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Table of contents: VOL. 15, NO. 10 - December 1, 2005
COVER STORY
Executives who think it's safer to buy a franchise than start a business need to think again. (more)

Features

Lionel NeffCEO PBC INTERNATIONAL (more)
How to survey your customers on the cheap. (more)
How would you like to survey 20 million consumers in two minutes? (more)
A Florida couple mill beautiful lumber out of logs they salvage from the South's river bottoms. (more)
After 25 years of building businesses and recruiting employees, I've learned ways to seek out the best talent. (more)
United Scrap Metal is one grimy business. So why do so few employees ever want to leave? (more)
A ship chandler saves on maintenance with open-source software. (more)
An open-source application that helps your sales force perform. (more)
As online fraud spreads, an inexpensive device from a small firm catches on. (more)
Chances are you've never heard--or heard of--Lorie Line's music. But that is because of the concerted effort she has made to get rich, not famous. (more)
An American entrepreneur finds success east of the Urals. (more)
A fast-growing intervention firm seeks treatment from FSB's experts. (more)
A novelty greeting-card firm sails toward profitability. (more)
off hours
Made by small businesses. (more)

An entrepreneur's quest to change the face of sushi. (more)
A new venture from a native entrepreneur lets you blend luxury and local color. (more)

It's powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. With gas prices soaring, it also might be the ride of the future. (more)
startup


Boone Pickens, once an oil baron, now finds water cooler. (more)
Bringing in new managers reshaped the business--and forced me to grow. (more)
Here's how I try to build brainstorming into my daily routine. (more)

The alternative minimum tax is expanding to hit millions of entrepreneurs. (more)
One way to avoid the AMT may be to shift some deductions into your business. (more)


the edge
A new high-tech spitball could prove handy for more than just police work. (more)
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