Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Rags-to-RichesAnecdotally-Speaking.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Rags-to-RichesAnecdotally-Speaking.html I love listening to a good story...especially ones about entrepreneurs and their path to eventual success. The woman or man who turned nothing into something, who did it quickly, and without the help of others, AKA the "rags to riches" story. I think there is a yearning in every entrepreneur who hears these stories to identify with the subject and imagine how it could happen to them. Like there is some magic formula to success, and if we could just do this one or two things...our business would take off, our work load would ease up and we would start living the good life we deserve. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Is-There-A-Secret-To-Success.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Is-There-A-Secret-To-Success.html Some entrepreneurs would have you believe that their success was something akin to manafest destiny as if it was just meant to be. Other would say that it was learned through the hard knocks of the business startup and growth process. As Luck Would Have It…Success Is Not A Science. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Starting-a-Business-During-a-Recession.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Starting-a-Business-During-a-Recession.html When entrepreneurs start a new business they often have a nasty habit of paying little attention to whether or not the timing it right for that business idea. Some will start their business either way, no matter what the data (or the bozos) say. And some of those entrepreneurs are going to be successful in spite of the worst of odds. But today’s economic uncertainties actually puts the question of timing front and center in the entrepreneur’s minds eye. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/How-to-Build-Quality-Financial-Projections.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/How-to-Build-Quality-Financial-Projections.html “Financial projections are part art and part science”. So what does that mean? It means that you won’t know how to do them until you have done them. Sure there are some things you can estimate based on your knowledge and experience with a particular type of business, but the rest has to come from research. And, that research, is part of the overall business plan. Find out how to get them done in this article. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Free-Money-to-Pay-Your-Bills--Not-Quite-Part-2.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Free-Money-to-Pay-Your-Bills--Not-Quite-Part-2.html In Free Money to Pay Your Bills? Part 1, we discovered how Matthew Lesko (and others) use word play and semantics to get you to buy their books believing you will obtain riches on someone else’s dime. In Part II we will discuss what you really are buying when you purchase one of these grant guides. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Free-Money-to-Pay-Your-Bills--Not-Quite.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Free-Money-to-Pay-Your-Bills--Not-Quite.html Looking for free money? Government grants? The silver bullet to get your business launched? Find out if the mythical pile of money is just waiting for you to claim it...right after your buy this book. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Knowing-When-It-Is-Time-to-Close-Your-Business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Knowing-When-It-Is-Time-to-Close-Your-Business.html Can't seem to get to break even cash flow even though you have given it your best? This article discussed when it is time to "throw in the towel" or when it is worth going on to fight another day. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Which-Business-Plan-Software-is-For-Me.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Which-Business-Plan-Software-is-For-Me.html I received a call this afternoon from a guy out in the New England area asking which program works best for raising investment capital. After a fairly long conversation explaining the key differences between the programs I decided to recap them here for your use: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Should-You-Share-Your-Business-Idea-With-Others.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Should-You-Share-Your-Business-Idea-With-Others.html Protecting your idea from unscrupulous people can be put you in a precarious position. On one hand you would like to get the benefits of sharing your idea with others. These benefits can be invaluable as you venture into a new business. A new pair of eyes with a fresh view point can help you identify; problems with your assumptions, new opportunities that haven’t been explored, and/or just provide constructive criticism. But the idea of someone stealing your business idea and starting it themselves can be a very real and paralyzing fear. This article discusses the pros and cons of sharing your idea and how to protect yourself. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Building-a-New-Website--Dont-Become-Part-of-the-Lost-Web.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/4230/Building-a-New-Website--Dont-Become-Part-of-the-Lost-Web.html You're all fired up about your new website. Maybe you built it yourself, maybe you paid a local developer or maybe your nephew friend from school built it using Dreamweaver in his spare time. But now...nobody is coming. Find out the steps to making sure you don't become part of the lost web.