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

June 30, 2023June 29, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

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.”

Teamsters at UPS are close to the biggest strike in recent memory | Fast Company

June 30, 2023June 29, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s already been a hot strike summer, with thousands of workers in different industries walking off the job to protest poor working conditions or demand their bosses come to the negotiating table and hammer out a fair union contract. But we’re all still waiting to find out what will happen with what could be the biggest strike of the year—frankly, of the past several decades.

The Teamsters union is the largest in the nation, representing 1.2 million logistics workers across the U.S. and Canada. They are currently in the middle of contentious contract negotiations with the United Parcel Service, a corporation that employs 340,000 Teamster package delivery and warehouse workers.

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

June 29, 2023June 28, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

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.

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

June 29, 2023June 28, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

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.

AWS Launches $100M Generative AI Innovation Center | Small Biz Trends

June 28, 2023June 27, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), the cloud computing subsidiary of Amazon, has announced its significant investment in the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI). With a $100 million commitment, the new AWS Generative AI Innovation Center aims to support customers and partners globally in their quest to harness the potential of generative AI. This move, with its direct engagement approach, could open up fresh opportunities for small business owners to innovate and leverage AI technology.

Generative AI, a type of machine learning (ML) that can create new data instances like images, sound, and text, can prove transformative across industries. The AWS Generative AI Innovation Center seeks to leverage this capability, assisting businesses in envisioning, designing, and launching new generative AI products, services, and processes. This initiative builds on AWS’s longstanding commitment to AI technology development, and its goal to bring this technology to customers and partners worldwide.

How Much Is Your Business Worth? | Business

June 28, 2023June 27, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re looking for investors or want to sell your business, you must determine its value. Follow these four steps to calculate it.

How do you estimate your business’s economic worth? Whether you’ve been operating for 20 years or are just starting a business, you’ll encounter a reason to place a cash value on your company at some point. However, business valuation can seem challenging and complicated if you aren’t a financial expert or don’t have an experienced finance team.

We’ll explore why you’d need to value your business and share how to perform a straightforward, four-step business valuation method.

These AR glasses answer a big question about Apple Vision Pro | Digital Trends

June 27, 2023June 26, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The way corrective lenses will work on Apple’s Vision Pro headset is still a bit of a mystery, but we now have a better idea of what it may look like.

Taking a look at TCL’s NXTWEAR S smart glasses and its solution for spectacle wearers has given us some insight into the complications, the time frame, and the all-important cost of Apple’s future system, as well as how long we should expect the new lenses to last.

Amazon Smart Thermostat vs. Nest Thermostat | Digital Trends

June 27, 2023June 26, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re looking for a reliable smart thermostat that costs less than $150, the Nest Thermostat and Amazon Smart Thermostat are two of your best options. Beyond coming from reliable companies, these two smart thermostats offer sleek designs, tons of powerful features, and they can easily sync with the rest of your smart home.

But which is better — the Amazon Smart Thermostat or the Nest Thermostat? Here’s a closer look at what these two products offer to help you decide.

Basics Every New Business Owner Must Learn | The Startup Magazine

June 26, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Starting your very own business is a fantastic way to make money and take charge of your own life. It is a huge challenge that requires exceptional patience, skill, and determination. Since many new businesses don’t survive the first few years, it is essential for you to learn some of the basic business skills if you want to succeed.

What Makes Your Business Unique?

As the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on striving for originality. While your business idea may not be entirely unique, there is a reason you believe that it fills a niche in the market. Outline precisely what you think your business does that nobody else is currently doing. This will set you up for facing competition and possibly even criticism further down the line.

Keep On Top of Your Finances

One of the main reasons that new businesses fail so often is that their finances are mismanaged. Make it a top priority to keep your finances in order and regularly re-examine them to ensure stability going forward. Keep to a strict budget and reinvest your profits in the early days to boost your chances of success.

A celebratory strawberry cake for Sweden’s Midsummer Festival | BBC Travel

June 26, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

On the Thursday night that falls between 18 and 24 June each year, cities all over Sweden go quiet. Stockholm’s elegant and bustling streets are empty. Traffic builds on the motorway outside Gothenburg as locals head for the islands. That’s when the Swedish countryside calls its people back for a festival celebrating seasonal dishes, fertility and the longest day of the year, held on the Friday closest to the summer solstice. This enchanted event is called Midsummer Eve.

“In history, the night before Midsummer Day was one of the year’s eight magic nights where you could predict the future, and a sort of magic window to the future was open,” said Richard Tellström, an author and expert in Swedish food culture. “You could see, if you were lucky, who you were going to marry. So, Midsummer Eve was a party time for youngsters, not elderly people. Historically, there was a big haymaking feast, important for all people living in the countryside before the 1930s, and today that party has merged with the Midsummer festivities.”