Retiring: Older Entrepreneurs Take On the ‘Concrete Ceiling’

Here is the latest Small Business News from The New York Times.

Retiring: Older Entrepreneurs Take On the ‘Concrete Ceiling’
Despite the challenges, older people are creating their own ventures, with some getting help from government as well as AARP and other private groups.

Entrepreneurship: Your Next Pair of Shoes Could Come From a 3-D Printer
Fashion start-ups are using technology like smartphones and 3-D printing to make custom clothing more affordable, and Silicon Valley is taking notice.

Neighborhood Joint: Once Upon a Tart, Reborn in SoHo
The French bakery reopened under different ownership in 2014, and though there were several changes, the recipes for the shop’s famous scones, muffins and tarts were not altered.

Venture Communism: How China Is Building a Start-Up Boom
The Chinese government is lavishing benefits like free rent and cash handouts on homegrown start-ups in an effort to move beyond the factory floor.

Entrepreneurship: A Cleaning Start-Up Wielding Mops, Buckets and 700 Data Points
Squiffy Clean in Silicon Valley takes a tech-minded approach to cleaning offices, using analytics to set prices and improve efficiency.

Groom: A Budding Beauty Baron Gets an Assist From Nas
The entrepreneur Tristan Walker has introduced an electric trimmer designed especially for black men. Now a famous fellow Queens native is on board.

Have a Story to Tell? Your Personal Memoirist Is Here
Personal historians make a business of helping people chronicle the events of their lives in memoirs.

Broadband Law Could Force Rural Residents Off Information Superhighway
A federal court ruling may halt the spread of municipal high-speed internet providers, which often serve households and businesses where commercial cable and telecom firms have been unwilling to go.

Entrepreneurship: A Restaurant’s Sales Pitch: Know Your Lobster
Luke’s Lobster illustrates the benefits of vertical integration, letting the restaurant be part of harvesting, processing and cooking of the key ingredient.

Wealth Matters: Treasury Wants to End Tax Deal for Some Family-Owned Businesses
This provision has been abused by aggressive tax planners and lawyers who used it for family limited partnerships, sometimes as high as 40 percent.

Entrepreneurship: An Ecosystem Where Start-Ups Help Other Start-Ups
The founders of ContextMedia, a health care media company in Chicago, have helped other start-ups get through those perilous first years.

Square Feet: Chattanooga’s Innovation District Beckons to Young Entrepreneurs
Using renovated buildings outfitted with high-speed internet, the Tennessee city’s development strategy is designed to bring young tech start-ups downtown.

Notebook: Weight Lifting Her Way From Fiji to Rio
An island-ravaging cyclone hasn’t been able to keep the lifter Apolonia Vaivai from competing in the Olympics.

A Start-Up Turns to Saffron to Help Afghanistan Regrow
Rumi Spice, started by Army veterans, is part of efforts to help develop Afghanistan’s resource economy.

Four Questions: The Woman Who Dresses the Men of Brooklyn
As men’s fashion expands, Jennifer Mankins keeps it practical.

A Widow Takes the Helm at Blackberry Farm
Sam Beall’s death cast his widow, Mary Celeste Beall, in an unimagined role, as the head of the Blackberry Farm resort and a leader in the elevation of hyper-local Southern cuisine.

Transporting the Dead, Sometimes With No Permit Required
At a time of greater outsourcing of the service, rules regarding who may collect the dead vary, and in some states it requires little more than a driver’s license and a strong stomach.

Feature: ‘I Have No Choice but to Keep Looking’
Five years after the tsunami that killed tens of thousands in Japan, a husband still searches the sea for his wife, joined by a father hoping to find his daughter.

Feature: The Brain That Couldn’t Remember
The untold story of the fight over the legacy of “H.M.” — the patient who revolutionized the science of memory.

Opinion: Dinner, Disrupted
Silicon Valley has brought its wrecking ball to haute cuisine, and the results are not pretty.

Neighborhood Joint: Spanish on the Shelves, Latin Culture in the Air at a Bookstore in Queens
Librería Barco de Papel, one of a dwindling number of Spanish-language bookstores in New York, connects Latino immigrants to their roots.

Neighborhood Joint: Indian Textiles Sold for ‘Happy Money’
The main offering at Dress Shoppe II is Indian clothing made of cotton, silk and linen. But as regulars know, the shop contains much more.

Despite Fears, Affordable Care Act Has Not Uprooted Employer Coverage
The percentage of small employers offering health benefits decreased from 68 percent in 2010 to 56 percent in 2015, even as employer-based insurance has held firm.

