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  1. Feb 2020
    1. no business book can predict what sorts of situations (businesses, market conditions, etc.) the reader will encounter, so instead it offers general, obvious-sounding rules.

      Business books

    1. How to Frame an Amazing Brand Experience for Your Clients? February 19, 2020 Shiv Business Brand experience has a lot to do with how your business is going to increase its growth. It basically is how your brand looks in the market. There are two different parts of a person’s personality- one is the public image and the other is the personal image that only close relatives and friends are aware of. Similarly, brand experience is the public image of your brand and working on the brand experience attracts more customers and increases your brand growth. In this article, we will help you formulate strategies that can help you in providing your customers with an amazing brand experience but, before that let’s find what’s brand experience definition really is? And why is it important for your business? What is Brand Experience? Brand Experience is made up of two words Brand & experience, Brand is the image of your business perceived by people and experience is how they feel about the business. Brand experience can be defined as the result of the interaction that took place between a brand and its prospective customers. When a person interacts with a brand via various marketing channels, the brand creates a feeling, emotion, and thought in that person. People judge things within seconds and put simply, brand experience is how your brand is being judged by others. Why Is Brand Experience Important? Creating memorable experiences for people who are interacting with your brand is essential to eliminate the last-minute doubt that your customer can have. There are different stages that your customer passes through in order to finally use your product or services. Every business has different levels but, in general terms, there are five states of customer journey, which are as follows- ProspectingPitchClosureServiceFeedback All these stages are equally important and cannot be overlooked. Brand experience gives the user an idea of what to expect from the brand before making a purchase, and the expectations are evaluated based on the above-mentioned factors. How is Brand Experience Different from Customer Experience & User Experience? Since brand experience is how people perceive your brand, it gets implemented from the beginning of the customer journey process. Prospecting is when your customer searches about the service he wants. While searching he/she can come across your brand and the initial experience they are having when interacting with your brand is the experience that matters.   The above image shows you the difference between customer experience, brand experience, and user experience. Customer Experience Customer experience is the experience that develops when he/she is buying your product followed by using it. User Experience User experience is the experience that focuses on the after-sales service and after using the product. 7 tips on framing the best brand experience strategy for your business Brand experience is one of the most important factors that helps a brand in its business operations, therefore, having a defined brand experience strategy is necessary for a business to be on the profit side. Here are the top 7 tips on framing the best brand experience strategy for your business- Become Customer-Oriented Research shows that a business strategy focused on consumers is more successful than any other business strategy. If you analyze all the successful companies like Apple Inc, Microsoft, Google, etc. are all customer-focused. To enhance your customer experience you must provide value to your customers and invest time and effort in building customer-oriented products. Engage with Your Customers Engaging with your customers using various platforms like social media, chatbots, forums, etc. can make your brand more approachable to your customers. It creates an emotional connection between your brand and your customers that leads to more sales, more promotion, and more opportunities. It also helps in building a community of supporters who are there for your business to grow and prosper. Big brands try to engage with potential clients whenever possible the primary reason being the more engaged clients are the better chance of the conversion. Tell a Story Choose between two- A movie or cooperate speech! If you are a normal human, you definitely had chosen the movie over the speech, why is that? Well, the answer is clear. When we watch a movie we tend to get moved by the story of the characters but speech is boring. The same applies to your business when a customer is searching for a product, he or she must have conducted small research around that product. If you tell the same old pitch that everyone is using then it’s not going to work because it is boring. That’s where storytelling comes into play. The impact of storytelling far exceed your expectation, when you tell a brand story to the clients, then the client is more likely to connect with the brand. Your branding strategy whether it’s visual branding or any other type of branding, must have some story behind it that can influence your customers. Add Human Element When a business communicates with the customers by connecting with them on a social level, it marks a special place in the customer’s heart. Basically, when you talk about them rather than you and your business, it creates a difference that is hard to express. Whatever your product is, it is meant to be consumed by your customers. So, addressing your customers directly rather than your product in the conversation makes much more sense.   Work On Customer’s Pain Points Customer pain points are the points where prospective customers can be experiencing problems. It is not necessary for them to realize it, therefore, it is your duty to make them aware of this fact. This is where your sales pitch should be strong and focused on these points. Analyzing customer’s pain points helps you in positioning your business in the market and quickly capture the market. Dan Shewan wrote a detailed article on this topic, you can check it out on the customer’s pain points and how to remove them. Identify Bottleneck Elements Bottleneck elements are those elements that are causing a delay in your business progress. When your business is not performing up to the standards of the market needs, then it is more likely to be caused by the bottleneck elements. If you want to build your customer experience better you must identify the bottleneck elements and try to remove them. If a brand does not resolve these issues with their business then it could lead to a negative brand experience which is brutal for a business. You can take the example of Nokia- they used to be the most successful mobile phone manufacturer but they still went out of business. Why? Nokia refused to change and listen to the market’s needs. They did not address the bottleneck element (i.e. market needs, changing technology) which lead to company closure. Nokia was once among the most successful mobile phone manufacturers yet, they were marked as a failure, this shows how important it is to identify the bottlenecks in your business. Now, Nokia is back again with new products and redesigned logo design. This time the products match the market needs and address the bottleneck elements. Be Consistent Consistency is key when it comes to creating an amazing brand experience. Being consistent on various channels that you use for the business helps in sending a similar message to your customers. Brand value could be damaged if your business is inconsistent which could lead to damage to the brand image. A brand promotional assets like business card design, poster, flyer, etc. must use the same design, color, typography, etc. in order to be consistent visually. Memorable Brand Experience with your Customers “If there’s one reason we have done better than of our peers in the Internet space over the last six years, it is because we have focused like a laser on customer experience, and that really does matter, I think, in any business. It certainly matters online, where word of mouth is so very, very powerful.” Jeff Bezos Jeff Bezos’s net worth is $130 billion USD making him the richest man in the world. If he is saying providing a great customer experience made him what he is, then it is something that you should also focus on. Shiv Edit profileHi, my name is Shiv Kumar. I’m a blogger, Digital marketer at EveryDesigns and I write on various topics including design, ecommerce, startups, digital marketing, interactive content, and much more. You know, wherever the mood goes.

      Brand experience has a lot to do with how your business is going to increase business growth. Here is the guide that help you with the customer experience.

