Administrative Professionals Pulse

VCs Betting Big on the Metaverse

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Crunchbase's VCs Will Spend Billions More To Make The Metaverse A Reality covers the growing amounts of venture capital going to companies involved in the metaverse. For those not familiar with the metaverse, here's how Crunchbase describes it: While still a fairly nebulous concept, the metaverse is, broadly speaking, viewed by many as the next phase of the internet, where online experiences will combine to form something of an immersive virtual experience.

Forms

Forms UPS

3D Printed Houses Cementing Their Place in the Housing Industry

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 27, 2021

3D-printed houses offer the potential to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of the home building process. A leader in this field, ICONN, recently announced a commitment to build the largest community of 3D-printed homes to date using ICON’s robotic 3D printer (see the short video below). The current plan is to build 100 houses in Austin, Texas, and the project will break ground in 2022. Lennar, a large homebuilder, is partnering with ICONN on this project.

2022

The Independent Worker Surge

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

After falling by 7% in 2020 due to the pandemic, the number of independent workers (freelancers, independent contractors, gig workers, etc.) rose to 51.1 million in 2021, an unprecedented 34% increase. This is the key finding from MBO Partners 2021 State of Independence research study. This is the 11th year this study has been conducted. As the study chart below shows (click to enlarge), the number of full-time independent workers increased by 25%.

2021

2021 2020 Social Media

Small Business Mobile Banking Use Varies by Generation

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 19, 2021

Barlow Research Associates A Generational Shift in Business Banking Behaviors Is Upon Us, and It's Not Just Among Your Millennial Customers covers the banking transaction channels used by small businesses by the age cohort of the owner. As the Barlow chart below shows (click to enlarge), there's a big difference in the use of mobile banking applications. 64% of Gen X and Millennial SMB owners (those younger than 57) regularly use mobile apps for their banking transactions. Only 41

Finance

Retirees and the Gig Economy

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 9, 2021

According to the American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) The age re-retirement: Retirees and the Gig Economy , 20% of retired Americans also work in the gig economy. The article lists the usual financial reasons for working in retirement. But more interesting is their description of some of the non-financial reasons. Key quote: Ninety-six percent of over-65 workers reported that an enjoyable job is essential or important to living a fulfilling life.

Retirement

Retirement 2013

It's Time to Upgrade U.S. Economic and Labor Statistics

Small Business Labs

JULY 19, 2021

Sometimes we post articles on topics few people are interested in. This is such an article. But you should be interested because the economic and labor data collected by government agencies no longer provide the information we need to properly understand and manage the U.S. economy. Over the past week several sources explained the problems with government data collection efforts and made suggestions on how to improve them.

Agencies

Agencies Budget International Management

The Long Term Shift to Contract Labor by Small Businesses

Small Business Labs

MAY 25, 2021

Data from the IRS shows that sole proprietor small businesses spent $69.2 billion on contract labor in 2018 (the most recent data available). Contract labor refers to nonemployee labor, such as freelancers, gig workers, etc. This is up from $64.8 billion in 2017 and just $34.4 billion in 2010. Over the period from 2010 to 2018, contract labor spend by sole proprietors increased by an annual growth rate of 9.1%.

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What is Ultra Wideband?

Small Business Labs

APRIL 26, 2021

Apple recently announced AirTags , which they describe as: AirTag is a supereasy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack. And just like that, they’re on your radar in the Find My app, where you can also track down your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family. These use a wireless communications technology called ultra wideband, or UWB. Like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, ultra-wideband is a short-range, wireless communication protocol

AT&T

AT&T UPS

Side Giggers and Independent Workers in Super Bowl Ads

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

We haven't seen all the Super Bowl ads yet, but we know independent workers will be featured in two of them. Squarespace's ad (below) features Dolly Parton singing 5-9, a take off on her hit song and movie 9-5. It shows a variety of side giggers pursuing their passions. Fiverr also has a Super Bowl ad, but we haven't seen it yet. But no doubt it will feature creative independents.

Wunderman Thompson's 2021 Future 100 Trends Report

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 25, 2021

The 2021 edition of the annual Wunderman Thompson Future 100 report was released last year. It's one of our favorite trend reports. Here's how Wunderman Thompson, a global advertising and marketing agency, describes the report: The Future 100: Trends and Change to Watch in 2021 highlights emerging consumer behaviors with 100 trend predictions from Wunderman Thompson Intelligence.

