Small Business: Latest Financial Topics from Forbes Magazine

When It Comes To Employee Engagement, What’s Your Keystone?
Employee engagement figures are in the doldrums but some firms are successfully engaging their employees and generating real business results by devising their own approach. Here are 4 different case studies of firms that are achieving great things by focusing their efforts on their own ‘keystones’.

2016 30 Under 30: Media

‘When I Put My Political Views On Social Media I Lost My Biggest Accounts’
Cheryl Rios talks about recovering her business after national media attacked her clients for her personal personal political views

None Of Us Is Smarter Than All Of Us: Collaborative Leadership From A To Z
We’re witnessing the death of the “Superman” / “Wonder Woman” leadership model in which the manager or team leader was the ultimate authority. Today’s leaders must know how to create an environment in which all members of their staff or team choose to participate and contribute.

Hugo Chavez

Venezuela On The Brink Of Collapse Hikes Minimum Wage By 30%
Minimum wage advocates here in the US have a long way to go before they match Venezuela President’s “generosity” to the working class.

Startups are Personal, Part VIII: Protect Your Intellectual Property From the Start
We end our lessons learned series (co-authored by me and Mike Willee) with our favorite topic, intellectual property (IP). Many entrepreneurs fail to recognize the importance of IP—let alone the value of an IP protection plan in the earliest stages of their businesses. Building a brand, creating a minimum viable product, generating sales leads, and keeping your head above water all push the pressing matter of IP to the back burner. However, having a firm grasp on the importance of intellectual property from the outset can reduce future headaches and chances of financial loss.

Seven Reasons Iran Could Become An Entrepreneurial Powerhouse
Iran’s innovation economy is larger than most Westerners know.

Meet The CEO Of The $1.1 Billion Startup Reforming Education In The Arab World
Maysa Jalbout is working on two problems that many other foundation executives could never even imagine. She has a ton of cash to work with — $1.1 billion — but it won’t be nearly enough. And that means that her focus needs to be on leverage: finding partners, and using technology that can scale.

The New Media Frontier
For generations, the only way to watch a movie was by going to the local cinema. But now with new media formats taking form, even television has a competitor — and a powerful one at that.

Allbirds Merino Wool Sneakers: Shockingly Comfortable, Sustainable, Affordable
When I first laid eyes on a gray pair of Allbirds sneaks, my first thought was that they look a bit like Yeezy’s, and they’re probably really expensive.

Why Mark Cuban Takes A Chance On Young Hires And You Should Too
Reflect back to when you were 19 years old. Let me guess: You were probably struggling to get your bearings in the world, still relying on your parents for allowance, and intrepidly trying out different college classes to determine a career path.

Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick Talks About the Challenges of Scaling Fast: Interview
Josh Tetrick, the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based food-tech startup Hampton Creek, the maker of Just Mayo and other foods that replace eggs and other animal products with plant proteins, discusses his company’s rapid growth and the hard choices that entails. This year alone, the company will roll out 43 new products and has hundreds more in the pipeline.

Expatriate Lawsuit Featuring Rand Paul Shot Down
Judge Thomas Rose of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has shot down a lawsuit (Crawford v Treasury) brought by several plaintiffs including Senator Ron Paul challenging various aspects of laws and regulations requiring disclosures of foreign accounts by Americans.  For what ever it is worth, probably not much, Judge Rose was appointed by George Bush in 2002.

How A Trio Of Immigrants May Dominate The Background Check Business
Onfido is leveling the playing field for migrants.

Stressed Out Solopreneur? 5 Tips to Prevent Entrepreneurial Burnout
Being your own boss is great – until the pressure, stress and neverending tasks get to you. So how do you work on your business without destroying yourself?

Following The Rock ‘N Roll Model, Breweries Take Their Shows On The Road
Attempting to make more noise than their competitors, craft breweries go on tour.

How A “Nutritionista” Healed Herself And Created A Fast-Growing Health Community
After getting sick on trip to Africa, Meghan Telpner received a surprising diagnosis in 2006. She was suffering from an autoimmune disease.

