Elysse Bell is a finance and business writer for Investopedia. She writes about small business, personal finance, technology, and more. Samantha (Sam) Silberstein, CFP®, CSLP®, EA, is an experienced ...

Entrepreneurs tend to follow the “don’t think, just do” model of starting a business. This attitude can serve founders well in the early days, but it often causes them to overlook some essential ...

When starting a new business, a financial forecast is an important tool for recruiting investors as well as for budgeting for your first months of operating. A financial forecast is used to predict ...

A business plan outlines the what, why, when, and how of business operations. The “what” represents the products or services the business will offer to the market. The “why” denotes the purpose of the ...

Don’t let economic fears deter you from starting a business. A well-planned and researched business idea can still succeed even in a challenging economy. Before launching your venture, focus on ...

Katie Miller is a consumer financial services expert. She worked for almost two decades as an executive, leading multi-billion dollar mortgage, credit card, and savings portfolios with operations ...

Belle Wong is a freelance writer specializing in small business, personal finance, banking, and tech/SAAS. She spends her spare moments testing out the latest productivity apps and plotting her latest ...