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Could be a good data point for getting that ugly lot at the end of Wilson cleaned up! - Elaine Nelson

About the SW corner, I've thought the same thing. I have a few ideas, but first things first.. - Rolandovich

"Boy this breaks my heart. It would have been so much easier had that "e" not been there." - Rolandovich

"I strongly dislike the third part in which you are asked whether you own a business in Olympia. Am I incorrect to infer that the purpose is to weigh the business interests at least on par with individual interests? If so, let's ensure that we extend all human advantages AND disadvantages to business entities (except Sole Proprietorship and Partnerships where the founders are personally liable). While the thought is nice, I think it's an obfuscation in an "see how hard it is to be me?!!?" manner. If the actual interest were public input, I'd suggest education first, opinions secondly." - Rolandovich

Don't blink lest you miss a few crumbs! - Rolandovich

And here is your local example. - Rolandovich

Don't be fooled by the headlines. - Rolandovich

"So is Peter and the rest of Oly2012 champing at the bit to move downtown too?" - Rolandovich

In the past year, more than one-third of the entrepreneurs surveyed have shed jobs while only five percent of entrepreneurs have added employees. A majority of entrepreneurs believe that the stimulus package has hurt entrepreneurial activity, and entrepreneurs want government to pursue a fundamentally different approach to encourage entrepreneurship. - Rolandovich

An omelet with homemade cheese and chives for breakfast, spinach salad with tomatoes and homemade cheese for lunch, in a pasta sauce, with fruit – homemade cheese is so versatile. It’s also incredibly easy to make with tools and ingredients you already have around the kitchen. - Rolandovich

Apps: It’s a little word for those mini-programs that can pay off big in productivity, knowledge or just plain fun. And they come at all price points, from expensive-but-worth-it to absolutely free. Whether you’re a born techie or a reluctant one, you, too, can harness the power of technology with these 70 apps lawyers are sure to love. - Rolandovich

A solo practitioner in Massachusetts who struck out on his own about six months ago already has more than 600 Facebook fans for his law firm. Solo lawyer Richard Vetstein tells the ABA Journal that the accomplishment, touted in a press release, has “absolutely” brought in new business. His goal was to promote his new law firm, the Vetstein Law Group in Framingham, and his blog, the Massachusetts Real Estate Law Blog. “Did you ever see the movie Field of Dreams—If you build it they will come?” he asked. His Facebook success, he says, is “kind of that theory. It just started gaining momentum.” - Rolandovich

But does she panic? "Probably once a day," she said. "Looking at my bank account and seeing this is where we're at, and the only way this grows is if I do it, it's daunting." Only two-thirds of small business start-ups survive two years and fewer than half survive four years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. - Rolandovich

The Lifecycle Building Challenge 2 is a free national competition organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Institute of Architects that challenges creative minds to develop lifecycle building strategies to facilitate deconstruction, building material reuse, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. www.lifecyclebuilding.org - Rolandovich

"I think entrepreneurs are going to play a big part in bringing the United States back to economic stability," Nall says. Small businesses employ a little more than half of all private-sector workers, pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll and have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years, according to the SBA's Office of Advocacy. Statistics show that the creation rate for firms with no paid employees -- "non-employer" firms -- goes up in a downturn, says Brian Headd, an Office of Advocacy economist. Using IRS data as a guide, the number of non-employer firms jumped 8.1 percent from 2007 to 2008, says Headd. When the economy was doing well in the late 1990s, non-employers had annual increases of about 2 percent to 3 percent. - Rolandovich

Practitioner Articles and Reports (Scott Shane is professor of Entrep. Studies) Scott has published and co-published the following practitioner articles: - Rolandovich

Scott has written the following articles. Below is a sorted list of all articles by section: Scholarly articles on entrepreneurship - Rolandovich

No matter what type of entrepreneurial venture someone undertakes, experts agree that an essential initial step is to research the industry, product or service offered, expected duties and the potential customer base. "Many businesses that open often have not prepared well enough, and they don't understand the challenges," says Ken Yancey, CEO of nonprofit entrepreneur mentoring group SCORE. To help would-be entrepreneurs get started, USA Today has outlined some of the more popular types of businesses that people start, as well as their pros and cons. - Rolandovich

Despite popular perception, not all great entrepreneurial ideas emerge from college dorm rooms or Silicon Valley garages. Many businesses start with the weekend work of well-networked corporate professionals who are industry-savvy, says Taylor Smith, managing partner of New York-based The Spirus Group, a venture development firm. He spoke recently with Smart Answers columnist Karen E. Klein about how today's employees may become next year's entrepreneurs. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow. - Rolandovich

