Small Business
Shops on Wheels, but the Goods Aren’t Sold From the Trunk
By TAMARA BEST
Mobile businesses are increasing in cities across the United States, as entrepreneurs embrace the lower overhead and freedom to change locations.
Small-Business Guide
As Start-Up Strategies Evolve, So Does Role of a Business Plan
By EILENE ZIMMERMAN
Charlie Mahoney for The New York Times
Joanna Elkayam found ideas for her beauty product business in an old business plan for a spa.
While formal business plans can still be required to get a loan, more new companies are skipping creating one, considering it a relic of the old economy.
Bits Blog
Chasing Entrepreneurial Opportunity in the Affordable Care Act
By STEVE LOHR
The Affordable Care Act has opened up entrepreneurial opportunities for start-ups like Stride Health, a recommendation engine for health insurance.
Corner Office
Multimedia Feature: Executive Women, Finding (and Owning) Their Voice
By ADAM BRYANT
Four chief executives describe the importance of taking stands, and of making sure they’re heard.
Bits Blog
Buying the Bricks for Your Online Storefront
By JENNA WORTHAM
E-commerce services help mom-and-pop shops achieve a more polished web presence.
Case Study
A Sweet Breakfast Memory That Connects With the Wrong Market
By JOHN GROSSMANN
Christopher Pouy founded Cow Wow Cereal Milk to bring a taste of his past to today’s children. But the milk is proving more popular with an older set.
Business Leaders Cautiously Expect G.O.P. Win to Open Some Doors
By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ and CLIFFORD KRAUSS
Issues expected to get a new look include a corporate tax overhaul, environmental and financial regulation, trade deals and the Keystone oil pipeline.
State Wage Initiatives Fare Better Than Democrats
By SHAILA DEWAN
If the ballot measures on Tuesday were any measure, the issue has become unmoored from partisan politics, drawing support from both sides.
Conversations
How an Entrepreneur Learned to Sell Quinoa in the Land of Grits
By STACY PERMAN
Richard Thomas opened a health food restaurant after a nutritional consultant told him that fried food was bad for his customers.
Providing Health Insurance Still a Struggle for Small Business
By REED ABELSON
A year after the insurance marketplaces were introduced as part of the Affordable Care Act, provisions meant to help small businesses offer benefits to employees have yet to fulfill their promise.
December 5, 2014
Today in Small Business: The Best Jobs Numbers in Years?
By GENE MARKS
Starbucks plans a new chain of coffee shops for those who thought Starbucks coffee was too inexpensive. Four studies show that the Affordable Care Act is working “incredibly well.” And here is how to deal with a toxic employee.
December 4, 2014
Today in Small Business: Wages
By GENE MARKS
Health care costs grew at the slowest rate in 2013 since 1960. There is $1.99 gas in Oklahoma City. And search engine optimization mistakes that are easy to make.
December 4, 2014
After a Disaster, a Winery Starts Anew — and Finds a Better Business Model
By COLLEEN DEBAISE
Delia Viader, who started her winery in 1986, had fire insurance but feared the payout would take months, if not years, and probably wouldn’t cover her losses.
Long Overshadowed in Realm of Business Magazines, Inc. Grabs the Spotlight
By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY
Inc. is becoming a mainstream publication, turning out glossy covers that broaden its appeal.
Boutique Brands in Japan Keep Independent Watchmaking Alive
By LIZA FOREMAN
In a market dominated by industrial-scale brands such as Seiko, Citizen and Casio, niche businesses are fighting to keep artisan trades alive.
Small-Business Guide
The Long Odds of Reforming an Employee Who Is a ‘Destructive Hero’
By JOHN GROSSMANN
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.
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.
Case Study
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.
Conversations
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.
Small Business
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.
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
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.
Conversations
When Plan to Help Others Sell in China Fails, a Start-Up Changes Tack
By JOHN GROSSMANN
Export Now was created as an easy, low-cost way for American businesses to export to China, but when that didn’t work, the company took a new tack.
Small-Business Guide
Uncertain About Hiring, Some Companies Try ‘Test Drives’
By SARAH MAX
Small companies find contract work a good way to assess candidates for permanent jobs, especially in certain types of positions.
From the Magazine
The Rise of Beefcake Yoga
By ALEX FRENCH
Diamond Dallas Page, a former W.W.E. wrestler, created a new form of healing for broken-down macho guys like himself.
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