As Federal Reserve officials gathered to issue their monthly assessment of the world's largest economy, a new study lays bare the extent to which many small firms are pressed for cash.

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With this tumultuous year behind us, I am fixing my mind on what's to come in 2017. Change is the only constant in life, and with a new administration about to take over--I am truly optimistic about next year since entrepreneurs seem to be looking forward to the potential changes that this new year might bring.

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U.S. small businesses are wrapping up 2016 with stronger sales and improved profitability.

Businesses with less than $10 million in annual revenues have experienced, on average, 7.3 percent annual sales growth during 2016, according to a financial statement analysis by Sageworks, a financial information company. That represents the fifth consecutive year that sales have grown more than 7 percent.

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A social media presence is considered a necessity and not a luxury.

Having a presence on social media has become an absolute must for almost all business ventures.

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In other words, small business optimism is mostly a false front, not anything real about how he is expected to affect the economy. There was sort of a pent-up demand to rebound from the unwarranted fall in optimism during 2015, and when you combine that with a lot of support for Trump, you get a spike in reported optimism.

Why Are Small Business Owners So Happy?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly evolving technology sector. As the popularity of connected devices increases with consumers, the number of entrants into the market grows. But rapid growth and iteration have had some unintended consequences in the IoT space, especially when it comes to usability.

IoT More Friendly

Last summer, Square began offering loans to non-Square merchants with the help of a restaurant software partner called Upserve. Now, the payments and financial services company has created a formal partnership program with the long-term goal of reaching millions more.
Square Capital is launching the partnership platform with BigCommerce, an e-commerce software company that is letting Square make loan offers to its tens of thousands of small business clients.

Square is also extending loan offers to restaurants that work with its own delivery service, Caviar, but which do not already process payments through Square.

Taken together, these new partnerships give Jack Dorseys company a way to jumpstart further expansion of its lending program, which has already extended $1.8 billion in funds to more than 140,000 businesses since its launch three-plus years ago.

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Recently, I was asked to take over an existing project. And, like most people, my first inclination was to feel completely intimidated and overwhelmed.

This assignment -- along with its longstanding processes and its related team members -- was all brand new to me. And, if that wasn't enough to have me breathing into a paper bag, managing this project also required me to branch out and exercise some skills that I had previously left untapped.

My chest gets tight at the very thought. Can you relate? Being asked to take on a new work endeavor is a great thing (hey, you must be doing something right!). But, it can also plant plenty of seeds of self-doubt.

Fortunately, this recent experience opened my eyes to some better, more productive things you can do when you're tasked with a new project -- aside from just panicking.

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The beginning of the new year is when the worlds top investors make their predictions of industries to keep an eye on. Innovative technologies and ways of doing business are creating growth in certain industries. For those looking for something new to invest time or money in, take a look at these five industries that experts predict to have an increase in growth in 2018.

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As a small business owner or self-employed individual, you may need to enter into a business contract. A business contract is a legal agreement between you and another party, and may be used in situations where services are rendered for a fee or specific duties are required to be performed. To be legally valid, a contract must contain several key elements.

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Every successful leader or entrepreneur has used creativity to help them get to where they are today. In fact, creativity is a core component to anyones success. Take a look at J.K. Rowling -- using creativity and imagination, she created a successful franchise full of witches and wizards. Or how about Steve Jobs? Without creatively thinking about the simplest, sleekest way to create products for consumers, Apple would have never been born.

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There are a lot of reasons to hate a job: annoying co-workers; bad working conditions; long hours for too little pay; the stress level; and more.

But one of the worst things -- arguably the worst -- is having a bad boss.

When you don't feel seen, appreciated, or listened to by your direct manager, it can have a dramatic impact on not only your work performance, but also your sense of self-esteem. Over time, you can begin to feel anxious, worthless, and demoralized.

