Monday, August 31, 2015
A New Marketplace for Drone Pilots: Make Money Flying Drones
Last month, in Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest, a massive wildfire grew thanks to drones. Firefighters, carrying out an aerial attack, had to land because drones were occupying their air space and posed the threat of a midair collision. The three tankers that dispense water from the air were grounded and stayed parked for the rest of the day, allowing the fire gain momentum.
Blackstone Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman Pays Visit To Nigerian President
American billionaire investor Stephen Schwarzman held a closed-door meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.
The Entrepreneur Wore Stilettos
They say necessity is the mother of invention, but sometimes it’s the mother who sees the necessity for invention and then assumes the leadership role to do something about it.
U.S. Banks' Loans Paving The Way For Auto Purchases
Auto loan originations hit a 10-year high in the second quarter, which means numerous banks and credit unions have been capturing business in this fast-growing sector.
Sageworks, a financial information company, analyzed banks of various sizes (those with more than $10 billion in total assets and those with less than $10 billion) to identify banking leaders in aggregate auto lending, which first topped $1 trillion in the second quarter.
Millennial Handbook Lesson 3: Only I Can Create This Opportunity For Myself
Why would a senior in college not walk away from a homeless woman who is yelling at her, but instead, take her advice and become a social entrepreneur? Why would an 18-year-old from New Jersey move to Nepal to be the mother of 50 children? The answers are here.
Twitter & Spotify Go Dark
There are many reasons companies move to change their brand name or graphic identity. These changes range from the subtle like a modification in logo color to something more draconian like an entirely new company name. Invariably the decision to tinker with a brand identity rests on how the brand is perceived in the marketplace, and whether a refresh will enhance esteem and business.
Why Your Employee Training Is A Waste Of Time And Money -- And What To Do About It
Much of the training is, unfortunately, worthless. What goes wrong and how can we fix it?
7 Ways You Can Create a Network of Helpful People
You might be connected to Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, or another idolized success, but if the relationship isn?t strong enough to help you out, is it really that valuable? It?s important to not get distracted by aiming for relationships with big-name players in your industry (in fact, it can be a dangerous route business-wise).
Meet the Iranian Entrepreneur Taking on Apple Watch
Blocks Wearables will market through its web site.
Tax Planning For The Risk Of A Bernie Sanders Win
The socialist Berner Sanders wants us to be taxed like we were during the Reagan administration. There still might be some moves to get ready to make, if you are starting to, like it or not, feel the Bern.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
An Entrepreneur Asks Her Customers To Arrive High at 'The Goodship Academy of Higher Education'
Seattle entrepreneur introduces lecture series where attendees are invited to arrive high. She also bakes a great cannabis chocolate chip cookie.
Celebrate! How Everfest Plans To Become The Place To Go For Festival Lovers
Could festivals represent the last bridge back to ourselves, as we become more involved in the digital nervous system built by technology?
Google Does The Right Thing, Again
Five years ago, Google did the right thing: it exited the world’s largest Internet market rather than yield to China’s censorship rules.
Now, Google has done it again, fighting allegations by the European Commission (EC) that “the company has abused its dominant position in the markets for general internet search services in the European Economic Area (EEA) by systematically favouring its own comparison shopping product in its general search results pages. The Commission's preliminary view is that such conduct infringes EU antitrust rules because it stifles competition and harms consumers.”
Here is a quote from Google’s response to EC allegations: “While Google may be the most used search engine, people can now find and access information in numerous different ways—and allegations of harm, for consumers and competitors, have proved to be wide of the mark.” The company further provides comprehensive data to defy EC’s allegations.
Why is that the right move? Because regulators usually have a political agenda. In the name of “competition,” they usually support and re-enforce entrenched economic interests, and end up limiting competition and innovation.
The absence of Google from China, for instance, leaves the market to local competitor Baidu, which enjoys a near monopoly there. And any restrictions in the way Google does business in the EU will strengthen local competitors.
Doing the right thing has consequences, of course. Leaving China, Google has suffered a great deal in missing earnings, and fighting EC could end up with the company having to pay severe fines. But that’s part of a company’s character, and character is destiny.
That’s one of the Golden Rules of Leadership.
Besides, Google has demonstrated that it can make money by doing what’s its leadership believes to be right.
Google’s Financial Metrics
"Liftoff! We Have A Liftoff!" NASA Fires Up Excitement With Social Media
How does NASA, a highly regulated governmental agency, use social media to build brand awareness and ignite the world?s excitement about space exploration?
A Texas Couple Turned Down Shark Tank Money And Took Their Babywear Company To $3M Revenue
When you have a fast-growing company, how do you make the right decisions about identity, culture and strategy?
7 Emerging Fintech Players In Top Latin American Markets
From Clip to iZettle, companies expanding in Latin America are offering services for the unbanked and for small merchants.
Hurry Up And Wait: How I Learned To Stay Patient and Productive, Even When Waiting
For entrepreneurs, waiting on partners and clients to move forward can be excrutiating. Fortunately, my team and I have learned how to use downtime to our advantage.
Applying For Private Scholarships: No Longer A Wild Goose Chase
ScholarshipOwl aims to automate the process of applying to multiple college scholarships.
Love and Honey: How A Young Couple Created a $1 Million-Plus Artisanal Food Business
Germany's 'One Stop Collaboration Shop' For European Startups
GTEC will help to drive European innovation
An Airbnb Clone Shares High-Ticket Equipment
If this story reminds you about Airbnb that is because that is the model on which this new company is based. But it is sharing some high-ticket items.
Watch Out For Phishing Scams Like These
Motherboard reporter Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai recently reported on an Iranian hacking campaign, which attempted to break into Iranian activist and journalist email accounts using fake Google Drive links. It’s possible that the campaign is linked to either the Iranian government or the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The links lead to phishing pages asking users to enter their password as well as the code sent to their cellphone, so that the attackers could get into their accounts.
Formula One Teams Burn Up $300 Million Of Debt
The ten teams in Formula One auto racing have amassed total net debts of $318.2 million with Lotus alone accounting for 64.2% of this according to new research.
YouVisit's Young Founders Bootstrap A Virtual Reality Business Without Debt Or Equity Financing
Bootstrapping a virtual reality business: How YouVisit's young founders ? Abi Mandelbaum, Endri Tolka and Taher Baderkhan ? built a multi-million-dollar business creating VR experiences for Harvard, Hewlett-Packard, Zumba and others without debt or equity financing.
Return To V6 Engines Could Double F1's Fanbase Says Rising Racing Star
Mitch Evans, one of the leading lights of single-seater junior auto racing, says he believes Formula One’s audiences could accelerate if the series returned to 2.4-liter V8 engines which it dropped last year in favor of more environmentally-friendly 1.6-liter V6 turbos.
FTC v. Ashley Madison: Why The FTC Has Not Yet Acted, Answers To Eight Vital Consumer Questions
Worried about their data, their relationships and their jobs, data-compromised Ashley Madison (AM) members may be wondering why the Federal Trade Commission has been silent on whether it is investigating or taking action against the embattled company. Experts answer consumers' likely questions.
Mature Markets Can Deliver Multiples. Mustangs Not Unicorns.
I was meeting with a Private Equity promoter a few weeks ago and the talk was good for non-traditional entrepreneurs. What I mean by non-traditional are the visionaries in this climate that are looking where the crowds are not. Too many people are on safari scouting unicorns when there is herd of mustangs standing beside them.
A Call For A Uniform Anti-SLAPP Act
In my lifetime, I have been actually sued for nearly $5 billion dollars in various cases. Yes, that is billion with a "b" as in bogus. Nearly all the complaints filed against me were for defamation, and all those complaints were ultimately dismissed about as quickly as the judges figured out what they were really about.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Revealed: Where Formula One's $900 Million Prize Money Really Goes
Four Formula One teams earned more than $100 million in prize money last year according to new research which shows that the outfits in the auto racing series are some of the best rewarded in world sport.
Tell Us Which Companies Crushed It In Response to Security or Privacy Issues This Year
Companies suffering security breaches or being alerted of vulnerabilities are nothing new, and to be honest, their responses are usually dismal. So much so that when I started poking around for names of businesses that have handled issues well, the name that kept coming up was Buffer--even though that happened all the way back in 2013. (That's got to be about a decade in tech years.)
Do You Need Ideas For Balancing Your Work With Your Life?
The answer to work-life balance is not creating more hours in the day, learning productivity tools, or adhering to a specific ratio of work versus life hours. The power to create work-life balance is not in execution but in defining what a successful life means to you, then having the courage to live by your own rules.
MIT Researchers Create Crash-Tolerant File System Guaranteed Not To Lose Data
MIT researchers are planning to present a paper at the ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles in October, with details of the first computer file system that is mathematically guaranteed not to lose track of data during crashes.
18 Unicorn Startups In China Face Higher Hurdles For Next Jumps
Unicorn startups with valuations of more than $1 billion in China -- now counting 18 -- face higher hurdles for next jumps.
Windows 10 Hits 75 Million Users; Grows Nearly 4x as Fast as Windows 7
A month in, Microsoft has made it 1/13th of the way to its two year goal -- let's look at what the future holds
Ashley Madison CEO Steps Down After Catastrophic Attack
Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman steps down in wake of damaging attack on the company, which leaked troves of
Why Major Automobile Makers Have Been Ignoring Tesla's Challenge
Consumers pay a great deal of attention to what Tesla does. In Consumer Reports, they give its models top ratings. Investors pay a great deal to Tesla, too. They have put the value the company at $31B, close to that of GM’s -- though Tesla’s revenues are a tiny fraction of
Croissant: Sample The Best Coworking Spaces In NYC
Startup founders and freelancers are more in need than ever to have access to flexible work spaces that go beyond cafes. Croissant, a membership service for people to use coworking spaces at their own pace, aims to disrupt the coworking industry with their alternative. Watch this Roadmap Video to find out more.
4 Clues Your Marketing Is Propaganda
The word marketing has a gazillion definitions. Yes, a gazillion. But for the context of this article let’s go with: “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.”
3 Problem-Solving Methods: Funny Names, Big Ideas
Problem solving is, itself, a problem. With so many proven methods at our disposal, choosing the right one can feel like a long and difficult journey. Today, I’d like to take a look at three methods you may not have heard of, but have given businesses of all shapes and sizes a much-needed helping hand. Don’t let the funny names fool you.
Africa's Richest Man Signs Deal With China, Inaugurates $250 Million Cement Plant In Cameroon
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has signed a $4.3 billion deal with Sinoma International Engineering Co, a Chinese engineering company, to build factories for his cement company across Africa and Asia.
Inclusiveness: An Interesting Way To Improve Angel Results
A new buzzword in entrepreneurship and equity investing is “inclusiveness.” It is gaining traction with Venture Capitalists and angels alike, who see that building the diversity of the investor community and the entrepreneurs they invest in is not only a good societal goal, but it is also a way to build great deal flow, make better investment decisions, and grow returns.
It's Not Time To Push The Panic Button -- This Isn't 2008
Historically, one maxim was that the stock market condition was a six month leading indicator of the economy. But that generally accepted truth became a walk down memory lane as the investor class morphed into the trading class over the past generation. In a world where the average stock is held about 1.5 minutes, the stock market is now merely a leading indicator of itself, and mostly disconnected from the real economy.
Sales 101: Sell Stories, Not Products
Most early-stage sales teams lead with their products. They are typically so excited about their new products, that they get bogged down in selling the minutia of their product's features and functionality. They think that is what their clients will care about, and that is what is going to drive a sale. A common rookie mistake. As clients don't really care about you or your products (at this preliminary stage), they care about themselves, and how you are going to help them to solve their problems.
Is Design Thinking The New TQM?
The signals seem to be strengthening that design thinking is moving mainstream - witness the September Harvard Business Review featured spotlight on the evolution of design thinking and its central role in innovation, including the assertion that design thinking “needs to be a core competence.”
How Economic Development Can Build 'Community Wealth'
In its report, Educate and Empower: Tools for Building Community Wealth, Democracy Collaborative discusses 21 tactics different groups use to ensure economic development really benefits residents of low-income communities.
Lessons From Kickstarter Overfunding
Most crowd-funding campaigns fail but a select few go beyond their initial goal and reach the hallowed grounds of over-funding. What lessons can entrepreneurs learn from some of these examples?
This One Psychological Trick Could Help You Get Out Of Debt For Good
Understanding the psychology of debt can help you get your bills paid off fast.
Farm-To-Table Philosophy Rules At Rosewood's Caribbean Hotels
Farm-To-Table Philosophy Rules At Rosewood's Caribbean Hotels
What Makes A Good CTO Great? 8 Qualities To Hire For
Today's CTO needs to be more nimble, adaptable and capable of good leadership than ever before.
