Author: knjohn

An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Buying Health Insurance | All business

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Most entrepreneurs are solopreneurs or have less than five employees. This means that you’re not required to buy insurance for employees (obligation begins at 5o full-time employees) and it probably doesn’t make sense for you to have a company plan. In other words, you will be buying your insurance from the individual plan market. Here is a guide to buying health insurance in the age of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Decide Where to Buy

The ACA (often referred to as “Obamacare”) has made it much easier to buy individual health insurance plans by setting up a federal webstore: healthcare.gov. You can browse for plans available in your zip code, compare what they offer, and enroll in a policy of your choosing — all without leaving leaving the website.

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The Next Big Thing You Missed: New Apps Instantly Convert Spreadsheets Into Something Actually Readable | WIRED

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TS_Wired_IMG80801Dave Story is building a mobile app that can instantly transform an Excel spreadsheet into something you can actually read.

It’s called Project Elastic, and he unveiled the thing this fall at a conference run by his company, Tableau. The Seattle-based company has been massively successful selling software that helps big businesses “visualize” the massive amount of online data they generate—transform all those words and numbers into charts and graphics their data scientists can more readily digest—but Project Elastic is something different. It’s not meant for big businesses. It’s meant for everyone.

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Is Your Idea Actually Terrible? What to Know. | Entrepreneur

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images (1)Sometimes, bad ideas happen to good people. We talked to a panel of experts in innovation about what bad ideas have in common to help you recognize them when they happen and figure out your plan of action.

The problem only you have. Just because a solution works for you, it might not work for anyone else or make good business sense, says Jonathan Axelrod, managing director at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator. Don’t assume that your needs are the market’s needs.

The idea you’ll monetize later. Finding a path to profitability is essential in testing the viability of an idea and whether it can find success. Crunch some hard numbers, suggests Greg Grove, an attorney at Chicago’s Much Shelist, and know what the cost to acquire customers will be, when you might break-even, and if it’s not too late to really reap the profits you think are available. After looking at the data, says Grove, “an idea that might initially look good, might be less good than you think.”

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5 Tips For Making Time For Yourself Despite Competing Priorities | Forbes

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imagesOne woman recently asked me, “How do you go to work all day, attend several meetings, then come home and make dinner and tomorrow’s lunch and go to bed early enough to get enough sleep so that you can do it all over again tomorrow? Is there a way to get all of this done – oh, and find time for exercise and meditation as well?” Here are five tips I use to create more time in my day while being bombarded with demands.​

1)   Just say No

The key to creating more time is to start saying “no” to requests and obligations that you don’t want to fulfill.  It’s kind of like cleaning out your closet. At first, you think everything is necessary. But once you begin getting rid of hangers from the dry cleaners and creating more space, you gain momentum. By the time you’re done, it feels great!

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3 Ways to Fix Unproductive Meetings That are Costing You Money | Inc.com

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getty_81178164_97064797045000_45142“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” observed American economist John Kenneth Galbraith.

If Galbraith’s quote makes you smile and nod in agreement, you’re not alone.

Meetings are a necessary part of every organization. They are where plans are made, goals are set, and reports are given. They offer the opportunity for dialogue and problem solving, as well as the chance to get to know colleagues better. They can even make people laugh. When conducted well, meetings can help everyone be more productive. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

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Buying Girl Scout Cookies Online: Thin Mints Finally Reach the Web | Businessweek

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Buyers in the Girl Scout cookie market are of two types: people who are pressured, on behalf of a co-worker’s daughter, into purchasing three boxes of Thin Mints, and people who desperately want to buy three—OK, six—boxes of Thin Mints but can’t find a girl scout fast enough or persuade her to accept your credit card.

If you’re the first type of cookie buyer, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America can do nothing for you because, frankly, Thin Mints are delicious and you shouldn’t need any additional persuasion to buy them. But if you’re in the second camp—the person who can’t find cookies—the scouts understand your cookie-related pain and want to help. “The No. 1 reason people say they don’t buy our cookies is they couldn’t find a Girl Scout,” says Kelly Parisi, chief communications director of Girl Scouts of America. “We needed a new way to approach the consumer.”

That’s why this year, you’ll be able to buy Girl Scout cookies online.

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Sitting Stool in Backpack |CoolBusinessIdeas.com

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BAGOBAGO is a sitting backpack that allows you to sit down comfortably just about anywhere. BAGOBAGO is a sitting backpack with built-in stool. The interior is designed to prevent damage to its contents while keeping the stool always functional. The stool is hidden in the interior of the backpack and the construction is designed to prevent damage to its contents

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When the Extra Mile Isn’t Worth It | Page19

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“Go the extra mile” is a familiar adage, and really, what isn’t laudable about putting in 110%? Well for starters, it isn’t actually a great strategy for success. Here, learn what works for 10X companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Southwest Airlines instead.

We are all taught that the best way to get ahead in business is to never stop trying to succeed. At the end of every day you should have achieved what you set out to and more. In short, to smoke the competition you should constantly strive to go the extra mile or 10 – but this is far from truth.

The most successful businesses don’t try and push as much as they can. Instead, they make attainable targets and ensure they reach them.

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