business

It's a tough decision for any mom to make: stay at home with the kids during their early years or continue on with a career. For some women, the decision is made a little easier by the opportunity to start their own business at home. For Susan Macdonald of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., starting her own business at home wasn't a hard decision. She did it for her kids. When Read more...

When Jim Walters retired from Bank of America in December 2001 after decades in the business, he thought of looking for a similar job. He was just 56, after all. But in the months after Sept. 11, 2001, few companies were hiring. "The headhunters Bank of America connected me to said, 'Don't bother,'" said Walters, who lives in south Charlotte, N.C. "I had a year's pay Read more...

Selling your business could be the most important financial deal you will ever make. Here’s how to make the right decisions. For many owners, selling the business they've spent years building up can also be emotionally difficult. And unless you've sold another business previously, you'll have no experience to draw on. Is selling my business the right option? Before selling Read more...

PORTLAND, Ore. - Craig Sowash, a 43-year-old sales manager with a pulp and paper company, says he feels more confident with customers ever since he had the wrinkles on his face smoothed out with a few injections. And if he ever needs a little surgery at some point to produce permanent results, he says, "I won't be shy about pulling the trigger." Competition for corporate jobs Read more...

After more than 20 years in corporate jobs, Bob and Cathy Dammeyer of Dallas had become weary of all the travel and meetings, the politics and bureaucracy. The fiftysomething couple pondered early retirement. "Bob bought an antique car, and I bought a pickup truck, and we were going to see what the end of the road looked like," Mrs. Dammeyer said. Then reality dawned, and Read more...

Are you working on your dream career after your 9-to-5 job, but wondering how to take your side gig to the next level? Meet several successful women who turned a part-time pursuit into a full-time focus, and learn strategies to turn your own passion into a profit-making machine. 1. Create a plan. "Don't just suddenly quit your full-time job. First, create an exit strategy," says Read more...

A lawyer is desperate for business and is happy to be appointed by the court to defend an indigent defendant. It's the lawyer's first job as a public defender, so the judge explains the rules to him. "You are to confer with the defendant in the hallway, and give him the best advice you can," he says. After a time, the attorney re-enters the courtroom alone. Read more...