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A how-to blog for Chicago business
So How’s Groupon Doing?: The Post-Mason Report
It feels like two ice ages ago when Andrew Mason was fired in February by Groupon, the company he helped create and make so dang ubiquitous. But now, it’s three months later and what’s going on with Groupon? Read »
How to Understand What Your Logo Needs
If you are like me and your drawing ability extends to a haggard road map of confusion, then you will likely turn to the experts to design your business logo. Having been through this process multiple times,... Read »
Why Google Alerts Could be Edged Out by Competing Services
I have a million things going on all the times. If you saw my Internet search history you’d be terribly disappointed; it mostly consists of different wordings of “startup statistics for 2012.” (You would... Read »
Defining Marketing's Golden Rule
It's hard to get excited sometimes about new marketing ideas. And bear in mind, I'm as much of a marketing nerd as all of y'all. I love a clever commercial or social campaign. I hate a hastily conceived ploy... Read »
Why You Should Manage Your Reputation, Not Your Relationships
As the co-inventor of ACT!, the product credited as the catalyst for the customer relationship management industry, I’m surprisingly not a champion of the concept of “managing relationships." I don’t think... Read »
How to File a Trademark
Ever wondered where to start with trademarking your logo or name of your product? A registered trademark is considered a business asset and could help establish your brand. Read »
Why You Should Embrace (Some of) Yelp's Small-Business Powers
Our business encourages 100 percent of our customers to write reviews of our repair service. Most people that write reviews put them on Yelp. Read »
How to Temper Expectations About Your New App
I’ve written plenty of times about what’s involved with building an app or commissioning an outside team to help on that endeavor, but not really much on how to manage expectations when you’re building one.... Read »
What Facebook's Loss of Users Means For You
In case you had not heard, Facebook has been losing millions of users per month in its biggest markets, according to Business Insider, which, in turn, is citing “independent data.” It’s hard to get a feel for... Read »
Go to There: Google’s Social Media Marketing Free Webcast
Do you think social media is important? What about marketing? Read »
About
NBC Chicago's "How-To" start up blog aims to help your entrepreneurial idea germinate and grow into a fully functioning business. Lean on our experts, ask questions and find out best practices to take your passion project professional.
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Photos & Videos
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Spotlight: Guaranteed Rate
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CEO Spotlight: Enova's David Fisher
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Rahm Lauds Tech Incubator 1871
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Spring Clean Your Career
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Spotlight: Redbox Instant's Amy Gibby
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Ask an Owner: Work on Business, Not in Business
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Ask an Owner: Keep an Eye on the Money
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Ask an Owner: Have a Clear Branding, Marketing Strategy
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Ask an Owner: Why You Need to Delegate Tasks
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Ask An Owner: The Biggest Lesson Learned
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Ask an Owner: Share Your Idea
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Just One Drink: Chef Stephanie Izard
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Spotlight: Baird Capital Venture Partners
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Spotlight: Discover Card's Mike Boush
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CEO Spotlight: Threadless Founder Jake Nickell
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CEO Spotlight: kCura's Andrew Sieja
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Spotlight: Sertifi's John and Nick Stojka
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Just One Drink: Chef Fabio Viviani
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'Salsa Truck' Gets City's First License for Onboard Cooking
What We Cover
See more What We Cover
Pets
Some officials have estimated the City of Chicago's dog population to be somewhere around 500,000. Add in all the cats, fish and birds and you've got yourself an industry just begging -- and barking -- to be...
Fashion
There are plenty of questions for a fledgling fashionista to answer. Never fear: We've got the goods.
Marketing
Good luck making a dent in the public conscience if you don't have marketing and branding plan to get your message out.
Food Business
Experts say 90 percent of new restaurants fail in their first year of operation. You want to be the 10 percent that makes it. But how?
Most Popular
- How to be an Award-Winning CIO
- The Unheralded Startup Co-Founders: Friends and Family
- What to Consider When Applying for a Small Business Loan
- How to Create a Social Media Campaign
- Why You Should Use QR Codes (Really)
Authors
David Wolinsky
David Wolinsky is a freelance writer, lifelong Chicagoan, and reasonably handsome business-study scion.
Kim Vatis
Kim Vatis joined NBC5 News in 1997. She currently Anchors the weekend morning newscasts, is general assignment reporter and special projects reporter for the 10 PM newscasts.
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