Stunning Photos Of Google's Massive Data Centers

The Rags To Riches Story Of Britain's Thriftiest Multi-Millionaire

He's just sold his business for almost $100million, but entrepreneur Mark Pearson isn't about to get flash with the cash. Having made his money by helping ordinary people save a bit of their own, profligacy just isn't his style. When I meet the man behind MyVoucherCodes.com in an unassuming wine bar near London's Tower Bridge, he doesn't seem in the mood to take a holiday, despite his windfall. In fact, he barely seems willing to pause for breath, yet alone take a few days away from work.

$100 Million Later, The Ice Bucket Challenge May Not Lower Your Taxes After All

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Generated Unprecedented Hype and $100M in a Month. But Some People May Run Afoul of IRS Donation Rules.

Dynamic Pricing in a Post-Uber World

Not only is dynamic pricing becoming a part of mainstream retail, but new data points are also being thrown into the mix that will impact even more the final price.

How Disruptive Are Disruptive Financial Innovations Really?

New companies and technologies continually claim to be 'disrupting' the way businesses currently operate. But how transformative are they really/

19 Emerging Markets Startups that Offer a Window onto the Future

The winners of a global entrepreneurship competition offer some insight into some of the trends shaping business in emerging markets.

Review Of "Collective Genius: The Art And Practice Of Leading Innovation"

By David Slocum

Top Hotel Chains Get Healthier, Boost Free Food Options

Free hotel breakfasts get healthier: Find out which budget chain hotels now offer healthy options at the breakfast bar.

Need A Peach? Hamptons Cousins Have You Covered

Farming is not what comes to mind as the typical Hamptons experience. But for the Raymond Halsey clan who are 12th generation farmers in Water Mill, New York, it is in their blood.

London's Newest Distillery Plans To Spark Craft Spirit Revolution

Entrepreneur Alex Wolpert has opened east London’s first new distillery in 100 years to make artisanal gins, vodka and, soon, whiskeys. Are craft spirits set to overtake craft beers as the new “it” product for hipsters?

How To Be Wrong

Being wrong from time to time is inevitable. Knowing how to be wrong is a crucial survival skill  - as I explained in a previous post,  being wrong, and accepting it, is a necessary step towards being right. If you need the proof, think how many organisations change CEOs because they need to change strategy. The new person isn't usually any more competent than the previous one, they are just less invested in the old strategy that has stopped working. Or, to put it even more starkly, sometimes the alternative to accepting you are wrong is unemployment. Given that is it such an important skill, how do we cultivate being wrong, making it more acceptable both to ourselves and others? Here are some strategies  which you might find useful (or you might not. I'm fine with that possibility).

The Least Profitable Businesses In The U.S.

If you love your business but you’re not making any money, how long will you love it?

Rethinking The 'Hidden Rule Book Of Habit' For Boardrooms - And The Need For Cake

The trouble with publicly listed company boardrooms has been an entrenched tendency to equate convention with best practice. While the UK corporate governance code relies on 'toning from the top' for the best results, the sanctity of that top echelon, the boardroom, has rarely been questioned. That is, until now - and increasingly by two young women running a company called Board Intelligence.

Why I Am More Excited About Google's Project Loon Than Project Wing

Project Loon's goal is to deliver Internet access to people in rural and remote areas, fill in coverage gaps and bring people back online after natural disasters via a network of balloons.

American Tech Entrepreneurs Take UN's Stage

The UN Foundation tries to tap into socially responsible entrepreneurs.

8 Ways To Transform Your Customer Service, Starting Today

I swear I'm not trying to put myself out of business with this article, though it may seem that way: Bread and butter for a customer service consultant are comprehensive customer service improvement and customer experience initiatives, started at a logical point and encompassing everything necessary to sustain them.

Sequoia's $12M Funding For Aussie Startup Sets Stage For More

Financing for Australian startups has lagged behind other developed markets but progress is being made.

Coming To A Timeline Near You: The Fight To Increase Minimum Wage

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Monday in September wasn't originally set aside for cook outs, college football, consumer sales, and mourning those languid days of summer past. No, Labor Day as first celebrated by a coalition of unions in New York City in 1882, was created to show "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families."

Secrets For Scaling A Service Business

Alex McClafferty and Dan Norris founded WP Curve, a service that provides 24-hour tech support for WordPress blogs, in July 2013, while living thousands of miles apart. McClafferty is based in San Francisco, while Norris lives in Australia—and the two have never met in person.

How To Avoid A Speeding Ticket

I was driving down a San Diego freeway with my brother in my wife's bright red Mustang convertible -- at 80 MPH. Coming around a curve, I spotted a highway patrol motorcycle cop with a radar gun. Before the cop had even got his bike started, I was slowing down and pulling over...

Gems TV Founder: Why I Sold Then Bought Back My Own Business

It is never easy for an entrepreneur to see the business they built go down the pan as soon as they have sold it. Yet Gems TV founder Steve Bennett says that he witnessed his company turn into a “disaster” before he bought it back.

The Most Interesting Man Revolutionizing The Health World

He wrote his first world-renowned book at the age of 26. On weekends he recites love poems (ghazals) on Voice of America. He casually – and humbly – references his more than 70 patents that range from aging wine to chewing gum to bioreactors to air scrubbing systems at his infamous Chicago wine parties. And his mustache rules his twitter feed. In 2013 he was awarded the Star of Distinction, the highest civil award by the Government of Pakistan, for his inventions that are making significant impact in developing countries. He has written over 50 books, well over 100 research papers, and hundreds more articles in the field of science, philosophy, rhetoric, poetry and religion, drawing thousands of hits per day on his blog. Dr. Sarfaraz Niazi might just be the most interesting man in the world, but he is certainly the most interesting man pursuing biosimilars in the United States.

