http://intersectfund.org/blog Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 14 May 2012 14:40:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When Suzanne Pease worked as a schoolteacher in Illinois some years ago, an involuntary sabbatical interrupted her employment: the school district for which she worked insisted she abstain from teaching for five years after becoming pregnant with her son. Pease chafed at what she saw as an arrogant attempt dictate ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/entrepreneur-seeks-to-expand-opportunity/ Entrepreneurs often think about seeking a loan, but too few know what a lender looks for. In this post, we will offer some guidance for business owners who are confident a loan could help them, and who feel they can cover the interest payments that borrowing entails. Specifically, we'll offer a ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/what-a-lender-looks-for/ Some markets earn you big bucks; others disappoint. Below is a list of New Jersey markets at which some of the Intersect Fund's most seasoned vendors have found success. If you have one you'd like to add to the list, e-mail Joe Shure to let him know. New Jersey ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/intersect-market/good-markets/ Entrepreneurs who lack the right tools struggle to find success. Photo: Flickr/L. Marie Entrepreneurs are known for working hard and dreaming big. Too many, though, focus solely on delivering their product or service while ignoring basic, nuts-and-bolts aspects of managing their firms. Their tunnel vision places their businesses at risk of ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/what-a-business-needs/ What do you talk about when you talk about your business? For many entrepreneurs, the answer is the product or service they sell. If they paint houses, they mention how much they charge for a paint job, they talk about the nice materials they use, and they promise to complete ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/selling-your-credibility/ Jeanne Gray has a knack for turning small businesses into big ones. While some entrepreneurs fantasize about cashing out and settling down, Gray finds pleasure in a business's chaotic start-up phase, a time during which anything is possible. "I love that little period of time when a company struggles with ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/from-small-jobs-come-big-business/ Photo: Flickr/mick/Lumix Gold watches were once the gift of choice for corporate employers bidding farewell to longtime employees. But when downsizing cost Barbara Jones her IBM job in the mid-1990s, Jones received something far more valuable: an entrepreneurship class. The class forced Jones to assess her skills and think critically about ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/for-florist-opening-store-means-opening-heart/ Photo: Flickr/401k http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/how-to-finance-your-business/ Last month, fans of Charles Dickens honored the 200th anniversary of the author's birth with readings, remembrances and musings on the Victorian scribe's contribution to Western literature. Amid the celebrations emerged a useful lesson for small-business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. No, I'm not talking about Dickens' exhortation against stinginess in ... http://intersectfund.org/blog/business-basics/learning-from-dickens/ Videographer Will Ferguson was kind enough to shoot footage from our 2011 Holiday Bazaar and edit it into this nice montage. Check it out! http://intersectfund.org/blog/intersect-market/re-live-the-2011-holiday-bazaar/