Some people wait for the future to happen. Others create their futures. The former depend on the luck of the draw. The latter cut their own deal. How do you create your own future? By forming a vision and expressing it through a mission statement. Your dream now glitters on the horizon of the future. But you are standing in the reality of the here and now. How do...

Whatever the headlines predict these days, there may still be good news for entrepreneurs. Many successful products, services, and pivotal ideas have been launched during an economic lull, according to Bhaskar Chakravorti, a senior lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School, citing the examples of Motorola, Southwest Airlines, Revlon cosmetics,...

Many people believe franchise ownership is for the true entrepreneur–the type A personality with the confidence to blaze new trails in the business world. The truth is actually quite different. Franchising is about following a proven system to replicate the success of the original unit that the franchise is based on. Entrepreneurs often create innovative new...