YouTube Star Uses Sugar To Attract An Army Of Followers

If you’ve got the personality and passion to pull it off, YouTube can be an invaluable tool for building or growing a business and raking in cash with little overhead. You just have to be good at something. Sydney, Australia’s Ann Reardon is good at making deserts. On her YouTube channel, How To Cook That, she’s demonstrated how to make hundreds of sugary dishes that have somehow amassed her an army of fans—and a heaping helping of income.

Want To Sell More? Think Like A Doctor

If you went to the doctor, hopped on the table, and he quickly announced that you’ll need heart surgery, you’d be horrified – and really confused. How did he get to that conclusion? What’s the matter? Obviously this isn’t how it works at your doctor’s office, and here’s a hint – it shouldn’t be the way it works for your sales team either.   People are not going to buy your wares until they’re convinced that you can solve the problem they’re experiencing. People need to feel understood. Prior to any meeting, you’ll go through as much information as you can find on a company to get a complete picture, just like a doctor would check her patient’s chart before entering the exam room. For example, if your patient was an obese, middle-aged man who’s been smoking Marlboros since before he could drive a car and eating fast food twice a day every day for decades, you’d know he’s going to need heart surgery. To you, this is the obvious solution. However, when he gets on that table, you don’t just jump to that – start by taking his blood pressure, getting cholesterol levels and figuring out where it hurts. End up at “point B,” through his explanation – even though you knew that before laying eyes on him. This is no different in a sales meeting: you’ve determined what product they need but work backward toward that by asking appropriate questions that bring out the problems they’re experiencing, leading to that very solution. It’s a human need to feel understood by others, so placate this. Once they’ve gotten through their story, make a recommendation based on what you’ve heard and your professional opinion. Make it clear they got you to “point B” on their own, even if you had a sense of where you’d end up before calling their receptionist.  You can’t suggest treatment without first diagnosing the patient, which benefits both parties in the equation.

What Every Angel Should Know Before Writing The First Check

Consider the temptation. The young entrepreneur is charismatic and smart. The new product is very cool. And the technology behind it is ground breaking. With all that, investing in this company seems like a slam dunk. Maybe, maybe not. But before you invest, make sure you’re evaluating not only this particular opportunity, but also how it fits into your bigger “angel strategy.”

Employees Who Work At Home Are More Productive Than Office-Dwellers

At-home employees made, on average, 13.5% more calls per week than their counterparts in the office. This translated into roughly a whole extra work day every week, and all because of a simple change in scenery.

Strange And Wonderful Bedfellows: Private Equity And Employee Ownership

Some of the smartest people in private equity are now partnering with ESOPs to buy companies.

Big Data's Two-Way Customer Conundrum

By now, we all get it – big data is a big deal because it’s essentially the capitalist answer to marketing perfection. In other words, big data can deliver a real-time view of a customer base and segments that allow for previously impossible targeting, customization and personalization. With big data, marketing and advertising teams can better coax customers down a sales funnel until significant, potentially unlimited, ROI is reached.

Dollar Store Duel Shows Terms Don't Matter If The Deal Falls Through

Last Monday, Dollar General bid $8.9 billion for competitor Family Dollar Stores.   This bid exceeded the $8.5 billion offer offer previously made by Dollar Tree Stores.  The companies are vying to buy Family Dollar Stores, the second largest chain in the dollar-store sector.

The 10 Best Jobs For Introverts

The Intricacies of Networking to Find a Job

Lately, there has been a spike in the number of articles that have been written on networking to find a job. While this is not a new concept, the overarching view of networking does bear some fundamental flaws.

Lost & Found IRS Emails Suggest Smidgen Of Confusion, Or Worse

Over a Year Into the IRS Targeting Scandal, It Turns Out Those Lost Lois Lerner Emails May Exist After All. At a Minimum, After all the Platitudes, It's a Smidgen Embarrassing.

Whopper? Microsoft Skirts Billions In Taxes, Google, HP & Apple Have It Their Way Too

Inversions Aren't the Only Offshore Game. Microsoft and other Giants Don't Need Inversions To Avoid Billions in U.S. Taxes Offshore.

How To Get Good At Things By Being Bad First

Having a hard time learning new things? Try this.

Expert Says We Can Reduce Fossil Fuel Use 80 Percent With Existing Technology

Amory Lovins, a "recovering physicyst" who founded and now leads the Rocky Mountain Institute, is the author of Reinventing Fire and a Forbes contributor who says that existing technology allows us to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent. For this article he provided a quick explanation of his ideas:

The United States now wrings more than twice as much work from its energy as it did 40 years ago, yet most of the energy used today is still wasted. We can now save twice as much as I then claimed (to much ridicule), but at a third the real cost. With the best modern techniques, more efficiently converting energy into the same or better services can save, for example, about ⅔ to ¾ of the energy we use in buildings (with a 33% IRR), half in industry (21% IRR), and ≥4/5 in transportation (17% IRR)). "Integrative design"—optimizing buildings, factories and industrial equipment, and vehicles as whole systems for multiple benefits, not isolated components for single benefits—can often make big savings cost less than small or no savings, turning diminishing returns into expanding returns.

