Small Business Labs

JANUARY 19, 2021

   In the Barron's article Poshmark CEO Sees Huge Market for Used Goods.    But the growth of social media has made it easier and cheaper for consumers to leverage their networks to sell things.  Poshmark is a social e-commerce platform where people buy and sell secondhand goods, mostly used clothes. 

Social Media 192

Social Media 2014 Clothes 2020 192

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

  If they're moving out the Landing network they need to provide a 30-day notice.    But if they stay within the network, only a 3-day notice is required.     The company currently has over 300 units across 13 cities in its network. 

2020 172

2020 Networking Management UPS 172

Small Business Labs

JULY 20, 2020

Last week we had an article on U.S. Develop a Strong Network. So head over to their article to learn more. And if they plan to become independent consultants, a good place to start is MBO's article.  Census data showing a big uptick in the number of Americans who are self-employed.  

Social Media 234

Social Media Finance Networking Skills 234

Small Business Labs

JULY 16, 2018

The title of this post is a quote from the NY Times article  Sorry, Power-Lunchers. The article covers Spacious , a startup that transforms unused space - especially restaurants outside of meal times - into shared workspaces. And while these spaces may not provide support for networking, it still happens naturally. 

Restaurants 188

Restaurants Networking 188

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 17, 2018

Our recent Harvard Business Review article, Coworking Is not About Workspace - It's About Feeling Less Lonely , covers research we conducted on the social side of coworking. 79% said coworking has expanded their social networks. 79% said coworking has expanded their social networks.

Networking 193

Networking 193

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

There's been a recent flurry of articles on retirement, mostly focusing on older people staying in the workforce longer than prior generations. It covers the fact that the world is rapidly getting older, as is shown in the article chart below. A good example is the 2016 article For Boomers, Work is the New Retirement.

Retirement 169

Retirement 2016 Expenses AT&T 169

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

   These included New Zealand's  Ensprial , a cooperatively owned and operated freelancer network, and Loconomics, a now-defunct (at least in the U.S.) And, like Braintrust, the article argued that coops would provide workers with more income and control.  coop version of Task Rabbit.

2016 205

2016 2014 2015 Interviewing 205

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 26, 2017

  Nature normally has articles with titles like Photons pair up like superconducting electrons.  Like all Nature articles, the topics are covered in-depth and are well researched. Their article  Flexible working: Science in the gig economy covers the growing number of gig workers in scientific fields.

2015 140

2015 Networking Training UPS 140

Small Business Labs

JUNE 11, 2018

  Regular readers may remember we covered Spring Place's first location in New York city in our 2016 article  The Rise of the Combo Social Club, Coworking Space. " According to the Forbes article Spring Place is expanding: "The formula is being rolled out to other major cities.  

2019 159

2019 2016 Restaurants Environment 159

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 16, 2018

        Rural America rising: why professionals are moving to the countryside , an article on the study, provides a good explanation of why people are moving to small towns: Surveying Minnesota realtors and the new arrivals themselves.   The chart below shows the key findings from the study.

Networking 172

Networking 172

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 9, 2019

The New York Times article headline on the report - Uber Says 3,045 Sexual Assaults Were Reported in U.S. Key quote from the NY Times article: Sexual violence experts agreed that publishing the numbers was an important step in combating abuse across the industry. .  Last week Uber released a U.S. billion in the U.S.

2018 130

2018 2017 Travel Forms 130

Small Business Labs

JULY 19, 2016

There are several reasons weak tie networks are so important.   But the Fast Company article also points out something we've also seen in our research. .    But the Fast Company article also points out something we've also seen in our research. The main reason is simply size.

2016 100

2016 Social Media Networking Interviewing 100

Small Business Labs

APRIL 10, 2017

The New York Time's article The Digital Nomad Life: Combining Work and Travel  covers the growing number of support services that help digital nomads do this.  The article's key quote comes from Copenhagen's Economic Development Director Signe Jungersted: “Travel has changed,” Ms. Jungersted said.

Travel 110

Travel Networking International UPS 110

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 27, 2018

The Laya Center is an interesting example of this trend, which is covered in several recent news articles. " The article goes on to point out that “About half a dozen co-working spaces are slated to open or expand this year in the District and Northern Virginia, offering services specific to women or child care.”.

Networking 165

Networking UPS 165

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 7, 2017

  Modern Farmer's article on the study  nicely covers the demographics of young farmers:  The demographic picture of the survey is interesting: 60 percent are women, 69 percent have degrees beyond high school, 75 percent didn’t grow up in a farm family, and 75 percent describe their farms as “sustainable.” (63

Networking 178

Networking UPS 178

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

“The marketplace app should give existing coworkers and individuals a chance to network with like-minded people and start partnerships,” says Komarek. Providing connections, networking opportunities and access to like minded people is becoming increasingly common.   They too provide an online connections service.

Travel 100

Travel Networking Phones Collaborate 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

  They've created a network of 160 3D printers that is able to produce parts fast and cheap, at prices competitive with traditional injection molding in order quantities up to 10,000 pieces. In particular, 3D printers have not been good at printing metal parts.    One example is Voodoo Manufacturing. 

2015 184

2015 2020 AT&T Networking 184

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

According to a recent GigWalk press release : "Gigwalk’s Cloud Market solution instantly connects businesses to a network of over one million Gigwalkers in North America …" GigWalk's gig walkers are mobile independent workers who execute a variety of tasks for GigWalk clients.