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According to the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), a nonprofit that supports the development of worker co-ops, employee-owned small businesses see an average of 4% to 5% higher productivity levels and more stability and potential for growth. In contrast to traditional businesses, worker co-ops see much lower rates of employee turnover and business closure.

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In the wake of yesterdays Supreme Court ruling, e-commerce companies are understandably both concerned and uncertain of their future. The 5-4 verdict overruled a 1992 precedent set by the case Quill v. North Dakota that only addressed mail-order businesses at the time, but it became a powerful legal bedrock for the e-commerce industry. It let companies without a robust physical infrastructure thrive during and after the dot-com boom by exempting purchases from sales tax, so long as the seller did not have a physical operation in the state where the customer resided. Now, following the court’s decision, states can start charging sales tax on internet purchases even when a retailer has no physical presence in that state.

A number of retailers, from Amazon to Etsy to Overstock.com, may be impacted. It is not necessarily because those corporations have been skirting sales tax collection, but some enable thousands of third-party sellers to do so, largely thanks to Quill v. North Dakota. In fact, Amazon, which last year started collecting sales tax in all 45 states that require it by law, may have a substantial amount of work to do to help its Amazon Marketplace sellers stay compliant.

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This transformation from hobby to business creates entrepreneurial avenues for people who might not otherwise have chosen this path. There are several types of activities that can be successfully monetized.

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For most of us, that means establishing a nest egg in the form of an IRA, 401(k), or both. But a large number of small-business owners have a different sort of backup plan for covering the bills in retirement: their businesses.

An estimated 42% of small-business owners say that their businesses will serve as their personal pensions, so to speak, according to data from New York Life. But that's a dangerous proposition in several regards.

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Every business has to find the right marketing tools to engage its desired audience, and there doesn’t appear to be one magic widget that works for every company every time.

Some find amazing results with social media, SEO and influencer strategies, often combined with compelling online content, some with old-fashioned direct mail, as in messages on paper delivered by a human postal carrier.

Several small businesses recently shared their best marketing moves, which cover a broad range of approaches and media. Here are a few of their ideas in this first in a series of articles on the topic.

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Social media, email, text messaging and other communication technologies are transforming government into a more efficient, effective and dynamic process. Whether it’s an elected official using Twitter to address constituents or a city using a Facebook page to make public announcements, government entities and elected officials are becoming more accessible and connected to constituents. And therein lie today’s nuanced First Amendment related challenges

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Savvy small businesses are already looking ahead to the holiday shopping season, including Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Here are four things you can do to prepare your business for the holidays.

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A healthy economy means many small businesses are thriving -- but they're also having a hard time hanging onto employees. A good 24% of small businesses lost at least one employee in 2018, while 11% of small businesses lost 10% of their workforce, according to Bank of America. Not only that, but 58% of businesses had trouble finding qualified candidates for open roles, and 25% said it took more time to fill open positions in 2018 than it did in 2017.

And there lies the problem with a strong job market: When employment is plentiful, workers have more options to choose from, so getting them to join or stay with your team becomes more challenging for companies across the board, but particularly for small businesses with limited resources.

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Today, tens of thousands of people are considering starting their own business, and for good reasons. On average, people can expect to have two and three careers during their work life. Those leaving one career often think about their second or third career move being one they can run out of their own home. The good news: Starting a home-based business is within the reach of almost anyone who wants to take a risk and work hard, as are a plethora of other low-cost ideas.

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Switching careers can feel intimidating, but you have got to make some moves if you’re spinning your wheels at your current job. Tech industry jobs are hot right now, and you can make great money once you’ve got the know-how to compete with other tech candidates. Here’s a breakdown of the fields with the best opportunities.

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Ever wonder how people get chosen to speak at TED? Well, it is curator Chris Andersons job to weed through the thousands upon thousands of possibilities and choose who will appear on the events prestigious main stage. Clearly, the guy is amazing at separating the wheat from the intellectual chaff.