When The Cause Was Glorious: The Fields Of Gettysburg And The Nature Of Philanthropy

We speak nowadays of "social entrepreneurs" and "crowd-funding" - of "building a cause" and working to make it "go viral." Donating, and volunteering, and service to a larger communitarian good are all readily programmed and semi-formal. There are structures, and programs, and networks, and software, a guidelines for it all. Then we put it on Facebook and Twitter, where nonprofits and social ventures compete for attention and the same pool of dollars.

Who are your organization's superheroes? Hint: Look beyond the C-Suite

In a world of increasing specialization, the people in your organization that blur the lines between functional areas are incredibley valuable.

The 12 Essential Elements Of High-Quality Content

"Quality content" is far more than just a buzzword marketers throw around for fun.

On The Front Lines Of Ebola: My Interview With An Entrepreneur In Liberia

I spend most days focused on the core mission of my organization, Root Capital: providing finance for small and growing agricultural businesses in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. But all too often, I’m confronted with harrowing reminders of the larger challenges facing our clients and the vulnerable communities they represent.

Debut Author Hits The Jackpot With Novel About Alzheimer's

Without an advance or a publishing contract, Matthew Thomas devoted 10 years to writing a semi-autobiographical novel. His investment has paid off.

Why You Are At Risk Of Phishing Attacks (And Why JP Morgan Chase Customers Were Targeted Last Week)

A significant phishing attack took place last week. Why are people still falling prey to such a simple scam? And why are you at risk?

What Leadership Will Look Like In 20 Years

Let’s face it, most of us are addicted technology futurists. Who doesn’t enjoy speculating about what technology marvels will be commonplace in the coming decades? Will it be 3D printing? Artificial intelligence? “Singularity”? All are buzzwords of the emerging technology future.

Why I Drive The Anti-Tesla

“Nice car!  Which year is it?”  It was an unexpected moment.  A pop question out of the blue, from another driver to me.

Renamed Bank Still Focused On Building Community

One PacificCoast Bank is rebranding itself to better reflect its social justice agenda as Beneficial State Bank.

China's Movie Industry: All That Glitters Isn't Gold

The Chinese movie industry has never been so shocked as it’s been by two 31-year-old Forbes celebrities: Guo Jingming and Han Han. Guo’s Tiny Times 3 is the latest sequel of a film franchise adapted from his own novel of the same name which sold 1.4 million copies within two months after being published. Tiny Times 3 was on 45% of China’s movie screens after its June 7 premier pulled in revenues of over RMB 110 million, a record for domestic 2D films. A few weeks later on July 24 Han Han’s Continent premiered as well, and by now has made more than RMB 700 million. Both movies unseated Transformers: Age of Extinction to take the top spot at China’s box office.

H&R Cell Block? Tax Refund Scam From Prison Yields....More Prison

H&R Cell Block? Some Tax Return Refund Scams Are Run From Prison, Embarrassing For the IRS and Prison Authorities.

The Customer In A Plastic Bubble: A Customer Service Training Secret

This article reveals a subtle secret you need to know in order to provide superior customer service. So gather 'round and listen closely to what I have to say.  It's a little weird, but it's worth it.

Activate Your Company's Potential by Teaming Up With a University

Top-notch talent is critical for any business. For a growing company, universities are the perfect place to hunt for the most ambitious and passionate entry-level employees.

Centscere, The Startup That Lets You Donate While Posting On Facebook, Is Getting Ready To Scale

Social media users have been called in many ways, not all of them flattering: narcissistic, tech addicted, self centered, to name a few. There's probably some truth in this, although critics sometimes seem to compare the current situation to a pre-Facebook golden age, where everybody was altruist and full of friends; an era that exists - I'm afraid - only in their imagination. Technology, as it has often been said, it's neither good nor evil: it's in the way that you use it.

Marijuana Taxes Are Upheld, But Paying Them Could Incriminate You

As Marijuana Goes Mainstream, Taxes Are Big Business, But Even Paying Them Could Be Self-Incrimination Since Federal Law Still Says It's a Crime.

'There's A Spy Inside My Minibar': Why Customer Service Surprises Are Hazardous, Online And Off

Too much of a good thing in customer service and the customer experience can sometimes be the worst thing possible. Here's how to stop intruding on your customers and start building a successful customer experience instead

Formula One's Billion Dollar Man

Formula One made history last month when it announced that the Mexican Grand Prix will return to its calendar in 2015. The event in Mexico City returns after a 23-year absence but this isn’t the only reason why the announcement was historic.

How To Attack A Vertical Market

When it comes to competing in the tech space, focus is certainly key. And one approach is to target a vertical – and hopefully, it is a large one!

Why Multi-Tasking Is Worse Than Marijuana For Your IQ

What makes you more stupid – smoking marijuana, emailing while talking on the phone or losing a night’s sleep? Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London studied 1,100 workers at a British company and found that multitasking with electronic media caused a greater decrease in IQ than

7 Things A Business Leader Must Understand About Customer Service

Seven principles of customer service that business leaders often get wrong, from Apple, Ritz-Carlton and others.

How To Create Incredible Customer Service Through The 'Small Data' Advantage

Small data is a customer service and business-growth powerhouse. Far more than the much-hyped Big Data, small data gives you the power to improve your customer service and to stimulate and support successful business expansion.

Manny Pacquiao Lands $75 Million Blow In Tax Evasion Case

Boxer Manny Pacquiao Is Fighting the IRS With One Fist, the Philippine Tax Man With the Other. A Court Ruling Hands Him a $75 Million Victory---For Now.

