Midweek Reading: Minimum Salaries, the Sharing Economy, and Liberal Arts Degrees
Here are some of the best things I’ve read recently for entrepreneurs, including news, profiles, and expert advice:
When Dan Price announced a new minimum salary of $70,000 for all employees at his company, Gravity Payments, as a way of combating income inequality, he drew praise and criticism from talking heads—but also caused a firestorm inside the company.
To most people, the “Sharing Economy” means high-profile apps like Uber and Airbnb. But some entrepreneurs and communities are taking a different approach that puts more emphasis on the “sharing” aspect.
STEM programs are the big focus for a lot of policy makers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), but many companies—including technology companies—are finding that the creative thinking of liberal arts majors is the key to unlocking a business’s potential.
The idea of a $15 minimum wage has gained steam in many places in the past year. The Pew Research Center looks at how differently a $15 minimum wage would function and be valued in all the nation’s different metropolitan areas.
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Advances in automation are expected to change the labor market dramatically in coming decades, and researchers believe that jobs more frequently performed by men are at greater risks than jobs more frequently performed by women.
Some people shy away from the franchise model for a perceived lack of creative freedom. SmallBizTrends tells the story of how a franchise owner in Detroit took the initiative to develop new avenues for the business to succeed even in the midst of a recession.
Joel Marcus shares his entrepreneurial story and talks about why he favors a decentralized company structure, encouraging a culture where creative people can come up with ideas and be confident they will be heard.
What is the state of Millennials’ finances? Are they dire, with a sharp drop in real earnings (and spending power)? Jordan Weissmann argues that the situation is not good, but it’s also not as bad as many make it out to be.
For perfectionists, entrepreneurship can be a real challenge. Carol Roth writes for Entrepreneur about how and when to balance between the perfect and the good-enough.