2021

2021 Agencies Finance Travel

Yet Again, Flying Cars are Predicted to be Just Around the Corner

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 6, 2021

Both the New York Times and the BBC have recent articles claiming that flying cars, in the form of flying taxis, will soon be common. And it could be true this time. The reason we say "this time" is people have been predicting flying cars will soon be in the air for over a century. So far, they've been wrong. Both Ford Motor Company and the Curtis Aircraft Company built flying car prototypes as early as 1915. The picture below is from a 1917 newspaper article and

2018

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MBO Partners 10 Future of Work Predictions for 2021

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 5, 2021

Last week MBO Partners released their annual future of work predictions for the coming year. Their forecast themes for 2021 are: Ten : Dip & Climb Nine : Happiness & Health Eight : Gen Z Arrives Seven : It’s All About Control Six : Exports Not Imports Five : Make It A Trillion Four : Side Hustle Nation Three :

2021

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Key Findings from 10 Years of Studying the Gig Economy

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 15, 2020

Last week, MBO Partners released its 10th annual report in the MBO Partners State of Independence research series. Emergent Research (that's us) worked with MBO Partners on this ongoing study across all 10 years. The research was based on surveys of over 23,000 independent workers, gig workers, and micro-business owners and was augmented by 1,500 in-person interviews throughout the decade. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be highlighting some of the key findings and insights f

Health

Health 2020 2011 Interviewing

The Broader Impacts of Prop 22 Passing in a Landslide

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Proposition 22, a California ballot measure calling for the exemption of rideshare and delivery drivers being classified as employees, passed by what could be called a landslide - 58% for vs. 41% against. Prop 22 passing is a major win for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other app-based rideshare and delivery firms. It means they won't have to reclassify their drivers as employees, which would have been required had the measure failed.

Policies

Policies Legal AT&T

Most Want to Return to the Office, at Least Part-Time

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

A recent study by Colliers , a global real estate services company, found that 83% of those working from home due to COVID-19 would prefer to continue doing so after the pandemic ends. As the study chart below shows (click to enlarge), 45% said they'd like to work from home 1-2 days per week. Only 15% said they'd like to work from home full time.

The Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey is Back and Shows the Pandemic is Still Taking A Toll on SMBs

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 25, 2020

The U.S. Census started a COVID-19 impact survey back in April to measure how the pandemic was impacting small businesses. The weekly surveys ran until the end of June. Unfortunately, the pandemic wasn't over by then. But after skipping 6 weeks, they're back with what they are calling phase 2 of the surveys. Things haven't improved much over the 6-week layoff according to the small businesses surveyed - 34% of the respondents said the pandemic has had a large neg

AT&T

It's Looking Like a "Swoosh" Recovery for the U.S.

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 3, 2020

It's looking much less likely the U.S. will experience a sharp, V-shaped recovery. Instead, a growing amount of data is indicating a slower, "swoosh" shaped recovery is likely. The swoosh refers to the shape of Nike's logo and indicates a recession that starts with a steep decline and is followed by a gradual recovery. According to the Wall Street Journal's Economic Forecasting Survey, 70% of economists think the recovery will be swoosh shaped.

Health

Health AT&T

Thrasio's "Platform on a Platform" Rolling Up Fulfillment by Amazon Small Businesses

Small Business Labs

JULY 22, 2020

Thrasio is a large and fast-growing acquirer of small consumer product companies that are part of Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon program (FBA). They recently raised $260 million in a funding round that values the company at $1 billion. Thrasio's business model is fairly straight forward. They find and buy category-leading consumer product small businesses that operate on Amazon's platform. Key quote from Crunchbase's article on Thrasio's rec

UPS

UPS 2017

How to Become an Independent Consultant

Small Business Labs

JULY 20, 2020

Last week we had an article on U.S. Census data showing a big uptick in the number of Americans who are self-employed. s It's likely this increase is caused by people who have lost their jobs turning to self-employment. Because of this, we found the recent MBO Partners' blog post How to Become a Consultant: 5 Steps to Starting Right to be very timely.