    1. How to Build a Successful Graphic Design Strategy for Your Business? February 15, 2020 Shiv Graphic Design A successful business needs a successful graphic design strategy. A strategy helps the business in taking necessary action and adequate guidance to increase business growth. There are a lot of factors that go into building an effective business strategy, but, when it comes to graphic design strategy, it’s all about the visuals and representing your business visually to your customers. This guide will help you in building a successful graphic design strategy that can skyrocket your business growth, but, before that let’s find what does an effective graphic design strategy means. What Does an Effective Graphic Design Strategy Mean? Graphic design is a creative piece that is visually appealing to look at and when you strategize the production and display for the graphic design then it is called a graphic design strategy. The purpose of having a defined graphic design strategy is to deliver a clear brand message among your audience. It is all about visual branding and creating a visual presence among your clients. The idea behind having a strategy is to integrate business with a creative visual idea to promote business growth. Why Does Graphic Design Strategy Matter For Your Business? Graphic design plays an important role in business and commerce. Design is more than aesthetic but a way of communication that helps viewers in understanding the underlying concept of design. Business uses graphic design in a variety of areas like website design, logo design, business card design, flyer design, etc. the objective of using these tools is to inform the viewers about the business. When a piece of information is shared via audio, three days later the percentage of data retention is just 10%, whereas, when the same information is presented visually, three days later the percentage of data retention is 65%. It provides us clear evidence of how important visuals are for a business. An Infographic design that is one of the most used visual marketing tools and uses visual graphics heavily has the potential of increasing the website traffic by 12%, which is a significant amount of growth. Here is the Guide on Building an Effective Graphic Design Strategy for Your Business Display Your Brand Identity Your brand identity is the key to success, therefore, it becomes important for your business to display the brand identity with pride. A strong brand identity attracts customers automatically and customers tend to trust you more. Graphic design helps in establishing a groundwork for a business to brand its business. Branding enhances business outreach and ensures a brand is recognized easily. When a business works more on the branding part rather than the sales part, the business tends to grow with a “J-curve”. The reason for this is the influence of branding on the customers and the decision to purchase the product or services. Create the Awareness of Your Brand A graphic design element like flyer, poster, business card, logo design,  etc. address the clients about the business. The purpose of using these elements is to create brand awareness.  Brand awareness is how easily your brand is recognized by potential customers. To understand the effect of this factor, we have to dig deep into the psychological factor behind brand awareness. The psychology behind creating brand awareness is to establish positive memory among the customers interacting with the brand. People tend to trust those who they are familiar with, therefore, it becomes important for a business to become familiar with the customers. In psychology, this is called the mere-exposure effect and in layman’s term, it is called the familiarity principle. According to this principle, people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them. You can use this psychological phenomenon to your advantage and use visual designs to advertise and make people aware of your brand. Stand Apart From Your Competitors The market is always competitive and is constantly changing as time passes. It becomes a hefty challenge for a business to adapt according to the needs of the consumers. If a business does not adapt to the market then people are going to reject the product, no matter how good your product is. You always have to play by market rules otherwise you are going to lose. You can take the example of Nokia, which was the best selling mobile phone manufacturer when feature phones were at their brink, but Nokia failed. There were many factors that collectively made Nokia a failure but the primary one is the refusal of adaptability to the market. When other smartphone sellers were providing users with an Android smartphone, Nokia was still providing a Symbian based smartphone. When you are up to date with the technology, you could stand apart from your competitors and provide your customers with unique and new technology. Graphic design can help you in designing the framework of the product.  You can change your website design to enhance your User experience by optimizing the user interface. When you focus your attention on these factors, you could create a difference in your service and your competitor service, which helps you in standing apart from them. Advertise Your Business to Potential Customers You can have a revolutionary business idea, but if your customers do not know about it, then what’s the benefit. This is where advertisement comes into play. The advertising market is around $1.2 trillion which is expected to grow at an average pace of 5%. A professional graphic designer can help you in your campaigns by designing advertisement materials like billboard design, flyer designs, etc. Designing these elements is essential as the attention span of the viewers is very limited to 3-5 seconds and the job of the design is to deliver the brand message within this time limit. Graphic design uses visual hierarchy and other design concepts to either increase the attention time span or to deliver the message fast and sometimes do both. When you can increase these factors, you can influence the viewer into buying your product. Use Social Media to Engage With Customers Using social media for your business is essential in this day and age because of the user base this platform offers. There are 3.5 billion social media users worldwide and on average, a user spends 3 hours on social media. One of the main content on  Social media is images, graphics, and videos. The majority of the posts you see on social media are visual content. A business can create high-quality visual content like images, videos, etc. and post it on various social media platforms to attract customers. Around 90% of the brands use social media to increase brand awareness and if you fall on the 10% of business then you are missing out on a big opportunity, therefore, to brand your business, you would need to have social media marketing on point. Now, that being said, one of the main aspects of social media is the use of graphics and media. Your investment in media content can be easily recoverable if you can provide quality over quantity, therefore, it is recommended that you post shareable content that has the potential of going viral. How to Effectively Implement the Graphic Design Strategy? Any strategy whether it’s a graphic design strategy or a business strategy needs to have adequate planning to give direction to your team. Planning is an essential part of strategy implementation as it provides you with measurable insights that you can hold accountable. You would need Creative design services in order to have a graphic design strategy, therefore, you should choose the services accordingly. What is a design strategy in graphic design? Design strategy in graphic design refers to the integration of graphic design and businesses with each other to produce content that can be used for the benefit of the business. How does graphic design affect marketing? Graphic design is an essential element of marketing, whether its content marketing or offline marketing using a poster, flyer, etc. you need to have quality graphics to attract customers. Why is graphic design important in advertising? Graphic design is a very important part of the advertisement industry, it attracts us towards the brands. Graphic design gives a business a face that influences the brand positioning in the mind of the viewer. What is a good graphic design? Design is an artistic approach to anything which differs person to person but, when you add a business element to it then we can define good graphic designs as a design that presents the business such that it attracts customers towards the business. Shiv Edit profileHi, my name is Shiv Kumar. I’m a blogger, Digital marketer at EveryDesigns and I write on various topics including design, ecommerce, startups, digital marketing, interactive content, and much more. You know, wherever the mood goes.

      Having a defined graphic design strategy helps a business in positioning itself better in this competitive world. Find out about graphic design strategies.

  2. Jan 2020
    1. How Businesses Use Psychology to Increase Sales?EveryDesignsJan 31 · 3 min readBusinesses use everything in their power to increase their sales. They offer a discount, indulge in aggressive marketing, create a monopoly and apply various business strategies to skyrocket their growth.One more thing that businesses use, which works on background level is psychology. Psychology is a very important part of human behavioral science. Every single person behaves in a very different way. Their likings are different, their understanding is different, every single person is very different from others.So, it becomes difficult for businesses to target a bigger audience. Therefore, to understand their customers, businesses use psychology and its application in business operations.In this article, we will discuss how businesses use psychology to increase sales. But before that let’s find out why it is business psychology.What is Business Psychology?Business psychology is a field of psychology that deals with providing insight into people and their behavior. It takes a practical approach by studying a monitored group of people and giving a conclusion towards specific behavioral research.Using business psychology corporate can come up with plans and strategies to the target audience and provide them with a solution to their problem. The very basic job of a business psychologist is to understand the customer’s needs and help the business to deliver that.Behavioral Psychology in BusinessBehavioral Psychology is the study of human behavior in context with the environment. The environment plays an important role in the behavior of a person. A kid when brought up in a secure and friendly environment tends to be more successful and moral whereas a kid who had an abusive father or mother a.k.a. bad environment tends to become a criminal.It's simple: kids learn for their parents and even an adult is susceptible to influence from other behavior. A prime example could be peer pressure. Peer pressure can make you do things that you do not want to do like drinking alcohol.Many studies like this one suggest that the majority of people started drinking due to peer pressure. Behavioral psychology helps in understanding these behaviors and comes up with a solution that benefits society.Here are some of the principles that behavior psychology deal with, within the context of business.The Human Learns Better VisuallyAbout 65% of people are visual people meaning they like and respond to visuals better and faster than any other means. So, influencing people using visuals like graphic design helps a business much better. A business needs to have professional graphic design services to ensure they can market their products better.Psychology of ColorsColor is one aspect that makes humans special. As you know, humans are one of the few species who can see such a wide range of the color spectrum. Therefore, colors play an important role in people’s life.You can use different colors to subtly convey a message regarding your business. To learn more, check out the article on Color Psychology and see how you can use colors to market your brand.Customer LoyaltyEveryone likes reward and Rewarding programs are the best customer acquisition tool that big corporate uses. A prime example of this could be a reward program by Starbucks that they offer on their mobile app. You can also provide your customers with rewards that help your customers in connecting with your business on a personal level.Social Psychology in BusinessSocial psychology is a study of human behavior when influenced by other people’s behavior. Here the psychologists use the data produced by the interaction of two subjects to design a strategy for their businessThe following are the best examples of social psychology in action-Word of Mouth MarketingWord of mount marketing is the kind of marketing where a person buys a product just because it was recommended by someone. It is so powerful that it can even work online by posting customer’s reviews. This is the reason why people keep testimonials and reviews on their websites.Reciprocity PrincipleWhen a business offers an unmatchable value to its customers than people would respond to that by providing a similar proposition by becoming your customer. You can use this principle to provide your customers with Freemium tools to increase sales.ConclusionIn order to increase revenue and business, you can use any of these psychological principles. Big brands use this principle to achieve that so why don’t you?

      Businesses use everything in their power to increase their sales. They offer a discount, indulge in aggressive marketing, create a monopoly and apply various business strategies to skyrocket their growth. psychology is one of the tools that businesses implement into their operations. so, here is how businesses use psychology to increase sales?