Sunday Routine: How Daymond John, a ‘Shark Tank’ Investor, Spends His Sundays
For Mr. John, Sundays are about escaping Manhattan and relaxing at his cabin in Dutchess County, where he fishes, grills, flips tires and throws knives.

The Pour: Great Wine Is Not Enough on the North Fork
A small family winery runs afoul of zoning rules, and apparently compromise is not an option.

A Tantalizing Offering From a Meal Kit Service: The Box
The reusable box that FreshRealm created to reduce packaging waste is a selling point of its delivery service — and a product it sells to competitors.

Florida Company Gets Approval to Put Robotic Lander on Moon
If accomplished, that feat would win the company, Moon Express, the Google Lunar X Prize competition and an accompanying $20 million reward.

A Queens Dairy Plant Closes, but the Cows Had Long Since Gone Home
The owner of the Elmhurst Dairy plant, the last to package milk within the city limits, said he would close it because it was no longer profitable.

Entrepreneurship: The Hottest Start-Up Market? Baby Boomers
The staggering size of the so-called longevity economy has been attracting more entrepreneurs, deep-pocketed financiers and events to pitch new ideas.

Sewing for the Instagram Generation
Far from the glitz of the runway, on a cluttered floor of an old skyscraper, do-it-yourself fashion thrives at the McCall Pattern Company.

Over (Organic) Dinner, These Fitness Studio Competitors Work It Out
At the monthly meetings of their supper club, three entrepreneurs talk friendship, snail cream and why New Yorkers are in the best shape.

Feature: Could Hillary Clinton Become the Champion of the 99 Percent?
A coalition of progressives has been quietly building a plan to bring Occupy-style ideas into the political establishment. Will the Democratic nominee get on board?

Letter of Recommendation: Letter of Recommendation: ‘How It’s Made’
A show that reveals manufacturing to be nothing short of sublime.

Entrepreneurship: Challenges of Getting a Product Made in the U.S.A.
Pad & Quill, a seller of cases for iPhones and other devices, has spent years finding suppliers to keep its products largely American made.

Making Start-Ups’ Financial Data Free and Open
The lack of transparency around private companies has kept the market for start-up stocks small. Equidate, a San Francisco company, hopes to change that.

At a Funeral Home in Brooklyn, the Hard Business of Goodbye
Two sisters in Brooklyn help black residents whose families have been shattered by violence navigate their most painful moments.

Letter of Recommendation: Letter of Recommendation: Just Dance
Video game as sweaty regression.

Feature: Erdogan’s People
Faced with an influx of Syrian refugees, a conservative neighborhood in Istanbul struggles with the question of what it means to be a Turk.

Entrepreneurship: A New Wrinkle in the Gig Economy: Workers Get Most of the Money
Stocksy, an online photo stock site, is an example of start-ups that aim to treat their professionals as owners rather than as freelance labor.

When Community-Supported Agriculture Is Not What It Seems
As demand for local and organic produce has ballooned in the last five years, so have other ideas for connecting farmers to customers.

Wealth Matters: Selling a Business Involves More Than Money
Owners should run businesses as if they could be bought at any moment, but not rush the process once a deal is made, experts say.

On the Verge: Brand to Know: A Men’s Wear Line Made From Vintage Quilts
The pants and button-downs by Emily Adams Bode began as bedspreads — or grain sacks or uncut dish towels.

Entrepreneurship: Lifting the Second-Generation Curse
Founders of family-run businesses need to bring on the next generation and let it experiment, as well as know when to let go, experts say.

Redfin Shies Away From the Typical Start-Up’s Gig Economy
Redfin, a Seattle company that considers itself a real estate and tech company, has challenged the conventions of both by hiring full-time agents.

Feature: Should the United States Save Tangier Island From Oblivion?
It’s the kind of choice that climate change will be forcing over and over.

Features: Marie Kondo and the Ruthless War on <b>Stuff</b>
The author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” is embarking on a new venture: training an army of emissaries to declutter the American home.

Cuomo’s Start-Up Program, Meant to ‘Supercharge’ Economy, Has Created 408 Jobs
The state has spent tens of millions of dollars promoting the initiative, promising that it would generate more than 4,100 jobs by the end of 2020.

Cosmetic Surgery That’s Just a Click Away
Now there is an easier and more efficient way to connect doctors with new patients who seek plastic surgery.

Pillars of Black Media, Once Vibrant, Now Fighting for Survival
The influence of black-owned media companies on black culture is diminishing. Companies are smaller and lack the financial resources to compete in the media landscape.

From Refugee Chefs, a Taste of Home
Two French entrepreneurs are using food to try to change perceptions of immigrants.

