If you've been to a business networking event, you've no doubt been bombarded by elevator pitches. At the end of the night, though, only a few will stand out in your mind — and fewer still will result in sought-after contacts. What sets those pitches apart, and how can you ensure that yours generates interest and conversation?
Whether you're looking for investors or just trying to get people interested in your business, your success depends on your ability to explain what makes your business unique and to hook your listener in less than a minute. Entrepreneurs and business professionals share their best tips for writing and delivering a great elevator pitch.
Start off strong. "Eighty percent of your success will depend on your opening line. It must snag your listener's interest and make them want to know more. Do this right, and your prospects will follow you, wanting more." – Bert Martinez, founder and president of Bert Martinez Communications
Tell what you do, not what you are. "'I'm an accountant.' 'I'm a chiropractor.' 'I'm a virtual assistant.' This kind of answer only gives a tiny glimpse into what you really do. There's nothing about this kind of answer that is going to set you apart from the hundreds or thousands of other people doing the same thing. Plus, it can be boring! And no one wants to be boring." – Jennifer Martin, founder of Zest Business Consulting
Repeat key information. "Oftentimes, people mention their business name only once, or not at all. It is much more useful to say, 'My name is Steve Schwartz. I'm a website designer with PD-go! Web Solutions.' Then, at the end of the pitch, say it again: 'I'm Steve Schwartz with PD-go! Web Solutions.' Repetition is important. That's why you hear the website address or phone number several times in a radio ad — it helps it sink in!" – Steve Schwartz, owner of PD-go! Web Solutions
Be interesting, but authentic. "While creating interest and value is key, remember to be authentic and realistic. Making outlandish claims about your company will eventually be discovered, and your integrity will be diminished." – Ed Cederquist, CEO and co-founder of bistroMD
Prioritize your pitch. "Be specific, but use plain language when describing the problem your product or service solves. If it solves several problems, prioritize and stick with the most important one. Stick with what problem you are solving, who will benefit the most from your solution and why people should believe that you can do it." – Andrey Mihailenko, vice president of marketing and sales at Targetprocess
Know your audience. "When crafting your elevator pitch, you first need to think about who you'll be in the elevator with. A good pitch will shift depending on the audience you're trying to reach. Lead with the information that the recipient will care most about, and the rest will follow." – Andrew Cross, senior account director at Walker Sands Communications
Focus on what matters. "Avoid telling your listener that you have a 'revolutionary idea.' Whatever you're pitching is not revolutionary. Words like that can automatically put investors off. Instead, explain why you are the person to do this and why you're solving this problem [based on] your experiences." – Ebong Eka, CPA and author of "Start Me Up!: The No-Business Plan Business Plan" (Career Press, 2014)
Keep it conversational. "You want to stand out and generate excitement. Don't regurgitate a memorized pitch that sounds like a pharmaceutical ad. When I hear a pitch, I don't necessarily want to feel like I am being pitched. I would rather have it be more conversational. Start with the problem you are trying to solve, the way the current alternatives are lacking. Then, briefly describe your solution." – John Torrens, assistant professor of entrepreneurial practice at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management
Think about your end goal. "You should build your exit strategy along with your business plan. Investors [hearing your pitch] want to know that you've evaluated the risk and have thought your plan through from soup to nuts." – Summer Kramer, founder of SummerSkin
Make a connection. "An elevator speech is an important networking tool. It should serve as a verbal business card that provides a brief, compelling introduction to one's company and intrigues new acquaintances to seek more information. At your earliest opportunity [after giving your pitch], express an interest in your new acquaintance and learn as much as you can about him or her. The information you gain will provide insight as you proceed with efforts to build a genuine, mutually beneficial relationship." – Juana Hart, founder of J-Hart Communications
"Finish your pitch by asking the other person what they do. It starts an actual conversation and allows you to actually connect, even after the elevator ride is over." – Stacey Hawley, founder of Credo
Tell, don't sell. "A big part of your job is to motivate people to act, whether you're trying to close funding, attract talent or acquire new customers. [To do this], you have to be prepared to tell a compelling and unforgettable story that draws your audience in. When it comes to pitching your startup, my advice is to tell, not sell your story." – Sue McGill, co-founder and executive director of JOLT
Open the door to continue the conversation. "Your elevator pitch is simply an introduction to your company, not a sale you have to close. End by summarizing your top talking points and offering a way for the prospect to get in touch with you. Be sure to have your business card on hand." — Alex Membrillo, founder and CEO of Cardinal Web Solutions
Some jobs are worse for your waistline than others, new research finds.
Employees who spend their days sitting behind a desk or working in an office are the ones most likely to be gaining weight, according to a new study from CareerBuilder.
Specifically, 51 percent of professional and business services employees have packed on some extra pounds in their current position, with 48 percent of IT professionals having done the same. Other industries where more than 35 percent of workers have gained weight include financial services, health care, sales, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing and retail.
Middle-age workers are the most prone to bulking up. The research found that 45 percent of workers between ages 35 and 54 gained weight in their position, compared with just 38 percent of those under age 35 and 39 percent of those over age 55.
While age does play a role, job level doesn't. Workers in management roles are equally likely as those in non-management positions to have put on weight at their present jobs.
Overall, nearly 60 percent of U.S. workers feel they are overweight, up from 55 percent a year ago, with 42 percent having gained weight in their present job.
The study discovered several ways employees feel their jobs are contributing to their weight gain. More than half of those who have added pounds in their current position blame it on sitting at a desk most of the day, while 43 percent say its because their job makes them too tired to exercise regularly.
In addition, nearly 40 percent say they're eating more than they should because of the stress of their job. The research revealed a strong connection between on-the-job stress levels and overweight workers. Less than half of employees who report extremely low stress levels feel they are overweight, compared with 70 percent of workers with extremely high stress levels.
"The health of a company's workforce is a paramount issue for many employers, as neglecting it can significantly dampen workplace morale and productivity," Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder's chief human resources officer, said in a statement. "There's a clear incentive to make wellness and work-life balance a focus of organizational culture, and we're encouraged to see many companies making them a priority year-after-year."
The study found that nearly 30 percent of U.S. workers have access to employer-sponsored wellness benefits, including onsite workout facilities and gym passes. Despite that, however, 63 percent of those employees don't take advantage of this benefit.
Not everyone is gaining weight, though: 16 percent of employees have actually slimmed down in their current job. The study shows that those workers tend to snack and eat takeout for lunch less, exercise more and take advantage of their employers' wellness benefits. They are also less likely to eat lunch at their desk each day.
CareerBuilder offers several tips for employees who are looking to stay fit:
Take walks: Get off the bus or train at an earlier stop and walk the remaining distance. Take the stairs at work, go for a stroll during lunch, or walk over to someone's desk instead of sending an email. The key is to increase activity throughout the day.
Stay hydrated: Drinking water not only makes you feel full, it can also help cut down on calories from sugary drinks.
Pack a lunch: Packing a lunch is an easy way to choose a healthy option and control portion sizes.
Try fruit or veggies: Employees should keep some of their favorite healthy snacks in the break room refrigerator so they'll be less tempted to go to the vending machine.
Keep a food journal: It helps keep track of calories and identify peak snacking times, which can assist in modifying behavior.
The study was based on surveys of more than 3,000 full-time U.S. workers across a wide range of industries and company sizes.
While you might think you're losing a customer when an item is returned, the opposite could actually be happening depending on how easy the process is, new research finds.
Creating positive return experiences can result in valuable long-term customers whose contributions far outweigh the costs associated with those initial returns, according to a new study in the Journal of Marketing Research.
"Product returns are no small part of the firm-customer exchange process, currently costing firms about $100 billion annually," the study's authors wrote. "However, these same returns create long-term value because customers who feel there is little risk in making the wrong purchase keep coming back."
To help determine the extent to which product returns benefit businesses, researchers conducted a large-scale experiment with 26,000 customers over six months from an online retailer.
