Should Your Small Business Offer a 401(k) Plan? | Businessnewsdaily.com

May 6, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If your business has only a few employees, you may think you’re too small to offer a 401(k) plan. But even entrepreneurs have to retire someday, and there’s no time like the present to start planning for the future.

“Most small businesses don’t offer 401(k) plans, but it’s good for the nation as a whole to start saving for retirement,” said Paul Davidson, director of product management at payroll processing firm Paychex. “It’s not just about the [individual] benefits; there’s a social good that comes from establishing more 401(k) plans.”

Think The Cassette Tape Is Dead? Then Why Did Sony Just Squeeze 185TB Of Data Onto One? | Forbes

May 5, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Vinyl is making a comeback, but for all intents and purposes the reign of cassette tapes is long since over, right? Perhaps not, if Sony has anything to say about it. At today’s International Magnetics Conference (Intermag) in Europe, the company is presenting a method of data storage utilizing magnetic tape which is capable of holding a whopping 148GB per inch.

Stop Losing Employees: 4 Tricks to Beat Turnover | Allbusiness.com

May 5, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

No matter what industry you’re in, turnover is a problem you can’t ignore. If you’re lucky, it’s relatively low compared to industry standards, but if it’s not, it’s time to do something. Because turnover is, in fact, something you can prevent if you’re proactive.

First, Assess the Situation

There’s a reason people are quitting your company. They might not all leave for the same reasons, but if you do some sniffing, you can probably find a few root causes. Maybe one manager is pretty harsh on his staff and they’re running for greener grass. Or maybe other companies are paying more than you are. Whatever the cause, identifying it is the place to start. There are even tools available on the web to assess staff happiness.

Now let’s look at a few tricks to reduce your turnover numbers and keep employees engaged, happy, and in place.

6 Insights From Tony Robbins That Will Change Your Sales Game | Entrepreneur.com

May 5, 2014 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

When it comes to helping people improve their lives there is nobody in the game with stronger credentials than Tony Robbins. The “Michael Jordan” of thought leaders, Tony has affected millions of people around the world through his performance coaching. And his words of wisdom has also had a huge impact in the business world.

Through his books, videos and presentations, Robbins provides insight into effective selling.

Here are the six lesssons entrepreneurs can learn from Robbins on the secret to successful selling.

Check out the Tips.

Taco Bell Is Going Upscale—Really | Businessweek

May 2, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Some people would never eat at a Taco Bell. The fast-food chain’s executives know this, and they won’t bother trying to persuade them otherwise. But how about enjoying a meal at U.S. Taco? Sounds better, right? U.S. Taco is the chain’s new alter ego, an American-inspired restaurant (as opposed to Mexican-inspired, which is how company reps describe Taco Bell’s offerings.)

The first U.S. Taco opens this summer in Huntington Beach, Calif., not far from Taco Bell (YUM) headquarters. “I would love one day to see 1,000 of these,” Greg Creed, Taco Bell’s chief executive, told the Orange County Register. “But let’s not get that far ahead of ourselves. We’re opening a restaurant and seeing what happens.”

When It Makes Sense to Take a Private Jet | Entrepreneur.com

May 2, 2014 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

Marketing private jets as the affordable option might seem crazy, but a new fleet of charter jet operators are attempting to do just that in a push to ‘democratize’ luxury travel.

JetSuite, a private jet airline that charters flights on its fleet of Phenom 100s (which seat four passengers) and CJ3 jets (which seat six or seven), is making the hard sell that in many cases, flying private can be a cost-efficient option for business travel.

The argument has its merits. The company offers daily deals on empty flights to fill vacant seats. A recent one-way trip on a four-seater jet from San Jose to Las Vegas was listed at $536.43, 66 percent cheaper than what four commercial business class seats would cost.

JetSuite is simply one company in a crowded field looking to make flying private more accessible. JumpSeat operates like Airbnb, letting individuals who have already chartered a plane rent seats out to free-floaters, potentially saving flyers up to 50 percent, says the company. And then there’s Jumpjet, which operates more like a taxi-service, placing different groups of passengers who all share a destination on a single jet. The company says round trips on its private jets could cost as low as $450.

Why the Smart Reading Device of the Future May Be … Paper | WIRED.com

May 2, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Paper books were supposed to be dead by now. For years, information theorists, marketers, and early adopters have told us their demise was imminent. Ikea even redesigned a bookshelf to hold something other than books. Yet in a world of screen ubiquity, many people still prefer to do their serious reading on paper.

Count me among them. When I need to read deeply—when I want to lose myself in a story or an intellectual journey, when focus and comprehension are paramount—I still turn to paper. Something just feels fundamentally richer about reading on it. And researchers are starting to think there’s something to this feeling.

If You Want To Be A Leader, Start Acting Like One | Forbes.com

May 1, 2014January 22, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Leadership isn’t about your title, nor is it about bossing others around. Being a strong leader means thinking about the teams’ needs before your own, helping other people to grow and maximize their own full potential, and sharing credit when it’s due (and shouldering blame as needed, too). Why do you need to wait to get a promotion to start doing any of this? You don’t – that’s the good news, so start today. The more qualities of a leader that you begin to exhibit, the more obvious a choice you’ll be for the actual promotion down the road. By positioning yourself as someone who’s ready to take on more (after having proven yourself over a longer period of time), you’ll be hard to ignore. Plus, over time, you’ll have benefited your overall team with your efforts – this makes it a personal and collective win.

Postal workers protest Staples | money.cnn.com

May 1, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Hundreds of postal workers stepped off the job Thursday to protest mini post offices set up in Staples office supply stores.

The American Postal Workers Union organized protests at 50 Staples in 27 states to oppose a partnership between Staples and the U.S. Postal Service. Eighty-two branches of the office supply store have been selling postal products and services since November.

While the deal has drawn union ire before, Thursday’s was the largest protest. In Washington D.C., several dozen union workers marched in front of a downtown Staples (SPLS, Fortune 500), beating buckets and drums and chanting “U.S. mail is not for sale.”

The 15 Best Business Apps for 2014 | Allbusiness.com

May 1, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As Michael Bay proved this week, managing a hectic work schedule isn’t easy. During an appearance as a keynote speaker for Samsung, he made a mistake, lost his nerve, and walked off. Although the Internet community wasted no time voicing its contempt, Bay made no defense of his embarrassing moment. He freely admitted a foible: “I guess live shows aren’t my thing.” In this instance, over-enthusiasm and technology let him down.

Anyone can make a mistake, but fortunately we live in an era where technology can correct many of them for us. For business professionals this digital assistance often comes in the form of an exceptional array of apps. Knowing which ones to download can be time consuming, so to help you on your way we have gathered a selection of the very best available.