Friday, July 31, 2015
How Two Underdogs Hit Four Times Their Crowdfunding Goals
To get her hardware startup off the ground, Lama Mansour had to quit her job, find an accelerator in Estonia, and then launch a high-stakes crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo.
Sifting Through the Data: Extracting What Matters When It Comes To Sustainability
Hendrik Bartel is the CEO and co-founder of TruValue Labs, Inc. a San Francisco-based fintech startup leveraging advances in natural language processing, cognitive computing and machine learning to provide real-time sustainability insights. With his entrepreneurial background and knack for turning complicated technologies into user-friendly products, Hendrik has led product development initiatives at companies including Amazon and Cisco in addition to his work at early and late-stage startups. Following the completion of his MBA, Hendrik recognized an opportunity to provide previously hard to access sustainability data and to provide real-time ESG data through Insight360, an online platform that helps investors make smarter decisions.
Top 4 Reasons To Grab A Seat At The Cool Table With Millennials Who Share
Here's where you can find a job that's not lame -- a place where you can invest, make things happen and get a seat at the cool table.
At A Manhattan Incubator, Cuban STEM Students Embrace Tech Startups
STEM students from Havana were selected to intern at a premier Manhattan incubator in the hope that they would bring an American entrepreneurial spirit to Cuba's burgeoning tech economy.
Why This Coffee Company is Giving Away 100% of Its Profits
Cozzee, an Atlanta-based startup, is giving away its profits. Selling ethically sourced coffee beans, the company is aligning coffee with causes. Hence, the name: ‘cozzee’ - a hybrid of the two words.
I ask founder and CEO of Cozzee, Garry Williams, about this business model which prizes social impact over profiteering.
Esha Chhabra: How did you get the idea for Cozzee?
Garry Williams: I was doing marketing and strategy consulting before this. In fact, the idea for Cozzee originally came about in 2012 after doing some consulting work for a non-profit and seeing their struggle to raise donations.
We spent about 3 years testing and refining the model prior to launching in May of 2015.
Formula One Opens The Doors To Its Inner Sanctum...For A Price
Formula One auto racing has thrown the doors open to the ultra-exclusive paddock at its races for the first time in the 65-year history of the series. However, it comes at a cost with the access restricted to just Friday evening and the price for this privilege being a cool $6,000 per person.
Forget About The Apple Watch, Implantables Are Coming
We’re about to enter the next level of high tech innovation – connecting with yourself. And the most efficient and accurate way to do that is with the next wave of sensor based smart devices – those you can implant into your body.
Berlin And Tel Aviv: How Two Top Startup Hubs Are Stacking Up
Berlin and Tel Aviv; kindred startup spirits?
EPA's Clean Power Plan Will Arrive Monday, Followed By Lawsuits
The Obama administration's sweeping plan to restructure the electric utility industry and reduce CO2 emission comes out Monday, followed by lawsuits.
Not Eligible To Claim The $2,500 American Opportunity (College) Tax Credit, Try This
If your child's scholarship makes you ineligible to claim the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit for college expenses, claim a portion of the scholarship as taxable income to your child and pick up $2,500 per year in tax savings.
How Do Hackers Learn Their Craft?
How Do Hackers Learn Their Craft? This question was originally answered on Quora by Kim Guldberg.
Multi-Purpose Camera Captures Full HD in Extremely Low Light
Canon U.S.A. Inc. introduced the company’s first multi-purpose camera, the ME20F-SH, which delivers exceptionally high sensitivity to capture Full HD video with a minimum subject illumination of less than 0.0005 lux.
Hikvision Canada Office Opens
Hikvision, a supplier of video surveillance products and solutions, announced that the Hikvision Canada Inc. branch office opened on August 4.
ADS Security Acquires Myrtle Beach ProTec Plus Accounts
ADS Security, ranked 21 on the SDM 100 and 2014 SDM Dealer of the Year, has acquired customer accounts from ProTec Plus Inc. in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Killer Robots: One More Thing To Worry About?
The autonomous warfare horse has already left the barn. It’s too late to call for a moratorium on such innovation. At best such a call will be ineffective. At worst, it will put our side at a disadvantage in the ongoing cyberwar.
Five Online Security Measures You're Probably Doing Wrong
Five Online Security Measures You're Probably Doing Wrong
Windows 10 to Get New Features in October Service Release 2 (SR2)
Service Release 1 will land in August, tentatively, will mostly be comprised of bugfixes and battery life improvement tuning
Cortana Help Button is Coming Soon for $23
Device can talk to Cortana on a PC in your home or office, or it can mount to a car or bike for on-the-go-use w/ mobile devices
Chinese Hackers Undetected Inside United For A Year. Is World's 2nd Biggest Airline Out of Control?
The bad news just keeps on coming for United Airlines and its parent United Continental Holdings.
Exclusive: If Intel and Micron's "Xpoint" is 3D Phase Change Memory, Boy Did They Patent It
Flash successor technology may be the one Intel's been cooking up under the names "Purley" and "Apache Pass"
Thursday, July 30, 2015
How To Make A Killer First Impression Before You Even Open Your Mouth
Non-verbal cues can say it all.
Small Business Borrowing: Does Reputation Really Matter?
Accessing capital can be difficult for every small business owner, but particularly so for the smallest small businesses, or those just getting started who don’t have two or three years under their belt. A track record, strong credit history, and sound business fundamentals are the way most small business lenders evaluate the creditworthiness of a small business today as they try to make data-driven credit decisions.
The Journey To Selling A Billion KIND Bars
You might also be surprised to learn that kindness carries with it a significant return on investment (ROI). Kindness is too often taken for weakness. It’s refreshing to see someone become so successful while maintaining a kind demeanor.
Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur Deploys Her Invention In Nepal Relief Effort
Award-winning social entrepreneur, Tricia Compas-Markman went to Nepal with DayOneResponse to help provide emergency water supplies with her Waterbag.
Big Data Is A Big Problem That's Getting Bigger
Everything we do in the digital world creates multiple data points about us as consumers.
Pitching A Billionaire: Why I'm Glad He Didn't Write A $300K Check
When I conceptualized building a clothing brand, I knew I had to prove that I could create a standout product. I also knew that magazine editors and celebrities have access to the best fashion products in the world. If they wore or featured your product over the plethora of garments they see daily, it symbolized being the best of the best. After securing press placements as proof of concept, I would then raise the capital I needed to build a brand.
Have A Hot Technology Start-up Today? Thank Comrade Gorbachev -- And Liberty
It has now been 25 years since Mikhail Gorbachev, with his Soviet Union crumbling, decided to open the emigration gates and allow 1.6 million Jews to leave for Israel, Germany and the United States.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
How The Prize Economy Is Driving Entrepreneurs
Prizes are becoming an increasingly popular way for entrepreneurs to find investors. Here's what to look out for.
Are Brighton's Tech Businesses Heading For The Big Time?
After a slow start, Brighton's technology businesses are now raising money from investors
There Is Always A Reason For Success, Even When There Isn't
Notorious behaviorist B.F. Skinner found that he could create bizarre behavior in pigeons with random reinforcements. If it twice happened that the pigeon was scratching its ear as a pellet of food was delivered at random, it would start to believe that the ear scratching produced the food, and the behavior was reinforced. As humans, of course, we would never make such a crude error. We have much more sophisticated ways of misleading ourselves.
This App Is Cashing In On Giving The World Free Data
Millions of smartphone owners in poor countries can't afford to get online, so Nathan Eagle gives them data for free. Not everyone agrees with his methods.
My Real-Life Shark Tank: Tips For Winning Startup Pitches
The recent winner of TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield provides tips on how to win startup pitch contests, and tips for judging contests too.
Land Of Opportunity: Two Brothers Cash In On Singapore's Multi-Billion Dollar Startup Investment
Two brothers are cashing in on a virtual land of opportunity in Singapore, where the government is investing billions of dollars into startups. The city-state is the leading destination in Southeast Asia for start-ups. With investor-friendly, government-matched finance programmes, low taxes for individuals and businesses, ease of use factor, and political stability, VC investment in Singapore’s
9 Ways To Find Anyone's Email Address
Finding an email address online can be a challenge; and unfortunately, there’s no Yellow Pages directory for email addresses. Givne the prevalence of spam and other types of unwelcome, unsolicited email, it’s no wonder that many people choose not to prominently display their email address on their website.
To Cure A Problem, 'Harness Market Forces,' Impact Investor Says
Bobby Turner was frustrated by the limitation of philanthropy and so launched what has become one of the largest impact investing firms, Turner Impact Capital.
VC Firm First Round: Our Female Founders Outshine The Men
After 10 years of seed investing, First Round Capital ran the data on its 300 startups and nearly 600 founders. The results: women entrepreneurs are running laps around the men.
Disrupting Costly Access To Eldercare Leads To Business Opportunity
Frustration with the financial drain that care or the elderly and people with special needs causes, combined with industry insight, shows a better way.
This Entrepreneur Wants You To Stop Flushing Money Down The Toilet
As the water crisis on the West Coast reaches new levels, everyone is thinking about ways to conserve. If you, or your company, are thinking green, now is a good time to implement some of the easy water-saving technologies now available on the market. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has created a Home Water Conservation Checklist to work through some of the opportunities and highlight good solutions. The first item on the list is the toilet, because while not a sexy thing to upgrade, making old toilets more water-efficient is a quick way to reduce overall water usage.
Snoops Can Silently Track You Just Looking At Your Typing, Clicking And Battery Status
No matter how many protections web users take, someone will find a way of tracking them. According to researchers, just using a keyboard, mouse and phone or laptop battery leaks enough information for snoops to have their wicked way. There are some solutions to this burgeoning problem, however...
Why It's 'Game On' For Video Entrepreneurs
Live streaming apps transform the way major events are broadcast to a global digital audience.
Stagefright Exploit Exposes Ninety-Five Percent Of Android Devices To A Fundamental Flaw
Stagefright reads like a threat from a Mission Impossible movie - nineteen out of twenty Android devices are vulnerable to six attack vectors delivered through the receipt of a multimedia text. The good news is that there is a software patch to resolve the issue. The bad news is that nobody is quite sure when your Android device will be able to install the patch.
Tesla Will Pay Its Owners To Find Model S Buyers
You don't really think of Tesla Motors when it comes to incentive deals. And yet, even the electric car company admits it needs some help.
IronSource CEO Tomer Bar-Zeev Paves the Road to Success
Recently, I sat down with Tomer Bar-Zeev, CEO of IronSource, to discuss how IronSource was designed to keep developers focused on the task at hand, and satisfying customers while monetizing the product.
'Purpose Creates Movements And Builds Tribes,' Author Says
Author Ty Bennett argues that finding and living your purpose will enable you to build success as a social entrepreneur.
Damn Right, There Is Only One Park City
How do you turn two very different ski areas into one unified brand and vision? In the case of Vail Resorts, the answer seems to be by dreaming big and simultaneously making the fewest possible changes.
Five Customer Experience Lessons British Airways Taught Me
My British Airways experience was so memorable and thought-provoking I have to thank them for the inspiration for this article. It was not from how they delighted me but for providing numerous examples of how companies today have gotten “customer experience” wrong.
Microsoft Welcomes Windows 10 With $10 Million Gift To Charity
Today, Microsoft is kicking off its launch of Windows 10 with a $10 million give-back campaign. Nine nonprofits have already been chosen to receive a portion of the $10 million and a tenth will be chosen by people using the hashtag #UpgradeYourWorld on social media.
How Technology Is Transforming The Structure Of The Marketing Organization
This article is by Phil Fernandez, chairman and CEO of Marketo, a marketing-automation company.
What Carli Lloyd, Donald Trump, Jared Fogle And Jordan Spieth Can Teach Marketers About Pivoting
This article is by David Schwab, Managing Director at Octagon First Call, a celebrity acquisition and engagement firm.
CMOs, Don't Let Big Data Hide Your Bigger Picture
This article is by Cesar Brea, founding managing partner of Boston-based Force Five Partners, LLC, a marketing and sales analytics consulting firm. He is also the author of Marketing and Sales Analytics (Pearson FT Press, 2014).
UBS Too Dirty To Sue Billionaire Offshore Tax Cheat, Judge Rules
Decision comes in malicious prosecution lawsuit the bank and UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld had brought against real estate developer Igor Olenicoff.