Food Tech Fail 4: How Farmstr's Founder Discovered Opportunity In Failure
Food Tech Fail 4 explores the story of farm-to-table startup Farmstr. After launching in 2013 to much fanfare, Farmstr was out of business less then two years later. By 2014 the young startup landed $1.3 million in funding and CEO Janelle Maiocco was on the path to success. Only a few months later Maiocco shut down her company but her story did not end there.
Can You Teach Entrepreneurship?
Can entrepreneurship be taught? The UNDP is continuing a programme to do just that in Ethiopia.
Do Entrepreneurs Ever Really Go On Vacation?
"Vacations are a time to get the day-to-day business details off the front burner. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not brewing up new ideas."
Do Entrepreneurs Ever Really Go On Vacation?
"Vacations are a time to get the day-to-day business details off the front burner. But that doesn?t mean that I?m not brewing up new ideas."
Friday, August 28, 2015
Four New AIM Stocks That Have Doubled In Value In 2015
Four Aim stocks that joined the market in 2015 have made gains of 100 per cent already
How Two Harvard Grads Want To Change The Face Of Health Insurance
HoneyInsured wants to make signing up for insurance just another quick task -- and promises to cut the process down to five minutes.
America's Best Bachelor Degrees By Salary [Infographic]
Attending and graduating from university can never guarantee you a well-paid job down the road. However, some bachelor degrees are more likely than others to make you a high earner. Take Petroleum Engineering for example. Despite the rise of renewable energy, a petroleum engineer in the United States can still expect a salary in the region of $101,000 in the first five years of his or her career, according to PayScale. The typical pay level in the mid-point of a petroleum engineer's career is $168,000.
Coolest: Kickstarter Campaign Lessons Learned A Year On
What lessons can be learned from Coolest's record-setting run on Kickstarter with a year's time to digest and analyse?
How Alumnify's CEO Uses Autonomy To Lead
To make it in this fast-paced world, you must be willing to take risks, learn quickly, and make your own decisions.
Xerox Takes A Stand On The World Of Work In New Brand Effort
Xerox today launches its first campaign in two years, the first new brand effort under CMO John Kennedy’s watch since joining last summer. “Work Can Work Better” goes beyond 2013’s “Made Simple” campaign in its ambition to not just define what the company is and what it is not, but rather highlight the work processes it improves.
ADS Security Continues Growth With Georgia Acquisition
ADS Security has acquired customer accounts from Bridgecom Inc. of Vidalia, Ga. The purchase adds approximately 2,000 accounts to the ADS Georgia customer base, growing the market to approximately 10,000 accounts.
TCS 2015 Dealer Meeting Will Be at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Ray Jones, president of The-Central Station (TCS) announced that TCS will have its 2015/2016 dealer meeting at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on October 15.
Worried About Windows 10 Phoning Home With Personal Data? Shut Down What You Share
With Microsoft's recent announcement that over 75 million installs are now out in the wild for Windows 10, it's obvious the company's plan is beginning to work. Microsoft has been on a mission with Windows 10, in an effort get as many users as possible migrated to their new OS and achieve such critical mass that the developer and ecosystem partner community comes running to build apps and products in support of the platform. In addition to significantly expanding the Windows 10 footprint, some have argued that Windows 10 is a massive data collection tool for Microsoft as well, cleverly disguised as experiential and usage model feedback, being transmitted to Redmond to help improve the product. Some users have even gone so far as to claim Windows 10 keylogs what you type and sends it back to Microsoft servers, with your machine ID in tow, every 30 minutes. Further still, it has been claimed that torrent users and tracker sites are being targeted by Microsoft (for pirated software) as well, and at least one of these sites have banned Windows 10 users altogether as a result.
13 People To Meet At CMO Summit 2015 In Singapore
Organized by CMO Council, CMO Summit 2015 will take place in Singapore on October 5-6th, 2015. Amongst the many attendees and speakers, here are 13 of the top marketers you’ll want to meet.
Ashley Madison IT Liability And Third Party Vendors: New Relic, A Big Data SaaS Firm, And Others
Ashley Madison's breach liabilities may be impacted by the recently-revealed existence of third-party IT vendors. New Relic, among others, named in corporate document discussing customer data concerns.
Controversial NLRB Ruling Could End Contract Employment As We Know It
The NLRB issues a widely expected ruling expanding the definition of "joint employers" required to engage in union negotiations.
Angering The King Of Sweden, Flaunting Fake Females And Other Bonkers Ashley Madison Marketing Ploys
Ashley Madison emails show the firm wanted to capitalise on a dispute with the King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, whose image was used for a billboard campaign without permission. The firm has also used fake female accounts to attract use of the Cougar Life site, created by Ashley Madison owner Avid Life Media, whilst considering use of false figures around the government shut down of 2013.
Millennials Don't Want More Customer Service. They Want Different Customer Service.
Customer service is a key way to differentiate your business with millennial customers–the 80 million young people who have overtaken Boomers as the largest demographic in the marketplace, and will soon overtake them in purchasing power as well.
Setlr: Find Your Own Personal Translator
In the future, getting translations done won't require lots of time or money to achieve. Listen to the founder of Setlr predict the future of the translation services industry and how his company is poised to take advantage of a big opportunity.
For AI Startups, The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times
Artificial intelligence startups faces big challenges in competing with Google, Facebook, and other giants for investment dollars and talent, but success may also mean a big acquisition by those same giants.
Respect: Aretha Franklin Nailed It, And So Can You
We respect people who demonstrate integrity, approach life with kindness in service, or reflect a genuineness and sincerity in all their interactions.
Ten CMOs Share Their Summer-Reading Picks
This article is by Margaret Molloy, global CMO for strategic branding firm Siegel+Gale.
Blockchain As The Source-DNA For Content Attribution: A Conversation With Bill Tai - Part 1
Bill Tai is an extremely successful Venture Capitalist who cares deeply about creating positive impact. Mr. Tai is the funder of one of the largest firms in the Crypto/Bitcoin space, and in this interview, he discusses some fundamental issues around Bitcoin and attributions
This Self-Made Woman 'Turns It On' To Get What She Wants
Whether it’s asking Bill Clinton for a selfie or a VC for funding or your boss for the raise you deserve, you need to ask with conviction. That means you need to "step it up and turn it on."
How Journalism-Focused AI Will Change The Content Marketing Landscape Forever
There’s a serious threat on the horizon for content marketing, and it will likely result in a complete overhaul of the field as we know it.
Turning 30, 40 And 50: The New Markers Of Success
If you’re turning 30, 40 or 50, you’re probably haunted by some outdated notions of what real progress looks like for someone at your life station. But you don’t need to be.
Uber And Lyft Get Green Light At Los Angeles International Airport
"This agreement is a big win for passengers," wrote a City Council member, "by giving them more safe and convenient options to get home from the airport."
Five Key Milestones In The Digital Analytics Journey
While questions have recently arisen about certain cultural aspects of Amazon, you can’t question the company’s innovation or ambition. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has highlighted the importance of evolution, and similarly your digital analytics efforts must evolve to ensure continued success.
For Small Businesses, Help With Scheduling And Tracking Hourly Workers
Two startups, Homebase and When I Work, aim to help small businesses with scheduling hourly employees and tracking those hours.
For Better Or Worse: How To Build Business Partnerships That Last
For startups and small businesses, it can be difficult to convince a large company to enter into a mutually beneficial partnership. Here's what it takes to successfully partner in today's world.
6 Top Motivations That Drive The Best Entrepreneurs
In my experience mentoring new entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders, I see far too many who seem to be driven by all the wrong reasons. Everyone seems to espouse extrinsic motivations, such as getting rich, having power, and fulfilling parent dreams, when in fact a focus on satisfying internal interests and desires will likely lead to more success, as well as satisfaction.
Staying Humble Through Hurricanes And The Bermuda Triangles Of Business
Understanding and perfecting your own style of leadership is a challenge for all entrepreneurs. But for those who are starting down a path to create social impact for some of the neediest and most vulnerable communities around the world, the bar is arguably much higher.
Lessons From Bringing An Online Brand Into Its First Retail Locations
As online-only retailers shift offline, they're reinventing the in-store experience.
Crowdfunding: Elio Motors, CrowdfundX And $30 Million
Several weeks ago I wrote about crowdfunding and how potentially difficult the process might be for entrepreneurs. I got some good feedback, but I wasn’t prepared for the amazing story of Elio Motors and their crowdfunding agency, CrowdfundX, and how they raised $30 Million. Buckle in, because this is really something.
Los Angeles Launches "Vision Zero" Initiative To End Traffic Deaths
Los Angeles begins Vision Zero, an ambitious effort to end traffic deaths by 2025.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
To Infinity And Beyond With Investments: Rocketing Into Space Investing
Like most investors, Sunil Nagaraj of Bessemer Venture Partners is always looking for that next big thing to invest in and turn into a significant return. While the global venture capital firm has primarily invested in tech and health care, the fund has significantly ramped up its efforts around investing in space. He sat down with me to talk about boldly going where few people have gone before in investing and what he and his team look for when selecting a startup for funding.
Adaptive Insights: Don't Do An IPO Without It
An IPO is certainly a huge achievement. But of course, it is not without its challenges. A company needs to have a defensive business that allows for durable performance over the long run. If not, it will likely get stuck in an awful treadmill, ignored by investors.
ZeroCater's $100M Business: Changing How We 'Do Lunch'
Interview with Arram Sabeti, the CEO and founder of Zerocater.
Now Any Entrepreneur Can Use This Asset Protection Strategy Of The Rich
What do you think of when I say “Cayman Islands”? Besides the white sandy beaches, most people envision tax shelters for the rich. But truthfully the tax benefits aren’t as wild as you might think--money going in to the Cayman Islands was already taxed, and will be taxed again if you ever want to bring it home and enjoy it.
Frenemies In Space; China Needs To Protect Its Assets, Too
It is common to equate Space Situational Awareness (SSA) only with U.S. national security. One reason for this is the omnipresence of the United States military, which has been central to our way of thinking about the concept in outer space security. In theory, the SSA mechanics are simple: how do you figure out where something is, where it is going, and what it might do to your stuff out there.
2013 Tax Changes Raised The Tax Bill On The Wealthiest 2 Percent By $60 Billion
Earlier today, the IRS released Publication 1304, the 2013 Individual Income Tax Returns Complete Report. At 348 pages, it's a behemoth, but it warranted a closer look because 2013 represented a sea change for individual income taxes.
How Elon Musk's Hometown Is Pioneering Free Wifi In Africa
On a commanding hill with a majestic view of the South African capital there is a castle. It’s a real castle, complete with turrets and spires. At first glance, it appears to be some grandiose folly, especially when you discover it has been recently rebuilt. But this castle is intentional.
Netflix Is Dumping Anti-Virus, Presages Death Of An Industry
Netflix becomes the first major tech company to openly quit anti-virus. Is the industry, full of giants like Symantec and Kaspersky, set for a sudden death?
Best Buy Rapidly Ramps up Apple Watch Rollout After "Strong" Early Sales
Best Buy also is now an authorized Apple repair service provider and will begin selling AppleCare/AppleCare+ warranties in September
Employee Feedback Is The Killer App: A New Market Emerges
A new market has emerged: Employee feedback apps for the corporate marketplace. These tools are powerful and disruptive, and they have the potential to redefine how we manage our organizations.
Binod Chaudhary Helps Rebuild Nepal
Following Nepal's massive April earthquake, Binod Chaudhary threw himself into relief efforts. The country's first billionnaire is rapidly rebuilding 100 primary schools and overseeing the construction of 10,000 transitional homes. His Chaudhary Foundation has been involved in education and health care charities in Nepal for two decades.
A Chinese Nobel Prize And More From Nina Wang
A Hong Kong court will decide how to fulfill her wishes.
How A Global Shoe Brand Is Influencing The Technology Of Tomorrow
There is an undeniable dichotomy that exists in the world of marketing and advertising. One on hand you have brands - both big and small who are all about the money. A healthy bottom line is always the bottom line and how they get there is irrelevant, just as when they get there it's in the black.
Software Automation Doesn't Undermine Talent, It Unleashes It
The real value of software automation isn’t just about efficiency, and it’s certainly not just about cost.
Instead, the real value of software automation is about moving employees up the value add chain, reducing the time they spend on simple tasks and increasing the percentage of the time they get to engage with higher order strategic thinking.
