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Recent Press Releases (U.S. and international) for magazine issues and staff changes may be found below. Please note that for many issues there exists only a highlights sheet, while for others there may also be a full press release. The cover of FSB's current issue is pictured at right. Please contact the appropriate communications staff member with any questions.
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Highlights of the
March 2007 Issue of FSB: FORTUNE Small Business
The full stories are available at FSB.com. COVER STORY Employees From Hell, by Phaedra Hise, page 18 How do you know that you've hired the wrong employee—or waited too long to fire him? If you find two duffel bags full of semiautomatic weapons under his desk, that's a pretty good sign. No, that's not a hypothetical example, although the small-company CEO who told us the story asked that we not use his name. (We can't say we blame him.) Unfortunately, it's become easier than ever for problem employees to build up the kind of ammunition that makes it difficult to discipline them, thanks to recent court decisions that affect employers of all sizes. FSB looks at terrifying tales of wicked workers who turn small businesses upside down—and tips on how to avoid them. • The Drunken Forklift Driver • The Turncoat No. 2 Who Tries to Take Over the Business • The Undercover Identity Thief Plus: An Ounce of Prevention- Two experts offer their suggestions for avoiding the courtroom. —Know the Laws, Have an Employee Handbook, Don't Use Contracts, Keep Written Records, Don't Move the Aggrieved, Hire Well, Be Proactive
NEW FEATURE—ASK FSB, BY ANNE FISHER, PAGE 35 FSB's Anne Fisher helps small-business owners get answers to these questions: • Must I Rehire an Iraq Vet? • Do I Need a Blog? • How Can I Sell My Business?
GREEN TECHNOLOGY Soybeans in Your Tank, by Maggie Overfelt, page 75 Former airline pilot John Plaza bets big on biodiesel fuel. He cashed in his 401(k), mortgaged his home, and sold his ski boat to buy a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in an industrial section of Seattle . He pumped his first few gallons of biodiesel in April 2004 and Imperium Renewables was in business. Biodiesel can be made from animal fat or any vegetable oil. It acts as a natural lubricant, is fully biodegradable, and burns cleaner than conventional diesel, reducing carbon monoxide emissions by 50% and carbon dioxide—the main greenhouse gas that causes global warming—by 78%. Unlike ethanol, which in high concentrations works only in specifically designed vehicles, biodiesel will run virtually any diesel engine. Today only a handful of local governments require the use of biodiesel. Until more such initiatives kick in—or until taxes rise to capture the environmental and military costs of our country's dependence on fossil fuel—the biodiesel industry will depend on a committed minority who hope to save money while they help save the planet.
SELLING Whole Foods Goes Small, by Louisa Kasdon, page 66 Getting into a Whole Foods Market can put a business on an entirely new scale. Yet becoming a supplier for a big, finicky chain such as Whole Foods is a risk too. Small-business owners may need to ramp up production to meet growing demand. Where will the funding come from? What does it mean exactly to meet Whole Foods' exacting standards on issues ranging from packaging to organic ingredients to even the size of vegetables? Without adequate planning, possibilities can become problems. Which is why Whole Foods invented the small farmer's friend. As Whole Foods' first full-time “forager,” Susan Phinney is tasked with finding and then helping small farmers, bakers, and other food providers cope with the exacting demands of the huge organic grocery chain.
WEALTH BUILDING Can Small Caps Still Shine?, by John J. Curran, page 82 Small stocks such as cobbler Crocs are doing great this year, but is the party soon to end? Journalists (FSB included), money managers, and market tea leaves have called the end of small-cap market leadership several times before, and they (we) have been wrong. With that in mind, FSB offers some smart ways to play these stocks.
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TECH EDGE Hiring a Crowd, by David Whitford, page 54 Mark Malone is the harried CEO of MJM Sports, a Seattle startup whose machines allow bar patrons to compete in fantasy sports contests. Sales are brisk, the market is expanding coast to coast—and therein lies a problem. Every time MJM sells another unit, a technician has to visit the bar, install a computerized kiosk and a 42-inch plasma TV, and hook everything up to the Internet. Malone saw the problem coming. He and his operations VP originally planned to subcontract installation and repair. But with sales expanding in late 2005, it was all MJM could do to keep up with demand. MJM turned to OnForce (onforce.com), a New York City-based service that operates like a virtual hiring hall for IT jobs. It's pretty simple: You describe the job, say exactly when you want it done and how much you're willing to pay, and submit a work order. The innovations at OnForce represent a revolution in how companies are using the Internet: not just to buy stuff or look up information but to match specific tasks that need doing with human beings able to do them—in real time, at market prices, with near-zero overhead and at scalable capacity. FSB also looks at other new online services that can help you find freelancers on the cheap.
START UP Can Small Business Win this Game?, by Walecia Konrad, page 10 After suffering through years of deadlocked debate in Washington , small-business owners can be forgiven for finally feeling a twinge of optimism when it comes to health care. The newly powerful congressional Democrats are promising relief, and President Bush announced a bold initiative in his State of the Union to level the playing field between large and small employers. But entrepreneurs can also be forgiven for feeling confused. Everyone claims to have their best interests at heart, but which of these plans will really help them? And which stands a chance of passing? As Washington digs into health care, will entrepreneurs get cured—or just billed?
This is My Office, by Cynthia Barnett, page 59 Neville Hockley, the owner of a graphic-design company, prepares to run his New York City-based firm, i&D Media Group, from a sailboat while circumnavigating the globe. Half the plan's success depends on Hockley's two senior designers, both 27, who will hold down the home office in his absence. The other half hinges on technology. Hockley began to outfit his floating office in 2005, starting with an Ampair Pacific wind-powered generator ($1,500) and solar panels ($500 to $1,000 each) to ensure that he has enough power to boot up each day. His primary workstation will be a $3,000 ToughBook—a rugged, weatherproof laptop from Panasonic. He'll also have a wireless ToughBook tablet that lets him sketch digitally with a stylus pen anywhere on the boat—including the hammock.
CASH FLOW Cure Your HR Ills, by Julie Sloane, page 64 A Salem , Mass. veterinarian enlists the help of Integrated Staffing, one of about 700 professional employer organizations (PEOs) in the U.S. PEOs work by becoming the legal employer of your staff for purposes of payroll, benefits, and HR. By aggregating the employees of many business, a PEO can often offer better rates on health and workers' compensation insurance, while giving employees big-business-style benefits. For the business owner PEOs take on the headache of payroll, taxes, regulatory compliance, and a gamut of HR issues, from hiring to drafting an employee handbook to mediating conflicts.
OFF HOURS Fine Art Flourishes in Tinseltown, by Jason Tanz, page 96 L.A. may be known for starlets and freeways, but lately art collectors are flocking to the city's galleries. Fine Dining for Fish, page 102, by Scott Bowen New flies and lures, made and field-tested by entrepreneurs.
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For further information please contact:
Erin Clinton
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