From The C-Suite: B2B Sales Strategies That Work...Really Well

My biggest successes in selling to other businesses have come from focusing on the goal of helping them sell more of their products/services to their customers.

Successful Exit Strategy Secrets: Know How To Get Out Before You Get In

Is it rude to think about how to leave someone the first time you meet him? Perhaps. But in the risky world of angel investing, top angels think about the exit the first time they meet the entrepreneur.

G-20 Plans For World Without Tax Evasion

G-20 finance ministers and central bankers gather in Australia next month to make life difficult for tax dodgers.

The Transparency Wave

I don’t know the number of times the words “transparent” or “transparency” have been used in popular print, on the internet, in business materials, or in casual conversation in the past year, but the figure has to be substantial.  (Google calculates the frequency online at nearly half a billion.  Confining your search to “corporate transparency” yields a more modest, but still significant, 138,000 citations.)

In The Long Run, The Rest Of The World May Gain From California's Severe Drought

California's drought poses a significant problem for its residents, but it also represents a fertile market for water start-ups and a test bed for new technologies that may benefit the rest of the country in the long run.

Why To Back A Bitcoin Start-Up

I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but I know it will.     A new financial order is emerging which will be radically more transparent than the system which has not fundamentally renovated itself since the crisis of 2008.    PPI scandals.   Libor rigging.    On and on it goes.   The financial services industry fundamentally lost sight of the simple fact that it is not an industry; it’s a service industry to industry.    Its job is to back the industrialists of the day.

On-Demand Beauty, Wellness App PRIV Aims For Amazon Success

Instant delivery and other on-demand services have flooded the startup world in the last year, prompting some to question their sustainability and draw comparisons to the dot-com bubble. But the speculation isn’t discouraging to PRIV, an app that brings makeup and hair professionals, nail technicians, masseuses, and personal trainers to New Yorkers’ doors.

Great Customer Service Requires Custom Fitting: How To Personalize The Customer Experience

Small data is a customer service and business-growth powerhouse. Far more than the much-hyped Big Data, small data gives you the power to improve your customer service and to stimulate and support successful business expansion.

China's Smartphone Maker Coolpad Dives Deep Into E-Commerce

“Go online or go home” seems to be the ethos of retail in China these days. Even at the risk of having a lower profit margin, Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad is determined to charge ahead in the e-commerce battle.

Bassential Products Wood Coat Rack with Hooks

This deluxe wood coat rack is made with quality wood craftsmanship. Rack has a red wood finish and three gold colored racks. Includes hardware for easy installation. Dimensions are 11 7/8" x 2 3/4" x 5/8".

• Great for closets, mudrooms and entryways
• Racks so you'll be able to hang coats, hats, and jackets with ease
• Includes hardware for easy installation
• Great as an accessory holder in the closet, bathroom or mudroom
• 100% Money Back Guarantee

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJTD3MC

Blood And Business: How D'Addario Fine-Tuned A Family Enterprise That Avoids The Drama

It’s no secret that blood is thicker than water. But family businesses can often find the ties that bind to be either a shot in the arm or a pain in the neck.

Deconstructing Management Fees In Alternative Funds

Without a doubt, money is the primary driving factor in private equity and hedge funds. Lucrative fees are paid to talented fund managers by investors eager to earn high returns on their investments. Although much attention is paid to the 20% incentive allocation paid to successful managers, either in the form of “carried interest” for private equity funds or “performance fees” for hedge funds, management fees can provide for substantial revenue streams, especially as these funds grow bigger and bigger.

Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Loses Fight For Marshall Millions

Dannielynn Marshall loses her last chance at winning money from the estate of her mother's husband, J. Howard Marshall II.

Stash Or Trash Your Fashion Finds With The Swipe Of A Finger

Jessica Wilson dropped out of college after her counselor told her that she “didn’t have it in her” to make her dream fashion career a reality. Then Jessica dreamed even bigger, connected the dots between fashion and technology and is now the 22-year-old cofounder of Stashd, an iPhone app that lets you stash or trash your favorite fashion finds with the swipe of your finger.

How Millennials Can Become Millionaires

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the amount of student debt, choice of college major or even past interview failures that prevent many recent graduates from achieving wealth.

Why Good Is Better Than Perfect

“A good plan today is better than a perfect one tomorrow” – General George Patton

Case Foundation, Omidyar Network Back White House Effort To Spur Impact Investing

Several weeks ago, the U.S. National Advisory Board to the Social Impact Investment Task Force met at the White House to discuss its newly issued report, "Private Capital, Public Good: How Smart Federal Policy Can Galvanize Impact Investing--and Why It's Urgent."

Why Your Company Blog Shouldn't Be About Your Company

Ask yourself a few questions: What are your favorite types of blogs? Which ones do you subscribe to and look forward to reading? Which ones do you consider a good use of your valuable time?

Over Crowded Funding: Is The Accelerator Bubble About To Burst

We can all agree that choice is a wonderful thing. We can also agree that competition is generally regarded as healthy. But then again, for a small fish, in a big pond, deciding which predator to expose your soft underbelly too is a choice of the Hobson variety, and as such not a particularly welcome one.

Polio Victim Overcomes Disability, Speaks Out

Alem Mumuni contracted polio at the age of two in Ghana, a place where few people ever overcome the burdens of the crippling disease, but he has beaten them all, becoming a well educated, world-class athlete.

