By Jenn Ladd From The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia–Philly empties out on summer weekends, when the Shore crowd beats a path down the Expressway. Streets are quiet, parking spots abound, and the city’s businesses brace themselves for the slow season. That made the line outside Small Oven Pastry Shop’s walk-up window on a recent Sunday afternoon…

Commentary The Gallup polling organization seems to serve up endlessly bleak news about how Americans feel about God and country. I wrote recently about their report of the historically low percentage of Americans that say they believe in God. Now Gallup reports that a historically low number of Americans believe in ourselves and our country….

Keith Krach, former undersecretary of state and current billionaire entrepreneur, first started working at his father’s Ohio mechanics shop when he was 12. As he worked alongside his father, those valuable lessons his father imparted became the principles by which Krach has conducted business, from the time he was the youngest vice president of GM…

Commentary  Black entrepreneurship in the United States has a remarkable history. Even during the inhospitable climate of Southern slavery, both enslaved and free blacks managed to establish lucrative ventures. Research on black entrepreneurship has revealed that in the Antebellum South black entrepreneurs’ pursuits spanned the entire gamut of industry, ranging from merchandising to transportation. Indeed, the success of…

A baby girl born 14 weeks early, weighing under 2 pounds, has beaten the odds by surviving without any lasting health issues. Today, she is a happy, curious 6-year-old who has become an entrepreneur alongside her grandmother, who owns a “slice of paradise” on Earth: a working farm. Kai Ferguson’s original due date was Christmas Eve…

In Marilyn Thompson’s experience, life is a journey of unexpected and sometimes very difficult pathways, which are nonetheless part of a divine plan. When she and her husband, Troy, purchased a 2 1/2-acre property on a hill in Oregon’s beautiful wine country, she could not begin to imagine the hardship, the grief, the effort, or…

Dear Dave, Do you have any advice on how to start a car wash and detailing business? What things should I consider first, and what do I keep in mind over the long run? —Andrew Dear Andrew, I’m excited for you, man! And I love your ambitious spirit. Working for yourself is one of the…

By Josh Noel From Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — Few Chicago-area breweries are as underappreciated as Two Brothers. It has never been the trendiest or flashiest brewery during its 25-year run. While Two Brothers tried to faithfully re-create European beer styles in its earliest days, Three Floyds carved a niche with intensely bitter, fruity India pale…

Dear Dave, I’ve been wanting to start my own small business for years. The only problem has been my current job. I make good money, but I also put in a lot of hours. About a month ago, I came up with an idea I think would be really successful. How do you feel about…

Commentary Entrepreneurs grease the wheels of economic growth. They create new products and services. They create new jobs. Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of economies. Of course, one cannot discuss economies without discussing the United States and China. Obviously, the United States offers a more favorable environment to its entrepreneurs than China, a country known for…