10 Innovative Approaches to Rebuilding New Orleans

Three years after Katrina, the nation’s most expensive hurricane, which cost insurers an estimated $44 billion, came Gustav. As if New Orleans needed its rebuilding project to get any harder. And yet, there’s hope.

To underscore how far the city has come since 2005, alldaybuffet, a group of creative professionals focused on social innovation, created the New Orleans 100, a list of projects that are bringing new creative energy, attracting tourism, rebuilding homes, overhauling the educational system, and stimulating economic activity. Here are 10 of the most innovative ventures. read more

4 Steps to Assessing Your Product’s Profit Potential

I’VE TALKED TO a lot of people who have found a promising market by coming up with a product or service that would solve a problem. But they’re paralyzed about taking the next step. What if they put in the time and effort — and possibly money — and it flops?

There’s one process they’re missing. Validating your market after you’ve come up with a niche business idea is a crucial step you can’t afford to skip.

Of course, there’s no way to guarantee success, but ask yourself the four questions below. If you can check off every one, you’ll know — as much as possible — that you’re onto a winner. read more

The Art of the Perfect Business Pitch

After seven years and hundreds of client-meetings, Ed Stevens, founder of Shopatron, a San Luis Obispo, Calif., tech outfit that enables companies to sell products online, has finally perfected the art of the sales pitch. If clients have questions, he has answers. If they want to see a presentation, he has PowerPoint slides. If they’re skeptical about his products, he provides studies to back up his claims. In short, he and his team — who now boast a client list that’s more than 550 — are prepared to handle any questions or requests thrown their way.

Stevens wasn’t always so well versed, however. When he first met with prospective clients, he never used PowerPoint presentations nor prepared brochures to leave behind after he left. In fact, he didn’t even bother to provide an overview of Shopatron’s benefits until 2007 — six years after the company launched. “That was a big mistake,” he says. “Even having a short three-to-four slide PowerPoint to go over in the first five minutes would have helped a lot.” read more

Five Survival Tips for Entrepreneurs

What do you do when sales are down and your credit’s been slashed? You rethink your business. Because of the ongoing credit crisis, banks are becoming even more reluctant to extend lines of credit to small-business owners. And the sluggish conditions aren’t expected to improve any time soon. That means business owners who rely on banks to finance everything from inventory and office equipment purchases to new store expansions are left scrambling for ways to stay afloat without a lifeline.

“Now’s the time to make tough decisions,” says George Cloutier, chief executive at American Management Services, a small-business consulting firm in Orlando, Fla.

Cutting costs can help free up much needed cash flow during a crunch, but when the economy is expected to stay down indefinitely, more dramatic measures may be in order, he says.

Here are five tactics to help keep your dwindling business capital flowing: read more

Wholesalers turn to the web

As times get tough, wholesalers are turning to the web, setting up online stores to move more product and hit the end consumer directly. read more

Students consults can help your business

The New York Times profiled a college class at Stetson Univeristy, headed by Professor Becky Oliphant. The students helped a $33 million parachute company, Complete Parachute Solutions Inc., analyze their sales and improve their business model. read more