Which is why TED fans (or anyone looking to make themselves smarter and more aware in easily digestible 20-minute chunks) should pay attention to Andersons picks for the 10 best TED talks of 2018. Touching on topics ranging from astronomy to social justice to artificial intelligence, they are guaranteed to change how you think about the world.  

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Spreadsheets have long been an important tool for businesses. You can use them for just about anything. This includes budgeting and planning out important marketing campaigns.

No tool seems more synonymous with spreadsheets than Excel. Microsofts tool allows you to easily fill in spaces and create tables. But it also takes advantage of some more advanced features. However, starting from scratch will not give you a productive business.

You may want to take advantage of all that Excel has to offer. But maybe you don’t know exactly how to get started. So templates become a great option. Check out some sources for Excel business templates that can help you in 15 different areas of business operations.

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Small-business owners were victims in 43 percent of data breaches tracked between Nov. 1, 2017, and Oct. 31, 2018, according to a 2019 Verizon report. The report tracked security incidents across all industries, but the most vulnerable sectors this year were retail, accommodation and healthcare.

What does the issue look like on a national scale? If we take the sample size of infected sites SiteLock said they found in 2018 -- approximately 47,244 out of 6,056,969 checked -- and apply that percentage to the country’s estimated 30.2 million small-businesses websites, minus the estimated 36 percent that do not have one, then we can loosely estimate the amount of infected small-business websites to be around 150,757.

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When running a small business, there are a lot of things to focus on. Making sales, finding new customers and motivating your employees are among them; however, keeping your business secure from cyberattacks might take precedent over of all of them.

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Regardless of your industry, if you want to thrive, then you need to network. Although you already know the catch: How can an entrepreneur or founder possibly fit networking into their already hectic schedules? Here are 11 tips to resolve the networking issue when you're crunched for time.

1. Make networking a habit.

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How does a leader manage to harness the talents of a group without letting things descend into chaos? How does a leader give firm direction without stifling creativity and individuality?

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High-profile entrepreneurs like Stitch Fixs Katrina Lake and The Riveter's Amy Stern Nelson are using Stories to answer questions about everything from managing cash flow to storing breast milk during business trips.

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Eleni Gianopulos spent more than 15 years selling her handmade sugar cookies to a famous gourmet grocery chain. Then Dean & DeLuca stopped paying its bills. By January 2018, Gianopulos, founder and owner of New York City-based bakery Elenis Cookies, realized that she might never be paid for $86,000 worth of 2017 custom holiday orders.

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Small business pay checks are growing at a fast pace as job gains slow

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In our hyperconnected digital world, trade shows can be seen as a bit of a relic, an outmoded business building tool that entrepreneurs shouldn’t waste their time on. Nothing could be further from the truth.

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We are in the midst of a difficult time in history. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a health crisis, and both the economy and jobs are suffering as a result.

While many of us can work from home, others cannot. But if a silver lining exists, perhaps it’s this: Now is the perfect time to learn a skill or launch a new career. Affiliate marketing gives you that opportunity.

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Social distancing. Telemedicine. Self-quarantine. These are all words that at the start of 2020 weren't part of our vocabulary, but several months into the new decade we are all hearing and using them daily. There is no denying that the coronavirus outbreak has dramatically changed just about every facet of just about every person’s life around the world.

From a business perspective, the stock market saw its largest one day loss and largest one day gain in history. The U.S. saw the largest job-loss report ever. We are in uncharted waters, and how long we will remain in them remains uncertain. However, there is one thing that we all know, and that is that this outbreak will change the lives of everyone for years or decades to come. Nearly 20 years after 9-11, enhanced airport security, no-fly lists and counterterrorism efforts are still the norm. The same will be true of the COVID-19 aftermath. Is your business ready for the five largest macro trends we are about to see?

1. The rise of enhanced websites and digital tools
2. Cybersecurity concerns take center stage
3. An increase in virtual meetings
4. Increased control in expenses
5. Even more remote employees

Ankur Jains investment firm, Kairos, is funding training sessions and job placement for 10,000 workers.

