How To Read The Economy Like An Operator, Without Trying To Forecast It
Founders do not need a view on recessions. They need a short list of signals tied to their own revenue, costs and cash, checked on a schedule.
The Business Desk
Editorial Staff
The Business Desk covers how companies make money and the economy they make it in: strategy, pricing, retail, media, commercial real estate and the small businesses that make up most of the economy. Reporting under this byline is produced by the editorial staff of Founder Insider, with sources linked on every article.
Articles by The Business Desk
How To Raise Prices Without Losing The Customers You Actually Want
Pricing power is built before the increase, not announced with it. Here is how to test it, segment it and roll it out without a churn spike.
The Unit Economics Numbers Your Board Will Actually Ask About
A practical guide to contribution margin, CAC payback, retention and burn multiple, and the way each one gets quietly flattered in a board deck.
Why Your Company Strategy Should Fit On One Page, And What Goes On It
A strategy is a set of choices about what you will not do. A one-page format forces those choices into the open, where a team can act on them.
How To Run A Pre-Mortem Before Your Next Big Bet Goes Wrong
Imagining that a launch has already failed is one of the cheapest ways to find the risks a team will not raise on its own. Here is the meeting format.
What Interest Rate Moves Actually Change Inside A Startup
A change in the Federal Reserve's policy rate reaches a young company through five channels, and only one of them is the cost of a loan.
How Tariffs Reach A Small Company's Margins, Even If It Never Imports
Duties are paid at the border by the importer of record, but the cost travels down the supply chain to businesses that have never filed a customs entry.
What It Really Costs To Get Your Product Onto A Retailer's Shelf
The wholesale price is only the start. Slotting, promotions, chargebacks, payment terms and returns decide whether a big retail account makes you money.
The FTC Shipping Rule Every Online Store Is Already Bound By
If you sell physical goods online, a federal rule governs your shipping promises, your delay notices and how fast you refund. Most founders have never read it.
How Influencer Deals Work, And What The FTC Expects You To Disclose
Paying creators to talk about your product is an advertising deal with legal strings attached. Here is how to structure one and keep the disclosure right.
CPM, CPC, CPA: How Advertising Is Actually Priced, And Who Carries The Risk
Every advertising pricing model is a bargain about who bears the risk that an ad does not work. Knowing which one you are signing changes how you buy.
The Commercial Lease Clauses That Cost Startups The Most Money
The rent figure gets negotiated. The clauses that decide the real cost, from operating expenses to personal guarantees, often do not. Read these first.
Sublease, Coworking Or Your Own Lease: How Startups Should Choose Space
Each option trades flexibility for cost and control. The right answer depends on your headcount forecast, your runway and how certain you are about both.
Why Profitable Small Businesses Still Run Out Of Cash
Profit is an accounting result. Cash is what pays the bills. The gap between them is a timing problem, and timing problems can be measured and managed.
How To Buy An Existing Small Business Without Buying Its Problems
Acquiring a running business can be faster than starting one. The diligence questions below separate a solid company from a seller's well-presented exit.