Inspiration From The Hiking Trail
I love hiking. I love it in all of its ‘metaphor-ness’ related to success with family, business and life in general.

NFL Draft Primed To Crush NBA Finals In King Of Sports Shutout
This year, the anticipation of the NFL draft seems likely to overshadow the NBA finals yet again. Cartoon by Rob Tornoe.

Shark Tank: One Of Robert Herjavec’s Best Bets Can Save You Money On Utilities
Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec hit a home run with Keen Home. The cyber-security king lauds the Smart Vent maker as one of the most successful investments he’s made on ABC’s Emmy-winning business reality show. In an April Forbes interview, Herjavec said Keen Home’s sales are projected to hit $5.8 million this year — a nearly sixfold increase from their $1 million in sales before Shark Tank.

What Does a Healthy Business in the 21st Century Look Like?
Two New Yorkers left the city life to build a “healthy” business in Vermont.   No, it’s not a health food business, but rather, a balanced, holistic business model that the founders of skincare company, Ursa Major, say is still missing in today’s discourse. “A lot of the businesses we were seeing were just not healthy.  By that I mean, the culture, the way they treat people, the authenticity of it,” says Oliver Sweatman, co-founder of Ursa Major. Sweatman and his partner, Emily Doyle, had lived in the city, working corporate jobs.  Sweatman was in finance, a career that tested his limits in many ways, he says.  “I worked like a dog.  Yes, it paid well.  But I spent most of my 20s working.” When he and Doyle set out to start a business, they wanted to build a model that was more balanced.  “We would spend our weekends in Vermont and the lifestyle, mentality, everything just became more appealing to us.  Here people work hard during the day but then after 5 pm, they’re out riding their bikes, hiking, doing yoga, or just relaxing.  That’s the norm.”

What Ray Ban, Pabst, And Amazon Can Teach Us About Reinvention
In the increasingly competitive business environment, it is no longer an option to stand still while you competition is changing with the times. Reinvention is the only way for companies to stay relevant in this ever-changing, fast paced global economy.

Women In Tech: 5 Fantastic Tips From Entrepreneurs To Princeton Professors
Five high profile women in tech share essential tips for success.

Biggest Crowdfunding Deals

Municipal Bonds For The Rest Of Us: A Startup Seeks To Democratize Public Finance
Neighborly is building an online marketplace allowing regular investors to buy municipal bonds.

Tech Women Triumph: A Stunning Breakthrough For The Internet, And Why Being Yourself Equals Success
In our monthly news roundup we look at the women who say that being true to yourself is paramount at work, and speak to those who have created stunning tech breakthroughs.

This Idaho-Based Eyewear Company Is A Small Business With A Global Reach
Three brothers run Proof Eyewear.  In 2010, they started with $5,000 each, working from a garage-cum-office. Today, they’re an Idaho success story selling their glasses in over 20 countries around the world. “You probably don’t think of Boise when you think of innovative start ups,” says COO Tanner Dame. But Proof is proud of its Idaho roots.  “We really love our town and where we’re rooted is a big part of it,” says Tanner. Looking to reinvent the eyewear industry, the three Dame brothers, Taylor, Brook, and Tanner, are experimenting with different materials for both prescription and sunglasses, and giving back to the global and local community.

7 Questions To Help Kickstart Your Content Marketing
Ah, content marketing… The newest buzzword in the never-ending sea of marketing buzzwords. And as a buzzword, you will get the same scrutiny that “guest blogging” and “native advertising” both received over the last few years. Both of those previous trends gave varying levels of success to marketers and entrepreneurs who tried them out, but they also turned many people off from trying anything new due to some backlash from Google.

Social Media Mistakes Tech Companies Should Avoid
Over the years there have been some really spectacular social media gaffes, and not just by individuals. A few large companies have made some huge mistakes with their social media, some with lasting repercussions, all with a whole lot of cringe.

