Category: business
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Upping the Odds of Startup Success
After debunking the myth that only one-in-ten startups succeed (the rate of success is more likely around 60-70%), Dan Kehrer offers us four key factors that improve the odds of new business survival: People. If you can afford to hire employees, do it. Well-staffed businesses have better survival rates than solo operations. Startup capital of…
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Interviews on Sun Tzu’s Art of War
Sonshi bills itself as “the original online resource for Sun Tzu’s Art of War“. Of particular note is their collection of columns, essays and interviews featuring—among others—Guy Kawasaki, Josh Waitzkin, and this from Robert Greene, author of 48 Laws of Power and 33 Strategies of War: If I could simplify the whole game of power…
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Is Unlimited Vacation a Good Thing?
With a number of companies beginning to offer unlimited vacation time, Alison Lobron of The Boston Globe asks whether unlimited vacation is really a beneficial perk for employees. Because of technology’s reach, some activists rightly worry that “unlimited vacation” is nothing more than corporate-speak for “no vacation at all.” They worry that employees without a…
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Recession Winners and Losers
Chris Yeh of Adventures in Capitalism answers the question: “Who are the winners and losers when an economy is in recession?” Losers Conferences Consultants Advertising-driven Companies Angel-funded Companies First-time Entrepreneurs/First-time VCs Anyone looking for money Winners Online Porn/MMOs/Virtual Worlds Low Cost Providers People With Cash Bootstrappers Liquidators As Chris says, “if you have a bootstrapped…
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Top 10 ‘Gen Y’ Blogs
Ryan Stephens has produced a list of the top ten blogs for Generation Y. It’s an excellent list containing a number of blogs I already subscribe to; those I don’t read I’ll be checking out soon. Personal Branding Blog Hard Knox Life Employee Evolution Driven Leaders Newly Corporate Ben Casnocha Brazen Careerist: Penelope Trunk I…
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World Challenge ’08
Heads up: the finalists for World Challenge ’08 have been announced. Now in its fourth year, World Challenge 08 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. [The Challenge] is about championing and rewarding projects and business…
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The Intersection of Work and Life: Shrink Talk Interviews PhilaLawyer
Dr. Rob of Shrink Talk talks with the PhilaLawyer on the intersection of work and life. The topic for this part of the discussion is boredom and job satisfaction. Here are a few choice cuts: PL: I don’t think anyone is wired to sit in front of a computer in the same office, every day,…
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The Cost of Firing: A Comparison of Severance Packages
With cost-cutting and downsizing on peoples’ minds, The Economist compares the cost of firing people around the world. America, New Zealand and Tonga are among the most company-friendly countries, requiring no penalties or compensation to fire a full-time employee of 20 years. By contrast, a business in Zimbabwe must shell out well over eight years’…
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The Peter Principle
The Peter Principle is the maxim that in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence. Specifically: It holds that in a hierarchy, members are promoted so long as they work competently. Sooner or later they are promoted to a position at which they are no longer competent (their “level of…
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The Warren Buffett Interviews
In my opinion there are two great Warren Buffett interviews; both by CNBC: The Billionaire Next Door, where Buffett discusses a couple of his investments and addresses his personal investment history and philosophy. J.D. at Get Rich Slowly gives a good overview of the interview. His epic three-hour interview with Becky Quick (transcript only).