The Distance: All the right angles
When Al Capone was delivering bootlegged liquor to his speakeasies, using wooden boxes stenciled with the names of his legitimate businesses, he bought crates made by Ideal Box Co. in...
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Why this yoga bootstrapper thinks he can beat a half-billion-dollar company
Andrew Wicklander's priorities for his software, called Tula, sound almost old-fashioned: It should be simple, clean, and easy to use. And it should do one thing exceptionally well. The area...
Tullman: The case against open offices
I love the constant frenzy of activity at 1871's front door. There are more than a thousand people a day regularly passing through it. There are visitors stopping by for...
SBA’s Maria Contreras-Sweet knows entrepreneurship
Maria Contreras-Sweet's best sounding board throughout her career has been her "kitchen cabinet." During weeknight dinners or Sunday brunches after church, she would tell her husband and three children about...
Master the art of networking
You arrive alone. Your heart is beating a little faster than normal and suddenly all of your charisma and charm go out the window. You try to lock eyes with...
3 crucial marketing skills all entrepreneurs should have
As an entrepreneur, I wear many hats. I'm my company's chief accountant, salesperson, strategist and product-builder. I'm responsible for making sure that my business stays thriving six months and six...
An update on Illinois’ academic R&D funding
Despite spending cuts and sequestration in recent years, Illinois' universities are capturing record levels of funding for basic, applied, and development research in science and engineering (S&E). According to a...
The founder of Superfly Kids used $100 to turn children into superheroes
As a stay-at-home mother of two, Holly Bartman was always thrifty. That's why she made superhero capes for her son Owen's fourth birthday party in 2006 rather than buy them....
How to protect yourself against the big guys
I have a pretty simple test for determining whether whatever you're doing has the makings of a real business — or whether it's just an expensive hobby or a solution...