Sometimes, the most interesting business stories start with a simple observation. That’s exactly what happened when Bo Burlingham, writing for Inc. Magazine, visited a quirky deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. What he found at Zingerman’s wasn’t just great food—it was a completely different way of thinking about business success. The article Burlingham wrote about Zingerman’s, dubbed “The Coolest Small Company in America,” sparked something unexpected. His publisher noticed a pattern: successful companies actively choosing not to expand as aggressively as possible. This insight led Burlingham on a journey that would challenge conventional wisdom about business growth and eventually culminate with …
Category: Featured Finds
Michael E. Gerber: Thinking Like a True Entrepreneur
Are you working in your business, or on your business? This simple question strikes at the heart of Michael E. Gerber’s philosophy on entrepreneurship. In the video below, the 80-year-old author of The E-Myth Revisited gives advice that could revolutionize how you approach your business. Gerber challenges the common notion of what it means to be an entrepreneur. It’s not just about owning a business—it’s about dreaming big and creating systems that allow your vision to scale. He uses Ray Kroc and McDonald’s as a prime example. Kroc didn’t flip burgers; he created a system that could replicate the perfect …
John Mackey on Conscious Capitalism: Transforming Business for Good
In today’s challenging economic climate, with rising inflation and market uncertainties, entrepreneurs like you need more than just financial savvy to succeed. They need a new approach to business itself. Enter John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods Market, with a revolutionary idea: Conscious Capitalism. Mackey’s journey from a small natural foods store in Austin to the billion-dollar Whole Foods empire wasn’t just about making money. It was driven by a higher purpose: “to nourish people and the planet.” This purpose guided every decision, from product selection to employee policies. With economic headwinds, you might be tempted to focus solely on …
Will Guidara on Being Unreasonable
Owning a business carries with it a lot of responsibilities. From simply keeping the lights on to keeping up employee morale to finding the right vendors, the list is long and there never quite seems to be enough hours in the day. The more trivial aspects of everyday interactions are easy to overlook or gloss over. But those overlooked aspects of interaction, both with your customers and with your employees, can radically alter the experience they have with you and your business. This is the insight offered by restaurateur and author Will Guidara in the video you can watch below. …
Dave Ramsey on Strategies to Grow Your Business
Nothing about owning and running a business is easy. Every entrepreneur faces unique challenges, particularly when it comes to growing. You might know Dave Ramsey’s name from his personal financial advice books and video content, but he’s a successful entrepreneur in his own right and has some proven strategies for more than just individual and family budgeting. In a recent episode of his series just for entrepreneurs, which you can watch below, Ramsey identifies five key stages of life for a business owner: the treadmill operator, the pathfinder, the trailblazer, the peak performer, and the legacy builder. How entrepreneurs handle …
Mark Cuban on Why Most Businesses Fail
If succeeding in business was easy, everybody would be doing it. When it comes to running your business, so many of the little details are specific to your goals and industry, but there are some insights and advice that can apply to every entrepreneur. Legendary entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban gave a frank and eye-opening interview in 2019 to answer big questions about why businesses fail and what can be done to avoid it. You can watch the entire video below. Even though the implementation of Cuban’s advice is going to look a little bit different for every business and …
Economics Is Not Finance, So Why Should Entrepreneurs Know It?
Economics and finance. The two are related, though perhaps not quite so closely as one might assume. For entrepreneurs, the nuts and bolts of financial reality are incredibly important. After all, how can you keep your business running without accurately tracking and balancing what’s coming in and what’s going out? Finance is what keeps the doors open. So, what does broad, macro-level economics have to do with any of that? Ray Dalio is a hedge fund manager who has spent his incredibly successful career investing in a wide array of businesses, even in trying economic times. He put together a …
Free to Choose… a Later Tax Filing Date
Ah, April. The weather is warming, the flowers are blooming, the trees are budding, and the looming specter of the income tax filing deadline is everywhere you look. Tax Day is Monday, in case you forgot. At least, it is for most individuals and families. And while pretty much nobody likes filing their taxes with their state and federal governments, foregoing the process altogether can lead to unpleasant consequences. If, for whatever reason, you need a little extra time to do your full filing, there is some good news. The IRS allows you to file for an extension if you …