Sandy Abrams, 2/13/12

Founder & CEO, Moisture Jamzz, Inc./Author Your Idea, Inc.

As a mompreneur, Leslie Danelian has less guilt than many as she waited for her kids were in college until she opened the Sweet Butter restaurant.

Scott Gerber, 2/13/12

Founder, Young Entrepreneur Council

Want to train yourself to tell your company's story in 60 seconds or less? Here are tips for doing so.

Stanley A. Dashew, 2/8/12

Innovator; Entrepreneur; Industrialist; Philanthropist

What bothers you? I mean, what really grates on your nerves? Chances are, whatever the problem, others feel the same way. I made my first fortune in starting a company that automated the credit card industry, because paper cards were very problematic and really grated on the nerves of bankers.

Steve Blank, 2/9/12

Author, 'The Four Steps to the Epiphany'

While MBA's have had a stack of texts to help them "execute" a business model, The Startup Owner's Manual joins the growing library of books for practitioners in "search" of a business model.

Patrick FitzGerald, 2/6/12

MBA Lecturer On Entrepreneurship, The Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania

You have an idea for a phenomenal company. Problem is you have zero background in that industry, no prior entrepreneurial experience, never got an MBA and can't lean on your family for financing or business resources. At first glance, you're facing an uphill battle. But personal and empirical evidence has proven that it can be done.

Gene Marks, 2/8/12

Small business management columnist, author, speaker, and business owner

Let the big names like New York and Chicago host the Olympics and be "world class". I can always visit those places for a day. But create a "world class" school system in my city and I'll have customers (and employees) for life. That's what my small business needs.

Michael Parrish DuDell, 2/7/12

Managing Editor of GE's ecomagination.com, innovation chaser, marketing ninja, Gen Y aficionado, sustainable superstar

No matter what business you're in, there will come a day when you'll be forced to sit someone down for a good old fashioned confrontation

K. Sudhir, 2/6/12

Fellow, Yale Center for Customer Insights

The more a firm can flatten this hump, the more it will profit from customers who do not bleed the firm. So the question stands: when should a firm fire a customer?

Lisa Earle McLeod, 2/7/12

Keynote speaker; Author, 'The Triangle of Truth'

A purpose is a concrete reason to get out of bed in the morning. It's how you and your company make a difference today. A clearly articulated purpose restores the nobility and meaning to work.

Ebong Eka, 2/8/12

CPA, personal finance expert and small business champion

A tax break that rewards American small businesses for staying at home is a tax break that matters! Now if we can only get past the rhetoric and back to the economy!

Vivian Weng, 2/6/12

Co-Founder, FashionStake

It's no secret that the relevancy of the American shopping mall has plummeted with the rise of e-commerce, but the question still remains: What will happen to the vacant shells that previously housed America's most beloved stores?

Ron Ashkenas, 2/6/12

Business writer

Most of us are programmed from an early age to defer to authority even if we don't understand or agree with the instructions. So how can you counter your conditioning and question authority? Here are some ways to start.

John Fox, 2/6/12

Founder and President, Venture Marketing

With eerie predictability, the "Turnover Stat" holds true. Even in slow-growth industries, those businesses driven by customer retention AND customer acquisition just do better. They make more money, have happier customers and are better places to work.

Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, 2/3/12

To assume that rich people are creating products, opening markets or even building on what they have simply because they're rich is laughable -- and dangerous.

Lloyd Chapman, 2/1/12

Small business advocate

If you stop listening to Obama read his speeches and start watching what he does, you realize he's anti-small business all the way.

Valerie Berset-Price, 2/1/12

International business expert

One of the mistakes U.S. exporters make is using their domestic structure, including the sales and marketing forces, to go international. Going international requires a deep understanding of the region the company wishes to penetrate.

Gene Marks, 2/1/12

Small business management columnist, author, speaker, and business owner

I'm an expert at reception areas. If you don't get it right there, well, it doesn't bode well for what's behind the next door. I know a good, organized reception area when I see one. And I've seen some pretty scary ones.