It’s sad. 8 out of 10 businesses fail. And many of the causes can be prevented. This list can help you put together a plan to make sure your business is around next year. If you are guilty of any of these, make the necessary changes to get your small business going in the right direction.

These Items May Cause Small Business Failure Not Keeping a Budget If you’re not in the habit of running your household with a budget you’re not likely to run your business with one. Mismanagement of funds is hands down one of the number one causes of business failure. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Purchase a copy of Quickbooks and hire a bookkeeper to help.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com 

Would you pay someone in the Philippines to answer your email for you — even your personal messages? Or hire strangers on the internet to plan your spouse’s big birthday party? Or throw meat, vegetables, and butter into a blender and call it dinner?

These are just some of the actual “life-automating” techniques of busy entrepreneurs today.

Image Courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When it comes to the JOBS Act, much of the excitement (as well as criticism) has been around Title III, which, when finalized, will allow unaccredited investors to invest in businesses online.

But other parts of the act were, arguably, just as significant, and they’re here now. One of those sections — Title II, which is sometimes referred to as accredited investor crowdfunding — came into effect on September 23. Title II lifted the ban on general solicitation, or advertising, allowing companies, asset managers, and investment firms to market investment opportunities to the general public.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

A few years ago, I first posted about adjustable eyeglasses. Unlike the glasses you’re probably wearing right now to read this site, adjustable glasses don’t have a set prescription and instead allow the wearer to adjust the prescription as needed. This simplicity of design allows one to construct the glasses very cheaply. Medgadget has up a story about another type of these glasses that seems much simpler in design.

Image: http://www.business-opportunities.biz 

Innovation occurs in an ecosystem, where individual components thrive off one another and allow for evolution.

Those components—entrepreneurial spirit, research and development, intellectual property lawyers, venture capital availability, among others—exist in Wilmington. But they’re not quite churning—yet.

So says John Hardin, executive director of the N.C. Board of Science & Technology, who visited the Port City on Thursday to observe its potential in the innovation economy.

Image: From left, John Hardin and Scott Doron of the N.C. Office of Science & Technology. Photo by Ben Brown. 

A robotic fish that's capable of mimicking the rapid movements of a real fish could be swimming alongside schools of live fish in coral reefs by the summer, said MIT researcher Daniela Rus. Rus, who spent about two years helping design and build the robot, said plans are for it to record the activity of a school of fish in shallow reef environments.

Image: M. Scott Brauer Andrew Marchese, doctoral candidate at MIT (right), and Daniela Rus, MIT professor and director of MIT's CSAIL program, hold the soft robotic fish they helped invent. 

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that it will award grants to state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, colleges and universities to support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses under SBA's Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program. Applications for the grants are open now through April 11.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

The alarm went off late, traffic was a nightmare, and you have four long meetings today on top of a major deadline. On the way to work, you heard a tragic news story you can’t get out of your head. Add some money problems and an argument with your significant other and the stress can feel unbearable at times. How can you focus and get things done when you’re under so much pressure from all sides?

Stop. Take a deep breath. Now, exhale and do it again. Feel better? You’re going to get through this.

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A revolutionary digital hearing aid, designed to fit invisibly in the ear, is being launched at an affordable price through a crowdfunding campaign that has a social component to it.

With millions of people around the world suffering from hearing loss, a surprisingly low number of them turn to using a hearing aid, which can successfully treat many hearing issues. Some of the reasons that consumers eschew hearing aids are the bulky size of the units, or their high cost (sometimes as much as $1000), or even the inconvenience of having to go to see a specialist to get evaluated and fitted for the devices.

Image: http://ecopreneurist.com 

The IPO wave kept rolling for venture-capital-backed biotech as two life science companies held their first trading day Friday, while another estimated a price range for its public debut and a fourth publicly filed its paperwork.

Reuters Shares of Aquinox Pharmaceuticals Inc. rose 8.6%, while Recro Pharma Inc.‘s stock rose 3.8%.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

AUSTIN, Texas — Bacon saves lives and fuels astronauts. Really.

