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The Great Risk Shift - and Economic Insecurity - Continues
Small Business Labs
MAY 28, 2019
"Risk shift" is the trend towards economic and other risks - and the responsibility for risk management - being shifted from institutions to individuals.
Small Business Labs
23% of Traditional Full-Time Job Holders Plan to Switch to Gig Work
Small Business Labs
APRIL 9, 2019
According to MetLife's 2019 U.S. Employee Benefits Study, 23% of Americans with full-time traditional jobs intend to switch to gig work over the next 5 years. Another 14% say they are considering it.
More Small Businesses Turning to Online Lenders for Financing
Small Business Labs
APRIL 23, 2019
The Federal Reserve recently released its 2019 Small Business Credit Survey. A key finding is the use of online lending sources by small businesses is rapidly expanding.
GCUC 2019 - Coworking's Surge Continues
Small Business Labs
APRIL 22, 2019
The 2019 U.S. version of the Global Coworking Unconference Conference Series (GCUC) happened last week in Denver. Over 500 attendees showed up to discuss the state of the coworking industry and learn from one another.
What Freelancers Want From Their Clients
Small Business Labs
MARCH 14, 2019
As we pointed out earlier this week , firms of all sizes and types are increasing their use of freelancers and other forms of non-employee labor.
Community Lenders Creating Community Spaces - Credit Unions are Opening Coworking Spaces
Small Business Labs
APRIL 1, 2019
CreditUnions.com's article 3 Ways to Connect Through Coworking Spaces provides an excellent example of how coworking is spreading across industry verticals and niche markets. The article highlights 3 credit unions that have opened coworking spaces.
Uber and Lyft Offer to Compromise Over Driver Concerns
Small Business Labs
JUNE 13, 2019
Yesterday the CEO's of Uber and Lyft published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle offering to support efforts to improve the working conditions, wages and rights of their drivers.
Deloitte on the Future of Work
Small Business Labs
MAY 13, 2019
Deloitte has become, in our opinion, one of the key go-to sources of information and analysis on the future of work. Their recent article Redefining work, workforces, and workplaces is a good example. In a relatively short article, it nicely synthesizes and explains "multiple converging trends and how they are already fundamentally changing all aspects of work."
Purpose and a Paycheck and the New Retirement
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 19, 2019
Purpose and a Paycheck is a new book from Chris Farrell, a leading expert on retirement and workforce issues facing people over the age of 50.
Outdoorsy - An Aribnb for RVs
Small Business Labs
JUNE 10, 2019
Outdoorsy claims to be the largest recreational vehicle (RV) rental marketplace. And we certainly don't know of a bigger one. RV owners use Outdoorsy to rent their idle RVs to people who want to hit the road but don't want to own an RV themselves.
"The Venture Capitalizaton of Belonging"
Small Business Labs
JUNE 4, 2019
Fast Company's Social clubs died out in America. Now, venture capital is bringing them back provides an interesting look at the changing landscape of American social clubs. The article starts by pointing out the long decline in the membership of traditional clubs. Key quote: "Over the last few decades, sociologists and political scientists have found that American clubs of all stripes–from youth service clubs to bowling leagues–have experienced steep declines in their memberships.
BCG on the New Freelancers
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 28, 2019
Last week the Big 3 strategy consulting firm BCG released THE NEW FREELANCERS: TAPPING TALENT IN THE GIG ECONOMY , a study on "those who find temporary work through digital labor-sharing platforms."
What Independent Consultants Want
Small Business Labs
APRIL 30, 2019
The Forbes article Breaking The Faustian Pact: What Motivates Professionals In A Gig Economy World? covers a study comparing the motivations of independent consultants with consultants working at big consulting firms. As the article chart below shows (click to enlarge), there are big differences.
Modern Homesteading and the Trend Towards Greater Independence
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 7, 2019
The trend towards desiring greater levels independence - and the autonomy, control and flexibility that comes with it - takes many forms.
Podcasting Entering the Mainstream
Small Business Labs
APRIL 11, 2019
In case you hadn't heard, podcasting is booming. According to The Infinite Dial 2019 , an annual survey conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, more than half of all adult Americans have listened to one.
Fiverr Going Public
Small Business Labs
JUNE 3, 2019
Despite choppy equity markets, gig economy companies continue to go public. Next up is the online talent marketplace Fiverr , which filed their IPO prospectus a few weeks ago.
The Most Common Professions of Skilled Freelancers Working for Businesses
Small Business Labs
MARCH 19, 2019
We're often asked what the most popular professions are for freelancers and independent workers. This is not as easy a question to answer as it seems. Independent workers serve all industries, work with both businesses and consumers and participate in pretty much every job type and profession.
Coworking is Disruptive Innovation
Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 27, 2018
The term disruptive innovation was coined by Harvard professor Clayton Christensen and popularized by his classic 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma.
Connecting Artisan Makers With Retailers and Customers a Rapidly Growing Industry
Small Business Labs
DECEMBER 17, 2018
Two companies that connect artisan makers with retailers and customers announced large funding rounds last week. The wholesale marketplace Faire raised $100 million while the wholesale and licensing business Minted said they raised $208 million.
Why Independent Work and Coworking Increase Mental and Physical Well-Being
Small Business Labs
OCTOBER 16, 2018
McKinsey's The overlooked essentials of employee well-being focuses on how companies can improve the well-being of their employees.
Academic Studies Show Gig Economy Larger Than Government Data Suggests
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 7, 2019
Several papers related to the gig economy presented last week at the American Economic Association annual meeting caught our eye.
