Today’s roundup starts with the good news/bad news of increased hiring but lowered hours (and wages) and includes an article on why women leaders need confidence and how to turn $1,000 into $66 million.
Small businesses increase hiring, decrease hours in November
Here’s the good news: U.S. small businesses added 55,000 jobs in November—an increase of 15,000 from October. So what’s the bad news? As Reuters reports, the average workweek fell 0.3 percent from last month to 24.9 hours and the average monthly salary decreased 0.18 percent to $2,637. Why? My guess is seasonal hiring is up, but part time isn’t all that lucrative. Is your business hiring?
The secret of turning $1,000 into $66 million
Don’t zone out yet—this is really possible. As Barbara Corcoran explains in a 90-second video on The Huffington Post, she started her real estate company with $1,000 and sold it years later for $66 million by having blind faith and learning as she went. Moral: be fearless!
Why Silicon Valley startup founders should quit whining and get to work
It isn’t uncommon to sleep under your desk while working at a startup. Or cry in the middle of a meeting due to exhaustion. But as written on Uncrunched, those actions are just part of the program. Every successful technology company started somewhere—a place that usually involved lots of late nights and cold pizza. But (for the ones that made it) the struggle was worth it. Extra bonus: check out the backlash article written by the man whose diary was quoted in the Uncrunched piece. Yikes.
Five great Twitter handles to follow for business ideas
If you’re like me, you spend a few hours per week trying to find the most innovative people/publications to follow on Twitter. Now Kara Ohngren has made it easier for us. As she writes on Entrepreneur, some of the best handles to follow include @springwise, @kickstarter and @coolhunting.
Women need self-confidence to lead
Why is it that powerful, aggressive women are considered (enter a negative expletive) when the same traits are applauded in men? As Leslie Pratch of Harvard Business Review writes, women are stereotypically expected to exhibit qualities such as concern for others, emotional expressiveness and self-sacrifice. Not power. So how can women break through barriers and lead organizations? They need serious self-confidence—a trait that shows gender is irrelevant in business situations.
30 gift ideas for small business owners
It’s time for the most dreaded part of the year: the secret Santa gift exchange at your networking group. You don’t want to recreate last year’s white elephant gift, so what should you buy? As Jared O’Toole of Under30CEO writes, there are plenty of perfect options, such as a chamber of commerce membership, a ticket to a business conference, a subscription to a press release service, and money towards legal fees.
DoubleClick co-founder: lessons learned along the way
Kevin O’Connor, co-founder of DoubleClick and current CEO of FindTheBest, is an entrepreneur extraordinaire. As he writes on Mashable, he’s learned nine key lessons along the way, such as innovating and investing constantly, supporting a meritocracy with your company and never writing off rebels…innovators are sometimes the most unpopular of the bunch.
