Category: Tools and Information

How to identify, interview and hire a head of growth for an early-stage startup | TechCrunch

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The waters are never calm when scaling a startup. In fact, they are typically quite choppy. However, by making the correct hire in the head of growth position, you can navigate to shore much more smoothly.

The individual you’re looking for will create and execute growth strategies, manage marketing initiatives and, ultimately, drive revenue. My more informal take on this role is that it’s someone who deeply understands growth fundamentals, has significant expertise in one to two growth pillars and knows how to build an effective team.

I’ll walk you through when and how to hire your head of growth, their archetypes, how this role stands apart from other marketing executive positions, and what to expect from this hire during their first few quarters.

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MIT develops a motion and task planning system for home robots | TechCrunch

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Why aren’t there more robots in homes? This a surprising complex question — and our homes are surprisingly complex places. A big part of the reason autonomous systems are thriving on warehouse and factory floors first is the relative ease of navigating a structured environment. Sure, most systems still require a space be mapped prior to getting to work, but once that’s in place there tends to be little in the way of variation.

Homes, on the other hand, are kind of a nightmare. Not only do they vary dramatically from unit to unit, they’re full of unfriendly obstacles and tend to be fairly dynamic, as furniture is moved around or things are left on the floor. Vacuums are the most prevalent robots in the home, and they’re still being refined after decades on the market.

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3 Things to Look for to Determine If AI Is Being Used Ethically | Entrepreneur

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AI has been a topic of great interest — we’re all amazed by its potential and the impact it may have on our lives, mostly because AI is the first tool in history that can make decisions by itself. Take ChatGPT as an example. It embodies more knowledge than any human has ever known. This tool can be a force for enormous good. Imagine what AI can do in healthcare and its enormous databases of genes, medicines and disease symptoms, and drug interactions, for example? It can literally save lives. But that’s also a huge responsibility we’re putting on a technology that we haven’t even begun to fully understand.

As investors, entrepreneurs, and users, we directly impact where the technology will go, and we are setting the stage for where it will end up.

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Shake Shack Founder Blasts Tipping for To-Go Orders | Entrepreneur

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Famed restauranteur and Shack Shack founder Danny Meyer believes customers shouldn’t have to tip for to-go orders.

“If you’re just taking out food, and it was just a transaction — I give you money, you give me a cup of coffee — I don’t think there’s any obligation to tip whatsoever,”

Meyer said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Meyer was responding to a question about the proliferation of point-of-sale devices from companies such as Square and Toast, which allow customers to tip staff anywhere from 15% to 25%. In many instances, the devices have replaced the omnipresent tip jar.

But these public displays of satisfaction have caused many people to feel social pressure to tip — even if they don’t want to.

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Registering a Business Trademark | Business News Daily

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There are many steps in registering a business trademark. Check out our breakdown on how to do it right.

  • Registration of a trademark protects a business’s rights to use the mark to identify its goods and/or services and to prevent another company from using the same mark for the same class of goods or services.
  • To register a business trademark, you need to file either the TEAS Plus or TEAS Standard electronic application with the USPTO.
  • Although you can legally register a trademark with the USPTO on your own, it is highly recommended that you seek out a trademark attorney to assist you. Hiring a trademark attorney simplifies the process and increases the accuracy of your application.
  • This article is for business owners interested in protecting their brand by applying for a trademark.

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Procrastination And Laziness: Their Differences & Connections | LifeHack

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Ever caught yourself contemplating the familiar dance of your mouse on the blank screen, endlessly scrolling through emails, only to avoid starting on that looming project? An odd mix of guilt and frustration follows you, an unwelcome shadow on a bright summer’s day. You wonder, am I just being lazy?

This is a scenario we’ve all been in, nudged by a mischievous accomplice known as procrastination. Often misunderstood as simple laziness, procrastination is an intentional decision to postpone what we should be doing, even when we know the delay may cost us. We see that unread report, that blank word document, but we choose to navigate away. It’s a kind of self-sabotage, one that has us prioritizing today’s comfort over tomorrow’s gain.

But let’s not confuse procrastination with laziness. Laziness is a reluctance to act or put in any effort, even when we’re fully capable. It’s like having the ingredients and the recipe to make a dish, but choosing to stay on the couch because, well, it’s too much work.

In this article, we will discuss the differences and relationships between procrastination and laziness. Are they truly distinctive or just two sides of the same coin?

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15 Performance Goals For Delivering Uncommon Results | LifeHack

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For every job, there are expectations that have to be met and to reach those goals, a performance goal is needed. Performance goals – also called key performance indicators – are used to rate and grade an employee. Employers set these all the time for their employees to specify work targets as well as a project or work deliverables.

Whether you are working for someone or working for yourself, there is a need to set your own performance goals in order to maximize your potential, boost your personal productivity, and exceed the expectations of your employer or clients. Furthermore, these provide excellent insights into various situations. For example, they can help to determine what is an adequate workload for you, and whether certain productivity tactics you are using are effective or not.

In this article, you will find tips on why you need to set performance goals, as well as 15 performance goal examples that you can set to achieve career and work excellence.

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These backpacks are made entirely from one material so they’re recyclable | Fast Company

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A typical backpack might have as many as 50 components—zippers, lining, threads, reinforcements—all made from a mix of materials glued or welded, or sewn together. That’s part of the reason they’re also hard to recycle since the materials can’t easily or economically be separated. But a handful of companies are beginning to shift to designs made instead from a single material.

Troubadour, a London-based brand, released a Circular Collection of four bags earlier this year with every part, including zippers, made solely from recycled PET, the same material used to make water bottles. “To create a circular bag that can be recycled and does not result in downgrading of the materials when recycled, one molecule needs to be the source of all components,” says cofounder Abel Samet. “That is super challenging.”

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How Storytelling in Sales Helps You Connect With Customers | AllBusiness.com

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Every opportunity to discuss your brand, service, or market position is a choice between simply pitching the benefits of your product or sharing a personal, meaningful story that connects you to your listener. One is low-hanging fruit that chases a dollar, the other creates differentiation and establishes long-term relationship potential. One is simple, the other takes effort and nuance.

Whether that interaction is one-on-one or delivered from a keynote stage to an audience of hundreds or thousands, the fundamental differentiation in message delivery is the same. When you pitch, you make your job and that of your audience harder; when you connect, you rise above the competition and empower your listener. The choice is yours.

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Scaling Your Small Business: Tips and Techniques From an Expert | AllBusiness.com

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For all the challenges that come with starting a business, scaling one is often even harder. That’s when you’ve established your business, have regular customers and clients, and have something to lose if you can’t sustain and scale it.

To learn more about the common challenges small business owners face when they’re ready to expand, I talked to Heather Sperduto, the VP of sales operations-accountant channel at ADP. Sperduto is also ADP’s small business expert and shares her insights into the key strategies small businesses can adopt to effectively manage growth and expansion.

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