Top 10 Fastest-Growing States For Female Entrepreneurs
Top 10 Fastest-Growing States For Female Entrepreneurs
'Passions' TV Star Turned CEO Liza Huber With 4 Tips For Mothers With An Entrepreneurial Dream
Many mothers around the globe dream of launching a successful business from home, and long for role models and inspiration. Liza Huber, CEO of Sage Spoonfuls, offers that inspiration.
Student Hackathons Can Create Surprising Value
Student Hackathons are becoming a new approach to finding talent, but they are also a great way to draw innovation to long-standing problems with a fresh viewpoint. The DevPost Student Hackathon Report shows what student developers invest in.
American Airlines' 787 Dreamliner Nightmare
American Airlines probably thought it was making the right move when it bought seven Boeing 787 Dreamliners. After all, as I noted in my book, You Can't Order Change, the $166 million 250 to 330 seat aircraft was known for using 20% less fuel -- thus the profits from filling them up would be higher.
Do Successful Entrepreneurs Bend The Rules?
In their zeal to build giant companies, do successful entrepreneurs have to bend the rules? And if you don’t have what it takes to bend these rules, will you fail as an entrepreneur?
Donald Trump Versus Tax Reform
For commercial real estate the tax benefit provided by like-kind exchanges is "like an IRA account on baseball steroids."
Imogen Heap Gets Specific About Mycelia: A Fair Trade Music Business Inspired By Blockchain
Grammy-Award winning Artist, composer, and technologist, Imogen Heap lays out an expansive vision for Mycelia - her concept for how we can utilize the Blockchain to revision the Music Industry in a Fair Trade manner.
How Facebook's Changing News Feed Could Dictate The Future Of Content Marketing
The rapid-fire nature of Facebook's newsfeed updates in the past few years and the scope of Facebook’s vision for the future are having a profound effect on the future of content marketing and how people use social media.
Entrepreneurs Who Want To 'Change The World' -- Start With These 3 Steps
Ever spent a Sunday evening watching the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley, where bright-eyed, hopeful entrepreneurs are constantly declaring they want to “change the world”? It’s hard not to laugh as everyone liberally throws around that phrase with the absolute certainty that they’re all going to be the next Steve Jobs.
Audi Motorsport Selects 19-Year-Old Student As Driver For TT Cup
A 19-year-old student was recently selected by Audi Motorsport for their prestigious TT Cup. He has achieved a number of high profile wins against much older and more experienced drivers and all of this after surviving a life threatening illness as a child.
$2.3M Partnership Will Study Startup Accelerators, Especially In Emerging Markets
The Global Accelerator Learning Initiative, a new $2.3 million public-private partnership. aims to study how successful startup accelerators are, especially in developing countries.
The Outsourced Executive: A Growing Leadership Staffing Solution
I was recently talking with a former Fortune 100 Chief Marketing Officer about his new activities. He indicated that he was working with a few different firms as their “outsourced,” “part-time,” or “fractional” CMO. This was the first I had heard of such a relationship but as we spoke it made more sense. Many of these firms were start-up tech firms that wanted seasoned CMOs but couldn’t afford them. A part-time solution worked for both parties. To better understand this growing trend, I turned to Kent Huffman, a fractional CMO at Chief Outsiders, who has perspective as an expert in the space as well as some first-hand knowledge as to why outsourced CMOs are becoming more common.
Rhodium Nurtures Early-Stage Investors with the Passion to Transform Startups
Rhodium is a firm that invests in early-stage ventures in Israel, New York, and Silicon Valley. They work with first-time and serial entrepreneurs in such areas as advertising, social, mobile, e-commerce and other exceptional technologies. Working both as an investor and an active partner, this small team is passionate about helping their portfolio founders to turn their ideas into industry-leading companies.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
50% Of Your Emails Are Tracked And Trackbuster Wants To Stop It
More than half of the 200 billion emails sent each day have trackers that expose information ranging from location and IP address to the device and software used to open the email. Sales teams, PR firms, recruiters, and governments are behind much of the tracking, but today pretty much anyone can track emails thanks to free browser extensions and readily available mobile apps.
How To Build Your Resilience To Be An Entrepreneur
You can’t survive as an entrepreneur without resilience, because you are going to fail at least once, maybe multiple times. That’s the nature of trying something that’s never been done before. Resilience means not giving up, and being energized by what you have learned. As Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I have just found ten thousand ways that won't work."
William Brennan Leaves Panasonic, Joins Jenne Inc.
William Brennan has joined Jenne Inc. as vice president of security solutions. It is a newly created position necessitated by the company’s focus on and commitment to growing the security segment of its business.
Google Is Giving Customers Control Of Cloud Encryption Keys
The move is an effort to provide users of its cloud services with more control of their data security.
Chicago Pension Reform--What Is Plan B?
In recent months, Illinois and Chicago each attempted to reform their bloated retirement systems. Both were shot down by the courts.
Twitter Temp CEO Jack Dorsey Sure Doesn't Talk Like A Temp
Even though temporary CEO Jack Dorsey isn't expected to take the job permanently, he sure sounded like an owner on the second-quarter earnings call today.
Expectations vs. Reality -- Mobilizing Careers in Southeast Asia
If you hope to have a chance with the youthful, talented job seekers in Southeast Asia, then you must remember one thing: mobile-enabled talent acquisition processes are a must-have.
CMO Jeff Charney Provides A Look Inside Progressive's Unconventional Marketing Machine
He calls it "the Google of the Midwest."
Ohio Standards Board Opposes School Barricade Devices
Ohio's building standards board took a strong position against the installation of barricade devices on classroom doors in the event of an active shooter.
Unexpected Loss of Frank DeFina Mourned by Industry
Frank DeFina, senior director, strategic sales, Hikvision USA Inc., has died unexpectedly over the weekend.
Fixing The Pentagon. Part I
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” -Koheleth
Do What You Love And The Money Will Surely Follow, Right? No, Not Right
Can we do what we love and also make a great living? Of course, but not without taking certain conscious, empowered actions, and avoiding these 5 blind spots.
Five Lessons On The 'Security Of Things' From The Jeep Cherokee Hack
Last week, Wired published an account describing how two security researchers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, were able to wirelessly hack into a Jeep Cherokee, first taking control of the entertainment system and windshield wipers, and then disabling the accelerator. Andy Greenberg, the Wired writer who was at the wheel as the self-described “digital crash test dummy” explained what happened next:
Immediately my accelerator stopped working. As I frantically pressed the pedal and watched the RPMs climb, the Jeep lost half its speed, then slowed to a crawl. This occurred just as I reached a long overpass, with no shoulder to offer an escape. The experiment had ceased to be fun.Miller and Valasek also wirelessly disabled the Jeep Cherokee’s brakes, leaving Greenberg “frantically pumping the pedal as the 2-ton SUV slid uncontrollably into a ditch.” In response, on July 24 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced a recall impacting about 1.4 million vehicles, stating, somewhat incongruously, that “no defect has been found.”
Quick Note: Apple Watch to Get Brick and Mortar Boost From Best Buy
Smartwatch will hit Best Buy retailers nationwide next month
How Two Entrepreneurs Found A Way To Sell Sustainable Luxury In India, For Less
What began as a simple ode to the old-world leisurely lifestyle that India once boasted, two female entrepreneurs have turned into an enterprise that is testament to the power of the country?s e-commerce market, when they decided to dip their toes into the business of selling sustainable luxury.
Stagefright: It Only Takes One Text To Hack 950 Million Android Phones
Google's Nexus and Samsung Galaxy devices are amongst 950 million Android phones said to contain the "worst" ever vulnerabilities for the world's most popular mobile operating system. Manufacturers have been urged to make haste in fixing the flaws, though there's little information on when users will be protected.
The Work-Life Balance Fallacy
It doesn?t take much more than a quick scroll through my Twitter feed to see countless mentions, lists and hacks revolving around the ever-elusive goal of ?work-life balance.? The phrase itself gets Googled an average of 50,000 times per month, in addition to thousands of searches for ?work-life balance tips.? Balance is indeed a key component of life, but the nearly ubiquitous concept of ?work-life balance? is a dangerous one.
Why Startups Need Analyst Relations More Than Growth Hacking
You’re an innovative and growing startup, I get that. You’ve got a fab new product or service that’s going drive dramatic benefits for enterprise customers, I get that. You’ve even got a blog to push out great customer stories now and then, I get that too.
Wix Founders Put Their Heads Together to Create Thriving, Globally In-Demand Website Design Company
Founded in 2006, Wix has been helping all types of business owners around the world create and customize world-class websites for free. The company now has over 68 million users in 190 countries as well as a team of 1,000 talented individuals that span the globe, including Israel, the United States, Brazil, Lithuania, and the Ukraine.
Lessons From Whitney Houston's Will And Bobbi Kristina's Tragic Death
After a six-month coma, the life of Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston's daughter, has tragically ended. Just how tragic her short life really was may not be known for some time. But the details that have recently emerged are nothing short of heart-wrenching, if the allegations of a lawsuit recently filed on behalf of Bobbi Kristina prove to be true.
9 Reasons Your Site Isn't Ranking In Search Results
Whether you?ve experienced a sudden drop in traffic, or simply never managed to get your site ranking in the first place, this article will help you diagnose your ranking problems.
The Baidu Trade Into Earnings Tonight
Lets go over the one huge macro issue that Baidu is staring in the face right now; the elephant in the room so to speak. It's whats going on in the Chinese markets right now. The worst sell-off today in over 8 years is what has hammered Baidu today going into its June quarter earnings this afternoon after the close of trading. ( i am long BIDU, GOOGL, options)
Five Lessons On The 'Security Of Things' From The Jeep Cherokee Hack
Last week, Wired published an account describing how two security researchers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, were able to wirelessly hack into a Jeep Cherokee, first taking control of the entertainment system and windshield wipers, and then disabling the accelerator. Andy Greenberg, the Wired writer who was at the wheel as the self-described “digital crash test dummy” explained what happened next:
Immediately my accelerator stopped working. As I frantically pressed the pedal and watched the RPMs climb, the Jeep lost half its speed, then slowed to a crawl. This occurred just as I reached a long overpass, with no shoulder to offer an escape. The experiment had ceased to be fun.Miller and Valasek also wirelessly disabled the Jeep Cherokee’s brakes, leaving Greenberg “frantically pumping the pedal as the 2-ton SUV slid uncontrollably into a ditch.” In response, on July 24 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced a recall impacting about 1.4 million vehicles, stating, somewhat incongruously, that “no defect has been found.”
Business Lessons Learned From Taylor Swift
This past Friday evening, I had the pleasure of attending Taylor Swift's 1989 sold-out performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, with my 15-year old daughter and 60,000 other mother- (and some father-) daughter duos. There aren't many solo artists who can sell out stadiums across the world, which made me think there are many lessons that can be learned by taking a closer look at what I call the Taylor Swift phenomena. Here are a few.
Meaningful Experiences For Millennials In College Will Maintain Engagement Post Graduation
As the influence of millennials increases, their donations after college to their alma maters will be critical to the institutions? growth. However, because the increasing costs of higher education, many millennials do not feel like they owe their alma maters any monetary donation after they graduate. With only 27.5 percent of recent graduates donating to their universities after graduation, institutions need to do more to engage millennials while they?re still in college in order to build lasting relationships that matter.
Startups Grow Through Human Relationships, Not Just Cool Tech
Last week I had an enlightening conversation with Ted McAleer, managing director of PandoLabs, an innovation center in Park City, Utah.
Monday's Must-Reads For Entrepreneurs: 'Sweetie, Americans Like Sweet'
Today?s news and insights for business owners, including how to pitch products to Wal-Mart.
What I Learned From Getting My First 100 Customers
These are the 9 main lessons I've learned from getting my first 100 customers that can help you launch or grow your own business.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Inside Forbes: We're Ready For A Different Kind Of News App -- And Our Audience Is, Too
I have this technology artifact near my desk. It was called the AOL Mobile Communicator, a small blue plastic device for instant messaging and email that was made by Research in Motion (now Blackberry). AOLers, as we called ourselves in the 00s, played with them incessantly. I often made colleagues toss them into an in-box hanging near my office door before a meeting could begin. AOL's 20 million members never had much use for them, so the handheld unit withered away. As FORBES goes about the business of product development, the communicator remains my daily reminder to avoid chasing bright shiny objects.