For the experiment, customers were divided into several groups that had the return process marketed to them differently. The control group received no marketing effort, several groups received traditional marketing approaches to product-returning customers, and a model group had a marketing tactic that factored in both the consumer's positive attitude toward returns, as well as the cost to the company of those returns.
The results showed that marketing efforts toward the model group achieved the highest profits. Researchers discovered that when managers took into consideration not only the cost of the return process but the positive effect of returns on customers, and targeted marketing accordingly, they brought in $1.8 million, compared with the control group's $1.22 million.
The study's authors said that by paying attention to product returns, instead of ignoring them or simply accepting them as a necessary cost, businesses were better able to strategize ways to reduce the cost of the return process overall.
"Retailers who do not consider product returns in their measure of customer value (even simply as a cost that needs to be managed) are missing out on profits they could be obtaining by understanding and allocating resources to product-returning customers," the researchers wrote. "Paying attention to these customers pays off."
The study was authored by Andrew Petersen, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of North Carolina, and V. Kumar, the Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair Professor in Marketing at Georgia State University.
With college graduation season underway, the class of 2015 is eagerly awaiting that all-important piece of paper that officially releases them into the working world. New grads often believe that a diploma is their ticket to employment, and in some cases, they're right — but overall, employers are more focused on workplace skills than degrees.
A recent study by ZipRecruiter found that just 21 percent of the jobs posted on its website specifically ask that candidates have a college degree. This is about on par with the Bureau of Labor Statistics' estimation that 33 percent of U.S. jobs require a college degree. While ZipRecruiter posited that the possession of a degree may be assumed for higher-level jobs, it seems that across the board, experience in the field and pertinent skills and training trumped a diploma or a good GPA.
Even graduates themselves have found that skills are more valuable to their careers than their degrees. In a 2014 Glassdoor survey, nearly three-quarters of employees said their employers value work experience and related skills more than education when evaluating job candidates, with 53 percent saying a graduate degree is no longer necessary to secure a high-paying job.
There's no question that higher education still factors into career success, as 82 percent of Glassdoor respondents said their college diplomas have helped them in the workplace. But job seekers need to realize that there's more to landing a job and advancing their careers than holding a degree.
"For any employee looking to earn a bigger salary or move up the corporate ladder, they should do their research on how their industry is evolving, including identifying specific skill sets that are in demand," Rusty Rueff, Glassdoor career and workplace expert, said in a statement. "Going back to school may be one way to learn and improve, but there are also nontraditional ways, such as certificate programs, boot camps, webinars, online nondegreed courses, conferences and more."
So which specific skills do today's employers want to see in job candidates? According to ZipRecruiter's analysis of 250,000 of its job ads, the following six qualifications appeared most frequently:
Communication (51 percent)
Time management (21 percent)
Ability to work well within a team (19 percent)
Independent motivation (12 percent)
Specific experience in Microsoft Office (11 percent)
Ability to work in fast-paced environment (7 percent)
Since communication skills are so high on the priority list for many employers, it makes sense that the whole process of landing a job revolves being able to communicate well, said Allan Jones, chief marketing officer of ZipRecruiter.
"When you're writing your résumé, make sure that it doesn't have grammatical errors, that it only has the most relevant information and that it tells your story as a job seeker in a way that highlights your positive aspects in an honest way," Jones told Business News Daily.
Additionally, Jones advised having a prepared plan for what you can do on day one of your new job to help the company, and explaining that during the interview.
"That's a great way to showcase your communication skills, and it shows you're serious about the job and the company," Jones said.
Additional reporting by Chad Brooks, Business News Daily senior writer.
The G4 sports a big 5.5-inch screen and a leather back. Credit: LG
LG's new flagship smartphone looks ready to take on Samsung's Galaxy S6, but can it match that phone's business credentials? The LG G4 was revealed this week as a brand-new Android device, with enough features and performance to woo consumers. But LG has its work cut out for it if it wants to persuade business users to adopt its handset over Samsung's new flagship, which was good enough to be named our favorite overall business phone.
The G4 – which doesn't have a firm release date yet but is expected to launch in the coming weeks – does have a few advantages over its closest rivals, though. While we wait to get our hands on the G4 for review, here's an early look at what makes the device good for business – and where it falls short.
The design
While Samsung took a page out of Apple's playbook with the sleek, glass-backed Galaxy S6, LG has gone in a totally different direction with the G4. It sports a leather back, with stitching detail that gives it the look of a leather handbag. I'd say it's a nice look for a business phone, especially one that you'll be paying a premium price for. Plus, it makes the G4 easier to hang onto than devices made from metal or plastic, so you're less likely to drop it. That's a good feature in a work device that you depend on.
Otherwise, the G4 looks a lot like last year's G3, with a sharp 5.5-inch display and a slim profile. The gently curved backside also still includes the same rear-facing volume and power buttons. LG says they're easier to reach than buttons on a smartphone's edges, though it really comes down to personal preference.
If you don't like leather, you can still buy the G4 with a plastic back. In fact, the back is actually removable, so it can be swapped out on the fly. The snap-off back panel also allowed LG to include two key features that Samsung nixed in its latest Galaxy smartphone: a removable battery and an SD card slot.
Battery and storage
In a quest to make the Galaxy S6 slimmer and sleeker than last year's model, Samsung removed the ability to swap out the battery in its latest flagship phone, and also decreased its capacity. That's a potential downside for road warriors who need a work phone that lasts and lasts. We don't know how long the G4 will run on a charge – we haven't yet had a chance to put it through our battery life test – though we do know it packs a beefier battery than the S6.
Plus, you can swap out a dead G4 battery for a fully charged spare on a long business flight, if you're willing to spend money on a spare, something that's not possible with the sealed unibody design of the S6. You'll probably also be able to purchase an extended battery for the G4, which would add some thickness, but could potentially double your staying power, ensuring you can stay connected well beyond the end of the workday.
The other advantage of the G4's removable back plate is that it makes room for an SD card slot, which lets you expand the phone's internal storage. That's a feature that existed in all previous Samsung Galaxy phones until the S6. Along with HTC, LG is now one of the only phone makers still including the feature in its flagship smartphones, which is a nice perk for business users who want to store a lot of files and documents on their work phone.
The hardware
The centerpiece of the G4 is its huge 5.5-inch display, which plants this phone firmly in the "phablet" category. The upside is that the screen is big enough to give you tons of space for screen-intensive tasks like editing a document or spreadsheet on the go, especially compared to the smaller 5.1-inch display on the Galaxy S6. The big screen also gives you more room to use LG's Dual Window feature, which allows you to run two apps at once in a split-screen mode, which is seriously useful for multitasking. I liked using the feature on the G3 to compose an email while using the calculator or performing a Web search, for example.
Plus, the G4's quad HD display uses Quantum IPS technology, which LG promises delivers sharper images and brighter, more authentic colors than other phones. Based on first impressions, the screen does look impressive.
As you'd expect from a flagship smartphone, the G4 packs more than enough power to handle your daily workload. The device includes a blazing-fast Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM, which is likely to provide performance comparable to the Galaxy S6.
Business users don't necessarily need the speediest smartphone on the market, but fast performance is a nice perk. Snappy performance means you can access information and load large documents very quickly, and multitask without a hint of slowdown.
LG is also packing in an impressive 8-MP front-facing camera. Business users might not be concerned with taking selfies, but a good front shooter is nice for videoconferencing sessions, if you want to meet remotely with colleagues or clients using your smartphone. The G4's front-facing camera is leagues ahead of the average smartphone camera.
What you won't find on the LG G4 is a fingerprint scanner, a feature you'll find on every new Galaxy smartphone. That's one big advantage the S6 has for security-minded business users.
The software
LG's approach to Android is simple. Instead of changing the interface and packing in an overwhelming number of features you'll rarely use, LG equipped the G4 with a relatively clean version of Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop. I consider that a perk, since stock Android is cleaner and easier to understand than Samsung's TouchWiz interface.
