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.  But it also shows the robotics industry is maturing - Rethink failed in large part because their competitors were better.  And in many ways, it is. " Expect to see more cobots in the future.

2013 119

2013 2017 Collaborate International 119

Small Business Labs

MAY 31, 2018

  He argues that despite relatively high incomes, growing numbers of Americans can't afford a middle class lifestyle. Key quote: The meritocratic class has mastered the old trick of consolidating wealth and passing privilege along at the expense of other people’s children. control a bit under 60% of our nation's wealth.

2016 145

2016 Expenses 2014 2017 145

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

Key quote: "Older workers are trying lawsuits, classes, makeovers—even surgery—to keep working." " Age discrimination and a preference for younger workers has always been part of the Silicon Valley - and the tech industry in general.    Tech firms and industry participants often don't even try to hide this.

Interviewing 100

Interviewing AT&T UPS 100

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 29, 2019

Stagnant wages, reduced hours with unpredictable schedules and the hollowing out of middle class jobs have all led to more people turning to 2nd and even 3rd sources of income to make ends meet.   But it's not just those with financial hardships that need supplemental income.

Skills 178

Skills Expenses AT&T Learning 178

Small Business Labs

JUNE 8, 2018

The CWS also excludes, because of their definition of an independent contractor, independent workers who aren’t in the services industry. Our research shows a combination of wage stagnation, the hollowing out of middle class jobs and growing economic uncertainty are driving this trend.

2017 155

2017 UPS 155

Small Business Labs

MARCH 26, 2014

While a small elite of corporate managers and knowledge workers would reap the benefits of the high-tech world economy, the American middle class would continue to shrink and the workplace become ever more stressful. Business Models industry structure social entrepreneurship trends' Sound familiar?

2012 100

2012 2010 Stress AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

MAY 3, 2016

The Atlantic's The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans  is written by one of the 47% percent of all Americans who couldn't come up with $400 to cover an emergency expense without borrowing or selling something. In other words, Uber didn't invent the gig economy, they tapped into it. 

AT&T 100

AT&T Expenses Stress UPS 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

 Key quote: The strange present, we may conclude, is one in which the middle class is slowly being squeezed out of an economy that is gradually dividing into two camps, the few rich and the many poor. We were recently encouraged by what's going on in the accounting industry.

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Yahoo 2013 2012 International 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 15, 2013

  As we pointed out in our article on this topic last week - The New Serfs and the End of the Middle Class  - there's no way to look at what's happening to jobs and work  without being very concerned.   industry structure trends Web/Tech'  We're also more optimistic about the longer term.

2020 100

2020 AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 28, 2016

  In the post-urban model Bain suggests that due to costs increasing numbers of the middle class will move to "New Villages" These are "residential zones lying at the furthest edge of the traditional metropolitan commuter belt, more than 50 miles or a 90-minute commute from city centers." 

AT&T 162

AT&T Networking Learning 162

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 25, 2010

.  The reduction in poverty levels in the developing world is accompanied by a growing middle class.    We expect developing world economic growth will result in 1 billion new, middle class, developing world consumers joining the global economy over the next decade.    Tags: Economic Decentralization.

2020 100

2020 UPS 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

 As another New York Times article - Where the Private Sector's Gain Are - points out: service industries have driven job growth in the recovery, adding 2.1 Meanwhile many of the sectors that have traditionally created middle class jobs have seen substantial employment declines, especially construction and manufacturing.

Restaurants 100

Restaurants 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 25, 2013

There’s the rise of the freelance class. Business Models industry structure trends' ."" The article also has a great quote from one of the founders on why they see this approach as being the best way to serve their market: There’s a trend towards project work.  I couldn’t get them to come to the agency.

Networking 100

Networking Agencies Collaborate Expenses 100

Small Business Labs

APRIL 28, 2015

Two California juries are set to decide cases that could have wide-ranging implications on the industry that has grown up around Uber, Lyft, and other car-hire services.   The term used to describe this 3rd class is dependent contractor. over the next 18 months.

