by steven on April 1, 2013
If you’re trying to get a start-up off the ground, you’re probably facing the challenge that is finding the right individuals to join your team. Experienced and knowledgeable employees look for several particular key factors before joining with an early-stage start-up; by proving to them that you can offer what they’re looking for, you can increase your chances of getting the best people on board. Check out the four aspects Forbes believe you should showcase during the interview and hiring process:
- The Opportunity to Make Significant Contributions. Working at a large company usually provides greater career security, a higher salary, and better benefits. Your start-up can’t offer that… but it can offer the chance to wear multiple hats and manage multiple parts of the business. The ability to make a difference is appealing, so prove that you can grant employees that. Discuss the ways in which they’ll be expected to contribute to the team and build out their role in the company.
- The Chance to Build Something Meaningful. Your team is building something from nothing, and was created to solve a particular problem or fill a vacancy in the world… chances are you’re not the only one who recognizes the problem and that your employees want to be part of the solution, too. Spend plenty of time getting people excited about what you’re creating.
- Your Great Team. Knowing that they’ll be surrounded by smart, fun people can make a big difference. Take candidates to drinks, dinner, or coffee to get to know each other in a more casual environment, and we make sure they have the chance to get to meet multiple members of the team.
- The Possibility of Making a Lot of Money. What you may not be able to offer your employees in salary, you can give in stock options… granting them the opportunity to own a portion of the company.
by steven on April 1, 2013
Even though Pandora has never successfully shown it to be a profitable endeavor, big tech giants like Google, Amazon.com Inc, and Apple, and social media dominators like Facebook and Twitter, are all hard at work fighting for the top spot in the online music business.
A viable music streaming and subscription service may be an necessity for each company if they hope to stay on top in an increasingly mobile environment. And for Google and Apple in particular, it might be critical in ensuring user loyalty to their mobile products – according to a ComScore survey of mobile behavior released in February, about 48 percent of smartphone users listen to music on their device, making it the fourth most popular media-related activity after social networking, games and news. Users ranked a phone’s music and video capability at 7.4 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most important purchase consideration factor.
According to David Bakula, senior vice-president for client development and analytics for Nielsen Entertainment, U.S. consumers will stream an estimated 100 billion tracks this year.
“The big question is who has the business model to make it work. The first ones in the market may not be the winners.”
According to several sources and media reports, Apple is talking with music labels about tacking a subscription service option onto iTunes, while Google is said to be planning a YouTube subscription music service. Mcrosoft is already promoting its Xbox Music service. Meanwhile, Pandora, one of the pioneers of the online music business, is busy trying to convert users of its free ad-supported radio service into subscribers.
Which company do you see dominating the online music market over the next few years? Do you think its as profitable as those companies believe it to be?
by steven on March 26, 2013
This week, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments on a California case which could transform gay and lesbian marriage laws nationwide.
Charles J. Cooper and Theodore B. Olson, both former Reagan administration lawyers, defended the two sides, with Olson contending an equal right to marry is basic to American liberty and Cooper saying the decision on changing state marriage laws should be left to the voters in each state. The Obama administration’s top courtroom lawyer also appeared to argue that California’s Proposition 8 and its ban on same-sex marriage should be struck down as unjust discrimination against gays and lesbians. The Supreme Court will decide whether or not a state’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional.
Cooper will be given 30 minutes to argue for allowing the voters of each state to decide for themselves on whether to “redefine” marriage, and to keep California’s current ban. Olson will then have 20 minutes to argue that denying marriage to committed gay and lesbian couples denies them the “equal protection of the laws” promised by the Constitution.
In June, the Supreme Court will either use these arguments to decide to: uphold Proposition 8 and rule gay marriage is not a constitutional right (leaving the issue in the hands of each state), dismiss the appeal on procedural grounds and return the Proposition 8 case to a federal court in San Francisco, strike down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional on a narrow basis (affecting only California), or rule broadly that denying marriage to committed gay couples is unconstitutional, a decision that could legalize gay marriage nationwide.
by steven on March 21, 2013
President Barack Obama made his first presidential trip to Israel yesterday to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres and newly re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Israel has no better friend than the United States of America,” said Netanyahu during a joint appearance in Jerusalem. “I want to thank you once again for always making clear that Israel must be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.”
While he and Netanyahu have not always had the best relationship in the past, Obama reaffirmed the importance of a strong relationship between the US and Israel.
“We’ve spent more time together, working together than I have with any leader and this speaks to the closeness of our two nations; the interests and the values that we share and the depth and breadth of the ties between our two people.”
He later went on to vow he would do “what is necessary” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and to investigate reports that Syria had used chemical weapons for the first time in its two-year civil war. Obama warned Syrian leader Bashar Assad that use of such weapons would be a “game-changer” and could potentially draw the U.S. military into the conflict for the first time.
“The Assad regime must understand that they will be held accountable for the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to terrorists.”
Obama has promised to talk about peace efforts more expansively in a speech to Israeli youth. He will also make a quick trip to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, visit a youth center in Ramallah, deliver a speech and attend a formal dinner with Peres in Jerusalem, and then travel to Jordan in order to pledge American support in dealing with the 450,000 Syrian refugees that have flooded over the border.
by steven on March 21, 2013
Samsung’s new Galaxy S4, which gives us a glimpse at a future where all our computing needs are satisfied by the same device, may have made the company become legitimate competition for tech powerhouse Apple.
Last year, Samsung accomplished the impossible when its top-of-the-line smartphone temporarily outsold the iPhone. The company also sold more smartphones than any company in the world in 2012. Still, Apple’s ability to put out new software and experiences to customers has helped keep it considered the dominant company in the business.
Whether or not analysts continue to feel that way throughout this year depends on the iPhone 5S, due Q3 2013. Since launching Siri 18 months ago, there’s been little to no innovation coming from Apple. The company’s stock price has been plummeting since the release of the iPhone 5. If the new iPhone only makes minor OS tweaks and continues to merely implement one or two new features every 24 months, Samsung might just pull ahead – in that same amount of time, they developed the S Translator, ChatOn, Smart Pause/Scroll, Air View/Gesture, WatchOn, Adapt Display/Sound, S Health, Sound & Shot, Group Play, and Dual Camera… almost all without parallel on iOS/iPhone.
Apple has the largest bank balance and best supply chain in the world, but if the iPhone 5S doesn’t wow us, they may be eating Samsung’s dust by the end of this year.