Outlook
The LG G4 is an impressive smartphone that packs top-of-the-line hardware and premium good looks. If you find the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6 too small, and the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4 too big, LG's 5.5-inch phone is a nice middle ground, offering plenty of room to work without feeling unwieldy. Plus, it offers a removable battery and an SD card slot, two features that power users will really appreciate.
The Galaxy S6 is slimmer and sleeker, though, and its built-in fingerprint scanner is a huge boon if you want to keep your work phone secure. Samsung's phone also comes with better built-in security via Samsung Knox, which encrypts your messages and keeps work and personal apps separated.
For our final word, check Business News Daily for a full review of the LG G4 very soon.
If you want better returns on your email marketing efforts, pay close attention to your subject lines.
"Clickbait" subject lines that try to shock you into reading a message and those that promote prices and discounts are among the least effective, according to new research from data solutions provider Return Path.
While clickbait subject lines like "you won’t believe this shocking secret" are very successful at garnering Web traffic, they don't provide the same results via email. Specifically, the use of the phrase "secret of" in a subject line results in an 8.69 percent decrease in read rates compared with messages containing similar content sent with different subject lines. Additionally, the use of the word "shocking" had a 1.22 percent decrease in read rates.
The research also revealed that value-based subject lines that highlight prices and discounts don't perform as well as many might expect. Subject lines containing the keywords "discount," "save," "sales," "clearance" and "free," as well as those with dollar signs and percentages, yielded lower read rates than comparable messages with alternate subject lines.
Better options are to use subject lines that are benefit or urgency-based. The study discovered that those featuring superlatives like "fastest" generate 5.3 percent higher read rates than similar messages with different subject lines.
In addition, urgency-based subject lines that use words like "limited time," "last chance" and "expiring" also had increased read rates.
While subject line word choice can have a big impact on an email marketing campaign's success, subject line length can make slight difference. The research found that although subject lines longer than 100 characters had the lowest read rates, those just slightly shorter, between 91 and 100 characters, were among the best-performing.
For the study, Return Path analyzed more than 9 million subject lines received by more than 2 million subscribers.
One of the most difficult aspects of owning a business is hiring and managing employees. As a sole proprietor, you don't have to worry about any of that — you're in business for you and you alone. But with that independence comes the scary prospect of having no one but yourself to rely on for business support.
Owning a franchise that doesn't require employees gives you the best of both worlds: There's no staff to manage, but you benefit from the strength of a trusted brand that can help you with all of your business needs. Here are eight franchise options for entrepreneurs who want to work by themselves.
AdviCoach
Have a head for business strategy and love to help others? Consider becoming a certified business coach through the AdviCoach franchise. Breaking into the consulting field can be difficult on your own, but AdviCoach's brand recognition, methodology and resources can put you on track to make a difference in the lives of fellow business owners.
Because of this business model's flexible scheduling and location, all you need — aside from the necessary knowledge and people skills — is a phone and Internet connection to start your business as an AdviCoach. Your total investment, which includes training, operations and marketing support, ranges from $66,000 to $74,250.
America's Swimming Pool Company
America's Swimming Pool Company (ASP) is the country's largest swimming pool service and maintenance franchise. Founded on a commitment to superior swimming pool service and solutions, ASP serves both residential and commercial properties.
An ASP franchisee is not required to have any past experience in swimming pool service: The company provides dedicated training through "Pool School," which provides everything the franchisee needs to run the business, from product information to marketing strategies. The total investment for a single ASP franchise ranges from $50,000 to $60,000, which includes the franchise fee and all necessary capital.
Fetch! Pet Care
If you love pets and want to own a business taking care of them, investing in a Fetch! Pet Care franchise might be the right option for you. This pet-sitting and dog-walking brand offers opportunities in more than 1,500 national cities with all the corporate support you need to get your business up and running quickly.
Fetch! franchisees must have a strong credit history and a minimum of $15,000 in liquid financial net worth. First-year franchise fees, including on-site training, equipment, marketing and supplies, begin at $23,295 for a single area of operation.
Fit4Mom
For many new mothers, the idea of a flexible career that allows them to work from home and spend time with their children is a dream come true. The Fit4Mom franchise takes this one step further by allowing "mompreneurs" to center their businesses around their babies.
Fit4Mom is a group exercise program featuring pre- and post-natal classes for moms and moms-to-be, including stroller-based workouts where attendees bring their children along. This home-based opportunity allows franchisees to set their own schedules and run classes from anywhere, with the help of corporate training, support and partnerships. A Fit4Mom franchise investment begins at $1,750 plus a monthly franchise fee, depending on the size of the territory and whether you want to run a part- or full-time business.
Jazzercise
Like Fit4Mom, Jazzercise is a workout program franchise that's perfect for a fitness-minded solopreneur. Once you become a Jazzercise instructor, you'll have access to the brand's training, technology, choreography and other support so you can begin teaching classes in your local community.
With an initial franchise fee of just $1,250, it's one of the most affordable options on the market. Total up-front investments can range from about $3,000 to $38,000, depending on whether you rent studio space or want to open your own Jazzercise studio.
Lawn Doctor
For nearly 50 years, Lawn Doctor has focused on innovation in the lawn-care industry, both for customer lawn needs and franchisee operations. Because the industry is founded on repeat service, franchise owners are well-poised to achieve impressive business growth, with the right customer service and marketing skills. Lawn Doctor franchisees should understand sales basics, but the company does provide franchise training for anyone who needs it.
While many Lawn Doctor franchisees go into business with a spouse or family member, this flexible opportunity is certainly manageable as a solo operation. The cost of owning a single-territory Lawn Doctor franchise ranges from approximately $80,000 to $100,000. The company offers in-house financing for eligible franchisees, as well as the opportunity to convert an independent lawn-care business to a Lawn Doctor.
Mom Corps
Flexible work arrangements are becoming more and more important to today's job seekers. Mom Corps, a national staffing firm that helps employers fill intermittent staffing needs, was founded to help provide both its clients and its franchise owners with the flexibility and work-life balance they desire.
Entrepreneurs with a background in staffing and a great professional network should consider investing in a Mom Corps franchise. The initial startup cost for an exclusive territory in one of 30 states is $25,000. This includes new-owner training, a "Buddy" mentor program, operations and marketing systems, and back-office support. While there are ongoing franchise fees, a staffing business generally has low overhead costs, especially if you work out of your home.
Safeguard
At its core, business success in any industry is all about building and maintaining strong, value-based relationships. Safeguard, a provider of business products, services and expertise for more than 55 years, allows entrepreneurs to use their relationship-building skills to become expert B2B sales leaders and consultants.
When a person becomes a Safeguard franchisee, he or she is able to work from home with a standard Monday through Friday workweek. The company prides itself on helping franchise owners be in business "for themselves, but not by themselves," and offers support from corporate headquarters through its "Base Connection" program. Franchisees are connected with skilled Safeguard customer service reps, and can route any individual customer issues to the representatives. This allows franchisees to spend time building the business instead of handling administrative issues. Safeguard recommends that potential franchisees have about $75,000 of available capital to get started.
Online retailers have a ton of competition. And if you're a small business, the struggle is even tougher. Google's latest product aims to help you come out on top.
Today (April 28), Google announced Google Shopping, a central hub where retailers can access Google's products and services to help themselves grow online. Built for e-commerce and multi-channel businesses, Google Shopping is designed to help retailers reach more customers using its new Shopping Campaigns tool, Google told Business News Daily.
The idea behind Google Shopping is to attract more customers by showcasing products online where customers can easily find them. Google says that customers access retailers' online stores at least once a day for one-third of small businesses, making their online presence and increased visibility critical to stay competitive.
However, Google says having an online store or a website that displays products isn't enough. In addition, businesses should reach out to the right customers who are specifically looking for what a retailer has to offer.
To accomplish this, Google Shopping helps small businesses launch relevant product ads to get right in front of customers who are doing Google searches for those exact keywords. Essentially, Google Shopping becomes retailers' online storefront on search pages.
Using this method, products will show up on Google Shopping boxes on top of or beside search results. This way, customers can easily find what they are looking for and quickly make a purchase via Google Shopping. Although this feature was previously available, Google Shopping now makes it accessible and easily manageable for small businesses, too.
