Carol Roth

Attacks against Mitt Romney and his private equity background with Bain Capital continue and are likely to be a cornerstone of the Democratic and media dialogue during the remainder of the campaign. President Obama lamented that at Bain, Romney worked to "maximize profits" for investors, not to benefit...

Every business dreams of having something go "viral," but sometimes it happens when you least expect it or with unexpected outcomes. For a small business, this can be especially daunting as online gossip or negative reviews can be the difference between securing or losing a potential customer (and sometimes hundreds...

On Monday, Oprah Winfrey appeared on CBS This Morning and was candid that her experience launching her OWN network was not as she had expected (you can view the video clip at the end of this piece), which mirrors the experience of almost every entrepreneur. She said that...

As technology evolves at a breakneck pace and new tools are created to reach and connect with customers, many businesses are losing focus on how to effectively utilize the tools to drive the results they are seeking.

As a business, you have to think about more than just the tools,...

Access to capital is one of the biggest issues facing small business today. The JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, which was overwhelmingly passed in the House Thursday, is a package of 6 bills intended to create more access to capital for entrepreneurs and small business owners. But does it...

Just a short time ago, it was widely accepted that the front-runner for the GOP nomination was Mitt Romney. While Governor Romney has myriad relevant experience, significant dollars to spend on advertisements and other qualities that should position him well for both the nomination and the presidency, he has had...

The hype over losing U.S. jobs to overseas companies has gone the way of so much of the economic and financial rhetoric these days- statistics getting in the way of a good story. Research published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco shows that, "in 2010, imports...

Late last year, 21 year-old Ludwick Marishane of Cape Town, South Africa was named the 2011 Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2011 GSEA (Global Student Entrepreneur Awards), beating out 1,600 other student nominees from 42 countries. Ludwick won the title for his product Drybath, the only non-water...

Months ago, I began to research Occupy Wall Street and with so many participants and sympathizers having different views and perspectives, it was incredibly difficult for me to make heads or tails out of the movement. However, the one common thread I did observe through my interviews and surveys is...

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) are those little boxes that look like warped chess boards that have popped up everywhere from print mailers and business cards to even bus stops. These bar codes on steroids allow businesses to take their advertising and make it immediately actionable.

As a...

What could the Twilight franchise and Breaking Dawn possibly teach you about business? Quite a bit, actually. With the last installment in the uber-popular Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn, bringing in the big bucks all over the globe, here are a few business lessons you can take away from this very...

Social media can be a powerful tool to listen to, engage with and gain access to customers that you would otherwise not be able to connect with. However, the Holy Grail in social media is finding a path to move those dialogues "back to your house"; that is, to be...

There is a realistic solution for creating jobs and turning around our country and it lies with small businesses. Let's talk "simple math," as President Obama noted in his remarks just a few days ago, but my version of simple math has a both a view of the...

In his New York Times column a few weeks back, Warren Buffett lamented that our government was "coddling the super-rich" and advocated increases in taxes on the wealthy through higher rates on capital gains, dividends and income in excess of $1 million and $10 million, respectively.

Certainly Mr....

A French Lingerie Company Jours Après Lunes has just unveiled a new line of child lingerie for girls as young as four years old (called "Loungerie"), featuring ridiculous, sexualized pictures of little girls. This comes on the heels (or should I say, rather, the high heels) of French...

Are you out of touch with your customers? It may seem a simple question, but a lot of companies are.

As I sit on my United Airlines flight and I watch the pre-safety video and for the umpteenth time this year, I hear once again CEO Jeff...

Social media events -- from live chats to product unveilings to webinars -- are a fun way to engage customers. By leveraging social media, you can create an experience for your existing customers and connect with new customers as well.

But there are some best practices to ensure that...

Today's celebrities aren't just entertainers, they are brands and businesses. Here are 5 lessons you can learn from some of the hottest celebrities around:

Lady Gaga -- Love Your Customers and They Will Love You: Lady Gaga loves her fans so much that she has nicknamed them (Little...

LinkedIn did it. Groupon's doing it. Suddenly everyone is talking IPOs. But if you aren't market savvy, you may be more familiar with C-3PO than this hot acronym du jour. Or more likely, you may think you know IPOs, but do you really?...

Many couples consider working together, whether jointly starting or buying a new business, having one person join the other in an existing business or even working at the same established entity. If you and your significant other have talked about this, you may be wondering if this something you should...