Advice

Rhode Island lawmakers recently passed legislation designed to attract a broader range of investments in limited-liability companies with nonprofit missions. The measure creates a new corporate structure – the low-profit, limited-liability company, or “L3C” – with the policy goal of making Rhode Island the Silicon Valley of social ventures. May 19

Growing numbers of small and local businesses are discovering that a tweet can be a powerful tool for making your presence known among customers, prospects, your area and your industry. In particular, Twitter is great for helping amplify your marketing messages and grow your business. May 19

It may be the best-kept secret in home real estate: For a couple of hundred dollars, a potential buyer thinking about writing a contract on an existing house can ask for a formal energy audit along with the standard inspection clause. That audit, in turn, can save the buyer thousands of dollars in future operating costs, and pinpoint the specific features of the house that need correction to improve efficiency. It might also be a tipoff to a sobering reality: This house is an energy guzzler. Either the asking price comes down, the seller fixes the problems, or I walk. May 19

I am sick of the argument that cold calling still has a valuable place in selling. Someone PLEASE show me the value. May 19

Some businesses – and business owners – just seem irresistible. They’re the ones earning the highest fees who rarely seem to go searching for clients and customers because clients come to them. How does this happen? May 12

Have you noticed the shift in human focus and concentration? May 12

“What I did on my summer vacation.” May 5

All growth is good. Bigger is better. All businesses must either grow or die. May 5

Strategy is strange. It’s one of the most talked-about concepts in business – yet one of the least understood. Corporate titans tout “strategies” of infinite variety every day; never mind that most are not strategies at all. At best, many are simply sets of goals. At worst, they are recipes for disaster or perpetuated mediocrity. Apr 28

How do you stack up as a potential mortgage candidate in this year’s increasingly tough underwriting environment? Do you have the right stuff – credit score, debt-to-income ratio, equity or down payment – to get you through the minefield? Apr 21