Here is something good that has come out of the pandemic. Because people have had fewer buying opportunities, the countrys personal savings rate is the highest it’s been in 30 years. Retail sales have continued to grow and consumer confidence is at a six-month high.

But the biggest impact on the sales of smaller retailers has been online. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, online sales have increased more than 44% compared with the previous year and, as more shutdowns, quarantines and other disruptions potentially loom, many expect this trend to continue. Small retailers in this area know this, and many have been investing heavily in e-commerce to succeed this holiday season.

Millions of businesses across the country are struggling, yet many are not taking the latest version of government aid: a second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. This is not happening because businesses are better off than they were last year; it is because the PPP still contains structural blockers that are stopping businesses from obtaining the aid they urgently need.

A recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank found that 30% of U.S. small businesses — totaling 9 million — fear they will not make it through 2021 without more government assistance. And yet, many are not applying for aid. The Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that seven weeks after round two of PPP began, nearly half the funds remain, and only 31% of 2020 PPP loans have been forgiven to date.

Title: What Are the 3 Stages of Psychosis?
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 1/4/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/4/2022 12:00:00 AM

"I am not a good manager."

I say this to people often, and most of them think I am joking because... well, because people don't say things like that about themselves if they're true and also, I have cultivated some skill in building strong teams that accomplish what they are asked to do. [1].

But I am serious when I say that. for three reasons:

1. I really have to work hard to do the organizational parts of a manager's job (the reports, the budgeting, the note taking, the meetings, the scheduling, the selling of initiatives, etc)... and I don't enjoy any of it.
2. I don't do well at optimizing for efficiency.
3. I don't have much use for roles, particularly ones that tend to specialize activities and artificially segment the work needed to solve the problem (and the skill set of those seeking to do so).

Like most programmers, I suck at estimates, I am motivated first by a need to solve interesting problems, and only secondarily at reaping the benefits of doing so, and I have zero desire to "be in charge of others." I also hate process for process sake and generally piss off any project managers foolish enough to work with me (though I am good friends with several).

So, how do I build teams and software? By treating efficiency - and even the primary goal of the team - as a secondary effect, and optimizing instead for... for what?

Well, until recently I had been (in my head, because I didn't feel too comfortable saying this out loud) using the word: "happiness." Of the members of the team, of my boss, my employer, our customers and (importantly, but until recently neglectedly) me. Make all of these folks happy, and everything just works.

Uncomfortable because this is a tough sell to accounting-type folks - and anyone who prepares budgets. "Naive", "Crazy" and "Ridiculous" are what I expect to hear. And the reason I expect to hear it is because it seems really risky - even terrifying - to them when I say anything that implies I'm not thinking about cost and value and ROI, and all those other business terms.

But I am. I'm thinking about them all the time. I just don't agree with them on how to optimize them.

Also, "happiness" is not quite right: some people are quite happy to do nothing, others are only happy when they are padding their egos at the expense of others, and a whole lot of other types of "happiness" that I don't optimize for. No, it's a specific kind of happiness - especially inside the team - that I am trying to maximize. Joy of doing one's best, professionalism, craftsmanship, cultivating flow, the need for slack. All dancing around it. All not quite it...

I recently mentioned here (and on twitter and facebook) that I'm re-reading Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. And it's blowing me away. Again. I read it a really long time ago - so long ago, that I had forgotten all of the details and only remembered: "That book really moved me and shaped my thinking."

What's been blowing me away is realizing how much it has done that. And so, I've been expecting for days now to find in it somewhere something that supported my view since Pirsig's focus on Quality and Care (not to mention technology) are very similar to my feelings of "optimize for happiness." But it still hadn't felt quite right yet...

