Some businesses have the power to capture the entire essence of a community, city or region. This working lobster wharf and restaurant, currently being offered for sale in a popular tourist destination on the coast of Maine, is a perfect example.

On occasion, Transaction highlights a small business that is being offered for sale – both as a way to gauge the market and as an exercise in how to evaluate an opportunity (please note the smart comments that followed my last listing).

Here are the details on the lobster business — and my analysis.

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The Small Business tips today discuss how to get involved to promote your rebranding campaign.

1. Local events are a great place to showcase your rebranded company. Chamber of Commerce meetings, small business associations, and town functions are great ways to get involved and display your rebranding campaign.
2. Host a “preview” party for your loyal customers. Allow them to check out your rebranded image and store before anyone else with the VIP treatment!
3. Sponsor a local sports organization. Many youth leagues are always looking for team sponsors. It’s a great way to get your name out there, and to help the little ones in your community!
4. Be prepared.

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Maureen Lederhos Sara Gragnolati was inspired by her own allergies.

Babson College launched the first ever business plan competition for undergraduates in 1984. That helped it achieve its status as a top U.S. school for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially at the undergraduate level.

Babson’s 2010 competition concluded on Thursday, with the best undergraduate award and $5,000 cash prize going to Crelligence Media, a digital video venture founded by a Babson senior, Alexander Debelov, from Rostov-On-Don, Russia. <

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Nathan Lindstrom BiologicsMD, winners at the Rice Business Plan Competition

Rice University’s Business Plan Competition held its finals over the weekend, granting $1.07 million worth of prizes in investments, cash and business services to 41 teams led by students from North America, China, England, India and Thailand. (The competition was co-sponsored by Fortune magazine.)

BiologicsMD, a start-up with a new treatment for osteoporosis, OsteoFlor, took the grand prize (and eight other prizes), with total winnings of $300,000 in investments, $39,250 in cash grants and $80,100 in business services and gift cards.

The company is a serial competitor. M

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The issue of what you tell your employees when you’re trying to sell your business is a tricky one that requires careful thought. Maintaining confidentiality surrounding the sale typically takes precedence over other concerns, yet it may be impractical — or even impossible — to keep employees in the dark.

The most common approach is to keep information about the sale limited to as few people as possible. “The general public typically knows nothing about the small-business-for-sale marketplace because it happens below the radar,” said Rose Stabler, managing partner of Certified Business Brokers in Houston. The prima

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Ed Zurga for The New York Times Joe Runyan chose the dry cleaning business, in part, because he felt it was ready for change.

We’ve just published a case study of Hangers Cleaners’ efforts to survive the arrival of a big new competitor down the road: Procter & Gamble. In the article, written by Pamela Ryckman, the owner of Hangers, Joe Runyan, explains how he has tried to emphasize his quirky side, his community roots, and his door-to-door van service. Below you’ll find the analyses of several small-business owners who have had similar experiences. Pleas

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