Success Q: Why is it that some businesses are popular and others are not? I own a restaurant and I try to do things right, but we have never caught on like some others have. — Bill A: : Although it is hard to generalize, I do ...

Avoid Hard Sell When Marketing To Younger Generations Q: I get that I have to market to a new customer, i.e., Gen X and Gen Y. I'm not really tapped in to what works with them. Is there something that works with ...

New G.I. Bill Would Help Small Business Owners Q: Will the proposed new "G.I. Bill of Rights" do anything to help veteran-owned small businesses? — Will A: Writing this as I am on this Memorial Day weekend, I wish ...

How You'll Know If A Franchise Is For You Q: I am looking at buying a franchise and the franchisor has painted a very rosy picture. What is the other side of the story? — Tom A: First let me say that as a general ...

Moms A Unique Business Force Q: I am a new mom and would like to quit my job and start my own business so that I can be with my son more. I have never started a business before, so this seems doubly challenging. How do other ...

Use The Web To Get The Word Out Q: Steve - I once saw you give a speech on "Shoestring Marketing." What about shoestring advertising? I would like to advertise more, but, especially these days, I have a limited budget. Any ideas ...

Preparing For The Worst Q: Steve - We all think that "it couldn't happen to me" but I am here to tell you that it can. We lost our business in Hurricane Katrina and I would just like everyone to know that it's smart business to ...

Buried In Email? Learn How To Tame It Q: Steve - with your work as a business speaker and a Q and A columnist, I bet you get inundated with e-mails. Have you come across any good solutions for dealing with a perpetually full ...

Online Profits Aren't Just For The Amazons, Etc. Q: Steve - Do you think it is really possible for the small guy to make money online? It all seems so dominated by the Amazons and Yahoos. What are small businesses supposed to ...

No, You Can't Get Something For Nothing Q: I am starting a green business but lack sufficient startup capital. Are there federal grants for such a business, and if so are they realistic or even plausible? — Rachael ...

Professionals Tune In To Their Kind Of Network Q: Steve, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. I read the Small Business Bible book that you wrote. In fact I had recommended it to the public library here. When ...

Ask An Expert: Gen Y Ready To Get Into The Game Q: Mr. Strauss: I teach a community college course on entrepreneurship and was especially interested in your column around the first of the year regarding the top trends in ...

An Inspiring Soup Q: Good morning, Steve: My book, The Success Effect: Uncommon Conversations with America's Business Trailblazers, offers insights from billionaires and small company founders alike, but this book is different ...

A Few Bad Apples Can't Spoil This BunchQ: Mr. Strauss: I have seen some of your articles around my boss' office, and the small business owners you describe don't sound like him at all. He's a jerk, and works us too hard and pays us ...

Significant Others Are Significant Business Help, Too Q: Mr. Strauss: Although my wife, and the mother of my three children, isn't an entrepreneur, I hope you can help me acknowledge her and other moms like her who help us run ...

How Can Communities Spur Small Business? Q: Hello, Mr. Strauss. I live in Trinidad, in the Caribbean. Our country produces plenty of oil and natural gas, and tourism is also a sector of our economy. I was wondering what we could ...

A Will Isn't Enough Q: I am self-employed and in my mid-30s. I have a will that my old lawyer set up for me a while ago. However, I am wondering what other documents I might need to get in order. Can you help? Thanks A: ...

Building Rapport By E-mail Q: Dear Mr. Steve Strauss: I have an export trading business with some problems. When I get foreign customers' contact information, and send e-mail to them, how and what could I say that could let ...

Get advice from the pros ? for freeKen Yancey is CEO of SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, one of the the country's best kept secrets. This 10,000-member volunteer organization is dedicated to advising, training, and ...

Setting up your Web site for credit cards Q: Steve, I have had a Web site for about a year now and want to turn it into an e-commerce store. I know I need to be able to accept credit cards online. How do I do that and whom do I ...

Beware a bad lease ¡ª it can doom your business Q: I am going to be negotiating my first lease and am wondering what I should know and what I should be on the lookout for. Thanks in advance.   -- Tyler K., ...

Don't let customer disservice creep into your daily routine Q: I don't own a business but I notice what works and what doesn't. My pet peeve has to do with what I call "customer disservice." I can't believe how often I am ...

Suing, artistic copyrights Q: One of my suppliers breached their contract with me and this eventually cost me over $70,000 in lost sales, delays, etc. I am ready to sue. Any suggestions?   -- S. Spencer, El Segundo, ...

Copyrights, fictitious names Q: I am producing pornographic material for private and commercial use. It ranges from simple photos to webgraphics and videos. I often find my pictures used by other people on the internet to ...

Getting hits for your web site Q: I have started a web site for selling books and electronics. Please tell me how I can bring visitors to my site. Thanks!   -- S. Abdus, Dallas, Texas A: Getting hits, isn?t that what ...