3 Downsides of Venture Capital—And How to Avoid Them | All Business

September 11, 2024September 10, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Raising money for your business can be great. Many entrepreneurs see it as validation that they’ve “made it.” While it is a good sign that a professional investor has kicked the tires on your company and is willing to invest their money, there are some downsides to venture capital that might mean that raising venture funds is not the right path for you.

Sure, there are many advantages of securing a round of investment from a “value-add” partner. It can open the doors to important introductions, kick-start a business into high growth, and even refocus a business for success. But not all venture funding stories have such happy endings. There are, in fact, times when a business might encounter more negatives than positives when accepting venture funds.

To avoid this path, there are potential scenarios in which venture capital is a major drawback:

Microloans for Small Business: Learn What’s Available and Whether to Apply | All Business

September 11, 2024September 10, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When you own a small business, you’ll have a variety of obstacles to deal with and needs to meet. The one near-constant, however, is financing.

Like it or not, you need money to make money, and one of the biggest reasons why small businesses fail is their inability to deal with cash flow issues. Even successful businesses that have plenty of revenue sometimes hit a fatal cash crunch at the wrong time. To combat this ongoing issue, business owners sometimes turn to business loans and other financing products, which can make sense if you have a plan in place to pay back your funding plus interest. One overlooked financing product, however, is the microloan.

Most business owners are familiar with the term microloan, even if they’ve never considered one themselves. The concept of microlending has transformed entrepreneurship in countries and markets where the barrier to entry is sometimes as little as a few hundred dollars—though that hardly seems like a useful sum to most U.S.-based businesses.

NFIB Jobs Report: Small Business Job Growth Stalls in August | Small Business Trends

September 10, 2024September 9, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

According to the latest NFIB Jobs Report, small business job openings remained high in August, with 40% of business owners reporting positions they could not fill, up two points from July. Labor quality concerns also grew, with 21% of owners citing it as their top issue, the highest level reported since January 2024.

“Job openings on Main Street remain historically high as small business owners continue to lament the lack of qualified applicants for their open positions,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.

In August, 62% of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire, an increase of five points from July. However, 56% of those hiring reported few or no qualified applicants for open positions, with 31% seeing few qualified candidates and 25% seeing none.

AI Will Change Everything in Your Small Business | Small Business Trends

September 10, 2024September 9, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

AI will fundamentally change the landscape of various industries. Still, many small business owners are slow to adapt and are ignoring this new technology.

My guest on The Small Business Radio Show, KP Reddy who is the author of “Creating the Intangible Enterprise”, an AI expert, founder and CEO of Shadow Ventures. With a background in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, KP has become a global authority in AEC environments, AI, robotics, automation, mobile applications, and cloud computing.

KP is also the author “What You Know About Startups is Wrong”, debunking eleven popular myths about what defines a top entrepreneur. His extensive experience includes founding and exiting three technology companies to NASDAQ and NYSE,

Windows 11 24H2: the big update that’s coming soon | Digital Trends

September 9, 2024September 8, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Windows 11 is more than a few years old and it is getting feature drops called “moments” every so often, as well as yearly updates. But what about the whole new Windows release that will come after Windows 11?

Earlier leaks from Intel and Qualcomm made mention of Windows 12, leading some to believe that Windows 12 might be in development at Microsoft and could come in 2024.

Whether or not it’s called Windows 12 or Windows 11 24H2, a big update is coming. Here’s what we know so far.

Google Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8: Do you really need to upgrade? | Digital Trends

September 9, 2024September 8, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Google has unveiled its 2024 smartphone lineup, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google has really pulled out all the stops this year, producing a big stable of phones with gorgeous designs, much improved battery lives, and the customarily amazing cameras we’ve come to expect from Google’s phones. They really are the top Google phones for this year.

But while they may have exceeded last year’s Pixels, are they a must-upgrade? If you currently have a Pixel 8, you might be considering upgrading to the Pixel 9 — but should you? We have the answers for you, so you can make the best choice. Read on below.

Becoming A Better Salesperson And Securing More Deals | The Startup Magazine

September 6, 2024September 5, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In the sales industry, staying ahead is not just a strategy; it’s a necessity. With the constant competition, it’s crucial to keep evolving. Even if you have years of experience, you might find it challenging without a new set of selling tips. But remember, it’s all about staying ahead of the game.

Here, you can discover all of the top-selling tips and advice to become a better salesperson and complete more deals.

Use AI to receive instant recommendations

In sales, it is good to move fast with sales. While you need to ensure the decision you are making is wise, it is good to move fast. Otherwise, you might lose the opportunity to someone else. Hence, it is savvy to receive instant recommendations from AI.

Using ZoomInfo Copilot, salespeople can use AI to receive instant prospect recommendations to speed up ideas and get on with making sales quicker. Instead of waiting around for company listings and other calls, you can receive instant help to get on with your sales.

How To Make Money As A Content Creator | The Startup Magazine

September 6, 2024September 5, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We live in a time when one of the most sought-after career opportunities is to be a content creator. In fact, according to Influencer Marketing Hub, around 200 million people consider themselves content creators, however less than a third have it as their full-time career. There are more content creator career opportunities than ever to create content and generate an income from it, but you need to know what you’re doing.

In a market that’s highly saturated you need to think of ways you can stand out and have people want to engage with what you create. In this article, we take a look at some top ways you can make money as a content creator and either have it as a veritable side income or as a main job in the long run. Keep on reading to find out more.

Microsoft is turning to AI to make its workplace more inclusive | BBC News

September 5, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft’s chief diversity officer says diversity and investment in the workforce can help fix AI’s bias problems.

At the beginning of 2023, Microsoft found itself in a PR firestorm. The company was working to demonstrate its progress in artificial intelligence following a multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. It added an AI powered chatbot into its Bing search engine, which placed it among the first legacy tech companies to fold AI into its flagship products, but almost as soon as people started using it, things went sideways.

A New York Times journalist sparked international intrigue over a conversation he had with Bing that left him “deeply unsettled”. Soon, users began sharing screenshots that appeared to show the tool using racial slurs and announcing plans for world domination. Microsoft quickly announced a fix, limiting the AI’s responses and capabilities. In the following months, the company replaced its Bing chatbot with Copilot, which is now available as part of its Microsoft 365 software and Windows operating system.

Father of boy held in Georgia school shooting is arrested |BBC News

September 5, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people at his high school in the US state of Georgia has been arrested.

Colin Gray, 54, is facing four charges of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight of cruelty to children, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Authorities have charged his son, Colt Gray, with four counts of murder and said they plan to prosecute him as an adult. His first court appearance is due on Friday morning.

The shooting on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in the city of Winder, near Atlanta, left two teachers and two students dead, and nine others injured.