LATEST IDEAS

Read this before hiring that confident, outgoing job applicant

The Science of Success: In this series, we’ll scan the latest scientific, academic, and professional literature, looking at everything from psychology to physics to bring you new insights on how to be more successful. I have a bit of news for you. It’s big, and it affects everything from the way we choose our leaders […]
When his watch stopped ticking, this entrepreneur designed his own

Jimmy Pinto wasn’t even thinking about starting his own business when his second watch in six months stopped ticking. I basically came up with the idea for the company because another one of my watches broke on me,” says Pinto, founder of Broome & Mercer. “I said ‘Screw this, I’m going to create my own […]
Four ways to turn a floundering business into a thriving one

My business nearly tanked in 2012. When I launched Transcription Outsourcing in 2010, our primary focus was providing transcription services to medical practices and hospitals. My business started out on a strong growth track for the first couple of years, then profits began to trail off. As many businesses in the medical industry moved to […]
How one cab ride changed everything about my business

During a summer’s night out with friends in New York City, I found myself sharing a cab with a guy named Jeff Safenowitz. As we did the expected “What do you do?” exchange, I gave him the elevator pitch on my fashion bedding company, 41 Winks. A community manager for WeWork, he handed me his […]
Three tips for maintaining your vision when you launch your startup

So you’ve hit the ground running with an idea that seems scalable and set up the basic framework for your startup. You introduced your co-founder to your family, knowing you’ll be married for a while and doing life in the trenches together. Peers, mentors, and investors have heard your revised pitch after it’s been fine-tuned […]
Going global? Six strategies for taking your business abroad

We live in a world where affordable connectivity and instant communication mean that geographic borders have less relevance in global commerce. Many companies now operate on a worldwide stage—from existing giants like Amazon, to emergent global brands like Farfetch, the physical patch of land your business sits on no longer defines the boundary of your […]
How to lose your charm by growing too big, too fast

The other day was my wife Cory’s birthday and we decided to have a “family dinner” down the hill at our neighborhood restaurant, the River Deli. So I dragged my clan over to the other side of the street, and we made our way down the steep hill under a canopy of Cherry Blossoms dropping […]
When things get shaky, your business needs ‘scaffolding’

The Science of Success: In this series, we’ll scan the latest scientific, academic, and professional literature, looking at everything from psychology to physics to bring you new insights on how to be more successful. Ours is the Project-Based Economy: tasks once performed by steady teams of professionals working together over long periods of time are […]
WeWork’s Alex Seeman takes matters into her own hands

Alex Seeman learned the meaning of teamwork the day she had to scrape gum off the floor. That particular day was a momentous one: as a community manager at WeWork’s Charging Bull location in New York City, she was in charge of moving in her first new member. She realized too late that she had […]
To connect with clients, throw away those business cards

I ran out of business cards about a year ago, and I haven’t reordered them since. It’s not because I didn’t hand out my business cards. I did. I gave them out every time I was asked for one. I even put a small stack in the pocket of every coat and backpack I owned. […]
Searching for the right co-founder? Keep three things in mind

One day, a 21-year-old college dropout living at his parents’ place in Los Altos, Calif., was fiddling with electronics in his family’s garage. In that moment, he had an idea: He wanted to build a personal computer that would revolutionize the world of technology. There was just one problem. Sure, he took some creative courses […]
MaaS Appeal’s Julia Gardner prods her clients to take risks

When she was younger, Julia Gardner and her sister would record commercials on a Sony Boombox and reenact them for their parents. It was clear that she had caught the advertising bug early on. Gardner pursued a career in marketing, working in client services for major companies in Canada. She eventually found her way to […]
For Board Studios, a calculated risk pays off big time

Telling your company’s story might sound easy, but it’s something that many small businesses find a struggle. Konstantinos Papakonstantinou, who founded Board Studios, is on a mission to help companies simplify their message and explain exactly what they do. With an Ivy League education and a lengthy career in finance, Papakonstantinou helps companies by producing […]
How to find influencers for your startup

Influencers are people who have a following within a specific niche. People respect who they are, what they have to say, and the knowledge that they have to offer. An influencer’s following and their reputation as an expert is why they can be especially valuable for a startup company. Influencers are the people who go […]
Seven ways to stay motivated when you’re working from home

It’s no secret that working from home is full of distractions. You’re the only one who seems to realize that you’re on the clock. The kids are calling you, the dogs are barking, the doorbell is constantly buzzing, and your spouse is asking a million questions and leaving you a to-do list. And let’s not […]
For this beatboxer, it’s all about sharing the rhythm

Andrew Gutterson works in pictures and thinks in sounds. His day job is at Corbis, the massive company that licenses digital images and videos. In his spare time, he’s a beatboxer. Between the two, Gutterson says he’s a pretty happy man. But with beatboxing, Gutterson says he gets to express what images can’t cover: the […]
Top 10 things innovators can learn from David Letterman

In the weeks leading up to David Letterman’s very last show, a procession of entertainers—from Tom Hanks to Tina Fey—stopped by his studio to thank him for inventing a new dialect of American television, a funny and irreverent language that inspired many talented young men and women to take risks and try out for a […]
Five perks that give your workspace the ‘startup vibe’

For two years I worked at a newspaper where I sat in an office with no windows in front of a desktop dating from the ’90s. Once or twice a week, I’d share the space with my company’s accountant. Except for the occasional “good morning” to my co-workers, it was all business. Now walk inside […]