Social Media

Social Media Finance Networking Skills

Study Shows Most Want to Go Back to Offices, at Least Part-Time

Small Business Labs

JUNE 15, 2020

Gensler, a large global integrated architecture, design, planning and consulting firm, recently released its U.S. Work From Home Survey 2020 report. The survey was done between April 16th to May 4th and the respondents "were required to be working full time for a company of 100 or more people, to have worked in an office environment prior to COVID-19, and to be currently working from home." In other words, Gensler's surveyed nicely captured the views of people who typically wo

2020

2020 Collaborate Environment AT&T

Most People Want to Continue Working From Home, Just Not Full-Time

Small Business Labs

MAY 26, 2020

Lots of work from home (WFH) surveys have been conducted over the past month. And one of the most consistent findings of these studies is most people want to continue to work from home, but most of those only want to work from home part-time. For example, the Global Workplace Analytics Work from Home Experience Survey found that "U.S. employees want to continue working from home an average of 2.5 days a week (2 days/week globally)." And as the Harris/Zapier survey chart below show

Forms

Forms AT&T

The Recession's Economic Damage is Widespread

Small Business Labs

MAY 13, 2020

Yesterday we covered a series of recent articles saying it will take 2-3 years for the economy to recover to pre-pandemic levels. One reason for this view is almost all industries are being negatively impacted by the recession. Illustrating this is the BLS's employment diffusion index. This index is calculated by adding the percentage of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with unchanged employment.

Restaurants

Will COVID-19 Cause Older Small Business Owners to Close Their Businesses?

Small Business Labs

MAY 5, 2020

According to the research firm Barlow Research Associates , the average small business owner is 60 years old. And as the Barlow chart below shows (click to enlarge), almost 40% are aged 65 or older. This raises an interesting question. How will older small business owners react to the pandemic? Will they continue operating their businesses, or will they shut them down?

Retirement

Retirement AT&T Interviewing

The VanLife App

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

The San Diego Union Tribune's Would you live in a van? Two San Diego women launch startup for boho traveler movement covers a new app - conveniently called The VanLife App - targeted at VanLife nomads. The article provides a good description of VanLife: "For those who haven’t heard of it, “vanlife” refers to a recent bohemian trend of people buying cargo vans, old ambulances, school buses and other boxy vehicles, and converting them into livable apartments on wheels (think of it as a do-

Travel

Travel AT&T

The Dramatic Growth of the Internet's Share of Ad Spending

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 20, 2020

OK, it's well known that Internet advertising has been growing rapidly. But even knowing that, the chart below (click to enlarge) is still stunning. The chart is from Adage's Marketing Fact Pack 2020 and shows that the internet's share of U.S. ad spending has increased from just 6.4% in 2006 to over 50% in 2020 and is forecast to reach 60% in 2022.

Agencies

Agencies 2020 2018 2012

Creative Professionals Pushing Back on California's New Gig Economy Law

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 27, 2020

California's new gig economy law, AB5, is not being well received by independent creative professionals. Freelance writers, musicians, actors, artists, and other creative professionals are finding the new law is damaging their livelihoods. Indie musicians are a good example. Key quote from the musician's Change.org anti-AB5 petition : AB5 will have a devastating and catastrophic impact on independent musicians, their livelihoods and the music industry in general in California.

Agencies

Agencies Policies UPS

The Growing Backlash Against AB5, California's New Gig Economy Law

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 7, 2020

California's new labor law, AB5, was meant to help Uber and Lyft drivers - and others - get hired as traditional employees with the hope this would increase their pay and financial security. But the broadly worded and vague language of the new law is leading to a wide range of unintended negative consequences. It's also resulted in a growing backlash among independent workers as well as organizations that hire them.

Holidays

Holidays Legal Filing

The Rise of Career Nomadism

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 6, 2020

Korn Ferry is a large, global organizational consulting and recruiting firm. Their research institute recently released their Top 10 Talent Trends for the New Year. All the trends are interesting. But the one that jumped out at us is the rise of career nomadism. Key quote describing this group: " there’s an increasing amount of employees who actually want to make walking out the door a major part of their career.

Payroll

Payroll Skills Learning

Happy Holidays!

