Daniel C. Colantone: Welcome home, LeBron

Akron and Northeast Ohio are special places. This can be seen every day, but came through loud and clear as LeBron James announced his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in his written statements, the things he said, what he has done this summer, including his Wheels for Education, the continuing efforts of the LeBron James […]

Steven Vitale: Good for sales, good for business

Jeff Thull, author and management consultant, outlined in his book, “Mastering the Complex Sale,” a business process called Diagnostic Business Development. The method outlines tips for winning high-stakes sales. Its message resonated so distinctly with us at Midwest Industrial Supply that six years ago we implemented it. Since then, we have found this process enhances […]

Think beyond necessity for the idea that gets marketplace traction

Being a serial entrepreneur, my mind is constantly searching for the next best idea. I am consistently pushing the envelope on design and innovation, and much of my work centers on the idea of creating novel products and household brands. While my concentration lies in a variety of industries including fashion, tech, nano-science, entertainment, marketing […]

Accidental foreign trusts may present a number of unforeseen circumstances 

As relationships flourish and the world seemingly shrinks, it’s becoming more common for people to invest abroad or even inherit assets from abroad. In order to avoid going through the expensive and time-consuming process of probate, they are putting their assets in trust — but there may be consequences, especially if a foreign trust is […]

How game-playing techniques motivate employee productivity

One of the newer methods companies use to motivate employees capitalizes on game-playing techniques — bringing out the competitive nature in employees. Called gamification, the program applies game-design philosophies to non-game applications so workers have fun while meeting performance goals. “Maybe some employees thought they couldn’t achieve a certain performance level, but if it’s fun […]

Know your industry, your sector and how you are going to use the cash

Businesses making a pitch for capital to investors need to map out their strategies, Andre Bryan says — but the real key is they have to paint a picture. “They have got to be able to see it,” says Bryan, explaining the metaphor. A 62 percent growth rate demonstrates that Bryan, president of APB & […]

How Sell Hack persisted and grew through a cease and desist order

While a cease and desist order from LinkedIn closed one avenue for entrepreneurs Ryan O’Donnell and Marco DiDomenico, it didn’t stop their ingenuity. It all began, when out of necessity, the duo developed SellHack earlier this year to help their startup, Sociagram, a cloud-based video platform. “I was spending a lot of time trying to […]