A while ago, I covered a research study done to determine which were the hottest businesses to start for 2012. In order to compare industries, the same company that conducted the research for that study (IBIS World), provided a breakdown of some of the least successful industries in business today.
Manufacturing: Men’s Clothing
Despite all the commercials for the Men’s Wearhouse, the numbers show that the industry of manufacturing men’s clothing is on the decline. IBIS World’s research indicates that in the past 10 years, revenues have declined by 85.3%. Worse yet, about 53.7% of the businesses for this industry have closed. [...]

You want your startup to succeed, so do we.  In the process of funding over 2,000 new businesses in 2011 alone, we frequently get asked for input from our clients on specific businesses or industries. While we are happy to give specific advice, here is some general information we’ve learned about some of the best startups to launch in 2012.
A recent IBIS World research study reviewed the best industries for your next startup. They based their findings on 1) projected revenue growth 2) forecast enterprise growth over five years 3) 2011 profit margins 4) the low barrier to starting such [...]

Click into the web site of Springboard Enterprises, and what you’re likely to see first is telling: a woman climbs up onto a diving board, bounces a few times, and jumps. It’s an apt metaphor. In many ways, starting a business is like a scary dive. Jump into an industry or a community with “shallow” available funding, and you could get hurt. Or, to put it another way, when you’re hurtling toward the pool, head-down, you don’t know how cold that water might be.

That’s where Springboard comes in. It calls itself a “Venture Catalyst,” but no matter what you call [...]