Small Business Labs

JULY 23, 2020

But while consumers want to return to restaurants, they've also learned some new behaviors thanks to the shutdowns.      Restaurants are, obviously, one of the most COVID impacted industries.    Because of this, they are interesting to watch and learn from.     

Restaurants 185

Restaurants Learning 185

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

.  But 4 years later, coops haven't made a dent in the online talent marketplace industry. For those who want to learn more, Harvard Business School's Future of Work project has an excellent podcast interview with the founders of Braintrust.   Maybe the same thing will be true with coop online labor platforms.

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Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

And one of things we've learned from following pet trends is betting against the pet market has not been a good idea. We've also learned there's demand for pet products and services that we felt were very, very unlikely to be successful ( expensive dog parties being one of many examples).   

2017 155

2017 2007 Expenses Learning 155

Small Business Labs

MARCH 18, 2019

" They say this is important because if you do the analysis based only on in-house data, you're likely going to miss important information that can be learned from other, similar projects. Instead, we use diffusion of innovation models that incorporate growth rate data from similar industries or products that are more mature. 

AT&T 146

AT&T Learning 146

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 28, 2017

.  More advanced applications are also starting to happen, including 3D mapping and the inspection industrial equipment such as power lines, train tracks and dams. We recently toured the facilities at the University North Dakota's Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. 

2018 175

2018 2017 Equipment Training 175

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

We met with Liveops last week and learned they have about 20,000 independent agents providing customer service and sales support to over 400 enterprise clients. They serve a mix of industries, including retail, healthcare, insurance, travel & hospitality and others. One of their key selling points is the skill of their agents.

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Retirement Customer Service Travel Skills 150

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 23, 2018

The chart below, from her article  Shades of green: What gig economy workers can learn from the success of romance writers,  shows how romance writers have seen their income increase even as the income of other authors have declined. It's also a good example of digital technology changing an industry.

AT&T 180

AT&T Learning UPS 180

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 22, 2018

Key quote from their website:  Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. It's unclear what Amazon’s long-term plans are for this store concept.

Goals 201

Goals Learning 201

Small Business Labs

MAY 1, 2018

and other forms of automation technology disrupting industries and destroying jobs, most small businesses see automation technology as creating opportunities for both their businesses and employees. The top categories are big data (24%), natural language processing (17%), and machine learning (12%).

Customer Service 162

Customer Service Forms Learning Management 162

Small Business Labs

DECEMBER 22, 2017

What is your best advice to someone who wants to get started in the content marketing industry? (1:09:19). JP: Go learn how to build a loyal and trusted audience. Each one of those episodes provided some learning for me, and hopefully for you. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: This Goal-Setting Activity That Made All the Difference.

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Purchasing Agencies Forms Goals 278

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 29, 2019

Those seeking new skills : One of the more interesting findings of our gig economy studies is about 16% of online gig workers report doing this work to learn a new skill or expand their existing skills. including full-time traditional employees who are moonlighting to learn new skills that they hope will lead to career enhancement. 

Skills 178

Skills Expenses AT&T Learning 178

Small Business Labs

MAY 9, 2016

Based on what we saw, heard and learned, coworking is entering the mainstream. The real estate industry is embracing coworking : We regularly hear from real estate people developing shared spaces these days and they were active at GCUC. Segmentation and growth into niche markets are clear signs of a maturing industry. 

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Verizon 2018 2014 2012 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 19, 2013

  Reflecting the strong growth of the coworking industry , there were well over 300 attendees this year - more than triple the number attending two years ago. The office business center industry was also well represented this year.   The GWA is a trade association focused on the  workspace-as-a-service industry.

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Collaborate Forms AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

APRIL 7, 2014

The Future of Work Starts Now summarizes a recent report on the future of work from industrial giant GE. You won't be surprised to learn their view of the future of work focuses on manufacturing.    The article and report focus on 3 major drivers of the new manufacturing economy: 1.   2.

2020 100

2020 Training AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

AUGUST 9, 2016

 There simply is no longer the time to “learn while doing” or the margin of error to “learn by making mistakes” as in the past. Despite reputable programs like Vistage and lots of satisfied small businesses, the coaching industry overall has a less than stellar reputation.

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Interviewing Confidence AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

.  Key quote from the paper's abstract on what it covers: It argues that coworking is a complex social phenomenon that can be differentiated from other spatial concepts that relate to work, learning and social interactions. Most are written in a manner that makes them very hard to wade through. 

Collaborate 100

Collaborate Environment Learning 100

Small Business Labs

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

This event was hosted by Intuit and attended by about 40 leading accounting profession practitioners, industry analysts and media. The think tank was designed to gather input and feedback from this group of industry experts on the major trends and shifts impacting the accounting profession. The group agreed outsourcing was a threat.

2011 100

2011 Skills Learning UPS 100

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. About 160,000 units were sold for $12 billion, the second highest number ever recorded. "All

Yahoo 100

Yahoo 2013 2012 International 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 16, 2013

The robotics industry continues to grow, innovate and create new products.   A good example is Baxter, a general purpose industrial robot from ReThink Robotics. But the big shift has been the growth of machine learning (also called artificial intelligence). We don't yet need to run for cover due to a Cylon attack.