How Content Marketing Can Rock Your Brick-And-Mortar Business
You’ve thought it before, haven’t you? Can online content marketing really help my brick-and-mortar business?
Richard Branson: What Surprised Me Upon Meeting The Man Behind The Brand
On meeting the man behind the larger than life media persona, I was struck not by Branson's charisma (though he has plenty), but by his humility. Expecting plenty of ego, I was disarmed by its absence. Instead I encountered a man deeply passionate about tackling the big challenges of our time
What To Do When You're Overloaded With Innovation Ideas
Getting lots of ideas is a key part of innovation and a great way to engage employees. But unless you have a process to manage these ideas, you run the risk of wasting not only the content, but also the good will that comes with it.
The 3 Main Reasons Advertising Mergers Fail
Advertising does not suffer from a scarcity of egos, and when strong management teams are coming together there is usually a clash.
Tired Of Being Bugged By Salespeople? Try Listening To Them
One thing I’ve learned in my years as a business owner is that advice can sometimes be found in surprising places. Here's a great example: salespeople can be an untapped well of knowledge.
The Minimum Wage: Job Killer or Lifeline?
Raising the minimum wage is a polarizing issue. Some believe it should be raised, some believe it shouldn't, and others (such as noted economist Milton Friedman) said it should never have become law. In this article, we'll discuss the current status of this "movement" and the five steps a business can take to escape the added cost that it brings.
The 4 Resources Millennial Entrepreneurs Need To Succeed
Millennials have never been more optimistic or willing to build their own companies as entrepreneurs. But here's what's holding them back.
Hint's Founder Was Inspired By A Coke Executive Who Told Her, 'Sweetie, Americans Like Sweet!'
Back in 2004 Kara Goldin was a stay-at-home mom with three kids and another on the way when she decided she wanted to lose weight, clear up her acne and wean her family off sugary drinks. She purged her fridge of soda and juice and dropped some pomegranate seeds, raspberries, lime and blueberries into a pitcher. The flavored water was a hit with her family and friends, who encouraged her to bottle it. Eleven years later she’s running Hint Water, a San Francisco company with $20 million in investment capital and 36 employees that’s slated to gross more than $50 million this year. Twenty thousand stores in the U.S. and Canada carry no-calorie Hint, as do the corporate offices of Fidelity, Google and Facebook. And her one-year-old direct-to-consumer website already accounts for a fast-growing 15% of her business. In this edited and condensed interview Goldin, 48, talks about how she built a company she believes is worth at least $250 million.
The Biotech BuySider's Guide To Investor Relations
Let me say upfront that I want us to get along and to be friends. These are a few guidelines so you know where I am coming from (points if you winced at the dangled participle.)
Come Monday Afternoon Can Baidu Revive Chinese Stocks?
Baidu, one of the largest Chinese companies in terms of value that trade on our shores, will report earnings for the second quarter after the close of regular market trading on Monday. BIDU shares are down 9% in the last year or so versus a 5% rise in the S&P 500. (please note I am long BIDU and GOOGL)
Social Security Is Under Fire But It Is Here to Stay
For the past few years, the Annual Social Security Trustee Report has effectively served as a yearly reminder to the American public of the grave funding issues threatening the solvency of the most important retirement income vehicle in the United States. The 2015 Annual Social Security Trustee Report is no different as it highlights the tremendous funding challenges that have been threatening the program since 2010, in which the total expenditures of the Social Security Disability Income program and the Social Security Old Age and Survivors Insurance program have exceeded the non-interest earnings income to the system. Because income from taxes is not sufficient to meet promised benefits, the eventual outcome is that both programs will run out of money and not be able to meet all of its promised benefits.
Lyft Makes Starbucks An Offer It Couldn't Refuse
There has been one nut Starbucks couldn't crack: how to get its employees to work when they didn't have access to good public transportation.
Former CEO Turned CMO Shares Tips For Marketing Success In Tech Industry
What insight do C-level leaders have on the challenges of being a contemporary CMO? And what advice can they provide to aspiring CMOs? As part of my ?CMO Insight Series,? I posed these questions to Jim Melvin, CMO at SevOne, an infrastructure performance monitoring company. As the former CEO of AppNeta and Mazu Networks, he has unique perspective from both the CMO and CEO vantage points.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Troubles About Flat Earth And Other Kent Hovind Developments
I would not have expected the various people who worked to help Kent Hovind avoid more prison time to become the basis of a new movement. Rudy Davis, who became the movement's most prominent face, always emphasized that people needed to put aside their doctrinal differences to help their brother in the Lord. What they are falling out over, though, is a real surprise at least to me - Flat Earth. I'll give you a little background, since Flat Earth is not something that comes up a lot in tax blogs.
Doctor Dino
Find Profit In The Gaps Between Revenue, Effort & Time
If you spend all your time focused on selling to get your revenue up and collecting to get your cash in, there may be another problem inherent in your process. It suggests that no one is taking the time to ensure there is enough profit from your sales to actually fund your operation. Here are some profit-related concepts and ideas--some easier than others--that can simplify the exercise.
Xiaomi Now Controls 18% Of The Chinese Smartphone Market
Domestic producers continued to gain market share in the Chinese smartphone market in Q2, according to IHS Technology. Xiaomi's reaching a market share of 18%, leaving foreign competitors in the dust, including Apple and Samsung.
The Curation Explosion
When you agree to give a talk at conference, you never really know who's going to show up. So when I signed up to present at Vidcon this year - a presentation with the title: "Curation: The Secret Sauce To Scaling Video" I frankly didn't know who would be interested at the mostly YouTube focused event. Boy, was I in for a surprise. The full house of 350 was an engaged, smart group of creator who are now begining to think about themselves as curators as well.
An American In China: From L.A. Curator To Gallery Founder In Beijing
BEIJING – Shop owners, art curators, foreign visitors and local artists wave and say hi to curator James Elaine as he pushes his bicycle through a decommissioned military factory turned bohemian artist neighborhood here called Dashanzi Art District, or more typically, the 798 Art Zone.
5 Reasons You Need To Sell Your Services Company To Your Employees
Instead, what if you found some good people inside your firm to take over your business when it?s time for you to leave? I bet you would find this way of business transfer much more satisfying and financially safer.
FinancialForce.com: A New Breed Of ERP
While ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) may be exceeding dull – and often a pain for employees -- it is still a massive business. And with the inexorable megatrend of cloud computing, the category has been a juicy target for lots of disruption. Already Workday (WDAY) has demonstrated this as the company has amassed a market cap of about $16 billion.
What Will A $15 Minimum Wage Do To New York State? Ask The Greeks
Among all the causes of the current unprecedented Greek crisis, one stands out -- strict labor regulations and employment guarantees, including job security, early retirement, and a generous minimum wage. Greece’s minimum wage rose from slightly below 600 euros in 2000 to close to 900 euros by 2011, according to Eurostat. That’s a 50% increase, exceeding the minimum wage increases of Greece’s closest peers, Spain and Portugal, according to the same source.
A Flat Economic World May Lead To Peace
When it comes to economic access, Millennials may be one of the largest disenfranchised groups in the world. In some parts of the world, namely China, investors still encounter high barriers when attempting to purchase U.S. stocks. We must make the economic world flatter in order to include everyone; it just may lead to a more harmonious planet. Luckily, organizations like DriveWealth and World Merit are making strides to level the playing field and give everyone an opportunity to have a stake in the game.
How Can A Small Business Owner Or Entrepreneur Determine If Advice Is Good Advice?
Entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses probably accept fewer things at face value than most other folks. Nevertheless, we can get suckered into common beliefs that just aren?t true.
This Rookie Mistake Cost The Beatles $100,000,000
The Beatles’ Manager, Brian Epstein, was a 30-yr old, former furniture salesman when Beatlemania hit America in 1964. When he was approached by savvy Nicky Byrne to license the Beatles’ name and likeness for various novelty products and toys, he firmly stated that he would not accept a penny less than 10%.
The Limits Of Non-Compete Agreements
When deciding whether to enforce a non-compete agreement, courts will carefully consider the facts, including the nature of your business.
Why Do Chinese Millionaires Love America More Than China?
Chinese millionaires love China, the country in which they were born, were raised and made their millions. But they love America more -- as a place in which they would like to live and spend their millions that is.
In Business, There's No Such Thing As Magic
I’ve found that in business, coming up with new ideas and identifying exciting opportunities is easy. Executing on those ideas, however, is incredibly difficult. Execution takes time, dedication, and a lot of hard work. It’s an unglamorous but entirely necessary process.
How Men's Wearhouse Used Apple's Passbook And Google Wallet To Increase In-store Redemption By 10X
This article is by Matt Stringer, executive VP of marketing at Men’s Wearhouse.
France Loves Its Farms But Cannot Pay For Its Farmers Forever - Either Adapt Or Disappear
France has a love-hate relationship with its farmers but is hemmed in between European free market rules and a romantic view of a bucolic past, and refuses to take the painful decisions that are needed to solve the returning riddle -- either pay more for small-scale production or allow farms to take on a bigger scale. It is not a one-way street, French farmers cannot just expect to continue doing things they have done for ages and the rest of France and Europe to pick up the bill under pressure of seeing their hard-earned holidays drowned in manure.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Vulnerability Warning: Hackers Can Haunt Homes Hitting Horrible Honeywell Security Holes
Two flaws in Honeywell's home control kit, Tuxedo Touch, allow a hacker to bypass the username and password protection, and start unlocking doors, playing with the heating, and more. But there are a host of problems across such home automation technologies, as manufacturers fail to learn from past mistakes.
Increase Your Professional Strength In 11 Minutes A Day
More than 15 million people have taken surveys to discover their strengths, according to Michelle McQuaid, who is focused on giving leaders and executives ways to increase their success regardless of their job descriptions or the nature of the companies they work for.
Chrysler Recalls 1.4 Million Cars After Jeep Vulnerability Exposed
After researchers hack a Jeep Cherokee as it's on public roads, highlighting vulnerabilities in the car, Chrysler pulls 1.4 million in to update them and protect drivers.
Review of Hillary Clinton's Capital Gains Tax Proposal
In a speech in New York City today, Hillary Clinton set forth a proposal to increase the holding period needed to obtain the lower tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains. Her proposal apparently applies only to that portion of a taxpayer's income that would otherwise be taxed at the 39.6% tax bracket. For 2015, this would apply only to income in excess of $464,850 for married taxpayers filing jointly and $413,200 for single taxpayers.
Change In The Air At RSA Singapore
It has been an interesting time at the RSA Security conference in Singapore this week. The overarching theme of the conference has been around that of “change”. I had a hard time seeing anything that really stood out as driving change from the talks that I was in. What I did see however, was a drive by attendees to tackle the fundamentals based on a lot of the conversations that I had.
In Zambia, Men Say AIDS Can Be Cured By Having Sex With A Virgin, Girls Cry 'Value My Virginity'
In response to a culture that tolerates men having sex with young virgins to cure their AIDS, a nine-year-old girl in Zambia wrote and with six of her friends performed a lengthy poem demanding that society value her virginity.
How to Pivot Your Business
According to one estimate, as many as 15-20% of startups pivot from their initial business plan. In some ways, pivoting a company can be like pressing the restart button on your laptop, and it can breathe new life into a failing venture. At the same time, pivoting a business also means abandoning a tremendous amount of invested work. Before you choose this path, consider these answers to when and how you should pivot.
JET.com: Reefer Madness
Pardon my ‘60s pot metaphors of late. There’s just maniacal, seemingly drug-induced behavior happening and it seems to be going viral across many industries.
Why Wall Street May Have Been Too Fast, Dumping 3D Printer Stocks
Disclosure: I own shares of SSYS and DDD
Once the Wall Street darlings, 3D printer stocks have been out of favor recently, with industry leaders losing close to two-thirds of their market value in the last twelve months alone.
There are good reasons for this change in Wall Street sentiment.
Sales growth and operating margins failed to live up to the expectations of the momentum crowd which chased after the shares of 3-D printer stocks. Stratasys revenue growth, for instance, has slowed down from 115% eighteen months ago to 14.4% last quarter; operating margins dropped from 1.41% to -4.26.
