It turns out that nothing seems to inspire community-minded entrepreneurs like travel. Take Aunna Wilson, who returned from a trip a trip to India determined to help girls who were getting bad information about reproductive health. She went on to found Pasand, which educates young women about their bodies. Or Andy Moon, who has spent […]

The best writers’ group I ever belonged to reminded me of something you see in movies. We ate hummus, grapes, olives with pits, and hunks of dark chocolate as we gave each other updates on what we were working on. Then we would write for 30 minutes and share what we’d just created on the […]

Those of us who were trying to make a living during the Great Recession know that absolutely nothing is sacred. No one was safe. Now, living in a post-recession world, we’re more careful than ever with our hard earned money. Interest rates recently increased, which is a good sign for the economy, but that doesn’t […]

You’ve submitted more Shouts & Murmurs essays than you can remember. You write spec scripts for TV comedies all the time. You’re constantly releasing Vines, YouTube videos, and tweets. Your dream is to be hired as a full-time comedy writer. But what does it really take? What are you doing wrong? What are you doing […]

Tired of losing your wallet? Never able to find your phone? The guys behind Ekster feel your pain. Their sleek leather wallet has a built-in tracking device that connects to your phone via an app. And if it’s your phone you can’t locate, your wallet can make your phone ring, even if it’s on silent. […]

It’s a tricky thing, buying gifts for a co-worker, never mind if that co-worker is your boss. You could go tried-and-true with a gift card, or pick up a fancy box of chocolates, but those are so impersonal. And what if you get a gift card for a store or service your boss doesn’t like? […]

Google offers free meals, subsidized massages, nap pods, and foosball games to its employees. Workers at Etsy can take breaks in the meditation room, and Pixar provides a cereal bar, swimming pool, and gourmet cafeteria at its campus. It’s not just about fun perks, though. What all these extremely successful businesses have in common is […]