My mom tried to prepare her thirteen children for the realities of life.

She often commented after a setback, “Nobody said life is fair.”

One of my earliest life lessons on the fairness of life was quite traumatic. [Warning: Sad story ahead so skip over the next few paragraphs if you like to protect yourself from these.]

When I was a little girl, my brother received a beautiful rabbit for his birthday present – a seemingly rare white rabbit, a treasure. The fact that he was the first in our large family to receive a rabbit as a pet made him feel even more special. Continue Reading;

How do we know when it’s time to shift gears?

When driving a car, there are many signs that tell us when to shift gears. We can hear the engine revving louder. We look at the tachometer. We feel the momentum level out. In business, we don’t have such obvious signs.  Continue Reading;

I often see parallels between sports and business.  Let’s take football for example. The player who gets the ball and runs with it to try to score points for his team is not unlike an entrepreneur who takes an idea and runs with it, trying to create revenue for his business.

As the running back or wide receiver is running a full sprint towards the goal line, it is tempting for him to look back over his shoulder.  He knows that the competition is on his heels and it’s hard to resist the urge to check out how close they truly are. But when a player does that, it slows him down, often to the point that the competitor can catch up- or even tackle him.

I see the same thing with entrepreneurs, especially those blazing a trail. Continue Reading;

Entrepreneur

5 Ways to Gain Experience Before You Start Your Business Carol’s latest on CNBC.com.

Why Apple Shouldn’t Stop the Steve Jobs Doll (opinion) Finally a worthy companion for the Carol Roth doll / action figure. Commentary by Carol Tice on Entreprneur.com.  Continue Reading;

If you run a business long enough, you will eventually have to tell your customers things that they don’t want to hear. In writing. And for some strange reason, many of you will slip on your white gloves, pick up a quill pen, and write something that sounds like an engraved invitation from the 18th century. You know, phrases like:

“We regret to inform you that we are unable to offer a refund.”
“We trust that you will be able to find alternative arrangements for this issue.”
“We strive to insure that all of our customers are satisfied.”

Statements like these all sound like they should be delivered by a butler with a pencil-thin mustache and a clipped British accent – not a real business talking to real customers. Continue Reading;

For most of us in the business world, business travel is a necessary evil. So, to help you get the most out of your traveling endeavors, I have asked the CarolRoth.com contributor network of entrepreneurs, advisors and experts to share their best business-related travel tips. Their answers are presented below in no particular order.

You may notice some of the same ideas listed, but I kept them separate, as something in the way one is framed may resonate differently with you. Continue Reading;

I was recently alerted to an article in the Detroit Free Press about a woman who is suing car maker Honda in small claims court instead of via a class action suit because certain of their hybrids allegedly do not get the gas mileage claimed because of technical problems.

Now, the idea of averting class action suits is an interesting subject of discussion, but that’s not what caught my attention in this story.  My bigger takeaway is “Why would Honda let it come to this?” Continue Reading;

This post is for you, person who wakes up in the morning and says, “Gosh, how am I going to build my personal brand today?”

Let’s face it; “personal branding” is, by far, the single most over-used business-related concept talked about today. Yes, personal branding is important. And yes, it’s been talked about for years. Ever since the 1997 Tom Peters article in Fast Company magazine titled, “The Brand Called You,” the personal brand conversation has been prevalent. Continue Reading;

Entrepreneurs are often dyed-in-the-wool generalists; they show a curiosity about the world and a deep, abiding interest in learning. This is great, at least in the beginning. But when your business approaches any sort of growth, the Curse of the Generalist rears its ugly head. Continue Reading;

In the News

Occupy Wall Street Needs a Wall Street Education  Carol shares her insider’s view on HuffingtonPost.com.

Awards Season

2011 Business Book Awards: The Short List  Honored that The Entrepreneur Equation made the list.  Continue Reading;