Philippe Matthews Show Guru Advice, Author Reviews, Tech Reviews, Entertainment News

Taking steps to improve profitability can actually help you to increase customer value and build brand equity. Every business has a break-even volume on their product line.

Can you set out to fail? Yes, in fact, you can -- if you do one of the following things. Fellow Inc.com columnist Paul Schoemaker recently wrote about how mistakes can be the secret to success

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, on how she came up with the idea for footless pantyhose.

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, explains the steps she took to land her girdles on Oprah and, ultimately, built the Spanx brand. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/how-sara-blakely-got-spanx-on-oprah.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, talks about how she picked her team members, handled public relations, and avoided paying for advertising. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/how-sara-blakely-grew-spanx.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

The founder of Spanx talks about how she avoided discouragement before she launched by keeping her idea to herself, and developing it for a year, before she mentioned it to friends or family. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/how-sara-blakely-differentiated-her-business-idea-for-spanx.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

The secret to a successful start-up?

A short list of high-value opportunities will keep you focused on what really matters.

Changes coming soon to the U.S.

It's crucial that the fate of your business does not rest in the hands of one person--not even yours. No one holds my company hostage. Not even me.

It's crucial that the fate of your business does not rest in the hands of one person--not even yours. No one holds my company hostage

It's crucial that the fate of your business does not rest in the hands of one person--not even yours. No one holds my company hostage.

I know you're passionate about changing the world, but if your business model sucks and you go out of business, it helps nobody. Here's how to make the smartest moves.

What's your 'return on thank you' ratio? It's probably higher than you think. The great thing about saying "thank you" is that it costs almost nothing—and there's almost always a payoff.

Balancing competing demands is just part of being an entrepreneur. But what do you do when your customers square off against your investors? Of all the balancing acts an entrepreneur faces, one of the trickiest is trying to keep investors and customers happy at the same time.