Starting a Business

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If a friend comes to you with a dumb business idea, what should you do? Should you be honest and crush their dreams, or lie and potentially seem them take big losses? Read on to hear experts weigh in on why that dumb idea might actually pay off.

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Seems the ultimate TV mom of the 1970s has the pulse on a hot market for 2010: tech for seniors. Making the leap from The Brady Bunch to entrepreneurship, Florence Henderson has started the FloH Club, a membership-based telephone tech support service for seniors.

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Maybe there's no such thing as a free lunch, but there is such thing as free office space. If you're just starting out, you might be a perfect fir for a "business incubator" -- shared office space specially designed to get you on your feet easier.

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If you're just starting a business, any business, you'd do well to look at Sam Edelman, 57, for inspiration. When he started his company, Sam Edelman Shoes, in 2004, it shouldn't have been a big deal for him to get back into the business. He should have been welcomed with open arms -- er, feet? -- because this was his second company in the industry. Instead, he soon realized that he had to prove himself all over again.

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While it's been long established that numerous types of businesses can be franchised, from sign making to decorating homes for the holidays, there's no denying that Mike Enos' business is one of the more unique franchises in existence. His company, Fast Wrap, literally shrink wraps boats, cars, trucks, airport towers, half-finished buildings ... you name it.

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If you like the idea of a business you can start on a part-time basis, with low overhead, and no rent or labor payments, you should start online! Click to see ways you can get your online business started and how to set it up right the first time.

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Giving away space for free to deserving local designers and crafts entrepreneurs: Could this be the new business model for large malls plagued by empty stores and departing tenants?

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It's that time of year again. It's time for the annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500®. For 31 years, Entrepreneur has brought you lists of the top franchises, and here we take a look at the top 20 overall. While the top two are the same as last year's, the rest of the top 10 are all different this year. If you're looking to start your own franchise, read ahead to see who's on top this year.