  3. Dec 2019
    1. Top 12 Small Business Ideas to Start a Business in Austin December 26, 2019 shivkumar Business Ideas Starting a business is the boldest move you can make. It is a very hardworking task as you have to invest your time, money and dedication into building a business. Starting a business is more than just a small business idea. As an entrepreneur, your highest priority is to find whether there is a business opportunity or not and to find what customers really want. This article will provide you with top 12 small business ideas to start your business in Austin. But, before that let’s find out why Austin should be on your list for starting business. Why Austin for your Small Business? Austin, Texas is home to many Corporate Headquarters and Regional Offices of big tech companies and the reasons are pretty obvious. The population of Austin is 865,000 making it the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States, making it prominent places for businesses to flourish, especially small businesses. In early 1990s, Austin experienced a big dot-com boom resulting in it being the home of many tech companies. Google, Facebook, Adobe, IBM, Apple Inc. etc. are some of the big names that have an establishment in Austin city hence, nicknamed Silicon Hills. Every Year Austin host an event called as “ACL Music Festival” due to which Austin is also called as the “Live music capital of the world”. It is a 10-day festival celebrates film, music and digital media. Many visitors from around the world visit here to participate and enjoy the 10-day festival. According to many publications like Forbes, Travel & Leisure magazine etc., Austin is a great place to live, making it best place to have a small business. “Keep Austin Weird” has been a local motto for years featured on stickers and t shirt designs. Austinites population is a mix of government employees, foreign and domestic college students, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers and business people.  Since, Austin is such a great place to start business due to its population, diversity and economics. These small business ideas will provide you with promising opportunities for your business to grow. Food & Beverage Business Wherever there are people there will be business opportunities especially when it comes to food & beverage. Eating is the primary motivation of human existence and when your business can provide people with this need fulfilled, along with an unmatchable service then your business is more likely to grow exponentially.  Recently, Food truck business in Austin has become more popular as the investment is low to start a food truck business.  Austin has the second largest number of food trucks in the United States. It is one of the best small business ideas that has the potential of becoming into a big and profitable business. All you need to start a business on wheels is a truck, equipment, business logo design and a plan. You are all set to start your business. Laundry Service Everyone likes to look good and presentable, especially business people. Wherever there is a need there is an opportunity. Now that being said, the problem that people experience is that they do not have time to wash their clothes. You can start a laundry business to meet their needs and save their time and money. To start a laundry business in Austin, all you need is a space, machines and business plan. You can bring in a lot of innovation in this business, like by providing a home delivery service, making it easier for people to get laundry service. Retail Store A retail store is a place where you can get everything in one place. It is a place where customer consumes like clothing, drug, grocery, and other convenience items. Austin’s population is big and a retail store is the place where they find their daily needs. Starting a business of retails store is very profitable small business and you can also provide online services making it available to bigger areas. Industries like pharmaceutical and tech industries are some of the primary industries in Austin. So, sourcing products related to these industries could be cost effective and you can get big margins in these products. Delivery Service Delivery services are the most profitable business opportunity that helps businesses to get their products reach to their customer. You can act as a mediator in providing these businesses with delivery services. You can partner with eCommerce websites like Amazon in becoming their delivery partner on contractual basics. The resources that you need for starting a delivery business are a vehicle and a delivery partner. You can sign up for Amazon delivery service partner, which is a very lucrative offer as you do not need to find customers, Amazon is your customer and when Amazon is your customer then you do not have to worry about your business. It is one of the best B2B2C businesses that will offer a lot of expansion in future. Fitness Studio Fitness Industry is a booming industry with a Global market of $87.23 Billion and in US alone the market size is worth $27.6 Billion. People want to look good, men or women they want to be fit as it makes them feel confident, attractive and desirable. One of the primary motivations of human beings is to procreate and being fit aids you with that. A person subconsciously finds a partner who is fit, healthy and attractive. The fitness industry thrives on this basic human nature. The average amount that you need to start a fitness club in United States is $10,000 to $50,000. You can get customers to take annual membership and along with that you can also sell fitness products. There is a whole new opportunity for fitness products like Protein powder, BCAAs other supplements. You can also sell these products online which will make you extra bucks. Online Marketing Service To get any business out there you need to market your business. Marketing helps a business to get customers. A brand is created using marketing and the efforts to provide great service. In this digital age, online factors have affected the entire globe. Many studies show that people prefer more and more to buy products online. Ecommerce industry is big and it is getting bigger. They all have one thing in common, they all need Digital Marketing. Google is one of the most used search engines in the world and ranking your website high on Google will not only drive more traffic to your website but also it helps you in selling more products or services. Selling products or services means more revenue. Anyone is willing to pay you a good amount of money, if you can bring your website high on ranking for them. It is the best B2B business, which offers you a scope for expansion. It is a constant process so the revenue will be reoccurring. Graphics plays a very important role in online marketing, so, if you are good at designing then you can also provide graphic design services along with Digital Marketing services. As a startup, you can provide services from your home or you can find a co-working space. You can get customers online either on your own website or other freelancing websites like UpWork, people per hour etc. Transport Service The transportation industry is a big industry, especially in Austin. People use vehicles, public transport, metro, etc. to get to their destination. There is a lot of opportunity in this industry and you can either provide service or a rental based business model. For service based business, you can partner with Uber or independently start your own travel agency or you can do both. Uber gives you freedom of doing the rides when you want and where you want. So, doing both will make more sense. For a rental business model, you have to find the vehicle category you want to invest in. It depends on lot of factors hence, it is necessary to do market research on how people will respond to your business idea. After that you can start planning your business plan, market it, and get funding. Wedding Planner Wedding planning is not only a profitable business but also a very joyful one. You can use creativity and management skills to create a beautiful experience for the couple entering into their new life. This business is the best because investment is very low and the profits are very high. Average wedding cost around $30,000 and people are willing to spend more. Your commission from this business can be $5,000-10,000 per wedding and when you add that number annually, you get a six figure business. You can pitch your customers different packages and ideas and get them to pay for additional benefits. This can be your unique selling point and help your business in creating market space for itself. All you need to start a Wedding Planner business is business card designs, a catalog and an office. You are all set to execute your plan for building your six-figure business.  Maintenance Service Whether it’s our home or office, we need to maintain the functionality of them. That’s where a maintenance services come into play. Providing maintenance service to household as well as corporations helps you in making this business profitable. Technically, every building is your customer meaning the opportunity is limitless. You can start this business from your home. The things that you need to start this business are knowledge and a professional certification. If you do not have the certification, then you need to hire people who can do these services. You can do that either on incentive based or have them on salary base. Your primary revenue will be the maintenance cost and the margins on the replaced product. Since you can start this business from home, the startup cost in as low as $2,000. So, if you are searching for a small business idea for business then this is it. Security Services Security is the primary concern for corporations and people. There are different types of security services that you can provide like cyber security, bodyguards, industrial security, security guard etc. Many corporations hire security service providers for maintaining and protecting the security.  Many corporations are more concerned about cyber security than their office security. They keep their servers and information very private. If you can bring a product or service that helps the business in keeping their data online safe, then you just have a business there. This is the best business, if you have experience in providing online security measures or software development. If you are more inclined towards providing one on one security then you can start your own security agency. Solar Panel Installation Business Ever since the invention of the engine and petroleum industry, people have been searching for alternative energy sources. The very first energy source used for producing electricity was coal, which was used to operate steam engines. It was replaced by petrol and diesel. There are very limited amount of energy sources that are extracted out of the earth. Fossil fuels are depleting on a large scale and we need to replace them with an alternative energy source. This is where energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy etc. come into action. You can produce very high amounts of energy in the form of electricity using these energy sources. Solar panels are one such method that uses solar energy to produce electricity. People are more inclining towards installing these panels for a variety of reasons like saving environment, long term cost saving etc. Austin, Texas is blessed with a good amount of sunlight for using it as an energy source. Starting a solar panel installation business will earn you good profits as many Governments from around the world are actively participating in promoting the use of alternative energy. So, they provide special incentives for customers who want to install solar panels. In the United States, going solar gives you a tax credit dollar to dollar reduction. These benefits for customers can add value to your business and you can provide your customer with better and a quality service. Salon and Spa Business Salon and Spa business is also one of the small business ideas that require a very small to big amount of investment depending on the quality of service you want to offer. It is the best business idea, if you have skills for providing professional salon service. We all visit the salon once a month to get our hair done or to get a certain look. As mentioned earlier, this business also thrives on human need to look good and perceived attractive. A combo of salon and spa service will give you a great exposure to clients because you can recommend a salon customer with Spa service and vice versa. This way you can increase your business revenue and get more customers. The average investment cost for starting a salon business is $100,000 to $500,000 based on a variety of factors. However, the investment has good potential of getting a good ROI. You must include a plan for this business for getting profits.  Conclusion Starting a small business can be overwhelming but taking business step by step can make your job easier and it also help you in tracking your progress. The most important part of starting a business is planning. You must plan your business before executing any steps regarding your business. The other major part of starting a business is marketing. Many businesses spend the majority of their spending on marketing. It is the best way for businesses to get customers to know them.
      • Austin, Texas is the best place to start your own business. These top 12 small business ideas help you in start your own company on a budget.
    1. И если к вам все же попала звезда (настоящая, а не фейковая), трудностей будет много. Во-первых, одна звезда не будет работать за всю команду, вкалывать придется по-прежнему. Во-вторых, звездному сотруднику нужны полномочия и свобода принятия решений, а это понравится не всем. В-третьих, сильному работнику нужно сильное руководство. А есть еще и в-черветрых, и в-пятых. Так что звезда — это, конечно, хорошо, но это точно не волшебная палочка для бренда.
    2. Многие таланты работают настолько ярко, что становятся настоящими звездами. Когда работодатель хочет нанять звездного сотрудника, то чаще всего ищет золотую таблетку, которая поможет от всего и сразу.
    3. Экспертов можно нанять — но это рискованный процесс. Вдруг окажется, что методы работы и ценности такого стороннего эксперта не совпадают с методами и ценностями компании. Будет больно и безрезультатно. Экспертов можно мотивировать. Ведь те, кто работает в компании, эксперты в своем деле (не зря же их наняли), другой вопрос, как их привлечь к формированию HR-бренда. Система мотивации у каждого своя, но не надо бояться использовать бонусы, привилегии, рейтинги и награды.
    4. Хороший контент нельзя создать без экспертов
    5. Хорошо, когда компанию представляют эксперты. Но вот найти их — одна из самых сложных задач.
    1. Many so-called strategies are in fact goals. “We want to be the number one or number two in all the markets in which we operate” is one of those. It does not tell you what you are going to do; all it does is tell you what you hope the outcome will be. But you’ll still need a strategy to achieve it.
    1. 7 Best Services that are Essential for Your Startup Growth Get link Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Other Apps December 12, 2019 As an entrepreneur, the primary focus of your startup is to grow big and increase brand awareness. For any startup, the initial stages are the most challenging one. Many businesses fail because they cannot withstand this stage. If you want to increase your business growth then you need to do business strategy and planning. Initially, you need help from other businesses for certain services that you cannot do on your own. Here is the list of 7 services that you need for growing your startup. Market Membership In order to increase country growth Government promote businesses and commerce. Financial System is the backbone of a country. Therefore, the Government establishes promotion council for every niche market. These promotion councils have one primary objective and that is to promote businesses and create big market share globally. Some of the benefits that you can experience by subscribing to these council memberships are an increase in business growth, new leads, marketing, discounted promotional booths in trade fares and much more. Office Space Services In order to run your office you need to have an office. The best option that you can have is to rent out a building. But an even better option is Co-working space. Here, many other startups and businesses share the office space and amenities required by any businesses. The rates are decided on per seat bases which are very nominal. IT services- Website, Graphic Design & technical support For any business, being online is now very essential. This is the digital age, where every business is turning online. In order to meet this digital need you need to have some IT support. There are a lot of services that come under this department like website designing, logo design services, etc. For website services, it is best to use word press, as it powers 23% of all websites in the world. This platform is an open source platform and very easy to use. For an affordable solution to your graphic needs like logo design, you can use a good logo designcontest website that provides affordable services. There are a lot of IT services that you might need. So, researching about them on Google will be very helpful. Marketing Services Marketing your businesses is very important part of any business. What’s the purpose of any business if they cannot find you? You can use multiple marketing streams to get customers, but the best marketing channel that every business is using is Digital Marketing. Other marketing methods used by businesses are merchandise marketing using tools like t shirt design online. Accounting Services Hiring an accountant can be very costly. So, the best option is to outsource this service. You can choose any local accountant for this job. Customer Relationship Management As the name suggests, it is another part of business that cannot be overlooked. Establishing a good relationship with your customer is essential for your business to grow. These third party services help you in engaging your customers more. Human Resource Services As a startup you need to hire people to make your job easy and fast. This can be done using effective Human Resource services. HR services can handle the hiring process which saves you time and money. Investing Investment is an essential need for your business. If you cannot find a good investor then your fund can get easily exhausted fast. To run a business in this competitive world you need to have an investor who not only provides you funds but, also helps you in mentoring. The best resource to find investors is using services like Gust.