Up Next: Homepolish: Hire Interior Design Help by the Hour
Homepolish is a custom design service started by Noa Santos, who wanted to make interior design expertise more available and cost-effective.

Talk: Mark Takano Thinks Gay Men Can Learn From Jane Austen
The Democratic congressman from California on the unsatisfactory Republican response to Orlando, loving Congress and the importance of grammar.

Feature: How ‘Advantage Players’ Game the Casinos
They’re not cheaters. Instead, they hone the sharpest (legal) edge they can.

Bits: A Drone Start-Up Explores Underwater
OpenROV, which builds submarine drone kits that they hope will become as popular as airborne drones, showcases the prototype of the latest version of its Trident submarine.

Clinton’s Tech Policy Targets Young Entrepreneurs
The main goal of Hillary Clinton’s plan is to broaden the job-creating benefits of technology.

Entrepreneurship: Growing Greens in the Spare Room as ‘Vertical Farm’ Start-Ups Flourish
LED lighting and short growing periods have helped the rise of indoor farming, but scaling up is tougher.

‘Brexit’ in America: A Warning Shot Against Globalization
Britain’s vote to leave the E.U. may not bring recession to the U.S., but it could mark the end of a period of economic integration and open markets.

Feature: The Marriage That Led to the Russian Track Team’s Olympic Ban
A doping track star and an anti-doping officer get married, nearly divorce, then blow the whistle on Russia’s state-run cheating.

Feature: The Prosecutor and the President
The International Criminal Court embodied the hope of bringing warlords and demagogues to justice. Then Luis Moreno-Ocampo took on the heir to Kenya’s most powerful political dynasty.

Entrepreneurship: Veterans Use Battlefield Experiences to Build Businesses
The number of veterans starting businesses has dropped since World War II, but new programs and technologies are inspiring those formerly in the military to pursue start-ups.

Phoenix Focuses on Rebuilding Downtown, Wooing Silicon Valley
Every month or so, the city’s ambassadors are pitching downtown Phoenix to young entrepreneurs frustrated by the high cost of doing business in Silicon Valley.

Revalued: With Organic Cotton and Online Ads, Boll & Branch Helps Indian Farmers
A couple’s search for sheets led them to found a company dedicated to producing high-quality bedding using good farming and labor practices.

The Chinese Hackers in the Back Office
A dusty old computer in a mom-and-pop Wisconsin welding shop is giving a digital security firm a window into the operations of Chinese hackers.

Why the I.R.S. Fails to Crack the Small-Business Tax Nut
The government has been trying to figure out how small-business owners can be persuaded to report their earnings more accurately. More audits may not be the answer.

Ravi DeRossi, New York Stealth Bar Owner and Restaurateur
No one knows much about the man behind all those establishments in the Village and Brooklyn. He’s O.K. with that.

New Chapter for Classic Paris Bookstore: Books Printed on Demand
Les Puf, which shut about 10 years ago because of falling profits and soaring rent, has a new location and business model: books printed before customers’ eyes in five minutes.

Itineraries: Start-Ups Selling Seats on Private Jets Don’t Always Make It
With so many players in the private aviation world, it can be difficult for travelers to tell the difference between stable and shaky companies.

Vinyl Mania Can’t Save the Greenwich Village Record Stores
After 28 years, Rebel Rebel, named for a David Bowie song, will close as more high-end clothing stores move onto Bleecker Street.

Bits Special Section: Online Reviews? Researchers Give Them a Low Rating
Consumer reviews have become increasingly popular both online and off, but they may not be the reliable indicators of quality one might expect.

Entrepreneurship: Tech Incubators on a Mission of Diversity
Several start-ups have dedicated themselves to creating programs, incubators or accelerators to train blacks and Hispanics for tech jobs.

On Money: Behind the Gold Curtain of Donald Trump’s Résumé
Donald Trump promises to bring a business acumen to Washington, but his actual ventures reveal more — or, rather, less — than he intends.

First Words: Is the Election ‘Rigged’?
Talking about politics in terms of cheating reflects widespread frustration — and may also create it.

A Renegade Muscles In on Mister Softee’s Turf
In a recent battle for Midtown Manhattan, a prime selling spot, Mister Softee says he has been pushed out by New York Ice Cream.

Wealth Matters: Needing Cash, Some Small Business Owners Bypass the Bank
For some entrepreneurs, growing their businesses has a lot to do with their risk tolerance and how they think about cash flow and partnerships.

Entrepreneurship: No Venture Capital Needed, or Wanted
Although rare, start-ups have become multimillion-dollar businesses by bootstrapping financing themselves.

