Benetrends Blog

  For entrepreneurs, the list of essential skills can seem never-ending. Small business owners wear many hats, and the ability to be nimble means having a vast array of talents you can draw on depending on the situation. As seen in the recent post, A 9-Step...

A new paper by researchers at MIT, Northwestern University and the U.S. Census Bureau dispels the classic myth that the best entrepreneurs are those who are quitting college and becoming tech giants in their twenties.  In fact, according to the research recently...

If you are considering starting your own business, it is easy to talk yourself out of it. There are too many falsehoods and myths out there that paint an inaccurate picture of what it means to start your own business.  As seen in the recent post, A 9-Step Guide:...

When do you know it is time to take a leap of faith when it comes to your career? Every would-be entrepreneur has asked that question in a moment of soul-searching. When is the right time to move on, to try something different, and to take a calculated risk?...

Margaret Lewis had a great job and a great salary in what she described as the high point of her career. It was 2016 when she suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for 23 days. When she left the hospital, she was in a wheelchair, could not walk, and had...

Paul Tasner was a talented engineer with more than 40 years of uninterrupted work experience. Just before Christmas in 2009, he was working as director of operations and called into an office.  It was his exit interview.  He was fired from his job with a San...

What role does age discrimination play in shaping the decisions of older entrepreneurs to go out on their own?   The question is an interesting one, given the rise of older business owners and the impact the oldest among us is having on the small-business...

Women over 50 have the skills, experiences, and talent to be successful entrepreneurs. As seen in the recent post, “The Senior Startup: Tales from the Second Act”, there are powerful stories of women who have made the leap to make their entrepreneurial dreams a...

Age is just a number. For entrepreneurs over 50, age – and the wisdom, experience, and insights it provides – are invaluable when contemplating starting a business.  In The Senior Startup: Tales From the Second Act, you will learn how entrepreneurs...

Small businesses often find it challenging to get the word out about who they are and what they are providing to customers. Failing to focus on a robust marketing strategy can leave many small businesses wondering why customers are not visiting their storefronts or...