At some point you will leave your business. Despite this certainty, many business owners never stop to consider what will happen after they are gone, much less how to put together a recipe for a successful estate plan.

A buy-sell agreement doesn’t prevent succession or estate problems in the event one of your company’s owners encounters one of the three D’s (death, divorce or disability), but it can help guide you through the situation. If you can create a buy-sell agreement in the saner times, you can protect your interests and safeguard the life of your business.

The buy-sell agreement is a legal document that specifies how a company or its owners will redistribute ownership shares after one of the owners dies, becomes disabled, retires or otherwise leaves. Get an introduction to the three basic types of buy-sell agreements with this article.

You don't have to slash and burn to revive a dying company. In fact, a makeover is more effective than a mauling, says successful turnaround engineer Robert Peiser.

Getting your business funded is a huge achievement, but what are your next steps? Learn how to put your plan in action by setting measurable goals, checking your progress, and communicating to your team.

Is your company running smoothly? Then there's no better time to review your business plan and consider what your next move will be.

How do you make decisions? The key to good decision making is knowing your goals; nail down your objectives first, and then select the options that will achieve them.

Do you make resolutions at the beginning of every year? Resolutions can be powerful tools. In fact, they can help you take your business to the next level. The catch is, once you make a resolution, you have to work to make it come true. Transforming resolutions into results comes with being realistic.

Most business owners are so busy putting out fires that they don’t take the time to look at their businesses from a strategic perspective. Creating a simple, actionable plan, however, can help direct your business throughout the year.

Giving back can be a two-way street. This article profiles several businesses that have recruited and hired "disconnected youth" who, in turn, have helped these businesses succeed in their mission and community.

Corporate values may sound like a soft subject, but entrepreneurs agree that it's essential to growth. Defining core values strengthens corporate culture by painting a crystal-clear picture of your company's mission and personality.Creating and living your core values can propel your company into high gear.

When you need to make a point, tell a story. Stories make connections for your listeners between context and content - attaching facts to a story makes them much easier to remember.

A well-constructed mission statement guides your company: focusing each employee's work, defining your customer image and steering you through tough choices. We'll show you how to create a compelling, effective mission statement.

Corporate values are the lynchpin to Nationwide Insurance Company's success. Use the tips and examples from this article to take the first step from good to great by integrating a core value system into your business.

Being prepared requires strategic planning. This article suggests methods for gaining perspective regarding a company's strengths and weaknesses in its market, in order to build on the strengths and minimize the damage of the weaknesses.

Whether you've been in business for one year or 20, no owner can say he's built the company without any pitfalls or problems along the way. In this article, three entrepreneurs with great products and services come forward with what's holding them back from their full potential--be it unreliable employees or bleak website traffic--and Entrepreneur's experts offer their advice for getting past the obstacles. Chances are, you'll recognize one of their problems as your own.

In the last decade, a generation of social entrepreneurs has become increasingly visible by creating self-sustaining businesses. Social entrepreneurs are similar to regular entrepreneurs with one main difference--their gains aren't measured in financial profit, but by the impact they have on society. For some social entrepreneurs, 'doing good' means helping others become entrepreneurs, too.

It's tempting to grow quickly, but backsliding can be fatal. Thoughtful growth is tougher than it sounds. It requires a detailed strategy, passionate employees - and a persistent CEO.

As successful companies grow, they sometimes lose focus, getting sucked away to peripheral markets that seem attractive at that moment. There is a way to maintain - or regain - the power of your core competencies without curbing your growth.

Call in the SWOT team! This simple but powerful exercise can help you assess the current state of your business and plan for the future.

A SWOT analysis helps identify Strengths and Weaknesses and examine the Opportunities and Threats you or your competitors may face. This tool helps you learn more about your competition and gain greater insight into the market.

Regardless of whether you develop a full-blown "business plan," you certainly want to plan your business. Planning isn't just about creating a formalized document; it's about figuring out how you'll achieve your goals and tracking progress. A planning process--setting objectives, prioritizing, allocating resources and establishing milestones--will help you better manage your business.Getting key players involved and brainstorming could be what your company needs to get to the next level.