6/19/2015
Divorce Has Tax Traps - Get Some Advice
When Christina Mehriary entered into a marital settlement agreement with Bradley Williams, the agreement included language that advised the parties to seek the opinion of a tax professional as to the tax ramifications of the agreement. Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has left. At any rate
This Company Wants To Recycle Carbon Dioxide From The Atmosphere
A pellet reactor helps pull carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into a pure co2 stream inside Carbon Engineering's plant in Squamish, British Columbia. Photo Credit: Carbon Engineering We recycle cans, we recycle clothes, yes, we even recycle bras and old prosthetic limbs. But what if you could recycle some of
Donald Trump, Apple's Beats 1 Music Service, and The Harry Potter Theory of Marketing
What do Apple's Beats 1 Music Service and Donald Trump have in common? Both understand deeply how to utilize The Harry Potter Theory of Marketing to reflect back at customers an idealized version of themselves.
Backpage.com Wins Restraining Order Against Cook County Sheriff
Backpage.com wins a temporary restraining order against the Cook County Sheriff for trying to put it out of business.
Cover Letters Are Hard To Write -- But This Template Makes It A Breeze
Wondering how to tailor your cover letter for each job? Follow this guide.
7 Challenges Successful People Overcome
It’s truly fascinating how successful people approach problems. Where others see impenetrable barriers, they see challenges to embrace and obstacles to overcome. Their confidence in the face of hardship is driven by the ability to let go of the negativity that holds so many otherwise sensible people back. Martin Seligman at the
Oil Price Will Fall Further But 2016-17 Futures Look Undervalued
The past two weeks have been pretty significant in terms of the general direction of oil futures benchmarks. As the market grappled with the Iranian nuclear settlement, Greece’s debt woes, seemingly lower Chinese demand and oversupply permutations, the International Energy Agency opined that oil prices were likely to go lower.
The 3 Things Most People Don't Know About Startup Sales
What do most people not know about startup sales? This question was originally answered on Quora by Jonathan Brill.
Will Elite Athletes Use A Social Networking Site To Avoid Scams, Agree Deals & Plan For Retirement?
A few months back I wrote about how ex-Manchester United and France soccer star Louis Saha had founded a start-up, Axis Stars, a social networking platform focussed on getting a fairer deal for athletes when they negotiate contracts with clubs, agents and sponsors, buy luxury goods, make investments or plan for a comfortable retirement.
Wells Fargo Places Bank Veteran In Charge Of New Innovation Group
Already home to a fintech accelerator, Wells Fargo has launched a new innovation group led by Steve Ellis.
Modern Tools In A Modern World: Questions From The House
Yesterday I testified before the House Committee on Small Business’s Subcommittee on Health and Technology. Our assigned topic was Modern Tools in Modern World and we were asked to focus on apps, or how mobile computing tools “improve businesses’ day to day operations, make them more efficient, assist their marketing and outreach capabilities, and ultimately, stimulate revenue and job growth.”
Is Google About To Be Dethroned? Social, Search And Legal Threats Collide
A perfect storm of competition and legal threats is starting to impose on Google’s territory.
The Upward March Of Fin Tech - GoCardless Breaks The $1B Barrier
When it comes to lending money and facilitating the day-to-day transactions that enable British businesses to function and thrive, the big high street banks still rule the roost. Yes, alternative finance in the shape of crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and invoice trading has grown rapidly over the past three to four
Rand Paul Destroys the Tax Code? Donald Trump Is Contagious!
I’ve predicted that it will take two years to start a serious discussion of reforming the tax laws and the agency that administers them. After watching Rand Paul’s latest video, I’ve pushed that back a decade.
How To Get A Business Loan, Pt. 1
One of the markers of this post-recession, so-called recovery has been the practice of deleveraging. Across the economy, from consumers to businesses large and small, debt has become something to get rid of.
Making the Grade: 4 Ways Retailers Can Cash In On Back-to-School
Recent projections of 2015 back-to-school spending may require retailers learn some new math – the kind wherein one plus one equals numerous marketing outcomes and teens themselves factor into the equation.
4 Critical Areas High-Growth Businesses Must Master
Eric McDonald of DocuTAP focused on 4 critical areas of his business to achieve consistent 60-70% growth year over year.
Fans, Selfies And The Future Of TV
There may be no better way to get a look at the future of media that to spend a few days enveloped and overwhelmed by the new immersive world of YouTubers and their fans. The truth is - for the uninitiated it's sometimes hard to tell the difference.
Here's an example. I was in an elevator at the Hilton, where many of the YouTube Stars are staying, just next to the Anaheim Convention Center. A two young girls got in the elevator. One, with a "community" name tag, the other without a badge. The "community" member recognized the other girl and called her by name with a squeal... "Miranda!!! Iove you." Hugs and selfies commenced during the short ride, and moment's later - Miranda stepped off the elevator with her handler (who I strongly suspect was her dad).
5 Ways To Improve Your Company's Search For Talent
5 Ways To Improve Your Company's Search For Talent
How To Get The Smartest People In The World To Work For You
“No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else.” In the 1990s, Sun co-founder Bill Joy thus challenged leaders to face the Knowledge Revolution. His quip later became “Joy’s Law.” Joy was not talking about the old “war for talent”—hiring better employees--but a newer one: tapping networks of smart non-employees for innovation and problem-solving horsepower.
Why LinkedIn Should Acquire Glassdoor
LinkedIn started off as a social network for business professionals and has been expanding to focus on recruiting, content, and skills development with their acquisition of Lynda.com. It's safe to say that LinkedIn is building an entire ecosystem around their platform to focus on the business world. However, I think there is one area LinkedIn is lacking in and that is providing transparency around various organizations. In other words, we now have the professional history of potential candidates, courses that people can take on Lynda.com to make themselves better candidates for prospective positions (eventually), and basic company information. But there's no way to tell what it's like to work at a company, what the culture is like, if it's a great place to work, what the benefits or perks might be, or anything else that a candidate might want to know. This is why I think LinkedIn should acquire Glassdoor which offers all of this information and then some. To me this is the next logical relationship for both of these companies. I talk more about this in the video below so tune into the latest episode of the #futurein5 and let me know what you think. Is there another company that you think might make an interesting acquisition for LinkedIn? Tune in and leave me your comments!
Thursday, July 23, 2015
How To Showcase Your Personal Brand In An Interview
How To Showcase Your Personal Brand In An Interview
Tax Court Tackles Cancellation Of Indebtedness For Consolidated Groups
While I'll concede that conjuring provocative column titles isn't my strong suit, even the most talented editor would be hard pressed to turn "cancellation of indebtedness" and "consolidated returns" into Buzzfeed-caliber click bait.
Should You Raise Money or Sell Your Startup
There comes a point in time for every startup where the decision has to be made whether to raise more capital in order to build it out further or just put it up for sale. After advising companies on mergers and acquisitions and raising capital for over 15 years in Silicon Valley and New York, Stephen Gurney, CFO and Managing Director of the San Francisco-based investment bank Viant Group, has some recommendations on how to approach this decision.
At what point should companies make the decision to either raise more capital or sell?
In the case of a capital raise - the build option - I would say at the point when there is six months’ worth of cash burn in the tank or when a clear need for more funds presents itself.
12 Untapped Sources of Website Traffic
I get it. Sometimes, you don’t know where you’re going to get more web traffic.
12 Marketing Leaders Share Their Favorite Resources For Mastering Marketing And Growth
In business, if you're not reading, you're not learning. As an experienced entrepreneur, growth expert, and the current head of marketing at When I Work, I spend a lot of time reading essays and talking to other marketers about what is and isn't working. It's an essential part of my job and our ability to continue implementing new ideas, tactics, and processes that help us continue to meet and exceed our growth goals month over month.
4 Reasons Great Leaders Admit Their Mistakes
You can never go at leadership alone. Unfortunately, too many leaders allow their egos and hidden agendas to stand in the way of doing what is best for the people and organizations they serve. Leaders are not responsible for always being right. However, they are accountable to see that problems become opportunities and solutions are proactively found so that momentum is never lost. They should know who the subject matter experts are on their team(s) and empower them during times of crisis and change so that the organization is not blindsided by the unexpected.
As any great leader will tell you, they have made many mistakes along the way. They will admit that it was the collective insight from bad decisions that taught them invaluable lessons ? and how to see opportunities in everything and anticipate the unexpected more quickly. Successful leaders are transparent enough with themselves and others to admit their wrong doings so that those around them can also benefit from their learnings. They call this wisdom and many leaders lack it ? because they are too proud to recognize mistakes as valuable learning moments for themselves and others.
How Anyone Can Stand Out And Build A Personal Brand
As the war for talent becomes more fierce, building a personal brand has never been more important. In fact, building a personal brand is the best way to help create job security for yourself. To learn more about how to stand out from everyone else, I spoke with Dorie Clark, who recently released a book called Stand Out: How To Find Your Breakthrough Idea And Build a Following Around It. I had the opportunity to read a copy of Dorie's book and it's a great read.
How To Sweeten The Deal For Convertible-Note Investors
If you're raising a seed round, there are several strategies you can use to make the deal more attractive to potential investors.
Taking Control Of Your Personal Brand
Embrace your story. And make sure you’re the primary force in telling that story to the rest of the world.
IdealSeat App Gives Fans Best Opportunity To Catch Foul Ball Or Home Run
Fans of the Boston Red Sox who attend this Saturday's home game against the Detroit Tigers have extra incentive for their team to hit a few balls into the stands.
Is 2% Almond Milk More Confusing Than 2% Cows Milk? Blue Diamond And Silk Probably Say 'No.'
Milk once came in two varieties: whole and skim. Then, producers added 2% and 1%. Today, shelves are full of milk from hemp, soy, coconut, and almonds. It can be lactose-free, or organic; probably it can be made from birch bark.
10 Reasons Your Brand Needs To Be On YouTube
With an estimated 1 billion users now using the platform to watch, upload and share videos, brands can no longer afford not to be using YouTube as part of their marketing strategy.
The Big Business In A Derek Jeter Return to the New York Yankees
What a potential return of Derek Jeter to the New York Yankees could mean
Microsoft Is Cracking Down On Revenge Porn
Microsoft is making life a little easier for victims of revenge porn.
Vivint Solar to Be Acquired by SunEdison, TerraForm Power
SunEdison and Vivint Solar have signed a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which SunEdison will acquire Vivint Solar, a U.S. provider of residential solar systems, for approximately $2.2 billion.
As iPad Sales Wane and Watch Flops, iPhone Saves Apple's Profit With Its Heroics
Investors had hoped to witness diversification with the launch of the Apple Watch. Instead Apple has backslid.
ADT Partners With Nest
The ADT Corporation, a provider of security and automation solutions for homes and businesses and ranked No. 1 on the SDM 100, announced a partnership with Nest Labs.
Ghost Fleet: Required Summer Reading
When two experts on modern warfare get together to write fiction I get in line to read it. Peter Singer’s Wired For War, which tracks the rise of drones and robots for war fighting, was a primary resource for me as I attended classes at King’s College. In all of my research Singer was the only one to hint that maybe all of this automation and networking was introducing worrisome vulnerabilities. Singer’s co-author, August Cole, was a defense industry reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He is non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council where the Cyber Statecraft Initiative addresses the future of the Internet and its impact on nation state interactions.
I’ll admit that, like many cybersecurity writers I have been tempted to write the “Tom Clancy” for cyber (see Richard Clark’s Sting of the Drone) I even worked with a couple of journalists to write a cyber thriller, which I will not link to. (It is currently ranked #7,851,049 on Amazon.)
For a first novel Singer and Cole have succeeded in creating a summer block buster. War on the Rocks compared it to Clancy’s Red Storm Rising.
President Obama Challenges IRS Scandal Narrative
So the latest in the interminable IRS scandal now on Day 804 by TaxProf Count is that President Obama has said in an interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show that there is no scandal involving the targeting of conservatives. What he sees as scandalous is the underfunding of the IRS which allows people to avoid paying taxes they legitimately owe and the complexity of the Tax Code which allows multinational corporations to entirely avoid paying federal income tax.
The President's explanation of the targeting scandal is that Congress had passed a crummy law that did not give good guidance and that people did a poor job of trying to sort out conflicting demands. After all government is a human enterprise.
McDonald's All-Day Breakfast Is A Good Idea. Who Will Serve It At Minimum Wage?
Adding McMuffins and pancakes to the lunch and dinner menu is a good idea. For McDonald’s customers who cannot have enough of them for breakfast, that is. And it may help McDonald’s bottom line, as it will allow the company to achieve economies of scope—offering more products in its prime store
China's BYD And LeTV Could Catch On Faster In The U.S. Than Toyotas Did
China's electric vehicle maker BYD and online streaming service LeTV are making a speedy entry to U.S. market and could catch on a lot more quickly with American consumers than Japanese cars did years ago.
