This California Farm Town Is Launching Startups Faster Than Seattle, Boston, and the Bay Area | Inc.com

February 6, 2020February 5, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Once a recurring punch line in Johnny Carson’s monologues, the agriculture-and-oil town of Bakersfield, California–home to the country’s most prolific carrot farm–is not the most obvious example of a West Coast startup hub.

But the Central Valley city, population 400,000, has vaulted onto this year’s Surge Cities list by outperforming 46 other metro areas–including the Bay Area, Boston, and Seattle–in net job and business creation in the past year.

“Incredible things are happening here,” says Irma Olguin Jr., co-founder and CEO of Bitwise Industries, a Fresno-based tech academy and software startup that’s helped create about 1,000 jobs in the area. It’s opening a Bakersfield location in 2020. “We’re seeing validation from VCs and investment banks, and there is a momentum around local revitalization.”

8 Best Industries for Starting a Business in 2020 | Inc.com

February 6, 2020February 5, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When you’re considering starting your own business, one of the first questions to ask yourself is: Does my company fulfill an actual market need? Success as an entrepreneur requires bringing solutions to market, and too many startups today are really just solutions in search of a problem.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, Inc.’s 2020 Best Industries report, a list of the best industries for starting a business, serves as a roadmap for finding the most promising opportunities. Every year, we speak with industry experts and crunch the latest data to identify areas of the economy that are primed for new entrants. Read on to see which sectors are welcoming tomorrow’s fastest-growing startups.

Bags on Sale for Every Kind of Entrepreneur | Entrepreneur

February 4, 2020February 3, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You never know where your life as a busy entrepreneur will take you or when it will take you there. There’s only so much you can schedule and predict so it’s best to be prepared whenever you can. One way to do that? Have a bag ready to go.

Incase makes bags designed for people on the move, who don’t have time to deal with clunky, unorganized briefcases. Right now, they’re offering sales on some of their top sellers. Check them out:

Is Cash or Accrual Accounting Better for Your SMB? | Business News Daily

January 31, 2020January 30, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Cash accounting is used by most individuals for their personal accounting.

The accrual method recognizes credits and debits, regardless of whether or not a monetary transaction has been made.

If you switch from cash to accrual accounting, you will need to receive permission from the IRS.

Cash and accrual accounting are financial reporting methods that share a similar function of recording sales and purchases. However, when it comes to how they operate, their processes differ in when and how you record transactions in your accounting software.

This Is Why Tracking Worker Productivity Instead Of Hours May Be Causing Burnout In Your Team | Forbes

January 30, 2020January 29, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

My very first job was in a cheese factory, moving large wheels of cheese around a stone-cold warehouse. I clocked in, did my hours, and clocked out when my shift was over.

Today, the rise of the knowledge economy has transformed work for millions of people who are now employed for their intellectual capital, be it their ability to close a deal, turn a complainant into a happy customer, or to write a report.

15 Ways to Effectively Communicate Company Goals With Your Employees | AllBusiness.com

January 30, 2020January 29, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As a leader, it’s important to understand the goals and vision of your company. It’s arguably even more important to convey that information to your employees, who play a huge role in turning those goals and visions into reality. Strong lines of communication ensure everyone is on the same page, leading to greater growth for your business. To help you do this, we asked Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question:

Q. What is your preferred method for communicating company goals and vision with your employees?

How To Use Comprehension Strategies To Improve Learning | Life Hack

January 29, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

From a young age, we learned the essential skills of reading. This is a skill that we often don’t think much of, especially around the subject of comprehension strategies for adults.

You’d think it’s rather weird at first. Adults all across the world are fully capable of reading anything. We’ve been doing that for decades.

But there is a massive difference between reading comprehension amongst children and adults you see. It’s something that hasn’t been explored much in science. You can tell by the number of studies out there discussing kid’s reading abilities rather than adults.

Study: Men who own luxury cars are often jerks | Fast Company

January 29, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Yes, the drivers of those luxury cars that cut you off really do suck. A new study in the Journal of International Psychology finds that many owners of high-status luxury cars are actually assholes. “The answers were unambiguous: self-centered men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic are much more likely to own a high-status car such as an Audi, BMW or Mercedes,” say the researchers in a press release.

The study surveyed 1,892 Finnish car owners and also analyzed their personality types, an idea inspired by lead researcher Jan-Erik Lönnqvist’s observation that the drivers “most likely to run a red light, not give way to pedestrians and generally drive recklessly and too fast were often the ones driving fast German cars” such as BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis. He knew that previous studies found luxury car drivers more likely to ignore traffic rules and drive “unethically,” but it was unclear why: Was wealth corrupting their behavior?

How to Pick the Cheapest Payroll Service | business.com

January 28, 2020January 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re a budding business owner, you may need an affordable payroll service, but is it wise to choose the cheapest one you can find?

39% of U.S. companies – that’s more than 10 million businesses – outsource their payroll processing.

43% of U.S. companies outsource their payroll tax responsibilities.

Payroll processing companies have security features in place, including backup systems and multiple servers, to keep your company’s information safe.

Operating a business comes with many costly expenses, but hiring a payroll service doesn’t have to be one of them. There are many affordable payroll services, in addition to software, for small businesses to choose from.

The Top Dropshipping Trends in 2020 | The Startup Magazine

January 23, 2020January 21, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Dropshipping has completely revolutionized the world of online businesses. It’s quite straightforward, flexible, and relatively cheap to launch – so overall, it’s an ace for many online entrepreneurs out there.

But with dropshipping turning so many people into online entrepreneurs almost overnight, how can one find success in it? With dropshipping as a largely trend-based landscape, the answer is also in continuously keeping up with the latest dropshipping trends. So, what’s in store for you in the e-commerce arena this year? In this article, we’ve listed down the top dropshipping trends in 2020 that will shape this quickly growing industry. Let’s get started!