Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

.  They say it encompasses building " humanistic societies with strong social fabrics that enliven, enrich, and build meaning for our lives …" More concrete is their view on the needs of our health system.    Key quote: Then there’s the health system in general.    4.

Health 160

Health AT&T Management UPS 160

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 1, 2020

The magazine Marie Claire was first published in 1937 and describes itself as "the site that women turn to for information on fashion, style, hairstyles, beauty, women's issues, careers, health, and relationships."   But what's a bit surprising is the extent they are covering it.  Freelancing With Benefits?

Health 187

Health 187

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 3, 2021

The research points to several reasons for what it calls the "excess retirements"   These include layoffs, health concerns related to the pandemic and rising asset values, which may have provided more boomers with the financial cushion needed to retire. " We suspect this will be the case.    

Retirement 256

Retirement Health 256

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 20, 2019

Our article yesterday covered a study showing how work autonomy and control resulted in mental health benefits for the self-employed.  " And more control often leads to better mental health.   As a follow-up, the chart below (click to enlarge) is from the Freshbooks 2019 Self-Employment in America Report.

2019 170

2019 Health UPS 170

Small Business Labs

APRIL 27, 2021

.  Also, 76% of the respondents reported their financial situation has negatively impacted their mental health. The article also cited other problems that fashion freelancers face. The Vogue chart (click to enlarge) below shows the impact by issue. So one may ask, why do they do it?

2020 175

2020 Health Stress 175

Small Business Labs

JULY 15, 2019

The reason, according to the article, is this expansion has been weaker and its benefits distributed far more unevenly than in previous growth cycles, Key article quote: This is a “two-tier recovery,” said Matthew Mish, head of credit strategy at the investment bank UBS.   As the Post article points out, "Half of U.S.

Expenses 153

Expenses Health Interviewing 153

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 8, 2019

The study used data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study.   As the article chart below (click to enlarge) shows, most of the study participants (56%) experienced at least one employer driven job loss after the age of 50, with many (18%) experiencing more than one.  The study findings are not pretty. 

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Retirement Health AT&T 205

Small Business Labs

JULY 14, 2020

The program's success - and its importance to the financial health of so many people - lead to two policy implications.   See that article for more information on this topic. Without the PUA program, many millions of self-employed Americans would much deeper financial trouble than are currently are.

Policies 149

Policies Health 149

Small Business Labs

MAY 3, 2018

  This data comes the interesting HBR article  More and More Jobs Today Require a License. The main rationales for occupational licensing are to protect the health and safety of consumers and to ensure a sufficiently high level of product or service quality. In the 1950's about 5% of full time U.S. Today about 23% do. 

Legal 175

Legal Health Skills Travel 175

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 19, 2019

He describes a key issue as: "I have an independent business, I don't get paid vacations, and I have to cover my own health insurance.   As the article points out, this is already happening. .    As the article points out, this is already happening.

Policies 190

Policies Health 190

Small Business Labs

JULY 31, 2017

The well known New York Times columnist, best selling author and pundit Thomas Friedman wrote a very bullish article on gig work last week. Again from the article: "Is this the only answer for the American middle-class jobs challenge? But he thinks it is part of the solution. Of course not. There is no one answer. That’s the point.

Travel 140

Travel Health 140

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

The New York Times article  How to Retire in Your 30s With $1 Million in the Bank nicely covers the " growing movement of young professionals who are intently focused on quitting their jobs forever." Key article quote on the main drivers behind the movement: "Millennials especially have embraced this so-called FIRE movement.

Retirement 128

Retirement Agencies Lifestyle Expenses 128

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 21, 2015

There have been several interesting articles over the past couple of weeks on working in retirement and/or working later in life. Several article pointed to the study Late Life Working and Well-Being. This study found working later in life potentially has all sorts of benefits - as long the work provides flexibility.

Retirement 100

Retirement Health Stress AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 8, 2018

" Another example comes from The Atlantic article  What Happens When Gig-Economy Workers Become Employees. " Both articles highlight the decline in flexibility associated with traditional employment as a reason many of the gig workers quit rather than become traditional employees. 

Legal 162

Legal Health AT&T Management 162

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 24, 2017

As the chart below shows, the percentage of full-time independent workers with health insurance has increased from 64% in 2013 to 83% in 2016. million more independent workers have health insurance than in 2013.  Hoffman's article references a recent U.S. This means about 3.3

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2013 2014 2016 Medical 100

Small Business Labs

MAY 17, 2017

" The article chart below also illustrates this growth.   Nomad Health  is another example.   As Nomad Health points out, there are a number of reasons doctors go freelance: "Many doctors work locum tenens in addition to their full time position. You can even hire lawyers online for fixed fees.

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Skills Legal 2016 2017 160

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 3, 2015

.  According to the Washington Post's Companies have found something to give their workers instead of raises : More businesses are upping their spending on benefits such as one-time bonuses, health care and paid time off, according to recent survey data.  Often, those benefits are being provided in lieu of higher salaries. 

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Salary Health Project Management Management 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 9, 2017

  The show is based on a Quartz article that also isn't positive. " The show and Quartz article focus on the downsides of multi-level marketing programs. " The show and Quartz article focus on the downsides of multi-level marketing programs. And there are many downsides. and these factors aren't going away. 

Skills 150

Skills Health Management 150

Small Business Labs

JUNE 30, 2016

The Forbes article How The Gig Economy Is Impacting The Life Sciences Industry  provides another example. They do this by using a networked consulting model that draws on their stable of over 100 independent consultants who specialize in the health and life sciences industry. 