Social Entrepreneurs Fund Scholarships For Young Women In Kosovo

While still in college, twin sisters Ashley and Victoria VanBuskirk launched social enterprise Flora Stationery to help fund scholarships for young women in Eastern Europe.

Safello Enables Charitable Donations With Bitcoins

Tim Draper, founder of the private equity firm Draper Jurvetson Fisher (DFJ) based in San Francisco, bought close to 30,000 Bitcoins on July 2, 2014.  He didn't have an agenda to flip the coins for a profit, it was to spread the use of the coins in emerging markets where access to currency is difficult.

How Mobile Payment Providers Can Beat Back Amazon

Retail and e-commerce are merging and morphing into a multifaceted complicated but above all interconnected retail entity--and mobile payments will be a significant part of that.

How Mobile Payments Providers Can Beat Back Amazon

Retail and e-commerce are merging and morphing into a multifaceted complicated but above all interconnected retail entity--and mobile payments will be a significant part of that.

Employers: Hire Intrapreneurs (Job-Seekers: Become Intrapreneurs To Land The Best Positions)

Most leaders want more creativity, innovation and change from their people. However, transforming an existing employee into an intrapreneur, while an admirable goal, is much easier said than done.

Aligning Learning and Health: A New Framework to Change the Conversation

Let’s be honest: The education reform debates seem to have hit a wall. For years now, we’ve looked at our children, at their schools, at their teachers, and finally at each other and asked, “What can we do to improve the outcomes?” We’ve tinkered with funding, teacher salaries and assessment, accountability measures, and government programs in an effort to breathe life into an educational system that has consistently failed to live up to its potential.

Mexico's Energy Sector Reform Worth The 76-Year Wait

Over the last decade, oil and gas supply-side analysts have noted the decline in Mexico’s hydrocarbon output with a fair degree of dismay. Ageing infrastructure, layers of red tape and alleged corruption have seen the country’s output drop from 3.6 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2004 to the current output level of just 2.5 million bpd.

3 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know To Achieve Lasting Success

Discover The Courage Within to Create Something Bigger Than Your Ego

The Brains Behind The Hoodie That Texts. It's Not Who You Think

Ever look at your cell phone and wonder how you’ll be wearing your phone in five or 15 years from now?  Think the answers will be found in smart watches and Google Glass? What if you push the envelope a bit more and question the basic principles of what a cell phone actually does? That’s what Rucha Patwardhan and Alina Balean did.

As India's No-frills Carriers Struggle To Earn Profits, Soon-to-launch Vistara Slots Itself As 'Luxury' Airline

India’s newest airline, a joint venture between India’s Tata Sons conglomerate and Singapore Airlines, will be a full-service luxury carrier named Vistara. The name is derived from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and means ‘vast expanse’, connecting with the airline’s domain of flying the limitless skies. Vistara is scheduled to take off in October 2014.

Canadians File Suit To Block FATCA And Prohibit Handover Of U.S. Names To IRS

FATCA, America's Global Tax Compliance Law, Has Ramped Up Worldwide & Signed 80 Nations To Hand Over American Depositors. But a Constitutional Challenge Filed in Canada May Mean That Canadians Aren't Going to Take it Sitting Down.

Trust Beneficiary Checkmated By Bankruptcy Code 548(e) In Castellano

In 1997, Faith Campbell created a Living Trust for the benefit of her four children.

Are Britain's Small Businesses Running Scared?

The banks are finally lending to those small businesses that are looking for finance, but why aren't more companies seeking to borrow?

Lessons Learned The Hard Way About Running A Virtual Company

The explosion of the virtual business model is rapidly gaining awareness. While the image of a virtual company tempts many entrepreneurs, they must also understand it is a model that - like any business model - involves both pros and cons.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way About Running a Virtual Company

The explosion of the virtual business model is rapidly gaining awareness. While the image of a virtual company tempts many entrepreneurs, they must also understand it is a model that - like any business model - involves both pros and cons.

Ancient Or Digital: Our Social Selves Are The Same As Our Ancestors

I recently watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat. The ancient Khmer people of Cambodia built the temple as a vessel to transport their king to the heavens after death. The city of Angkor, a metropolitan marvel of close to a million people, surrounded the gigantic stone structure for nearly six centuries. Over time, the city swelled in size and the Khmer’s intricate waterway system fell apart along with the rest of its infrastructure. The city and its people vanished.

Growth Hacking Secrets From Silicon Alley's First Billionaire

Shutterstock's Jon Oringer explains his framework of lean marketing

Three Traps People Fall Into That Limit Their Happiness

Almost every action we take in life is aimed at achieving or maintaining “happiness”—that elusive state where we feel contentment, satisfaction, and even bliss. TalentSmart has by now tested more than a million people and trained tens of thousands more, and we are often struck by the commonalities we see between people, particularly when they fall victim to the same traps that limit their ability to reach their full potential. To that end, here are three prominent traps which people fall into. They are easily fixed, but until then they severely limit our potential for happiness.

How To Bulletproof Your Reputation In The Digital Age

“I date younger men... Predominantly men in their twenties... And when I date younger men, I have sex with younger men,” Cindy Gallop shared matter-of-factly. Except this wasn’t a private conversation with a close friend. It was on the stage of TED’s main conference talking to hundreds of the smartest people in the world and the 800,000+ people that would go on to watch her video. It certainly wasn’t what you’d expect from a former senior advertising executive (49 at the time) and the former chair of the board at international advertising agency, BBH. Cindy Gallop wasn’t being spontaneous. She was making one of the most calculated decisions of her career as a way to launch her new company, MakeLoveNotPorn.

