Building Business − A Regular Anthology of Professional and Business Development Articles

A collection of article summaries from various sources (with links to actual articles) focused on Professional and Business Development.  We’ve collected them in one spot, so you can easily scan, review and apply to your career and business.

A Better Family Business Succession (SmartBrief) – Whether you plan to leave your family business to one child or sell it to a third party, open communication with your children and family is key, writes Louis Pashman, who breaks down three possible succession scenarios.

Protect your personal assets when seeking business loans (SmartBrief) – Many small-business loans require a personal guarantee that can put your family’s assets, including your home, at risk. If you must agree to such a guarantee, lawyer Richard Reinis offers some advice: Tell your spouse, limit your exposure, narrow the conditions for enforcement of the guarantee and take out insurance in case of a worst-case scenario.

Good innovators know how to figure things out (SmartBrief) – At its core, innovation is simply the art of figuring things out, writes Dennis Stauffer. That means that the basic skills of good innovators are transferable to almost any situation or problem. “The more skilled we become at figuring out, the more likely we are to find success in any endeavor,” Stauffer writes.

Advice for getting started, from an old hand (SmartBrief) – Launching a venture can be “exhausting, ego shattering and (at times) infuriating,” writes serial entrepreneur Farid Naib, but it’s also “one of the greatest thrills in my life.” To anyone thinking of taking the plunge, he says to go for it, be ready to fail and be prepared for growing pains. And don’t be shy about asking for help, he advises.

Is it time for your business’ checkup? (SmartBrief) – As 2011 nears the halfway mark, it’s a good time to take a step back to evaluate your finances, operations and what you could be doing better, say experts. “Give yourself time to make some adjustments,” said Christina Cardenas. Other experts advise examining personnel needs and inventory as well as accounting and financial processes.

Where to find government money for your business (SmartBrief) The federal government awards cash grants to small businesses every year, but unless you operate in a handful of industries such as biotech, health care or clean energy, you’re better off pursuing state and local awards, writes Louise Lee, who offers tips for getting your share of government grants.

5 Tips For Deal-Making Under India’s New M&A Regime (Law360) – Even after an extensive last-minute rewrite of the regulations, India’s brand new merger control regime — which went into effect this month — will force dealmakers to live with some amount of uncertainty, experts say, at least until regulators tackle a few test cases. Until then, experts say companies should keep these five things in mind when negotiating tie-ups that could have an impact in India.

Richik Sarkar is a partner at Ulmer & Berne LLP, a Cleveland based law firm with a national practice.   In addition to practicing law, Richik is trying to reactivate the Cleveland Chapter of Net-IP.  For more information about Richik vist his LinkedIn Profile.

March Event of the Month: NetIP Seattle’s Holi – “Range Barse!”

NetIP Seattle’s first ever Holi event, held on March 14th, 2009, was selected

as NetIP’s March Event of the Month.  The festivities took place at

Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA.  The team was able to secure event

sponsorship with The Northwest chapter of  Ekal Vidyalaya to raise

awareness of the struggles facing impoverished villagers in remote

areas of India.

 

 

March 2009 Event of the Month – Holi, NetIP Seattle

 

Despite overcast conditions and light rain, over 200 people joined the festivities!

The music, chaat, colors, and water balloons fueled non-stop dancing and Holi

fun throughout the afternoon. The atmosphere was lively with Bollywood music

played by DJ Nihar Desai.

NetIP partners with MTV for “True Life” series

NetIP has partnered with MTV to cast young south asians for its groundbreaking series, “True Life”.  Since its initial episode in 1998, MTV’s award-winning “True Life” documentary series has told remarkable real-life stories of young people and the unusual subcultures they inhabit.

 Please click here to see this story featured in India New England.

NetIP Pittsburgh holds Fundraiser for Mumbai Attack Victims

On April 4th, 2009, NetIP Pittsburgh co-sponsored the “South Asians Against Terrorism” event, a fundraiser for the victims of the November Mumbai attack.  The event was held at the University of Pittsburgh – David Lawrence Hall.  NetIP Pittsburgh partnered with various Asian community groups  such as Silk Screen, Amnesty International, Ankur: Indian Graduate Students Association, NAAP: The National Association of Asian American Professionals, CAIR Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny County Bar Association.

 

About 215 supporters attended the fundraiser, which brought in nearly $2,500 in donations.  NetIP Pittsburgh presented a very diverse program with the proceeds going to the American India Foundation to benefit charities working in Mumbai.  The event had an exciting line-up of Indian, African, Brazliian, and Chinese, belly dancers, and much more!