In the majority of cases, start-up success or failure is all about knowing the both the how and the why of taking action, and always being clear about which steps to take next. To help this process, here are 10 essential things you need to know about running a successful business. Use it as a checklist to make sure your thinking and your business plan are on the right track, or if you need to get more information, strategic education or clarity for yourself on your overall vision, your market, or your product or service. 1. General Liability Insurance Every business, even if home-based, needs to have liability insurance. The

It’s no secret that many, if not most, new small businesses and start-ups are home-based. The days when a “virtual office” sounded new and hip are long past, and it’s practically expected that new enterprises begin as home-based businesses. It’s a great way to save money while engineering those critical first operations and gaining traction in sales. But is there a difference in insurance for home-based businesses vs. commercial office space? You may believe that renters’ or homeowners’ insurance policies cover home businesses, but they may not – which means that if there’s a fire at your home and it consumes your home office it’s possible none of those office

After coming up with an idea for a smartphone-application business in mid-2012, Josh Lee started building it on nights and weekends, in part because quitting his sales job at a technology firm would have meant losing his employer-sponsored health benefits. Mr. Lee, of New Holland, Pa., suffers from occasional severe headaches called clusters, and his wife depended on the coverage, too. He says he was worried that the cost of health insurance would be out of their reach and he wasn’t sure if his business idea would work. But six months later, Mr. Lee’s employer handed him walking papers and he found himself having to purchase a health plan on