The Entrepreneur

At Biz2Credit, borrowers complete one application to get matched with multiple custom loan products ranging from $500 to $15 million. Women business owners continue to face unique challenges when seeking financing. Small business loan approval rates are 15-20% lower for women-owned companies than they are for businesses owned by men ( Biz2Credit Analysis of Women-Owned Businesses ). Additionally, revenue and credit scores are lower and operating costs are higher for women. Despite these challenges, the number of businesses owned by women continues to grow. More than 8.3 million businesses - or 29% of all enterprises - are owned by women (Source: American Express Report on Women-Owned Businesses ). Women employ 5.5 million employees and are one of the fastest growing segments of the small business community. With the many Biz2Credit custom financing options, we are dedicated to helping women grow their businesses. Our platform is connected to a network of over 1,200 lenders an...

About Ariel A stable perspective in a changing world Since our founding in 1983, much has changed in the investment world, but a clear mission has consistently defined who we are and what we do. Our patient investment philosophy We use the market's short-term focus to uncover mispriced companies whose true value will be realized over time. Our focus We began as a small- and mid-cap value manager, and evolved strategically to offer three approaches - all of which seek out attractive intrinsic value through relatively concentrated portfolios. Our culture of learning Intensive fundamental research is essential to our proprietary investment processes. We also value the importance of learning in a broader context and are committed to promoting education and financial literacy. Independent Thinking   Lessons Learned From The Basketball Court Learn from John W. Rogers, Jr. how he successfully applies teamwork, patience and hard work both on and off th...

Teams developed strategies for cultural preservation & sustainable development by  C. Daniel Baker      Posted:   December 22, 2013 A team of IBM (NYSE:  IBM ) specialists today presented business management strategies to Tangier-area non governmental organizations (NGOs) that promote economic development, cultural preservation and sustainable development. The 9-person IBM team, from 8 countries, was the fourth group since 2010 to provide assistance to Morocco as part of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, which provides problem-solving support to educational institutions, small businesses, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies in the developing world and emerging markets. The IBM team worked with Tanger Med Foundation for Human Development (Fondation), which runs women’s cooperatives as part of its mission to promote development through education, vocational training and healthcare initiatives. IBM provided guidance f...

Actor Adam Sandler leads Forbes' 2013 list of the most overpaid actors.  ( Kathy Kmonicek / Associated It makes so much sense that  Adam Sandler  is branching out into animated movies. His juvenile sense of humor is perfect for kids who find farting really funny. His latest film is the animated  Hotel Transylvania  and it’s expected to top the box office this weekend with $24 million, according to Exhibitor Relations. Sandler has struggled with his adult audience lately. His last movie,  That’s My Boy , was a bona fide flop. It earned only $50 million globally. His film before that,  Jack & Jill , will maybe end up breaking even. It earned $150 million globally but on an $80 million budget. With about half of that take going to theater owners and the cost of marketing the movie added in — the film was not a hit. For years Sandler had been critic-proof. His 2010 film  Grown-Ups  earned horrible reviews scoring a  10 out of 1...

Like it or not health care reform is a reality.  President Obama has signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law and the “fixes” in the reconciliation bill are awaiting his signature.  Even with a law of more than 2,000 pages there are more questions than answers in how the new system will work.  Undoubtedly it will take volumes of new regulations and several years before all of the questions are answered.  In the meantime, here are the areas of most significant impact on Ohio employers: All plans will be required to provide dependent care coverage up to age 26, beginning September 2010. Plans cannot place annual or lifetime limits on the value of benefits received by any participant, effective September 2010 for annual limits and January 2014 for lifetime limits. Requires guaranteed issue and renewability (beginning January 2014) and no pre-existing exclusions for children (effective September 2010). Requires all plans t...

5 in Share 0 Smell this: Archer Air Superiority's | Photography by Ben Alsop Entrepreneurs:  John Bleeden, Todd Durston and Berk Wasserman, founders of  Archer Air Superiority , a line of air fresheners aimed at male consumers. “Aha” moment:  In 2011 the three colleagues at a Chicago ad agency decided to fill a hole they saw in the housekeeping market. “We’re really tuned in to trends, given our backgrounds,” Bleeden says. “We wondered why men weren’t represented. Each of us contributes to the shopping and cleaning duties at home, and we don’t want fragrances that smell like cinnamon-apple pie or spring meadows. We realized we’re the guys we should be targeting.” Man caves:  Archer Air’s first collection of three sprays strives to replicate the smell of “manly places.” Hunting Lodge combines scents of stone, gunpowder and “damp timber”; Distillery is inspired by bourbon, with notes of charred oak; and European Sports Car has hints of leather a...

If any company can prove that banking on a niche product can return a goldmine, it’s Warby Parker. But rather than designer eyewear for a fraction of the price,  Warby Parker  co-founder Jeff Raider last month set his sights on something even more niche: men’s grooming.   With the launch of his ecommerce-shaving-accoutrements store  Harry’s , Raider is planning on redefining the grooming market, much like he and his co-founders did with eyewear. As with any highly-specific product or service, Raider had to find a way to angle his startup to standout. What could he change about the men’s grooming industry that could make a difference in the eyes of customers? As it turns out, the way men interact with razors is as old as… well, facial hair. So, Raider focused on offering a unique user experience at an affordable price — think $2 blades, $10 handles and $8 shaving cream. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he added a socially conscious component — donating a ...