100 Cities. 100 Entrepreneurs. 9 Keys for Success. Main Street Entrepreneur offers a unique look at what it takes to create a successful and thriving business. Lifelong entrepreneur, business consultant and university professor Michael Glauser rode 4,005 miles in 45 days, spent 246 hours on a bike seat, climbed 165,748 vertical feet, and interviewed more than 100 entrepreneurs in 100 cities along the way to discover the secrets to entrepreneurial success. Glauser has distilled hours of interviews and research to present the nine keys for: Building a purpose-driven business Meeting important community needs Developing a supporting cast Working with a zealous tenacity Giving mind-boggling customer service Diversifying revenue streams Giving back to the broader community And ultimately, creating the lifestyle of your dreams Readers will learn how to achieve their own dreams and won’t need a 30-page business plan, venture capital, or an exit strategy. All they need to do is implement nine keys for success. Not everyone can build a Facebook, Google or eBay, but anyone with passion and tenacity can do what these entrepreneurs all across America are doing.

Addressing the current dearth of available literature on this topic, the editors use a range of international case studies to explore street vending and informal economies which continue to be, especially in developing countries, a vital economic driver. This volume collects essays from authors around the world about the markets and vendors they know best, including studies of USA, China, Mexico, Turkey. The contributors speak of the struggles that vendors have faced to legitimize their activity, the role that they play in helping societies adapt to and survive catastrophes as well as the practical roles that they play in both the local and global social and economic system. As well as highlighting the importance of street markets as a phenomenon of interest in itself to a growing body of scholarship, this study demonstrates how an analysis of street vending can provide insights not only into economic anthropology, but also urban studies, post modernism, spatial geography, political sociology and globalization theory.

The experts say that America's best days are behind us, that mediocre long-term economic growth is baked in the cake, and that politically, socially, and racially, the United States will continue to tear itself apart. But David Smick-hedge fund strategist and author of the 2008 bestseller The World Is Curved-argues that the experts are wrong. In recent decades, a Corporate Capitalism of top down mismanagement and backroom deal-making has smothered America's innovative spirit. Policy now favors the big, the corporate, and the status quo at the expense of the small, the inventive, and the entrepreneurial. The result is that working and middle class Americans have seen their incomes flat-lining and their American Dreams slipping away. In response, Smick calls for the great equalizer, a Main Street Capitalism of mass small-business startups and bottom-up innovation, all unfolding on a level playing field. Introducing a fourteen-point plan of bipartisan reforms for unleashing America's creativity and confidence, his forward-thinking book describes a new climate of dynamism where every man and woman is a potential entrepreneur-especially those at the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. Ultimately, Smick argues, economies are more than statistical measurements of supply and demand, economic output, and rates of return. Economies are people-their hopes, fears, dreams, and expectations. The Great Equalizer is a call for a set of new paradigms that inspire and empower average American people to reimagine and reboot their economy. It is a manifesto asserting that, with a new kind of economic policy, America's best days lie ahead.

Small firms in Chicago employ more than 1.6 million individuals—nearly 50 percent of the private work force, according to a new study released this fall by the Small Business Administration. The survey, which defines small firms as those employing less than 500 people, also shows that these businesses generate 47 percent of the area's total receipts of $278 billion dollars. However, SBA statistics also reveal that, on average, of the small businesses starting today, 53 percent will not be in business four years from now. Of these closings, it's estimated that 15 percent will close due to business failures. Chicago businessman Jay Goltz understands what it takes for a small business to succeed. During the past twenty years he has owned and operated Artists' Frame Service in Chicago. Goltz started the business in 1978, and today it's the largest, custom retail picture framing facility in the world. Now, Goltz shares some his secrets of success.

