How Businesses Can Survive Inflation and Recession | Inc.com

June 13, 2022June 12, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As we all gradually get over the massive economic and societal hurdles the Covid-19 pandemic brought about, the U.S. economy is sliding into more drama: inflation and recession.

Prices are rising, supply chains are still in turmoil, and customers and business owners alike are pinching every penny as their lives get more expensive. Economists agree that this high inflation could be long-lasting and play a major part in the oncoming recession. They see hard times ahead, particularly for small business owners and new entrepreneurs.

What Is an Impact-Driven Business Model and How Can It Benefit You? | Entrepreneur

June 10, 2022June 9, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When we think about a diversified business model, it’s almost always followed by thoughts of multiple streams of income. Sounds wonderful. Wouldn’t we all love money coming in from many different sources? Better yet, let some of those sources be passive income streams and we can just sit back and watch the money roll in, right? It doesn’t exactly work like that, though.

If you’re like many entrepreneurs, you probably also spend a great deal of your time and energy on parts of your business that you intend on being future income streams that aren’t paying off quite yet. They may be efforts that aren’t currently bringing in the dough but are what you intend to be the future of your business and primary income sources.

Filtering Nanoplastics From Drinking Water | Cool Business Ideas to Start in 2022

June 10, 2022June 9, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Today’s filtration technologies do a wonderful job of producing potable water, but the spread of plastic waste throughout the environment means there are new threats to contend with. A new study has investigated the performance of different techniques when it comes to removing nanoplastics from water, and shown that biologically active systems known as slow sand filters can remove the tiny particles with 99.9 percent efficacy.

As the even smaller sibling of already troubling microplastics, nanoparticles have come into focus as a big problem as scientists deepen our understanding of plastic pollution. Where microplastics that measure less than 5 mm (0.2 in) are notoriously difficult to track and threaten the livelihood of organisms such as marine life, it is becoming clear that nanoplastics might pose their own unique set of problems.

How this trippy illusion will make you see an ‘expanding black hole’ | Live Science

June 9, 2022June 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A brand new optical illusion tricks the majority of people into thinking that a dark “black hole” region at the center of a stationary image is rapidly expanding, as if the observer were moving toward it. Researchers now suspect that the image literally tricks the brain into thinking that the observer is moving into a darkened space, like a cave or tunnel.

The illusion consists of a large black ellipse surrounded by a dark halo on a white background filled with smaller black ellipses. Typically, as a person stares at the image, the dark elliptical region will appear to expand outward for a couple of seconds, which is why the design has been nicknamed the “expanding hole.”

How To Master Timeboxing For Increased Productivity | Lifehack

June 8, 2022June 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re looking for ways to improve your productivity, chances are, you’ve come across a concept called timeboxing. Even if you’ve never heard the term “timebox” before, you might have come across other aspects that belong to timeboxing, such as calendar blocking and the Pomodoro Technique.

In any case, timeboxing is one of the simplest yet most effective time management strategies. And in this article, you’ll learn exactly how to apply this technique in your day-to-day life.

What Is Timeboxing?

Let’s first look at what timeboxing is. Timeboxing is a very simple concept where you give yourself a certain amount of time for a certain task. This stands in contrast to the “normal” way of working, which is to just work on a task until it’s done. You can either use your calendar and add blocks for certain tasks in your calendar, or you can simply use a timer to give yourself a deadline for your timebox.

12 red flags that your new job offer may be a scam | Fast Company

June 8, 2022June 7, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Between the Great Resignation and the layoffs of the pandemic, there are a lot of people looking for new jobs these days. And that’s presenting a ripe opportunity for scam artists.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), on Monday, issued a warning to Americans about bad actors who use fake job offers to steal money and personal information, a continuation of a heart-of-the-pandemic scam. By gathering that information, the scam artists are able to file fraudulent unemployment claims in their name, which not only costs the government, but also could significantly impact the victim’s tax bill and eligibility for future benefits.

“They promise you a job, but what they want is your money and your personal information,” says the FBI.

Are You Ready to Start a Second Business | AllBusiness.com

June 7, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

For a lot of people, starting one business is the pinnacle of success. They put all their energy into launching, growing, and stabilizing that business, and assume they’ll run it until they retire.

Then there is that smaller faction of people who aren’t satisfied with birthing just one business. They may create a second, a third, or even a dozen businesses over their professional lives.

So which are you? Even if you never considered starting a second business, here are the signs that it might be time to try something new.

New Study Finds This State Has the Most Family-Owned Businesses | Small Business Trends

June 7, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What State Has the Most Family-Owned Businesses?

The study was conducted by OnDeck with the analyzed data including spouse-run businesses too. They discovered the state with the highest share of family-owned businesses is South Dakota, with 43% run by families or spouses.

Thriving Family Businesses

While South Dakota was the state with the highest amount of family-run businesses, there was one metropolitan area that had an even higher percentage. More than half of all businesses in Lima, Ohio, are family-run, with Lima’s 56% being the top figure for any U.S. metropolitan area. The state with the highest proportion of spouse-owned businesses was Idaho with 35.6%.

New York is the state with the lowest share of family businesses at just 20.4%, although New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut ran New York pretty close.

How to Create a Strong Password | business.com

June 6, 2022June 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

One of the easiest ways for hackers to get into your network and online accounts is by password. What’s the best way to defend yourself against cyberattacks?

Over the past 20 years, cybercriminals have devised various ways to get people’s passwords. For hackers, it’s worth the effort. To them, your password is the key to potential untold riches. If your personal password is stolen, a hacker could take out a loan in your name, make dozens of unauthorized online purchases, or install malware on your computer. If your business is compromised, the rewards may be even greater. Hackers could access sensitive information and steal your customers’ data. Considering what’s at risk, you need to know how to create secure passwords that will keep cybercriminals at bay.

How Airbnb, Dropbox and Reddit Got Their First Customers | Inc.com

June 1, 2022May 31, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Even when you think you have a brilliant idea, it can take some convincing to get others on board.

Just ask some of today’s most successful founders. Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit are just a few companies who used some far out-of-the-box strategies to get their very first customers before becoming household names. Learn from their examples. Will they work for you?

Creating a viral moment that targets a specific community

Sure, they aren’t easy to pull off, but viral moments can be crafted with some strategy and dedication. When Dropbox launched in 2007, the cloud-storage company had a hard time bringing in new users. It ran a Google AdSense campaign, but it barely made a difference. So, co-founder Drew Houston, 39, decided to show, not tell. He made a video to demonstrate exactly how its storage worked, and posted it on the news aggregator Digg. Users on Digg quickly up-voted the video, and by the next day, the site had 70,000 new sign-ups, according to Dropbox, which noted that the Digg community of avid internet-users was an ideal target.