Foreclosures bite entrepreneurs hard. Many self-employed took out risky mortgages (such as “interest-only” and option adjustable-rate) that will reset at much higher interest rates starting in 2009 and coming years. An analysis by the National Association for the Self-Employed found that about 23% of the self-employed — or about 3.7 million of them — hold these “toxic” mortgages. - Rolandovich

For many, the biggest problem with getting a good business idea off the ground is the cost. From administrative and legal costs, to product development and marketing, office space and employees, starting a business can be incredibly expensive. However, with the right set of resources, many of these costs can be pinched down without risking your venture. Of course, sometimes quality trumps price, but there are a few gems below that might just meet your start-up's needs without busting the bank. And if you know of some others not on this list - let me know! That is what the comment button is for. - Rolandovich

Novella Carpenter—who is profiled in this month's edition of Popular Mechanics—lives in Oakland, Ca, in a neighborhood called Ghost Town. There she "grows broccoli and lettuce right next to fig trees and passion fruit vines. Included in her annual crop: 1095 eggs, 200 pounds of tomatoes, 16 quarts of honey, 40 rabbits and 210 quarts of goat's milk." We were totally fascinated by Carpenter's story (she delivered a baby goat during the interview) and the fact that she's chosen Oakland, Ca as the home for her farm. Read about Carpenter and other homesteaders here. - Rolandovich

pdf report from Kauffman on entrep/demographic trends. - Rolandovich

Since the U.S. population is aging quickly, the number of people 55 and older is increasing dramatically. Because of increasing (healthy, productive) life expectancies and a decline in lifetime employment by large companies, the Kauffman Foundation is expecting that we’re “on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom”. Download the fairly brief “pdf” of the report. - Rolandovich

Over the last 10 years, entrepreneurship has become a growing trend with growing importance within the global marketplace. In fact, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), about 330 million people, or 14% of the adults in the 35 countries surveyed, are involved in forming new businesses. Whether it is the desire to be your own boss, pursue your own ideas, or the hope of financial rewards, people are changing their outlook on how to do business. Within the scope of entrepreneurship there are four demographics that are increasing faster than ever. - Rolandovich

Now, most of the year, the Matos won’t have to buy electricity from the utility company because their solar PV system will power their house and, during the sunnier months, send electricity to the grid. The utility tracks their solar production and credits it against bills for electricity purchases during the darker months, when the solar panels may produce less than the household uses. “It’s fair to say in the winter the electric bill was around $70 before we changed the refrigerator out,” Ms. Mato said. “Now our bill is really around $50.” The Matos had originally held off on solar PV last year when the federal rebate program ran out of funds. This past July, the rebate program was reinstated. Aside from the rebate program, there is a solar leasing option, where a qualified homeowner may lease a solar PV system. - Rolandovich

CTED - Rolandovich

Today, Newsweek magazine unveils its first annual Green Rankings, the fruits of a near-Herculean endeavor: rating and ranking the environmental performance, achievements, and reputation of the S&P 500. The list, published today in a 12-page special section in the magazine as well as online, is the culmination of an 18-month journey. The resulting rankings are straightforward, almost elegant, but it wasn't a straight or easy path. Like most such rankings, they're imperfect. They'll likely be challenged and debated, especially by some of the lower-ranking companies, not to mention the activist/blogosphere community. But it may well be the best effort yet to rigorously and comprehensively assess the mainstream corporate marketplace — at least in the U.S. Over the past week, I've spoken with the creators of the rankings to understand the story behind this effort: their methodology as well as the challenges they faced, and how they faced them. As the creator of the annual State of Green B - Rolandovich

If you have a small business you might already know the importance of having software that help you tracking and managing your finances. Indinero gives you a service that is highly beneficial due to the fact that it was created based in the idea that it is essential for any company to save on superfluous expenses. In this way you will make more money and save time. - Rolandovich

PDFZilla can be defined as a desktop application that was created in order to quickly and accurately convert PDF files into other formats. Therefore, if you want to turn your PDFs into MS Word Documents, or any other kind of rich text documents, this will be the right place for you to take a look at. This will be a good solution for you to create not only plain text files but also images and HTML Files, in addition to Shockwave Flash SWF Files. Do you want to use this service? Well, in that case you are only required to have Windows XP or Windows Vista, as well as Windows 2000, or Windows ME installed on your computer. - Rolandovich

Neighborino offers an interesting alternative to solutions you can use in order to create and manage a community website. This site is the right place for you to find all the information you need to get good-looking designs, as well as powerful features you can use in order to customize your website and maximize the way it works. In addition to this, you will be able to make use of instinctive interfaces that will maximize your experience. The site is very simple and gives you the chance to find anything you might be looking for in an easy and fast way. - Rolandovich