| Buying a business can pay off for entrepreneurs
A serial entrepreneur who owned half a dozen companies, Steve Rabenberg knew the demands of starting a business. But when he scouted his next venture, Rabenberg wanted a quicker path to profit.
Instead of opening another company, he bought one: formerly Sunkiss Tan in St. Charles.
Although many small-business owners set up their own companies, some entrepreneurs take over existing ventures, forgoing control of startup decisions, like picking store locations and suppliers, for the comfort of a steady cash flow. Business experts caution potential owners to examine a company's profitability before taking the reins, but they said it could be a safer bet because the business already has customers.
"The day you buy an existing business, you have cash flow," said David Marlo, owner of the Saint Louis Group Business Brokers, a firm in south St.
Work always comes before dinner concerns - Marcia Pledger, Business Etiquette
Reporter Marcia Pledger dishes out advice on office manners. Q: At a recent business lunch I sent back an appetizer but asked the server not to mention it to the chef or to take it off my bill. Then the wrong entrée arrived. To make matters worse, the server's napkin brushed on top of the entrée, getting sauce all over the napkin. I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to further interrupt our business conversation. I brought it to the general manager's attention the next day. But should I have immediately said something to the server? A: That's a tricky call, with no definitive answer. I can see why you decided to wait until the next day to say something to the general manager. If you were in a serious business meeting, the food is secondary and there is no reason to divert attention from a possible deal with talk about bad service.
GEH Serves Up 'Sweet Creations'
The sweet smell of spiced cake is filling up the George Eastman House. Professional bakers, families, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have designed and decorated 70 creative confections for the 13th annual "Sweet Creations" display. The gingerbread houses are made almost entirely from edible items. "I am amazed every time I look at what somebody was able to do with gum drops, or tic-tacs or pretzels and so forth, and that is what so many of the kids enjoy going, “Hey mom, look it's life savers, Pez candy", said Dresden Engle of the George Eastman House. “... And a lot of houses are donated by a bunch of families; one is nine families who came together to put a house together." All of the gingerbread displays are up for silent auction to benefit the Eastman House. And "Sweet Creations" is on view there until December 19.
Howard tech firm preps for rollout of server software
A move by businesses to better manage their information technology resources by synchronizing groups of servers to act as one is driving growth for a Howard County software startup led by a former top executive with pioneering tech firm USinternetworking. Fortisphere is gearing up for mass distribution of its software -- part of a growing category called "life cycle management" in IT circles -- after landing $10 million in venture capital. The Glenwood company will use the money to expand development and marketing of its software as it moves toward mass distribution in the first quarter of 2008, Fortisphere CEO Michael Harper said. The company is working on a software package called Virtual Essentials that is being tested by a small group of initial clients, meaning it isn't yet taking in significant revenue, Harper said.
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