Tipping Point: Is It Time to Rethink Gratuity in Restaurants? | Entrepreneur

January 12, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

American diners really give it to their servers. In New York City and Los Angeles, tips at independent eateries average 22 percent of the check, a big jump from a generation ago, when 15 percent was the norm, according to restaurateurs. Waiters and bartenders often earn more than $50 an hour.

And that has to stop, say a growing number of restaurant owners. Bottom-line necessity and common sense are uniting small family-owned cafes with the country’s most expensive chef-owned dining rooms in a move to abolish tipping.

Planning for Growth | Lydia Mehit

January 11, 2016January 18, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

2015 was a growth year for CBPS. We connected with new referral sources for clients, celebrated one year in our new office and expanded our list of services. We are now formulating our plan for 2016 and beyond.

Sometimes you are so busy in your business that you don’t have time to step outside and view it. Stepping back from the business helps you gain clarity. In 2015, we took time to put a marker down and articulate where we wanted to go. Although things didn’t turn out exactly as planned, we still booked more work in 2015 than in previous years.

Continue reading “Planning for Growth | Lydia Mehit” →

4 Unconventional Pieces of Startup Advice from Peter Thiel | Page19

January 11, 2016January 11, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

So: you have a great new idea and you’re on the verge of launching your own business? Off you go! Be warned, though: few startups last more than a few years. What gives? Peter Thiel gives us his take on what’s big when you’re small. This might be a brave new world of enterprise, but traditional business smarts still matter.

This is why it is worth listening to advice from successful founders and entrepreneurs. Certainly, one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time is Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal and now a prominent venture capitalist. He was the first outsider to invest in Facebook, and he manages Founders Fund’s $2 billion assets.

We read Peter Thiel’s bestselling book, Zero to One, and pulled out its most important tips for new startup founders.

Asking For Help Could Be The Biggest Boost Your Business Gets | Getentrepreneurial

January 11, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Running your own business can feel like it’s you against the world. Especially in the early days.

However, no one has to fly solo. Help is out there and it’s just a matter of knowing where to find it.

Cultivated properly and nurtured frequently, business mentors and friends can turn into some of the biggest assets you have, outside of your own staff. Their guidance, ideas and counsel can help your business grow and turn you into a better leader.

Here are some tips that have worked for me:

Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC

January 8, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

v.20 n. 1 – Released January 6, 2016

This Week’s Headlines:

Happy New Year to 2.5 Million New Americans!
U.S. Light Vehicle Sales Set New Record
U.S. Trade Deficit Narrows in November
SoCal Home Sales and Median Prices in November
Events of Interest
- February 17, 2016: LAEDC February Economic Outlook

America, Your Credit Rating Stinks | Bloomberg Business

January 8, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

They are home to the nation’s credit elite, and they have another thing in common: the tech industry. Certain neighborhoods on the West Coast boast residents with some of the best credit, according to a new report by free credit score site Credit Sesame. Those zip codes include the main stomping grounds of Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Google.

Between the coasts, and certainly away from the tech plutocracy, the story is different. The average score for all U.S. states combined is a lowly 604, considered subprime by many lenders, said Stew Langille, Credit Sesame’s chief strategy officer.

Volkswagen branded sales drop for first time in 11 years | BBC News

January 8, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

German car maker Volkswagen has posted its first drop in VW brand sales in 11 years as the company continues to cope with its emissions scandal.

Sales of VW brand cars fell 4.8% in 2015 to 5.82 million cars from 6.12 million a year earlier.

Falling demand in China and US added to the losses as orders fell in December.

VW has promised it will have a fix in the coming weeks for the millions of US cars with defeat devices that disguised emission levels in diesel cars.

Marketers Don’t Understand Modern Moms, Saatchi Survey Says | Adweek

January 8, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Memo to marketers: When it comes to moms, get real. Stop focusing on motherhood as a job, and start talking to moms like the multifaceted, multidimensional human beings they are.

That’s the key takeaway from Saatchi & Saatchi’s global study on “Moms and Marketing: IRL (In Real Life),” which queried nearly 8,000 mothers with children ranging from newborns to 17-year-olds in China, Germany, Italy, India, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S. (including U.S. Hispanics).

Is Self-Insurance Right for Your Business? | Business News Daily

January 7, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

According to Healthcare.gov, self-insurance is a “type of plan … where the employer itself collects premiums from enrollees and takes on the responsibility of paying employees’ and dependents’ medical claims.” Insurance services such as enrollment, claims processing and provider networks can be handled in-house, but are more frequently managed by a third-party administrator (TPA) or an insurance company.

A Lamborghini driving into floodwaters just taught us all an important lesson | Mashable

January 7, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When I found this video of someone driving their Lamborghini through floodwaters in San Diego, I assumed it would go poorly. Even as the video began to play, I was already saying aloud to myself, “You’re doing it wrong.”

Turns out, though, I was the one who was wrong. That’s because that Lamborghini Huracan drove through the water like a boss (or like a Jeep — you choose).