Google Shopping also makes it easy to launch these product ads. Just log in to your business Google account and visit the Shopping Campaigns page to create and make ads live. This page also includes other helpful resources, such as tutorial videos, management tools and more.
Food is more than just a necessity; it brings people together. Whether you're reconnecting with an old friend over dinner and drinks, meeting a new love interest for coffee, or bonding with your family over a holiday meal, food is at the center of it all. So it's no surprise that food can inspire a lot more than a fun day out or a cozy night in — it can lead to a great business idea, too.
When you think about food businesses, your first thought is likely restaurants and retail stores, but some companies have taken the foodie trend to a whole new level. From the weird (bacon-flavored envelopes) to the inspiring (a food truck that gives back to the community), here are seven unique food and beverage businesses you probably didn't even know existed.
A food truck franchise with a cause
The food truck trend is nothing new at this point — it's not uncommon in major cities to see long lines of eager customers waiting outside on their lunch breaks at the nearest taco truck, for example. But Drive Change, a hybrid profit/nonprofit organization, is taking food trucks to the next level by using them to give back to the community.
According to the organization's website, Drive Change is "a social enterprise [that is] building a fleet of trucks that serve delicious, inspired menus with a side of social justice." The organization hires, trains and mentors formerly incarcerated young adults, and the food trucks serve as a form of transitional employment with the ultimate goal of preparing these young people to go back to school or start full-time employment.
The organization currently operates only one food truck, located in New York and called Snowday. It serves Canadian-inspired, maple-syrup-themed foods using ingredients from local New York City and upstate New York farms. Drive Change plans to open more food trucks in the future, and each truck "employs and empowers 24 young people per year." All food truck sales go back into the organization's re-entry program to help more former inmates get on the right track.
The world's first pizza museum and pizzeria
Who doesn't love a good slice of pizza? Whether it's Chicago style or New York style, white or red, plain or covered in every topping imaginable, pizza is the one food that just about everyone can agree on.
Pizza Brain, located in Philadelphia, isn't just an artisan pizza restaurant with a delicious menu — though it is that: Their "Forbes Waggensense" pie, a red pie with fresh crushed tomato sauce, fresh basil, smoked pepperoni and mozzarella, fontina and grana padano cheeses, was recently named one of the 15 best pizzas in America by NYLON magazine. What makes the business unique is that it's also the world's first pizza museum and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest pizza-memorabilia collection. Basically, it's a must-visit for pizza fanatics everywhere.
And a bonus for those pizza lovers with dietary restrictions: Pizza Brain is vegan-friendly, too.
A grow-your-own-mushroom kit
Back to the Roots has quite a unique backstory. It was started by two college students who were inspired by something they learned in a class: You can grow mushrooms using recycled coffee grounds. Co-founders Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez wrote of their experience, "After watching hours of how-to videos and turning our fraternity kitchen into a big science experiment, we eventually decided to give up our corporate job offers to instead become full-time mushroom farmers."
In an effort to get people more connected with their food, Back to the Roots created an easy, 10-day grow-your-own organic-mushroom kit. Their organic mushroom farm comes in a small box (the mushrooms grow right out of the box) and simply requires watering twice a day.
The company also sells a "garden in a can" product that makes growing organic herbs at home even easier, a self-sufficient water-garden aquarium (the fish feed the plants and the plants keep the water clean), and ready-to-eat organic cereals.
A professional cheese-sculptor
Do you love cheese? Bet you don't like it as much as Sarah "The Cheese Lady" Kaufmann, who makes her living as a traveling cheese sculptor.
She creates cheddar-cheese carvings for grocery stores, sporting events, festivals, photo shoots, and any other business or event that needs a giant hunk of cheese. Kaufmann has carved everything from a scene of the first moon landing to the Chicago skyline.
Though she makes most of her money carving cheese, Kaufmann also hosts seminars, where she informs audiences about the art and traditions of cheese making.
A mail-order wine-tasting service
Want a little wine to go with that cheese sculpture? If you still haven't found your favorite go-to bottle, Tasting Room can help.
Tasting Room is a wine club subscription, but unlike similar services that send you whichever bottles they want, this service allows you to taste various wines to find the ones you like before you buy, so that you only get shipments of wine you know you'll enjoy.
How does it work? When you sign up, you'll receive a tasting kit complete with six different wines in special mini bottles. Simply log in to your Tasting Room account and follow the instructions; the site will generate a "wine profile" for you that tells you more about the types of wine you like, such as where they come from and what foods pair well with them. After that, you'll receive shipments of wines you like (and if you get one you hate, just tell them and they'll replace it or give you a refund).
A business devoted to bacon
J&D's Foods makes a huge variety of edible products — mayonnaise, popcorn, croutons — and all of these products have one thing in common: They taste like bacon.
Founded in 2007, J&D's was started by two friends whose mutual love of bacon led them to the logical conclusion that everything in life should taste like this savory meat product.
They started by creating a bacon-flavored salt that could be added to nearly any food to lend it that distinct, cured-meat flavor. Since then, J&D's has expanded its offerings to include much weirder products, such as bacon-flavored lip balm and sunscreen and, of course, its highly popular Mmmvelopes (that's right: bacon-flavored envelopes) though they are currently out of production.
A 'sympathy food' delivery service
What do you give to those who have recently lost a loved one? You're probably thinking flowers. But although flowers are pretty, they're ultimately useless to mourners. This is why David Storke, a former funeral director from Virginia, founded MealGifts (formerly known as Sympathy Food).
Storke's company delivers family-style meals to grievers all over the United States. So, if you want to send a little comfort food to someone far away, there's no need to cook and ship your famous lasagna. Whether it's a full pot roast or some vegetable stir-fry, MealGifts delivers all the goodness of a home-cooked meal without requiring any of the home cooking.
Business News Daily contributor Elizabeth Palermo also contributed to this story.
If you're starting a new business, you might want to consider moving down South and avoiding California, new research suggests.
Six of this year's 10 best cities in which to start a business are located in Southern U.S. states, and seven of the worst are in California, according to a study from the personal finance social network WalletHub.
Shreveport, Louisiana, tops this year's list of the best cities in which to start a business, as it ranked highly for having accessible resources for entrepreneurs and a friendly business environment.
To help aspiring entrepreneurs maximize their chances of long-term prosperity, WalletHub analyzed the relative startup opportunities in the 150 most populous U.S. cities. Researchers ranked each city on 13 key metrics divided into two categories: access to resources and business environment.
Access to resources focused on financing accessibility, office space affordability, employee availability and median annual income. Business environment was judged on factors like corporate taxes, cost of living, average workday length, workforce education level, entrepreneurial activity, five-year survival rate, number of small businesses per capita, industry variety and small business friendliness.
Here are this year's top 10 cities for starting a business, and their rankings for access to resources and business environment:
Greensboro, North Carolina. Resources: 31; Environment: 11
Columbus, Georgia. Resources: 26; Environment: 19
The city in which an entrepreneur chooses to operate his or her business can be critical to the company's success, noted Lou Marino, a professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at the University of Alabama.
"Despite the plethora of online resources and the use of virtual teams, nothing can take the place of the ecosystem that exists in the city in which your base of operations is located," Marino said in a statement. "Perhaps even more important than the formal institutional support that exists in a city for entrepreneurship, the culture and livability of the city can significantly impact your ability to get the best people to work for you and how happy they are to be there."
Worst cities for business
California appears to be the worst state for new businesses. Seven of the 10 worst cities in which to launch a business are located in the Golden State. However, no city is worse than Newark, New Jersey, which ranks near the bottom for both the available resources for entrepreneurs and a business-friendly environment.
Here are this year's 10 worst cities in which to start a business, and their rankings for access to resources and business environment:
Newark, New Jersey. Resources: 111; Environment: 150
Jersey City, New Jersey. Resources: 147; Environment: 138
Garden Grove, California. Resources: 139; Environment: 133
Yonkers, New York. Resources: 144; Environment: 106
Experts say there are a number of steps communities can take to stimulate entrepreneurship and new business development. David Deeds, the Schulze chair in entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, said everything starts with a great education system.