      This guide will help you in finding the necessary services that your startups needs. These services helps your businesses to grow faster.

    1. Comparison Between: Design Contest, Freelancer & AgenciesSushmachoudharyDec 7 · 3 min readWe all compare and inspect the best way to get a job done. We read reviews, talk to people and research online about the product or service. When you are seeking design help you often become confused about what to choose- Design contest, Freelance or an Agency.You can design a graphic by yourself using an online tool but the problem with those graphics is unprofessional. You can pretty much design something that does not attract people if you do not know what you are doing.Brainstorming about what to choose can be difficult but when you define your requirements then you can find the best design within your budget.In this article, we will discuss what’s the difference between design contests, freelancers and agencies, guide you on what to choose and why? Before that, let’s find out why you need a graphic design.Why Do You Need a Graphic Design?Graphic Design is a medium through which you can convey a message. Professional graphic designers know the importance of the designs. The design conveys specific meaning, a story, and a message which are interpreted in the form of emotions. People react differently to certain imagery. This reaction can be negative as well as positive. Graphic design helps the content to get delivered easily.Design Contest V/S Freelancer V/S AgenciesCostingDesign ContestA design contest can cost you somewhere from 99$ to 1000$ depending on your graphics. For Example- a logo design contest can cost you $99 to $600 on averageFreelancerA freelancer can be hired for cheap starting from $5 and going up for 150$ range on an hourly basis and the amount charged by them is per hour.AgenciesAgencies are fallen under the high end and can cost a lot of money. The design agency can charge $10000–20000+ for a design project. Some agencies charge less than $10000 but for smaller projects.Design Concept OptionsDesign ContestYou can get multiple design concepts as anyone can participate in the contest. On average 50+ designs are guaranteed.FreelancerFreelancers can provide you with many options but it is limited to the creativity and experience of the designer.AgenciesAgency can also provide multiple options and generally, the designs are so great that you do not need multiple designs.QualityDesign ContestThe quality of the logo can be good as the contest winner is decided by the clients themselves.FreelancerThe quality of the logo depends on the experience and creativity of the designer hired by you.AgenciesThe highest quality is guaranteed and you get a design that you paid for.Time frameDesign ContestThe design contest is organized for at most 10 days and you will be provided with multiple options up until the winner is chosen or the contest is withdrawn.FreelancerFreelancer can deliver you the options within 2 days but the final graphic could take more days.AgenciesIt depends on the design project.What to Choose?Now the overwhelming question comes, what to choose?There is no perfect answer as everyone has their own preferences. Freelancing, Graphic design contest, and agencies all have their disadvantages and advantages of their own.The very first factor that affects your choice is the project budget. If your budget is high then you can opt the agency to get the professional designs, but if you find yourself short on the budget then choose a design contest.The quality of the design concept also plays a very important role. The best option to choose when it comes to quality is an agency as they only equip professional designers who have years of experience in their field.In the end, it depends on your preference and your budget. So, choose those options that fit your pocket as well as lure your eyes.

      It can be really confusing what to choose when it come to custom graphic design services. There are three options to go for- Freelancer, Agency and Graphic design contest. This article will help you in filtering the best option for your business logo design

    1. Is an Abstract Logo Good for your Business? December 2, 2019 shivkumar Logo & Branding An abstract logo is a logo that is known to be the most valiant logo that instantly grabs attention. These logos are stylized but simple and can create curiosity among its viewer. Every business wants to stand out to ensure they are perceived as the best in the market and this type of logo symbolizes just that. People have high expectations from these logos as it demands professionalism. Branding using this type of logo is different than the other logo types. In this type of logo, you have to invest highly in brand recognition. Your marketing plans should be more focused on creating a brand rather than selling. This type of logo requires a long term business plan and a big budget to make your brand recognized by the customer. In this article, we will discuss is using an abstract log for your business a good idea and the traits it offers along with how it is perceived by customers but before that let’s find out what is an Abstract Logo? What is an Abstract Logo? The Abstract logo is a logo that uses a symbol or icon to represent a brand. This symbol can be a letter or any symbol that may or may not mean something. It deliberately uses colors, shapes, and forms to create a symbol to attain its effect. One of the best examples that use an abstract logo is NIKE (Swoosh symbol). Key Traits of Abstract Logo Abstract logo can make your brand big and recognized all over the world. It is unique and has many traits that speak for it. The following are the traits that abstract logos have – Lasting Impression The goal of any business is to create a space in the mind and heart of their customers. This type of logo helps in creating this emotion and leaves a lasting mark on the customer.  Curiosity The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind is curiosity. Edmund Burke This quote beautifully explains the basic human nature. Human beings are curious which resulted in the discovery of many advanced technologies. When someone becomes curious, then person persuades and research about that topic. The same effect can be introduced into the logo by using the abstract logo.  The abstract logo creates curiosity that leads to more brand search and more brand recognition. Ultimately, an abstract logo can create a huge fan following and authority in your market. Creativity It is difficult to design a brand image using abstract design. There is no guide that can be used for creating abstract logo. The designers have to rely on his/her experience and creativity to design this type of logo but the results that you get are some of the most creative designs. Modernism The abstract logo is forever fresh and requires less to not at all change. This logo can be used again and again over the years to represent the logo as the brand image. Modern and creative logos are an approach that can induce professionalism into the picture hence, giving a fresh look forever. When to Use the Abstract Logo? Abstract logos are best for businesses that can revolutionize a market. Nike is a brand that is well known for the athleisure wear they make. The Swoosh logo used by them makes them stand out and create a presence. If your business has similar traits then you can use this logo. The marketing of this type of business can be costly but is very effective. Psychology behind the Abstract Logo Abstract logo is a unique type of logo that affects the customer psyche in a distinct way. Abstract logo influences the customer to search about the business. But, why? This happens due to Association Principles. According to this principle, a customer creates a mental connection between the shape, color and patterns to some emotions. This emotion further triggers the person to take action regarding that event and this principle is called trigger theory. If your logo evokes some connections from person’s past then the trigger principle works and the person transfers the same emotion towards the business. The emotion can be negative and positive so, it is advised not to use any negative imagery in your logo. You can use these psychological principles to increase your sales and get recognized by your customers. Conclusion Many people, who start a business or redesign their logo, easily overlook the type of logo to use. Good logo design services are good at understanding the needs of that business. Many people design the logo without considering the goal and future projection of the business. This is a huge mistake that businesses make. The best way to get a logo designed is by taking a professional’s help and taking consultation from them.

      Find details about abstract logo and get an answer for various questions like should you use the abstract logo for your business? and much more.

  4. Nov 2019
    1. In order for Google to be Google, it has to do evil. This is true for every major technology company. Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, Sony, Twitter, Samsung, Nintendo, Dell, HP, Toshiba -- every one of these organizations can't compete in the market without engaging in unethical, inhumane and invasive practices. It's a sliding scale: The larger the company, the more integrated it is in our everyday lives, the more evil it can be.
    2. Take Facebook, for example. CEO Mark Zuckerberg will stand onstage at F8 and wax poetic about the beauty of connecting billions of people across the globe, while at the same time patenting technologies to determine users' social classes and enable discrimination in the lending process, and allowing housing advertisers to exclude racial and ethnic groups or families with women and children from their listings.
    1. We can certainly understand why Google would prefer users not to install AdNauseam, as it directly opposes their core business model, but the Web Store’s Terms of Service do not (at least thus far) require extensions to endorse Google’s business model. Moreover, this is not the justification cited for the software’s removal.
    1. We can certainly understand why Google would prefer users not to install AdNauseam, as it directly opposes their core business model, but the Web Store’s Terms of Service do not (at least thus far) require extensions to endorse Google’s business model.
  5. Oct 2019
    1. The top reasons why a product fails:It’s too complicated – simplicity is kingIt doesn’t spread by word-of-mouthIt doesn’t take advantage of the power of iterationThe founder is too fearful of creating something novelIt’s not launched into a community

      Think about it before developing a commercial product

  6. Sep 2019
    1. How to Start a Snow Plowing Business in 2019You are here:HomeStartupsHow to Start a Snow…

      Start your own Uber for snow removal Business by launching a snow plow app. A complete guide to digitize your snow removal business.

