Trade War
This book tells what happened during our last one!

"Understanding the Great Depression
 & Failures of Modern Economic Policy"
 by Dan Blatt - Publisher of FUTURECASTS online magazine.

 Explaining the Great Depression, its Trade War, and failures of "New" Keynesian interest rate suppression policy without ideological clap trap, theory confirmation bias or political spin.

Table of Contents & Introduction
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"Understanding the Economic Basics & Modern Capitalism: Market Mechanisms and Administered Alternatives"
by Dan Blatt - Publisher of FUTURECASTS online magazine.

Smith: Wealth of Nations.   Ricardo: Principles.
Marx: Capital (Das Kapital).   Keynes: General Theory.
Schumpeter: Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy.

Economics is the miracle science. Even imperfect capitalist markets routinely raise billions out of poverty.

Table of Contents & Chapter Introductions

March, 2018
www.futurecasts.com

Entrepreneurial spirit:

100 concise articles and checklists.

  So, you want to be your own boss! "Small Business Hacks: 100 Shortcuts to Success," is a dandy little book by Barry Moltz and Rieva Lesonsky, that provides 100 concise articles and checklists covering particular aspects of starting or acquiring, funding, maintaining, promoting, and staffing a small business, as well as manufacturing and selling goods and services, customer relations, and selling or closing the business, and much more.
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  Many of the articles (called "hacks"), usually just two or three pages each, are the work of outside authors contributing their expertise. The book's authors invite their readers to share any additional "hacks" the readers find useful in their areas of experience.

  What this book implies about the modern economic environment for small enterprise is of particular interest to FUTURECASTS. The United States has fallen well down in the rankings for "ease of doing business," far behind such paragons of capitalist virtue as Finland and Denmark that are now among the top ten for capitalist economies. However, aside from personal incentives, the tax laws provide powerful financial incentives for forging bravely ahead with your entrepreneurial plans.

 "It has never been easier to start a business, but with so much competition all over the world, it's also easy to fail." 

  Fortunately, as a small business entrepreneur, you will be making use of the expert help of  a wide variety of brokers, various lawyers and accountants, insurers, social media and sales experts, bankers and investors and other sources of funding, various financial planners and technology experts, business mentors, advisers with pertinent industry, marketing, finance, and distribution knowledge, and various consultants for help with advertising, public relations, lead generation, proposal writing, web pages, franchise and affiliate development, and much more. At some  point, you will probably have to operate as a partnership or some category of corporation, each with its own operational demands.
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 A variety of federal, state, local, and private agencies will be involved in your business and various tax agencies will be interested in your success.

  You will be dealing with and establishing relationships with suppliers, customers, contractors, competitors, pertinent trade associations, and civic organizations. You will be setting up and maintaining books and records. As you grow you will be establishing and maintaining customer relations and bookkeeping departments and an annual budget. You will be managing promotion and sales efforts, inventory and customer payments, formal and internet correspondence and personal appearances at trade shows and other networking events.
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  A variety of federal, state, local, and private agencies will be involved in your business and various tax agencies will be interested in your success.
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  You must develop competence in dealing with all of these relationships. You must become familiar with the business software you will be relying on to help you with all of these relationships.
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  The book offers a half dozen articles on the development, manufacture and distribution of product. There are seventeen articles on employee and independent contractor relations, and ten articles on the all important matter of dealings with your customers.
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It is designed as a reference resource for practical insights into particular aspects of your business.

  The book provides help with all of these and other business relationships and activities. It is not a book to be read start-to-finish but is rather designed as a reference resource for practical insights into particular aspects of your business. For one example, here is "HACK 15" providing tips for partners on "How to Set Up a Shareholder Agreement."

  "This is a step that many new business partners frequently miss. Unfortunately, when they sell the company (or if one partner wants to leave), it becomes a nightmare. Use this hack as a template to make good business decisions around your partnership and then find a good lawyer to construct a legal agreement you can both sign.

1. Choose titles. This becomes important even if there are two equal partners. In that case, one should be the CEO and the other president. Determine what the roles of each partner will be. For example, one will handle sales, marketing and finance. The other will focus on product development, operations and service.

2. Who is on the board? Will the seats be assigned by shareholder ownership? Will this just include the partners or will there be other shareholders (or outsiders)? Will some board members only have observer status?

3. Stock. Will there be more than one class of stock? How will new stock be issued and sold? Will they have different voting rights? Many times, investors are given preferential treatment.

4. Decision-making. How will decisions be made? Will majority rule in all cases? What happens if there are only two partners and the vote is split? Many times, companies set this provision up so that decisions are made by the majority except in certain cases like issuing more stock, [incurring] debt, [approving the] annual budget, selling the company, etc.

5. Shareholder exit. Since in a small company stock transfers are typically restricted, how will shareholders leave the company if they want or are forced out? Examine each situation: Voluntary, force out, disabled, and death. An additional provision that is added typically is that a shareholder must sell if they get divorced to prevent the spouse from becoming a shareholder.

6. The value of the company. When a shareholder leaves the company, how is the value determined? This can be done through a third party or a predetermined formula like a certificate of agreed value.

7. Will there be a non-compete? When a partner or an active shareholder leaves, will there be a non-compete and what will it include (and for how long)? Try to make this as narrow as possible so it is enforceable in your state.

8. Solving Problems. Many agreements include a required arbitration clause for dispute resolution so disagreements don't immediately go to court."

  Many of the articles list internet and professional resources for use when additional information is needed.

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