Some Good News for Data Breach Victims, For A Change
Hackers breach a company’s database, stealing consumers’ confidential financial information, real names, and home addresses. If consumers spend considerable time and money to minimize their risk of fraud, have they suffered harm? Does the increased risk of identity theft count as harm?
Now The Real Real Can Pay You in Neiman Marcus Credit
Luxury online and mobile reseller The Real Real announced today that it has partnered with Neiman Marcus: Now when you sell that once-loved Celine bag, you can turn around and use Neiman Marcus credit to buy one that's currently loved. The best part is when you choose the credit option, you get an extra 10% added onto your amount.
10 Things You Need to Know About the Recently Launched Amazon Competitor, Jet.com
Users of Amazon and customers of Costco and Sam's Club are no strangers to club based retailers... the question is, however, are these same customers ready to introduce another merchant to their go-to-list of places to shop?
With Offshore Accounts, Fifth Amendment Protections Don't Apply
You can be forced to hand over bank records even if they incriminate you, so forget claiming the Fifth Amendment. With offshore accounts, the government holds all the cards.
Ubers Victory Against De Blasio: A Win For All Entrepreneurs Especially The Founders of This Startup
In a stunning reversal, New York Mayor Deblasio has dropped is war against Uber. This is great news for Uber but even better news for entrepreneurs. Learn how two entrepreneurs launched their startup in an effort to ride the Uber wave and why the end of this battle is great news for them.
How To Leave Work By 5 P.M. And Still Get Everything Done
How do you spend your time a work? Making a few conscious decisions can mean not just shorter hours at the office, but better ones.
How To Protect Yourself From Financial Predators And Lawsuits
I strongly believe this fact: if you’re a business owner and do not have an asset protection plan, then you either do not value everything that you’ve built very highly or you are uninformed of the importance of asset protection.
FinTech Investments Quadruple: Top Trends To Watch
Investments into FinTech startups recently quadrupled, growing from just over $3BN in 2013 to over $12BN in 2014. And consider alongside that another trend showing that crowdfunding will surpass VC in 2016 as a funding source- given that crowdfunding itself is a segment of the FinTech market.
Learn Their Culture & Win
I recently returned from a tour of 6 European countries during which I had time to think about the cultural nuances of each. While English was widely spoken and all the countries I visited boasted a patina of international sophistication and used a common currency (the euro), each also had its own language not to mention its own local architectural style and regional mealtime favorites. Even their local music was unique to itself.
Millennial Food Shoppers and Diners: Spontaneous. Flexible. Contradictory.
Millennials are more spontaneous and adventurous than previous generations in their interactions with food and beverage. Like other generations of consumers, they are complex and full of contradictions — contradictions they are fully aware of and embrace. Irony is very much their preferred form of self-expression.
How Microsoft's Tablet Was Saved
Disclosure: I own MSFT stock Microsoft Corporation seems to have been doing a few things wrong, as evidenced by a recent lackluster earnings report. Yesterday, the company announced revenues of $22.2 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. Gross margin, operating loss, and loss per share for the quarter were $14.7 billion, $(2.1)
10 Things Companies Must Stop Doing Online
Somehow, somewhere, a marketing department decided some things should come back. But there are some online practices that are better left in Internet’s past–where they belong. With a complete disregard for user experience, companies are creating an online experience that is going to cost them market share
Avoiding The Catch-22 Of Angel Investing
Becoming a new angel investor is a Catch-22. You need experience to be a good angel investor, but you can’t gain the experience until you actually invest.
What To Think About When You’re Considering A New Career
What To Think About When You’re Considering A New Career
4 Reasons Following Your Passion Is Overrated (Plus, What You Should Really Follow To Be Happy)
Doing what you love is a "me-centered" view of the world.
The #AskGaryvee Show Changing The Mentoring Game For Young Entrepreneurs
Do you have a mentor? You should. I know I need one, but I've just been too lazy. That and I haven't found one that I think could handle me, has the attitude I want and the business, social, and financial acumen I want in a mentor.
Live Huddle: Hall Of Fame Quarterback Steve Young Talks Charity
Private Equity Investor and Hall of Fame Quaterback Steve Young's Forever Young Foundation is using new Time Machine app to support its Sophie's Choice charity.
Top 10 PR Blogs You Should Be Reading
You can find almost anything on the internet, for free, if you have enough time.
Business Sees International Development As Both Duty And Opportunity
Many who work in the field of international development think of governments and large multilateral development institutions like the IMF and World Bank along with other large NGOs as the real players in that space. Increasingly, however, business is playing a role as more people in the commercial world recognize both the responsibility and the opportunities in that arena.
Lady Gaga Launches Her New Fragrance At The Guggenheim
Lady Gaga Launches Her New Fragrance At The Guggenheim
Lady Gaga's Former Manager Launches Startup Accelerator SMASHD Labs
A new startup accelerator has come to the music world thanks to one of its most successful entrepreneurs and managers. Troy Carter, the man behind the scenes that has brought some of the biggest names in pop music to the masses, has launched SMASHD Labs, a program sponsored by his management and production company, Atom Factory, in the hopes of finding the best new companies and developing the talent and the ideas that a suffering industry needs.
Power Primer: Who Has It, Who Doesn't, How To Get It
What kind of power do you want in your life and over your life? Learn how to stop giving your right to power away and create personal power that no one can take away from you.
10 Reasons Your Brand Needs To Be On LinkedIn
This article will show you why your business – especially if you’re in the B2B space – shouldn’t wait another day to incorporate LinkedIn into your social marketing strategy.
What Investors Got Wrong About HomeJoy: Chasing Unicorns
What did investors get wrong about HomeJoy? This question was originally answered on Quora by Jason M. Lemkin.
Yahoo's Spinoff Has A Decidedly Nonbusiness Purpose
What happens with Yahoo and Alibaba is almost beside the point. What’s important is that the spinoff has highlighted a major problem with U.S. tax law and how it is administered.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Six Strategies For Mobile App Success
Mobility has changed business forever. It has increased the types of devices (phones, tablets, wearables) and the volume of devices that connect to a company's enterprise resources. There are over 6 billion mobile phone subscribers globally and the rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) market promises to connect tens of billions of devices to the Internet within several years. These mobile and IoT devices have new operating systems that change how we build software and services. These technology shifts also provide a tremendous opportunity to change how every company will engage and transact business with its customers, employees and partners.
The Sharing Economy's Increasingly Exposed Liabilities And Hidden Assets
There is road full of hazards ahead for the newly chic sharing economy. There is no signal in sight that employee and regulatory assaults on the foundations of this business model, also called the “gig economy” and “collaborative consumption”, will abate.
Five Reasons Intel Should Spin Off McAfee
In August of 2010 Intel announced one of the most ill-advised acquisitions in IT security industry history. Intel went on to pay $7.68 billion for Mcafee. At the time I was one of many who was critical of the acquisition(Intel Should Not Consummate McAfee Deal.) While Wall Street was enamored of the deal because, wow! Cyber!, there was never a fit. A company that dominates the silicon chip industry has no strategic reason to get into anti-virus, IPS, and firewalls.
Here are five good reasons for Intel to reverse the blunder of 2010.
Microsoft July 29 Windows 10 Launch: Freebies, Rollout, and What's Next
New hardware will come out the gates packing Windows 10, festivities will abound, and reservations will be filled on Microsoft's big day
3 Ways To Stand Up And Be Heard When You're On A Competitive Team
On a team of high performers, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise.
What You Can Learn From The Ashley Madison Hack (Even If You Don't Want To Cheat On Your Spouse)
If you're not one of the 37 million users of AshleyMadison.com, you may have had trouble mustering sympathy for those exposed after the online cheating site was hacked on Sunday. Security breaches, however, aren't limited to sites many find morally unpalatable. The Ashley Madison hack is a powerful reminder that everybody who uses the Internet should take these very basic precautions (and know the risks) that security experts say will keep sensitive information a little bit safer.
Why Embracing Uncertainty Is Critical To Your Success
Ten years from now there will be people who have achieved extraordinary success. They won’t be those who've resisted uncertainty or played it safe and and stuck to 'business as usual'. Rather, they will be those who have forged new ground despite the uncertainty.
Why the Hack of Cheating Websites Is A Crime
This post was co-authored with Maram Salaheldin, @just_maram
Jeep Owners Urged To Update Cars To Stop Hackers Taking Them Off The Road
It's possible to hack Jeep Cherokees, and probably other Fiat Chrysler cars, from afar, thanks to some vulnerabilities, due to be detailed by hackers in two weeks. As many as 471,000 may be vulnerable, but there is an update drivers can deploy to secure themselves. It's another clarion call to an industry that has been criticised for not keeping on top of digital threats.
What Do Beijing, Berlin, Seoul, San Francisco Share? All Excel As Startup Hubs
It's clear by now that technology hotspots have spread globally where once Silicon Valley was the undisputed king.
Customer Service Training 101: When Is It OK To Yell At A Customer?
Quick customer service training quiz question: When is it OK to yell at a customer?
How about never—does never sound about right to you?
3 Marketing Tasks You Should Be Automating Right Now
Growing a business is hard work. Each day, you perform many tasks that take time and consume precious energy and resources that could be better used elsewhere. You could design a robot, like Johnny Five from the movie Short Circuit to take over some of your more redundant tasks. As cool as that would be, it’s not 1986 and it doesn’t take a robot to perform day-to-day tasks you don’t have time for. If you’re not automating your marketing tasks using automation tools, you’re not leading the pack.
U.S. Drug Companies Should Keep A Close Eye On Cuba And Iran
By Alaric DeArment; Additional reporting by Hanan Kamal and Natalie Morrison
Three Factors For Designing A Killer Apple Watch App
The Apple Watch is out, and the reviews—to put it blandly—have been mixed. Further, Apple Watch sales have declined 90% since opening week according to a recent study by Slice Intelligence. As with any new product, there are critics who are poised to pounce on every glitch, hiccup or stumble. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the starry-eyed enthusiasts who are loath to believe Apple can do anything wrong.
The One Question Business Owners Need To Ask Themselves To Increase Success
Business owners and CEOs ask themselves a lot of questions – daily. Are we selling the right products? Do we have a strategy for the future? Do we have the right people? How are we different from the competition? Where is the market headed? All of these questions are important, but there is a more essential question that’s critical to the continued success of a business.
The Case For More, Not Fewer, Awards For Creativity In Advertising
The latest edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity took place at the end of June. Formerly known as an ‘International Advertising Festival,’ the annual event’s official name was changed in 2011 to reflect the rapidly changing fields of brand marketing and creative communications and to embrace the innovation increasingly emerging from adjacent industries based in technology and client and customer service. This year, more than 13,000 delegates gathered for a week by the seaside in Cannes to learn, be inspired, network, conduct business, and to recognize outstanding creative work from the past year.
The Value of Financial Advice
I am often asked whether it is worth the cost to hire a financial advisor. After all, they charge you money to make you money. People say they can listen to the news to find out where and how to invest, so, “Wouldn’t I be better off just keeping that fee for myself?”That is an excellent question with an answer that depends on many factors.
Here's What Millennial Marketers Attending Cannes Lions Ad Fest For The First Time Had To Say About It
Forbes invited some of our esteemed alumni of the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Marketing & Advertising list to join us at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year.
Here, There and Everywhere: The Omnipresent Customer and Data Opportunity
Do you remember when a visit to a store was the only direct interaction a business might ever have with a customer? That made it the only opportunity for the business to learn more about who the customers were, which offerings they liked (or didn’t), and what they valued — all the knowledge that was essential to meeting customer needs.
Corporate Advances Kill Individual Charitable Deduction
Larry Zavadil, founder and CEO of American Solutions For Business, may have gotten a raw deal from the IRS and the Tax Court on his 2005 charitable contributions and the Eighth Circuit is not cutting him any slack in its decision last week. There is a useful lesson to accountants in the decision. The lesson is that life is easier if you have everybody pay their own bills. It is really a variation of Reilly's Fourth Law of Tax Planning - "Execution isn't everything but it's a lot".
More Month Than Money
Chicago Paying The Price For Junk-Bond Status
Chicago is already feeling the pain of May's credit downgrade, in the form of higher borrowing costs.