A Crypto Currency Backed By Gold? How Retail Gold Investors Can Benefit From Bitcoin's Technology

If you were to ask most investment professionals to explain the difference between bitcoin, lowercase, and Bitcoin, upper case, they would probably stare at you blankly.

A Crypto Currency Backed By Gold? How Retail Gold Investors Can Benefit From Bitcoin's Technology

If you were to ask most investment professionals to explain the difference between bitcoin, lowercase, and Bitcoin, upper case, they would probably stare at you blankly.

A Crypto Currency Backed By Gold? How Retail Gold Investors Can Benefit From Bitcoin's Technology

If you were to ask most investment professionals to explain the difference between bitcoin, lowercase, and Bitcoin, upper case, they would probably stare at you blankly.

A Crypto Currency Backed By Gold? How Retail Gold Investors Can Benefit From Bitcoin's Technology

If you were to ask most investment professionals to explain the difference between bitcoin, lowercase, and Bitcoin, upper case, they would probably stare at you blankly.

How I Became a Student of Humiliation

There are as many approaches to leadership as there are leaders.  But without living authentically, being true to the person and leader you really are, you will never achieve your potential. This is a lesson I learned many years ago, the hard way.

How I Became a Student of Humiliation

There are as many approaches to leadership as there are leaders.  But without living authentically, being true to the person and leader you really are, you will never achieve your potential. This is a lesson I learned many years ago, the hard way.

How I Became a Student of Humiliation

There are as many approaches to leadership as there are leaders.  But without living authentically, being true to the person and leader you really are, you will never achieve your potential. This is a lesson I learned many years ago, the hard way.

We're All Outsourcers Now, Thanks To Cloud

In the business world over the past couple of decades, no two words have carried more negative baggage and resulted in such trepidation than downsizing and outsourcing. Downsizing is still the nasty term it has always been, but lately, there's been a sea change in attitudes toward outsourcing.

Watch out for these 5 hazards of growing too quickly

For those of us running a business, growth is definitely a good thing. It can be exciting, and it’s a measure of validation for our ideas and all of the hard work. And of course, in general it’s a good thing for businesses to be growing, because they then hire more people and fuel the economy.

Saying 'Yes' to Content Marketing Doesn't Mean Abandoning Traditional Advertising

Given its long-term value, content marketing is quickly taking over traditional advertising as the preferred medium to reach customers. With well-executed content marketing, you can educate customers on entire industries and help them make more informed decisions. Content is a powerful tool for reaching readers, but many companies aren’t making it a priority. This is usually because launching a successful content marketing initiative requires a personal and company-wide commitment, and many leaders fear they’ll lose out on the short-term gains from traditional and digital ads if they shift their focus and budget toward content.

Robert Redford Sues New York Over $1.6 Million Sundance Tax Cloud

Robert Redford Is Suing New York State over Taxes From Selling a Share in Sundance TV. Anyone Who Has Been Caught Between Two Taxing Powers Should Tune In.

Three Lessons I Learned About Running A Business As A Teenager

Teenagers do not usually start and run a business. They spend most of their time in school and at home studying strict curricula to prepare for college.

10 Trending Changes In Customers and Customer Service Expectations

The basics and essence of customer service are to a large extent timeless. However, one of these timeless principles is "know your customers"--and customers are changing all the time. Here are ten trends in customers and their customer service expectations that I'm seeing clearly in my work a customer service consultant, speaker, and author: trends that should be influencing how you're doing business.

Org Tries Exempt Status Multiple Choice - IRS Answers None Of The Above

Organization tries four different exempt statuses. Qualifies for none.

Snapchat Authorizes Mystery Share Sale

Newly filed documents show the company authorized the sale of 17.4 million shares at just 0.001 cents per share earlier this week, possibly tied to a real investment.

The 'Inboarding' Revolution: Do Employees Get More To Leave Their Job?

An article recently posted in Forbes declared in its title “Employees Who Stay in Companies More than Two Years Get Paid 50% Less.”  This statement became an overnight social media frenzy, not only generating more than a million views of the article, but also instigating a comment frenzy by readers from all over the globe.

The 'Inboarding' Revolution: Do Employees Get More To Leave Their Job?

An article recently posted in Forbes declared in its title “Employees Who Stay in Companies More than Two Years Get Paid 50% Less.”  This statement became an overnight social media frenzy, not only generating more than a million views of the article, but also instigating a comment frenzy by readers from all over the globe.

100 Best Websites For Entrepreneurs

Whether you're seeking advice on raising capital, scaling your business or looking for general industry insight, these sites are worth reading.

Build An Unbeatable Customer Service Advantage--By Being Inefficient

When my daughter went to overnight summer camp for the first time, it was on an isolated island.  The camp may have done a good job day in and day out protecting her and entertaining her, but who knows?  I have no proof of that one way or the other.

When Does Pivoting Become Spinning Your Wheels?

Recently I was on the road. Well and truly on the road, working with clients in a different country with a completely different and mysterious (to me) culture. I loved it—I’m always delighted to try something new, and the opportunities to do that came fast and furious in that setting.

When Does Pivoting Become Spinning Your Wheels?

Recently I was on the road. Well and truly on the road, working with clients in a different country with a completely different and mysterious (to me) culture. I loved it—I’m always delighted to try something new, and the opportunities to do that came fast and furious in that setting.

