Posts by Edwin Bevens
Midweek Reading: One-Star Reviews and Small Business Spending
Not every city is the same. The JP Morgan Chase Institute studied what percentage of money people spend at small and medium businesses, finding that there is a wide spread in how much people spend at small businesses, with New York and Los Angeles leading the way. Online reviews can live forever. Some small business…
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Midweek Reading: Encore Entrepreneurs, Do-Gooders & Microbusinesses
Research confirms the popular wisdom that older entrepreneurs are playing a larger role in the US, with 55-64 year olds now making up more than 25 percent of all new entrepreneurs this year. Jena McGregor analyzes about why people are always interested in stories about do-good bosses, whether it’s Dan Price installing a $70,000 minimum…
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Midweek Reading: Local Artisans, Positive Reinforcement, and Nonbank Lending
Big retailers are partnering with small businesses to try to create unique offerings for their customers, with locally made, handcrafted items from small local artisans. Research by the Harvard Business School has found that the best way to boost productivity and creativity is to focus more on praising employees and encouraging them than blaming and…
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Midweek Reading: MBTI, Small Business Saturday & Hiring
Your personality type may impact your earnings. A recent study found that, using the Myers-Briggs personality types (MBTI), individuals with extroversion, sensing, thinking, and judging traits earned higher income. Is your business participating in Small Business Saturday this year? Gene Marks is skeptical of how much impact the event really has. Is it better to…
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Midweek Reading: Productivity, Gestures, and Chip Cards
This week’s top reading for entrepreneurs includes our national obsession with productivity, how speakers should use hand gestures, and the controversy over the new chip cards. Melissa Gregg of Intel looks at the obsession with productivity in contemporary culture, and the way that various apps promise that technology will help workers and entrepreneurs take control…
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Midweek Reading: Amazon Goes Brick and Mortar, and More
The family-owned Texas grocery chain HEB is trying a novel experiment, dividing 15 percent ownership in the company and its profits among its employees. Is it a sign of a trend of businesses looking for ways to reward and retain workers in a period of low unemployment? Buffalo, NY, is the latest city to use…
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Midweek Reading: Crowdfunding, Content, and IP
New crowdfunding rules approved by the SEC allow entrepreneurs to distribute shares, and not just products, in exchange for funding from small investors. Do you need trademark protection in your business? Peter Tabibian and the story of his Z-Burger trademark give an example of why it is so valuable. Having content is not enough. Greg…
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Midweek Reading: Black Friday, Imposter Syndrome, and the Employer Mandate
The trend in recent years during the Thanksgiving holiday has been for businesses to open earlier and earlier, but outdoor equipment retailer REI is bucking the trend by not only staying closed on Thanksgiving, but on Friday, too—and that means not just their stores but their website, too! The Imposter Syndrome is a feeling of…
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Midweek Reading: Amazon Reviews, Generational Businesses, and Results
With how important Amazon is to so many businesses that sell their goods using the Amazon platform, the integrity of Amazon’s review system is vitally important. To protect that integrity, Amazon is suing more than 1,000 people who offered fake Amazon reviews in exchange for cash. What does a 14th century Arab philosopher have to…
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Midweek Reading: Uncertainty, Working from Home, and the Hard 40
Some businesses are trying harder to ensure workers are unplugged when they’re away from the office. Hard 40 policies require workers to put in 40 hours per week, no more, no less, and do no work away from the office. Allowing people to work from home can increase productivity and morale. But what are the…
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