You may only think of bacon as the food of the Internet gods, but this sizzling slab of porky deliciousness does more than make your belly happy. Bacon has landed on the moon, distracted Canadians from sex and helped America triumph in World War II. (Some of these might be *slight* exaggerations.)

Image: http://mashable.com 

In a breakthrough for Alzheimer's research, scientists have created a blood test that can accurately predict whether someone will develop the degenerative disease.

The blood test can identify 10 types of lipids, or fats, that apparently precede Alzheimer’s disease by up to three years. The test –– likely to be inexpensive if it hits the market — could identify those at risk before they develop symptoms. It will be available in as little as two years.

Image: http://mashable.com 

The European Parliament (EP) and the Council have agreed amendments on the shape of the new Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI), Horizon 2020’s largest remaining piece of legislation, following criticism of the first phase under Framework Programme 7.

Among the main changes is an enhanced role for scientific committees, better feedback on progress to member states, help for smaller partners in navigating intellectual property (IP) terms, a requirement for projects to publish more information and a beefed-up interim assessment of performance.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Death, it’s a fear rarely discussed in the boardroom or around the watercooler. It doesn’t feature in mainstream motivational theories or textbooks on organisational behaviour and motivation. But its alarming reality is ever-present and affects every aspect of our life and action, including the world of work.

Image: http://knowledge.insead.edu 

Every year since 1942, the Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit promoting science education, has invited high school seniors to submit original research to a jury of prestigious scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

Entrants to the competition, now called the Intel Science Talent Search, are some of the “most promising young scientists in the U.S. who are creating the technologies and solutions that will positively impact people’s lives,” according to the contest’s website. The finalists—tomorrow’s innovators—often go on to nab Fields Medals, MacArthur grants and Nobel Prizes.

Image: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ 

Looking for a cheap and sturdy standing desk? There are DIY options. But if you've always wanted to have some cardboard furniture in your home or office (and who hasn't?), try one of the standing desks from Chairigami.

Entrepreneur and recent Yale graduate Zach Rotholz has attracted plenty of attention for his line of corrugated cardboard furniture. Called Chairigami, the furniture is recyclable, lightweight, flat-packed, and cheaper than conventional designs.

Image: http://www.fastcoexist.com 

I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs first approach investors, either at the wrong time, in the wrong way or in the wrong format.  Let’s tackle these easy-to-fix pitfalls below.

1.  Wrong Time: Make sure proof-of-concept is behind you 

It is important you have all the required elements in place before approaching investors.  This includes completing all the necessary research supporting your business plan (re-read my post on how to write a business plan). 

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

With his Google Glass, Stanford University physician Dr. Homero Rivas pinpoints a target on the skin of an anatomical human model.

The surgeon and his assistant then direct their Glass at the target to reveal an augmented reality display on their screens. To their eyes, looking through the Glass, they can see the procedure illustrated step by step with images superimposed over the skin of the model.

Image: Above: Dr. Homero Rivas performing a demo with Google Glass Image Credit: Droiders 

Although there are many promising nonprofits who are primed to make a big impact in the community through strong, innovative programs, most organizations don’t take advantage of their own capacity for innovation. Interestingly, we see this concern for dramatic growth and innovation in the for-profit sector as well, where some companies have taken to the concept of an accelerator or incubator. We’re just now seeing this model as a growing solution for nonprofits as well, and our new Accelerator is designed to help local nonprofits significantly grow an existing, high-potential program or service.

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In 2012, President Obama’s Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act ushered in an era of unprecedented methods for startups to raise capital using crowdfunding. It opened the door for entrepreneurs and small-business owners to acquire capital through alternative means outside of traditional financing from banks, venture capital firms or angel investors.

However, initiating a fundraising campaign for your business is not a simple process, and poor preparation will likely result in a tangible amount of wasted time — and possibly no capital to expand your enterprise.

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