"Great K-12 education provides a talented and creative workforce, and attracts and retains talent in a region," Deeds said. "Education is the most important input, and gets the least amount of press and attention, because it's hard, takes a long time and is difficult to directly correlate with outcomes."
Besides supporting an education climate that stimulates entrepreneurship, cities must do a better job of supporting existing small businesses' efforts to expand, said Peter Russo, an executive-in-residence and senior lecturer at the Boston University School of Management.
"These entrepreneurs have already demonstrated the validity of their ideas but may lack the education, skills and access to resources to grow their business and create more jobs," Russo said in a statement. "Helping them is less exciting than stimulating new venture creation, but the upside can be greater. "
The full list of cities can be viewed on the WalletHub website.
Every successful business meets the needs of its customers, but for some businesses, those needs are a little bit strange.
Some businesses help their customers pull pranks; some try to solve life's weirdest problems (like where does that one sock always disappear to?), and some are just so niche, most people wouldn't even think to start them in the first place. But sometimes even the weirdest ideas can become incredibly successful, and these businesses are proof.
From mystery packages and custom romance novels to a retro arcade manufacturer and an innovative sock company, here are 13 totally strange and totally real businesses that might surprise you.
A prank candle company
Scented candles are essentially a household staple, and just about everyone appreciates a good, harmless prank. So what happens when you combine the two?
That's what brothers Tyler and Mark Ward were wondering when they started their business, WTF Prank Candles. The brothers' prank candles start out smelling wonderful, with popular scents like apple pie and freshly cleaned laundry, but after a short while, things go south. The sweet-smelling aroma of fresh forest pine, for example, eventually gives way to the awful smell of skunk. And the person being pranked won't know it until it's too late.
The trick candles come in innocent packaging, of course, and last for approximately 30 hours of burn time (the first 40 percent of which smells wonderful). They sell for $11.95.
A mystery marketplace
Looking to spend some of your hard-earned cash but not sure what you really want? SomethingStore can help.
SomethingStore gives customers who love surprises the opportunity to purchase a brand new (never-used or refurbished) mystery item, or a "something" for $10 — but what is a something, you ask?
According to the company's website, "your something may be a cool shiny gadget, rare book, party game, handmade necklace, reverse clock, box of gourmet chocolates, portable table tennis set, pashmina scarf, set of kitchen knives, pair of handmade earrings, garden tool, kitchen appliance, electronic equipment, fine crafting tool or an office supply item." Basically, anything goes, so long as it's legal to trade in the United States and is worth at least $10.
"Somethings" can be purchased outside of the United States for additional shipping charges, but shipping within the United States is free. The company has sold more than 200,000 somethings since its inception in 2007.
The triple threat of sock companies
Doing laundry seems like a mundane everyday-life activity, but the reality is, every time you put a load of dirty clothes in the wash, you're taking a huge risk. Somewhere in the journey from the hamper to your dresser, you could lose one of your favorite socks. And then what do you do?
With Throx, you never have to handle another lonely leftover sock again. The company helps customers fight the infamous sock monster by selling socks in threes, not pairs. That way, when you lose one, you've still got a backup sock to keep the other company, so you can keep wearing your favorite pair and doing your laundry worry free.
Throx's socks are one-size-fits-all and range in price depending on the design (and there are tons of designs to choose from), though most cost around $10.
A customized romance novel business
For romance-novel fans, this business is literally a dream come true. The brainchild of the husband-and-wife writing team of Kathy Newbern and J.S. Fletcher, YourNovel.com inserts any couple as the hero and heroine in their own personalized romance novel.
The company gives readers dozens of books to choose from, each featuring a different theme and exotic location around the world. Examples include beach themes, detective stories and trips abroad. The starring couple provides a number of details about themselves, and can even insert their own photo on the cover.
Fletcher and Newbern came up with the idea for Yournovel.com when they were out to lunch one day with friends. The group was discussing Newbern's yet-to-be published romance novel when someone wondered aloud what it would be like to read about yourself in that type of book. The two realized that writing personalized romance novels was something they could do and immediately started outlining their first book.
Paperback versions of the novels are $49.95, or $74.95 with a photo. Hardbacks are $94.95, or $119.95 to include a photo.
A spandex suit retailer
Attention, sports fans: This company gives you the opportunity to show your true colors. Since 2008, Superfan Suits has been creating its full-body spandex outfits for sports fans looking to make an impression at the stadium. The suits, available in a spectrum of colors, cover every inch of the body.
And you don't have to be a sports fan to don one of these spandex bodysuits. The company also offers a whole range of prints, patterns and textures (like flag suits, suits in various colors of camouflage, metallic suits, zebra-print suits and split suits that feature a different color on each half of the suit). There are also themed costumes, like aliens, skeletons and Santa Claus. The company even offers open-faced suits for those who don't like the idea of having their entire heads covered. Additionally, Superfan Suits sell fun accessories like drink koozies, crazy wigs, gloves, masks and capes.
Overall, the company offers 100 different suit variations at various price points, though most fall in the $30-$60 range.
A mobile wedding chapel
Need to get hitched on a budget? The Wedding Wagon may be able to help. This unique mobile company founded in Las Vegas provides a full wedding ceremony out of the back of a van for just $129.
You choose when and where you want to get married — by the colorful fountains of the Bellagio, for example — and the wedding wagon will meet you there with a minister, a witness and a fully decked-out mobile chapel.
For an extra hundred bucks, the Wedding Wagon will even arrange to meet you at some truly beautiful venues, such as Tahiti Village's 10th floor dining patio or Red Rock Canyon State Park.
An ancestor detective service
Untangling the branches of a complex family tree can get tedious. That's where Ancestral Discoveries comes in. The business, started in 2006 by Janice Sellers, helps people who are interested in researching their personal family histories.
"People interested in family history generally come to me either because they've gotten stuck in their research at some point or because they want to know the information but are not inclined to do the research themselves," Sellers told Business News Daily.
Sellers said she's always had a fondness for family history, and when she began helping friends research their pasts, she realized she could make a career out of it. She said she particularly likes being able to connect her clients with their long-lost ancestors and show them interesting things that happened in their families' pasts.
Sellers' services range from $50 to $70 per hour, plus expenses.
An outsourced dating service
For those who find themselves too busy to sort through the world of online dating, Virtual Dating Assistants has taken the work out of finding online dates. This company's seasoned dating experts handle it all, from choosing the right online dating sites to setting the time, date and location of the first in-person meet-up.
The site's dating experts conduct interviews with the singles in order to learn the ins and outs about them, their interests, and their goals. From there, the company helps each single select photos and craft a profile that will help them attract the type of dates they are looking for. The dating experts set up accounts on the dating sites they believe are the best fit, then sift through thousands of online profiles to find matches that meet their clients' criteria. Once the singles approve the dates they're interested in pursuing, the dating expert helps break the ice with a few initial email exchanges.
And as far as pricing goes, Virtual Dating Assistants offers a complimentary 20-minute consultation session to help singles determine their needs, and then determines the cost accordingly.
A dog-sledding business
Adventurists in New Hampshire can get a feel for running the Iditarod thanks to a local company. The Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel offers a variety of dog-sledding trips, ranging from a quick, 20-minute ride to an overnight voyage through the White Mountains. The kennel comprises more than 100 sled dogs, including Alaskan Huskies, Siberians and Malamutes.
The company says its tours let participants interact with the dogs and learn aspects of a culture that many people never get to experience. Muddy Paws also offers dog-sledding clinics for those wanting to learn to be mushers. The four-hour class, which costs $525 per couple (the class requires a minimum of two participants), teaches students all aspects of modern dog sledding.
For those who want to go on a full day of dog-sledding adventures, Muddy Paws also offers an 8-hour experience that costs $745 per couple.