Promotion 170

Promotion Networking 170

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 22, 2015

The Ardent Partners chart below from the article shows survey data on this shift. According to the article, the big shift is away from traditional staffing firms and towards: Private Talent Pools. Social Media and Social Networks  Social media and social networks are expected to grow by 60 percent over the next two years.

Social Media 100

Social Media 2016 2014 2017 100

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 17, 2015

  Key quote from the article: But the office is not merely a place for productivity; it is also a place for social contact. The article and academic study help explain why coworking is so successful.  Avoiding social contact is all but impossible; making at least some friends, inevitable.

Environment 100

Environment Networking AT&T Goals 100

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 9, 2017

Simply put, the article explains why coworking is working. According to the article, coworking "literally sits at the convergence of these trends. Back Channel's The “Work from Home” Dream Doesn’t Work  provides an excellent overview of the trends and shifts driving the coworking movement.

Cubicle 100

Cubicle 2014 Networking Skills 100

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 8, 2020

.  To comply with Prop 22 - which only applies to "app-based drivers" retained by "network companies" - hiring organizations (such as Uber and Lyft) must provide a set of benefits normally not provided to contractors or gig workers.

Legal 207

Legal Expenses Medical AT&T 207

Small Business Labs

APRIL 10, 2013

Greg Lindsay's NY Times article Engineering Serendipity is a fascinating look at how companies are trying to increase the amount of serendipity that happens at their firms. Lindsay's article points out the promising areas of serendipity research, with social network analysis likely the best way to attack this problem.

Networking 100

Networking 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

Several Artisan Economy articles caught my eye this week: The Guardian's Toy Choice Gets Wider as Internet Inspires Playtime Revolution covers how the Internet and networked business models are enabling a growing number of artisan and boutique toy producers.  More craft-oriented, or retro toys. But why is this happening now?

Restaurants 100

Restaurants Networking UPS 100

Small Business Labs

APRIL 3, 2013

CAMEO is already the largest microlending network in California. CAMEO network members provide entrepreneurs with small and micro-business financing as well as technical and advisory assistance and business management training.   For more on this partnership, see this article in the San Jose Mercury News.

Finance 100

Finance Networking Training Management 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 30, 2013

Deloitte's The Open Talent Economy suggests the traditional employment model is giving way to a networked model that consists of a "portfolio of full-time employees, contract and freelance talent, and, increasingly, talent with no formal ties to a company at all." Only balance sheet talent consists of traditional employees.

Networking 100

Networking Collaborate AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 12, 2017

The map's horizontal axis is based on survey of "members of the Traction Network (mostly CIOs, CTOs, and senior IT execs in the enterprise)"  They were asked to rank the importance of a wide range of technologies.   They were also asked to rank the rate of adoption of these technologies on a 1 to 10 scale. . 

Forms 129

Forms Networking Goals AT&T 129

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 21, 2014

The chart below describing this data is from the HBR article. It also shows the importance of networks in finding work.   It's not surprising networks are important, but it is surprising how important.   It's not surprising networks are important, but it is surprising how important.

Networking 100

Networking 100

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 16, 2016

  As the Your Story article Running an employee-free business without compromising on scale and quality  points out, you no longer need traditional employees to start and scale a small business.  Elaine Pofeldt's Forbes article Want To Create A $1 Million E-commerce Store? This is no longer true. 

2016 100

2016 Collaborate Networking Goals 100

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 27, 2018

  Skillshare is an online education platform with over 5 million users and over 20,000 classes taught by a network of 6,000 teachers across dozens of fields.  interesting conversation with Skillshare's CEO Matt Cooper on the Trending in Education podcast. 

Learning 100

Learning Skills Networking 100

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.  That means tending my network is my most effective marketing tool. 3) The gig economy is reputation-based and operates on word-of-mouth recommendations.

Negotiating 100

Negotiating Agenda Health Expenses 100

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 22, 2014

  It's from the Wall Street Journal article Stores Confront New World of Reduced Shopper Traffic. The startling chart below shows shows retail foot traffic is rapidly and dramatically declining. " The reason, of course, is growing online sales. But people aren't just buying online.

2013 100

2013 2012 2007 2011 100

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

JUNE 24, 2013

So it will come as no surprise we enjoyed Tech Crunch's article The Series A Crunch Is No Match for Man's Best Friend. We've covered many of the companies mentioned in the article, but there are a few we've missed. The picture on the right comes from a Dog Post article on dog beards.

Facebook 100

Facebook Health Networking 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

The article also says that Polaris - who started Dogpatch Labs several years ago - has invested in about 10% of the resident companies. One of the most interesting aspects of the article is Dave's focus on the importance of community in making Dogpatch Labs a success.  Polaris’ network.    Other networks.

Networking 100

Networking 100

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 19, 2015

The giant, annual Consumer Electronics Show held last week in La Vegas was a major coming out party for new products with sensors, advanced network connectivity and products related to the emerging  Internet of Things. 

2015 100

2015 Confidence Stress Health 100

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 21, 2013

  I particularly liked the sections on financial planning and networking.  We're also surprised how many don't grasp the power and importance of networking in today's world. Another article worth reading on this topic is Over 50 and Under No Illusions , a recent article from the NY Times.

Retirement 100

Retirement Finance Networking Goals 100