    1. One of the earliest interactions with a customer is to signal a lack of trust. The bartender is suggesting the customer will leave without paying.

      Show your trust to the customer

    2. I think many business owners do not consider the subconscious effects on how they manage their business

      Don't forget about the subconscious effects

    3. In another example, there is a plaza near where I work that has a number of eating options but my preferred is a sandwich place at the far end of the building. When I pull in I often look for parking in front, if there is not I might need to go to the opposite end of the plaza to find parking. While walking to the sandwich shop I pass by 3 other places to eat. I almost never make it to the sandwich shop. I always convince myself to try something different before getting to the front door of my go-to lunch spot

      That's what would happen if your customers would need to take a long walk from the other end of the parking lot

    4. the experience his customers have while visiting him was very important to him and it started when they pulled into the parking lot. In his view, they should have front row parking

      Why to park far away from your own business office

    1. 3 lessons in branding

      3 lessons in branding:

      • “At the end of the day, brands are about trust”
      • All great brands are authentic, credible, and aspirational

        If you check all three of these boxes, there’s no reason why you can’t enter a new product vertical

      • To put your brand on steroids, attach yourself to a celebrity or influencer

  7. Aug 2019
    1. Construction businesses need working capital to bridge the gap between cash payables and cash receivables. SMB Compass offers construction business loans to contractors in the United States. One of our reliable lending advisors will help you find the best construction business loan specific to your needs.

      Construction business loans options for small business owners.

  8. Jul 2019
    1. 8.3.2 Business Function A business function is a collection of business behavior based on a chosen set of criteria (typically required business resources and/or competencies), closely aligned to an organization, but not necessarily explicitly governed by the organization. Just like a business process, a business function also describes internal behavior performed by a business role. However, while a business process groups behavior based on a sequence or flow of activities that is needed to realize a product or service, a business function typically groups behavior based on required business resources, skills, competencies, knowledge, etc. There is a potential many-to-many relation between business processes and business functions. Complex processes in general involve activities that offer various functions. In this sense a business process forms a string of business functions. In general, a business function delivers added value from a business point of view. Organizational units or applications may coincide with business functions due to their specific grouping of business activities. A business function may be triggered by, or trigger, any other business behavior element (business event, business process, business function, or business interaction). A business function may access business objects. A business function may realize one or more business services and may be served by business, application, or technology services. A business role may be assigned to a business function. The name of a business function should clearly indicate a well-defined behavior. Examples are customer management, claims administration, member services, recycling, or payment processing. Figure 57: Business Function Notation

      Definition

  9. May 2019
    1. I published the Level manifesto with great fanfare: The War on Developer Productivity (And How I Intend to Win It).

      Quite a fascinating and interesting way to kick-off such endeavor. This can act as a major source of encouragement for giving one's 100% to the purpose. Of course, avoiding the risks of over-committing without periodic self-examination.

  10. Apr 2019
    1. In questo articolo Bradley Kuhn di SFC cerca di stabilire cosa sia meglio intendere per "sostenibile" nelle recenti discussioni sulla sostenibilità del FLOSS.

      La necessità sentita di assicurarsi che i progetti FLOSS abbiano le risorse per progredire, retribuendo chi ci lavora, è corretta. Tuttavia allegare a questa intenzione anche il modello di crescita rapida tipico del capitale di ventura male si adatta ad un concetto di sostenibilità che possa essere trasversale a tutto il mondo del software libero.

      Viene quindi proposto essenzialmente un focus su livelli di retribuzione che consentano uno stile di vita adeguato ai membri del progetto, e la diffusione della consapevolezza che la ricerca di margini di profitto eccessivi per singoli individui o per l'entità che gestisce il progetto si scontrano con la sostenibilità per il progetto stesso.

  11. Mar 2019
    1. This is one of many discussions of Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation. More of the page is taken up with decoration and graphics than needs to be the case but this page is included in this list because it offers a printable guide and because the hierarchy of the four levels is clearly shown. The text itself is printed in black on a white background and it is presented as a bulleted list (the bullets are not organized as well as they could be). Nonetheless it is a usable presentation of this model. rating 3/5

  12. Feb 2019
    1. Buy Google Reviews For Make Your Business Trusted On Google

      Google reviews keep you out of any kinds of trouble linked to a business. Reviews are special to the audiences to show, how dominating, are you! Surely, People would like to choose shopping from your deal just depending on the reviews marked on your Google my business profile. Let’s discuss the benefits of Google reviews that keep you out of trouble.

    1. What happened is that Spotify dragged the record labels into a completely new business model that relied on Internet assumptions, instead of fighting them: if duplicating and distributing digital media is free (on a marginal basis), don’t try to make it scarce, but instead make it abundant and charge for the convenience of accessing just about all of it.
  13. Jan 2019
    1. 以太坊社区及以太坊主要开发团队对以太坊的技术纯净性的追求较高,我们无法用工程化融合的方案来看待以太坊的进度,完美的世界计算机和一个全面的区块链工程化应用解决方案在本质上会有性能的个性差异。但相对于看好以太坊的创业者来说,熊市之中,性能较弱的尴尬涉及到了团队的生存问题,以太坊的信仰和共识可能被环境所打败,开发团队转移其他战场。

      <big>评:</big><br/><br/>

      在求变的过程中,总会有两派行动纲领互为对斥的声音站出来相互抨击。例如当人们谈论「本土」和「外域」时,本土原教旨主义者和全球化开放主义者之间的吵闹声总是尖锐刺耳,但恰恰是在这种极端到偏颇的较量之中产生了张力,推动现世朝着互不偏倚的方向演进,避免了演化成所谓的「分叉」(fork)。 <br/><br/> 有趣的是,即使是处在矛盾两端的反义词也可以互相转化,就像「草食男」也可以被视作「性感」一样,清晰的定义为「模糊另面」赋予了合理性。既然如此,那么像商业应用这么中庸且自制的容器也就更没有理由冒天下之大不韪去自立门户。创业者们不应该用工程化融合的方案看待技术,他们应该用这种视角去审视技术背后的人。

  14. Nov 2018
    1. The website Association for Talent Development is a good tool for profession training. This is an adult learning arena and the information is relevant to training and coaching using a learner centered approach.

      9/10

  15. Oct 2018
    1. From reading this I'm left with the impression that the housing boom was just a housing boom, not a general long-term projects boom, as you would expect from the ABCT.

      Why was housiing and just housing the epicenter of the boom and bust? Or wasn't it?

      If it was just housing, couldn't we explain it (or at least conceive of a different hypothetical scenario) without interest rates even changing? Imagine that the government prints money and uses it to pay companies to build houses -- or creates a special lending program just for houses, but don't messes up with the general interest rate -, wouldn't that have basically the same effect?

      If so, perhaps we should start considering a new ABCT version that just talks about new money being created and going to specific sectors, instead of the whole interest/intertemporal adjustments/hayekian triangles talk. Why is this wrong?

    2. It's not that people switched from buying hot dogs to hamburgers; instead they switched from buying "present consumption" to buying "future consumption."

      What if we said that people switched from buying hot dogs to bonds? Not anything "future", just a bond, today.

      If they switched to hamburgers, that would increase investment in the hamburger industry in expense of the hot dog industry.

      In the same way, if they switch to bonds, that will increase the investment in the "bonds industry", which is basically lending money.

    1. Because the capital structure of the economy becomes internally inconsistent, eventually some entrepreneurs must abandon their projects because there are insufficient capital goods to carry them all to completion.

      This argument have confused me my entire life in all explanations of the Austrian Business Cycle Theory. It is the core of the most famous of all, that Mises story about the master builder who doesn't have enough material to finish the house he's building.

      It is misleading and ultimately wrong because economic goods (in the Menger definition) are always insufficient. In simple terms, given the market price, every good can be obtained.

      What happens after the economy realizes it was in a malinvestment boom, prices of capital goods adjust in a way that they can become too expensive for some projects to be completed profitably.

  16. Aug 2018
  17. May 2018
    1. hi there check on the SAS Training and Tutorial with better analysis On the Data and forecasting methods for better implication on Business analytics

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QPRhVGCTRE

    2. hi there get the full insights on MSBI tools training and tutorial with the Real time Examples and application on the Running Projects as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzmdY0zCw4g

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    5. Get the proper Explanation on the ETL testing Tools training and Tutorial Course with better Real time exercises and understanding of Testing Processes on different stages from Extraction to Loading of data in client location

      so check this link for better learning:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vNgcOsHbIU

    6. Get the best Explanation on Talend Training and Tutorial Course with Real time Experience and Exercises with Real time projects for better Hands on from the scratch to advance level

      so check this link and learn :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhTPrpBvakw

    1. Are you counting the days until payday? Emergency auto repairs, unexpected bills, and other unplanned expenses can wreak havoc on your finances. There is no need to live with financial stress - a payday loan is an excellent solution for short-term cash flow problems. instant online Payday loans Wichita KS will provide you with cash now, so you can set your worries aside.

