NFTE blog

Americans have less economic mobility than Canadians or Western Europeans, according to several recent studies cited in a New York Times article.  This is why NFTE exists.  We’re giving low income students the foundation and tools to create economic mobility for themselves and create a better future with an entrepreneurship education.

Customer feedback can be hard to take, but satisfied customers are the only ones who will return to do more business.  So how can you be sure they’ll be back to help your business thrive all year long?  Start by consistently and actively tracking customer satisfaction.  Most people aren’t inclined to reach out with a compliment.  Complaints on the other hand…

Written by Erica Nicole, founder of YFS Magazine: Young, Fabulous &  Self-Employed.

Being an entrepreneur is sexy and rewarding, but it’s also full of inherent risks. When you launch a startup you put everything on the line: Your financial well-being, career opportunities, family relationships and emotional health. Even the most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that when the time came to put up or shut up, inevitably they had to ask themselves: “Can I risk this?”

Written by Alexandra Mayzler, Founder and Director of Thinking Caps Tutoring

It seems that as soon as a business is off the ground, and sometimes even before then, talk turns to how to grow and scale the company. Often business owners think about how to delegate responsibilities, improve leadership skills, and gain financing to allow for growth. While these are important aspects to building a healthy business, one topic that can be overlooked is creating systems in order to achieve growth.

So we’re coming to the end of 2011 and I’m sure for many of you entrepreneurs out there you had your ups and downs this year. With all those highs and lows though comes a lot of good experience, and with that experience it’s time to prepare for the new year ahead.  Take some time, if you haven’t already, to start making a list of things you plan to do in 2012 and set some goals that you want to accomplish by this time next year. While making that list here are some things to think about so that the next year is the best one yet.

Gary Vaynerchuk discuses here in this video on Next Wave about how the future of businesses using social media might not depend on the number of followers they have anymore. Because more people are using filters on Facebook and Twitter to limit who they are getting updates from in their news feed, businesses need to figure out better ways to interact with their fans.

Written by Nick Nanton

The current economic climate in the United States has made life harder than ever for many entrepreneurs. Consumer spending is down and unemployment rates remain high. For entrepreneurs and small business owners in particular, competition has intensified — as businesses are forced to compete tooth-and-nail for every sale.

Therefore, it is important for business owners to find something that makes them stand out in their market — to differentiate themselves from their competition.

I feel that there’s a moment in everyone’s life where they think to themselves and say “I should start my own business.” Whether it’s when you’re a teenager who dreams of making millions while selling their great invention, or a business professional who is tired of the cubical lifestyle, we’ve all had the idea. But what does it mean to be an entrepreneur? How do you know if you have all the right credentials to be successful? Unfortunately there is no surefire way to determine if you’re cut out for it but here are a few things to consider before you jump right in:

The Parents’ Guide to Raising CEO Kids raises funds and awareness for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

A new book Dr. Jerry Cook, parenting expert, and Sarah L. Cook, prominent youth entrepreneurship advocate and NFTE supporter, are raising funds and awareness for NFTE. The resource section at the conclusion of the authors’ inspiring and educational book, The Parents Guide to Raising CEO Kids, features NFTE as a valuable resource for youth.