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 22, 2019

We'll be back in 2020.

Holidays

Holidays 2020

The Paradox of Increasing Business Travel; Skift's 2020 Travel Trends

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 17, 2019

Skift is one of our favorite publications. It covers the travel, dining, and wellness industries from a business perspective. Because of their remit, they report on a wide range of interesting trends. The recently released their 10 Business Travel Trends for 2020. The 10 are: The Power of Being There in Person. Designing Great User Experiences to Boost Adoption.

Travel

Travel 2020 Suppliers Collaborate

The Rise of Esports

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 16, 2019

Quartz’s members-only article (meaning you have to be a paying subscriber to see it) The stars, teams, and investors turning esports into big business nicely covers the rise of esports. Key quote: “Tens of millions of viewers are tuning in to watch other people play video games competitively, and it’s becoming big business … it is creating a new kind of sports star, and both the gaming industry and professional sports franchises have taken notice.”.

2019

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MetLife Study: 45 Million U.S. Gig Workers and 85% of them interested in Continuing as Gig Workers

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 1, 2019

MetLife recently released The Gig Economy: Opportunities, Challenges, and Employer Strategies. Key quote from the study press release : The report’s findings demonstrate the fundamental impact gig work is having on the American workforce in the changing work-life world, as employees are increasingly drawn to the allure of flexibility, autonomy and desire for purpose in their work.

Agencies

Agencies AT&T

Is AB5 the End of the Gig Economy? The Quick Answer: No

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

California recently passed AB5 , a law that changes how workers are classified. AB5 establishes an “ABC” test to decide whether or not a worker is an employee or a contractor. The law starts with the assumption that everyone is an employee. To be considered an independent worker, a worker must: Be free of the hirer’s control; and. Do work that is “outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business”; and.

Legal

Legal Travel AT&T Policies

What WeWork's Troubles Mean for the Coworking industry

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

WeWork's troubles seem to be going from bad to worse. They lowered their target IPO valuation from their last private funding round value of $47 billion to under $20 billion - and maybe as low as $10 billion. But after reading about WeWork's huge losses and highly questionable corporate governance practices in their S-! , even that wasn't enough to attract investors.

UPS

Gig Economy an Important Income Source for Military Service Members

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

According to a survey from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling , military service members and their spouses are turning turn to the gig economy to supplement their income. Key quote from the study site : The findings of this year’s survey are a clear indication that military households are turning to the private sector for supplemental income.

WeWork Files to Go Public

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 15, 2019

WeWork released its S-1 this week, which is the legal document a company files prior to going public. WeWork going public is a bit of a watershed moment for the coworking industry. It's the first of the new wave of coworking spaces to do so. It's also a highly watched and controversial company, particularly due to its high private valuation and steep losses.

Filing

Filing 2018 2016 2019

The Recent Flurry of Gig Economy Studies

Small Business Labs

JULY 1, 2019

It's been a busy couple of weeks for gig economy studies. Below is a list of 4 of the recently released studies. 1. Want Your Business to Thrive - Cultivate Your External Talent : The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Success Factors teamed up for study, which surveyed independent workers, managers who hire independent works and HR employees. The goal of the study was to get a 360 view of external labor use by businesses.

Retirement

Retirement 2016 2019 Collaborate

Uber and Lyft Offer to Compromise Over Driver Concerns

Small Business Labs

JUNE 13, 2019

Yesterday the CEO's of Uber and Lyft published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle offering to support efforts to improve the working conditions, wages and rights of their drivers. The offer is in response to a bill in the California legislature that would make it much more difficult for companies to classify workers as independent contractors. The new legislation would codify a ruling by the California Supreme Court in the Dynamex case.

Legal

Legal Policies UPS

The Great Risk Shift - and Economic Insecurity - Continues

Small Business Labs

MAY 28, 2019

"Risk shift" is the trend towards economic and other risks - and the responsibility for risk management - being shifted from institutions to individuals. Examples include corporations shifting more responsibility for retirement, career planning and healthcare to their employees and governments reducing social safety net programs. Political scientist Jacob Hacker explored this trend in-depth in his 2006 book The Great Risk Shift.

