It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: Photos of their kids’ smiling faces stolen by a stranger online, along with identifying information including their names, genders, birth dates, mailing addresses and the contents of their private chats.
Thanks to a security breach at toy maker VTech, that nightmare just became a reality for thousands of parents.Yesterday, the children’s toymaker admitted that it’s on the hook for exposing all of the above private data, plus additional personal information.
The rise of mass consumption has driven worldwide economic growth for decades. But does it help our creative growth?
According to a new study, the answer is no. When we stop buying new things, we look at what we already have in new ways and come up with new uses for products we own. In other words, scarcity drives creativity. When we aren’t surrounded with ready-made solutions to problems, we have no trouble coming up with our own.
This finding may surprise precisely nobody working in any artistic field. This make-do-and-mend mentality is the way our grandparents—and in some cases parents—approached the world, ranging from jam-jars used as drinking glasses to cigar-box guitars.
By now, you are probably aware of the dimensional weight charges implemented by big shipping carriers UPS and FedEx back in January. Under these changes, packages less than 3 cubic feet are subjected to dimensional weight pricing, also referred to as DIM pricing and DIM charges. DIM pricing calculates shipping costs based on a package’s volume— or how much space it occupies— in relation to its weight.
DIM charges, which have been applied to air shipments and larger ground parcels for a while, are now being applied to smaller ground parcels due to the increase in e-commerce sales. The continued popularity of online shopping has led to a steady increase in the volume of packages handled by carriers like UPS and FedEx, resulting in higher operating costs for these carriers. According to Alan Gershenhorn, UPS executive vice president and chief commercial officer, dimensional weight pricing “enables us [UPS] to more appropriately align rates with costs which are influenced by both the size and weight of packages.”
A third mistake entrepreneurs make is falling in love with a particular location. “That historic Victorian is great. It will be the perfect frame for my antique clothing business.”
Looking at the space itself, what will it take to make the improvements you would need? Does the building need repairs? Is it up to code? Is the existing lighting, heating and cooling sufficient or will you need electrical or plumbing work? Is the ventilation adequate for your needs? How much will it cost to ready the location for your business?
Money spent to prepare the property is money you won’t have to run your business. Set a budget for yourself, before you start looking, and stick with it. If the estimated improvements to the property exceed your budget, keep looking.
Reports of people dressed as clowns in Waukesha near Carroll University in recent weeks have left some uneasy.
Earlier this month, police got a report of person dressed as a clown in the area of E. Main St. and N. Hartwell Ave., which is near Carroll University. Officials confirmed the person was a 15-year-old boy who is developmentally delayed.
Waukesha Police Sgt. Jerry Habanek said the teen likes to watch the reactions people have when he’s dressed as a clown. Police have been in communication with the teen and his family.
Members of Reddit group 4chan superimpose duck heads on to images of Isis fighters, setting off craze that has spread to Twitter and Facebook
Seth Godin is a household name around the world. His books—on everything from how ideas spread to the post-industrial revolution—have been translated into 35 languages. But you might first have heard of him on his blog, which you can find by simply typing “seth” into Google.
Let’s run that back: you can find Seth Godin’s blog just by typing “seth” into Google, meaning his, of the millions of pages out there, is the first thing to come up in one of the world’s most powerful search engines. Logical conclusion: this guy obviously knows a thing or two about marketing.
But why go with two when you can have 10?
Tax scammers are again at work and your small businesses could be vulnerable just like other consumers. Authorities insist calls from scammers claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service are on the rise around the country.
Just in case you are not aware of this tax scam, it works on fear and intimidation by the criminals. They call their victims and leave a menacing message on voice mail stating you have a warrant for your arrest because of a tax violation. When you call the number to find out what it is all about, the ruse continues to play out until they talk you into sending them money.
Here’s what you need to protect your business and yourself.
Location, location, location, that is the mantra that you always hear. Your location is a critical part of your retail business success, so you must choose wisely. But, how do you choose the right location?
One common mistake is to select the least expensive place available to keep overhead costs low. Containing costs is important, but remember, no amount of advertising dollars will make up for a bad location. If people can’t find your business, they can’t spend their money with you and this will be even more expensive for you in the end. Think of it this way. What you don’t spend on rent you will spend in advertising.
A second mistake is using a retail location for offices and storing inventory. Retail space is expensive and the vast majority of the space should be used to display your merchandise, not house your bookkeeper. Put your back office staff in a different, less expensive location.
