Some options for small-business owners who want to cash out

Most small-business owners are consumed by the daily challenges of running their business - satisfying customers, managing services and products, tracking finances and suppliers, and personnel scheduling.

Advice from Carolyn Hax

Hi, Carolyn:

'Reactor' bosses need to evaluate their behavior

Are you a reactor? Reactors respond to emergencies and mundane events the same way: They overreact.

Advice from Carolyn Hax

Dear Carolyn:

Biz tip of the week: Preserve cash flow with cost strategies

Most SCORE clients have a good idea of their intended product or service, have performed an elementary competitive analysis and have thought about finances.

Going through the old story of the wedding-bell blues

Dear Carolyn:

Consider changing how you do business

The recession and slow recovery have hit small retail businesses hard, especially those that compete against big- box stores and those that offer discretionary retail items.

Carolyn Hax: Boyfriend's ex-wife can't let go; time for a decision

Dear Carolyn:

Feeling isolated? Get out, involved

One the many challenges a small-business owner faces is isolation.

Carolyn Hax: Young son steals candy, hides it and - gasp - lies about it

Oh, Carolyn:

Help your business make the most of lifestyle changes

The world is not a static place. Things are constantly changing: clothing styles, food preferences, popular sports and advanced technological devices.

Biz tip of the week: Website, sales goals need to fit with marke

By Ralph Hershberger

Biz tip of the week: Biz Tip: Success largely based on products that fit a well-researched market

Many startups err by trying to be all things to all people.

Expand your home business wisely

Nearly every large business started as a small business, frequently in the owner's basement or garage.

Biz tip of the week: To stay afloat in hard times, carefully pick sale, supplier strategies

The stock market may be reaching new highs, but as one network analyst observed, "The stock market is not the economy."

Biz tip of the week: Repeat clients key to revenue

As the economy slowly emerges from the recession, many businesses realize that cost-cutting is not enough to improve profits. In the end, the top line (revenue) has to grow.

Marilyn Heins: ParenTip of the week: Mother's behavior destructive for her small children

Recent question in my Inbox: "I am the grandmother of three beautiful children (ages 4, 6, and 10) with whom I live and help raise. Their single mother, my daughter, has been involved in about six relationships over the past 3 years, with a 2-3 week interval in between relationships. I am wo…

Biz tip of the week: Profit-sharing plan can be a plus

Many prior columns have addressed the problems and challenges of starting or running a small business - strategic choices, finding customers, cash flow, managing personnel, etc.