A furniture business for slobs
Have an incontinent cat or a spit-up-prone baby? You might be interested to know that there's a company devoted entirely to helping people like you.
Slobproof!, a Maryland-based furniture and design company, builds custom chairs, sofas and ottomans with specially engineered fabric that withstands spills and other messes without staining.
Debbie Wiener, the company's founder and CEO, said she started the business after marrying a slob, having two sloppy babies and acquiring a few messy pets. Wiener said her design style marries the "common sense of a Jewish mother with the muscle of a professional wrestler." Sounds like a winning combination.
A used cardboard box marketplace
Whether you're moving and need containers for transporting your things or you spend too much time online shopping and don't know what to do with all those pesky cardboard boxes, BoxCycle can help. Founded in 2008, BoxCycle is a used-box marketplace based in San Francisco that streamlines the processes of obtaining and getting rid of cardboard boxes. Retailers, recyclers and individuals are able to sell their used boxes with minimal time and effort, while buyers can easily find used boxes in their area, with convenient pickup options.
Instead of throwing out used boxes, businesses or individuals with an abundance of boxes can go online to BoxCycle.com and post how many boxes they have, and what sizes. In turn, those looking for boxes can see a list of sellers, and their box sizes, in their area. The entire transaction is then completed online.
"For buyers, we offer a lot of information up front to make it easier to find and buy used boxes," founder Ilia Gimelfarb told Business News Daily. And for sellers, BoxCycle takes the hassle out of trying to find someone to buy their used boxes, Gimelfarb said.
Boxes on the site sell for between 38 cents and $1.25 each.
A retro-arcade manufacturer
What do you do when your sweetheart asks for a Ms. Pac-Man machine for Christmas? If you're Michael Ware — founder of Dream Arcades, a California-based company specializing in re-creating vintage arcade games — you just build her one.
Dream Arcades' machines use Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) software to take retro-gaming enthusiasts back to the glory days of Pac-Man, Asteroids and Dragon's Lair.
The company, which says it's the world's largest manufacturer of noncoin-operated arcade games, delivers premade machines as well as DIY kits. Dream Arcades has even delivered an arcade to a U.S. research center in Antarctica. At least those researchers' thumbs are warm.
A fantasy dating company
Are you a (slightly competitive) single gal seeking a more interesting love life? This next weird business is for you. Fantasy Dating Game is like a grown-up version of "Truth or Dare," and it's way more interesting than your last boyfriend's fantasy football league.
Fantasy Dating's creator, Suzanne Casamento, said she built her business, in part, because she was sick and tired of hearing her single girlfriends complain about their lackluster love lives.
Much like fantasy sports leagues, the Fantasy Dating Game allows single women to earn points by flirting with guys at Starbucks, slipping their numbers to cute bartenders and going on actual dates.
Casamento said her site empowers women to take charge of their own love lives and gain confidence through dating.
For small business owners, an online collection of honest, authentic customer reviews can help boost both the company's search rankings and reputation. Most consumers check out what others have to say before deciding to patronize a local business, so it's in your best interest to encourage customers to write a review based on their experience with you.
Yelp.com is the current go-to for most local-business reviews, but it's far from the only place consumers are looking. If you want to take greater control of your business's Web presence, here are seven other websites where you can list your company and collect customer feedback.
Angie's List
One of the longest-running and best-known review sites on the Web, Angie's List has become a household name in providing consumers with honest, accurate information about local businesses. Users pay a membership fee to read and write reviews, which are given in the form of a letter grade. Once businesses are signed up, they can add details to their profiles, respond to reviews and interact with members. Additionally, highly rated businesses can earn eligibility to advertise deals and discounts. If you're not listed yet or want to claim a business profile created by a consumer, you can sign up at the Angie's List Business Center.
Facebook
While customers who "like" your business's Facebook page are able to leave their feedback in the form of posts and comments, you can also have them leave formal reviews and ratings. Starred Facebook reviews first debuted in late 2013, and now any page categorized as a "Local Business" that lists its physical address can enable the review feature. Since many small businesses use Facebook as a primary method of connecting with customers, it's a smart and convenient platform to encourage, showcase and respond to customer feedback. To learn how to set up Facebook reviews, visit the Facebook Help Center.
Foursquare
Foursquare is best known for its "check in" feature, which allows people to share their locations via social media. Local businesses who have claimed their listing give customers the ability to not only check in, but also leave ratings and "tips" (reviews) for other customers when they visit. Signing up for Foursquare for Business lets you access user analytics data, add your own tips and offer customer rewards.
Goodsnitch
The Goodsnitch app is more than just an alternative to Yelp. In fact, the company views itself as the "anti-Yelp" because it enables customers to give private feedback about an organization. Good feedback, such as outstanding customer service or a high-quality product, is publicly posted, while negative feedback is delivered directly to the business, allowing the company to privately address the issue with the customer. With its mission to recognize hardworking employees and business owners for their good work, Goodsnitch isn't about covering up consumer complaints — it's about creating a culture of encouragement and positive feedback among businesses and their customers.
Google Reviews
Most small business owners understand how important it is to be findable via online search, especially Google. One of the best ways to boost your search rankings is to establish a presence on Google+ Local and encourage customers to leave reviews. An active Google+ business page signals to Google that customers are engaging with and searching for you — plus, higher customer ratings means better search visibility for you. To learn more, visit BND's Google+ Local guide.
Manta
Manta is a small business directory that helps local American businesses connect with their customers and each other. While reviews are not the primary function of the site, visitors who find your free business profile can leave a recommendation for other users. Manta does offer tips and marketing tools for its business members, but one of the site's most valuable features is the Manta Community, a highly active forum for business owners to ask for and share advice.
MerchantCircle.com
Established in 2005, MerchantCircle.com aims to connect customers with deals, advice and price quotes from local small businesses. The site's search functions are structured primarily by city and business category, and by default, it populates a list of the "best" (highest rated and most frequently reviewed) merchants in the area. The MerchantCircle Help Center has numerous articles to help new businesses get set up on the site, and offers free business listings and marketing tools to its members.
In today's crowded job market, you need a résumé that will help you stand out from the crowd.
This is especially true for new graduates who are entering the workforce for the first time. For employers to give you a second look, your résumé needs to summarize your skills, be targeted for the specific job you want and be error-free, said Wes Lybrand, assistant director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Career and Professional Development Services.
"The purpose of the résumé is to get you to the interview stage of the hiring process, so it should showcase your most relevant skills and qualifications," Lybrand said in a statement. "It should be focused, clear and concise."
Hiring managers often spend only a few seconds reviewing the résumés they receive, so they have to make a quick impression.
"If you don't make an impact in that time, you'll get passed by for the job," Lybrand said. "If you do make an impact, they [hiring managers or recruiters] will at least take a more in-depth look at your résumé."
Lybrand offered several tips to help recent graduates and other people entering the workforce for the first time craft the perfect résumé:
Target it to the job you want. Don't write a generic résumé that could work for any job. The vast majority of employers think your résumé should be tailored for the position you're applying for, Lybrand said. Be sure to prioritize your skills and qualifications for each job you are trying to land.
Choose the right words. Because many employers use computer software to eliminate some applicants, include keywords from the job posting in your résumé to help you get a second look, he said.
Proofread. One of the quickest ways to get eliminated from consideration is by having grammar and spelling errors in your résumé. Lybrand said recent research revealed that nearly all employers reject candidates due to these types of mistakes.
Be concise. People who are entering the workforce for the first time should stick to a one-page résumé. To save space, eliminate the objective statement and the "References available upon request" line, Lybrand suggested.
Highlight your accomplishments. Rather than just listing your experience, highlight what you accomplished in those jobs. Nearly all employers prefer to see verifiable achievements on a résumé because they show how well you performed in past jobs.
In most industries, the current job market favors employers, so it's very important to follow these guidelines, Lybrand said.
"They are often receiving hundreds of applications per position, so you really need to stand out from the crowd," he said.
Does your business's social media marketing strategy rely on your Facebook Page? Don't be surprised if your Page's reach and traffic tank.
