.

Tim Knox's Articles in General Business

  • What Do Your Business Emails Reveal About You?
    Why should you worry about how your emails are reviewed by their recipients? Because in business, you are constantly being judged by your customers, your employees, your investors, your partners, and your peers.
  • We Don’t Need No Stinking Permits
    Unless you’re renting simple office space odds are you will need to make some modifications to the space, be it adding walls, flooring, paint, electrical, plumbing, or any combination thereof.
  • Time To Sign A Lease; Get Your First Born Ready
    We’ve been discussing the steps required to open a brick and mortar store. We’ve talked about startup plans and finding a location. This week we look at what comes next in the process: the negotiation and signing of one of the most dreaded legal document any entrepreneur will ever face: the commercial lease (insert scary music here).
  • The Entrepreneur's Checklist
    I was asked the other day what personality traits I thought were important to entrepreneurial success. I immediately gave my preprogrammed reply about passion and dedication and hard work. After taking some time later to ponder the question a little deeper (I normally operate in shallow waters), I came up with a more detailed checklist for entrepreneurial success.
  • Please Don't Buy Anything From Me
    This week I had one customer threaten to hunt be down and shoot me like a dog. Another said that if she could get her hands around my neck she'd strangle the life out of me. And still another sincerely hoped that I "burn in Hell for all eternity." What did I do to deserve these threats
  • Mastermind Your Way To Business Success
    While I’m a firm believer in goals, I’m not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions; mainly because it has been my experience that most resolutions are repeated year after year and forgotten by the time we sober up on January 2nd.
  • Like Books, Entrepreneurs Are Always Judged By Their Covers
    Enterpreneurship requires not just hard work and knowledge of business but also a number of other things that are many times not considered too important. Grooming yourself to look good is just one of these things that enterpreneurs need to focus on.
  • Learn To Focus On What’s Important and Farm Out The Rest
    Outsourcing your mundane tasks to focus only on the essential tasks is the best way to organize your business. The results are great not just for you but also for your business.
  • It’s Not All About Location, Location, Location
    Last time we met I brought you the tale of how I scouted for and eventually found what I considered to be the best retail location for my new retail gunshop in my hometown of Madison.
  • How To Make Money As A Self-Improvement Guru
    As you know, I'm always on the look out for new and exciting products that will make you and me money. That's partly what this newsletter is all about: when I find new opportunities that show tremendous promise, I feel obligated to share them with you.
  • Expert Strategies For Hiring The Best Employees
    Hiring employees who can contribute to your business positively is a challenge for every entrepreneur. Here are some tips on how to go about this difficult and challenging task.
  • Do Your Homework To Find The Best Location For Your Business
    This week our discussion on starting a brick and mortar business continues. We’ve already talked about creating a Startup Plan to manage the process and conducting market research to gauge the viability of your idea. If you missed those entries visit TimKnox.com and click the "Columns" tab.
  • Do I Really Need A Business License and Tax ID?
    I've gotten quite a few emails recently from ebusiness owners who seem to think that just because their business is conducted online or from the comfort of home that the rules and regulations that govern brick and mortar businesses do not apply to them. The ebusiness questions I get most often do not involve building websites or conducting ecommerce
  • Companies Stifle Intrapreneurs At Their Own Risk
    I've noticed an interesting trend lately. Usually the e-mail I receive in response to this column comes from rookie entrepreneurs or established business owners seeking my input on startup matters, financing, employee relations, general management and leadership issues, policy matters, etc. Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail) "Intellectually
  • Are You Willing To Do Whatever It Takes To Succeed In Business?
    There is a very simple reason some entrepreneurs do amazingly well in business while others do not. It has nothing to do with product or location or backing or education or street smarts or dumb luck. It has more to do with people willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business.
  • Are You Mentor Material?
    Typically, there are three things every good mentor should have: time, patience, and a genuine desire to help another person succeed without expecting anything in return. If you have an abundance of those things, then being a mentor can be a highly rewarding experience. If not, please see the rubber plant reference