Nudge in a new direction? The Whole Coffee Co unveils edible coffee bars, butters | Food Navigator

March 30, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Until the 19th century, chocolate (cocoa) was something you drank, not ate, notes David Burke. “And then we figured out how to turn it into a food. Now we’re on the cusp of exactly the same thing with coffee.”

The IP underpinning this transformation is enshrined in a suite of process and equipment patents assigned to Miami-based The Whole Coffee Co, to which Burke was brought in as CEO in May 2018 after the company (a chocolate manufacturer formerly known as Tierra Nueva) was acquired by private equity firm ProspEquity.

Elon Musk’s brother wants to pioneer the future of farming | CNN

March 27, 2020March 26, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Plant-based foods are all the rage right now, and vertical farms are capitalizing on the trend.

Vertical farming is an indoor farming method in which crops are grown in stacked layers, often without soil. The practice is becoming more popular and important as urban populations grow dramatically and available farmland decreases.

While vertical farming isn’t a new concept, these eco-friendly indoor farms are now rapidly expanding

Male vs. Female Entrepreneurs: How Are They Different? | Business News Daily

March 25, 2020March 24, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Nearly all entrepreneurs are self-starters with passion and goals for their business. However, there are a few differences in how male and female entrepreneurs choose to run their businesses.

In a survey by Bank of America, male and female entrepreneurs were questioned about their business practices and views of their lifestyles.

While some characteristics, such as spending time with loved ones, were the same, males and females had different opinions regarding other ways they run their businesses.

Female entrepreneurs might be outdoing men when it comes to running successful businesses.

Conscious Mind vs Subconscious Mind: How to Improve Them? | Life Hack

March 24, 2020March 23, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The mind is one of the most fascinating and powerful aspects of ourselves. It is stronger than any supercomputer that we have ever created and can store practically an infinite amount of information.

How we get access to all of that information stems from the levels of the mind. There are three in total, but here the focus will be on the relationship between our conscious mind vs subconscious mind. By uncovering what is going on in our heads, we can best achieve our goals by tapping into the various minds.

How to run a better Zoom, Skype or Google hangout meeting | Fast Company

March 24, 2020March 23, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

One of my colleagues posted a meme the other day calling the coronavirus the “Zoombie apocalypse” after the group videoconference app that has been the basis of a lot of meetings since people started working from home to slow the spread of the disease.

On the one hand, apps such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts have made it fairly easy for people to engage from a distance with each person in their own space. On the other hand, meetings online can be pretty chaotic, especially if someone forgets to mute themselves. Here are a few things you should do to make them better:

15 Smart Ways to Test New Hires Before You Commit | AllBusiness.com

March 20, 2020March 19, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Hiring a new employee is a huge commitment, especially if you’re a small to mid-sized business with a tight budget. Before you invest time, energy, and resources into a new team member, you’ll want to make absolutely certain they are truly a good fit. Implementing a trial period can be a great strategy for confirming your hiring decision.

To find out more, we asked Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question:

Tax deadline extension announced in response to coronavirus scare | Small Business Trends

March 20, 2020March 19, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The IRS announces a tax deadline extension of 90 days to July 15 interest and penalty-free to help individuals and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

As Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday in the briefing about the coronavirus, individual taxpayers and small businesses can delay paying their income taxes on as much as $1 million for up to 90 days. The sum goes up to $10 million for corporations.

Employee Rewards Programs | business.com

March 19, 2020March 18, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Employee incentives do not always have to involve money. Many employees just want to hear a “thank you” and “great job.”

Employee recognition programs are a great way to let your employees know you appreciate the job they do.
Reward programs help you keep the staff you have and encourage new talent to work for your company.
Your rewards program is only as good as the way you implement it into the organization.

Studies have shown that employee rewards programs can be a good idea. (Companies with some kind of recognition program have 31% lower turnover, according to Bersin & Associates.) But the execution of an employee rewards program can be bad or good.

How to Embrace the Power of No in Your Small Business | Inc.com

March 18, 2020March 17, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Ever try to negotiate with a toddler? You’ll soon find one of the first words that they learn is “no,” and they use it every chance they get to let you know what you’re offering doesn’t work for them. You don’t have to cross your arms and pout, to see the lesson learned from them in how most entrepreneurs negotiate.

As a small business owner, you are probably optimistic to a fault and eager to please. You focus on making customers happy at all costs, so you are willing to take on an immense amount of pressure to avoid ever having to say the dreaded word “no.”

This is a shame because there’s so much power in that single word. When used thoughtfully and intentionally, it creates negotiating leverage, but more importantly, it changes the entire psychology of the decision-making process.

Effective Strategies to Get Your Out of Business Debt | The Startup Magazine

March 18, 2020March 17, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Essentially, a business aims to generate profits from its operations. However, if your venture is operating in debt, its viability can be impacted. Many businesses are funded from various loan sources during the start-up phase but issues such as increased interest rates, recession as well as a lack of credit can be a cause for concern. You will realize that your business may be struggling to get out of debt in the long run. With that being said, the situation can be compounded by the limited income that the company generates. When you are in such a predicament, you need to implement effective strategies that can get you out of business debt. If you want to learn some of these strategies, read on!