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Equipment AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

  The term and methods have been widely adopted in Silicon Valley and his blog, Lessons Learned , has become a Mecca for software and web entrepreneurs.    If you read articles on lean startups, you will learn about agile programming methods, open source tools and rapid code development. 

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2020 Google Facebook Learning 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 25, 2014

While well known in the museum industry, the Center for the Future of Museums isn't well known in other industries.  It's a rare week when we don't learn something of value from this newsletter.  This is too bad, they do really good work.   trends'

2014 100

2014 AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

They're also looking enhanced social experience, networking, community support and help and opportunities to learn new skills. But like most of the rest of the commercial real estate industry, they have only recently figured out coworking is a trend and not a fad. They are looking for more than just a place to work.

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Environment Networking Skills Learning 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 11, 2014

What is Work to a Millennial : Great article in Chief Learning Officer on how Millennials view work compared to other generations. Not only will the millennials job- and industry-hop, but they will career hop, too. Not only will the millennials job- and industry-hop, but they will career hop, too.

Social Media 100

Social Media Interviewing Learning 100

Small Business Labs

MAY 11, 2012

.  - At the State University of New York in Delhi , pets of staff and faculty members receive free medical care and grooming as part of the hands-on learning of veterinary students.   No wonder we like pet trends so much.

Medical 100

Medical 2011 Stress Learning 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 16, 2012

  For those outside of the tech industry, the lean startup movement is based on quickly and inexpensively creating a product that can be tested with customers.  "Build-measure-learn" is a daily occurrence with food trucks.  "Build-measure-learn" is a daily occurrence with food trucks.

Restaurants 100

Restaurants Goals Learning 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 15, 2013

Key quote from their press release: Machines are evolving from automating basic tasks to becoming advanced self-learning systems as capable as the human brain in many highly specialized professions.   industry structure trends Web/Tech'   But machines also create opportunities and will likely do so again.

2020 100

2020 AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 28, 2013

Job Growth and Education Requirements is a comprehensive new report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce that projects job growth by industry and occupation to 2020. Online education and other forms of learning will also work for many.

Skills 100

Skills 2020 Stress Forms 100

Small Business Labs

JUNE 28, 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. Talent also clusters, both to share information and also to have access to networks and new opportunities.

AT&T 162

AT&T Networking Learning 162

Small Business Labs

JUNE 10, 2011

We enjoy following how different industries and organizations are looking at the future.    I like their tagline: "The future of education will be a customized, connected, amplified, authentic, resilient and relevant world of learning."   They even have a blog on the Future of Education. 

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2020 Learning 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 19, 2016

This is a key reason the coworking industry is experiencing explosive growth. Keep learning. Maybe we should change this to It's Really All About Networks.  Coworking spaces help independent workers build networks  and weak ties. professionals need to keep doing what they've always had to do: Work your connections.

2016 100

2016 Social Media Networking Interviewing 100

Small Business Labs

MARCH 4, 2013

It's clear at this point coworking is a trend and industry that will continue to grow.  We'll report on what we learn in future posts. But even though we included it our Future of Small Business report in early 2007, at that time we didn't expect it to take off as fast as it has.

2007 100

2007 AT&T Learning UPS 100

Small Business Labs

JULY 18, 2013

  The article is written for the tech industry in general and, more specifically, existing and future Internet firms. But there's also a great deal non-tech small businesses can learn from this article.  It goes on to lay out 10 things firms should consider when building mobile apps.

Learning 100

Learning 100

Small Business Labs

APRIL 22, 2013

They offer a distinctive model of revival from which cities in the US and beyond can learn. But it's exciting to see private industry and entrepreneurs working to revitalize this city.  It's of course way too early to know if Detroit can recover.   Economic Gardening trends'

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Finance Learning 100

Small Business Labs

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

 We wrote a follow-up article on this topic in 2012 after we learned high end nannies in New York and London could make more than $200,000 per year in total compensation. 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

AUGUST 2, 2010

  This partnership highlights a trend we posted on last week - the growing role hackerspaces and industrial coworking facilities  are playing as shared work environments for entrepreneurs and inventors.      TechShop still welcomes and caters to hobbyists.  Web/Tech women work/life balance

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2010 Retirement 2020 2005 100

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 6, 2011

  But I think small businesses can also learn from this article and be better prepared for industry changing events. How to Prepare for a Black Swan , from Strategy + Business, provides advice on how to identify enterprise Black Swan risks.    It's target audience is large corporations. 

2007 100

2007 AT&T Learning 100

Small Business Labs

MAY 18, 2011

But even people who've done the same job somewhere else before need to learn how your business runs.    In order to fit in and be productive, a new employee will have to learn those things.   Sure, if you hire someone with experience, they can do that to a certain extent. Individual Training.

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Training AT&T Skills Phones 100