From Hundreds To Millions - 'Epanelepsis', 'The Deer God' And 'Wasteland 2' Creators On Overachieving Kickstarters

The leaders of three overfunded kickstarters - the $4,000 point and click game Epanalepsis, the indie platformer The Deer God and the multi-million dollar apocalypse epic Wasteland 2 - talk to Forbes about the impact of the benevolence of crowds.

What Are Some Options For A Small Business With A Very Low Yelp Rating?

What are some options for a small business with a very low Yelp rating? This question was originally answered on Quora by Mike Holovacs.

E-Commerce 2.0: Six Companies You Can Learn From

“How and I shop and where I shop are fundamentally different than my parents.” -Aspiring millennial fashion blogger.

The U.S. online retail sales are up 15% since last year, and are expected to hit $370B by the end of 2017. Technological advancements and changes in consumer behavior have created an unprecedented opportunity for new e-commerce companies. This is especially true with digitally savvy millennials, who will make up the majority of online consumers in the coming years. Unlike physical retail stores, e-commerce companies are much more capital efficient because they don’t require brick and mortar stores and have a direct distribution channel to their end customers. With online shopping platforms like Shopify, Magento, and Bigcommerce, the cost and time associated with getting an e-commerce store online has decreased significantly. Additional platforms like Symphony Commerce and Shipwire help with outsourced fulfillment and managing logistics when your company scales. Never before has it been easier to bring an e-commerce business to life. As a result, these companies can focus more time on building their brand and connecting with customers and less time worrying about logistics and infrastructure. Many of these new companies understand the power of connecting their brand with a particular lifestyle. In doing so, they can engage with niche customers and celebrate them in a much more intimate and authentic way. Here are just a few companies that are leveraging this new age of e-commerce in the best of ways: 1) Superior End-to-End Product Experience Today social consumers have more power to impact brand reputations than ever before. In addition to having a high quality product, many companies are also focusing on the entire product experience which includes marketing, packaging, and the post sales experience. These companies go above and beyond to “delight” the customer which typically includes free shipping, free returns, and sometimes free gifts. Bevel

Ecommerce 2.0: Six Companies You Can Learn From

“How and I shop and where I shop are fundamentally different than my parents.” -Aspiring millennial fashion blogger.

The U.S. online retail sales are up 15% since last year, and are expected to hit $370M by the end of 2017. Technological advancements and changes in consumer behavior have created an unprecedented opportunity for new e-commerce companies. This is especially true with digitally savvy millennials, who will make up the majority of online consumers in the coming years. Unlike physical retail stores, e-commerce companies are much more capital efficient because they don’t require brick and mortar stores and have a direct distribution channel to their end customers. With online shopping platforms like Shopify, Magento, and Bigcommerce, the cost and time associated with getting an e-commerce store online has decreased significantly. Additional platforms like Symphony Commerce and Shipwire help with outsourced fulfillment and managing logistics when your company scales. Never before has it been easier to bring an e-commerce business to life. As a result, these companies can focus more time on building their brand and connecting with customers and less time worrying about logistics and infrastructure. Many of these new companies understand the power of connecting their brand with a particular lifestyle. In doing so, they can engage with niche customers and celebrate them in a much more intimate and authentic way. Here are just a few companies that are leveraging this new age of e-commerce in the best of ways: 1) Superior End-to-End Product Experience Today social consumers have more power to impact brand reputations than ever before. In addition to having a high quality product, many companies are also focusing on the entire product experience which includes marketing, packaging, and the post sales experience. These companies go above and beyond to “delight” the customer which typically includes free shipping, free returns, and sometimes free gifts. Bevel

The Two Letter Word That Can Ward Off Stress -- And How To Use It

As an entrepreneur, wife, mother of two, and a human who needs food and sleep, I know the challenges of an endlessly busy life. When you?re driven by big goals and big ideas, that busyness seems downright natural. If I want so much, the thought goes, then I?m going to

The Two Letter Word That Can Ward Off Stress -- And How To Use It

As an entrepreneur, wife, mother of two, and a human who needs food and sleep, I know the challenges of an endlessly busy life. When you?re driven by big goals and big ideas, that busyness seems downright natural. If I want so much, the thought goes, then I?m going to

'Uber For Pizza': Five 19 Year Old Millennials Revolutionize Pizza Ordering

"We want pizza. But I don't want to order pizza. There should be something like Uber for pizza...what if we got off the couch and designed it ourselves?"

'Uber For Pizza': Five 19 Year Old Millennials Revolutionize Pizza Ordering

"We want pizza. But I don't want to order pizza. There should be something like Uber for pizza...what if we got off the couch and designed it ourselves?"

'Uber For Pizza': Five 19 Year Olds Revolutionize Pizza Ordering, Today

Five 19-year-old college buddies are today launching Push For Pizza, a one-button app that brings you pizza wherever you are, even if you’re too chill  or (I can say this legally here in the Seattle area) too high to talk to place your order with a human being, or even to fill out a web form.

From A Clothing Business In Pakistan To A Wall Street Firm -- Lessons From A Serial Female Entrepreneur

Shama Zehra is founder and CEO of newly-launched Aligned Independent Advisors, a boutique independent advisory firm on Wall Street. It’s still a male-dominated area of finance, just 13% of brokers and advisors are female but Zehra’s unlikely to be unfazed. As a glance at her career path proves - engineer, business-owner, pilot and banker –resisting convention comes pretty naturally.

