My Venture Pad Exclusive

Do you think you have control of your brand? If you answered yes, you might want to think again. That's one of the biggest status quo beliefs around.[read more]

The combined forces of shifting investments to Asia, strength of the Asia economies, the size of Mainland China’s population and technological advancements have contributed to the success, and potential, of China. But achieving the potential will require continued reform, workforce development and incentive programs to attract foreign investment.[read more]

Before QR codes, the only way for business owners to encourage customers to go to their website or print out their coupons was to provide a link. While links are easy to follow for customers already online, they are less likely to be used by those not at a computer.[read more]

Is it impossible to convert social media contacts into sales? A seasoned management consultant says not so fast and shows a case of how a software client did just that.[read more]

Do you still believe the negative and contracting assumptions that have been our guidance system for the past few years? You're not alone. Yet those assumptions won't drive growth in 2013. Here are 3 simple mind shifts to get yourself thinking out of the box and your business growing.[read more]

Last month, JWT released their eighth annual “10 Trends Report”, a compilation of research performed in the preceding year in a variety of areas that “point to trends that will help define and shift the near future.” Topics range from “Peer Power” to “Predictive Personalization”, but all address the continued convergence of business,...[read more]

Rebrands usually happen when we have a big business problem we can’t solve. We turn to the corporate comfort food of colors and logos to distract us from the overwhelming issues that most likely stem from being stuck in our status quo. Rebranding is expensive. It’s wasteful. And it’s rarely the solution to the problem the business is facing.[read more]

Best wishes to you and yours from us and ours![read more]

Condaleeza Rice gets involved with startups, 5 things VCs want in their CEOs, Android moving to enterprise, and more.[read more]

LinkedIn advertising guide, taking a good hard look at your startup, a new $100mm VC fund is born, and more.[read more]

Important entrepreneurial skills, how not to screw up your startup, Facebook's preferred marketing companies, and more.[read more]

LinkedIn's incubator, Angel Cofund reports on its first year, does freelancing today hold up to scrutiny, and more.[read more]

“Entrepreneurship can be learned.” This was the emphatic message told to the audience at last week’s TechStars Demo Day in Boston, a two and a half hour run of energetic pitches made by a select group of thirteen high potential startups to friends, family, and about 200 investors. TechStars is a startup accelerator with programs in...[read more]

For most going public will never be a serious concern, but the advice given at Wilmer Hale last week is useful for the leadership of any company focused on long-term success.[read more]

“Welcome to the University of Virginia’s Annual Venture Summit, where venture capitalists and alumni from top investment firms across the nation join with innovative researchers, academics and students to share a discourse about the frontiers of fields where the future is shaped.”[read more]

One of the most difficult and stressful decisions you can make is to leave the security you have as a full-time employee and devote all your energy to your own business. The promise of dreams and the prospect of defeat fight each other continually as you plan the transition from what you’ve known to the unknown.[read more]

The Revolution in Venture Funding Sponsored by... For entrepreneurs with the right strategy, this is an exciting year to launch a new business with high growth potential. Our panel of experts will show you innovative ways of finding funding including crowd funding, private investment, Internet-based campaigns, and traditional...[read more]

Have you used webinars lately to nurture your audience? They’re a great tool to engage an audience with your content and your brand – if you can get people to register and attend. It can be difficult to get very busy people to open an email and commit themselves to an hour-long webinar.[read more]

Perhaps the biggest business news of the week was actually Facebook news. With the introduction of verbs such as 'reading,' 'watching,' and 'listening' will the business 'like' be devalued? Please leave your opinion in the comments. I've already seen small businesses struggling to react to followers 'like's not appearing in timelines.[read more]

When it comes to income taxes, no one wants to pay one penny more than necessary and, certainly, no one wants to invite the IRS to examine the return. After more than 35 years in dealing with taxes, here are my five rules to follow to make sure that taxes are minimized legally and safely so you can sleep at night.[read more]