Four Questions: The Suit Maker Whose Clients Include Jay Z and LeBron James
Guy Wood, the custom tailor, also runs his own men’s clothing shop, Harlem Haberdashery.

One-Thing Shops: One-Thing Shops: Soda, Los Angeles
Galco’s in Highland Park, which opened in 1897, carries over 750 varieties and draws visitors from around the world.

New Crop of Companies Reaping Profits From Wasted Food
With as much as 40 percent of the American food supply going into the trash, food waste has become a platform for commerce.

Entrepreneurship: Drones Pique the Interest of Entrepreneurs
Start-ups are offering services from news gathering and real estate photography to monitoring of farm fields. But the rules are still being written.

Work a Little, Play a Little: A New Retirement Strategy
The interest in “consulteering” — fusing a life of consulting,volunteering and leisure time — is one sign that traditional retirement no longer satisfies as many older people as it once did.

Cultural Studies: The Age of Consignment
Online stores like Material Wrld, the RealReal and other resale sites aim to make “refreshing” your possessions ever easier.

White House Increases Overtime Eligibility by Millions
A rule to be issued by the Labor Department will state that most salaried workers earning up to $47,476 a year must receive overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours.

Start-Ups Once Showered With Cash Now Have to Work for It
Instead of venture capitalists begging to invest in start-ups, entrepreneurs are begging for cash, and potential investors are making demands.

Entrepreneurship: Small Businesses Worry About Adjusting for Overtime Rules
Many business owners are accustomed to dealing with a scrappy work culture. An hourly time-tracking system may change that.

Long Island Cafe Offers Job Opportunities for Disabled Adults
The Cause Cafe, which opened recently, offers job training for people with cognitive disabilities, like autism, who have limited options once they age out of public schools.

Price for a Green Card: $500,000 Stadium Stake
A Major League Soccer franchise owner is promoting a federal program that benefits those who contribute at least $500,000 to infrastructure projects.

Start-Ups Embrace Arbitration to Settle Workplace Disputes
As new companies grow, they are relying on a tool used by big corporations to shield themselves from potentially expensive class-action court cases.

New Crowdfunding Rules Let the Small Fry Swim With Sharks
Starting Monday, new regulations will permit anyone, not just the moneyed, to invest in small companies in exchange for a stake in the business.

Fraud Charges Mar a Plan to Aid a Struggling Vermont Region
Two businessmen have been accused of perpetrating the biggest fraud in state history, throwing investors’ immigration status into doubt and leaving a hole in the ground.

Entrepreneurship: Crowdsourcing to Get Ideas, and Perhaps Save Money
To innovate, business owners are turning to the masses instead of consultants or focus groups.

Dining | New Jersey: Vintners Discover Their Terroir in Cape May
Known more for its beaches and Victorian-era hotels than for its vineyards, the peninsula is gaining a reputation for its grapes.

Brooklyn’s Wearable Revolution
The borough is becoming the East Coast’s Silicon Valley, with a new development in the Navy Yards and another in Sunset Park.

Agriculture Start-Ups Get Boost From Big Firms and Investors
The AgTech Accelerator being started in North Carolina has backing from two big companies, Bayer and Syngenta, as well as venture capital firms.

Building an Estate Sale Business by Franchising a Name and Brand
The business of estate sales is largely unregulated and fragmented. One company aims to establish credibility via franchising.

Itineraries: Start-Up Airline Idles on a California Runway, Stymied by Bureaucracy
California Pacific Airlines has been waiting for years for Federal Aviation Administration certification. Its 95-year-old owner is getting impatient.

New York City Casts a Net to Catch the Next Big Start-Up
A nonprofit, Tech:NYC, aims to work with city, state and federal officials to help make New York more appealing to start-ups, big tech companies and venture firms.

Entrepreneurship: Selling Surfers on a New Way to Ride the Waves
Slyde, a handboard start-up, has tackled the added burden of inventing a market for a product and popularizing a sport.

Virtual Reality Lures Media Companies to a New Frontier
Condé Nast and Vice Media, among other companies, have used virtual reality for storytelling, and others are investing in the technology itself.

Start-Up Plans 3-D Visualizations of Pot Strains, Using Genetic Data
Phylos Bioscience is unveiling a marijuana guide called Galaxy, offering people a way to see how Sweet Island Skunk might be related to Humboldt OG.

‘Whole Foods Effect’: When Small Food Makers Get the Call to Go Big
Elation can quickly turn to fear as small companies must suddenly learn how to produce at larger volumes while maintaining quality and consistency.