Retirement

Retirement 2019 Expenses 2006

What Independent Consultants Want

Small Business Labs

APRIL 30, 2019

The Forbes article Breaking The Faustian Pact: What Motivates Professionals In A Gig Economy World? covers a study comparing the motivations of independent consultants with consultants working at big consulting firms. As the article chart below shows (click to enlarge), there are big differences. Key quote on the differences: " the freelancers emphasize the flexibility of when and where they work; their peers employed in big firms focus on financial security, personal development and having

AT&T

Podcasting Entering the Mainstream

Small Business Labs

APRIL 11, 2019

In case you hadn't heard, podcasting is booming. According to The Infinite Dial 2019 , an annual survey conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, more than half of all adult Americans have listened to one. And as the report chart below shows (click to enlarge), 32% of all Americans aged 12 and older listened to a podcast in the last month.

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McKinsey's Bias Busters Collection

Small Business Labs

MARCH 18, 2019

McKinsey's Bias Busters Collection covers how are decisions are often affected by cognitive and/or organizational biases. These include being unwilling to cut back on an under performing asset or activity, getting too distracted by shiny new initiatives, sticking with numbers or projections that are out of date or likely incorrect. But our favorite was what they call taking an "outside view" of a project or forecast.

AT&T

AT&T Learning

A Growing Number of Freelancers are Providing Professional Services to Businesses

Small Business Labs

MARCH 12, 2019

MBO Partners recently released their 3rd annual Client of Choice study. Like prior years, the 2019 study focuses on the growing group of highly-skilled independent professionals (freelancers, independent consultants, etc.) who provide services to businesses on a regular basis. And the number of independent professionals has grown quite rapidly.

2018

2018 Suppliers 2019 2014

Happy Holidays!

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 20, 2018

We'll see you in 2019.

Holidays

Holidays 2019

Small Business Labs

VCs Betting Big on the Metaverse

3D Printed Houses Cementing Their Place in the Housing Industry

Trending Sources

The Independent Worker Surge

Small Business Mobile Banking Use Varies by Generation

Retirees and the Gig Economy

It's Time to Upgrade U.S. Economic and Labor Statistics

The Long Term Shift to Contract Labor by Small Businesses

What is Ultra Wideband?

Side Giggers and Independent Workers in Super Bowl Ads

Wunderman Thompson's 2021 Future 100 Trends Report

Yet Again, Flying Cars are Predicted to be Just Around the Corner

MBO Partners 10 Future of Work Predictions for 2021

Key Findings from 10 Years of Studying the Gig Economy

The Broader Impacts of Prop 22 Passing in a Landslide

Most Want to Return to the Office, at Least Part-Time

The Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey is Back and Shows the Pandemic is Still Taking A Toll on SMBs

It's Looking Like a "Swoosh" Recovery for the U.S.

Thrasio's "Platform on a Platform" Rolling Up Fulfillment by Amazon Small Businesses

How to Become an Independent Consultant

Study Shows Most Want to Go Back to Offices, at Least Part-Time

Most People Want to Continue Working From Home, Just Not Full-Time

The Recession's Economic Damage is Widespread

Will COVID-19 Cause Older Small Business Owners to Close Their Businesses?

The VanLife App

The Dramatic Growth of the Internet's Share of Ad Spending

Creative Professionals Pushing Back on California's New Gig Economy Law

The Growing Backlash Against AB5, California's New Gig Economy Law

The Rise of Career Nomadism

Happy Holidays!

The Paradox of Increasing Business Travel; Skift's 2020 Travel Trends

The Rise of Esports

MetLife Study: 45 Million U.S. Gig Workers and 85% of them interested in Continuing as Gig Workers

Is AB5 the End of the Gig Economy? The Quick Answer: No

What WeWork's Troubles Mean for the Coworking industry

Gig Economy an Important Income Source for Military Service Members

WeWork Files to Go Public

The Recent Flurry of Gig Economy Studies

Uber and Lyft Offer to Compromise Over Driver Concerns

The Great Risk Shift - and Economic Insecurity - Continues

What Independent Consultants Want

Podcasting Entering the Mainstream

McKinsey's Bias Busters Collection

A Growing Number of Freelancers are Providing Professional Services to Businesses

Happy Holidays!

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