  18. Apr 2018
    1. Payday loans Dayton Ohio are helpful in getting instant cash to fulfill your emergency

      Getting Instant Payday Loans becomes very easy now. Just fill the application and submit your information. Get instant approval Payday Loans Ohio within 1 hour after applying.

  19. Mar 2018
  20. Jan 2018
    1. Bad Credit Accepted Payday Loans Toledo Ohio Online  

      Online Payday loans in Toledo Ohio is fast money and most companies offer instant cash up to $1500 in borrowers account. You don’t have to fill out various forms, show salary slips and other formalities.

  21. Nov 2017
    1. the experimentation and possibility of the MOOC movement had become co-opted and rebranded by venture capitalists as a fully formed, disruptive solution to the broken model of higher education.11
    2. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which have become the poster child of innovation in higher education over the last two to three years
    3. social engagement, public knowledge, and the mission of promoting enlightenment and critical inquiry in society
    4. recent promise of Web 2.0

      A bit surprised by this “recent”. By that time, much of what has been lumped under the “Web 2.0” umbrella had already shifted a few times. In fact, the “Web 3.0” hype cycle was probably in the “Trough of Disillusionment” if not the Gartner-called “Slope of Enlightenment”.

    5. institutional demands for enterprise services such as e-mail, student information systems, and the branded website become mission-critical

      In context, these other dimensions of “online presence” in Higher Education take a special meaning. Reminds me of WPcampus. One might have thought that it was about using WordPress to enhance learning. While there are some presentations on leveraging WP as a kind of “Learning Management System”, much of it is about Higher Education as a sector for webwork (-development, -design, etc.).

    1. Often our solutions must co-exist with existing systems. That’s why we also invest time and money in emerging standards, like xAPI or Open Badges, to help connect our platforms together into a single ecosystem for personal, social and data-driven learning.
    1. Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. is now an independent public company and the parent of Barnes & Noble College, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol, "BNED".
    1. Enhanced learning experience Graduate students now receive upgraded iPads, and all students access course materials with Canvas, a new learning management software. The School of Aeronautics is now the College of Aeronautics; and the College of Business and Management is hosting a business symposium Nov. 15.

      This from a university which had dropped Blackboard for iTunes U.

    1. Publishers can compete with free textbooks by making their more-restrictive-than-all-right-reserved offerings 70% more affordable.

      Sounds a bit like what Clay Shirky was trying to say about the Napster moment coming to Higher Education, five years ago. Skimmed the critique of Shirky’s piece and was mostly nodding in agreement with it. But there might be a discussion about industries having learnt from the Napster moment. After all, the recording industry has been able to withstand this pressure for close to twenty years. Also sounds like this could be a corollary to Chris Anderson’s (in)famous promotion of the “free” (as in profit) model for businesses, almost ten years ago. In other words, we might live another reshaping of “free” in the next 9-10 years.

  22. Sep 2017
    1. Amazon integrated customer data and payment information with e-book distribution and its Amazon publishing initiative

      Customer data (big data) + payment info (where's the money) + e-book distribution (infrastructure: kindle store and kindle device's seamless integration)

      Earlier guys integrated: Procurement (writers initial draft) + editing + marketing + distribution = Think book reviews and author tours on talk shows.

      Amazon's idea is more insightful and focussed on individual customers and not shooting in the DARK :)

  23. Aug 2017
  24. Jul 2017
    1. Skip to content Events 2014 C-Suites Awards Gala – Feb 5 Human Resources Best Practices for Energy Services Companies – March 18 C-Suite Awards The 2014 C-Suites Gala 2014 Award Winners 2013 Award Winners 2012 Award Winners 2011 Award Winners The 100 & Energy Service 50 Apply Event Articles Magazine Current Issue Columns Promoted Content Back Issues Media Releases Subscriber Address Change About Comment Policy Contact Us Where to get Alberta Oil Advertise Jobs Follow Alberta Oil On:

      Trade magazine on Alberta oil industry. Articles have named authors.

    1. You’ll have to broaden your skill set. “You can have a great design, but if you can’t communicate the story behind it, it will be the downfall of the greatest designers. It’s important to learn the ‘soft skills’ which are learning how to speak publicly to grab attention, keep attention, and clearly articulate your ideas. You should learn to negotiate your prices, as well as know how to read a room and when you should disappear. The other side is the psychology of the business upfront, the questions of: Why am I building this? Why is it important? Or what impact am I going to have on the world? It’s important to answer before you design. Having the business and designer mindset is important.”
    2. Specialization + communication = a career win.  “Instead of trying to become a jack-of-all-trades, young designers should be trained in one specific design discipline, communication design, product design, interior design, fashion design, or digital media design. The design student should develop an understanding of how the respective design discipline interfaces with technology and business. Students should work in projects together with students from other design disciplines and preferably also with students from engineering and business. This is training for young designers and a time to nurture communication skills.”
    3. The line between design and business will continue to blur. “The more a designer understands how the business works, the more valuable they will be to employers. Designers who understand a company’s value proposition and mission can help them thrive and grow. They just need to learn the language that someone who is running a company actually speaks. When they can articulate exactly what they bring to the table, executives will realize that they didn’t just hire a designer — they also hired a strategist!”
  25. Jun 2017
    1. his expert group sends to companies are 'taken very seriously' by both States and businesses. As such they can be key channels for human rights defenders to leverage the UN experts to contribute to their protection, and help respond to situations where human rights defenders are stigmatised, criminalised, attacked or killed. 
    1. I think it's natural for like-minded people to group together but the longer that process continues the more of an echo chamber it becomes. What's worse is the longer you wait to try to get people involved in the project that would naturally not try to join the harder it will be. When your team is 4 men, the first woman which joins will make a significant impact. When your team is already 20 men you need to get a lot more women on board to have the same impact. But it's not just gender that is making a difference, it's in particular cultural backgrounds. The reason Unicode is hard is not because Unicode is hard, but because a lot of projects start out with a lack of urgency since many of the original developers might live in ASCII constrained environments (It took emojis to become popular for people to develop a general understanding of why Unicode is useful in the western world).

      First time I've seen the slowness of emoji to be presented as a diversity issue. Given how well used they are, it's a good example of how diverse teams miss features that may seem obvious in retrospect.

  26. May 2017
  27. Apr 2017
  28. Mar 2017
    1. I opened the door to the Victorian office block and prepared myself for interview.

      power business

  29. Oct 2016
  30. Sep 2016
    1. As many universities are being queried by the federal government on how they spend their endowment money, and enrollment decreases among all institutions nationally, traditional campuses will need to look at these partnerships as a sign of where education is likely going in the future, and what the federal government may be willing to finance with its student loan programs going ahead.

      To me, the most interesting about this program is that it sounds like it’s targeting post-secondary institutions. There are multiple programs to “teach kids to code”. Compulsory education (primary and secondary) can provide a great context for these, in part because the type of learning involved is so broad and pedagogical skills are so recognized. In post-secondary contexts, however, there’s a strong tendency to limit coding to very specific contexts, including Computer Science or individual programs. We probably take for granted that people who need broad coding skills can develop them outside of their college and university programs. In a way, this isn’t that surprising if we’re to compare coding to very basic skills, like typing. Though there are probably many universities and colleges where students can get trained in typing, it’s very separate from the curriculum. It might be “college prep”, but it’s not really a college prerequisite. And there isn’t that much support in post-secondary education. Of course, there are many programs, in any discipline, giving a lot of weight to coding skills. For instance, learners in Digital Humanities probably hone in their ability to code, at some point in their career. And it’s probably hard for most digital arts programs to avoid at least some training in programming languages. It’s just that these “general” programs in coding tend to focus almost exclusively on so-called “K–12 Education”. That this program focuses on diversity is also interesting. Not surprising, as many such initiatives have to do with inequalities, real or perceived. But it might be where something so general can have an impact in Higher Education. It’s also interesting to notice that there isn’t much in terms of branding or otherwise which explicitly connects this initiative with colleges and universities. Pictures on the site show (diverse) adults, presumably registered students at universities and colleges where “education partners” are to be found. But it sounds like the idea of a “school” is purposefully left quite broad or even ambiguous. Of course, these programs might also benefit adult learners who aren’t registered at a formal institution of higher learning. Which would make it closer to “para-educational” programs. In fact, there might something of a lesson for the future of universities and colleges.

    2. As many universities are being queried by the federal government on how they spend their endowment money, and enrollment decreases among all institutions nationally, traditional campuses will need to look at these partnerships as a sign of where education is likely going in the future, and what the federal government may be willing to finance with its student loan programs going ahead.

