Small-Business Guide

The Long Odds of Reforming an Employee Who Is a ‘Destructive Hero’

By JOHN GROSSMANN

Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Scott McGohan of McGohan Brabender, a health insurance and benefits broker, has had to deal with destructive heroes -- and recalls that he was once one himself.

A business will want the revenue they haul in, their crackling insights and bursting energy. But the hit to company morale just isn’t worth it, managers say.

October 29, 2014

Today in Small Business: Daring to Close on Thanksgiving

By GENE MARKS

Apple Pay runs into competition. Does anyone really want a “smart” washing machine?

October 29, 2014

Can ‘Destructive Heroes’ Be Saved?

By YOU'RE THE BOSS EDITORS

Or is the smarter strategy to cut your losses as soon as possible?

October 29, 2014

Bringing Lessons From a Pool in Pakistan to a Pitch Meeting With Investors

By COLLEEN DEBAISE

As a teenager in Pakistan, Shaan Kandawalla was not permitted to compete in the 1996 Olympics because of her gender. That background has prepared her to take on the male-dominated tech world.

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The Valley Stream Flea Market is swarmed on sunny weekends by thousands of shoppers and hundreds of vendors.

The End of a Bargain Paradise in a Parking Lot

By COREY KILGANNON

The Valley Stream Flea Market in Nassau County closes on Oct. 26, another large flea market shut down to make way for developers.

“When you sell your company you go through an identity shift,” said Jonathan Carson, who started a second company.

Entrepreneurs Who Cash Out Look for Meaningful Second Acts

By DARREN DAHL

Successful business owners who sell their companies but consider themselves too young to retire are redeploying their skills in social or environmental projects.

The Upshot

Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work? Usually Not

By AUSTIN FRAKT and AARON E. CARROLL

Programs to keep employees healthy are popular with their employers, but the evidence of their effectiveness is very thin.

The Upshot

Latest Good News in Health Spending: Employer Premiums

By MARGOT SANGER-KATZ

The growth in employee plan premiums was only 3 percent in the last year, tied for the lowest rate of increase in 16 years of the Kaiser survey.

Conversations

Alan Martin, the founder and chief executive of Sidewalk, in the company’s warehouse in Ogden, Utah.

Surviving Battle With Amazon, Entrepreneur Picks New Fight

By IAN MOUNT

A textbook rental service changed course after Amazon, a supplier, cut it off. The service found a lucrative niche working with campus bookstores.

Case Study

Matthew Bellows, chief executive of Yesware, on the roof of his Boston-based software company. His sales team foundered when trying to convert the product’s free users into paying customers.

A Leader Struggles to Sell Software Meant to Aid Sales

By JOHN GROSSMANN

The chief executive of Yesware has come up with three solutions to address weak software sales. Outside experts offer advice on which path to pursue.

Small Business

Josiah Humphrey, left, and Mark McDonald are, happily, co-chief executives of Appster.

Finding a Balance When the Buck Stops Here. And Also Here.

By SARAH MAX

Two heads can be better than one in a start-up, but sometimes one needs to take charge to have a clear chain of command.

Kelly Landers, center, checking on lunch customers at the cafe she owns in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

A Whole Town in Colorado Pushes to Improve Its Customer Service

By IAN MOUNT

A Colorado resort executive helps prepare a training program for workers to help improve relations with consumers.

Case Study

Matt Hemeyer and Eric Salenski, the founders and only employees of Addition, a company that sells handcrafted liquid spices for cocktails and beer.

A Small, Spicy Start-Up Prepares for the Demands of Eggnog Season

By JULIE WEED

Addition, a two-person company that makes liquid spices for cocktails and beers, considers how to increase production from 750 bottles a month to 7,500.