Becoming an entrepreneur and opening your first business is thrilling and rewarding, but it's not without its risks. After all, so many that are inspired by the American dream and the glowing success of startups, fail and close their doors for good. Today's post will discuss the five most common small business pitfalls as well as how you can avoid them and come that much closer to lasting success.

Are you just starting to develop your small business idea or plan? Maybe you’re already up and running, but looking for ways to improve and expand? Marketing and branding are key elements to developing your business, and choosing the right name is usually the first part of that process.

We’ve written this post to show you how to choose a business name that connects and resonates with your target market. Below we’ll go through some tips for choosing a name for your new business, along with a few examples to help you brainstorm. Arming you with these 10 resources and tips for choosing the best name for your business will get you started along the path to successful brand recognition in your community.

You've got the first two things you need to create a new business — an idea, and the will to make it happen. Shepherding that idea into a full blown reality manages to both seem easy and be incredibly intimidating. It's not as simple as throwing money at the venture, but the process isn't as nebulous as you might think it is. This article will give you the first five steps regarding how to bring your business to life.

Triple bottom line businesses or businesses that focus on people, planet, and profit are becoming increasingly popular for business owners who want to incorporate their personal values into their business. For business owners that want to formally integrate their social and environmental values into their business operations, there are a couple of options to publicly declare their values and to be held accountable to their commitments.

B Lab is a non-profit organization that has championed the cause of triple bottom line businesses by providing certification and advocating for legislation. B Lab created the Benefit Corporation (or BCorps) certification and has helped enact legislation for businesses to incorporate as a Benefit Company in Oregon.

Do you have a family recipe or amazing food idea that you would like to turn into a commercial food product? There is plenty of opportunity, but there are many steps that need to be taken to get it right. Knowing these steps prior to launching your food product will save you a lot of time and money.