Check out e-weeks article about the Top 10 Things You Should Know About Social Networking - you might be surprised about some of them!  First and foremost, social networking efforts are mostly grassroots efforts led by a single user, not a company wide collaboration.  The U.S. Government and U.S. Marine Corps have both reviewed their use of social networks, for safety reasons - and the Marines have actually banned accessing it from their Enterprise Network.  And, maybe most surprisingly, it takes a company anywhere from 3-5 years to fully integrate social media efforts into their intranet capabilities.

Look Inside >> August 17, 2009

Fast Company provides an entertaining and fascinating list of who it considers The 100 Most Creative People in Business in their latest issue. I found many creative business people I knew of represented here, like Jonathan Ive (Apple) and Rich Ross (Disney), but also many I’d never heard of like Michelle Ganeless (Comedy Central) and Reed Hastings (NetFlix). Each entry includes a short description of why the person is considered a top creative business person, and I found reading about the people I didn’t know even more fascinating than reading about the ones I did.

Look Inside >>  June 2009

Inc. magazine has a fascinating profile of Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh, an innovative executive who is making the most out of the technological times we live in. Known for his aggressive use of technologies like twitter, as well as for fostering a compassionate, caring and unique workplace environment, Hsieh has grown Zappos.com from a small online shoe site to an major force in retail e-commerce. I found it really refreshing to learn things like Zappos.com doesn’t expect it’s call center workers to use scripts or timers (it’s all about the “personal emotional connection”).

Look Inside >>  May 2009

The latest issue of Inc. Magazine reveals some strategies for thriving even in these difficult economic times. In the article, In Times Like These You Get a Chance to Show Your Strength, best-selling business author Jim Collins looks at what we might expect to happen over the next 30 years, and how to profit from it.

Collins points out that lean economic times force entrepreneurs to put their best efforts forward, and create businesses that can emerge as strong enterprises as the economy improves. If you think hard economic times means the end of creative entrepreneurship, think again and give this article a read.

Look Inside >>  April 2009

It can be challenging in these difficult economic times, especially with all the problems in the housing market, to get a new home construction loan. Banks are wary and credit score requirements are much higher than in previous years, but if you’re careful and do your preparation you can still secure new home construction financing. Meeting the Five Challenges of Construction Financing can help you get all your ducks in a row and improve your chances of getting that perfect loan. The advice is from this month’s issue of Country’s Best Log Homes, but applies equally well to all kinds of new home projects.

Look Inside >> March 2009

In turbulent economic times, gold has always proved to be a sound investment and the latest issue of Coins magazine has an article on the history of gold in the U.S. that reinforces that maxim. In 2008, gold passed the $1,000/ounce price for the first time ever. In Gold’s Amazing Comeback you’ll learn about the history of the gold market and how it’s been performing during our current economic woes (hint: very, very good).

Full of stats, tables, and charts, this article will leave you feeling much more educated about the gold market. The history is fascinating as the article traces the days of gold being considered a primary asset of wealth to today where it is more considered an “asset of last resort.”

Like everything right now, the price of gold has been volatile — it’s ranged between $700 and $1000 this year — but it still stands out as a solid investment in trying times. Just click on the image below to read this article for free on Coverleaf.

Look Inside >> January 2009

Although the economy seems to be on a pretty wild roller-coaster ride these days, and one that has a lot more downhill track than uphill action, it may actually be a pretty good time to make a home purchase. Certainly if you don’t feel stable in your job or means of income it’s probably not a good idea to be making making major purchases, but if you have a relatively stable income, it’s looking more and more like a buyer’s home market. The latest issue of More magazine has an informative feature from Jean Chatzky, their financial columnist, on the state of the real estate market today and how to take advantage of hungry sellers. Buying a House in This Market: Crazy or Canny? offers up some sound advice for anyone considering buying a house in today’s real estate market.

Chatzky suggests that many sellers are getting so desperate that the standard practices for bidding on houses are falling by the wayside. “In the new economy math, your first offer on a house you’re interested in buying should be at least 10 percent below the asking price. Maybe even 15,” Chatzky advises. Not good news if you need to sell a house right now, but if you’ve been thinking about moving up, now could be a very good time.

Just click on the image below to read a free preview of this article from More magazine on Coverleaf.

Look Inside >> December 2008

Dave McCoy is the founder of the iconic California ski resort Mammoth Mountain. McCoy was born in 1915, but judging from the picture in the latest issue of Inc. Magazine the 93-year-old could probably run circles around me. How I Did It - Dave McCoy -Mammoth Mountain provides a fascinating glimpse into this amazing success story. McCoy put up his motorcycle for collateral for his first bank loan, and in 2005 he sold Mammoth Mountain resort to the Starwood Group for 365 million.

Look Inside >> December 2008

Just click on the image above for your free preview on Coverleaf.

Jim Sinegal is the CEO and co-founder of Costco and he likes to remain involved in the details Costco’s sprawling business. He answers his own phone, sends his own faxes, and enjoys talking to employees and customers. In the latest issue of Fast Company, Jeff Chu and Kate Rockwood interview Sinegal on a wide range of topics, from health care to politics to why he likes to keep such a hands-on presence in the retail giant’s business.

Even in these trying economic times, Costco has remained profitable and continues to grow. In their 25th year, Costco is now America’s fourth largest retailer and has seen revenues grow by 70% in the last five years. This August Costco saw their same-store revenues grow by 9%.

Sinegal is frank about his opinions of Wall St. analysts and those who criticize Costco for the perception that they pay more attention to workers than shareholders. Sinegal chastises the analysts over unrealistic expectations and points out they’re in it for the long haul, “We’re trying to build a company that’s going to be here 50 and 60 years from now.”

I learned a lot from this fascinating interview — for instance did you know Costco has burgeoning online businesses selling coffins and wedding floral arrangement packages?

Click on the image below to read Thinking Outside the Big Box for free on Coverleaf.com.

Look Inside >> November 2008

A case study in the current issue of Inc. highlights how GeneralSports Venue (GSV) handled a PR crisis, when shortly after licensing the “AstroTurf” name and rebranding their entire artificial turf product line with the well-known brand, news came out that some older AstroTurf fields contained high amounts of lead. In Anatomy of a Business Decision, we get to follow the steps that GSV CEO Jon Pritchett took to respond to the issues, which seemed like a looming PR crisis for his small company. After licensing and rebranding with the AstroTurf moniker, GSV was making serious gains in the artificial turf business, and then the news stories hit about high lead levels in a 10-year-old AstroTurf field in Newark, and the whole business seemed in jeopardy.

It’s fascinating to read how Pritchett and his fellow executives handled the crisis — they were not at fault for the problematic fields, but by having taken on the brand name of the company that was, there was serious risk to their business. After several days of intense meetings Pritchett decided to face the crisis head-on and scheduled a press conference with scientists to explain the situation and downplay the risks. While not everyone agreed with the plan that might draw even more attention to the potential problems with AstroTurf, in the end Pritchett’s decision seems to have been the correct one. Immediately after their press conference, news stories about the problems with AstroTurf were more forgiving, and GVS’s business has continued to grow.

You can read the case study for free on Coverleaf.com, just click on the image below for your free preview.

Look Inside >> September 2008