Feeling Stuck in a Rut? Here’s How to Burst Out and Thrive | Entrepreneur

March 28, 2017March 27, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Anyone who has ever started a business has faced fear. A little bit actually can be a very positive catalyst. But when fear overwhelms your ability to make decisions, it can become paralyzing and leave you feeling stuck. That’s a sign you need to take action and restore the sense of confidence you once had.

When we’re young, we think we’re invincible. We can do anything (just ask my teenagers!). Yet for many of us, that confidence and self-assurance erodes over time as we get older. We wake up one day confronted by thoughts we can’t shake: “I can’t. I shouldn’t. I couldn’t possibly.” We start to question our choices and ourselves. We second-guess our gut instincts and overthink things.

Experimental Luminaries | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

March 28, 2017March 27, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You might have been able to tell that we weren’t completely sure what to call these. Viride is so unique and interesting that we haven’t even gotten a name for them yet. Goula / Figuera Studio, which designed Viride, calls it a collection of “experimental luminaries”, which brings together two common objects found in homes—artificial lighting and flora. Knowing that oftentimes flora needs natural light to thrive, which is not always available in homes, Goula / Figuera Studio decided to solve that need with a specific design object that not only highlights home plants, but also ensures that it gets the lighting it needs.

10 Best TED Talks To Help You Make Hard Decisions | Life Hack

March 27, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

From the moment we get out of bed, we have to constantly make decisions. Some decisions are smaller and some are bigger. The main reason why we sometimes have trouble making decisions is that we worry about the consequences. We are afraid of making bad decisions—and perhaps we should be.

While choosing a less-than-healthy lunch option may not do much damage, picking the wrong major at university or the wrong career path may have a disastrous impact on our lives.

We have put together a list of the most viewed TED Talks about decision-making, where professionals and successful people share their insights about the topic. These talks will help you understand some of the important factors contributing to a good decision, the thinking process behind decision-making, and a lot more.

Why Do Songs Get Stuck in Your Head? | Live Science

March 24, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There are some songs that just beg to become embedded in your brain. “It’s a Small World.” “My Sharona.” “YMCA.”

Even a die-hard Village People fan is bound to get a little annoyed the 70-millionth time “It’s fun to stay at the Y, M, C, A!” screeches through their skull. But why are sticky songs — earworms, as they’re known — so hard to dislodge? And what kinds of songs are likely to get stuck in our brains, anyway?

3 signs you’re hiring the wrong person | Business Insider

March 24, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Bad hiring decisions tend to be expensive mistakes.

According to a study from the Society for Human Resource Management, 41% of hiring managers estimate that hiring the wrong person costs the company thousands for dollars.

The problem is, it’s not always easy to figure out who’s a bad fit— especially if they look good on paper.

“Some people really excel in the interview setting,” says Joe Weinlick, SVP at Beyond, a career network. “They’re personable, charismatic, and able to provide specific examples of past experiences that make them qualified for the job. But just because it’s printed on their résumé doesn’t mean it’s the absolute truth.”

So, how can you spot a disastrous prospective hire before you actually make them a job offer?

This Brooklyn Company Just Introduced a Way Cool Folding Chair (Yes, That’s Possible) | Inc.com

March 23, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Jessica Banks designs magic tricks. The thing is, Banks’s magic tricks are disguised as furniture.

She’s the founder of RockPaperRobot, a robotics furniture maker in Brooklyn. Her newest offering, the Ollie chair, is her company’s first attempt to appeal to a mass-market audience and to make her sleight of hand more accessible to the not-ultra-rich — without breaking the bank herself. To fund, manufacture, and sell the chairs, RockPaperRobot turned to Kickstarter. The campaign has raised $220,000 so far, well beyond its initial goal of $80,000, and will end on March 29 at 9 a.m. ET.

How To Prioritize Your Ecommerce Startup | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

March 22, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Electronic commerce, or ecommerce, can do almost everything that a brick-and-mortar store can do. Moreover, it’s cheaper to set up, easier to attract buyer traffic, easier to process orders, and easier to distribute electronic or physical goods. And your store is open 24/7 and can reach customers all over the world.

Since ecommerce is so flexible, many entrepreneurs launch their startups as ecommerce ventures. Instead of spending 6 figures to build a full scale business that may or may not work, it’s possible to build one with 5 figures to see how things work out. If the business happens to be as successful as envisioned, it can then be scaled up.

Reality Television isn’t Reality: My Journey to Startup Success | The Startup Magazine

March 22, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

While popular TV shows like ‘Shark Tank’ may make it look like it’s easy for startups to secure funding, the reality isn’t always so kind. The harsh truth is that ‘Shark Tank’ scenarios do not exist in the real world: as an entrepreneur, it is highly unlikely that you are going to find yourself in a situation where four millionaires are sitting in front of you, attentive, and ready to enter into a bidding war over investment in your company. Reality is much more complicated and, unfortunately, an entrepreneur’s road to success isn’t as cut and dry as TV might make it seem.

Luckily, there are strategies that help increase your odds of success. I’m here to share those strategies and let you in on how my team and I earned the holy grail of the startup world: a funding win from an angel investment competition.

5 Effective Signage Tips To Promote Your Business | Getentrepreneurial.com

March 21, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In this fast-paced tech-oriented world, more and more people are focusing their advertising efforts towards online and mobile marketing practices. This is perfectly understandable; as more than half of all internet traffic is now coming from a mobile device. However, when it comes to grabbing the people attention, it may be sometimes better to use an old-fashioned, well-thought-out graphic sign. And the design that goes into making a sign can have a substantial influence on the number of new customers your company could potentially acquire. That said, here are 5 signage tips you can use to help better promote your business.