A Look at Non-Employer Businesses from the SBA
Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Advocacy recently released A Look at Non-Employer Businesses , a one-page summary of key data on non-employers businesses. "Non-employer"
Study Says Over Half of Older Workers Suffer Involuntary Job Loss
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 8, 2019
ProPublica's If You’re Over 50, Chances Are the Decision to Leave a Job Won’t be Yours covers a fascinating study looking at the job paths of workers aged 50 or older. The study used data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study.
Coworking Doesn't Need a New Name, But the Office Space Industry Does
Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 26, 2018
There's a mini controversy going on around whether or not coworking needs a new name. The recent Allwork article Why Coworking Needs a New Definition covers the new name side.
Results from the European Freelancers Study
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
The European online talent marketplace Malt and the European Forum for Independent Professionals recently released Freelancing in Europe , a study based on a survey of close to 1,000 European freelancers. The results are generally consistent with studies of U.S. freelancers.
The Rise of "Wealth Work"
Small Business Labs
MARCH 11, 2019
Quartz's Life coaches are the new personal trainer highlights a trend we've been tracking since 2008 , the growth of personal services. These are what noted labor economist David Autor calls "wealth work" A good example is the growth are personal trainers.
Accountants Save Small Businesses Time, Money and Stress at Tax Time
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 24, 2019
According to a recent Intuit survey , about 60% of small businesses with fewer than 20 employees use outside accountants to help them with their taxes. And as the study chart below shows, this saves the vast majority of them time, money and stress.
Kauffman Foundation Indicators Show U.S. Entrepreneurship Near 20 Year High
Small Business Labs
MARCH 5, 2019
The Kauffman Foundation recently introduced the Kauffman Indicators of Early Stage Entrepreneurship. The indicators cover: Rate of new entrepreneurs : The broadest measure possible for business creation by population.
"Job Crafting", Independent Work and the American Dream
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 12, 2019
"Job crafting" describes the ways in which employees redesign and customize their jobs to foster greater work satisfaction and engagement. This is done by breaking a job into tasks and then deciding what to do less and more of.
Colliers on Coworking - It's "Established, Expanding and Evolving"
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 5, 2019
Colliers International, a global real estate services and investment management company, recently released their 2019 U.S. Flexible Workspace Outlook Report.
32 Million Americans Say They Will Start a Business in 2019. Most Won't.
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 3, 2019
According to a recent Job Creators Network Foundation survey , "Sixteen-percent of Americans say they are likely to start a new business in 2019." " This works out to about 32 million Americans. Most won't.
Food Delivery Continues Fund Raising and Rapid Expansion
Small Business Labs
MAY 21, 2019
Over the past couple of weeks both DoorDash and London based food delivery company Deliveroo announced substantial funding rounds.
Mercer's Global Talent Trends - Disruption and Greater Use of Non-Employee Labor Ahead
Small Business Labs
MARCH 4, 2019
The global human capital consulting and services firm Mercer recently released their annual Global Talent Trends study. For the 2019 edition of this study, they surveyed over 7,300 business executives, HR leaders, and employees from around the world on a variety of talent and HR issues.
U.S. Birth Rates Continue to Fall
Small Business Labs
MAY 20, 2019
The Axios article The American Baby Bust covers the latest fertility data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Key quote: "The U.S. fertility rate has reached a record low, and the total number of births in 2018 was the lowest it has been in more than 30 years."
Deloitte on the Alternative (Meaning Gig) Workforce
Small Business Labs
APRIL 29, 2019
Deloitte's article The alternative workforce: It's now mainstream is taken from their 2019 Human Capital Trends report. It covers the use of alternative labor - contractors, freelance/independent workers, gig, and crowd workers - by corporations.
According to the National Labor Relations Board, Uber Drivers are Contractors
Small Business Labs
MAY 16, 2019
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled this week that Uber drivers are contractors. The major impact of this ruling is gig workers are unlikely to be able to form or join unions. This follows a ruling by the U.S.
McKinsey's Bias Busters Collection
Small Business Labs
MARCH 18, 2019
McKinsey's Bias Busters Collection covers how are decisions are often affected by cognitive and/or organizational biases.
Half of U.S. Full-Time Employees Plan to Defer Retirement Due to Financial Reasons
Small Business Labs
APRIL 2, 2019
MetLife recently released their 2019 U.S. Employee Benefits study. It's the 17th year they've done this study. The study is based on a survey of 2,675 adult Americans with a full-time job at companies with at least two employees.
Most CFO's Use Non-Employee Labor for Major Initiatives
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 28, 2019
New research from Robert Half Management Resources found nearly seven in 10 CFOs (69 percent) use non-employee labor for major one-time business initiatives, such as an acquisition or system implementation.
Accor Hotels Major Coworking Push
Small Business Labs
MAY 7, 2019
Accor, which is a large French multi-national hotel and hospitality company , announced a plan to develop 1200 coworking spaces over the next 3 years. If they do it, they will become the leading coworking brand in Europe by 2022 and one of the largest in the world.
This Old Marketing Farewell Episode: Sometimes the End Is a Beginning
Small Business Labs
DECEMBER 22, 2017
PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher. . In our grand finale episode, Robert kicks things off by pondering the decision to end something, so that something else can begin.
JWT Intelligence's Top 100 Trends for 2019
Small Business Labs
DECEMBER 3, 2018
The 2019 edition of one of our favorite trend reports - JWT Intelligence's annual forecast of 100 trends to watch in the coming year - is out. Yes, it really covers 100 trends across 10 broad categories.
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