6 Things That Separate the Great Entrepreneurs From the Rest | Inc.com

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We asked members of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) to share their thoughts on what it takes to be a great entrepreneur. Here’s what they had to say.

Grit

“One characteristic which separates good entrepreneurs from great ones is grit. Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy and you won’t always make perfect decisions. However, the leaders who can persevere through both the good and bad times have what it takes to be a great entrepreneur.”

Jeff Martin, EO Minnesota

CEO and Founder, Collective Genius

Torchia | DESIGNNOBIS

January 13, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Torchia Solar LED Lamp/Charger offers portable emergency flashlight that uses solar energy as its main power source. Just like handy flashlight, this concept device fits several needs in both multiple usages. Charged by photovoltaic panels in four wings, Torchia produces energy without any dependency on other energy systems. Suitable for outdoor activities, it charges devices via USB. Created as a multipurpose tool that is light yet robust, it is a lifesaver in size of an A3 paper. Torchia is also efficient in emergency situations, it can be used as a flash light for warning such as in the event of a car accident or natural disasters. It can be stuck onto soft ground with its foldable stakes at bottom. The main system continuously charges itself and produces energy with photovoltaic panels on four wings, the panels are two sided and other side of a panel is a reflective surface. It consists of 7 LED lights of 3.5 watts, 2 batteries with 24 watts DC, and 2 USB outputs.

See Video.

You Need a Network. Here’s How to Get One. | Page19

January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Networking is just as important today as it was before Linkedin was ever a twinkle in a developer’s neuronal pathways. Alana Muller of Coffee Lunch Coffee reveals how to do it right in 2015.

Many people consider networking a practice that is only relevant when they’re on the job hunt, or little more than a business card exchange. And with the advent of professional online networking platforms, isn’t traditional networking obsolete, anyway?

In Coffee Lunch Coffee, Alana Muller says no. Networking matters because it provides us with a supportive and enriching community and keeps us open to developments in our fields and in the job market. Not only is it as essentials as it was the days before Linkedin and Glassdoor, Muller argues, but it’s a prerequisite to professional success.

So, how do we start connecting with others professionally and in an enjoyable way? Here are two key ideas about networking from Coffee Lunch Coffee that will help you start off on the right foot.

Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC

January 13, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

v.18 n. 53 – Released January 12, 2015

This Week’s Headlines:

December Labor Market Report: 2014 Job Gains were the Largest Since 2000
California Financial Report for December
Consumer Credit Growth Solid in November
Events of Interest
- February 18, 2015: LAEDC Economic Forecast Event Featuring Tourism and Hospitality

The AI Revolution Will Humanize Businesses | Forbes

January 12, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

In the last decade, technology has made it cheaper and easier to start new businesses, finance them, realize operational efficiencies and scale geographically. It has also empowered customers and employees through social media, which has created opportunities for competitors. While these changes have been transformative, coming technology advances in the areas of smart robotics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and Big Data (“AI Revolution”) will metamorphose how businesses are staffed, operated and managed.

12 Point Checklist For Creating a Website | Smallbiztrends

January 12, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Creating a website can be daunting. Same goes for updating or improving your existing website. It feels like a huge project. You may feel like you don’t know where to start.

The good news is, with the right help and the right tools, creating a website is a very manageable process today.

And it all starts with a good plan. To get started, think through what you need to do. Start making notes to keep track.

The following website checklist, provided courtesy of Verisign, will guide you as you consider key issues and what is involved.

Obama proposes 2 free years of community college | Mashable

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama wants publicly funded community college available to all Americans, a sweeping proposal that would make higher education as accessible as a high school diploma to boost weak U.S. wages and skills for the modern workforce.

The initiative’s price tag has yet to be revealed, and it faces a Republican Congress averse to big new spending programs. Obama was promoting the idea in a visit Friday to Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in a video message posted to Facebook Thursday evening.

Google Calendar’s Enforced Birthdays Show The Ugly Side Of Algorithms | TechCrunch

January 9, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You may recall that Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information”. So if you’ve been seeing the Birthdays of people you hardly know appearing UFO-like in your Google Calendar lately, never fear — this is just Mountain View doing its thang organizing your stuff.

Specifically, this bit of Googly info-admin boils down to its algorithms harvesting the birth dates of all of your Google contacts (which means anyone you might email regularly) and any Google+ users you added to the circles of your (in all likelihood Google-enforced) Google+ profile, and then inserting those dates into your calendar so you don’t have to.

Ta-da!

Q: how useful is it to have the birthdays of people whose birthdays you don’t at all need to have in your calendar mixed in with the birthdays of people you do need in your calendar, cluttering up the place where you record other stuff you do really need to know?

A: not useful at all!

The Autopilot Tech That Could Be a Total Game-Changer for Drones | WIRED

January 9, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Intel invented a new sport on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show this year: drone pong.

To play, four men stood around around a drone hovering in place. As each one approached the drone, it would float away from him, much like the digital ball in the classic video game Pong, and drift toward another person. He could then “pass” it to the next person by approaching the drone.

It’s a simple game, but it was one of the most talked about demos at CES this year because the technology that makes it work is quite complex. The drone had no remote control operator; instead it could “see” people approaching and and move away from them thanks to an autopilot system built by German company Ascending Technologies based in part on Intel’s RealSense 3D cameras.

This was more than a flashy demo. The AscTec Firefly pong drones are a real product from Ascending Technologies, and they will ship with the new autopilot technology later this year. Intel likes them so much, the chipmaker has bought a minority stake in Ascending.

9 Tips For Improving Your Bookkeeping in the New Year | Business News Daily

January 8, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Doing a less than stellar job keeping track of your business finances? Maybe your New Year’s resolutions should be to get your financial house in order.

To help, Greg Jones, CEO of Bookkeeping Express, a franchise bookkeeping services offers the following financial tips for business owners to financially prepare for the New Year.

Review bank statements and credit card statements

These statements should always come to the business owner or card holder unopened. Review them thoroughly before passing them to the bookkeeper or other employee, thereby preventing unauthorized checks or credit card usage. These are the biggest losses within a small business.