...until, today. And I found it: The Greek word: Aretê (translated as "virtue" or "excellence") is a central part of any course on Greek philosophy and I had several classes in college where it was discussed. I was waiting for it to come up in the book (it doesn't until chapter 29) and when it did, I realized I was getting closer. Then, this quote:

"Aretê implies a respect for the wholeness or oneness of life, and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implies a contempt for efficiency - or rather a much higher idea of efficiency, an efficiency which exists not in one department of life but in life itself." ~ Pirsig, Robert M. (2009-04-10). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (p. 360). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

And like a key fitting a lock, there it was: I believe that teams (organizations!) should be optimized for Aretê; that teams should be staffed with those who - like Hector the tragic hero of ancient Troy - seek excellence (in their work and in achieving the team's goals) for it's own sake and are not happy unless they are free to pursue it; and finally that the team's success (which will still be a function of external perception of value) will be a natural outgrowth of this process and any attempts to shortcut it (e.g. in the name of efficiency) will actually serve to reduce the team's effectiveness.

With this compass in hand, I can see now that what at times appeared to be random objections to process changes and my novel (some would say crazy) alternatives and experiments over the years have really been about trying to keep everyone focused on maximizing the ability to pursue excellence.

So, now I'm saying it: If you want to build great teams who reliably ship results: Don't optimize for efficiency, optimize for the pursuit of Aretê.

[1] Those who've worked with me on those teams can attest, I've done so by getting the team building part - and my role in it - wrong a lot, but learning from it.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 26, 2024 ) There is anticipation for a steady growth in the Shea Butter Market because of its rising popularity in both food and cosmetics industries. Consumers who prefer natural products often choose Raw & Unrefined Shea Butter. The Personal Care & Cosmetics sector consumes...

(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 30, 2024 ) The global ammunition market size is projected to grow from USD 28.0 billion in 2023 to USD 33.1 billion in 2028, at a CAGR of 3.4% from 2023 to 2028. The factors such as the increase in the geopolitical tensions, Growth in military expenditure and arms transfer,...

(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 30, 2024 ) The Healthcare BPO market is projected to grow from USD 395.3 billion in 2024 to USD 626.6 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 9.7%. Healthcare Business Process Outsourcing involves delegating business operations to third-party providers to reduce costs and enhance patient...

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 05, 2024 ) The Exoskeleton Market is projected to grow rapidly, driven by applications in healthcare rehabilitation and industrial productivity. Exoskeletons enhance mobility for those with disabilities and improve worker efficiency and safety in industries such as manufacturing...

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 08, 2024 ) The Military Platforms Market will grow tremendously from 2020 through 2030, based on the increase in defense spending, escalations in geopolitical tensions, and needs for advanced border security and early warning systems The military platforms market is projected...

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 08, 2024 ) The global aerospace testing market was valued at USD 5.29 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 6.68 billion by 2029; it is expected to register a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. Increasing air travel across the globe has increased the demand...

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 12, 2024 ) The global simulation software market is estimated to grow from USD 19.95 billion by 2024 to USD 36.22 billion in 2030, at a CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period. Download PDF Brochure@ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=263646018&utm_source=emailwire.com&utm_medium=paidpr&utm_campaign=simulation-software-market Simulation...

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged farmers to significantly cut their use of urea to boost income and soil health, and said his government was constantly striving to prop up rural India with steps such as the ₹1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund, for which he launched the financing facility on Sunday. Modi also released ₹17,000 crore to the bank accounts of 85 ...

It was Prime Minister Winston Churchill who announced, in 1942, the creation of a new branch of the British Army, initially comprising of the Glider Pilot Regiment, Parachute Battalions, and the Air Observation Post Squadron, to support military operations during the Second World War. ... FR Aviation Limited trading as Draken Europe ...

Title: Hookahs vs. Cigarette Smoking (Addiction and Health Dangers)
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/25/2022 12:00:00 AM

Win10 BrightnessSlider adds a Monitor Brightness icon to on Taskbar Tray that lets you adjust the brightness of your monitor(s) with a simple slider. If you use multiple monito....