The Rise of the Female-Led ‘Zebra’ Startup | Business.com

September 14, 2018September 13, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Unicorns have been a huge trend in and out of the tech world in the last few years. While silver hair and rainbow eyelashes characterized a nostalgia-inspired beauty trend, the “unicorn” label more prominently describes disruptive startup companies valued at $1 billion or more.

Yet the age of unicorns could soon see its dusk. As bloggers voted “Baba Yaga” the next unicorn in beauty, the “zebra” emerged as a practical-yet-fantastical unicorn alternative in the tech world. Following a year in which “feminism” was the reigning term and female silence-breakers graced the cover of Time, it should be no surprise that women are leading the charge in this transition.

The New iPhones Highlight Apple’s Greed | Digital Trends

September 14, 2018September 13, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Apple events are always big, and few tech product releases generate the level of excitement we see over new iPhones. This year, we saw an oddly-named trio of new phones and a new smartwatch, but that’s not all Apple unveiled on the Cupertino stage, we also saw a whole new level of greed from the world’s richest company.

We can wax lyrical about the stunning iPhone Xs, the super-sized iPhone Xs Max, and the more affordable iPhone XR. Make no mistake, these are highly-desirable, thoughtfully-designed smartphones that will bring joy to many people. Whether they’re worth the high fees Apple commands is debatable. A price of $1,450 for the 512GB iPhone Xs Max seems excessive, but most people will be perfectly happy with the $750 iPhone XR.

How to Start Your Own Healthcare Service | The Startup Magazine

September 13, 2018September 12, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Starting any small business has its fair share of challenges, but there may be far more when starting a home healthcare service. This type of business has significant liability and compliance requirements. As an agency, you deliver medical services that are in high demand.

Knowledge & Skills

You will need familiarity or experience in healthcare service, business, and technology to do well: Some experience with healthcare procedures and equipment is essential. You should, for instance, be comfortable with an electrocardiogram. When necessary, you should be able to offer an ECG interpretation because you know how to read it. You should also be experienced enough to know what kind of employees you should hire, able to understand their qualifications and assess their competence.

Struggling to Get Motivated? Don’t Ask for Advice–Give It | Inc.com

September 12, 2018September 11, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There’s a lot of advice out there for the lazy and unmotivated: Take baby steps! Set a timer! Enlist an accountability partner! But what if the best way to tackle lack of motivation isn’t to give any sort of advice at all, but to ask for it instead?

That’s the intriguing conclusion of a new article by a pair of psychologists from Wharton and the University of Chicago highlighted recently by Quartz’s Leak Fessler

12 Enjoyable Hobbies That Can Actually Save You Money | The Simple Dollar

September 11, 2018September 10, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I am a strong, strong believer that the good life involves having some time that you’ve set aside for leisure activities that you do solely for personal enjoyment and personal enrichment. I block off significant portions of time in my daily and weekly schedule for hobbies, and although I do sometimes jettison those blocks of time, it’s become readily apparent to me over the years that having such free time is incredibly valuable for my level of happiness and my mental well being.

In the past, I’ve written about my 11 frugal hobbies, as well as 40 free (or very low cost) activities I enjoy doing in my spare time.

While all of these things are fine hobbies, there are quite a few things I enjoy doing in my spare time that I mentally catalogue as “frugality” or “household tasks” rather than hobbies.

Freelancers Will Soon Be Able to Buy Short-Term Disability Insurance Through This Startup | Entrpreneur

September 10, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re a freelancer, you don’t get days off when you’re sick. While you may be able to save up a rainy day fund for the occasional flu, if anything ever happened to you that put you out of commission for weeks at a time, chances are you’d be screwed.

For freelancers who have experienced this misfortune firsthand — or who live their lives trying not to think about the possibility — a new kind of insurance will soon become available. A company called Trupo, formed out of the Freelancers Union by the organization’s founder, Sara Horowitz, will begin selling short-term disability insurance to a waiting list of more than 200 Georgia residents later this month, with a broader launch and additional markets to follow.

5 Secrets to Feel the Fear and Knock it Out of the Court! | Getentrepreneurial.com

September 10, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I woke up at 4.30am with my heart pounding, completely disoriented and with no idea why I felt such panic.

Then I remembered, it was the big day. The day I had been planning for for over 9 months, it was the big event.

I tried to fall back asleep but realized it was useless. I started visualizing my day and felt the pain in my stomach intensify.

It was excruciating. I was sick with fear. And yet excited and happy and ready to take to the stage.

VR-Augmented Waterslide is Totally Unnecessary, But Also Amazing | Digital Trends

September 7, 2018September 6, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Let’s face it: We live in a pretty jaded society. In such a “been there, seen that” environment, the promise of a regular ole’ waterpark wouldn’t be enough to prompt even an eye-roll emoji in response from many people. Thank goodness, then, for an amusement park in Germany whose new, world-first waterslide adds in a dose of scintillating virtual reality in an effort to make us feel something again.

“Ballast originally started by making an experimental headset that can be used underwater,” Stephen Greenwood, the CEO of Ballast VR, the company behind VRSlide, told Digital Trends. “Last summer, we were approached by German waterslide manufacturer Wiegand-Maelzer to see if we could build a system that worked on waterslides.

Reducing Our Beef Consumption Can Have An Amazing Impact On The Earth | Green Matters

September 7, 2018September 6, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Many of us eat meat, dairy, and eggs on a regular basis. Unfortunately, these dietary choices are not without harm to the environment. Luckily, you don’t need to cut burgers and eggs from your diet entirely. Even just reducing the amount you eat makes a big difference when it comes to the planet’s health. For example, a survey conducted by Impossible Foods recently found that if Americans swapped 50 percent of the beef they ate with vegan proteins, it would save about 72,000 square miles of land.

In their 2018 sustainability report, titled “Mission: Earth,” the vegan brand suggests that using vegan proteins would have a seriously positive impact on the environment. For example, they suggest that the beef swap would reduce our carbon footprint by up to 45 million metric tons. What does that look like? It’s roughly the same as removing emissions from 11 million U.S. drivers in one year.

Are Candidates Ghosting Your Business? | Business News Daily

September 5, 2018September 4, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The term “ghosting” doesn’t just apply to the dating world. If you’ve ever been “stood up” by an employee who stopped coming into work as if they vanished into thin air, you’re not alone. Employers everywhere have experienced both potential and current employees suddenly cut off communication for a variety of reasons.

This phenomenon happens in all industries for any number of positions. A promising candidate for your vacant position aced their interview, and they seemed genuinely excited to get started, but come their start date, they’re nowhere to be found. You call, email and leave multiple messages, but they all go unreturned. This is especially frustrating if this is after you closed the job listing, forcing you start the hiring process all over again.