In 2010, attorney Peri Pakroo wrote the sixth edition of The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide. The book is essentially a detailed checklist of issues to consider, questions to answer, and tasks to complete when launching a small business. If any item in the checklist is something you already know, you can just [...]

Dr. Mark Rosenberg’s mother died from metastatic lung cancer several years ago, inspiring him to seek a cure. Today, trials are underway in both South Florida and Bogota to test a new treatment designed to weaken cancer cells, and initial results are encouraging. John Cleveland from Scripps said they’ve been working on a similar idea, [...]

In eastern China, farmers have witnessed crops of watermelons exploding, and a number of people are blaming a chemical designed to promote crop growth. For example, one farmer watched helplessly as more than 180 watermelons exploded the day after he used the chemical on them. Other farmers denied using the chemical, but China Central Television aired [...]

A successful corporate expansion can be beneficial to all stakeholders involved, including management, employees, shareholders, and communities. Aware of those mutual benefits, a number of companies have recently applied for job growth incentives before deciding whether to hire more employees in Broward and Miami-Dade, or deciding whether to move their headquarters to South Florida. According to this week’s South Florida Business [...]

Quite a few technology bloggers have been expressing puzzlement or even mockery toward Microsoft after it announced plans to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. Critics have pointed out that Microsoft already has a voice and video chat platform, while Skype as a company isn’t even profitable (see Why Skype?) Another critic pointed out that the Skype investors [...]

I’m not qualified to comment on the political ramifications or ethical issues surrounding the successful targeting of Osama bin Laden, but I’d like to point out some leadership lessons from the event.

1. President Obama is being credited for taking a big risk in approving a dangerous mission, but in taking that risk, he worked with the military [...]

Most business leaders are probably familiar with Stephen Covey’s bestselling 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but it’s much easier to read the book or attend a workshop than to put those lessons into practice every day.

For example, you might catch yourself saying something like, “I can’t do it” or “They make me so mad” or “I [...]

TerraCycle was recently featured in the New York Times after new revenue streams not only made the company profitable, but brought in $13.5 million in sales in 14 countries. The eco-friendly company initially reduced landfill waste by feeding organic garbage to worms, which ultimately proved unprofitable. However, the company took a quantum leap forward when it started [...]

Last week, I stumbled across a TV show on ABC called The Shark Tank. Since then, I’ve learned that it’s already run for a couple seasons. The show gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to five successful venture capitalists. 

I think the show offers excellent lessons for any business leader about the types of questions that [...]

Anyone with an MBA has likely completed courses in business ethics. They understand that following all ethical rules and guidelines won’t just keep you out of jail; it’s just good business. People tend to do business with people they like, and people are much more likely to enjoy your company when they know you’re an [...]