      To me, the most interesting about this program is that it sounds like it’s targeting post-secondary institutions. There are multiple programs to “teach kids to code”. Compulsory education (primary and secondary) can provide a great context for these, in part because the type of learning involved is so broad and pedagogical skills are so recognized. In post-secondary contexts, however, there’s a strong tendency to limit coding to very specific contexts, including Computer Science or individual programs. We probably take for granted that people who need broad coding skills can develop them outside of their college and university programs. In a way, this isn’t that surprising if we’re to compare coding to very basic skills, like typing. Though there are probably many universities and colleges where students can get trained in typing, it’s very separate from the curriculum. It might be “college prep”, but it’s not really a college prerequisite. And there isn’t that much support in post-secondary education. Of course, there are many programs, in any discipline, giving a lot of weight to coding skills. For instance, learners in Digital Humanities probably hone in their ability to code, at some point in their career. And it’s probably hard for most digital arts programs to avoid at least some training in programming languages. It’s just that these “general” programs in coding tend to focus almost exclusively on so-called “K–12 Education”. That this program focuses on diversity is also interesting. Not surprising, as many such initiatives have to do with inequalities, real or perceived. But it might be where something so general can have an impact in Higher Education. It’s also interesting to notice that there isn’t much in terms of branding or otherwise which explicitly connects this initiative with colleges and universities. Pictures on the site show (diverse) adults, presumably registered students at universities and colleges where “education partners” are to be found. But it sounds like the idea of a “school” is purposefully left quite broad or even ambiguous. Of course, these programs might also benefit adult learners who aren’t registered at a formal institution of higher learning. Which would make it closer to “para-educational” programs. In fact, there might something of a lesson for the future of universities and colleges.

    1. We commonly look at Ivy League institutions as the standard of higher education in America, but the truth is that the majority of the nation's workforce, innovation identity and manufacturing futures are tied to those institutions which graduate outside of the realm of high achievers from wealthy families. 
    1. frame the purposes and value of education in purely economic terms

      Sign of the times? One part is about economics as the discipline of decision-making. Economists often claim that their work is about any risk/benefit analysis and isn’t purely about money. But the whole thing is still about “resources” or “exchange value”, in one way or another. So, it could be undue influence from this way of thinking. A second part is that, as this piece made clear at the onset, “education is big business”. In some ways, “education” is mostly a term for a sector or market. Schooling, Higher Education, Teaching, and Learning are all related. Corporate training may not belong to the same sector even though many of the aforementioned EdTech players bet big on this. So there’s a logic to focus on the money involved in “education”. Has little to do with learning experiences, but it’s an entrenched system.

      Finally, there’s something about efficiency, regardless of effectiveness. It’s somewhat related to economics, but it’s often at a much shallower level. The kind of “your tax dollars at work” thinking which is so common in the United States. “It’s the economy, silly!”

    1. mis-read or failed to read the labor market for different degree types.

      Sounds fairly damning for a business based on helping diverse students with the labour market…

    2. The aggressive recruiting did not extend to aggressive retainment and debt management.
    3. If an organization works — and extracting billions of dollars in federal student aid money suggests ITT worked for a long time — then who it most frequently and efficiently works best for is one way to understand the organization.
  31. Jul 2016
    1. I could have easily chosen a different prepositional phrase. "Convivial Tools in an Age of Big Data.” Or “Convivial Tools in an Age of DRM.” Or “Convivial Tools in an Age of Venture-Funded Education Technology Startups.” Or “Convivial Tools in an Age of Doxxing and Trolls."

      The Others.

    2. education technology has become about control, surveillance, and data extraction
    1. efforts to expand worldwide

      At the risk of sounding cynical (which is a very real thing with annotations), reaching a global market can be very imperialistic a move, regardless of who makes it.

    2. ironically while continuing to employ adjunct faculty

      Much hiding in this passing comment. As adjuncts, our contributions to the system are perceived through the exploitation lens.

    3. afford a university education
    1. The military’s contributions to education technology are often overlooked

      Though that may not really be the core argument of the piece, it’s more than a passing point. Watters’s raising awareness of this other type of “military-industrial complex” could have a deep impact on many a discussion, including the whole hype about VR (and AR). It’s not just Carnegie-Mellon and Paris’s Polytechnique («l’X») which have strong ties to the military. Or (D)ARPANET. Reminds me of IU’s Dorson getting money for the Folklore Institute during the Cold War by arguing that the Soviets were funding folklore. Even the head of the NEH in 2000 talked about Sputnik and used the language of “beating Europe at culture” when discussing plans for the agency. Not that it means the funding or “innovation” would come directly from the military but it’s all part of the Cold War-era “ideology”. In education, it’s about competing with India or Finland. In other words, the military is part of a much larger plan for “world domination”.

    1. For-profits typically take those funds and spend way more on advertising and profit distribution than on teaching.

      Don’t know what the stats are for “non-profit universities and colleges” but it does feel like an increasing portion of their budgets go to marketing, advertising, PR, and strategic positioning (at least in the United States and Canada).

    2. The phrase “diploma mills” came into popular usage during the era.
    3. A similar conclusion was reached by the medical (pdf) and legal professions of the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

      Somewhat surprising, in the current context.

    4. This model might make sense if our goal was to produce cars, clothing, and some other commodity more efficiently. But a university education doesn’t fit into this paradigm. It isn’t just a commodity.

      In education as in health, things get really complex when people have an incentive for people not to improve.

    5. The idea is that higher education is like any other industry.
    1. improving teaching, not amplifying learning.

      Though it’s not exactly the same thing, you could call this “instrumental” or “pragmatic”. Of course, you could have something very practical to amplify learning, and #EdTech is predicated on that idea. But when you do, you make learning so goal-oriented that it shifts its meaning. Very hard to have a “solution” for open-ended learning, though it’s very easy to have tools which can enhance open approaches to learning. Teachers have a tough time and it doesn’t feel so strange to make teachers’ lives easier. Teachers typically don’t make big purchasing decisions but there’s a level of influence from teachers when a “solution” imposes itself. At least, based on the insistence of #BigEdTech on trying to influence teachers (who then pressure administrators to make purchases), one might think that teachers have a say in the matter. If something makes a teaching-related task easier, administrators are likely to perceive the value. Comes down to figures, dollars, expense, expenditures, supplies, HR, budgets… Pedagogy may not even come into play.

  32. Jun 2016
    1. However, you may be required to pay fees to use certain features or content made available through the Site and Services.

      Wish they said more. No-cost solutions are neat for one-offs, but pedagogues should be wary of building their practice on services which may start requiring payment.

    1. many more people understand cost than understand pedagogy

      While this may be true, it sure is sad. Especially as the emphasis on cost is likely to have negative impacts in the long run.

  33. May 2016
  34. Apr 2016
    1. Millennials are not necessarily great at social, they are just more comfortable with it. There is a huge difference between using social to keep up with friends and family, and using it to generate business value
    1. the study of innovation shows that everything hinges on the hard work of taking a promising idea and making it work — technically, legally, financially, culturally, ecologically. Constraints are great enablers of innovation.
    2. But there’s a downside to the hackathon hype, and our research on designing workplace projects for innovation and learning reveals why. Innovation is usually a lurching journey of discovery and problem solving. Innovation is an iterative, often slow-moving process that requires patience and discipline. Hackathons, with their feverish pace, lack of parameters and winner-take-all culture, discourage this process. We could find few examples of hackathons that have directly led to market success.
    3. what if projects were designed to combine a hacking mindset with rigorous examination of the data and experience they glean? This would reward smart failures that reveal new insights and equip leaders with the information needed to rescale, pivot or axe their projects.

      Sounds somewhat like agile devlopment.

    1. “dead malls,” and you’ll find photo after photo of tiled walkways littered with debris, untended planters near the darkened rest areas for bored dads, and empty indoor storefronts—the discolored shadows of their missing lighted signs lingering like ghosts.

      Here is an interesting mega-mall i have found in china that is now deserted because of online shopping. The plans have even started taking back its land.

  35. Mar 2016
  36. Feb 2016
    1. He expects that the logging project near Quimby’s land will likely generate about $755,250 at the state’s average sale price, $50.35 per cord of wood. The land has about 1,500 harvestable acres that contain about 30 cords of wood per acre, or 45,000 cords, but only about a third of that will be cut because the land is environmentally sensitive, Denico said. The Bureau of Parks and Lands expects to generate about $6.6 million in revenue this year selling about 130,000 cords of wood from its lots, Denico said. Last year, the bureau generated about $7 million harvesting about 139,000 cords of wood. The Legislature allows the cutting of about 160,000 cords of wood on state land annually, although the LePage administration has sought to increase that amount.
  37. Jan 2016
    1. Now fintech platform OpenLedger and Danish bitcoin exchange CCEDK are joining forces with MUSE, a music-tailored blockchain, to make monetizing music as easy as new peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms made distributing it 15 years ago.

      PeerTracks, a music streaming and retail platform company, is the first outfit to use the brand new MUSE network, in partnership with CCEDK and OpenLedger.

      http://www.peertracks.com/faq.php<br> https://www.openledger.info/<br> https://www.ccedk.com/about

    1. Ami Bloomer's new company Clozer provides on-demand sales representatives globally.

      Ami herself currently calls it "the Uber of sales". But that must be a very loose comparison. Anyone who can drive a car could work for Uber, but salesmanship is a talent.

    1. stack fallacy - Tech companies often fail when they create a new product by building upward from their existing product. They may know the technology well -- but fail to do enough research about what customers want. It is easier to innovate downward, by developing a product that you need yourself.

    1. This is from 18 August, 2015, so it's possible things have changed. But it's interesting anyway, and many links are given.

      Most music streaming services have been paying artists on a per-click basis. So most subscribers' money doesn't go to the artists they are listening to, but rather whichever artists get the most clicks. And this system is extremely vulnerable to click fraud.