This Time Is Different: Chesapeake Energy Scraps Dividend Amid Oil And Gas Plunge
Shale oil and gas driller Chesapeake Energy is scrapping its common stock dividend in order to maintain capital expenditure amid a sharp slump in energy prices. The move, which goes in the opposite direction of ConocoPhillips's decision last week to pare back capex and protect its dividend, is being called a "bold decision" by analysts and may minimize risks the asset-rich company falls into a liquidity crunch.
Google, Facebook And More Are Backing Samsung In Patent Fight With Apple
Samsung is currently embroiled in a legal battle with one of its greatest possible foes, Apple, over patents. But some powerful tech companies are coming to Samsung's defense.
Telling The Story Of Your Startup In A Video
Startup founders need to know how to tell a compelling story not only about their company, but about the context of their space. Find out how to make a startup video that tells a story from start to finish.
Nigeria Is Building A $300 Million Smart Mall In Aba City
Paul Obanua, a 43 year-old Nigerian businessman, is betting $300 million to build Nigeria's first smart mall community
The Difference in Raising a Seed Round and an 'A' Round
As an entrepreneur with big dreams and a great idea that you think has the legs to go the distance, you need to find those willing to help you turn that dream into a viable business by providing the funds necessary.
This Startup Is Helping Consumers Navigate The New Era Of LED Lighting (And They Can Help You)
LED technology is not new. The light-emitting diode was first invented in 1927 and appeared in electronics in the early 1960s. However, it was not until recently that cost and performance improvements made LEDs commercially viable.
Cisco Partner SimpliVity Reorganizes As 2016 IPO Looms
About 18 months ago, Westborough, Mass.-based “hyperconverged infrastructure” provider, SimpliVity, brought on a former EMC sales executive, Mitch Breen, with great fanfare.
Ryan Leslie's Plan To Disrupt The Music Business: Enable Artists - Not Apple - To Own Their Audience
Faced with the reality of declining record sales, Grammy-nominated artist and entrepreneur, Ryan Leslie, did something all great entrepreneurs do: he created a solution for his own problem that allows artists - NOT streaming services - to own their audience.
ASIS 2015 to Step up Game
This year’s 61st Annual Seminar and Exhibits — Evolve 2 Advance (ASIS 2015) — promises to step up the game. It will run from September 28 through October 1 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
As Nations Hack Each Other, Protecting Personal Information Must Become National Security Priority
The nation with the most powerful military in the world suffered a major strategic loss — and for several months not a single person even noticed. That’s because that attackers didn’t use traditional weapons or seek out conventional targets. They hacked their way in, exploiting lax security and management practices at the Office of Personnel Management. More than data, they shattered the foundation of secrets and information that our government has used to protect American interests at home and abroad.
Jet.com Is Making Its Employees' Salaries Transparent -- And Non-negotiable
Jet.com charges a membership fee, which is how the company keeps the lights on. Its model is all about stripping every last bit of supply chain inefficiency off of a price to get the best deal for a customer. Savings increase based on how much the customer buys and where he is based.
Apple Plunges On Light iPhone Sales, Weak Outlook
Apple reported earnings that sound great -- but they disappointed investors. Its shares fell as much as 8.8% in after-hours trading on July 21.
SPY Car Act Hopes To Save American Cars From Digital Disaster
Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal announce a bill that would enforce cybersecurity standards across car manufacturers. Despite repeated demonstrations of attacks on their creations, vehicle makers have yet to wake up to the malicious hacker threat.
Editorial: Reddit Allows Itself to be Hijacked as a Hate Platform For Racist Bigots
Inviting bigots into your business to evangelize your customer base is not free speech, it's condoning the abuse of your audience
Should Employees Focus On Making Their Manager's Look Good?
The common assumption in business has always been, "want to get ahead at your company? make your manager look good!" I have to be honest with you, when I hear this it crushes my soul. We spend more time working than doing anything else in our lives and telling people that their job is to make someone else look good is just sad. Now of course this very much used to be the way the business functioned. In fact, if you were to ask me 20 years ago what you could do to get ahead at work I'd give you that very same response, "make your manager look good," but we aren't living in 1995 anymore. It's no wonder that employees feel like cogs and that only 13% of employees around the world are engaged in their jobs. Today we are living in a world where the war for talent has never been more fierce.
Investor Control Dooms Private Placement Life Insurance Policy In Webber
Jeffrey T. Webber is a venture capital and private-equity fund manager. Seeking, like the rest of us, to mitigate the taxes on his investments, Webber ended up in 1998 in the offices of an estate planner by the name of William Lipkind. As the U.S. Tax Court would later relate:
Mr. Lipkind laid out a complex estate plan that involved a grantor trust and the purchase of private placement life insurance policies from Lighthouse. He explained that private placement insurance is a type of variable life insurance that builds value in a separate account. (The details of this strategy are discussed more fully below.) Mr. Lipkind acknowledged that this tax-minimization strategy had certain tax risks, but he orally assured that the strategy was sound.Webber settled an Alaska Trust, taxed to Webber as a grantor trust. Alaska was chosen in an attempt to avoid California state taxes. Alaska Trust Company and Lipkind were chosen as the Trustee, and Webber was made the Trust Protector and given the powers to remove and replace them at any time. Webber's children, brother, and brother's children were the beneficiaries of the Alaska Trust.
Monday, July 20, 2015
SentryNet Implements Summer Promotion
In an effort to jumpstart Summer RMR for its independent alarm installers, SentryNet has started the Summer Madness Promotion.
NSCA Announces Leadership Changes for 2015 & 2016
The board of directors of NSCA has elected Dave Ferlino, regional operations manager at Whitlock, to its executive committee where Ferlino assumed his role as secretary on July 1, 2015.
Ron Rothman Joins AFA as Senior Vice-President
AFA Protective Systems Inc. (OTC-AFAP) announced that Ronald Rothman, who recently retired from Honeywell, will be joining the company as the senior vice-president in charge of all sales and business development.
"Chasing Waterfalls" In Private Equity Funds
The time value of money is central to all investing, but has a particular importance in the area of private equity.
Microsoft CIO Jim Dubois Operates IT As The Company's First Customer
As chief information officer of Microsoft, Jim Dubois has one of the largest CIO roles in the world. A long-time veteran of the company, he held a wide array of positions around the world, and was the company’s chief information security officer prior to being asked to become CIO. When he was promoted, initially it was as the interim-CIO. The company sought candidates externally while giving Dubois a shot at the permanent role. As he notes herein, he did not believe he would get the permanent role, but he chose not to operate as though he was an interim. He charged ahead, focusing on revamping IT’s processes to help the enterprise increase productivity and business velocity. In doing so more readily than even he believed was possible, first he proved to himself that he could be the permanent CIO, and then he proved it to the company.
First Data IPO Is A Major Test In KKR's Bid To Be Different From Blackstone
Now that First Data is poised to hit markets, KKR may has the chance to prove its re-imagination will work out for investors. On a pro-forma basis to account for its June 2014 recapitalization, First Data generated $11.2 billion in revenue and net income of $151 million.
How PowerPoint Kicked Off A Revolution In Military Affairs
The following story is excepted from There Will Be Cyberwar: How the Move to Network-Centric War Fighting Set the Stage for Cyberwar:
Exit Lessons From The Way Michael Jackson Purchased Neverland Ranch
In 1987, a representative of Michael Jackson approached the modest Sycamore Valley ranch house in Santa Barbara, CA and knocked on the door. The owner of the ranch was shocked by the visitor’s message. He told the homeowner that he represented someone who wanted to purchase the ranch at a substantial premium over its current fair market value. He also indicated that the offer was non-negotiable and the home owner had to respond either “Yes” or “No” in a matter of hours.
Security Today: It's All About Education
I’ve been around in this industry long enough to observe plenty of interesting trends. And one of the most important trends of this decade if not earlier has been how cybersecurity has gone mainstream. As well as regularly featuring in top tier media (no longer languishing just in tiny tech sections toward the back of newspapers but frequently featuring on front pages), tech and security are no longer the sole preserve of the asocial geek; InfoSec has rightly infiltrated the curriculum at many schools across the developed world. And as our society’s love affair with technology deepens, it stands to reason that IT security news has become more relevant and interesting to us all. Cybercrime and InfoSec get a lot of attention from the press these days because the threats we face are graver than ever; however, today I’m going to focus on the positive stuff.
Top Business Executives Share Their Best Advice
You’ve heard my advice when it comes to growing a company, offering customer service and which software you should choose. But I’m just one person and I only have so much advice I can give. However, I luckily know many successful executives who have helped lead their companies to some great places in terms of growth and traction. So, I thought I’d let them take the mic and drop some knowledge on you.
Ashley Madison Breach Could Expose Privates Of 37 Million Cheaters
Ashley Madison is attacked by a group of hackers who want the site shut down. Only snippets of data have been released so far, but if the site, designed for people who want to cheat on their partners, remains up more data will likely find its way online.
Can Hillary's Plan For Profit Sharing Lift The Economy?
Profit sharing gets favorable reviews from economists. But they are skeptical about government providing subsidies for it.
Ashton Kutcher, Troy Carter And Chris Sacca Test Investing Chops On New Season Of 'Shark Tank'
Ashton Kutcher, Troy Carter and Chris Sacca will test their tech investing chops with a whole different gamut of entrepreneurs as the new Guest Sharks on 'Shark Tank.'
Avoiding A Career Killer: Subordinates Who Don't Deliver Results
Leaders and managers kill their careers because they tolerate direct reports who can’t step up and take work off their plate. They’re stuck doing lower level work and never have time to tackle higher level projects. This signals their boss that they are not ready to move up. No promotion.
Trust Debt Is The New Challenge For Digital Marketplaces
In recent months, technology and business columns have devoted considerable attention to the so-called “sharing economy.” From Uber and Lyft to TaskRabbit and Airbnb, private companies involved in this growing sector (also dubbed the “collaborative economy”) command attention for both their outsized valuations and their self-proclaimed role as bold economic disruptors.
8 Key Tactics For Developing Employees
Finding great talent is hard, but what’s even more challenging is keeping the talent you have engaged so they will stay. Unless you continually reinvest in developing your employees with successful on-boarding and ongoing training—helping them reach their full potential—they may leave and you will find yourself back at square one trying to procure more talent. This process can be a time-consuming, stress-inducing cycle. Despite this knowledge, it doesn’t seem that organizations are making a lot of progress in this area.
In 2012, Gallup reported that only 30% of employees in the U.S., and just 13% of employees outside of the U.S., feel engaged with their companies. Now, just three years later, these figures have not improved in any significant way. Even though statistics show that it is worth a company’s effort and resources to develop employees in order to retain them, there is still a gap. According to the Wasp small business report, 56% of businesses plan on hiring in the next 12 months while 82 % plan on developing employees more.
Research also suggests that having effective managers can improve employee engagement. Organizations rely on talented and inspiring managers that have the ability to keep employees engaged and that help staff achieve strategic imperatives. But not everyone who is promoted to manager has these skills. Gallup research also revealed that only one in 10 people have an existing talent to manage. Others may possess a few manager-level qualities, such as making decisions, building relationships, creating clear accountability, being assertive, and motivating others. But, the qualities that are missing can make a huge difference in employee engagement.
With A 3D-printed Instrument, This Musician Is Composing The Future
Often, it begins in the dark. When the LEDs light up?in red, yellow, blue, green, and purple?the face inside the mask becomes faintly perceptible. But before the gathering crowd can identify the man, the music comes on. It comes in swells and ribbons. It comes as a devouring chaos, as a frenetic torrent of notes and phrases, looping back into new motifs of sound. Onyx Ashanti invented the instrument he plays, which he calls the exo-voice. He also printed it with a 3D printer he built himself.
Predicting The Future With Startup Founders
Serial entrepreneur Andrew Weinreich launches his new video blog profiling the most exciting early-stage founders who are building startups intended to disrupt their spaces. Learn more about his background of trying to predict the future with the 7 startups he built and why startup founders need to tell a compelling story.
Two Ways To Ensure Your Corporate Culture And Values Align
When your corporate culture and values don?t align, your employees, customers and bottom-line business performance may suffer. So, how do you create values statements that will help align your employees and organizational culture in order to drive performance?
Africa's Next-Generation Social Entrepreneurs Are Ready. Are We?