Bridge Funding Startups: Interested Board Members, CEOs and How to Sanitize The Process
The venture capital community and its outside lawyers used to have real expertise in problematic bridge rounds, in which investors provide interim or "bridge"’ funding for a faltering startup in a choppy market. Now I wonder if any lawyer or investor without at least five years of experience can possibly have deep experience with these financings. It’s not that it’s so difficult to understand the mechanism of bridge rounds; it’s just that there have been very few distressed situations in tech-centric venture capital in quite some time. This is, however, a skill set we will all be dusting off soon enough, as markets turn and startups that have been overfunded or have staffed up too much (or both) perform poorly. And when we do have to dust off those skills, we will think it too soon!
Greg Schott's MuleSoft Out To Conquer $593 Billion+ IT Market
A Series of Forbes Insights Profiles of Thought Leaders Changing the Business Landscape: Greg Schott, CEO, MuleSoft.
'I Couldn't Find A Place Where I Could Work, Live And Surf': How A Trend And Startup Was Born
“I couldn’t find a place where I could work, live and surf,” says Peter Fabor whose solution has given birth to a trend. The 29-year old user-experience designer-turned-entrepreneur founded the Surf Office to satisfy his desire to combine work and play. He’s one of a growing number of workers, freelancers and entrepreneurs choosing a better work-life balance by blending both. Two years ago, Fabor and his girlfriend moved from his native Slovakia to the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain.
The Millennial Handbook Lesson 1: How To Get Lucky Without A Plan
I created "The Millennial Handbook: How To Beat The Youth Trap" for my guest lecture at Stanford University last month. Lesson No. 1 is all about luck -- whether it's at the White House or in the middle seat, here's how you get lucky.
Knowledge, Power And Tech: A Q&A With Hip-Hop Artist Divine
In the first installment of a three-part Q&A series about knowledge, power and the technology industry, I sat down with hip-hop and rap recording artist Divine to talk about his entry into the technology industry, his current fintech project and how everything boils down to knowledge.
Women-Owned Businesses: A Tale of Two Types Of Entrepreneurs
While some women entrepreneurs soared, others struggled to keep going. What made the difference?
Where To Buy Ethical Clothes?
If you want to veer off the fast fashion highway, where do you shop? How can you trust a brand and ensure that they’re actually making the clothes with sustainable materials, not using child labor, or sucking up the Earth’s resources?
The NFL And Teespring Team Up To Sell Fan-Created Custom T-Shirts For First Time
The NFL and Teespring have teamed up to allow super fans to sell their own custom t-shirts using team logos for the first time, and the ramifications could be big for both the startup and the league.
How The Coding Explosion Has Changed The Programmer Job Market
With more jobs than coders, CTOs have to find talent that can not only do the job, but stick around and continue to learn new technologies as they evolve.
Startup Fluxx Raises $10.2 Million To Bring Software To Tech-Starved Non-Profits
$360 billion flows through charitable giving each year, and one startup wants to help non-profits manage it all. Here's why Fluxx raised $10.2 million for its grant-making software.
Velostrata Exits Stealth Mode With $14 million Series A
Velostrata emerged from stealth today, announcing a beta version of their product which brings WAN acceleration to the virtual machine. The company announced a $14 million series A funding round, with funding from Norwest Venture Partners and Greylock Partners.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Questionable Charging Order Priority Decision In Chase Bank Case
In July of 2013, Chase Bank won a $20 million judgment against Reginald D. Fowler and an Arizona company called Spiral Broadcasting LLC. Fowler and Spiral owned interests in three Colorado LLCs.
Crowdfunding: Elio Motors, CrowdfundX & $30 Million Dollars
Several weeks ago I wrote about crowdfunding and how potentially difficult the process might be for entrepreneurs. I got some good feedback, but I wasn’t prepared for the amazing story of Elio Motors and their crowdfunding agency, CrowdfundX, and how they raised $30 Million. Buckle in, because this is really something.
IC Realtime Launches Video Surveillance Cloud Storage Service
IC Realtime launched ICMyCloud, a scalable and easy-to-install offsite video surveillance storage option for residential and commercial applications.
IRS Reveals Lois Lerner's Secret Email Account Named For Her Dog
Lois Lerner took the Fifth about her role in the IRS targeting scandal. But now IRS admits for the first time that Lerner kept a private email account in the name of her dog. Did her dog target conservatives too?
Deed Typos Affect Tax Lien Priority
A typographical error in a property’s legal description affected the competing claims of the United States as tax creditor and the bank that held the beneficial interest in the deed of trust on the property.
Microsoft's Windows 10 Leaves Lumia 530 Behind w/ 8 GB Storage Requirement
Fate of Lumia '20 Series is Unclear
New Snapchat Rival Doesn't Need Your Friends To Install An App
Snapchat isn't an app I enjoy using, so the news that Kaboom can offer similar features, with no need for recipients to have the app, intrigued me.
About That Kenneth Copeland Mansion You Saw On John Oliver
John Oliver's send-up of televangelists highlighted the IRS, because the televangelists can organize as churches, making them exempt from taxation without being subject to the transparency - annual filing of Form 990 and application for exempt status - required of other not for profits. Oddly he only really discussed one tax
Company Breached By Hackers? You're Being Deceptive, According to FTC And The Court
The occurrence of a breach that exposes sensitive customer information may be sufficient evidence to warrant an FTC action, regardless of whether the company in question believed they were taking adequate steps to prevent such a breach.
IRS Reveals Lois Lerner's Secret Email Account Named For Her Dog
Lois Lerner took the Fifth about her role in the IRS targeting scandal. But now IRS admits for the first time that Lerner kept a private email account in the name of her dog. Did her dog target conservatives too?
Cybrary Scores Funding To Fix Cybersecurity Skills Gap
In 2015, the need for cybersecurity professionals became an issue of primary importance for the national government.
Forever Young: Gatorade and Pillsbury Doughboy Turn 50
Maintaining Brand Relevance in an Era of Instancy
BeyondCore Is Bringing Empowerment To Analytics
A Series of Forbes Insights Profiles of Thought Leaders Changing the Business Landscape: Arijit Sengupta, Founder and CEO, BeyondCore.
Leaked: Ashley Madison Mulled '$70 Million' Grindr Acquisition For Uber Sex Empire
In the masses of emails from the Ashley Madison breach are messages about a possible acquisition of Grindr, the hugely successful app for gay and bisexual men, though the firm's biggest shareholder proposed an odd acquisition strategy. There are some awfully revealing data on just how successful Grindr has been too...
Ashley Madison Corporate And User Data Abound On Open Web: Proceed With Caution
A large number of files that appear to be copies of Avid Life Media’s Ashley Madison corporate files were apparently uploaded to Scribd on August 22, 2015. A Scribd user called AshleyMadisonFiles, using the Anonymous avatar is identified with the 72 published files. A large amount of corporate files, including member information, is included in these files. Other sites purport to contain Ashley Madison data.
Impact Investor Credits 'Faith In God' For Success
Joe Sanberg is an investor in a few of the social I've profiled recently (Aspiration and Bright Funds) and so I wanted to learn more about him. Sanberg told me about the start to his career, "I grew up in a middle class family and by the time I was leaving for
Africa's Growing Population Is 'Biggest Change Of Our Time' - With Economic, Political Potential
Forget the hype when Malcom Gladwell tweets. When Hans Rosling goes to Twitter, you always walk away feeling smarter.
$8M Awarded From America Makes For 3-D Printing Problem Solving
America Makes, also known as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, will provide up to $8 million in funding toward additive manufacturing (3-D printing) applied research and development projects with $11 million in matching cost share from the awarded project teams for total funding worth $19 million.
FinTech Trends: The Disruption Of Fundraising
As investments into FinTech startups quadrupled from 2013 to 2014, and continue to grow, I recently shared Top Trends in FinTech surrounding the four FinTech areas undergoing massive change and disruption: Fundraising, Payments, Deposits & Lending, and Cryptocurrency.
How One Venture Capitalist Is Quietly Reshaping Retail
Like a matchmaker, Simon Venture Group's Skyler Fernandes started thinking about the various synergies these companies could have if they worked together in an organized ecosystem.
To Fee Or Not To Fee? What Charging For Loyalty Can Get You
Let’s make one point clear: Fee-based rewards are not pet rocks.
Mystic Pizza Owner Gets Jail For Tax And IRS Cash Report Crimes
Mystic Pizza owner gets one year in jail but could have faced 15 years. Lessons from a small business that mixed personal and business and dealt in cash.
This Former Green Textile Maven Is Making Microwaved Seafood Sustainable
Duncan Berry has had an interesting life. This Oregon-raised entrepreneur started out as one of the youngest sea captains on the Oregon Coast at age 16. After two decades at sea, he went on to create several fashion apparel businesses (after a brief stint as an artisan metalsmith). One of his companies, Greensource, became one of the largest organic cotton textile companies in the world - selling to both Walmart and Target. After selling Greensource, Berry retired at 50, and returned to reside along his beloved Oregon coastline to work on a Governor's initiative preserving marine habitats.
Five9: Don't Count It Out Yet
In late April 2014, Five9 (FIVN) came public. But there was not the usual tech fanfare. Instead, the company’s shares eked out a gain of about 9%. And since then, the performance has remained fairly sluggish.
GiveMob Makes It Easier For Millennials To Donate Money On Mobile
GiveMob was developed with the idea that mobile giving should be as accessible as possible.
Tax Geek Tuesday: Understanding Partnership Distributions, Part II --The Mixing Bowl Rules
I previously posted a Tax Geek Tuesday titled “Understanding Partnership Distributions, Part I.” We spent well over 3,000 words looking at the general rules governing the treatment of partnership distributions, from taxability to basis impact to holding period to the finer points of Section 734 adjustments. At the completion of that post, I included a teaser to “…regroup next week and take a look at the ‘mixing bowl’ rules.” That was in January. Now it’s nearly fall, and the promised Part II of Understanding Partnership Distributions remains elusive.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Cybrary Scores Funding To Fix Cybersecurity Skills Gap
In 2015, the need for cybersecurity professionals became an issue of primary importance for the national government.
Wells Fargo Innovation Group Sees Future So Bright You Have To Wear Shades
Steve Ellis is the lead of a new Innovation group at Wells Fargo. He has been with the company for close to 30 years and with this new position he is going to be able to find some of the most interesting startup companies out there. I interviewed him to find out what he looks for in a startup company, what he thinks of the current state of the financial industry, and what this new project means for Wells Fargo, consumers, and entrepreneurs.
Carnival's Fathom Sailing Toward Cuba 'To Make A Social Impact'
Carnival's newest cruise line, Fathom, is giving passengers a chance to have real impact while vacationing. Initially sailing with one vessel, the Adonia, Fathom passengers will visit the Dominican Republic and Cuba to work alongside locals as volunteers on water and other projects.
How IBM, Similac And Other Marketers Think Beyond The FAQ When It Comes To Customer Support
This article is by Ernan Roman, president of Ernan Roman Direct Marketing and an expert on customer-experience innovation.
New Orleans Economy Is Booming With Businesses And Talent
To know New Orleans is to love her – her past, her present and her future. Her before Katrina, her underwater, her post Katrina and what she is still yet to become.
Customer Lifetime Value -- The Only Metric That Matters
It’s that time of year again — when football fans are gearing up to kick off their season. Sports fans can sometimes be the most visible in terms of loyalty — everything from buying season tickets to wearing face paint to analyzing the play-by-play of every single game from their home television. While you can never calculate someone’s Customer Lifetime Value simply by looking at them, in sports it’s certainly more obvious who is die-hard and who isn’t — and maybe even a few shades in between.
How A Coach Put His Business On Track For $1 Million In Revenue
When Shannon Graham began advertising his coaching services in New York City, the first client he found on Craigslist was twice his age. Today, at 32, Graham says he charges clients $150,000 for an intensive year-long coaching program called Legacy, which he introduced last year.
The SBA Loan Guarantee Program: Technology And The 21st Century
Anyone looking for a small business loan, or reading about the world of small business lending over the last few years has witnessed technology changing the landscape of where and how business owners access capital. In a nutshell, the environment has changed in a relatively few short years.
The Protection Bureau Expands Coverage
The Protection Bureau, a provider of electronic security solutions, opened a new branch office in Richmond, Va.
Ashley Madison And Predictive Analytics: The Bad, the Worse And the Dangerous
We’re all aware of what happened with the “data” stored at Ashley Madison, data that was supposed to be private and protected. This of course is not the first – nor will it be the last – data breach. In fact, it’s safe to say that this will happen over and over again. Put another way, there’s no guarantee that your data – or my data – will be remain protected and private. In fact, guarantees cannot exist in the digital world into which we’re all running.