      The author argues that Subscriber Share is a better system. With that method, your subscription fee is divided among the artists you listen to according to the percentage of time you spend listening to them.

      FAQ includes additional links and replies to counter-arguments.

  38. Dec 2015
    1. Guide to freelancing from Due, an online invoicing and time-tracking company. They also have guides for programmers, designers, consultants, photographers, and payroll.

    1. When faced by a dangerous competitor, people tend to look for escape hatches or silver bullets. There aren't any. You have to face them head on, and make your product better than theirs, or die trying.

    1. Under our Affordable Access Initiative, Microsoft is providing grants to commercial entities for scalable solutions that enable people in underserved communities to access the Internet and use cloud services.

    1. purchasable à la carte

      How many units of learning per dollar?

    2. no research

      In direct opposition with the model for most universities, these days. So that may be the fork in the road. But there are more than two paths.

    3. Universities bundle services like mad

      Who came up with such a scheme? A mad scientist? We’re far from Bologna.

    4. perfect storm of bundling
    5. only unbundling health clubs suffer

      There might be something about the connection between learning and “health & wellness”.

    6. Unbundling has played out in almost every media industry.

      And the shift away from “access to content” is still going on, a decade and a half after Napster. If education is a “content industry” and “content industries” are being disrupted, then education will be disrupted… by becoming even more “industrial”.

    7. consumer choice will inevitably force them to unbundle.

      The battle is raging on, but the issue is predetermined.

    1. Yes, my intention was to show the most easily replaced in dark and move it to the least easily replaced.

      One linear model, represented in something of a spiral… Agreed that the transformative experience is tough to “disrupt”, but the whole “content delivery” emphasis shows that the disruption isn’t so quick.

    1. customers become less willing to pay

      There are a few key cases, here. a) Public Education (much of the planet) b) Parent-Funded Higher Education (US-centric model) c) Corporate Training (emphasis for most learning platforms, these days) d) For-Profit Universities (Apollo Group and such) e) xMOOCs (learning as a startup idea, with freemium models) f) Ad-Supported Apps & Games (Hey! Some of them are “educational”!)

    2. In every industry, the early successful products and services often have an interdependent architecture—meaning that they tend to be proprietary and bundled.

      The idea that there’s a “Great Unbundling of (Higher) Education” needs not be restricted to the business side of things, but it’s partly driven by those who perceive education as an “industry”. Producing… graduates?

    1. Huge follower counts on YouTube and social media DO NOT easily translate to income. And those followers expect you to be "real" -- so they are hostile to advertising and sponsored content.

      Do you own a business? It might pay to offer a salary to the producers of a YouTube channel that reaches your target audience -- in exchange for low-profile "brought to you by" links and mentions that won't offend that audience.

      https://twitter.com/JBUshow<br> https://twitter.com/gabydunn

    1. course design is more important than the LMS

      In all the platform news, we can talk about “learning management” in view of instructional and course design. But maybe it even goes further than design into a variety of practices which aren´t through-designed.

    1. It is possible to achieve a more humane and personal education at scale

      Important claim, probably coming from the need for reports which answer the “But does it scale?” question.

    1. (With the possible exception of legitimate charity nonprofit organizations) Never work "for exposure", and never work cheap. If you're going to work free, then work for yourself, doing what you want to do, how you want to do it.

    1. The supermarket giant, which has been selling CDs for decades, will stock a small selection of classic albums as well as a few new titles by the likes of Coldplay and George Ezra. LPs by The Beatles, Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley and Elvis Presley be available, priced between £12 and £20.
    1. The goal of education is for the educator to become less and less needed for learners to learn.

      The reverse of the typical “goal displacement”. Instead of focusing on ensuring our continued employment as “instructors”, we want to make sure learning happens. Deep down, we know we’ll find ways to work, no matter what happens. The comparison with health can be interesting. If doctors had an incentive to keep people sick, society wouldn’t benefit much. Allegedly, Chinese healthcare provides incentives for doctors to help people stay healthy. Sounds like it’d make sense, somehow. Yet education and health are both treated like industries. We produce graduates, future employees, etc. Doctors produce people who fit a pattern of what it means to be healthy in a given social context. There’s even a factory-chain metaphor used when some people apply “lean management” to hospitals or colleges. Not that the problem is with the management philosophy itself. But focusing so much on resource allocation blinds us from a deep reality: as we are getting healthier and more “learned”, roles are shifting.

  39. Nov 2015
    1. Only four years old, Twitch already has 100 million viewers who consume 20 billion minutes of gaming every month. According to one 2014 study, Twitch is the fourth-­most-­visited site on the Internet during peak traffic periods, after Netflix, Google and Apple and above Facebook and Amazon. (Amazon bought Twitch in 2014 for about $1 billion, all of it cash.) And there is money in it for the gamers themselves, called ‘‘streamers’’: Fans can subscribe to channels for extra access, or they can send donations of any amount. Streamers with modest followings can make respectable incomes — hundreds or thousands of dollars a month — and the very top streamers are getting rich.

      (This is entirely peripheral to the subject of the article. I am making note of it because I have barely heard of Twitch until recently.)

    1. Bureaucratic cultures tend to discourage people from speaking candidly. Lack of candor can be a deterrent to success, before it ever reaches the level of outright lies. Lack of candor means:

      • outright lies (saying something you know to be false)
      • self-deception (believing what you want to believe)
      • deliberate omissions of facts
      • thinking one thing, but saying something different
      • having an idea that may be of value, but saying nothing
      • being called upon to give an honest opinion, but deciding to say what is easier, or what you think others want to hear
      • obscure jargon, or meaningless platitudes that give the impression everything is going fine or great. (This is a big red flag when it appears in corporate reports.)

      "Investing Between the Lines: How to Make Smarter Decisions by Decoding CEO Communications", L.J. Rittenhouse (recommended by Warren Buffet in his 2012 Shareholder Letter)

      Truth-Telling: Confronting the Reality of the Lack of Candor Inside Organizations We need to build cultures where "opposing views are debated and more effective solutions and innovations are created." -- Lynn Harris

    1. PC gaming has enthusiastically embraced crowdfunding. On Kickstarter, video games (most of of which PC games) is the highest-funded category
    2. Another form of video game remixing happens on broadcasting sites like Twitch, where you can watch live videos of people playing games (while they chat with the audience — the end result is an interesting mix between video games and talk radio).
    3. Remixing books is popular on services like Wattpad where users write fanfiction inspired by books, celebrities, movies, etc. From a legal perspective, some fanfiction could be seen as copyright or trademark infringement. From a business perspective, the book industry would be smart to learn from the PC gaming business. Instead of fighting over pieces of a shrinking pie, try to grow the pie by getting more people to read and write books.
    4. In the gaming world, “mods” are user created versions of games or elements of games. Steam has about 4500 games but about 400 million pieces of user-generated content. Dota itself was originally a user-created mod of another game, Warcraft 3.Contrast this to the music industry, which relies on litigation to aggressively stifle remixing and experimentation.
    5. PC games are so popular they can also make money from live events. Live gaming competitions have become huge: over 32M people watched the League of Legends championship this year, almost double the number of people who watched the NBA finals.
    6. The types of games on Steam vary widely, as do the business models. The most popular game, Dota 2, is free. It makes money selling in-app items, mostly “cosmetic items” that alter the appearance of characters.
    7. if the future is already here, where can I find it? There is no easy answer, but history shows there are characteristic patterns. For example, it’s often useful to look at what the smartest people work on in their free time, or things that are growing rapidly but widely dismissed as toys.
    8. Today, billions of people carry internet-connected supercomputers in their pockets, the largest knowledge repository in the world is a massive crowdsourced encyclopedia, and a social network is one of the 10 most valuable companies in the world. Ten years ago, someone who predicted these things would have seemed crazy.
  40. Oct 2015
    1. Sigo convencido de que Lean Startup y las ideas, herramientas y metodologías que le rodean como Customer Development, Business Model Design, Lean UX o Effectuation son la mejor vía para crear una empresa. Pero la interacción con mis lectores y con los alumnos de mis cursos me ha hecho ver que hay problemas para llevar a la práctica estas ideas.
  41. Jul 2015
    1. Sample Letter Sending Information

      A sample of letter for sending information in a business context A possible question to answer is about the letter structure: What are the parts of a business letter? Source Parece que se puede incluir alguna imagen: Example

  42. Apr 2015
    1. 2. Is it reasonable to compare the costs of xMOOCs to the costs of online credit courses? Are they competing for the same funds, or are they categorically different in their funding source and goals? If so, how?

      MOOCs is a community service for which, I expect, every university has a budget. It is the universities' moral obligation to serve the interested groups\communities\society with MOOCs. It is mutually beneficial - the universities get their brand, research and teaching practices distributed, while the public shares with them personal data and comments, and opinions (which are extremely costly, compare this with the cost of those massive public opinion surveys conducted prior to the election campaigns, or market research) ... Hopefully the universities and academia can add ethical rigor to the way the big massives of private data is used.

    2. it is difficult to see how publicly funded higher education institutions can develop sustainable business models for MOOCs;
    3. Coursera and Udacity have the opportunity to develop successful business models through various means, such as charging MOOC provider institutions for use of their platform, by collecting fees for badges or certificates, through the sale of participant data, through corporate sponsorship, or through direct advertising