A discussion about the process, steps and options of starting a new business

Rupert Murdoch is the master of negotiations, and his latest win will see him take control of the influencial Wall Street Journal.

A snipet from the latest on the deal:

The Bancroft family (current majority shareholders of the WSJ) remains sharply divided on a sale to News Corp. While some members are open to a deal, others have been looking hard for an alternative. Christopher Bancroft, 55 years old, a Dow Jones director who serves as a trustee overseeing shares that account for about 15% of the company's total shareholder votes, has spent the past several weeks approaching hedge funds, private-equity firms and others in an attempt to buy enough shares of Dow Jones to block a sale. Another family director, Leslie Hill, has pressed the company to meet with investors, such as supermarket mogul Ron Burkle, who have alternative proposals for Dow Jones. Ms. Hill's mother, Jane Cox MacElree, serves as a trustee for or owns shares that account for about 15% of the company's total shareholder vote.

News Corp.'s unwillingness to raise the price could also harden opposition from within the family. Some Dow Jones top executives and independent directors had hoped the Bancroft family's ambivalence about the Murdoch deal would help the company extract a few more dollars per share, according to people close to Dow Jones.

The thing Murdoch has working in his favor?  Years of negotiating experience.

There's a lesson there for entrepreneurs.  Solid negotiation skills can open up a world of opportunities for your own business success.  Are you Murdoch-like when it comes to negotiating?  If not, bone up on those skills...you never know when they'll come in handy.