Fashion Startup Caraa Aims To Be The Go-To Luxury Athleisure Bag
Caraa is a new New York City-based luxury fitness brand focusing on an untapped area of the booming athleisure market: handbags. The activewear space is a $35 billion dollar marketplace, and while there are many choices in leggings and tops, co-founders Carmen Chen Wu and Aaron Luo saw white space in fashion forward sports bags. Both active individuals, the duo were eager to find a solution to either using a traditional gym bag that was functional, but not stylish, or a designer bag that was stylish, but not functional.

How To Use Twitter For Customer Service
It’s not uncommon for customers to turn to social channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others to post their stories, both good and bad. Some companies have done a formidable job of monitoring the comments on these channels, because they recognize the benefit of responding in a timely manner.

Want To Save Money On Utilities? Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec Invested In An App For That
Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec cleaned house with Keen Home. The cyber-security king lauds the Smart Vent maker as one of the most successful investments he’s made on ABC’s Emmy-winning business reality show. In an April Forbes interview, Herjavec said Keen Home’s sales are projected to hit $5.8 million this year — a nearly sixfold increase from their $1 million in sales before Shark Tank.

100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs, 2015

Survey: Pinched Microbusiness Owners Focus On Economy In Election
The economy will be the most important factor influencing how America’s smallest businesses vote in the November presidential election, according to new research by American Express OPEN. In the survey, 32% said it was the number one issue that will influence their vote. Other key factors will be tax policy and health care (16%) and immigration (6%) the poll found.

Apple @ Risk – When the Innovation Engine Sputters, Buy, Buy & Buy Some More
Apple is at a crossroads. Its innovation engine is sputtering. Sales of its core products are falling. Major investors are worried; some are dumping the stock.

5 Ways Great Leaders Make Work Meaningful For Employees
Great leaders try to make work meaningful and enjoyable for employees. They’re most successful when they adhere to these 5 best practices.

He Turned His Passion For Fitness Into A Seven-Figure Automatic Business
Many owners of one-person service businesses dream of finding a business model where they can generate recurring revenue. The Holy Grail is scaling their sales without simply doubling or tripling their workload. John Warrillow’s popular book The Automatic Customer, has provided recent inspiration.

5 Shortcuts To Stress Relief
Stress is the new smoking. Nobody wants to be stressed. It’s considered almost taboo, a bad habit that we need to break—because we now know how insidious stress can be. We realize that it’s harmful to our productivity, our health, our relationships, and our peace of mind. Stress can make us feel overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted. It can also make us physically ill, causing a spike in cortisol that leads to health problems ranging from heart disease to depression.

The Answer To This Question Will Create Your Personal Definition Of Success
Don’t waste another minute of your life working toward someone else’s definition of success. Create your own definition right now.

How This Book Is Teaching Me To Reach People
In communication, we have the tendency to treat each other like tools toward advancing an objective. To a certain extent, it strikes me that all businesses need to channel that. But when can it go too far?

3 Creative Ways To Start Next Month A Little Bit Richer
For entrepreneurs, there’s usually only one way to measure success: what’s your bottom line? The bottom line of your financial statement is where your net income appears. After working with hundreds of entrepreneurs to strengthen their finances, I know that most attempt to improve their bottom line by growing the business. That makes sense — more profits means more net income. But the truth is, it’s often easier to improve your bottom line by getting efficient with your finances. Instead of just trying to make more money, increase your net income by keeping more of what you make. So here are 3 quick ways to grow a little bit richer with greater financial efficiency:

Animated GIFs and Fair Use: What Is and Isn’t Legal, According to Copyright Law
Animated GIFs are hotter than ever, but legal precedent has not caught up with the popularity of the format. Before you start sharing GIFs in your own content, make sure you’re in compliance with the law. Here’s everything you need to know about GIFs, copyright and the doctrine of fair use.

Celebrity Chef Traci Des Jardins On Customer Service, Entrepreneurship, Life As A Woman Chef
Celebrity chef Traci Des Jardins on the “narcissistic” customer service model that drives her crazy, and the entrepreneurial secrets that have served her well as a female chef and businessperson.