No profits, no loans: How to survive

• Selling homemade goodies - legally

  Selling sweet treats can be a fast way to make extra cash, but the road to doing it legally is paved with bureaucracy.

  Ana, Dartmouth, Mass.
  I'm thinking about making some truffles (chocolate and peanut butter), putting a flyer together, passing it to friends at work and selling to them. I'm making them at home.  Do I need to get a business license or a food license?

  Jul 23, 2009 3:01 PM ET
  Posted in: Startup

• Cut staff hours but keep the morale

  If you need to cut costs, here's some tips on how to break the bad news to the staff.

  Richard Ryan, Barberitos Southwestern Grille and Cantina, Charleston
  I own a small restaurant that grosses around half a million a year. I am going into my third year and I currently employ six people. Most of them live off this job. I am holding a meeting today to explain why everybody will have MORE

  Mar 19, 2009 11:10 AM ET

• When the lease outlives the business

  After a business falters, its legal obligations live on - but your personal assets can be protected.

  Dianne Fernanadez, Keva Juice, Vacaville, Calif.
  My son and I opened a small smoothie business two years ago. We did great until the economy fell. We opened it under an LLC, and he has since bought me out. Now, he has to take money out of his personal account to support it every month. He MORE

  Jan 6, 2009 5:38 PM ET

• $400k and a tropical dream

  Our Caribbean experts weigh in on which island is best for an expat's bar biz.

  Edd, Philadelphia, Pa.
  I'm interested in starting a bar or café somewhere in the Caribbean. I have around $400,000 in startup capital and 20 years of experience managing restaurants. I am trying to find the best and easiest island on which to start my business.

  Dec 3, 2008 9:50 AM ET

• How can we balance life and work?

  Experts share tips and tricks to prevent work from eating family time.

  Claudino Petruccelli, Owner, Petruccelli Pasta, Ridgewood, N.J.
  My wife and I are selling our food business. Although we're exhausted emotionally and physically, we want to start another company - but not to the detriment of our three young children. How do successful owners manage their businesses without wrecking their home lives?

  Nov 25, 2008 10:21 AM ET

• Costs soaring? Overhaul your business

  Rising above higher commodity costs is challenging, but savvy owners can stay strong by adjusting to changing conditions.

  Ahmad bin Saripan
  I manage a food-processing business, and our sales are declining as costs and the price of raw materials escalate. How can I improve and grow the business?

  Nov 3, 2008 10:15 AM ET

• Do I need a license for my business?

  Brenda Zimmerman, Caldwell, West Va.
  I am starting a very small home based business. I will be using downloaded images, photographs, etc., to make edible images for cakes. Do I need a business license?

  Oct 9, 2008 9:20 AM ET

• Balancing a restaurant's finances

  Harold Baring, Los Angeles
  What are the ideal ratios of restaurant operations?

  Aug 7, 2008 9:33 AM ET

• Divorcing your business partner

  If one partner wants out, the other has a fiduciary duty to negotiate an exit strategy that won't damage the business.

  Kath, Darwen, Utah
  I am a partner in a restaurant and food-services business. I want to leave the business partnership, but my partner won't buy me out. She says she'll close the business and restart it, leaving me with nothing. I am only asking for the money I put MORE

  Aug 1, 2008 9:30 AM ET