Commentary

A Commentary provides thoughtful and insightful opinions or perspectives on events, policies or situations of interest to business owners, startups, educators, investors and policymakers. These should be short, readable, timely, interesting pieces that address current topics of interest, discussion or dispute.

Length: <1,000 words

Reviewed by Senior Editors


Worth Sharing: An Italian Entrepreneur Confronts the Crisis

Michael Cortelletti, owner and “Guardian Angel” of Food Democracy in Verona, Italy, has seen the affects of COVID-19 first hand, both as a business owner, and as a resident of Verona, Italy. As Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Daniel Van Der Vliet

Coronavirus: 10 Things That Family Businesses Can Do Now

Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks we will be publishing articles on familybusiness.org and EIX.org to help businesses weather the turmoil caused by COVID19. Visit our home page daily for more Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: David Deeds

Remembering Clay Christensen

Clay Christensen, the Harvard Business School educator who passed away in January 2020, changed the way people around the world think of innovation. Through widely-read books, such as "The Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Daniel Forbes

Encouraging Family Business Members to Go the Extra Mile

Family firms typically emphasize one of two management approaches: stewardship, which stresses participation, adaptability and family harmony; and agency, which emphasizes discipline, management and Read More...

Category: Commentary

Authors: Kimberly Eddleston , Franz Kellermanns and Roland Kidwell

Scholars Should Study Everyday Entrepreneurs, Not Gazelles

Alongside the business media, academic research on entrepreneurship has been consumed by Silicon Valley mania, caught up for decades in the wild hype over startup “unicorns” and “gazelles.” Read More...

Category: Commentary

Authors: Howard E. Aldrich and Martin Ruef

Family Business Experts: How to Survive the Holidays Intact

While the holidays are supposed to bring magic and joy to people’s lives, they are also an immense source of anxiety and stress. Family can be the root cause of this stress -- and families who run Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Kimberly Eddleston

Adjuncts: An Overlooked Source of Prestige

EDITOR’S NOTE: Steve Blank, who has founded or co-founded eight startups, is best known as the Father of Modern Entrepreneurship and is credited with launching the Lean Startup movement, which for Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Steve Blank

Student Entrepreneurs Grow $40 Million Business

Editor's Note: This article and podcast originally appeared as part of "By All Means," a series about entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs produced through a partnership between University of St. Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: James Beal

Women: Prepare to Lead Your Family Firm

If you're reading this article, you may want to lead your family business someday but have not yet taken control of the direction your career is heading.&nbsp; Or perhaps you are experiencing some of Read More...

Category: Commentary

Authors: Dr. Susan Laverick and Elizabeth Bagnall

Social Entrepreneurs Take on Water Scarcity

To learn more about eFest, EIX's competition for undergraduate business ideas, click here. This article and video are part of&nbsp; America’s Entrepreneurs: Making it Work , a Rewire initiative Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Clayton Stansberry