How Startup Todoist Manages A Global Team
Imagine you work with 40 people located in 20 different countries spread across 4 continents and 16 time zones who speak no less than 16 native languages. That's the challenge Todoist faces, and its opportunity.
Why Are You Still Typing On Your Phone - Or Any Other Device?
Vastly improved speech recognition is driving a jump in use of voice commands in search and apps, and they're likely to be added to all manner of devices from clock radios to speakers.
US Energy Secretary: We Should Worry About Cars Getting Hacked
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz worries more about cars being hacked than the electric grid being attacked, he said this morning in Las Vegas.
Future of Lumia Uncertain as Microsoft Lays Off 2,300, Closes 1 of 3 Finnish Offices
Product development will continue, but staff is substantially diminished from the levels it was at prior to the Nokia acquisition
Appeals Court: FTC Has Authority To Police Corporate Cybersecurity
In a 3-0 decision, the Third United States Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that the Federal Trade Commission has the power to go after corporations for failing to take adequate measures to protect customer information from data breaches.
3-D Printing To Catch The Wind -- Micro And Large Wind Turbines
Sustainable, clean power is important to the future and to well over 300 businesses that sent letters to state governors to express their support of a recent White House and EPA update. Companies as diverse as General Mills, Staples, Gap, Nestle, Unilever, and many small, local businesses sent letters earlier this month to support to the Clean Power Plan.
Monday, August 24, 2015
The World's Fastest Growing Airline Reinvents The Flying Experience
Etihad Aviation Group is the fastest growing airline company on earth. Etihad Airways has grown into a multi-billion dollar behemoth, and the Aviation Group has grown tremendously through its equity investments into the likes of Alitalia, Jet Airways, Air Berlin, Air Serbia, and a host of other airlines.
JDRF Is All About The Cure
Derek Rapp, CEO of JDRF, reports on the organization's progress toward finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. This article includes a live video interview.
Aluminum 7003, Used in Roofing, May be Tapped by Apple for iPhone 6S/6S+
New aluminum alloy is nearly three times as strong as the cheaper 6000 Series; Pink variant is rumored
Your Business's Money Problem Is Not A Money Problem
If your business is struggling with money, it’s not a money problem.
Apple Privacy May Not Be As Private As You Think
At the Apple WWDC event this year Tim Cook made an absolute statement about user privacy and Apple's stance. It was meant to draw a definite line in the sand to distinguish Apple from its main rival, Google, in how it applies privacy and control to consumer data.
Impacting 1 Billion By 2020 Is No Pipe Dream For These Social Entrepreneurs
The Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship set a goal to impact 1 billion lives by 2020. The entrepreneurs they are supporting are an impressive group that make that goal look almost achievable.
The Lion Awakes: Ugandan Millionaire Ashish Thakkar Tells Story Of African Renaissance In New Book
In his book The Lion Awakes: Adventures in Africa’s Economic Miracle (Palgrave; August 25, 2015), Ashish J. Thakkar, a 34 year-old Ugandan millionaire, gives readers an intimate, on the ground view of Africa’s astonishing and unprecedented economic awakening.
21 Ways To Leave A Never-Ending Conversation Without Being Rude
These polite lines will help you get out of a conversation at work.
How Google's Knowledge Graph Is Starting To Change
In the brief time that the Knowledge Graph has grown, it’s already become more formidable, more intuitive, and more useful. Now, Google is setting the course for an even bigger, better version of the information system—and it could prove to be a viable threat to SEO as we know it.
Sending IRS Against Phony Churches Is Bringing A Knife To A Gun Fight
John Oliver's send up of televangelists particularly those who make claims about your donations to them helping you, rather than them, become prosperous or as an alternative to medical treatment is drawing attention to the IRS, since the televangelists enjoy favorable tax status.
Why Buying The Right Domain For Your Business Matters
According to Verisign, the total number of registered domain names rose to 294 million Top Level Domains as of March 31, 2015. Worldwide registrations have grown by 6.5% every year, and that’s only among sites that end with .com, .net, .org, and other well-established extensions. With that growing number, the available field of online real estate grows narrower (especially for those vying for the most coveted .com extension).
Successful Entrepreneurs Do Six Things When Their Business Is In A Rut
Leading and/or running a business is all about the details. When your business is in a rut, oftentimes it’s because you are not focused on the details – whether it is marketplace demands, knowing exactly what your clients expect or how to improve your product/service offerings or sales approach.
The Powerful Use Of Phantom Stock In Your Company
Someday you’re going to want to leave your business. When this day happens you’re going to discover something that might be a little disconcerting to you. The new owner is going to be very interested in your key people and have little to no interest in having you stick around.
When Parenthood Means Becoming Your Own Boss
Rather than get “mommy tracked” into a dead-end or slow-growth job, some women are now deciding instead that they’d prefer to create their own career path in motherhood. They’re saying goodbye to big, corporate jobs and instead striking out on their own as entrepreneurs, consultants, or freelancers.
Making Sure You Eat: Paying Yourself As A Small Business Owner
Next up in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: Making Sure You Eat: Paying Yourself As A Small Business Owner
Are Marketers Over-Hyping Marketing To Chief Marketers?
For a long time, the CIO and the CTO have been the traditional IT buyers in the top tier of an organization. However, this trend is slowly beginning to change. Speculations are rife as to whether CMOs are going to take over technology purchasing. In fact, there are strong indications that CMOs are poised to become the new tech purchasing decision makers. No wonder technology solution providers are clamoring to attract CMOs. I have done it, and chances are if you are selling technology or tools to the enterprise, you have done it too. However, the big question for tech marketers is, are CMOs really the ones driving tech purchase decisions.
Part 1: A Business Owner Social Security Q&A
I was recently at a retirement planning conference attended by a number of business owners. The topic that engendered the most questions was 80 years old and not even unique to business owners.
Invest In Your Leadership Abilities By Becoming A Lifelong Learner
The best entrepreneurs actively monitor their own growth instead of waiting for industry change to force them to learn new skills.
How To Build Incentive Plans That Actually Work
The New York Times reported not long ago that variable compensation—payment of short-term incentives and bonuses—is on the rise. In 1988 these incentives accounted for close to 4% of payrolls, according to an Aon Hewitt report. Last year the figure was nearly 13%.
Bruce Kaechele: The Thought Of Retirement Inspired Him To Do Something About Heartburn
Some entrepreneurs just can’t turn it off. When faced with downtime – a weekend, a vacation, a retirement! – their minds inevitably start looking for problems and conjuring new business ideas to solve them.
Is Formula One The World's Most Sustainable Sport?
Formula One auto racing doesn’t naturally spring to mind when considering which sports are the most sustainable. Others such as cycling, tennis or golf seem more likely candidates than one whose participants race 19 times a year in cars with 1.6 liter V6 turbo engines. However, closer inspection under F1’s hood reveals that when it comes to sustainability, not only does it punch above its weight, it may be in pole position.
10 Key Takeaways From The Market Meltdown
I'm getting a lot of questions about the stock market sell off. Here are ten takeaways.
Body Labs Provides 3-D Models Of Human Body And Tools To Analyze It
Investigating a murder is how startup Body Labs got its start, according to the opening sentence from Issie Lapowsky at Wired. Computer vision expert, Professor Michael Black from Brown University, was asked by police to help solve a murder. The article explains in detail how Black and the founding team figured out how to estimate or guess the shape of the human body from just a few measurements.
Familiar Leader Emerges In The Frenzied Cloud-Based Productivity Apps Space
The productivity application space has always been interesting, as it represents the core of "shadow IT" -- solutions adopted by end-users without the blessings or awareness of management or IT. Shadow IT dates back to the early days of the PC, when business users brought in machines, under the radar, with word processing and spreadsheet software. Microsoft rode this wave to dominate the corporate computing scene for decades.
Meet The Millennials Crowdfunding Their College Tuition
With tuition bills skyrocketing, millennials are looking for creative ways to cover the cost of their college education.
10 Ways Trump Is Right About Taxes
Donald Trump has broken away in the polls, and despite some Forrest Gump underpinnings, his no-detail tax plan could be taking shape.
8 Lessons For Budding Entrepreneurs
Last December, my fellow FORBES contributor Robert Reiss, wrote a great piece entitled "The Incredible Story Of Starting The World's Largest Wine Brand, Barefoot Wines." The article was essentially a get-to-know two amazing people who launched what is now an iconic brand in a laundry room of a rented farmhouse in the Sonoma County hills.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
5 Pivotal Decisions On The Way To A $1B Acquisition
An interview with Marten Mickos, the CEO who led the open-source phenomenon MySQL to a $1B acquisition.
Debt, Equity and Startup Money
Next in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: Debt, Equity and Startup Money
Why Businesses Need a Jimmy Garoppolo Option
Tom Brady, the New England Patriots’ star quarterback in American football, is one of the greatest players ever to have that position. It’s a shame, then, that he was suspended for the first four games of the season, and that the Patriots have to turn to Jimmy Garoppolo, a relatively unknown back-up who is in only the second year of his professional career. Garoppolo has performed relatively well in a few pre-season matches, but no one really knows how he’ll do against first string performers playing for tough teams like the Dallas Cowboys. For the Patriots, who are defending the Super Bowl title they earned last year, the prospect is disconcerting.
Negotiating Tips From Lizzie and the Jackrabbit
The next time you get stuck in a negotiation that appears like it will never end, try these 3 tactics.
The Ugly Side of Globalization
Globalization, the increasing integration and interdependence of close and distant markets, has three sides: the good, the bad and the ugly. The good side consists of benefits associated with the lowering of cross-border transaction costs, and the opening of new business opportunities. Local and regional growth becomes global--setting the world economy
Employee Benefits, Perks & The In Betweens
Next up in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: Employee Benefits, Perks & The In Betweens
10 Big Companies Hiring The Most In Marketing Right Now
10 Big Companies Hiring The Most In Marketing Right Now
6 New 'Secret Sauce' Strategies For Entrepreneurial PR
The best PR and marketing ideas for entrepreneurs are generally off-brand, the result of strategies that have worked for other entrepreneurs.
3 Key Lessons Leaders Can Learn From Parenting
There is a strong parallel between raising a kid and launching a business. Here are a few vital lessons I’ve learned as a father that directly correlate to my company’s success.
Funding Retirement Without Breaking The Bank
Next up in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: Funding Retirement Without Breaking The Bank
John Oliver Should Not Blame IRS For Televangelist Tax Abuse
Rather than attending services at the Church or Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption this Sunday morning, I'm working on my blog. John Oliver recently founded COLPE to illustrate how much churches can get away with. The show where he explains all this is pretty amusing, but I think it is off base in its analysis of the problem.
A Simple Way To Become A Better Startup Mentor
Most business mentors that I work with are simply too nice and often sugarcoat their feedback, which is a disservice to their mentees. To truly help an early-stage entrepreneur, you have to be BRUTALLY HONEST.
Discovering Your Purpose
Entrepreneurship is about much more than simply starting a business. An entrepreneur must have a clear vision of the future and use that vision to build something entirely new, bringing the rest of the world one step closer to the reality they want to create. The vision must inspire others, giving meaning not only to the entrepreneur him or herself but also those who follow them.
Portugal Discovers Its Spirit Of Entrepreneurial Adventure
Portuguese economic turnaround, due in part to entrepreneurial growth
Business Not As Usual: The Millennial Social Entrepreneur
There's a new kind of entrepreneur permeating the American landscape. Social entrepreneurs are becoming a larger and larger force, which is parallel to the growth of working Millennials. As a member of the Baby Boomer generation (with our share of social entrepreneurs), it's time we stand behind this new group as they change the world.
In Brazil, A Fish Tale From A Man Named 'Problem'
A look at the life of an emerging market entrepreneur with a curious name.
How One Leader Learned That Experience Often Teaches You The Wrong Lessons
When Bob Geis took over a government agency, he was surprised to discover that the agency's biggest problem was not its employees.
Is Your Investment Capital Hiding In Plain Sight?
Not everyone lives in Silicon Valley or New York, but growth entrepreneurs everywhere need capital. You can find capital too if you commit to looking in the right places. Here are 3 places you might not be looking for capital.
'One Team' To Rule Them All
How do you get people to collaborate across a business - to operate as 'One Team'? Given that deep expertise is what differentiates one organization from the rest, more and more businesses are switching from a regional structure to a functional one, in which expert functions call the shots. But to reap the value of these specialized functions, teams have to collaborate efficiently across physical, cultural and time-based divides. The challenge for business leaders lies in helping their workforce do so. 'One Team', or a version thereof, is a core value of an overwhelming number of organizations. There’s a lot of talk about removing silos and pooling resources. But what does working as “one team” actually mean?
