The EPA’s backwards agenda is the opposite of what consumers want | Fast Company

June 25, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Under Scott Pruitt’s leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency has focused its efforts on deregulation. From lead paint to fuel efficiency to wastewater, no environmental regulation is safe from targeting.

Publicly, Pruitt has distanced the EPA from climate change science. Pruitt said on national television that he does not agree that man-made activity is a driver of global warming. Exactly one year ago this month, Pruitt was reportedly the loudest cheerleader for Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord.

Top 6 Ways to Communicate with Your Customers | Small Business Trends

June 22, 2018June 21, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Companies communicate with their customers in so many ways these days. They send email, surveys, post information on social media and their websites, call, chat, or text them. Not all of these forms of business communication are welcomed by the customer when they happen or are even effective. What is critical to their success is for each company to actually find how customers want to communicate with them and how to keep track of it all.

How Do Your Customers Prefer to Communicate?

Effective business communication methods can change by industry, customer segment, or issue. Here is a place to start to determine what is best for your set of customers and how to analyze these interactions:

9 Smart Bookkeeping Tips for Small Businesses | AllBusiness.com

June 22, 2018June 21, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Are you a numbers person? Some small business owners love going over their books—after all, it’s their personal scorecard of how well the business is doing. Others dread dealing with numbers or get so caught up in day-to-day operations that they neglect their bookkeeping.

Whether you love it or hate it, good bookkeeping is essential to small business success. Here are nine bookkeeping tips for small businesses that will help put your business in the black.

How Two Young Entrepreneurs Are Tackling The Plastic Problem With Swimwear | Forbes

June 21, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Brother-sister duo from Colgate University pitched a novel idea in 2015 to Jessica Alba, Jennifer Hyman, Neil Blumenthal, and MC Hammer, panelists at an entrepreneurship program: swimwear made out of recycled plastic bottles. They didn’t know much about the technology then to convert old, used plastic bottles into clothing, but as children who grew up on the beach, they knew plastic was becoming a problem.

Turns out, they had a good idea, which garnered them $20,000 for their first production run, and then 21-year-old Jake and 18-year-old Caroline Danehy went on to raise nearly $25,000 more on Kickstarter for their startup, Fair Harbor Clothing.

How I became a used car dealer, short term | Gen X Finance

June 21, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

This bank did not want to be a used car dealer so they just sold off the cars they reposesed really cheap. That is where I came in. I would pick up these cars at amazing prices, keeping in mind that the prior owner did not have the money they needed to take care of the car.

The first car I got was a Honda Accord. It was the nicest newest car we had ever owned. This Accord was a V6 with power everything, sunroof, leather seats and all the other bells and whistles. As is common with repossessed cars there was a number of things that needed to be fixed on this car. I was pretty handy with fixing cars so it worked out well for use. I only had to put another $500ish into it and did a really nice cleaning before it was in mint condition. I remember after we got it thinking this would be a nice car to keep for ourselves. But as Corinne and I talked about it more we decided it was best to flip this car and bank the extra money so would have more money to work with on future deal. First I put it up on craigslist.org for sale. Then I also put a sign on it and parked it in a few high visible areas where other cars where parked with for sale signs. I priced it at $8,500 which was a few thousand below the blue book on it so it would sell fast. It sold in about a week to someone that was happy to be getting such a good deal on a great car. That was $4,500 profit in just two weeks!

Fortnite made $100 million on iOS in its first 90 days | Business Insider

June 20, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The multiplayer battle-royale game “Fortnite” has hit a new milestone, having made $100 million (£76 million) in revenue in its first 90 days on iOS devices, according to app analytics platform Sensor Tower.

“Fortnite” is free-to-play, but players can make in-game purchases of cosmetic items and “battle passes,” which offer exclusive in-game challenges which can unlock rewards.

EU to launch counter-tariffs against US on Friday | BBC News

June 20, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The European Union will launch a raft of retaliatory tariffs against US exports on Friday, a top official has said.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump imposed steep duties on steel and aluminium earlier this month.

American exports such as blue jeans, motorbikes and bourbon whiskey will be targeted, trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom confirmed.

However, she said the bloc “did not want to be in this position”.

Rethinking These Eight ‘Normal’ Behaviors Can Save You More Than $100,000 | The Simple Dollar

June 19, 2018June 18, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Here are eight behaviors that are all but taken for granted in American culture — all of which are potentially expensive. Before you blindly follow the presumed cultural custom, it’s worth at least giving each some thought and deciding whether it’s truly a priority of yours – or just something everyone else seems to be doing.

Some or all of these might be really important to you, things you feel are well worth the money — and that’s fine! At least you’ll have come to that decision mindfully.

Why This Bean Bag Chair Has Raised More Than $350,000 on Kickstarter | Inc.com

June 19, 2018June 18, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Fiorentino decided the classic bean bag chair was due for an update.

His version is called the MoonPod, and it’s a uniquely-shaped bean bag that is designed to create the sensation of “zero-gravity weightlessness.” The bag, which weighs around 10 pounds, holds your shape no matter how you bend it–use it as a seat when you want to do work or stretch it out to take a nap. The bag can also stand upright and be put away in the closet. The Kickstarter project launched this week and has already surpassed its $21,500 goal, raising over $350,000.

How Square Made Its Own iPad Replacement | WIRED

June 18, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

IF YOU KNOW the company Square, it’s probably because you’ve paid in a store using a Square “stand,” a dock that supports a tablet, or you’ve swiped your card through Square Reader, a smartphone dongle that processes payments. These products have a simplistic, decidedly Apple-y aesthetic, from the simple dongle to the all-white stand that typically houses an iPad. But since late last year, Square has been quietly selling its own tablet, the Square Register, a $999, Android-based custom system. And the company has taken an obsessive approach to designing the product.