Legal 100

Legal Health UPS 100

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

  The author argues the temp industry in America was created by exploiting gender stereotypes in the 1950s and 1960s.   The strategy worked and early temp leaders (like Kelly Girls) were able to establish  "a new sector of low-wage, unreliable work right under the noses of powerful labor unions."

Temping 100

Temping Salary Agencies AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

 A lack of time, coupled with high earnings, means outsourcing personal tasks makes sense not just for the rich, but also by the time challenged middle class. Because of this, coaching kids across a wide range of activities (sports, academics, arts, music) is a booming industry.

2012 100

2012 Salary Agencies 2007 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 18, 2012

 These jobs tend to be good paying, middle class jobs that haven't required high levels of education. The bad news is routine jobs - the backbone of the middle class - are going away due to automation and foreign competition. Many clerical and manufacturing jobs fit in this category.

Skills 100

Skills Health AT&T Policies 100

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 12, 2016

This is happening because in our knowledge-intensive world, industries and people cluster in order to share information, generate ideas and cut deals. These activities are all still better done face to face. Think SF, New York, London, etc. 

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100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 27, 2012

We're seeing more and more industry segments become viable for personal businesses.  Good examples of this include the growth of talent marketplaces like eLance and oDesk and the ability to contractually access world class business infrastructure through services like Amazon's AWS.

Elance 100

Elance 2007 AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Rule #1 in the trends industry - you can't have a trend without a descriptive buzzword and/or acronym.  A non-profit with the mission of "a free world-class education for anyone anywhere," they've produced over 3400 short instructional videos anyone can access. They

Learning 100

Learning Training AT&T 100

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. Critics say the sharing economy is creating a new class of serfs - poorly paid workers with few rights, benefits or legal protections.   So who's right?

Legal 100

Legal 2013 Interviewing AT&T 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 22, 2010

 Venture Capital Acts its Age from  Knowledge at Wharton is a good summary of the issues facing the venture capital industry. Nothing really new here - the travails of the VC industry are widely reported.    But this is one of the best short summaries I've seen. Your comment has not yet been posted.

2010 100

2010 Retirement 2020 2005 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 19, 2010

" And this is before the forecasted 1 billion additional middle class women expected to enter the global economy over the next decade.  .  According to Nielsen : "The female economy – as more women enter the workforce, their earning power increases, as does their power within their household.

2010 100

2010 Retirement 2020 2005 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 30, 2021

The new data provides information by owner demographics such as sex, race, ethnicity and veteran status, geography, industry, receipt size class, and legal form of organization. The data comes from tax records, and you can think of nonemployers as solopreneur businesses (freelancers, independent contractors. gig workers, etc.).

2018 251

2018 2017 Legal Forms 251

Small Business Labs

JUNE 1, 2020

.  But the show's success still illustrates how teams of distributed, independent workers and small firms can quickly form and produce world-class results.   It's happening in almost all industries and professions.      And this is not just happening in creative fields.   

Social Media 155

Social Media Collaborate Forms Networking 155

Small Business Labs

JUNE 19, 2014

The middle class has lost ground as the greatest gains have occurred at the top and bottom of the pay scale, leaving even many working Americans living in poverty. The housing industry, once the primary engine of growth and a fountain of jobs, has shrunk, while health care, technology and energy have led the recovery.

Health 100

Health 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 16, 2017

.  The goal seems to be to show that Airbnb contributes to local economies, creates jobs and provides opportunities for the middle class to supplement their income. This initiative comes at a time when Airbnb is under increased attack from affordable housing advocates, city regulators and the hotel industry.

2025 124

2025 2016 Expenses Goals 124

Small Business Labs

JUNE 8, 2015

And according to trend spotting firm PSFK, the personal services industry will continue to boom. What was once reserved for the wealthy has now become possible for the freelance writer, young professional, or middle class parents of the world. Basically, these folks are paid to do things we used to do on our own, or did without.

Legal 100

Legal 2008 Networking 100