There are a lot of ways to kill time at the office.
But perhaps the best and most creative we’ve ever seen is this brilliant stop-motion video—a three-minute adventure movie created using nothing more than simple office supplies.
What kind of adventure can be created with push pins, elastic bands, and a cork board, you ask? Watch for yourself, and prepare to be enthralled.
Sitting down — and the sedentary lifestyle it encourages — is killing you, slowly but surely. The problem is, standing desks aren’t for everyone. Making the switch is a big deal. I love mine but it took a week of pain and suffering to go from seat to feet, and it still feels pretty tough on calves and soles after a full day-long standing stretch.
So here’s a third way: Cubii is a sitting exerciser that’s been designed to fit under an office desk so those who are stuck in their office chairs can push its pedals while they work and get some exercise, rather than being entirely sedentary.
The Cubii is a pretty simple elliptical trainer but the design has been tweaked so the trajectory of the pedals keeps the user’s knees low enough not to bang the underside of the desk.
It also includes a Bluetooth radio and there’s a companion app — so your underdesk mileage can be quantified. Top marks for tapping the zeitgeist there, Cubii.
Customer service should be a top priority for any company. Customers keep your business going, and making them happy is the best way to ensure that they’ll continue to come back. In today’s world of social media and 24/7 connectivity, it’s easier than ever to keep the lines of communication open between you and your customers.
“We live in an age when everyone is constantly connected to each other via the digital universe across email, Twitter, chat, etc.,” said John Joseph, co-founder of data solutions provider DataGravity. “Technology gives [businesses] the ability to correspond with customers more efficiently, and companies — especially startups — need to take advantage of the tools they have to communicate with customers.
Forget about the politicians in Washington and don’t count on Corporate America to get our struggling economy going — it’s America’s entrepreneurs that will prove to be the saviors. American entrepreneurs, through their creativity, innovation, and willingness to embrace risk, are the real engines that power our economy.
So often we look to the huge, multinational corporations as the drivers and guardians of our economy when the truth is the millions of small businesses across America deserve the credit. A strong, vibrant economy is the result of America’s entrepreneurs embracing the risk of self-reliance and venturing out to create their own opportunities. New small business startups create over three million new jobs each year. The solution to getting this country back on its feet and moving in a positive direction won’t happen because of the government. It requires the fruitful minds and determined drive of everyday citizens who enthusiastically embrace risk and begin the entrepreneurial journey.
Want to be part of the solution? Here are four ways that entrepreneurs can help revitalize our sagging economy:
Data from the downed Malaysian jet’s black boxes has been successfully downloaded a week after the tragedy in east Ukraine, with the examination of bodies also under way as crash experts seek evidence of a missile strike.
The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch gained access to the Boeing Co. 777’s flight-data readings today after yesterday retrieving cockpit-voice recordings, according to Dutch authorities who are leading the probe in recognition of the fact that almost 200 victims were from the Netherlands.
Specialists from the Dutch National Forensic Investigation Team are working in Kharkiv in government-controlled Ukraine after some of the 298 dead were moved there by train, with bodies being flown on to the Netherlands. While the flight recorders may reveal evidence of a missile attack, the fragmentation warhead thought to have been used will have peppered the 777’s fuselage and potentially its occupants, leaving the probe less dependent on an examination of a crash site that’s been heavily disturbed since the July 17 incident.
The fit on earbuds varies wildly, largely because each person’s earlobe is a unique and beautiful snowflake. Okay, maybe not beautiful. But if a pair of earbuds matched the exact shape of your ear, the days of painful buds that fall out too easily could be numbered. That’s the concept behind OwnPhones, a San Francisco-based start-up that has created 3D printed wireless earbuds that are custom fitted to the shape of your ears.
The startup isn’t alone in the 3D printed earbud space. A few weeks ago, Normals came out of the shadows with a similar concept. And in much the same way, OwnPhone users upload video of their ears, which will be converted into a 3D mold. The company offers a number of customization options, including the ability to choose the color, style and even earbud material, but OwnPhones doesn’t elaborate on what those materials are.
“Non-delegator” sounds so much nicer than “control freak” or “know-it-all,” but truth be told, that’s just semantics. Delegating can be scary — especially if you’ve been burned before and if you know exactly how you like things done — but I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s a crucial part of moving up the ladder.That said, that instinct to hold some projects close to the vest isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes you really should keep a project on your own plate. The trick is knowing when you should pass a task along hint: the correct answers go way beyond when you’re too swamped to care how it’s done and to whom.So, take a deep breath, have faith that your colleagues and employees are capable of doing a great job, too, and use the guide below to discern if you’re keeping a project because it’s the sensible rather than territorial choice.
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Pay attention to the opening speech. You’ll find this same language in business plan templates and the ones you can get for $395. A lot of flowery words backed up by ‘seven red line’ logic.
Launching a business is not for the faint of heart. Even those who have been at it for years and appear to be “successful” are plagued with anxiety and fear. Some of their fears may seem irrational to you, while others are ones you may experience yourself.
Is it possible that the secret ingredient to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to never let go of your fear? Maybe. But one thing for certain, it isn’t always easy to share your fears with others.
Many entrepreneurs feel it’s their job to exude confidence to instill trust in their customers, employees and investors. As a result, they hide their feelings and their fears become secrets. We asked six entrepreneurs to share their secrets with us:
1. “I worry that I’ll work so tirelessly that I’ll miss out on living or enjoying my life. That includes spending time with my family. I have twin toddlers and don’t want them to grow up feeling like they’re competing with the back of my iPhone or laptop. I want to be present and undistracted when we are together. I want those times to be often and enduring, not cut short by an incoming email or call. I want to be able to have free time to just think or read or take a leisurely walk just without a looming pressure that I’m neglecting someone or something. When I first started my company, being busy made me feel important. Now, having free time I work on vacation, nights and weekends feels like the ultimate sign of success.”