Office Politics: The 5 Key Blunders

“Office politics” is simply the career-development art of getting along with other people. Of not letting your ego rub others’ egos the wrong way. Of putting yourself in a position where others will notice your good work. And of not putting yourself in a position where rivals can wreck what you’ve been building.

The Future Of Shopping In Three Trends

The way we shop is evolving in unexpected ways. Here are three trends shaping the future of retail.

Your Guide To Using Snapchat For Marketing

Snapchat has gone from being a simple photo and video sharing app to a marketing tool that can’t be ignored. The app has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2011; self-destructing photos and video are no longer just for smartphone-savvy teens – they’re for marketers who want a creative way to reach their target audience.

When Machines Make Our Decisions For Us -- In The Cloud

Microsoft recently unveiled an ad, showing some advantages of Cortana over Apple?s Siri. These voice-response assistance products are hawked as 'neato' conveniences, but consider this: In fact they represent a massive shift in human beings' relationship to their own brains...

A Closer Look at the Chinese High Speed Rail Juggernaut: The Chinese closer to Elon Musk's Hyperloop than the US (Part 2)

The below is a continuation of my previous article on the same topic. In this iteration, we will look at how China has developed a globally competitive rail industry.

A Closer Look at the Chinese High Speed Rail Juggernaut: The Chinese closer to Elon Musk's Hyperloop than the US (Part 2)

The below is a continuation of my previous article on the same topic. In this iteration, we will look at how China has developed a globally competitive rail industry.

Doing Business In China: Terry & The Pirates

I’ve been working in China for only a year-and-a-half, but I’ve generally been unimpressed with academic articles and cases on business in China. They’re generally focused on cheerleading celebrity CEOs and very large business deals — for example, Jack MA and the impending Alibaba IPO. But I’ve been even less impressed by the typical American commentary that criticizes China and Chinese leadership while demonstrating a remarkably obvious ignorance, paranoia, and hypocrisy.

Moral Leadership Builds Employees, Company Culture And Bottom Line Results

An employee isn't designed to be treated like a piece of a machine—like a cog or like a bolt. For a leader to treat employees this way is immoral. It also doesn’t make business sense: A bolt can’t stretch to help a customer; it can only be a bolt. But a person, inspired by a leader, can stretch a bit to the right or left to be helpful—and thus build the value of your business.

Moral Leadership Builds Employees, Company Culture, And Bottom Line Results

An employee isn't designed to be treated like a piece of a machine—a cog or a bolt. For a leader to treat employees this way is immoral, and it doesn’t make business sense: A bolt can’t stretch to help a customer. It can only be a bolt. But a person, inspired by a leader, can stretch a bit to the right or left to be helpful—and thus build the value of your business.

Tesla's Gigafactory

Tesla plans a $5 billion gigafactory to produce battery packs for as many as 500,000 cars by 2020. How the project is coming together.

The Education Revolution Is Here Right Now. Don't Miss It.

Colleges and universities will need to rely upon their best creativity, critical thinking and wisdom to develop new economic models, to prosper in the new digital age.

Week Ahead: Murdoch v Time Warner Amid Market Mayhem

And so the correction begins. Or does it? After their impressive run up to recent record highs, stock markets had a significant retreat last week — and the week ahead could be volatile.

Science Is Not Democratic

Since the 1980s. the distrust of scientists in the United States has become a growing ideology used for political purposes. It is extremely dangerous to our democracy. Obama touched on this very subject recently while speaking to the League of Conservation Voters.

Lionel Messi Tax Evasion Case (Secrecy = Willfulness) Impacts U.S. & U.K. Taxpayers Too

Lionel Mess Still Faces a Tax Evasion Trial, and it is All About a Shell Game of Secrecy. Offshore Bank Clients in the U.S. and U.K. Should Pay Attention. The Cover-up Can Be Worse Than the Crime.

You Can't Eat Buzz: How To Create Profitable, Loyal Customers

While buzz brings customers in the door, what a business needs are loyal engaged customers who can provide profitable repeat business. Customer service consultant Micah Solomon spells out what it takes to build a customer experience that brings them back over and over to spend more time and money with you.

Positive Thinking Isn't A Substitute For Positive Action

Positive thinking is a powerful tool - but it isn't a magical power. It only works when it's combined with positive action.

Pipe Dreams: Why Amazon Won't Deliver The Profits The Momentum Crowd Has Been Wishing For

Disclossure: I own MSFT shares; I am short NFLX shares Of all momentum stocks that have endured the test of time, one stands out: Amazon.com. The stock has stayed popular with the momentum crowd for more than fifteen years. For a good reason: the company has been growing by leaps and bounds, expanding

The Not-So-Broken-Windows Theory Of Company Culture And Excellence

Every consultant has his or her shortcuts. For me, if I want to quickly size up a company's culture, customer-centricity, and organizational excellence, and I want to do it without taking a backstage tour or even looking at its balance sheet, I check out how clean the windows are.

Kent Hovind's Battle With The IRS In Retrospect

Video

In my post yesterday, I noted that Kent Hovind, Doctor Dino, is facing a new criminal charge related to filing a motion in defiance of an injunction.  I have been following this story for some time and thought that this might be a good point to do a round-up of

The LeBron Effect: Why Narrative Matters To Regional Innovation

A region’s or an organization’s ability to innovate is as much about attitude as it is about resources. A positive narrative helps shape that attitude.

The LeBron Effect: Why Narrative Matters To Regional Innovation

A region’s or an organization’s ability to innovate is as much about attitude as it is about resources. A positive narrative helps shape that attitude.