Business Builders

MUCH LIKE SANTA CLAUS, the Easter Bunny, unicorns and the perfect franchisor, there is no such thing as the perfect franchisee. However, after more than 20 years of working with franchisors, both large and small, I have identified various characteristics common to...

THIS IS THE FINAL 2018 ISSUE of Upsize Magazine. Soon, we turn the page on a new calendar year. We’ve been reminiscing about client situations we were drawn into the past 12 months. Many of them remind us of the wisdom of the very first recommendation we deliver to...

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN. As summer turns into fall, small business owners across the country will set aside many aspects of running their businesses for a few weeks and delve into the intricacies of deductibles, premiums and copays. Insurance brokers will...

ABOUT HALF OF ALL BUSINESS transitions take place as a result of unexpected events, forcing decisions driven by circumstances — stuff that happens to us, sometimes rather suddenly! — rather than legacy vision and goals. Business owners should ask: “How can we be ready...

A BUY-SELL AGREEMENT should exist in every private company with multiple owners, including family businesses. In fact, many professional advisers argue that it’s likely the single most important legal document an owner will sign. Basically, it establishes the “exit...

THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT represents a sweeping overhaul of individual, business and international taxes. And while it has broad impact in every corner of the U.S. economy and everyone in it, the new law impacts business owners more than anybody. Signed into law by...

MORE THAN HALF of all small businesses in the U.S. are now owned by people over the age of 50. And as the average age of small-business owners and entrepreneurs creeps upward toward retirement age, many are left wondering who will take over when they leave. This...

BUSINESS IS BOOMING in Minnesota. Unemployment reached an 18-year low of 3.2 percent in February 2018, compared to the nationwide rate of 4.1 percent. Job vacancies were up 16 percent in the state for the fourth quarter of 2017 compared with a year earlier. At the...

MANY COMPANIES DREAM about building their global brand and expanding their revenues through overseas sales. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 96.5 percent of manufacturing small and medium-enterprises (SME) export. However, SME’s comprise only 18.9 percent...

“HEY, LOOK AT US — we’re different!” It’s always tough to cut through the clutter, especially when it feels like everybody in your industry is saying virtually the same thing and positioning themselves almost exactly the same way. The good news is that your...