Entrepreneurship

Facing unprecedented budget pressures as the worst recession since the 1930s continues to roil the economy, public and private-sector institutions alike are slashing costs to the bone, taking such measures as consolidating supply chains to favor larger suppliers who can offer greater bang for limited bucks.

Jeff Henderson’s love affair with food and cooking began in a most unlikely setting: a federal prison. At 24, Henderson was sentenced to 10 years for selling crack cocaine. Soon, he was trading his culinary creations (chicken-and-cinnamon rolls, for example) with other inmates for shirts and whatever else he needed.

To succeed as an entrepreneur after a successful career in corporate America, you have to grow a new skin — more precisely, a new way of looking at the world.

A lot of people — especially those who like to cook — are looking to get into the catering business these days. Here are some tips for getting off on the right foot:

Stories abound of bartering during the Great Depression.

Clearly, the past several months have not been kind to small businesses. There is a growing consensus that we are looking at “hard times” in the world economy for at least the next several business quarters and possibly longer. Here is a “checklist” of questions you should be asking yourself right now.