Facebook announced that it is revamping its News Feed with a major change that will directly affect Page owners: Instead of featuring posts from a wide range of sources, News Feed will now promote posts from a user's friends by placing them higher up on the feed. This presents a big shift for small business owners, who can now expect less visibility for their posts and, consequently, a decrease in Page traffic.
Here's what we know about the update and what small businesses can do to mitigate the damage and improve their Facebook marketing campaigns.
Facebook's News Feed algorithm change aims to give users "the right mix" of content based on their connections — friends, businesses, organizations, public figures and other types of accounts — [their] interests and what matters to them the most, the company wrote in its blog. This is all based on feedback the social network gathered from users to improve their News Feed experience.
There are three parts to the update:
Promote friends' posts. News Feed will promote a user's friends' posts — everything from status updates to photos, videos and links — by placing them higher up on the screen so they will be harder to miss. These posts will supersede those by Pages, groups and other accounts, giving the latter less visibility.
Less irrelevant content. Previously, posts that friends have liked or commented on also appeared throughout News Feed. Users have said that they don't care about seeing these posts, so this content will now be placed lower in the News Feed, if at all.
Additional posts. To make News Feed more diverse, Facebook prevented multiple posts by the same account from appearing on News Feed. This is no longer the case, so now more of a user's friends' posts will show up on that person's feed, further displacing posts by business Pages and other accounts.
For many businesses, the question is whether these changes will greatly impact their posts and Page performance. Facebook says this will "vary considerably" based on your followers and posting activity, but that post reach and referral traffic may "potentially decline."
Facebook advises Page owners to keep posting content that resonates with their audience. Recommendations include:
Make sure to post quality content on a consistent basis. Facebook suggests scheduling posts for optimum visibility, such as when most of your followers are online and when you have major announcements and events.
Highly target posts based on your type of message and demographics, such as gender, age, location, interests and other factors.
Keep it fresh with new and timely content, and then test to see what performs best and makes for more successful campaigns.
Use Facebook Ads to promote exclusive discounts and promotions
For more ideas on improving your Facebook marketing strategies, visit Pages best practices, which will also show you how to measure your Page's performance and determine whether it was affected by the News Feed update.
As an employer, you want to make sure your employees are happy. After all, your people are the ones who keep your business going. Your organization's workers may be pleased with their telecommuting options and free snacks, but some companies go above and beyond to make sure their employees really love their jobs. Here are 12 unusual but awesome benefits offered by large and small businesses across the country.
No official work hours. What 9 to 5? At Netflix's California headquarters, vacation days and work hours aren't tracked. The company only measures what people get done; so as long as employees do their work, it doesn't matter when or for how long they're in the office. But Netflix's staff members know better than to slack off — abusing this policy gets you a one-way ticket out the door.
Tons of time off. When you work hard, it's nice to have an employer that lets you play hard, too. Some big-name companies like Glassdoor and Virgin Group offer unlimited time off, but this type of policy usually discourages employees from actually taking vacation days, since there's no incentive to "use it or lose it." Boston-based Metis Communications does put a cap on its employees' paid time off, but the amount is incredibly generous — on top of the standard three weeks of vacation time (four, if you've been there four years or more), staff members get their birthdays off, a bonus vacation week during the last week of December and, after five years of employment, summer Friday vacation days.
Focus on family. Forget standard maternity leave. Facebook offers some pretty incredible perks for parents and parents-to-be. New moms and dads get four months of paid parental leave, reimbursement for day care and adoption fees, and $4,000 in "baby cash" after their child is born.
Similarly, fast casual restaurant chain Capriotti's Sandwich Shop allows its on-staff parents to take time off, no questions asked, to attend their children's events and activities.
Food for thought. Lots of companies offer employee enrichment programs, but for most, these beneficial lectures and events typically only happen a few times a year. Footwear brand BucketFeet sponsors a monthly Learning Series, an hour-long gathering where employees listen to and ask questions of a guest speaker. Co-founder and CEO Raaja Nemani said that the team really values these informal sessions, which usually have a clear tie to the company's mission and values.
On-site health services. Everyone seems to want to work for Google, and for good reason: It's the king of amazing employee benefits. There are lists dedicated to all of Google's perks, but the company's commitment to its workers' health is truly commendable. In addition to medical doctors, you'll also find physical therapists, chiropractors and massage therapists on the Google campus.
Total wellness. It may not have on-staff physicians like Google, but the Institute for Integrative Nutrition does a pretty good job of making sure its employees have what they need for physical and mental wellness. A professional chef prepares a healthy organic lunch for the staff every day (breakfast and snacks are also provided), and fresh flowers are placed on everyone's desk. If biweekly chair massages and in-house yoga classes aren't enough to de-stress you, just go on the staff yoga retreat.
Continuing education. Higher education is undoubtedly valuable to any employee, but it's a privilege that not everyone can afford. Last year, Starbucks announced its College Achievement Plan, a program that allows all eligible U.S. employees (those who work 20 hours or more per week) to earn a bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online program, with full tuition coverage.
While smaller companies may not be able to afford four-year degrees for their staff, they still find ways to invest in their employees' personal development. For example, Los Angeles-based Konnect PR offers financial assistance for employee classes and other educational interests.
Midday surfing. It makes sense that a company selling outdoor clothing and equipment would want its employees to stay physically fit. Based in California, Patagonia provides company bikes, volleyball courts and on-site yoga for its workers. Employees are also encouraged to catch a wave or two in the middle of the workday: The reception desk posts daily surf reports and makes companywide announcements on especially good surf days.
Volunteer hours. Millennials are known for their social consciousness, and numerous studies have shown that this generation in particular values brands and employers who emphasize doing good in the world. That's why companies like The Goddard School, Jennifer Adams Worldwide and Zimbra give their employees paid time off and/or flexible work hours to engage in volunteer projects. In another Business News Daily article, Zimbra CEO Patrick Brandt said that civic engagement is a necessity in the modern workplace, and ultimately boosts the morale of a company's staff.
Event tickets and transportation. Employees of Quicken Loans in Michigan don't get into all events for free — just the ones happening at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Quicken CEO Dan Gilbert owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, so workers get transportation and tickets to home games. They can also snag seats for the various concerts, comedy shows and other events happening at "The Q."
Game time. Quicken employees may be content to attend basketball games, but Zynga staff members actually get to play on the company's full-size courts. The San Francisco-based gaming company (perhaps unsurprisingly) also has in-house relaxation lounges with classic arcade games and Nintendo, Xbox 360 and PS3 gaming systems for its workers to enjoy.
Extra credit. At Weebly, every employee gets a company credit card, presumably for anything the company's workers might need during the workday (with no set hours, just like Netflix's policy). As if that isn't enough, the Web-hosting company also provides a $50 monthly credit to Exec, a housecleaning and errand-running service, for when its workers are too busy enjoying their free meals, gym membership or bi-monthly massage.
The Dell Latitude E7450 earns 4 stars out of 5. Credit: Jeremy Lips
With a top-notch keyboard, good performance and an attractive, lightweight design, Dell's new Latitude E7450 can easily run with the best business notebooks out there. Starting at $1,000, the 14-inch machine also offers a bunch of perks for business users, including great security and a pointing stick for precise mouse navigation. But with some stiff competition from PC makers like Lenovo, should Dell's E7450 be your next mobile workstation?
Design
The E7450 looks like a notebook designed for business, with a modest black-on-black design that doesn’t draw attention to itself. But high-quality materials, including a matte-finish carbon fiber lid and a charcoal gray magnesium alloy edging, give the machine a premium look and feel. Plus, the tapered design of the edges gives the E7450 a more streamlined look than Lenovo's boxy ThinkPad T450s, which is this notebook's closest competitor.
Dell's laptop comes with plenty of durability to match its good looks. The notebook is rated to withstand high and low temperatures, humidity and dings, among other forms of abuse. If you want even more durability, the touch-screen model comes with extra-strong Gorilla Glass, which resists scratches.
