Some of the best learning happens when you read stories about real people and real companies. Read them for ideas, for lessons, and inspiration. This week’s stories and strategies from real life are about shared office space, company stores, Long Island boomer entrepreneurs, Deliv, and the Citizens Bank of Weir.

From Shauna Steigerwald: Beer, tacos, pedal party anchor OTR office

“In an 800-square-foot space behind HalfCut craft beer bar and the Gomez Salsa taco window in Over-the-Rhine, a group of young entrepreneurs is helping one another navigate the challenges of running a new business.”

From Richard Marosi: Company stores trap Mexican farmworkers in a cycle of debt

“The mom-and-pop monopolies sell to a captive clientele, post no prices and track purchases in dog-eared ledgers. At the end of the harvest, many workers head home owing money.”

From James T. Madore: Baby boomers lead the way in starting new businesses on LI

“Baby boomers are starting businesses at a higher rate than younger generations celebrated for producing entrepreneurs.”

From Sarah Halzack: Will the same-day delivery war be won by a competitor you’ve never heard of?

“When Daphne Carmeli launched Deliv in 2012, her pitch for a same-day delivery service didn’t often get the warmest reception. ‘The stupidest idea ever,’ she was told.”

From Nathaniel Popper: Small Bank in Kansas Is a Financial Testing Ground

“Beneath these holdovers, though, the Citizens Bank of Weir — or CBW, as it was renamed — has been taken apart and rebuilt, from its fiber optic cables up, so it can offer services not available at even the nation’s largest banks.”