7 Strategies for Coming Up With Your Best Ideas Yet

With so much emphasis being placed on new technology, it’s easy to forget about the one thing that got you where you are today – and I’m not talking about your innovation, willpower, or proven track record. I’m talking about your brain.

Finding business ideas

Your ability to think on your feet and make informed decisions has helped you become a true expert in your field. But as you move up the corporate ladder, you can become further and further removed from the heart of your business – so much so that it can affect the way you think about it.

In my industry, for example, conventional wisdom told us that people wanted to see a storage unit before renting it.…

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The Greatest Leadership Trait? Being Authentic

Do you remember how leaders used to be? They were patriarchal, unquestioned and respected (or feared) by their workforce merely because of their position. As time passed and society changed, the most admired leaders were those deemed to be charismatic. Great leaders needed strong personalities.

More recently, there has been another shift. These days, there’s a call for leaders with strong emotional intelligence. Leaders now need also to be genuine. They need to be authentic. But what does this mean? And how can you, as a leader, be authentic?

Authentic business leader

Listen

If you genuinely listen to your people, three things happen. Firstly, you get important insight into what the key issues (and best ideas) for your business are.…

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CEOs: Meet and Connect with Jon Miller

The month long celebrations of the 1 year anniversary of The Made in NY Media Center by IFP are truly starting off in style. Members of the Media center will get a chance to meet Jon Miller, former AOL/Time Warner Chairman.

Face to Face with Success contest by Made in New York Media Center by IFP

The Media Center is a space where you can find dedicated desk space and opportunities for business development and mentorship. It also provides members with a platform to connect with other entrepreneurs, technologists, storytellers and visionaries.

This 20,000-square-foot facility is located on the ground floor of 30 John Street in DUMBO at the intersection of John and Jay Street. It features co-working spaces, a 72-seat screening room, an art gallery and café.…

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5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Nonprofit Partner

Glancing at most news reports doesn’t exactly inspire confidence on the subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Stories often detail companies cheating consumers, running scams, and fattening CEOs’ wallets while leaving employees and consumers to pick up the pieces.

corporate social responsibility

And sure, those companies exist. But the good news is that there are many businesses that build charity and social good into their core mission — and reap the cultural and financial rewards of doing so.

People are becoming more educated and increasingly compassionate about the world around them, which makes them more inclined to support companies that also aim to improve their communities.…

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Are you Making The Best Use of your Resources?

Small business, by definition, is something that is run out of minimal resources and budget. It is hence quintessential for these business owners to make the best use of what is available and thus extract the maximum mileage out of their resources. What this means is that SMBs get very little leeway when it comes to experimentation and exploration of new channels. This is a vicious cycle because without experimentation, you can never know what’s best and what should be avoided.

Resources at hand

So how do small business CEOs get out of this catch-22 situation? Here are some tips.

Validate Everything

If you are a family run business with years of operation under your belt, it is likely that a lot of money you spend on marketing and operations are already budgeted for.…

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How to Manage Disruptive Elements and Change Management Within Small Businesses

When small businesses let go their conventional habits and look for improvement, various obstacles will start coming their way. These obstacles may be internal and external. Before a small business owner or manager tackles the external problems, he or she ought to manage the internal obstructions. If internal harmony prevails, the company that undergoes improvements can meet them in confidence.

Change management

It is normal that most of the new approaches receive discouragement, and the modifications will also face numerous obstacles. In preparing beforehand to meet these obstacles and facing them, will make any change management a success.

Enmity among Staff Members

This may more often appear in the transformation processes.…

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Property Developers: What NOT to Do

If you’re an amateur property developer, then it’s really easy to underestimate the cost of the build. We’ve put together a few hints and tips for you to make sure that you don’t make the big mistakes, and lose money on your investment.

Property development

Buying in the Wrong Area

When you’re buying a property to do up, you need to think very carefully about who will buy that property. If it’s an up-and-coming area, but it’s still not very nice, then no one will want spend a fortune to live there. You might think that it’s easy to find a gem, but houses on main roads or those in areas with poor transport links will always go for a cheaper price than the same house in a different place.…

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The Benefits of Owning a Commercial Fleet

In the modern age, there are a vast number of commercial fleet management solutions for small and medium sized businesses. The majority of these revolve around leasing models, as business owners have the opportunity to take temporary possession of high quality vehicles without assuming the burden of ownership. This is considered to be extremely beneficial, especially when you consider that cars tend to depreciate in value and the associated cost of pre-planned maintenance.

Commercial fleet

The 3 Main Benefits of Owning your Commercial Fleet

With asset finance available from Maxxia and similar firms, however, it is important to note that taking ownership of the vehicles in your commercial fleet can deliver genuine benefits in a flourishing economy.…

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How to Start a Haulage Business

With increasing demand for consumer goods in all kinds of different places, there is a large market to be targeted by anyone looking to make a start in the haulage business. A competitive industry with large players jockeying with smaller start-ups, it is a trade in which those who find a niche while managing to keep their costs as low as possible will be rewarded.

Haulage

Right Qualities

If you want to start a business in the industry then you ought to have a keen eye for efficiency so you can make sure your services are profitable. You need to know how the cost of commodities like petrol is changing on a daily basis and what they mean for your business as well as your ability to turn a profit.…

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Businesses to Watch Out for as 2015 Approaches

There’s lots happening in the world of ecommerce development, mobile technology and social media advertising right now. Billions are being invested, made and lost.

Here’s just a few major companies that you should be keeping a close watch on over the course of the coming year.

Flipkart

Binny and Sachin Bansal started Flipkart back in 2007. To say they’re the largest ecommerce store in India would be a serious understatement. The company just received $1 billion in investor funding, based on a whopping $7 billion valuation! (source)

Flipcart packaging

They started out selling only books on their site. And much like Amazon’s rise; they’ve grown into selling electronics, accessories, clothing, housewares, and even recently ventured into the mobile market – releasing their own signature mobile phablet: the Digiflip Pro XT 712.…

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