As a global community invested in social entrepreneurs, we need to improve our ability to identify, develop and connect talented individuals, particularly from across sub-Saharan Africa. The 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya is the ideal place to make this commitment.
What If You Paid Salespeople To Shut Up? Would They?
Salespeople know they make more money when they talk less and listen more. And yet they still talk too much. So why do salespeople keep dominating conversations with customers, even when they know they shouldn?t?
What Do Great Leaders And Movie Heroes Have In Common?
If you want to be more like a superhero and less like a super-villain...delegate.
Shopping Mall of Tomorrow: How Westfield, Walmart are Stripping Convention (Part 4)
Just as hemlines go up and down, retail history is patterned after the influences of its past and present. To envision the mall of tomorrow, we would benefit to first reflect on what was fashionable a decade ago.
Monday's Must-Reads For Entrepreneurs: Is Holacracy Working For Zappos?
Today?s news and insights for business owners, including a nightmare security breach at cheating site Ashley Madison.
Startups - What Color Is Your Parachute?
You’ve heard that nine out of 10 startups fail. I have been fortunate to have built four startups , sold three and destroyed one. I have also advised over a dozen founders, some who “killed it,” others who destroyed it. And I think that stat is dead wrong.
What To Do When You're Completely Out of Blog Ideas
Every blogger has faced this situation. You’re staring into your computer screen waiting, wondering — what do I write about today?
Introducing A Blog About Companies That Engage Their Employees By Opening The Books
By Bill Fotsch and John Case
Pluto: A Reminder Of Why Space Is Important To Science On Earth
NASA and the space community have had a remarkable week. The New Horizons interplanetary space probe finished its nearly 10-year journey to the dwarf planet of Pluto, producing images of unprecedented clarity. Yet, NASA's planetary space budget is being scrutinized as Washington works to partially privatize the U.S. space industry -- a task perhaps made easier by the culmination of the New Horizons mission, which has captivated scientists and space enthusiasts worldwide.
This Is Why Apple Won't Say How Many Watches It Sold
Apple said eliminating product-level net sales reporting would "align with the way the business is currently managed."
Spam Email Rate Falls Below 50% For First Time In 12 Years, Report Says
Has it been a while since you've received a dubious email offering a free Xbox? You're not the only one.
The Do's and Don'ts of Running Your Own Business
I?ve invested significant time in learning about the finance side of business to gain a complete picture of what makes a venture successful. Throughout my career, I?ve always taken the lessons I?ve learned, both positive and negative, to my next role. From my first foray into the dotcom boom of the 90s until today, I?ve learned a lot about what to do when running a business ? and equally what not to do.
Mozilla and Facebook to Adobe: It's Time to Kill Flash
Older versions of Flash are now blocked in Firefox's latest version
Free Facebook Service Can Hunt Down Hacking Team Malware On Apple Macs
Facebook has released security tools that will help individuals and businesses check for Hacking Team malware on Apple Macs, as well as other threats. It forms part of the social network's osquery project.
Did Wall Street Get Shake Shack's Secondary Offering Wrong?
Shake Shack’s (NYSE:SHAK) stock dropped sharply in after hours trading Monday, following the announcement that the company was planning a secondary offering of shares.
Apparently, Wall Street is concerned that the new offering is dilutive to shareholder value, as it increases the number of shares floated in the market.
But these concerns may be overblown.
For two reasons. First, the planned offering comes on the eve of the expiration of the company’s post-IPO lock up period, and should be expected. Second, Shake Shack’s stock is already trading close to 40% below its all time highs.
Nonetheless, there are more fundamental problems with Shake Shack’s stock, in our opinion. First, there is a great deal of competition from Chipotle, Bareburger, Five Guys Burgers, and the like, which offer customized menus with high quality ingredients, side by side with traditional chains.
McDonald’s, Restaurant Brands, And Shake Shack’s Financials
Side Channel Analysis Can Protect IoT, SCADA
One of the limitations of IoT devices is that they lack the power and processor resources for malware detection. This is true with supervisory control and data acquisition or SCADA systems as well. What if there was a way to passively monitor these systems for any unauthorized changes? One vendor at next month's Black Hat Briefings in Las Vegas believes it has the solution.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Boost Security System Efficiency with Better Communication
The ability to remotely manage IP devices and communicate critical data and diagnostics on a unified platform is both highly efficient and cost-effective for professional surveillance and security systems.
What's Your Company Worth? The Art Of Valuation
Determining what your company is worth, is not unlike determining what your child is worth. (Your kid is priceless, your company isn’t…although it’s no less personal.) Let's look at differences in valuation for: seeking investors/capital, bringing in shareholders or negotiating a sale.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
'India Needs Design Thinkers' Says Sushant School Dean, Mike Knowles
Professor Mike Knowles, FRSA, has 40 years' experience in professional practice and education. He has an interesting take on design in India and how it can help different rungs of society. He is passionate about the theme of change by design and the importance of craft folk.
Why Did A Security Firm Mysteriously Ditch a 'Privacy' Product?
Two weeks after Ben Caudill announced that he’d built a $200 hardware proxy which allows Internet users to mask their location, the Rhino Labs owner shut down his project. His much anticipated August appearance at DEF CON, the annual hacker convention in Las Vegas where he planned on selling the device at cost, was cancelled as well.
How 3D Printing Changes The Economics Of Outsourcing And Globalization
Disclosure: I own shares of SSYS and DDD 3D Printing is a revolution that changes two important economic equations ? insourcing/outsourcing, and the globalization/localization equation. It tips the balance between insourcing and outsourcing of manufacturing in favor of insourcing. And it tips the balance between globalization and localization in favor of localization. In
This Portland Company Honors 35-Hour Work Weeks and Says, Less is More
Grovemade's co-founders Ken Tomita and Joe Mansfield have found a niche in making wooden accessories for your desk, iPhone, and computer. True Portlandians, they give their staff a 35-hour work week and believe in doing less, not more.
Back in 2009, Tomita, a furniture manufacturer, joined forces with Mansfield, a digital artist, to build a company that focuses on craftsmanship, design, and natural materials. They define themselves as a "family of creators -- close knit and a little crazy."
Despite the success of Grovemade with natural materials, Tomita says that he's not into buzzwords like "sustainability" or running a company that's typecast as "eco-friendly." And he admits, manufacturing in the US is tough: "There are no shortcuts."
Here's our chat.
When you started the company, did you think about the materials that you wanted to use given that you were already working in furniture?
Back when we started, we used exclusively bamboo. My previous business tomitadesigns.com focused on contemporary bamboo furniture with a Japanese twist. Since I was so familiar with the material it was natural to use bamboo.
And was using recycled materials or natural materials a really important part or was it more because of the design element?
Zappos Blew Up Old Bureaucracy, Only To Create New Headaches
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has upended his company, in hopes that a new management system called holocracy will make everything run better. Current results are a bit problematic.
Does The Reddit Revolt Foretell A Similar Uprising For The Music Business?
What if musicians - tired of having their music used to grow subscriber numbers for streaming services - pulled their music from these services? The Reddit revolt may be a harbinger of things to come for the music business.
How To Invest In The Stock Market With Kevin O'Leary Of Shark Tank
With his recent dive into the exchange-traded fund industry, Kevin O?Leary spawned a means for individual investors to put their money alongside his in the stock market. Also known as Mr. Wonderful, he hopes to grow his pod of five O?Shares ETFs from squid bait into a multi-billion dollar whale within three years.
What It Takes To Get Into UC Berkeley
Here are the topical issues and tips that might help juniors and younger students in high school prepare for UC Berkeley ("Cal"), Stanford's healthy archrival across the Bay.
Apple Ads Based On Your Credit Balance Pushes Privacy Beyond The Limit
Apple has once again aimed squarely at the FinTech market and followed up its recent patent application for P2P banking with another: e-commerce advertising based on your available bank balance.
Low Yat Riot In Malaysia -- Racial Or Something Else?
Was the riot in Malaysia's entertainment and commercial district racial?
Friday, July 17, 2015
Low Yat Riot In Malaysia - Racial Or Something Else?
Was the riot in Malaysia's entertainment and commercial district racial?
4.5 Million UCLA Health Patients' Data Compromised In Cyber Attack
Personal and medical information belonging to 4.5 million UCLA Health patients and providers may have been compromised in a cyber attack, the hospital said in a statement Friday.
CVS Investigates Credit Card Breach At Its Online Photo Service
CVS shut down its online photo center Friday and alerted customers who visited CVSphoto.com that the independent vendor managing online payments for the site may have suffered a credit card breach. CVS has not yet revealed how many customers were impacted by the breach.
Cloud Computing Is Popular, But Not Ready For Prime Time, Survey Finds
I've never liked the term "As a Service," not only because it sounds awkward when associated with various offerings (Software as a Service, Database as a Service, Business Processes as s Service, and so on), but also because it attempts to pigeonhole discrete functions that often overlap or are fuzzily defined.
Can HTC Save Its "RE Grip" Smartband After Its Inexplicable Failure Launch?
Backed by Under Armour, RE Grip is a beautiful and utilitarian device; but it's unclear when customers will be able to buy one
Dave Longaberger: The Entrepreneurial Horse
Dave was the fifth of twelve children during the Great Depression. His father worked at a sawmill and was a part-time basket weaver.
Dave had some problems: He was a stutterer, he had epilepsy, plus a learning disorder, all of which prevented him from graduating high school until he was 21. How do you like Dave's chances in life so far?
But Dave was a good employee: first a Fuller Brush salesman and next a route man for two bakeries. Then, with all of his personal challenges, he purchased and successfully ran a restaurant and a grocery store.
Remember his father's part-time basket weaving? Well, Dave started selling baskets: first from his father's hands, and later from Dave's factory. Oh, that's right. You didn't know Dave had a basket factory. Well, this was the basket factory Dave sold his two very successful businesses to buy. Turns out Dave had serious entrepreneurial sap rising in his bark.
Dave's friends, family, and bankers were incredulous. Why leave a successful and sure thing to make baskets? By the way, they knew Dave didn't know anything about how to make baskets himself. Would you have invested in Dave?
Turns out Dave also had vision. He envisioned a world that would need baskets-lots of baskets. And Dave Longaberger wanted to fill that need.
Basics of Software Development Every CEO Should Know
What is AWS? What is iOS, or Ruby on Rails? These three terms are just a few examples of the software development concepts that every CEO should know. For some leaders, words like hotfix or website wireframe are understandably foreign, and no matter your industry, a basic grounding in software development can help you identify, implement, and achieve company goals. More than hardware, software has increasingly become the driving force of many aspects of business.
8 Marketing and Advertising Jobs with a Bright Future
8 Marketing and Advertising Jobs with a Bright Future
Why Selfies Should Be Part Of Your Marketing Plan (And 9 New Photo Apps)
47% of adults admit to taking selfies at least some of the time. For marketers, the phenomenon is a bonus, in fact, as the skilled use of selfies can serve a as helpful marketing tool.
Impact Of Education On Business Growth
Our economy is supported by small businesses. While there are different ways of measuring this, in general we accept that small businesses make up 99.7% of U.S. employer firms, create 63% of net new private-sector jobs, and provide 48.5% of private-sector employment.
The Sharing Economy: Why it Works and How to Join
The sharing, or collaborative, economy is a new type of business built on the concept of shared resources. This ability to share what is available allows customers to access goods or services when they are needed, rather than having to purchase them “just in case” they need them.
Imogen Heap's Mycelia: An Artists' Approach for a Fair Trade Music Business, Inspired by Blockchain
Grammy winner and musical innovator, Imogen Heap is fed up with hearing artists, herself included, complain about the current state of the music industry. Here she discusses Mycelia, her approach for a new industry that includes Blockchain.
The Weekend's Must-Reads For Entrepreneurs: Happy Prime Day!
Today’s news and insights for business owners, including the case for cold-calling -- and why CEOs should do it every day.
