Posts Tagged ‘Innovation’
Small Business in a Time of Technophobia
If there’s one thing that absolutely will not stop, it’s the inexorable march of technology and innovation. Unfortunately, too many small business owners either don’t understand or are plain ignorant of this fact. According to the first ever CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey, only about 36 percent of respondents use a business website to communicate news…
Read MoreWhat More Payment Processing Options Means for E-Commerce Startups
I see many of the changes in the online payments industry impacting what businesses will have to consider when they add or manage their payment processing systems. This is especially the case for startup founders like myself. The information presented below is based on findings from the customers who use our payment processing platform, and is focused…
Read MoreWhy Small Businesses Need to Embrace AR and VR Now
When you go to buy a new smartphone these days, oftentimes they come with virtual reality headsets. While they are fun to play around with and there are some neat games available, you might find yourself wondering what the practical real-world application for them might be. The truth is developers are just starting to dip…
Read MoreNew Manufacturing Jobs Require New Manufacturing Skills
Making spare parts doesn’t sound like ground zero for a technological revolution. But at a time when the entire manufacturing workforce is bracing itself for the changes sweeping the industry, the concept of “replacements” takes on extra resonance. I recently met with managers on the shop floor of an industrial machining company, discussing the challenge…
Read More4 Ways to Live It Up and Prosper in the New Marketing Era
We have been living in the era of marketing, ever since cavemen bartered food for pots. The Internet enables marketing to reach levels way beyond what was possible 30 or even 20 years ago. There are many ways in which marketing has changed in the modern era. Here are four tips to help you live…
Read More7 New Business Realities Challenging Every Business
Even small business have a global reach these days, thanks to the Internet. Thus every entrepreneur and business owner needs to see their market in that context, understanding the global forces that will impact them sooner or later. This impact can be positive, as a huge untapped opportunity, or negative as a global competitor invades…
Read MoreCould You Be the Next Ford, Jobs, or Musk?
Well, it’s a fair question. Note that none of these three famous innovators were inventors like Thomas Edison, but visionaries who find a new marketplace or niche – or how to reach the mass market in new ways. Leaders and companies that innovate new products, services and methods of delivery are the ones that stand…
Read MoreRespect: Thomas Edison’s Accomplishments Go Beyond the Bulb to Modern R&D
It’s impossible to overestimate the influence that Thomas Edison’s accomplishments have had on modern life. Although Edison (1847–1931) is best known as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture, these innovations are a fraction of Edison’s legacy. More than 85 years after his death, his accomplishments in the field…
Read MoreHow to Build a Service Business with an IoT Framework
What is the machine of the future? It’s still an assembly of parts, gears, and electronics—but that’s not all. The machine of the future is also an integrated collection of sensors and actuators connected by software (think Tesla). That’s according to Dr. Timothy Chou, author of Precision: Principles, Practices, and Solutions for the Internet of Things (Crowdstory, 2016).…
Read MoreThe Future of Contactless Payments for Businesses and Consumers
During the last few years, the way we pay for everyday products has changed dramatically. After saying goodbye to the signature, the era of Chip and Pin transactions has given way to contactless methods, leading to faster payment processes and the first steps in the creation of digital wallets. It would appear that contactless is…
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