According to a team of American psychologists, there are two important aspects to successful collaboration . The first is how much people rely on each other to get the job done, and the second is the extent to which their rewards depend on group achievements. By analyzing the results of 107 studies into teamwork and performance, including data from over 7,500 teams, the authors discovered that these two conditions for collaboration have different effects on performance.
The more team members have to collaborate on a task, the better their performance on that task. The reasoning goes that the more team members rely on each other for information or resources, the more they’ll interact and communicate. And the more they communicate, the more competent they’ll realize each other are – increasing the team’s shared belief that they’ll succeed. High self-belief in turn boosts performance. In comparison, self-sufficient individuals might have no clue as to their colleagues’ capabilities.
Harlem Biotech Startup Hacks Lettuce To Make 'Miracle' Sugar Substitute
A Harlem biotech company grows lettuce to synthesize the "miracle" protein that makes sour things taste sweet.
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Saturday, August 22, 2015
Charlotte Is The Latest City With Racial Protests
After mistrial is declared on a hot-button court case, downtown Charlotte breaks out in protests.
"Don't Chase The Money": Startup Advice From One Of Europe's Most Influential Women And VCs
“Don’t Chase The Money, let the money come to you.” Julie Meyer, named by the Wall Street Journal one of Europe’s 30 most influential women, has made those words her mantra. It’s the advice she frequently advises startups seeking funding from Ariadne Capital’s Entrepreneurs Fund, which Meyer founded in 2000.
Your Strategy Should Be As Unique As Your Business
You can look at any company?s uniqueness and gain a basic understanding about its viable strategic options.
Mayor De Blasio Should Police, Not Destroy, Times Square's Pedestrian Plaza
Does mayor de Blasio really want to tear up Times Square's pedestrian plaza? Restoring order is a better alternative.
Judge's Solution To Lead-Paint Problem May Be A Public Nuisance Itself
Ever inventive California lawyers hope a toxic mix of lead paint and controversial legal theory can help them soak American business for billions.
Experts Weigh In on Pure Storage IPO Prospects
The forthcoming IPO of Pure Storage is highly anticipated by those of us who follow the storage industry closely. The valuations assigned to companies prior to IPO are based on what a very few people, its early stage investors, believe the company is worth. They tend to be pretty optimistic people, because you don’t invest in high-risk things like startups without being a bit of an optimist about getting your money back, so how realistic are those valuations, really? An IPO provides an opportunity to find out.
Why You Can't Get Buy-In For Your Great Marketing Ideas
It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different result. Well, if that’s true, then many marketers can officially be deemed insane.
Employees Or Independent Contractors? Categorizing Workers Properly
Next up in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: Employees or Independent Contractors? Categorizing Workers Properly
When Workplace Culture And Brand Goes Horribly Wrong
Everyone’s been weighing in on the recent expose on the workplace culture at Amazon, and on what Jeff Bezos has built (or not built). Honestly, I cannot say I’m surprised. The culture there shows signs of being broken, and has been for years: if you treat your workers like interchangeable parts, that’s not culture, it’s a disconnect. It's important to remember Amazon is only one of many, many brands that faces challenges on this front. What's important is that we learn from feedback and listen to the warning signs.
How To Deal With A Workplace Bully: Advice For Victims, Bosses, And Co-Workers
One-third of employees may be victims of workplace bullying. Here's how to make it stop.
Why Not All Early-Stage Investors Are The Same
More and more, the term “crowdfunding” is being used for a dizzying variety of business funding options. The term seems to be used for everything from Kickstarter community projects to real estate projects to advertising startup deals to accredited investors to investing in tech companies that are ready to go public.
Friends, Family...Fools?: Who Will You Get To Fund Your Startup
I often get asked during talks about how to raise money. A good friend of mine, Marc Nathan, usually says start with FFF (friends, family, and fools). I want to give you three different perspectives on raising money. One option, which I’ll go into detail in another post, is that you can always bootstrap to success or a better valuation.
6 Reasons Your Business Can't Afford to Ignore Mobile Advertising
If you are skipping mobile in your digital ad campaigns, it?s going to cost you. Big time. Here is why.
Filing And Paying Business Taxes On Time
Next in the Small Business Startup And Survival Guide: Filing And Paying Business Taxes On Time.
Forte: Work Out With The Best Fitness Instructors Right From Your Home
Forte wants to stream your favorite boutique fitness classes straight into your home. Hear more from founder Lauren Foundos on the future of fitness class streaming and tracking workouts in this Roadmap Video.
TrustedSec, Others Confirm New Dump Of Estimated 200,000 Ashley Madison CEO Emails
Ashley Madison CEO email files were dumped by hackers Impact Team early this morning. According to TrustedSec when confirming the dump, the file “appears to contain approximately 200k total emails from 6800 unique senders to 3600 unique recipients.”
Small Business Dilemma: Paying For Health Care
Next in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: Paying for Healthcare.
Paul Hansen Receives Below Guideline Sentence - End Of L'affaire Kent Hovind?
Paul Hansen, Kent Hovind's co-defendant in their March trial for mail fraud and contempt, faced sentencing Friday on his conviction for contempt of court. Judge Margaret Casey Rodgers sentenced Hansen to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Considering time already served Hansen should be out
Son of BOSS Leads To A Divorce And Fraudulent Transfer Troubles In Baker
Scott and Robin Baker married in 1998, and had two children. At that time, Scott and his business partner were running numerous Planet Fitness gyms. In 1999, 2000, and 2001, Scott and Robin filed joint tax returns.
New Bulk Email Search Service Increases Risk Of Extortion Attempts On Ashley Madison Users
The risk of becoming a victim of extortion or other cybercrime has just become exponentially greater. A bulk email search service just became available, which claims to scan an entire inbox to report matches with Ashley Madison database users.
Why Trust Is A Business Best Practice
Are you familiar with the term "dysfunctional family?" The simple definition is, a family whose members don't work and play well with each other. Such relationships typically create emotional, mental, sometimes even physical distress, and/or estrangement. Sadly, we humans also create dysfunctional businesses. Perhaps this definition will sound familiar: A
Ashley Madison Is Torrenting Its Own Stolen Information
It appears, according to Vice's tech section Motherboard, that Ashley Madison's parent company - Avid Life Media - is downloading the data that was stolen from it via Bittorrent.
Don't Settle: Why You Should Never Stop Testing Your Business Strategy
Most strategies won?t continue to be beneficial in the long term. Staying on top of new strategies requires constantly paying attention and can be exhausting. It's important to always be testing new strategies, markets, platforms, software, and so on. You and your company have to be willing to evolve and accept the fact that it won't be easy.
TrustedSec Confirms Second Alleged Ashley Madison Data Dump
Security firm TrustedSec reported this afternoon that a second, new data dump (presumed to be) by hackers Impact Team has been dumped. In a post on its website, TrustedSec announced that a second, larger, Ashley Madison dump had been “released on TOP of the original dump two days ago.” Updated: Email file confirmed to be corrupted, possibly fixable.
There's No Such Thing As Luck: Three Lessons For Making The Most Out Of Opportunities
There are two things I'm sure of in this world. The first is that life is a journey, full of twists and turns. The second is that hardly anything goes according to plan. The fact that life is unpredictable isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Brad Casper Named MKS Director of Development
Brad Casper has joined MKS as the new director of development.
Android Circuit: Galaxy Note 5 Abandons Fanbase, Apple Loses China, Samsung Chases iPhone Users
This week’s Android Circuit includes the first reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+, Samsung's free trial offer to iPhone users, the launch of the second security-focused Blackphone, Xiaomi winning the Chinese market share battle, Samsung clinging to the top spot in India, the delay to Google's Project Ara, the new Android flip phone, a visit to the Samsung Innovation Lab, and the definition of 'M' in Android M.
The Truth About Social Security's Long Term Finances
In a recent NY Times column, political economist, Paul Krugman, writes, "Social Security does not face a financial crisis; its long-term funding shortfall could easily be closed with modest increases in revenue."
How To Keep Your Best Employees
Is your best talent walking out the door? Here's a way to slow the brain drain.
Location, Sexual Preference, Weight: Embarrassing Ashley Madison Customer Data Published By Hackers
The trove of data from the Ashley Madison breach appears to contain all kinds of revealing information, not just on the predominantly male user base but on company internals too. Even GPS locations of customers are now readily available for all and sundry to see.
A Measure of Courage
Business owners, as a group, seem to be more courageous than the rest of the U.S. population. And emotional courage tends to increase with age.
Ashley Madison Affairs Site Alleged Data Dump And How To Find It
The Ashley Madison "affairs" site data has now allegedly been dumped online. Here's how to find it.
3 Facts You Might Have Missed In QVC's Buyout Of Zulily
While the price for Zulily represents a 49% premium over the Friday close of $12.63, it is 14.7% BELOW the company's $22 IPO price.
The Definitive Guide To Marketing Your Business On Facebook
This article breaks down the major components of Facebook marketing, giving business owners actionable advice and best practices for each.
Black Arts: The $800 Million Family Selling Art Degrees and False Hopes
Elisa Stephens and her family built an $800 million fortune converting student loans into questionably valuable art degrees and pouring the profits into San Francisco real estate. Now, after two decades of blistering growth, her empire of false hopes is finally facing regulatory glare.
Eagle Energy Vapor: Following the Five Hour Energy Model
A new start-up is attempting to take caffeine vapourisers through the same growth model as the one that took Five Hour Energy from an obscure product to ubiquity seemingly overnight.
Catching The New Trend: Caffeine Inhalation
A new product hopes to capitalise on a growing trend for inhaling caffeine. But will the trend really turn into 'the next big thing'?
Credit Report Inaccuracies Can Sink Your Business
"When it came time to bring on an advisor and investor for my business, the first thing he wanted to see was my credit report. I never could have grown my business without good credit.”
Financial Marketers, Millennials And The Opportunities Therein
Everybody should have health insurance. Life insurance. Auto insurance. Homeowner’s insurance or rental insurance. Bad hair day insurance. A pension plan. Savings bonds. Gold buried in the backyard. Yada, yada and yada.
Introducing A Blog To Help You Survive And Thrive In The Data Economy
In order to succeed in this increasingly data-driven and data-dependent world, entrepreneurs will need to adapt and embrace all the benefits it has to offer.
How CrunchFund And Dorm Room Fund Focus On Young Student Entrepreneurs To Deliver Sizable ROI
Jeremy Fiance is an investor for young startup companies and entrepreneurs who are still in school. He is always looking for the next big idea so he can help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into a practical solution with a viable business model.
The Real Reason Employees Quit
Most employees will only stay at their job for just over four years, and you can cut that number in half for millennials. With statistics like these floating around, leaders need a better way to keep their employees engaged—Peter Arvai of Prezi explains that the answer lies in pushing them outside of their job descriptions.
The Expanding Craft Brewing Industry Causes Some To Consider Cashing Out
The rising popularity of craft beer has led to increased valuations for the companies who brew it. That shift might be giving more than a few brewers a few reasons to consider cashing out while the timing is right.
The Tech Skills Drought - Should SMEs Bite The Apprenticeship Bullet?
According to Britain's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a majority of Britain's graduates are working in jobs that don't require a degree.
Lawyers, Accountants and Administrators, Oh My! Putting Together A Professional Team
Next up in the Small Business Startup & Survival Guide: building your professional team.
How to Optimize Your Brand's Presence on LinkedIn
Let me throw some statistics at you. (Hold on.)
LinkedIn has 380 million users.
LinkedIn is attracting new users at the rate of 2 every second.
Linkedin gets 35 billion pageviews each quarter.
LinkedIn reaches 37% of the total U.S. digital population
LinkedIn users spend an average of 17 minutes on the site per month.
LinkedIn has 1 million professional publishers on the network.
LinkedIn has hosted more than 3 million longform posts.
LinkedIn serves as the publishing platform for 18,571 long for posts per day.
LinkedIn is used by 41% of all millionaires.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Can Entrepreneurs Win The Cash And The Social Conscience Of Investors?
Pitching entrepreneurs should use opportunities to influence all investors to think more socially.
SocialCode: Creating Intelligent Social Media Marketing
A Series of Forbes Insights Profiles of Thought Leaders Changing the Business Landscape: Laura O'Shaughnessy, Co-Founder and CEO, SocialCode
Is It Better To Optimize An E-commerce Product Page Or An Amazon Listing?
