How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile | businessnewsdaily.com

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The business-oriented social media platform LinkedIn can be an effective tool for professionals and entrepreneurs looking to advance their careers and promote their brands. Whether you’re conducting a job search, looking for partners, or simply trying to attract more business, LinkedIn may offer plenty of opportunities.

However, to gain the benefits of using LinkedIn for business or your career, you need to approach it effectively. That means avoiding overused buzzwords that convey little and serve only to make you blend in with the crowd. If you’re taking to LinkedIn you want to stand out, so avoid these buzzwords to make your profile appear unique and engaging.

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How Paris Became a 15-minute city | Fast Company

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Four years ago, Paris embraced the idea of the 15-minute city—the concept that you should be able to live a short walk or bike ride from work, school, stores, and other aspects of daily life.

Since then, the city has radically changed. There are now 746 miles of protected bike lanes, and more Parisians bike than drive. Empty offices have been redeveloped with housing, coworking spaces, gyms, shops, and other uses under one roof. The mayor recently said that 2025 would be the year of “hyper-proximity,” with even more focus on bringing services to each neighborhood so people don’t have to get in the car every time they need to run an errand.

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Tesla may be floundering—but Ford’s EV sales tell a different story | Fast Company

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Tesla, you may have heard, is going through a rough patch, and the company represents a large enough share of U.S. electric vehicle sales that its problems could lead to a down year for the entire market.

But that hasn’t happened—at least not yet—partly because several other brands’ EV sales have risen to take the sting out of Tesla’s decline.

Ford is looking especially good, with year-to-date sales through April of 28,252 EVs, an increase of 97% from the same period last year. That makes Ford the country’s second-leading EV brand, although Tesla still outsells Ford’s EVs at a rate of about seven to one.

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How to Close a Small Business in 6 Steps | All business

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The reasons to close a business vary. Some entrepreneurs do it out of necessity, knowing that the business has simply run its course. Others may choose to close one business in order to start a new venture and to focus their attention on the new endeavor.

Closing a storefront requires more than simply locking the doors and putting up an “out of business” sign on the door. It’s important to properly file a dissolution and dissolve the business with its state of incorporation. A dissolution is a formal closure of a business with the state. Businesses may be voluntarily or involuntarily dissolved. A voluntary dissolution, for example, is one where a small business owner chooses to dissolve the business and file articles of dissolution to terminate it. Involuntary dissolutions, on the other hand, may occur to businesses in bad standing with the state. If these businesses do not take action to get back into compliance, the state may dissolve the business, and even decide to shutter it for good.

How do you file for a dissolution? Let’s take a look at what it means to properly dissolve a small business.

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Small Business Marketing Challenges: A 2024 Report Shows Anxiety | All Business

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Despite an improving economy and record-setting consumer spending (The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor shows total retail sales in the first quarter up 2.65% over 2023’s record-breaking sales totals), small businesses are struggling to effectively market their goods and services, according to the latest report from Constant Contact: Small Business Now: The Current State of SMB Marketing.

The report reveals what Constant Contact calls “a concerning trend”—many small business owners are overwhelmed by marketing, and 73% aren’t confident that their current strategy is contributing to their business goals. This uncertainty is fueled by not knowing which are the best methods for communicating with customers and lacking the time to execute campaigns. Both challenges lead to “a cycle of procrastination” that hinders small businesses from reaching their potential.

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The Rising Trend of Generational Tobacco Bans in Massachusetts | Small Biz Trends

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New laws on the books in Massachusetts are threatening the future of some historic local tobacconist businesses.

Following a landmark decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, several Greater Boston towns are adopting something known as a generational tobacco ban.

As reported by Cigar Aficionado, the legislative actions are setting a precedent that could influence broader state and national tobacco regulations. Often with local governments, one board of councilpersons gets their ideas from another – a monkey-see, monkey-do scenario.

In March 2023, the court upheld a bylaw in the Boston suburb of Brookline that prohibited the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in the 21st century. The ruling catalyzed similar policies across neighboring towns, each with the goal of  a “Nicotine-Free Generation.”

Other towns in Massachusetts like Stoneham, Wakefield and Melrose have quickly enacted or are considering similar bans – all set to take effect by January 2025.

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San Diego Bans Polystyrene Containers | Small Biz Trends

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A ban on polystyrene went into effect for small businesses in San Diego in April. Polystyrene is a synthetic polymer sometimes colloquially called Styrofoam, especially in the U.S.

The move means more costs for small businesses in that California community.

“Polystyrene plastic foam is one of the biggest sources of marine litter and costs the state and local governments millions of dollars each year to collect it from beaches, roadsides, and storm drains,” writes Mariel Garza for the Los Angeles Times.

Small businesses making less than $500,000 annually received a brief year-long exemption. But now the cost of eliminating the waste falls on the businesses that can afford it least.

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The 6 Biggest Email Marketing Challenges and How To Fix Them | Business

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Email is an effective and affordable marketing tactic. Implementing email marketing is straightforward, thanks to the best email templates and platforms that allow you to segment your lists and track results. Notably, email helps you deliver personalized content based on customer purchase history and prospect engagement, and customers can respond directly to offers.

However, like all marketing channels, email marketing has its share of obstacles to overcome. We’ll take a closer look at the most significant issues plaguing marketers and how to use email marketing best practices to solve them.

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5 Warning Signs You Need to Outsource Your HR | Business

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Your company’s human resources (HR) chief is responsible for many critical aspects of your workforce. They’re tasked with finding, hiring, training and assessing the performance of your employees. Your HR team is also responsible for developing an appealing culture and ensuring the company complies with all labor and employment laws. They may also oversee payroll. If you have unionized employees, HR is the liaison between your company and the union. To say that HR carries responsibility for your company’s success is an understatement.

What is HR outsourcing?

HR outsourcing is exactly what it sounds like. It is handing off some or all of your HR functions to a third party. This can be an alternative to hiring an internal HR department or used in tandem with an in-house HR professional who handles some of your HR responsibilities.

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Starliner astronauts arrive at launchpad for first crewed flight | Digital Trends

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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have arrived at the Starliner spacecraft that will take them to the International Space Station (ISS) in the first flight for the crew capsule.

A ULA Atlas V rocket will carry the Boeing-made Starliner and the two astronauts to orbit in a launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida that’s scheduled for 10:34 p.m. ET tonight.

Digital Trends has full details on how to watch a live stream showing the launch buildup and the early stages of the mission.

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