Clothing company connects foreign artisans with U.S. market Scott Leonard and his traveling companion were on a trip in Ecuador when they came up with the idea to start a clothing company that provided work to artisans who used traditional tools. The company they founded, Indigenous, provides clothing for Eileen Fisher and for its own brand, which appears in about 500 stores. Inc. magazine (11/2012)

• A plan for "responsible capitalism" from Richard Branson
  Leaders from firms of all sizes can help solve some of the most striking problems facing society, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson says. "Responsible capitalism is trying to think of ways in which you can invest proceeds from your company into ventures that benefit the environment," Branson says. He suggests that smaller companies could tackle local problems, slightly bigger companies could target national issues and larger corporations could battle international challenges. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Finance (11/14)      

• 3 keys to starting a successful company
  You can help to make sure your business is on the right track by leveraging its strengths and catering to the needs of your customers, Charlie Gilkey writes. It's also important to recognize the setbacks you encounter can provide critical opportunities for learning. Young Entrepreneur Council (11/12)      

• Reduce "payback time" to grow your business
  You should verify that your company is addressing an important issue and providing a product that people want before attempting to expand, Karl Stark and Bill Stewart of Avondale write. If you're ready to grow, you should attempt to reduce "payback time" -- the amount of time it takes for you to recoup your capital investments. "By accelerating paybacks, a start-up can reduce the number and size of capital investments it requires, allowing the entrepreneurs to retain more of the value created by the startup," they write. Inc. online/Herding Gazelles blog (free registration) (11/16)      

• How to take charge of your e-mail inbox
  You can do a better job of managing your e-mail inbox if you decide you don't need to respond to every message you receive, Dmitri Leonov of SaneBox writes. You need to be able to prioritize your messages and deal with only the most important messages right away. "Whenever you sit down to check e-mail, ask yourself, 'Is clearing the inbox the best use of my time? Is there really nothing more valuable I can do?'" he recommends. VentureBeat (11/16)      

• Are you innovating too quickly?
  There's always a temptation for companies to drive innovation forward as quickly as possible -- but faster isn't always better, writes Michael Schrage. Innovation that moves too fast risks leaving customers behind, Schrage explains. "Can you tell when your customers feel that they're not going fast enough? Start paying less attention to your own innovation speed limits and more attention to theirs," he advises. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (11/14)      

• Why investor pitches fall flat
  Startup pitches might fizzle if the entrepreneur is unprepared, or the visuals are lacking or the content is unimpressive, according to David Rose of Gust. This article highlights 10 poor pitches that fell short. "When you pitch investors on your startup, they aren't just watching you to see if they want to invest. They want to assess your powers of persuasion -- which you'll need to woo talent, customers, and partners," he writes. Business Insider (11/16)      

• What the Petraeus scandal can teach you about failure
  As the scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus shows, sometimes highly successful people are lured into a false sense of security, Margaret Heffernan writes. For this reason, it is critical to learn from the mistakes you make throughout your career. "Most of us make mistakes, and we should take some comfort in the fact that these usually remind us that we are fallible," she writes. Inc. online/Serial CEO blog (free registration) (11/14)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs readers in the past week.

• Awesome innovative products to keep an eye on (Lifehack.org)

• What you need to stop worrying about (Lifehack.org)

• How to win over a skeptical audience (Fast Company online)

• Learn the rules every entrepreneur should live by (Inc. online)

• How to create an effective elevator pitch (BPlans.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

If you have never failed at anything, then you haven't been trying hard enough, aren't very imaginative, or have had such extraordinarily good luck that you have come to believe you are invincible." --Margaret Heffernan, entrepreneur and author, writing at Inc. online's Serial CEO blog.