As an online merchant, you have a lot of options. I’ve seen many businesses become successful based purely on their presence in Amazon, but I’ve also seen new e-commerce platforms defy expectations. In this article, I’ll compare the ease, cost, and effectiveness of optimization for each of these applications.
Movie Theater Chain Now Checking Bags Nationwide
Movie theater chain Regal Entertainment Group has begun to check bags in response to shootings at theaters around the country.
Bill Skaer Named as 2015 CEDIA Fellow Inductee
Bill Skaer, dedicated CEDIA volunteer, past board member, and recipient of CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement award will be inducted into CEDIA’s Fellows program, which honors longtime CEDIA members and volunteers who have contributed significantly to the association’s success.
Clare Controls Providing Automation for Lexar Homes
Clare Controls and Lexar Homes are partnering to include smart automation packages as standard amenities in homes offered by the company’s network of franchised builders in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and North Dakota.
Credit Union and MasterCard Announce First U.S. Biometric Payments Pilot
First Tech Federal Credit Union announced a pilot program with MasterCard that will enable First Tech employees to authenticate and verify transactions using facial recognition and fingerprint biometrics.
My Unhappy Customer Wanted to Kill Me
When I was in high school, I learned two important lessons about business and life.
LLCs, S Corps & PCs: Choosing A Business Entity
When you're getting started in business, it can be tempting to rush through and get to the good stuff. Entity selection is more important than you think. Your choice of entity can affect the number and identity of shareholders and partners, equity structure and what kind of funding you might be eligible to receive. It's important to get it right and set the stage for success early.
Are You A Leader Or A Follower?
Leadership is the art of persuasion?the act of motivating people to do more than they ever thought possible in pursuit of a greater good. It has nothing to do with your title. It has nothing to do with authority or seniority. You?re not a leader just because you have people reporting to you.
Small Business Startup And Survival Guide
Increasing regulations, new laws and complicated tax rules can make it difficult to figure out how to get started and how to keep your business going. Our Small Business Startup And Survival Guide will help you know what you need to survive.
Avoiding Startup Gotchas
Gothard, 56, started pricing
group plans on the ObamaCare
small business exchange.
Data-Driven Entrepreneurship Will Be The Only Way To Survive In 2016
Data is going to be a key component when it comes to future business success, and that future is rapidly arriving. By the time we ring in the New Year again, data will be the cornerstone of businesses looking to thrive going forward. Unquestionably, we find ourselves living in a time with more technology than our ancestors could have ever dreamed of. The amount of data today’s marketers have access to is simply staggering compared to what was available to businesses in the past.
Tesla's Wall Street Formula: How Elon Musk Stands Apart From Silicon Valley
Elon Musk generates press mostly for his various literal and figurative moonshots, but he's also quietly an extremely deliberate manager of capital.
Demandbase: Cleaning Up With B2B Marketing
When it comes to online marketing, it seems like there is little white space left. After all, the market has been around since the inception of the Internet.
3 Reasons Why Confluent's Buzzy Apache Kafka Software Was Able To Take Off At LinkedIn
Data startup Confluent has Silicon Valley buzzing about its Apache Kafka software. Here's 3 reasons why its cofounders were able to successfully incubate their idea while at LinkedIn.
8 Ways Marketers Are Being Heard In 2015
One of the core challenges of marketing is what key information to present and how to do so effectively. Consumers literally have the entire world at their fingertips and as a result, there?s a considerable amount of marketing noise. With so much information streaming at a near constant, new and
Classy CEO: Why Shouldn't Nonprofits Have World Class Tools?
Classy is among the largest crowdfunding sites focused on philanthropy. Scot Chisolm, CEO and co-founder, believes the company can fundamentally enhance a nonprofits ability to raise money and perform effectively. See the live interview.
Expert Advice: How To Boost Your Trust Quotient, Strengthen Your Relationships
On the U.S. presidential campaign trail these days, “trust” is a common theme in assessing both the attractiveness and electability of candidates. While most of us will never have our own trustworthiness measured by the pollsters, it’s nevertheless a key ingredient of the personal “brand” we project in the marketplace of relationships.
Does Ninth Circuit Mortgage Interest Decision Create Special Rights?
It is kind of ironic for the Ninth Circuit, which played such a big role in advancing marriage equality, to be issuing a decision that discourages registered domestic partners from marrying. That is an effect of the decision in the case Bruce Voss and Charles Sophy vs IRS, although I imagine it is an unintended consequence. It almost seems as if the Ninth Circuit has instituted that conservative trope - special rights for homosexuals - with this decision. Closer analysis would show it would be more like special rights for homosexuals and geezers.
Home Mortgage Interest Limitation
How To Make The Connections That Make Things Happen
With so many ways to connect, even introverts and very busy people can successfully network.
D.C. Court Unleashes Conflict By Throwing Out Conflict-Minerals Rule
A Washington appeals court strikes down the SEC's conflict-minerals disclosure rule with a literary flourish.
How You Must Change Your Strategic Approach Given Emerging Ecosystems
the people that make all the money are going to be the owners of the platforms on which the ecosystems thrive.
America?s Most Promising Companies: The Top 20 Of 2015
America?s Most Promising Companies: The Top 20 Of 2015
Organic Juice Startup Suja Adds Unlikely Partners: Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs
Suja's organic, non-GMO, cold-pressed juice can retail for more than $9 per bottle.
Meet Confluent, The Big-Data Startup That Has Silicon Valley Buzzing
Three data whizzes from inside LinkedIn have spun out to create one of the hottest little companies in tech.
How We Rank The World's Most Innovative Companies 2015
Most innovation rankings are popularity contests based on past performance or editorial whims. We set out to create something very different with the World’s Most Innovative Companies list, using the wisdom of the crowd. Our method relies on investors’ ability to identify firms they expect to be innovative now and in the future. You can learn more about our research on innovation by visiting learn.theinnovatorsmethod.com.
5 Disturbing Things Employees Say That Sabotage Customer Service And Drive Customers Away
Every hour your business is open, well-meaning employees sabotage your customer service experience and drive customers away. And they do it without any inkling that they?re doing anything wrong.
Hacking HR: From Jams To The LinkedIn HR Hackathon
Peter Capelli’s article "Why We Love To Hate HR And What We Can Do About It" identifies many human resources areas in need of re-invention, from annual performance management to workplace flexibility. But how can HR managers harness the innovation of the next generation of employees to achieve long-lasting structural improvements?
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
An Overlooked Opportunity For Consumer Brands: Selling Business-To-Group
Particularly for product companies, there's a sales channel you might be overlooking: business-to-group.
ChangeTip And Direct Relief Launch Charitable Campaign Using Bitcoin
Direct Relief, a charity known for its efficient giving, launches an eight-day campaign with a Bitcoin startup to take advantage of the currency's ability to be moved across borders at practically no cost.
How To Manage Stars In A Small Business (Hint: Different From Everybody Else)
Back in the day, there was a pretty good book by Sam Smith. It was called The Jordan Rules, which among other things counted the ways in which Michael Jordan was treated differently than, say, the Bill Cartwrights of the Chicago Bulls. (He was the center, in case you young people are wondering.)
Snapchat Made $3-5 Million Last Year, But That's Not as Bad as it Sounds
Still, figure leads to reasonable doubt regarding Snapchat's current valuation of $15-19B USD
How India's Government Surprisingly Cripples Its Own Film Industry
India’s film industry, one of the world’s biggest, most diverse, and most vibrant, manages to flourish despite a troubling degree of indifference and even interference from the Indian government. Indian films are a crucial window through which the rest of world sees and gains insight into India’s culture, and the government ought to be standing behind the country’s filmmakers, not in their way.
The Top 6 Communication Skills That Will Get You Promoted
The Top 6 Communication Skills That Will Get You Promoted
New Study: CEO Presentation Abilities Influence IPO Price
Appearance and body language in presentations really matter. So much so, in fact, that the public?s perception of a CEO?s attractiveness, competence and trustworthiness while they present can directly influence the price of an IPO.
Custom 3-D Printed Video Game Figurines In Amazon 3-D Store
Amazon has been quietly building its 3-D Printing Store, without much fanfare. While it doesn’t appear to be a homerun, yet, they are doing interesting work to provide options for 3-D printing enthusiasts and startups that see opportunities in the nascent industry.
Crime Prevention Security Systems Acquires Scott Alarm
Crime Prevention Security Systems has expanded its coverage area to northeast Florida with its acquisition of Scott Alarm Inc. based in Jacksonville, Fla.
That Fired Facebook Intern Explains The 'Marauders Map' Extension That Cost Him His Gig
10 weeks after his lost Facebook internship made international news, 21-year-old Harvard student Aran Khanna still seems flummoxed that his attempt to fit in with Facebook's declared "Hacker Ethos" got him booted. When he launched Marauders Map, a browser extension that scraped location data from Facebook messenger and plotted it on a map—and which ultimately lost him the internship he'd lined up—he said he was doing so to highlight privacy concerns.
How A Government Agency And An App Developer Are Teaming Up To Track Rare Animals
The continuing explosion of smartphone sales is putting internet devices in the hands of, well, everyone, and the global app-developing market is growing because of it. So it only makes sense that governments and government agencies would use mobile technology to reach out to people everywhere.
Why Microsoft Could Reportedly Want To Buy Cloud Startup Mesosphere Even At $1 Billion
Microsoft has reportedly been in talks about acquiring a fast-growing cloud computing startup called Mesosphere, and according to The Information's Amir Efrati's sources, the infrastructure startup has valued itself at $1 billion for a potential buyout.
Tax Court Reminds Us That You Should Never Toy Around With Your Retirement Account
As a tax advisor, few things should frighten you more than asking a client how he intends to fund his latest endeavor, only to have him or her respond, "I'll just take the money out of my IRA/401(k)/ annuity." The reason is obvious: the rules governing retirement plans are fraught with peril; with one misstep, your client may be exposed to a bevy of unanticipated taxes and penalties.
Shark Tank Update: How Marz Sprays Survived After Near Drowning
“Shark Tank” co-star and investor Lori Greiner has built a consumer-products empire with an extraordinary sixth sense that’s able to tell whether a product will be a hero or a zero. So when the “Queen of QVC” with more than 400 inventions and 200 patents bit on Marz Sprays in season four of ABC’s hit reality show, it was an omen the company would enjoy a flood of sales.
10 Keys To Success In Any Startup Job Interview
In a corporate environment, the focus of a job interview has long been demonstrating your match to the skills and experience outlined in the job description. In my experience with startups, that is still necessary, but not sufficient. Today’s business world has become totally customer driven, so customer-centric and people abilities really make the difference between winners and losers.
Why This Firm Knows That Online Fraud Will Double After October And That New York Gets Slammed
If there is one theme running through Forter's analysis it is the unobtrusive yet -- at least in retrospect -- forehead-slapping reasons why fraud occurs where it does.
In Conversation: Stripe's CEO On The Limitless Potential Of Payments
Stripe CEO Patrick Collison aims to build a Google-scale platform for online payment processing, he reveals in an interview.
Social Entrepreneur Straddles Two Cultures, Ultimately Succeeds In Both
Ajaita Shah, founder of Frontier Markets, a retail distributor of solar powered products in rural India, was born in the United States to Indian immigrants. Last year, she was recognized by Forbes as one of the 30 Under 30. This is the story of straddling two cultures and becoming a success in both.
#SmallBizHowTo: Your Sales Questions Answered
Last week, Forbes asked small business owners to tweet their questions about sales under #SmallBizHowTo. Thank you to everyone who participated!
When PR Goes Really Right (Or Dead Wrong)
These entrepreneurs and PR agencies have come up with unique ideas to excel in public relations.
The Top 10 Reasons Why Your Startup Needs Patents
This article is by David Pridham and Brad Sheafe, the chief executive officer and chief intellectual property officer, respectively, of the patent advisory and optimization firm Dominion Harbor Group.
5 Ways To Know If Joining A Startup Is Worth The Risk
Startups are risky—but less so if you look for these signs.
Jahia: Context Is King...In Mobile
When it comes to the Web, the market for content management has been around from the beginning. And there has certainly been lots of change along the way, especially with the growth of open source software.
7 Ways To Get Your Social Media Audience In A Physical Store
Social media marketing isn’t just for businesses that operate exclusively online; it can also be valuable for stores with a physical presence. Here are seven social media strategies you can use to get your social media audience to your physical location.
'We Just Cared More': How Facebook Succeeds With 'Foolish' Ideas
If the Clever-Foolish 2x2 is Silicon Valley’s strategic playbook, here is how Mark Zuckerberg has employed it in the past, and will employ it long into the future.
