Browsing Tag
airbnb
23 posts
How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Gig Economy (and How Freelancers Can Pivot)
It’s hard to see any area of work and life that has been left untouched by COVID-19. This unprecedented pandemic has impacted industries and businesses of all sizes, and that includes the gig economy. In March, media like The New York Times predicted the erosion of the gig economy. However, many months later, the reality...
How the Gig Economy is Transforming Entrepreneurship
Think about the last time you trekked across town, ordered food or looked for a place to stay in a new city. The common thread linking all three experiences is that, chances are, you used an app that relies on workers in the gig economy. The gig economy isn’t just limited to the service and...
Tips for Turning Your Side Hustle Into a Thriving Full-Time Business
The story of my company, White Spider, began when I rented out the guest bedroom of my San Francisco apartment. I initially did it to make some quick cash to buy a used bike, but that weekend turned into many, and the bedroom became a mainstay on Airbnb. Eventually, I quit my high-paying job as...
The 5 Types of Entrepreneurs You Need on Your Startup’s Team
When you’re just getting started in a new business, what types of people do you need to attract to work alongside you? We studied that very challenge while researching our new book, “The Entrepreneur’s Faces.” We found that new ventures require radically different talents and skills. Yes, you need a great leader, but you also...
Why You Should Start a Business to Solve a Common Problem
Silicon Valley is known for its revolutionary ideas, grandiose statements and ability to challenge the status quo. By now, we’re all familiar with the classic persona of the Bay Area-located, hoodie-wearing techie, who tells their team to “move fast and break things” in order to “disrupt” entire industries. However, what those promising to change the...
Former Airbnb Chief Ethics Officer Says Integrity is a Superpower in Business
The following is adapted from "Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution" by Rob Chesnut (St. Martin’s Press, July 28, 2020) At Airbnb, the founders of the company realized from the beginning that integrity had to be the foundation of a business based on hosting complete strangers in your home. For one thing,...
Surviving Capital Raising During Marketplace Disruption From COVID-19
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on financial markets around the globe, which presents a formidable challenge for startups when it comes to raising capital. While investors generally hedge risk during uncertain and unpredictable times, the current financial turmoil doesn’t automatically mean the game is over for fledgling companies. It does, however, mean that entrepreneurs are going...
Why Empathy Makes Your Customers Love You More
The following is excerpted from The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success (A Playbook for Brands, Leaders, and Teams) by Maria Ross, 2019, Page Two When you encourage empathy among your workforce and parlay that mindset outward to customers, your company will thrive. Why? Because empathetic businesses better understand...
Use This Marketing Tactic to Boost Customer Engagement and Get More Sales
I’m sure you’ve seen this message (or something similar) on the bottom of a website when you’re shopping for clothes or a trip: “3 left at this price!” It’s a classic example of a nudge, one designed to get a consumer to make a purchase quickly. But what exactly is a nudge? Why have startup brands...
The Age of Resemblance: What Startups Can Learn When Successful Brands Start to Look the Same
Recently, at the AWS Loft in San Francisco, HubSpot’s co-founder and CEO, Brian Halligan, discussed how you build a startup and said, “I woke up this morning on my Casper mattress. I put on my Warby Parker glasses and then I picked up my phone and I listened to the Grateful Dead on Spotify.” He...
What 5 Global Businesses Get Right About Mission Statements
The most successful mission statements often have several key elements in common. Such statements are crafted to share, in brief, the short- and long-term plans of an organization. Mission statements have quickly turned into declarations that are inclusive, intentional and inspirational in nature. Customers respond positively to companies with mission statements that include these elements, so...
How Partnerships Can Elevate Your Startup’s Brand
When your brand is in the startup phase, one of the biggest challenges is growing your audience, let alone doing so cost-effectively. Traditional paid channels like social media and marketing campaigns require significant purse strings, and the ROI is far from guaranteed. But through partnerships, two brands can come together to grow their audiences in...
How This Entrepreneur Built a Side Hustle by Copying His Competitors
The following is excerpted from "How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital: The Four Rules You Must Break To Get Rich" by Nathan Latka, in agreement with Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © Nathan Latka, 2019. For more information, visit capitalistbook.com. You have to copy your...
Find Your Why and Identify Problems Worth Solving by Collecting and Connecting the Dots
The following is excerpted from "Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Earn Your Freedom and Do Work That Matters" by Steve Glaveski. Published by Wiley January 2019. All rights reserved. In the past 10 years, I’ve worked across the public sector, at a big four consulting firm, at an investment bank, and founded a web startup....
4 Ways to Make Your Startup Appeal to Modern Buyers
It's no secret that buyers have evolved with the digital age. With information at their fingertips and a need for speed, modern consumers are demanding more from businesses than ever before. While many companies are falling behind, others are rising to the challenge and exceeding the new buyer expectations with consumer-oriented customer experiences. Companies such...
To Innovate From Inside Your Industry, Get Inside the Heads of Your Customers
When you’re an expert in your field, it can be hard to challenge the assumptions that have helped you build your business and get to where you are today. However, those same assumptions won’t always get you to where you want to be tomorrow. Time and time again, the most revolutionizing forces pushing industries forward...
Think You’re Too Busy to Start a Side Hustle? Why You Might Be Wrong and 10 Ideas to Get Started
The term “side hustle” is a relatively new one, but the idea has been around for decades. Your full-time job likely supplies you with the income you need to stay afloat, but if you had a secondary part-time job, you could explore a passion, build wealth or just live a more opulent lifestyle. With more...
Start a Successful Business: Debunking the Myth of Innovation
The following is excerpted from "Start a Successful Business: Expert Advice to Take Your Startup from Idea to Empire" by Colleen DeBaise © 2018 AMACOM/AMA All rights reserved. Published by AMACOM Books www.amacombooks.org Division of American Management Association 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 “My idea must be a breakthrough.” Many people equate the idea of innovation...
The Startup Accelerator Guide: Choosing an In-Person or Virtual Program
The number of accelerator programs in the U.S. has grown tenfold over the last 10 years, meaning there are now over 250 accelerator programs available globally, each with their own industry specializations, benefits and drawbacks. There are also an increasing number of virtual accelerators, the more flexible version of their physical counterpart. With the plethora of...
4 Reasons to Get Your Side Hustle On
"Side hustle" is the new buzzword of this generation, but what exactly does it mean? To get your side hustle on means that in addition to your day job, you also have a second stream of income. Some are taking it to a new level and turning various side hustle options into a full-time business....