During this election season especially, the public has employed more and more tools to influence the online political narrative, or so it seems, according to Amanda Hess for the New York Times in, Memes, Myself and I: The Internet Lets Us All Run the Campaign. What a fascinating read and another look into the ways social media continues to inform our views as a nation. Now, if I could just find the perfect Accounting meme to steer clients my way.
Category: Business Model
Hope For The Urban Worker
But small manufacturers like Marlin are vital if the United States is to narrow the nation’s class divide and build a society that offers greater opportunities for everyone — rich and poor, black and white, high school graduates and Ph.D.s.
Factories such as Marlin Steel who make very specific products, are still providing jobs in the urban setting where there is a great need for employment. As more and more jobs are lost to automation and outsourcing, these smaller companies are making a difference and creating hope in cities across the U.S.
Read more about this current development here: Small Factories Emerge as a Weapon in the Fight Against Poverty. Maybe there truly is a light at the end of the tunnel for those seeking skilled work in urban settings and for the crisis of unemployment in our country.
Pay More Get More
After dismal 2015 customer service reviews with only 16% of stores nationwide meeting their goals in this area, Wal-Mart decide to try an almost unheard of idea in the arena of large discount stores. In early 2016, they increased employee wages across the board and began offering more focused training and streamlined schedules for hourly workers. This new investment has already shown promise in both company loyalty and customer reviews. The profit landscape is still not as sunny, but that’s another story. One where Amazon and Target play key antagonists. For now, have a look around your local Wal-Mart store and see if the good cheer, cleaner restrooms and well stocked shelves have reached your neck of the woods.
How Did Walmart Get Cleaner Stores and Higher Sales? It Paid Its People More
Stock Photography Profits to the Photographer
Imagine a site with amazing stock photos. Now imagine that the majority of the profits go directly to the photographers. That is exactly what Bruce Livingstone and Brianna Wettlaufer created not once, but twice. Previously they owned iStock which billed itself as “by creatives, for creatives.” This business was later acquired by Getty Photos. As the amount of royalties paid to photographers began to lessen, the team decided it was time to start again. Together they created Stocksy, where photographers are paid 50-75% of sales as well a 90% distribution of profits at the end of the year. Next time you need a stunning stock photos, give Stocksy a look.
A New Wrinkle in the Gig Economy: Workers Get Most of the Money
No Cash? No Problem.
How would you feel about this sign at your favorite restaurant? Going cashless is the latest tactic some businesses are employing in an attempt to streamline their process. Not all patrons are happy about this practice and some have been so vocal against it that stores have amended their policies. It’s a fascinating thought that we have made the full circle back to credit/debit cards.
Where a Suitcase Full of Cash Won’t Buy You Lunch
Are You Effective or Just Busy?
Ever have that feeling that your day will never end? Smartphones and other electronic devices make us available 24/7. Keeping our minds spinning, and making it seem that our time is constantly filled. In the Entrepreneur 360 article, 5 Ways to Stop Being Busy and Start Being Effective, four simple steps explain how we can accomplish work in the most effective way and help shed the constant feel of busy-ness.
- Don’t say yes to every task.
- Create time for your family and friends.
- Prioritize.
- Do not let others distract you.
Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you!
What’s On Your Desk?
Make yourself number one! Keep in mind that when you are happy and taken care of, you are able to do much more efficient and focused work. Not to mention warding off the temptation to feast on the chocolates at your neighbor’s desk or the donuts in the break room. The ideas shared by Danielle, a contributor to apartmenttherapy.com, in her article, Be Happier at Work: Try This Simple Desk Update Today make sense. Who doesn’t enjoy drinks and delicious snacks at his/her fingertips, as well as a little beauty added to the space?
Shall we give this a try?
Tell us your experiences in the comments section and we’ll share ours too. Now, get to work!
Join The Crowd
Ever seen the internet ad for ThingCharger? A current, large-scale crowd-funding campaign that promises a space saving, re-charge station for all kinds of electronic devices. These offers appear in your inbox and all over the internet, urging you to share your wealth for inventive ideas and charitable causes. On the opposite side of the spectrum from funds seeking venture capital, are sites such as YouCaring, an online compassionate crowd-funding community. Check it out today and see all the ways you can make a difference in the world!
Want to start your own crowd funding site? Try this article.
19 Psychological Tactics for Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns
These Shoes Were Made For Walking
You may remember this post from July, Bureaucracy, Autocracy, Holacracy? Online shoe retailer Zappos was ditching a traditional business plan for the more free-form governance known as holacracy. In theory, the plan offered each employee an equal say in various parts of the business. Flash forward to January 2016 where employees have left the company in droves due to this new found “freedom.” The Zappos Exodus Continues After a Radical Management Experiment.
Just What is a “Becomer?”
The new name that branders are giving the life stage between ages 14-34. Defined by Tom Ascheim, president of ABC Family, as, “The time from your first kiss to your first kid.” Disney’s Family Channel Aims Younger Than Millennials With New Name. The channel will be renamed, Freeform, a vision of how teens and twenties currently utilize media. It is unusual that such a successful station would undergo these major changes, but Disney executives want to stay ahead of the curve and continue their seamless audience flow.