Futurist Thomas Frey: Every time I drive to the office there are 11 separate stoplights along my route. Based on some cosmic luck-of-the-draw, two thirds of the stoplights will either be red or green, and the time it takes me will vary from 12 to 22 minutes.
Omaha, Nebraska
Bob Grinnell, the owner of the building where a former furniture factory once occupied in North Downtown Omaha, Nebraska explains to Eric Markowitz of Inc.com, how this factory, The Mastercraft, takes its name from the furniture brand that had originally inhabited the space. The furniture company opened in 1941 and manufactured furniture for the better part of the 20th century. But 10 years ago, the furniture business failed and investors in Iowa bought the company. The building was abandoned.
Continue reading… “Startup scene is thriving in Omaha, Nebraska”
The GoGoLink app for the Chevrolet Spark links a smartphone to the touch screen in the dash.
General Motors will soon be making a novel offer to please it’s customers who are clamoring for more features in their cars by giving them less.
Continue reading… “Merging drivers smartphones and dashboards”
Inner-city Minneapolis teens who screen-print shirts.
Just ten years ago the term “inner city” meant “dead city” and people would picture a city of destruction, dereliction and despair. But, today inner cities are now a hip hotbed of convenient culture, commerce and connection. Scholars such as Richard Florida and Edward Glaeser, among others, are showing that although increasing problems accompany increasing density, urban access to the good things of life increases even faster. The centripetal force of today’s cities is pulling the ambitious and educated back in, and increasing cities’ innovative capacity, without sacrificing (at least some would argue) their inclusiveness.
Continue reading… “Entrepreneurial innovation moving to the inner cities”
Apple’s supply chain is ranked best in the world.
Apple’s supply chain is ranked best in the world by the technology research firm Gartner. According to a new report by Gartner. part of the reason is Apple turns over its inventory once every five days. If you think about that’s pretty amazing. Apple ells hundreds of millions of hardware gadgets all over the world and yet it doesn’t actually need to stockpile its goods.
Continue reading… “Apple turns over its entire inventory once every 5 days”
Do-it-Yourself Economy
Russell Howze was working as a creative at an advertising agency in Atlanta when he got laid off due to budget cuts years ago. For years he spent his time piecing together work through various corporate jobs, until he decided to follow his heart. Russell then founded a nonprofit organization for artists, and now supplements his income running street art tours through Vayable in his spare time.
Language and emotion play a big roll in business success.
Did you ever stop and think about some of the words and phrases you use in your business communications everyday? And did you ever pause and truly think about what message you are conveying with your words and phrases. In today’s conversations, there are many words and phrases spoken without any real sensitivity to the “real message” they convey to the hearer. Many of these seem quite innocent and are probably thought to be inconsequential. Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach believes you would be at a strategic advantage in your business communications if you understand that there are some words and phrases that should be avoided. Here is a list of 8 phrases and Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach antidote to the deadly phrase…
Continue reading… “Deadly Phrases In Business That Can Kill Success”
More than 89.6 million Americans bought an item from a catalog last year.
Spending online is increasing. But retail catalogs are not fading away. Catalogs are still an important part of business for retailers.
Continue reading… “Retail catalogs thrive in the Internet Age”
Pinterest deal values the company at around $1.5 billion.
It seems that every hot startup needs to reach a billion dollar valuation to be taken seriously after the surprising purchase of Instagram by Facebook. It only seems inevitable that the popular image pinboard site, Pinterest would skyrocket in value.
Continue reading… “Pinterest joins the billionaires club with $100 million funding from Rakuten”
Flickr’s tag line used to read “almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world.”
Flickr was something that had never been done before on the internet and it changed the shape of the internet as we know it today. But along came Yahoo who bought Flickr and “murdered it and screwed itself out of relevance along the way.”
Only 28% of men, compared with 49% of women, see gender bias as still prevalent in the workplace.
There hasn’t been much progress for women seeking top leadership roles in the workplace in the past decade. The percentages of women running large companies, or serving as managing partners of their law firms, or sitting on corporate boards have barely budged even though female graduates continue to pour out of colleges and professional schools.
Continue reading… “Women held back from advancement in the workplace by colleagues’ wives”
The Startup Owner’s Manual
Excerpts from a new step-by-step “how to” guide for startups is being published by Inc. Magazine. The excerpts highlight the Customer Development process, best practices, tips and instructions contained in the book, The Startup Owner’s Manual.
Continue reading… “9 flawed assumptions that can be toxic to startups”