Elance 113

Elance Health Networking 113

Small Business Labs

MAY 13, 2013

The Wall Street Journal's Will Health Care Law Beget Entrepreneurs? Key quote: The Obama administration has touted a boost for entrepreneurship as one of the health-care law's key benefits.   We covered this topic earlier in the year in our article Obamacare, Job Lock and Freelancers.

Policies 100

Policies Health AT&T UPS 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

Key quote from the Backchannel article  AFRICA’S DELIVERY DRONES ARE ZIPPING PAST THE US : Zipline’s rugged, fixed-wing drones have already made over 1,400 flights and delivered 2,600 units of blood, even during bad weather conditions involving heavy rain or wind in Rwanda. 

Medical 145

Medical 2018 2016 Expenses 145

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 18, 2016

Health/bio related also come in with 3. They also have a good summary article on the list. So I just got to the World Economic Forum's Top 10 Emerging Technologies for 2016 list , which was released in June.    Nanotech plays a big role in the list with 3 (assuming you include "organs-on-chips" in nano).

2016 100

2016 Health 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 4, 2016

Only a few articles point out that freelancing has a good side, a bad side and many shades of grey between the good and the bad.   The article does this by breaking the word freelancer into two parts - "free" (the good) and "lance" (the bad). It can feel like Monday every day of the week.

Negotiating 100

Negotiating Salary Promotion Health 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 30, 2014

According to several recent articles the financial problems of millennials is leading to changing behaviors and purchase patterns as well as broader societal shifts.   For example, the New York Times article No Picket Fence: Younger Adults Opting to Rent focuses on the shift away from home ownership and towards renting by young adults.

2008 100

2008 2014 Retirement Health 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 4, 2013

The New York Times article The Affordable Care Act Could be Good for Entrepreneurship  covers a Robert Woods Johnson study that finds Obamacare will likely increase the number of self-employed by more than 11% as a direct result of the law.  This means, at least in theory, the end of health insurance related job lock.

Policies 100

Policies Health 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Good article in Businessweek on the Freelancers Union new health care clinic for freelancers. The 6,000 square foot clinic is in Brooklyn and will provide free care and wellness programs to freelancers who have a Freelancers Union health insurance plan and choose the clinic’s doctors as their primary care physicians.

Health 100

Health Policies 100

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 4, 2014

Yet another entry in our "going to the dogs" series, the New York Times article Start-Ups Work on Biotech Drugs for Pets covers the growing number of companies developing drugs for pets. According to the Animal Health Institute animal pharma is a $7+ billion plus industry. Drug companies have long produced drugs or animals.

Health 100

Health UPS 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 25, 2014

Health insurance.   According to the Business Week article The Freelancers Union Wants to be Your HR Department  this move may "indicate that the freelance economy is maturing." Dental plans. Disability insurance. Term life insurance. Liability insurance. " We agree. . " We agree.

Retirement 100

Retirement Health Expenses 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

The New York Time's article A Toxic Work World nicely summarizes the growing Darwinian nature of traditional jobs. Public health experts have begun talking about stress as an epidemic.   The article's author suggest a number of policy and legal changes to make it work easier and more flexible. . 

Policies 100

Policies Legal Environment Stress 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Forerunner's Pet health is going the way of human health; our investment in Dutch covers the reasons the VC firm has invested in the pet telehealth startup Dutch.     And as the article points out, the increases in pet ownership came with increases in the demand for veterinarians and vet services. 

Health 40

Health 40

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 15, 2016

We noticed a really good comment with excellent advice on working in the gig economy in the Harvard Business Review article Who Wins in the Gig Economy, and Who Loses.  4) Health care is hard.   We liked it so much, we are reprinting here in its entirety: I'm a huge winner in the new economy.

Negotiating 100

Negotiating Agenda Health Expenses 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 24, 2017

A solid majority—64 percent of all independents and 70 percent of Full Time Independents—said working on their own is better for their health. As regular readers know, work autonomy, control and flexibility are the key reasons people enjoy being independent workers/self-employed. Employment in the gig economy can be good or bad. 

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2017 2013 Health AT&T 133

Small Business Labs

JUNE 15, 2015

Key quote from the KQED article: "“More conscientious eating — meaning organic, sustainable and healthy food — is a huge trend, much bigger than many people realize,” said Ali Partovi, an investor in food companies. " My favorite example from the article is Bitty Foods , which makes cricket-based flour and cookies.

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Yahoo 2014 Google Health 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 24, 2013

The Wall Street Journal's Don't Blame Health Care Law for Part-Time Employment shows that despite what a number of folks are saying , the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) is not causing, at least yet, an increase in part-time employment. For more this topic, see articles from Reuters , the Los Angeles Times and/or Time Magazine.

Health 100

Health AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

According to the article, 50 percent of the overall population have dogs, and 35 percent have cats. Owners believe emotional health is important, but struggle to understand pet’s needs. This, BTW, means that a sizeable percentage of millennial men have both dogs and cats.

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Social Media Clothes 2016 Expenses 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 28, 2011

News article : "Employers have significantly cut many of the benefits they offer to workers over the past five years." " The article goes on to list 21 workplace benefits that are going away, with reductions in retirement and health care benefits leading the way.   According to a U.S. but benefits matter. 

Retirement 100

Retirement Health AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

  As the article points out, the results from the 2015 MBO Partners State of Independence study show the number of full-time independent workers has been somewhat flat over the past 2 years (despite the article's title, it has not declined).

2015 100

2015 Health UPS 100