SmallBusinessExecutiveInforming, Inspiring and Connecting Businesses
When the joke’s on you: Finding the humor in bizarre business encounters
By Jenny Schade, Guest Columnist Colleagues often tease me that I’ve had more than my share of strange but true adventures. Perhaps I’m simply more open to finding the humor in unusual workplace events. In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, I hope you enjoy the following bizarrely humorous real-life adventures. 1. Always compliment the [...]
State health plan covers pre-existing conditions
Eight months after government-run insurance plans took effect for those with pre-existing conditions, many consumers aren’t aware of their existence, The New York Times reported. The plans, which were required by health care reform legislation and are subsidized by $5 billion in federal funds, provide health insurance to those who have been uninsured for at [...]
Controversy over transaction fees spurs new legislation
By Ann Meyer When Lindsay Gaskins considered the costs of launching Marbles the Brain Store, credit card and debit card transaction fees weren’t on her radar screen, she said. Now they are. Credit and debit cards account for about 70 percent of the company’s transactions, said Gaskins, who started the company in 2008. Its Grand [...]
Test prep apps target growing student market
Ashish Rangnekar and Ujjwal Gupta, founders of technology company Watermelon Express, said they weren’t trying to make money when they launched their first test-prep app – at least not at first.
Incubators help Chicago startups share costs
By Hallie Busta
When Nicolas Ibarzabal isn’t selling empanadas out of his newly launched food truck, he’s preparing his Argentine fare in a shared-used kitchen on the city’s West Side.
As co-owner of 5411 Empanadas, Ibarzabal joins a growing number of Chicago-area entrepreneurs setting up in shared facilities that charge less rent and offer more services than typical office buildings. The facilities run the gamut from traditional business incubators to fashion studios.
Edgewater launches incubator
By Hallie Busta
Chicago’s newest incubator program is designed to be a pipeline for new storefront businesses in Edgewater. “We’ve done a lot of things for urban revitalization in this community, and this is just the next step,” said Tina Travlos Nihlean, president of the Edgewater Development Corporation’s board.
Shared workspaces aim to build community
By Ann Meyer Writing might be a solo activity, but Chris Benevich craves the energy of working in the company of others when she cranks out her marketing and communications prose. She’s found both quiet and collegial interaction at the Writers WorkSpace at 5443 N. Broadway on Chicago’s North Side, a for-profit collaborative workspace founded [...]
Local green water company welcomes competition from PepsiCo
While some entrepreneurs fear competition, Glencoe entrepreneur Brad Schulman prefers to look at the big picture. Schulman, who founded Green Planet Bottling in 2008 to make bottled water in a plant-based bioplastic bottle that’s free of petroleum, regards the announcement this week that PepsiCo has devised a similar bottle as good news for the industry [...]
Groupon to go mobile: Crain’s
Groupon plans to launch a mobile location-based version of its daily deals, Crain’s Chicago Business reported today. One out of four Groupon users access the company’s deals on their mobile phones, Crain’s reported. Soon they will be able to receive Groupon deals based on the location of their phones. Groupon competitor LivingSocial launched a similar concept in [...]
CEC taps Google’s Willer as new CEO
The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center has named Kevin Willer, 37, formerly of Google Inc.’s Chicago office, to lead the organization as chief executive officer, Crain’s Chicago Business reported today. The position has been vacant since David Weinstein left the center in May 2010. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce launched the entrepreneurial center in 1998 to help [...]