Every Startup's Go-To-Market Strategy Has To Answer The $100 Million Question
Whenever I talk to companies about their go-to-market strategy, no matter how big they are, I find myself going back to the same question. I call it the $100-million-question. Here it is: When you eventually become a $100 million dollar company, what will your customer base look like? Will it be:
1 customer paying you $100 million dollars a year
10 customers paying you $10 million a year
100 customers paying you $1 million a year
1,000 customers paying you $100,000 a year
10,000 customers paying you $10,000 a year
100,000 customers paying you $1000 a year
1,000,000 customers paying you $100 a year
10,000,000 customers paying you $10 a year
100,000,000 customers paying you $1 a year
Healthy Corporate Lunch Plays A Big Role as Online Food Delivery Ordering Overtakes Phone Ordering
Online food delivery ordering is about to overtake phone ordering in the US, a stat crucial to the foodtech segment. This article dives into how healthy corporate lunches are playing a leading role in this trend and how startups like Farmhill and Zesty are shaping the new corporate lunch culture.
Convo Wants To Be The 'Un-Slack' Version of Slack for Big Companies
There's a new enterprise collaboration platform, Convo, that's fighting its way into the spotlight. Faizan Buzdar, co-founder of Convo, felt that Slack causes employees to become too relaxed—in his eyes, it creates an environment where workers, literally, slack. The app is frequently used for fun emoticons and inside jokes, says Buzdar, which isn't very productive. Buzdar created Convo, a communication platform for vital tasks, as a solution to this perceived problem. “Our mission is to let people get serious work done,” said Buzdar.
Ooma CEO: Phone Service The Netflix Way
Ooma, which is a provider of cloud-based communications services for homes and small businesses, pulled off its IPO today. While the debut was a bit rocky, the fact is the company has built a solid platform and has continued to grow at a nice pace.
Selling A Business Organized As A "C" Corporation -- When It Is Not A Tax Problem -- Part 2
Because most buyers of businesses prefer "asset" sales, sellers of "C" corporations face a big problem: double taxation. In the case of natural resources companies, sidestepping double-taxation is a very real possibility.
New Questions Emerge In Robert Sillerman's Bid To Take SFX Entertainment Private
The rocky ride of Robert Sillerman's Nasdaq-listed electronic dance music (EDM) company, SFX Entertainment, continues to take new unexpected and twists and turns, even as the colorful media mogul tries to take his company private after roughly 30-months on public stock markets.
Marketing: 3 Reasons To Tell A Story, Not Sell Technology
In these fast paced times Marketing's role has become much more complex amid the cacophony of noise from social networks, new media, the proliferation of mobile devices, changing TV viewer habits. To manage this, organizations must turn their attention to storytelling. 97% of CMOs think marketing must do things it hasn’t done ever before to be successful and that two-thirds find it very difficult to keep up with the changes.
No longer do marketers have a limited number of channels or devices to target. They constantly need new skills, to manage the proliferation of smart devices and channels through which people communicate (mobile apps and web, social networking, etc).
Zero Rent, Zero Equity: Why This Accelerator Has A Different Agenda
I came to Grand Central Tech suspicious that the free-for-the-first-year rent and accelerator services were luring startups into a corporate factory farm of diverse, genius livestock. But startups, especially these startups, can have a lot to gain from this arrangement.
How We Created A Market For Our Product And Never Looked Back
The world is littered with the ashes of innovative and often superior products that never really caught on. The companies behind these products failed because they created a something that the existing market wasn’t prepared to accept and use. They tried to fit a square peg into a round hole when in reality they should have focused on simply creating the round hole. It isn’t always enough to create an innovative product; sometimes you have to create the market.
Scaling Up And Into Europe - Coupa Banks On Core Values As Dublin Office Opens
A city isn't a city without its 'silicon' district. London has Silicon Roundabout (opening out to Tech City), New York has Silicon Alley and, over in Ireland, Dublin welcomes high-tech companies to Silicon Docks. And if the Irish economy is still, to some degree, in recovery mode in the wake of
How To Spot The Next Pinterest
When Brian Cohen met the person who would later be the founder of Pinterest, it wasn’t long before Cohen knew he needed to be his angel investor.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Briscoe Protective Launches Carbon Monoxide Microsite
Briscoe Protective Systems Inc. launched its new microsite focused on carbon monoxide (CO) and the new commercial monitoring laws affecting N.Y. businesses.
AIS Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary
Affinity Integrated Solutions Inc. (AIS), a provider of residential and commercial security services as well as full home automation, will celebrate its one-year anniversary and ribbon cutting for its new 8,000 sq. ft. office located in Greensboro, N.C., July 18, 2015.
Is The NanoCard Bitcoin's 'Killer' App & Can It Transform The Global Remittance Market?
With the global economy having spent over US$500 billion spent last year on fees for remittances (i.e. money sent from one country to another) and mostly to low-income households, what if there was a system that could connect all financial services from the likes of Mastercard, Western Union, Visa and banks to dramatically reduce high transaction costs - typically 10% - and cut the transfer time to less than 10 seconds? It’s just a thought.
Taking Responsibility Is The Highest Mark Of Great Leaders
Why does one person get selected for a promotion while others with equal skills, education and experience get passed over? While there may be several valid answers to that question, I submit that a person’s demonstrated willingness to behave responsibly is one of the major reasons. Much management literature surprisingly overlooks this characteristic, yet it explains many successes and failures, as well as a large portion of promotional decisions.
Google Scores Bizarre Court Win as Disgruntled Android Users' Lawyers Ruin Case
After a number of previous dismissals and a short-lived class action Google pounds the nail in the coffin of a long-lived legal headache
A Private Island In Paradise For A High School Teacher Turned Millionaire
Nothing tops off a successful entrepreneurial life like acquiring a private island. A piece of land to call your own, encircled by idyllic and crystalline waters, on which to frolic gleefully with one’s friends and family—this is the territory of Larry Ellison, David Copperfield, Marlon Brando and Johnny Depp.
The Entrepreneur's Midlife Crisis: Seven Signs You May Be Having One
Have you considered the idea that you might be having a middle-aged crisis? Here are seven signs that you may be having one.
Holacracy: Startups Can Learn From Zappos, Says CEO Tony Hsieh
Time-strapped entrepreneurs relay on self managers
Do Politicians Know Enough About Entrepreneurship?
A new report, Parliamentary Snapshot 2015, was released today. It follows last year’s paper in trying to get to the bottom of what Members of Parliament think and know about entrepreneurship.
Why Transparency Should Matter to Food and Beverage Companies
Food and beverage product recalls, withdrawals and safety alerts, oh my! Another day, another food or beverage product recall. Niagara Bottling recently recalled 14 bottled water brands after one of its spring water sources was contaminated with E. coli. The company said that the “spring source did not notify us in a timely manner…” Food and beverage product recalls and transparency issues, apparently, are very much a real thing: A review of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s safety site shows that since the beginning of 2015, product recalls, withdrawals and safety alerts are almost a daily occurrence in America. Have consumers become desensitized to the raw frequency of these announcements? How can companies earn consumers’ trust?
5 Facts That Will Help You Win Any Negotiation
The best negotiator isn’t the big-talking powerful personality. The best negotiator is armed with information, backed by research, and reinforced by facts and figures.
Should Facebook Acquire Flipagram?
Facebook likes to acquire companies that it thinks will bind more people-hours to its site. Is Flipagram -- an app launched in November 2013 with 120 million users to date that lets people tell stories with photos, videos and music -- such a company?
Beyond Omnichannel: Digitally Enhanced Stores? You Had Me At 'Mood Analytics'
Here’s a surprising stat about ecommerce that may cause you to do a double take; 95% of all retail purchases worldwide are still made in-store. So much for the technological singularity ‘eh!
Could Fairness Become A Trending Topic In Smartphone Manufacturing? This Company Bets It Will
Starting today, you can pre-order the Fairphone 2 online.
Where To Invest? Ranking 120 Countries On Their Private Equity Attractiveness
Which countries offer the most promising markets, strongest institutions, most entrepreneurial support, best protections and strongest corporate governance practices that make investing attractive for venture capital and private equity (VC/PE) professionals?
Three Ways Entrepreneurs Can Make The World A Better Place
Here are three suggestions for how fellow entrepreneurs can accomplish their business goals while also leaving an indelible impact on the world and those around them.
Exchanging Breadth For Depth: How Corporations Can Better Understand Customers
By Carter Cast and David Schonthal
New Low In IRS Service: Just 10% Of Possible ID Theft Victims Got Calls Answered
It’s not news that the budget strapped IRS provided abysmal phone service this past tax filing season. But in her mid-year report to Congress, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson disclosed what still qualifies as a startling failure.
What Navy SEALs Can Teach Your Company About Improving Communication
When done right, communication fosters understanding, strengthens relationships, improves teamwork, and builds trust.
Instagram Bans "Curvy" From Hashtag Searches, Provokes "Plus Sized" Outrage
Obesity pride and "plus sized" model activist groups claim Instagram is being intolerant, bigoted agains the overweight
Upstart Ex-Googlers Raise $35 Million To Get Millennials More Access To Loans
At Google, a 25-year-old is a known quantity. Where young job candidates went to school, what they majored in, and many more data points help Google predict which are more likely to succeed in certain roles. But outside the Googleplex, those millennials are much less trusted, particularly when it comes to accessing credit to take out a major loan.
The New World Of The 'Empowered Consumer'
It’s hard to say exactly what has driven the shift from passive to empowered customers -perhaps it is our connected lives, or our abundance of choice, or the ability to get what we want when we want it, where we want it. But anyway you explore the trend, a new consumer is
The 5 Biggest Divorce Mistakes
The cost of divorce often becomes clear only after you sign the papers. Here's how to guard against getting slammed financially.
5 Reasons You Should Add Purpose To Your Plan
Social entrepreneurship is growing so fast that from where I sit it appears to be about to overwhelm its traditional borders to redefine the whole of entrepreneurship. It has always been true that great entrepreneurs are more interested in change than money, but much of the energy has been on technological
TrackMyDown.com Adds Transparency To The Down Industry
One Down supplier, Allied Feather & Down, releases TrackMyDown.com to help people find information about where their down has come from.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
"Accountant of Auschwitz" Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For 300,000 Deaths
Yesterday, a German court convicted Oskar Groening, 94, of being an accessory to over 300,000 murders during his time at Auschwitz,the infamous German World War II concentration camp.
Hacking The Hacks: 'Mr. Robot' Episode 4 Reality Check
The following contains spoilers of the fourth episode of the first season of USA Network’s Mr. Robot, which airs at 10pm EST on Wednesdays.
Facebook's "Moneypenny" is Cross Platform Siri on Steroids
Facebook's bid for global dominance nears fruition
Prime Day Fail or Prime Day Success? Let These Numbers Be the Judge...
Consumers, business analysts, merchants and retail experts alike all had a lot to say about Amazon's much hyped about Prime Day that took place today, July 15. Among the statements made about Amazon's Prime Day included that it was a "made up holiday" and much like a "garage sale". Additionally, some folks went as far as sharing hashtags that slammed Amazon with labels that included #unhappyPrimeDay, #AmazonFail, #gobacktosleep and the most popular among these, #PrimeDayFail. At the end of the day, however, what really tells us whether or not Amazon's Prime Day was a success or failure are the numbers. And while Amazon hasn't released official earnings at this point, data collected by Talkwalker - a social data intelligence company - identified the following data that was collected from July 13 to July 15, 2015 through 6pm eastern:
The #PrimeDay hashtag has received 110,016 mentions
#PrimeDay hashtag has received 90,350 engagements (re-tweets, shares, mentions etc.)
The #PrimeDayFail hashtag received 6,303 mentions after the sales launched
Sentiment for the #PrimeDay hashtag went from 10% negative sentiment before the sale to 24% negative once sales launched
@Amazon has received 89,648 total audience mentions
@Amazon has received 32,093 engagements
Combined @Amazon and the #PrimeDay hashtag have had a sizeable dip in sentiment since the sales launched receiving a combined 41,434 negative mentions from users.
Todd Grossman, CEO of the Americas for Talkwalker, believes that this data is vital for Amazon to analyze - as well as offers other retailers the benefit from learning from Amazon's seemingly failed Prime Day.
It's critical for Amazon to actively monitor consumer feedback on social media for #PrimeDay in real-time. Understanding consumer reaction and sentiment can potentially empower them to be a fluid in how they communicate with customers - enabling them to address concerns or combat misconceptions about what kinds of products and discounts are available. Right now, Amazon needs to think about how they can turn customer sentiment around to avoid a longer-term reputation issue," Grossman states.Amazon has historically thrived, with consumer perception strong and sales data supporting this. So could a long-term reputation issue really be at hand? In this case, likely not - especially since many Amazon Prime members didn't even know about the sale and those that did didn't necessarily understand what it was.
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