Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 15, 2018

According to the International Federation of Robotics, an industry body, worldwide sales of robots increased by 31% in 2017.  For example, we featured Baxter in our 2013 article The Rise of Robo Sapiens  because we were so impressed by the company. And in many ways, it is. " Expect to see more cobots in the future.

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Small Business Labs

JULY 9, 2014

The Staffing Industry Analysts  is reporting there are currently more than 145 online staffing platform businesses operating globally.   They also reported in 2013 the industry generated roughly $1.4-$1.6 billion in "gross spend"  This is the dollar value of work completed and paid for.

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2013 2014 UPS 100

Small Business Labs

APRIL 14, 2014

That figure rose to 13 million in 2013, an increase of 63%. billion in 2013. The gardening industry has certainly benefited from the growing interest in gardening (bad pun intended). billion on food gardening in 2013 - up from $2.5 billion on food gardening in 2013 - up from $2.5 small farms'

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Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

Newspaper penetration has fallen from a high of 124% in 1950 (when Americans bought multiple papers) to 37% in 2013, according to Editor & Publisher data. It's interesting how little digital revenue has helped this industry. Two-thirds of Americans do not buy newspapers. 

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Small Business Labs

APRIL 22, 2014

 According to Forbes: Individually, 60 made as much or more in 2013 than the $45,250 a year the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is the nationwide average for a professional reporter or correspondent.  It's becoming common across almost all industries. So how do the paid freelancers do?

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Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

As the Pew chart below shows, over the 10 year period from 2004 to 2013 the number of reporters fell by 17%.   The industry calls PR "earned media", which the marketing firm Hubspot explains in more detail in their blog post What is Earned Media. .

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Small Business Labs

JUNE 18, 2014

.   On the buyers side,The Staffing Industry Analysts article Online staffing is the new frontier: CW managers’ interest rises sharply says: A survey of contingent workforce buyers found a sudden jump in plans to use online staffing.

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Elance 2013 Management 100

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 15, 2014

But they may go even lower in 2013. Centers for Disease Control indicate 2013's fertility may decline slightly compared to  2012. birth rates stay low it will have a major impact on a wide range of industries, government programs and overall economic growth.  .  This maintains the number of U.S.

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Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

A cicerone is the beer industry's equivalent of a wine sommelier. According to the research firm Euromonitor's Key Beer Trends for 2013 , cicerones are becoming increasingly influential. Cicerones provide expert advice on the selection, food pairing and serving of beer.

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Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

  It has a good paragraph on the size of the robotics industry: According to the International Federation of Robotics, 2012 was a banner year for sales. We were recently encouraged by what's going on in the accounting industry. But: “Am I the 2013 version of a buggy whip manufacturer?"

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Yahoo 2013 2012 International 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 5, 2013

Mary Meeker's 2013 State of the Internet presentation (required reading for those interesting in what's going on with the Internet) also focuses on wearable computing. It gives a pretty down to earth view of the state of the industry with some interesting - and non-Google Glass - examples. trends Web/Tech'

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Small Business Labs

JUNE 2, 2014

" As the article points out, pet food is a big industry. Key quote from the article: "Just putting the bowl on the ground and walking away isn't the humanized experience that pet parents are looking for." pet food sales totaled an estimated $21 billion, up 24% since 2008.    Pet Trends'

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2013 2008 AT&T UPS 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

And the the maturation and growth of the Internet and other technologies and industries (genomics, clean tech, robotics, Big Data, etc.)  Startups traditionally have turned to VC's for later stage funding, but funding from VCs is down and the industry itself is both struggling and shrinking.

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Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Adding to the negative press is a growing litany of complaints by sharing economy "providers", which is the industry's term for their workers. The negative press tends to focus on Uber, which has established itself as the company everyone - except Uber users - hates due to their rough and tumble business practices.

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Legal 2013 Interviewing AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 22, 2010

Blog powered by TypePad Member since 01/2005 « Software "Super Vendors" and Barbell Industrial Structures | Main | Why Global Poverty is Declining » October 22, 2010 Gartners Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2011 Is it just me, or is it too early for 2011 top trends lists? . 

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Small Business Labs

MAY 22, 2014

That is a hotly debated question in the housing industry. GDP in 2013. Are millennials (born 1980 to 2000) turning the U.S. into a nation of renters?   As the U.S. Census chart below shows, home ownership rates peaked just before the start of the Great Recession and has been falling since.

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Small Business Labs

APRIL 30, 2018

According to a  2016 report by Econsult , "between August 2013 and March 2016, the number of kitchen incubators increased by more than 50%"   So far the shared commercial kitchen industry, much like the early years of coworking, mostly consists of small, independent operators. 

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