You can tell how durable this machine is just by picking it up — it feels really solid. That's a big plus for road warriors who need a notebook that can take a beating over long business trips.
Size and weight
Measuring 13.3 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches, the Latitude E7450 is slightly larger but thinner than the T450s (13 x 8.9 x 0.83). Both notebooks are quite compact, and will slide easily into your work bag.
The weight of the E7450 varies depending on your hardware configuration, but it starts at 3.43 lbs. without a touch screen, which is about the same as the ThinkPad T450s. Ultraportable notebooks like Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon (3.15 lbs.) are lighter, but generally offer fewer ports and connectivity options. And there are plenty of heavier options, such as Acer's TravelMate P645 (3.5 lbs.).
The bottom line is that the E7450 is thin and light enough to carry on your daily commute without a struggle, though it's not in the most portable class of business laptops. That's the trade-off you'll make for a notebook this rich in features.
Keyboard and touchpad
A good keyboard might be the most important feature on a business notebook, and the E7450 gets it right. The individual keys are well-spaced and offer a satisfying level of feedback, without feeling mushy. They also have a good amount of travel at 1.5 millimeters, which is slightly above average for notebook computers overall, and noticeably deeper than most laptops this thin. That's good, because deeper keys usually provide a more comfortable, desktoplike experience. In addition to feeling great to type on, the keyboard has an optional backlight that can be toggled on for low-light productivity.
But as good as Dell's keyboard is, the keyboard on Lenovo's T450s is better. Its keys are even deeper, with 1.9 mm of travel, and they feel more comfortable. They also have a nice sculpted shape, which makes them easier to navigate by touch than the Dell's square keys. Finally, the T450s has full-size arrow keys, which are easier to press than the shrunken-down keys on the E7450.
I have no complaints about the touchpad, though. Cursor control feels smooth and responsive, as do gestures such as two-finger scrolling. The E7450 sports two dedicated buttons below the touchpad, which many users might prefer to the ThinkPad T450's clickable touchpad, which is a bit less precise for right clicks. On the other hand, dedicated buttons hog some space that could have been used for a roomier touchpad, so it comes down to personal preference.
Pointing stick
A pointing stick is a nice perk in a business notebook, since it lets you control the mouse cursor without moving your hands away from the keyboard, and it arguably has more precision than a touchpad. Dell's pointing stick — sandwiched between the G, H and B, as usual — work very well, though I prefer the rounded top of Lenovo's TrackPoint stick to the concave design of Dell's stick. It's not a deal breaker, but I found my index finger occasionally slipping off the stick when I wanted to make quick cursor movements.
Three buttons located above the touchpad allow for easy left, right and middle clicks. Like the touchpad buttons, they have a nice, soft feel, so they don't produce an annoyingly loud click sound when pressed.
Performance
Our E7450 review unit came with the following hardware:
2.2-GHz Intel Core i5-5200U processor
8GB of RAM
256GB SSD
Integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500
It felt nice and speedy during my testing time. I didn't notice any slowdown, even during heavy multitasking that included editing a large spreadsheet with more than a dozen tabs open in my Web browser and HD video streaming on YouTube. The bottom line is that the E7450 is more than capable of handling just about any workload you throw at it.
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Display
Dell sells the Latitude E7450 with configurations for the 14-inch display, with resolutions of either 1366 x 768 pixels or 1920 x 1080 pixels. Touch-screen functionality is optional with either panel, though I recommend forgoing that option, since it adds weight and costs an extra $168.
My review unit came with the full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) screen, which was bright and sharp but a bit dull. That's because it has a matte finish, which isn't as vibrant as glossy displays, but also diminishes annoying reflections from overhead office lights. In other words, it's a perk if you're going to use the machine for spreadsheets more often than movies. Most competing business notebooks come with a similar matte finish.
One nice bonus is that the screen can be opened a full 180 degrees so it's lying flat on a conference table, which could come in handy for collaborative work projects.
Ports and connectivity
You get a very healthy selection of ports on the E7450, but most of them are located on the back of the device. That means they're less convenient to reach than the ports on machines like the T450s, which is a bummer if you plan to move the notebook around a lot. On the other hand, if it's going to stay mostly parked at your desk, the rear-facing ports will leave fewer wires jutting out from the sides of your machine.
All you get on the sides of Dell's laptop is a single USB 3.0 port, a full-size SD card slot and the headphone jack. Around back you get two additional USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port for wired Internet and network access, HDMI and DisplayPorts for connecting to monitors and projectors, and the charging port.
Docking
On the underside of the E7450 you'll find a docking port, which lets you connect to Dell's Latitude E-Port Replicator docking station. The benefit of a port like this is that it lets you connect your notebook just by setting it down on your dock. That way you can use desktop accessories like a monitor, mouse, keyboard and external hard drive (as well as a charging cable) without reconnecting them individually each morning.
Dell's dock includes two USB 3.0 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, one Ethernet port and a DisplayPort, DVI port and VGA port for video out.
Software
The E7450 comes with a relatively clean installation of Windows 8.1, but Dell will let you opt for Windows 7 instead, free of charge. That's a nice option in case your office still runs on the older operating system, which offers a more traditional Windows interface. Lenovo charges an extra $50 to get the T450s with Windows 7.
Otherwise, you get most of the same preloaded apps you'll find on other systems. That includes productivity software like Microsoft's OneNote for taking notes, OneDrive for saving files and documents to the cloud, and Skype for basic videoconferencing. You get a free, one-month trial of Microsoft Office 2013, which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but you'll have to shell out for the full version to keep using the software beyond that.
Security
Like any good business notebook, you get some nice security features with this one. That includes Dell's Data Protection software, which lets you (or your IT manager) set secure encryption policies for your system, with enterprise-level auditing and reporting functionality. Plus, the notebook has full hard drive encryption via Microsoft's BitLocker. My unit also came with a smart card reader, so the system can be configured to require a physical card to verify each user's security credentials.
It's possible to purchase the E7450 with a fingerprint scanner, which would help you keep your work notebook locked down in case it's lost, stolen or otherwise compromised. My review unit didn't come with that feature, though, so I didn't get a chance to test it for myself to ensure that it's reliable.
Battery life
One area where the E7450 soundly beats the ThinkPad T450s is battery life. Dell's notebook ran for an impressive 8 hours and 36 minutes, which beats the Lenovo by more than an hour (7:31). Both last longer than the average for thin-and-light notebooks (6:08). On the other hand, the ThinkPad T450s is compatible with an optional extended battery that extends that machine's battery life to an epic 16 hours. However, the extended battery costs an extra $100, increases the machine's thickness by half an inch and ups its weight by nearly half a pound. Dell doesn't offer an extended battery on the E7450.
Configurations
Dell offers a wide range of configuration options for the E7450, with a top-end model that comes with a fifth-generation Intel Core i7-5600U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD) and a full-HD touch display. A much more affordable sweet spot configuration for average business users includes a Core i5-5200U processor with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and a full-HD, nontouch display for about $1,300.
The competition
The Lenovo ThinkPad T450s is our favorite overall 14-inch business notebook, but it has shorter battery life than the Latitude E7450, and it's a bit thicker, too.
The Toshiba Tecra Z40, meanwhile, is lighter than most competing machines at just 3.24 lbs., but it tops out with a low-res 1,366 x 768 display that feels a bit cramped for serious multitasking.
Bottom line
After reviewing Lenovo's superb ThinkPad T450s, it's hard to recommend another 14-inch business Ultrabook, but the Latitude E7450 manages to give that machine a run for its money. It offers fast performance, a sharp display and excellent security features. You also get a keyboard that feels almost — but not quite — as good as Lenovo's industry-leading QWERTY layout.
The T450s is still my top pick, but Dell's notebook has a slight edge in a few areas, with a slightly thinner (but larger) design, and an extra hour of battery life. On the other hand, its keyboard and pointing stick don't feel as good as the ones on the Lenovo. But however you slice it, the Latitude e7450 is a solid option for business users in the market for a feature-packed mobile workstation.
