think?

Have you ever avoided going into a store or restaurant because you felt awkward about interacting with the owner or salesperson?

Taking Netiquette To A New Level

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
This is just a quick, fun piece about an interesting new business. See if you want to give it a try!
  • Alexa and James Hirshfeld, two siblings living in New York City, have started Paperless Post, a Web-based business that allows users to design and send invitations through e-mail.
  • The business was created to cater to the needs of people who want something more upscale than Facebook invites but don’t want to go through the time and expense necessary for printed invitations.
  • Paperless Post seems to be growing in popularity, boasting such clients as Zac Posen and Diane Von Furstenberg.

Facts & Figures

  • The Hirshfelds have sent out 60,000 invitations since January 2009, and 150,000 since the previous fall.
  • Paperless Post boasts a variety of letterhead templates, fonts, motifs, border patterns, paper colors, sizes, stock, and textures, as well as an RSVP tracking system.
  • The carbon footprint of Paperless Post is virtually zero.

Best Quote

“The Internet has been a kind of vacuum in terms of aesthetics. We wanted to leverage functionality with design.” — Alexa Hirshfeld, Co-Founder of Paperless Post