4 Bad Business Habits Of Small Business Owners... And What Can Help Them
The 6th annual Small Business Survey conducted by Wakefield Research for Brother International revealed that the majority of small business owners are ready to invest in their businesses - as well as let go of bad habits. Having surveyed 500 small business owners with 100 employees or less, the report identified that 54 percent of small business owners surveyed would prefer to invest in their businesses rather than stockpiling their profits - an 18‐percent swing in preference since 2010.
5 Ways To Transform Empathy Into Lifelong Success
Since the Industrial Revolution there have been three central themes in management: execution, expertise, and now empathy.
The Importance of Coupling Data with Humanity
When news broke about the inner workings of Amazon in Sunday’s New York Times article, I was positively riveted. Reading about how heavily the company is said to rely on data to evaluate employees got me thinking about the role of data in employee-related matters. Should those types of decisions be entirely data-centric, as seems to be the case at Amazon? Or should business leaders rely more on nuance and instinct when they’re making decisions about their people?
This Black Card Gets Millennials Everything They Want (Free Champagne, Private Jets) And Much More
I sat down for dinner at Santina, a trendy Italian restaurant next door to The New Whitney, when the waiter surprised my friend and me with a glass of bubbly. As soon as that was polished off, came a bottle of white. Then more bubbly.
Can Agencies Survive If They Continue To Cling To The Retainer Model?
More and more marketers are looking for an alternative way to work with agencies and, instead of long-term commitments and retainer arrangements, they work with agencies on a project-by-project basis.
Ohneka Farms Roadmap Video: Hydroponic Farming And The Internet Of Things
Ohneka Farms is building ROOT, a countertop smart planter that allows you to grow a variety of plants seamlessly with the swipe of a finger. Learn more about the founder's vision for the future of growing in this Roadmap Video on the convergence of hydroponic farming and the Internet of Things.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
SentryNet Aids & Educates Dealers About Impending 2G Sunset
SentryNet has begun to educate its dealers on what the looming 2016 sunset for all 2G communications will mean to them and their customers.
Flash Enables Next Generation Applications
Flash memory has enabled big data analytics, in-memory database processing and with the movement to 3D flash memory, this technology will assume an increasing presence in data centers and client devices. The result will be bigger storage in client devices as well as increasing sophistication in real-time data processing, faster responses to on-line searches and buying and even machine learning for autonomous vehicles.
Monday's Must-Reads For Entrepreneurs: Doing Business With Donald Trump
Today?s news and insights for business owners, including Jeff Bezos' response to the story about Amazon's management practices.
Marina Levinson's Path From CIO To Venture Capitalist
Marina Levinson has had a distinguished career as a CIO at multiple companies in Silicon Valley including NetApp and Palm. When she left the former company in September of 2011, she started a company that helped venture capitalists establish CIO advisory boards, among other things. As she became more involved with VCs, she discovered that it was a field of interest.
Dropbox Syncs Its Enterprise Strategy To Australia
Dropbox is a powerhouse in the consumer cloud storage space. It has 400 million registered users and is estimated to be turning over $400-$500 million in revenue. Yet many analysts question the company’s ability to justify a lofty $10 billion valuation, especially when many of its customers use it for free and the cloud storage market is becoming commoditized.
Monday, August 17, 2015
4 Ways To Give Your Follow-up Letter A Personal Touch (And Make The Recipient Feel Warm & Fuzzy)
Writing personalized thank-you notes after a job interview just got easier.
How To Develop Customer Loyalty For Your Product Or Service
On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their initial purchase. To increase the likelihood that your company sees, and benefits from, this repeat business, consider implementing these three measures.
Google Reveals Next Dessert Title: Android Marshmallow
Android 'M' finally advances out of its codename
With Cloud Computing, Managing Expectations Is Everything
As more enterprises adopt more cloud for important applications, they're finding they're dealing with new types of relationships, unlike anything they've encountered before. Unlike software purchases in the past, there's no longer an up-front installation, followed by tech support as needed. Instead, the relationship is more akin to a marriage in which the spouses not only live together, but also work together all day long -- 24x7. That means a highly co-dependent relationship. So cloud consumers need to expect their providers to have well-functioning data centers, running in top form at all times.
Star Wars Spinoff Film "Rogue One", Theme Park Attractions Announced
Side story will debut in Dec. 2016; boasts Godzilla director and award-winning cast
Why Windows 10's Cortana Could Start A Search Revolution
The term ?personal digital assistant? is still relatively new, but PDAs have grown to be quite integrated in mainstream society. Cortana isn?t revolutionary in its range of functionality, but its expansions, improvements, and unique position make it capable of heralding in some significant changes in user search behavior.
Should Universities Teach, But Not Promote, Entrepreneurship?
The reality of the entrepreneurial world ? that very few of the world?s entrepreneurs reach a significant degree of financial success ? is largely glossed over. And the supposed glamour of entrepreneurial success is promoted. This results in highly gifted students in leading-edge institutions dropping out to become the next Gates, Zuckerberg, Jobs, or Dell
No Such Thing As 'Failure' In The EdTech Innovation Ecosystem
There is a (deservedly) popular idea that entrepreneurs -- and indeed learners of all levels and kinds -- should fail and fail often (Richard Branson has put up a nice collection of quotes on this topic). Failure, rather than being “not an option,” as the popular saying goes, is actually a requirement in many circles, whether for generating street cred, finding your path, or simply finding the 10,000 ways that don’t work (as Edison famously put it).
Business And Marriage Do Not Go Together Like A Horse And Carriage
I live in Des Moines, Iowa, and lately I’ve seen a lot of presidential candidates come through town. They tend to make grand statements. Then, they insert qualifiers to their own pronouncements.
Content Marketing Doesn't Work
This may seem like an odd article coming from someone who makes their living in the content marketing world. But when I say that content marketing doesn’t work, it’s true. It doesn’t work for many companies because they either have the wrong expectations or the wrong creation and promotion strategies. And when content marketing isn’t deployed correctly, it doesn’t work.
I Used The Law Of Attraction To Find My Company's First Investor
In 2012, I was working evenings as a VIP Reservationist at one of the world's most exclusive restaurants, while designing small fashion collections, plodding toward my dream of becoming a fashion designer. The restaurant where I worked, was popular within the fashion and entertainment circles, and often rented its dining room to magazines like Vogue for in-book photo spreads. At the time, I was building relationships with an increasing amount of magazine editors who would profile my designs in their publications. The restaurant owners even let me shoot my collection’s lookbook at the venue, a $25K cost offered to me gratis.
Airbnb, Snapgoods and 12 More Pioneers Of The ?Share Economy?
Airbnb, Snapgoods and 12 More Pioneers Of The ?Share Economy?
The Uber Controversy Highlights A Key Question: Who Is The Boss In The Sharing Economy?
The recent controversy over whether Uber drivers are employees or independent contractors ignores the obvious: The answer is somewhere in between.
Why The SBA Raising The Lending Cap Is A Great Thing For Small Businesses
A couple weeks ago, the United States House of Representatives voted to increase the SBA’s lending authorization ceiling to $23.5 billion for the 7(a) loan guaranty program. This is a huge deal for small business owners and lenders, and a great sign for the future of the economy.
Advice as an Entrepreneur AND an Investor by Andy Pandharikar
Andy Pandharikar, founder of Tall Idea Labs, a startup studio with emphasis on startups with global potential, previously headed a San Francisco-based startup, FITIQUETTE, which was sold to India's Myntra/Flipkart and is now valued at $16 billion. Andy is now activly part of WizRocket and DreamFunded.
The Truth You Don't Want To Hear About Being Single And An Entrepreneur
There are a few struggles of being single and an entrepreneur that I?ve heard whispered in the circles of unmarried folk, who don?t dare to publicly acknowledge they might be missing out.
How This Hackathon Is Inspiring Students To Better Education
HackingEDU is inspiring college students to hack their way to a better educational future. The organization's inaugural Hackathon is coming up on October 23-25th at the San Mateo Event Center in San Francisco and is set to be the largest educational hackathon event in the world, bringing over 1,000 young and ambitious hackers from all over the country together to improve the landscape of higher education, while competing for over $100,000 in prizes.
Ryan Hoover of Product Hunt Shares His Startup Experience And A Sneak Peek Into 2016
Who doesn't know Product Hunt?
Group That Shelters Trafficked Girls In India Wins $10,000 Prize From A Social Enterprise
Sanlaap North America, a group that shelters trafficked girls in India and gives them job training, just won the top award at an MBA social enterprise competition run by CommonBond, itself a social enterprise.
Ritani, Kay Jewelers And Jared Tap Into Omni-Channel Experience To Attract Millennial Shoppers
An omni-channel marketing strategy has shifted from something that was merely a recommendation to something that is imperative for brand?s to succeed in the digital age. This is especially true for brands in the bridal industry that fall within the scope of a ?major purchase decision.?
5 Reasons Not To Buy An iPhone As Your Business Phone
At no time have I considered moving to an iPhone and I never recommend it to my clients.
How To Change Your Startup's Name: A Checklist
?Every single day that we wait to change our name, thousands of users are signing up and learning our old name."
How To Harness The Power Of The Hashtag As An Entrepreneur
Today’s entrepreneurs have to start businesses in a culture of intense social media activity. In case you haven’t noticed, this social media thing is kind of a big deal.
Newsjack Like A Pro With These Secrets
At its worst, newsjacking denotes the tasteless and foolish pitches that erupt like heat-seeking missiles in the aftermath of current events. At it's best, however, it's brilliant.
Four Seasons Leader Isadore Sharp: Treat Employees Right So They Treat Customers Right
Starting from a modest offshoot of his family?s construction business, Four Seasons founder and chairman Isadore Sharp has built one of the great brands and organizations in the hospitality industry.
Should You Build A Business With Your Best Friends? 6 Pros And Cons
Starting a business with your best friends has big ups and downs, as Aron Susman found out firsthand.
Airbnb Meets The Bates Motel: Crisis Lessons For The Overly Trusting Traveler
What happens when your Airbnb host turns into Norman Bates? (Or your guest turns out to be the Zodiac killer?) It is indefensable how ill-prepared Airbnb, Uber, and a host of other trust-based sharing companies are for crisis, and customer and provider protection when trust goes awry. Trust is hard won but easily lost, the saying goes. But in the new sharing economy, it actually might be the exact opposite: trust is too easily given, and too hard lost. And the lessons, to individuals as well as companies, are tough.
Did A Pivot Pass You By?
Let?s face it - situations change. When you started your company you knew the market, had a plan, and probably executed it with precision and focus. Even if you did everything right, and had a good solid run, you may find yourself facing a changing business environment. So, before you hunker
Action Will Shift Back To Beijing With The City's Olympics Nod
The action will shift back to Beijing from Shanghai with the capital city's recent selection to host the Winter Games.
Losing Customers Over Poor Service? Lessons From TD Bank & Big Ass Fans On Overcoming Indifference
Studies have shown that 68% of customers leave a business relationship because of a perceived attitude of indifference on the part of the company. Perception is everything. Perhaps employees aren't actually indifferent?it's perceived that they don't care. Lack of warmth in business could be killing your bottom line. This post looks at how TD Bank and Big Ass Fans demonstrate they care via communication and follow-up.
Don't Try This At Home: Why Amazon's Culture Isn't Right For Your Business
If you haven’t already read The New York Time’s fantastic article on the culture and management practices of Amazon, you should. The piece sheds new light on how Amazon pushes its corporate employees to conform to the company’s vision of productivity through a combination of cultural reinforcement and a unique system of management. Almost immediately after it was published yesterday, I saw my social networks light up with conversation as many leaders whom I respect weighed in on the merits of Amazon’s approach.
Reminder From Apple: The Watch Is Also A Beautiful Timepiece
"Jobs spent a lot of time understanding Brands like Porsche and how to protect them. Cook's background is on the operations side, which means he thinks in terms of volumes not exclusivity."
Are Crazy ROI Metrics Destroying Branding and Storytelling?
Discounting the power of storytelling for branding and obsessing over the numbers can get content marketers into trouble. Harness your brand story, continue to nurture these efforts over time, and don't rely on the numbers for the whole story.
FLYTE Nonprofit For Education In Youth Travel Kicks Off
Nomadic Matt or Matt Kepnes is known by many as the traveler, author and personality behind the seminal budget guides including How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, and through the course of his career he's built an admirable following of avid travelers. This month, Mr. Kepnes and his team are applying that influence to a new type of venture: a charitable foundation.
