Recent Articles Published by Angelique O'Rourke
As a Small Business Owner, You’re Leading a Boss Life: Book Giveaway from Author Paul Downs
Author and entrepreneur Paul Downs shares his insights with me on running a long-standing, successful small business. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to enter the book giveaway. Read more »
Telling a Different Story: Joe Pulizzi Talks Small Business Content Marketing [+ Book Giveaway!]
Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, shares an excerpt from his new book Content Inc. Enter to win a free copy! Read more »
How I Started a Gluten-Free Cookie Company: With Josh Fegles of Jude’s Foods
Josh and Bethany Fegles started a gluten-free cookie company after their child developed an allergy. This is the story of their successful enterprise. Read more »
Starting a Business with a Young Family and a Day Job
Find out how one entrepreneur balances starting a business, a full-time day job, and a family. Read his advice for staying focused and finding growth. Read more »
Branding Checklist: 10 Essentials Before Launch [Free Download]
Think a brand is just for big businesses? Think again. Branding is critical for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Your brand is what the outside world thinks of you. That’s it. Although you can influence your brand through well-designed logos, hilarious ad campaigns, carefully crafted press releases, or super-friendly service, ultimately, your brand is... Read more »
Maternova and the Business of Saving Lives: A Secret to Success Story
Maternal health is a concern the world over, especially in developing nations. Childbirth can be a precarious process; for some women and their infants it can be life-threatening. According to the World Health Organization, 800 women die every day during childbirth, with 99 percent of those deaths taking place in the developing world. There are medical... Read more »
How to Pitch Your Business by Email
When I think of pitching, I think of presentations (unless we’re talking about baseball, of course). But, pitching can come in different forms, and one of the most common ways to pitch your business—even in our technologically advanced age—is the “pitch email. Email is everywhere. It’s used by nearly everyone, it’s more personal than social media,... Read more »
Are You Mentee Material?
You’ll find that experts in most fields recommend getting a mentor. Whether it’s in the business world (including here on Bplans), the arts, academia—you name it, and a thought leader in the space will refer to the benefits of seeking a mentor. But then what? If you approach a distinguished person that you can learn... Read more »
What Does It Take to Start a Comic Book Business? With Brian Wyrick of Robot Paper
What goes into the creation of a comic book? And, how do you successfully start such a niche publishing business? To get an insider’s perspective, we sat down with Brian Wyrick, the editor and publisher for Robot Paper, a comic company. Brian, who is also the COO of Raidious, a digital agency for content marketing, is one busy... Read more »
How to Start a Wildly Successful Subscription Food Business From Your Kitchen: The Story of Picky Bars
Jesse Thomas and Lauren Fleshman are a married couple and the co-founders of Picky Bars, a business that makes and sells natural energy bars. Picky Bars was founded in 2010 based on the founders’ mutual interest in athletics and in creating the “perfect” energy bar for athletes like themselves. Since introducing the product, Picky Bars has... Read more »
Q&A with Business Incubator Co-founder Joe Maruschak
A business in its early stages can often use a leg up, whether in the form of wise words from a mentor or an introduction to a strategic partner. When you’re first starting out, you may not know who to connect with, or indeed how to do it. This is where incubators come in. Incubators... Read more »
Expert Robbie Kellman Baxter Reveals How to Generate Recurring Revenue and Grow Your Business (+ GIVEAWAY)
Growing a company, generating recurring revenue, and creating loyal customers is no mean feat, regardless of your budget, or the number of employees at your disposal. Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of “The Membership Economy,” has discovered one way to do this, and that’s by becoming a “membership company.” For most people, the word “membership” implies involvement... Read more »
Why My Crowdfunding Campaign Failed
Crowdfunding has a reputation as an accessible way to secure funding for startups and small businesses. It’s quick and easy; just throw up your video, backers start investing their money, and you’re set. Anyone can do it, right? The truth is, it’s far from that simple. For every story of someone whose project went viral... Read more »
10 Tools to Design Your Best Product Yet
Are you interested in designing your own products? Many people become entrepreneurs because they have a great product idea that inspires them to pursue this path. However, not having a background in design or an understanding of the principles related to designing products is often a problem. Luckily, in our amazing age of online resources—many... Read more »
How to Start an Etsy Shop
Wondering how to start an Etsy shop? We spoke to Etsy sellers and did the research, so you can put your best foot forward when starting an Etsy shop. Read more »
How to Start a Franchise Business
A lot of people are drawn to franchising. If it’s right for you, it can be a road map to profitable business ownership. You can get in on a great idea or successful business that has a track record of success and a strong brand, and still run the business yourself. Franchise expert Joel Libava... Read more »
The Biggest Business Fails of 2014 and How to Avoid Them
Every year, a few businesses make bad decisions or mistakes publicly. Sometimes they recover quickly and no one notices. Other times, the blunders are nothing short of newsworthy. We’ve gathered up some of the worst fails of 2014 and included some helpful tips on how to avoid them yourself. Walmart asks its employees to purchase... Read more »
Bplans Briefcase: Business Stories to Keep You in the Know
Where can Syrian entrepreneurs find startup funding? What U.S. industry is becoming more pet-friendly? Here are interesting news stories about innovative small businesses, surprising PR choices, and a business competition opportunity in the Middle East. Penda improves health care in Kenya Why they made headlines: The Kenyan capital of Nairobi is becoming known as a... Read more »
15 Videos for an Inspiring Start to 2015
Video is everywhere, and as inexpensive and ubiquitous devices change power dynamics, people are now able to share new ideas from around the world more easily than ever before. Because we frequently come across excellent content, we’ve compiled a list of 15 inspirational videos that should help motivate you to succeed and dream big in... Read more »
Business Owners Share Their 2015 New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year again—you’ve no doubt been spending time on vacation and with your loved ones, and now it’s a new year and you’re getting back into the swing of things. Of course, being an entrepreneur, you’re also doing some reflection. How did 2014 go for you? The start of the year is... Read more »
