Japanese restaurants - what constitutes authenticity?

Greetings one and everyone.  Now I'm no foodie, but I have been writing a research paper about Japanese food, and the appeal of Japanese culture in the west.  Also about how to exploit that for business purposes.  That is why my lovely wife thought it would be a good idea to take a trip to a Japanese restaurant.  Now I'm not really a 'foodie' and this isn't a foodie, blog, but it is a good opportunity to discuss some of the things I've learned.

Crafting as a business part 2: the Business Model

Good morning and happy Monday everyone!

Today I'm going to continue my discussion of Crafting as a Business. Today's topic: different business models.

Midweek Update: Guest blogging, Starting a business, thoughts on SOPA, etc.

Greetings everyone.  It's been a busy week this week, and I have a lot of news to share.  Also some valuable insights if you are thinking about starting your own business in downtown Montreal.  Things to consider if you want to rent commercial space or form a corporation.  I also have a thought to share about the controversial SOPA bill that's in all the news, as well as some interesting tidbits from home.  But before all that, I have guest blogging news!

Public Relations: What is it and how does it work?

A small introduction for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

By Patrick Agut Klose  [patrickagkl@gmail.com]

[Nathan's note: This is the first of what I hope will be a tradition of guest articles. Patrick Klose is a PR student in Spain currently finishing the Spanish equivalent of a Master's degree in PR. I met Patrick through Reddit, and found he had a lot of valuable information to share that was in line with the theme of this blog. So I hope everyone enjoys and appreciates the expertise that he has been so kind as to share today.]

Crafting as a business, part 1

moving from a hobby to a business

Gather 'round, dear readers, and I shall tell ye a tale.  My wife, Sherri, and I have run a small jewelry business together for around 10 years.  The business, however, started well before we were married, as Sherri has been making jewelry since she was 12.  The business is called Beads, Indeed!

When startups are really multiple businesses

There are all sorts of traps that lie in wait for people starting a small business.  I've written a bit already on strategy and on bad reasons to start a small business, but now I want to talk a little about the scope of a small business idea, and why it's important to not take on too much at once.

5 Bad reasons to start a small business

I'll admit that my business experience is more academic than experiential, however even with my short time in the business world I've encountered a lot of wannabe entrepreneurs.  I've had people approach me with ideas at social events, over the Internet, at birthday parties, holidays, on the street, in school, and waiting in line. Most of the time it's because I start conversations with people and I talk incessantly about business.

Business Strategy Explained

I recently handed in a final report for my strategy class that I took this term.  Strategic Management is a huge topic, and an interesting one. Strategy or the lack thereof often means the difference between success and mediocrity in business, or at worst, the difference between success and failure.  Nevertheless, many people, even senior business executives, often have only a vague understanding of what strategy is.

Segmentation and Adoption of Innovation: The FaceGuard Case

This week I had my first non-school-related consulting project.  The client had read my blog and asked if I could take a look at a project he was getting ready to launch.  I was a bit nervous, as I'm just starting out, but I thought it went rather well.

Small Business Saturday

I really don't want to work on my paper right now.  So here's another blog post.

Have you heard of Small Business Saturday? It's today!  This is an interesting initiative which hit the news because a number of Occupy people have been rooting for it.  The idea is that instead of mobbing Wall-mart on Black Friday and giving all your dollars to big business, to go do your shopping at small businesses.