What Your Lawyers Don't Tell You About Bankruptcy
With all the ads on television, radio, and the Internet, you'd think that personal bankruptcy is an easy option for your financial woes. Wrong! My first suggestion: Get a bankruptcy lawyer (and make sure they have the right credentials. My next suggestion: Do your research. And, lastly: Talk to family.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Reports Of The Death Of Employer Sponsored Health Insurance Are Greatly Exaggerated
Mark Twain famously remarked ?The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated?. The same can be said of the death of employer sponsored health insurance (?ESHI?). It will be with us for many years because it creates strong value for many employers and employees.
Yes, Small Businesses Can Learn From The Way This Government Agency Turned Itself Around
Bob Geis: ?The stress of starting on the journey to turnaround the financial picture was tremendous. Today, we laugh about the stress relief balls that I destroyed in the process, but we weren?t laughing then. Every day there was at least one new alligator ?and we knew we had to find a way to drain the swamp.?
Dun & Bradstreet's CMO On Leading Change In A Dynamic Environment
To get a glimpse into the life of today?s marketers, I?m talking with a variety of CMOs as part of my CMO Insight Series. Interviews include CMOs from large firms (i.e., Jeff Jones from Target), start-up firms (i.e., Brent Walker from C2B Solutions, a healthcare services firm) and different industries (Ken Thewes from Regal Cinemas, Jim McGinnish from Intuit, and Steve Cook from Samsung) . This article focuses on a business-to-business (B2B) perspective with insight from Dun and Bradstreet?s CMO Rishi Dave, the former head of digital marketing for Dell?s B2B enterprise business.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
NAPCO StarLink Co-Sponsors Event Benefiting Mission 500, Kids in Need
NAPCO Security Technologies Inc, Amityville, N.Y., announced its StarLink universal cellular alarm communicator brand, will co-sponsor a softball game benefiting U.S. children in need, Sep. 12, 2015, in Overpeck County Parks N.J.
Hilton Launches Mobile Room Key
Hilton Worldwide introduced a mobile app that lets guests use their smartphone as a room key.
Security-Net Welcomes Three New Member Companies
Security-Net, a global provider of security integration services, announced that three member companies from across North America have joined the organization, bringing its membership to more than twenty.
Monitronics Forges Partnership With NASCAR Race Team
Monitronics Security announced a partnership with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team.
Surveillance Systems Inc. Opens New Headquarters, Supports Veterans Non-profit
Surveillance Systems Incorporated (SSI) is opening its new headquarters and is giving back to the community and veterans across the nation with its favored non-profit, Allegiant Giving.
Real Time Video Platforms For Broadcasters And Rights Holders Are Bringing Sports Clips To Newsfeeds
Real time sports video clips are coming to social sharing sites like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. 2 year old start-up Grabyo, backed by star footballers like Thierry Hennry and Tony Parker, has raised $2m to build a platform from which rights holders can curate and distribute content across social media and partner with advertisers and sponsors to create social media campaigns
Investing In Lawsuits Is Heating Up, Aided By Electronic Platform
A new electronic platform for investing in lawsuits shows strong interest.
What Kind Of Opportunities Are Lost Without Women Investors?
In startups, only 7% of women co-founders receive funding and a mere 6% of all venture capitalists are women. All stats and signs point to needing more women in tech and venture capital. If businesses want to capitalize on opportunities that target a diverse customer base, then they need to truly diversify the business itself.
Why We Ditched A Quarter Of Our Business
Startups often adapt to fit the existing market, and for a clothing company, that means devoting a lot of your resources to wholesale. Or does it?
7 Retail Trends That Will Shape How You Shop In 2015
7 Retail Trends That Will Shape How You Shop In 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
Some Companies Succeed While Others Fail - Kris Jones, Founder of KBJ Capital Tells Us Why
As the Founder of KBJ Capital and a long-time investor in all types of companies, Kris Jones has learned a lot in his seventeen-year career that can serve as great lessons for entrepreneurs, especially those who are just starting out. Kris has considerable knowledge as to why certain businesses succeed, while others fail. I sat down with him recently to hear about his investment strategy, deal sources, and advice for startups – plus he allowed me to pick his brain about the investors he admires the most.
What defines your investment strategy?
I invest in people over ideas. That means I’m looking for those entrepreneurs who are destined for success, with or without my help, but who can, with my involvement, achieve a much greater outcome. I'm obsessed with teaching the companies I invest in everything I know about how to win in business and avoid failure. When I make an investment, I tend to get very involved at different stages -- so much so that I even take on significant roles without taking the title that typically goes along with that job. For instance, with several of my portfolio companies, I've had to step in at times as CEO or head of sales to save a client or close a deal.
Android Circuit: Galaxy Note 5 Abandons Loyal Users, Google Kills Google, Samsung's Dangerous Gamble
This week’s Android Circuit includes the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ Launch, the first hands-on reviews of the handset, how the new phablets can save Samsung, why the Note 5 is Samsung's biggest risk to date, details on Google's new parent company, Sundar Pichai's new role, the impact of Alphabet on Android, Google's ongoing security issues, HTC's market price, and a warning for Android gamers over Bethesda's Fallout Shelter.
When VCs Walk Through The Door Customer Service Flies Out Of The Window
Is this a harsh thing to say, or is there a semblance of truth in it? Or even worse, is this the norm?
Many Android Devices Still Vulnerable To 'Stagefright' Flaw Despite Patch From Google
Google issued an update for Android to address Stagefright—a major security vulnerability in the mobile OS—but researchers now claim the “fix” can be bypassed and the vulnerability can still be exploited.
What Was Old Is New Again -- The Power Of Nostalgia Marketing
Shockingly I am going to make a pop culture reference to start off this article. I am being quite sarcastic for if you know me, you know of my penchant for infusing pop culture into everything. Yes, everything.
The Oldest Profession Is Not What You Think
Contrary to what you've heard, selling is the oldest profession in the world, because “In the beginning,” the serpent sold Eve the apple. You might say she bought wholesale and then sold the apple retail to Adam. And as we now know, that was one expensive transaction.
Even Yankee Joe Girardi Has An App: The 30 Under 30 Alumn Who Made It Happen
Last week the baseball great headed to Times Square to announce the release of ?Portball,? the world?s first-ever sci-fi reality baseball game, in collaboration with NYC-based mobile app development agency Appetizer Mobile.
How to Get the Best Business Loan Terms Possible With the Three C's
Borrowing money can make or break a business. It can make a business if you borrow money on favorable terms. But it can break a business if the terms of repaying the loan squeeze your cash flow to death--or if you can’t qualify for a loan on any terms.
3 Unexpected Reasons Why Smart Entrepreneurs Always Secure A Line of Credit
If someone you trust offered you the business opportunity of a lifetime, but you had to find or temporarily borrow $100,000 in the next 72 hours, could you do it?
The Entrepreneur's 8-Step Checklist For Taking A Business Risk
Becoming wildly successful is the result of a combination of factors — pure chance, hard work, and taking risks.
Personalizing Digital Shopping A Bag At A Time: How Tumi Is Enriching Engagement
Perhaps the most surprising thing Tumi learned is that men window-shop.
Travel Blogger Denied Tax Writeoff For European Backpacking Trip
Blogging is fun! But profitable? HA!
Early Morning Call: How One Entrepreneur Is Taking On The Money Transfer Giants
Telephones have always been a fundamental part of the remittance process, Ahmed Ismail says with a wry laugh; when they ring early in the morning, it tends to be costly.
Why Google's Recent Alphabet Announcement Is Pure Genius
By now you have surely heard that Google has formed a parent company called Alphabet that will act as the mothership for all of the various ventures that Google is involved in including Calico (their longevity program), Google (search, advertising, etc), Google X (their labs division), and others. There have been many great article already written about what this means and why the company is doing it. Reasons have ranged from tax benefits and budget planning to legal reasons and innovation priorities.
10 Healthcare Technology Disruptors To Watch (All Led By Women)
Many women cite their company's outdated maternity leave policies, lack of flexible work arrangements or salaries that are inadequate to cover the costs of childcare as their main reasons for exiting the tech industry. But not all sectors of tech are experiencing a female exodus. Women seem to be flourishing in healthcare technology. A study recently released by XX in Health, a national organization fostering female leadership in healthcare, found that women make up 78% of the healthcare workforce, and that firms with female leadership yield greater returns for investors.
Kentucky Man Faces up to 10 Years in Prison for Shooting Drone Trespasser
Drone was hovering over his property, appeared to be filming defendant's daughters; owner confronted him but was not charged
HotelTonight Checks Into Australia To Make Hotels On Demand
Since travel deal site Wotif was acquired by Expedia, hotel rates of domestic Australian hotels have steadily appreciated. That’s why hotel-goers in Australia will welcome the launch of HotelTonight, the pioneer of mobile-only last minute hotel deals, to bring competitiveness back.
How To Get The Best Advisors To Join Your Crew And Support Your New App
Ready to develop your mobile app? Learn exactly what to do to get the best advisors and investors on board.
'Rage Against The Dying Of The Light': How Entrepreneurs Can Persevere
My favorite poem is by the early 20th century Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas. It reads:
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Why The World's Fastest Runners Are Walking For Peace
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich can run a marathon inside two hours and four minutes, Ezekiel Kemboi is a three-time steeplechase world title-holder and Tegla Loroupe, the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon, holds the world record for 20, 25 and 30km.
Crushing It Via Customer-Centricity: How USAA Insurance Succeeds Without Geckos And Flying Pigs
Animated geckos? Flying pigs? Those are the other guys. USAA Insurance, sans gimmicks and animation and an endless loop of radio and TV commercials, has built one of the most successful insurance and financial services operations of our time And they've done it essentially through a strategy of customer centricity. While there are other strategies for building a successful business, in our era of the customer, being customer-centric is one of the best, and I’d like to recommend it (as, full disclosure, a customer service and customer-centricity consultant) for your consideration.
Why Institutional Investors Are Dominating Small Business Lending
After the "credit crunch," alternative lenders jumped into the marketplace and made quick funding decisions. They were willing to provide capital at a time when traditional lenders would not.
How Mentors Shape Moguls, CEOs, Celebrities, And The Next Generation Of Leaders
I believe that genuinely high-quality guides can positively influence the minds of both young and older people. As we progress through the phases in our lives, it is wise to garner support from caring and wise mentors, coaches, and cheerleaders as a core component of our support systems.
7 Social Media Platforms That Could Explode Before 2016
We’re already more than halfway through 2015, but I’d wager we’ll see at least some of the following platforms rise up in some way by the end of 2016.
Kristian Harloff And Mark Ellis: The Art Of Building An Online Following
Their YouTube channel has amassed nearly 200,000 YouTube subscribers, and over 50 million video views and continues to grow on a daily basis as they publish movie reviews, box office updates and podcasts that feature actors from the movies they review.
Jumptuit Roadmap Video: A New Search Bar For Your Data At Facebook, Google and Dropbox
Jumptuit aims to connect all of your cloud accounts in a single place so that you can access your files without the hassle. Watch this Roadmap Video to learn more about the founder's vision for the future of data storage and Andrew Weinreich's commentary on the business opportunity.
Crowdsourcing Platform Isn't Liable For Fraudulent Fundraiser
Congress' immunity for user-generated content websites plays a huge role in the crowdsourcing industry
This Is The New Tech Reinventing Old, Mainstream Industries
There are two ways technology can change our lives. The first by being brand new -- technologies such as the phone, the plane, television and computers. The second is by radically transforming an existing industry -- like cable and satellite TV, mobile phones, or the shift from storage mediums like records and DVDs to all-digital devices.
Are These The Best Cities For Women Entrepreneurs?
Building a high-growth company does take a village. And for women entrepreneurs, Chicago looks like a pretty good one to live in.
Thinking About Spending On Marketing? Make Sure You Answer These Three Questions First
The abstract nature of marketing and the uncertainty that goes along with launching a new initiative is enough to drive a founder to the brink. Fortunately, the decision process doesn’t have to be as painful as we often make it out to be.
The Big Social Security Disconnect In Americans' Retirement Plans
More Americans plan to rely on the government program, but they aren’t confident of its future and know little about its condition.
Does The Truth Hurt? You Must Have An 'Insultant' On The Job
Contrary to its name, the actions of an insultant are far from insulting. It means “consulting from an insider,” and its role isn’t to appear with a hammer, lambasting everything good about your company. Instead, the insight comes from within as he or she provides critical yet constructive insight on ways to make your company operate more efficiently through innovation and improvisation.
6 Emerging Female Entrepreneurs To Watch In Africa
Meet 6 outstanding young emerging women entrepreneurs in Africa
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