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Mary Sullivan

Author Profile

Mary Sullivan

Biography

Mary Sullivan is a charter member of the Lee Hecht Harrison Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Group. She is currently writing a book about people who left corporate careers to start their own businesses.

ARTICLES BY Mary Sullivan

Is It Better to Start a Business Alone or With a Partner?

Is It Better to Start a Business Alone or With a Partner?

Many first-time entrepreneurs start a new business solo, managing all the hard work alone. But if human beings are social creatures, why do so many go it alone?

Come Visit Me at Way to Grow

Hard to believe it, but The First Year blog is over three years old. That is, perhaps, the longest "first year" on record! So it's time to move on...

Make Your Advisory Board Part of Your Business

All the information sources advising people who are starting businesses recommend forming an advisory board. Yet, this is advice is ignored by a surprising number of new entrepreneurs. Perhaps they don't understand the role...

Managing Internal Threats to Your Business

Never have I written a review -- favorable or otherwise -- of a book that I have not read. So I'm going out on a limb here: I read an article by Steve McKee, author of "When Growth Stalls".

On Compromising

Just read an interesting post by Dharmesh Shah of OnStartups titled, Why Startups Should ALWAYS Compromise When Hiring. He listed 8 attributes you might seek when hiring for your startup and suggested that the person you hire doesn't need to be perfect in all...

Social Media: Right or Wrong for Your Business?

Everyone is talking about social media, and the buzz is that even small businesses should be using it in their marketing. If you're wondering what you should do, take a look at some key considerations before deciding if/when/how to incorporate social media into your marketing.

Do You Have a Business Vision?

One of my challenges as a marketing consultant sometimes is in helping a business develop appropriate language for their marketing and sales communications. This is not spin. It’s known as messaging, and when done properly, it conveys what is unique about the business that would make a customer choose...

Microloans Filling the Credit Gap

As credit to small businesses from banks dwindles, increasing numbers of business owners are turning to microlenders. The New York Times says, "Even profitable small businesses that once relied on banks for financing are depending more on microlending..."

More Than One Kind of Government Stimulus

The news media has been reporting, analyzing and rehashing the discussion about how the U.S. stimulus package will apply to small businesses. But a new report that appeared in Air Force Material Command suggests that the Air Force may be expanding its contracts with small businesses.

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