One key to success in business is being aware, and taking advantage, of opportunities. But how can you be certain you can spot all the opportunities, and that you best allocate your time to take full advantage of them? One…
How to handle a poor performer An employee who demonstrates issues with attitude, productivity, attendance or other areas is sometimes easy to ignore. This is especially true if others cover and/or pitch in to ensure that the work gets done.…
In October, the Supreme Court heard arguments that could directly affect the enforcement of many federally registered trademarks and the rights of advertisers. The trademarks specifically affected are descriptive registered trademarks. Descriptive trademarks normally cannot be registered, but if a…
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Superfund law better known as CERCLA, as amended in January 2002 by the Small Business Liability Relief and Revitalization Act establishes certain liability protections for “innocent” landowners. In brief, CERCLA establishes…
On April 19, 2004, StockerYale Inc., the once high-flying, then struggling, Salem-based fiberoptics company, announced it landed two orders from defense giant BAE Systems for specialized lasers. After the news, the company’s stock went “ballistic,” in the words of spokesman…
One of the most animated and emotional conversations a venture capital investor can have with an entrepreneur surrounds the issue of valuation: “How much of my company do I have to give up for the amount of capital I am…
Sources of capital to support growth in less-populated northern New England can present challenges to New Hampshire companies. Compared to Massachusetts, comparatively few “traditional” (i.e. technology) venture capital businesses emerge from the region and fewer regional venture capital funds exist…
Could you name a company of any type that has operating profits of 70 percent of revenue? Or even 45 percent or 35 percent? These are the kinds of projections that entrepreneurs repeatedly present to angel groups and venture conferences,…
It is assumed that businesspeople not only understand what a “business model” is, but that they also know how to identify, assess and create one. Sounds simple, right? Think again. The term means many different things to different people. Recently…
Born in Tacoma, Wash., self-described Army brat Felix Torres grew up in a number of locations, primarily Pemberton, N.J. After graduating from Harvard as a history major and doing post-graduate studies in urban affairs at MIT, he served in various…