When Michael meets Harold in what he thinks is a chance encounter in downtown Chicago, this young, cocky entrepreneur has no inkling of the journey of self-discovery and growth he is about to embark on. This quest occurs over the course of several decades, after Harold takes Michael under his wing. Harold has been crowned "The King of Main Street," a title he has rightfully earned as one of the most successful businessmen to ever walk the earth. Harold instructs his protÉgÉ about the most valuable discoveries, insights and lessons he has learned during his life's journey. In turn, Michael learns what it takes for true success in living, business, mentorship and succession. Harold shows Michael that it is important in life for a man to leave a worthy legacy. But Harold also has much more in store for him than Michael could ever have imagined.

A 1999 biography of Charles Merrill, the founder of the world's largest brokerage and investment firm.

Hollywood celebrities are doing it. Corporate moguls are doing it. But what about those of us living in the real world—and on a real budget? Author and holistic health practitioner Victoria Moran started eating only plants nearly thirty years ago, raised her daughter, Adair, vegan from birth, and maintains a sixty-pound weight loss. In Main Street Vegan, Moran offers a complete guide to making this dietary and lifestyle shift with an emphasis on practical "baby steps," proving that you don’t have to have a personal chef or lifestyle coach on speed dial to experience the physical and spiritual benefits of being a vegan. This book provides practical advice and inspiration for everyone—from Main Street to Wall Street, and everywhere between. "Finally, a book that isn't preaching to the vegan choir, but to the people in the pews—and the ones who can’t fit in those pews. This is a book for the Main Street majority who aren’t vegans. Once you read this, you'll know it's possible to get healthy and enjoy doing it—even if you live in Paramus or Peoria."—Michael Moore "A great read for vegans and aspiring vegans."—Russell Simmons "Yet another divine gift from Victoria Moran. Main Street Vegan covers it all—inspiration, information, and out of this world recipes. This book is a gem."—Rory Freedman, co-author Skinny Bitch "Main Street Vegan is exactly the guide you need to make changing the menu effortless. Victoria Moran covers every aspect of plant-based eating and cruelty-free living, with everything you need to make healthy changes stick."—Neal Barnard, MD, president, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and NY Times bestselling author of 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart "A great book for anyone who's curious about veganism. It shows that not all vegans are weirdos like me."—Moby

Trying to start a business in this economy? Struggling with little or no cash? Have no experience, no baseline to judge your progress against? Whether you’re just starting out or have been at it for years, the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur's "get real", actionable approach to business is a much-needed swift kick in the pants.

Local Dollars, Local Sense is a guide to creating Community Resilience. Americans' long-term savings in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, pension funds, and life insurance funds total about $30 trillion. But not even 1 percent of these savings touch local small business-even though roughly half the jobs and the output in the private economy come from them. So, how can people increasingly concerned with the poor returns from Wall Street and the devastating impact of global companies on their communities invest in Main Street? In Local Dollars, Local Sense, local economy pioneer Michael Shuman shows investors, including the nearly 99% who are unaccredited, how to put their money into building local businesses and resilient regional economies-and profit in the process. A revolutionary toolbox for social change, written with compelling personal stories, the book delivers the most thorough overview available of local investment options, explains the obstacles, and profiles investors who have paved the way. Shuman demystifies the growing realm of local investment choices-from institutional lending to investment clubs and networks, local investment funds, community ownership, direct public offerings, local stock exchanges, crowdfunding, and more. He also guides readers through the lucrative opportunities to invest locally in their homes, energy efficiency, and themselves. A rich resource for both investors and the entrepreneurs they want to support, Local Dollars, Local Sense eloquently shows how to truly protect your financial future--and your community's.

"One is tempted to say 'the only book you'll need on starting a business.' Brilliant! Genius! Choose your superlative-it'll fit."-Tom Peters People starting out in business tend to seek step-by-step formulas or rules, but in reality there are no magic bullets. Rather, says veteran company-builder Norm Brodsky, there's a mentality that helps street- smart entrepreneurs solve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise. Brodsky shares his hard-earned wisdom every month in Inc. magazine, in the hugely popular "Street Smarts" column he cowrites with Bo Burlingham. Now they've adapted their best advice into a comprehensive guide for anyone running a small business.