December 1987 was no time to be raising money for a startup. Computer engineer Len Bosack was trying to attract funding for a young enterprise called Cisco Systems (CSCO). But the stock market had just crashed and the Dow Jones industrial average had plummeted 40% since October. Gun-shy venture capitalists either didn’t get the newfangled technology or deemed it too risky…

So your small business just completed a successful project for a client. That is wonderful news, but are you sharing it with others? A well-written case study is one method for reminding your current and prospective clients about the value you bring and why they should choose your company over the competition. There are sound business reasons too. It helps you evaluate and document how you achieved your success for the client. It opens the door to projects with other businesses in the same market. It creates interest in your products and services. So how do you write a case study? Try these 5 steps…

Blake Mycoskie, a former contestant on The Amazing Race, explains how he can give away a pair of shoes for every pair his company sells
The Entrepreneur: Blake Mycoskie, 32
Background: A self-described serial entrepreneur and inveterate traveler, Mycoskie’s ventures have ranged from a laundry service for college students to a reality-TV network. In 2001 he was a contestant on the CBS (CBS) television show The Amazing Race (he finished third). In January 2006, Mycoskie traveled to Argentina to learn how to play polo, practice tango, and do some community service work. …

Last spring, Gregory Nemitz asked Fortune Small Business to help him boost revenues for his online beef jerky business (“Space Jerky?” March 2008). Nemitz, 51, was frustrated with his sales, which totaled about $150,000 in 2007. There were plenty of unique visitors to his Web site, beefjerky.com, but about 99% of them weren’t buying anything. How could he get them to spend their money?
People like a bargain, one expert told Nemitz, adding that he should help the consumer understand that his premium jerky is an outstanding value. That’s exactly what …

Bankers constantly fret about how to get customers into the branches since face time with a teller or sales rep is the best way to sell products and services and deepen the customer relationship.
Senior leadership at Fifth Third Bank faced this quandary after opening a string of de novos and expanding through acquisitions. What they hit upon to grab the attention of the public is to give away money-a quarter-of-a-million dollars worth.
“This campaign is a little bit different than some of the things that we have tried in the past,” …