DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Jeff Bezos’ morning routine includes scrolling and dragging his feet: ‘I’m not as productive as you might think’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jeff Bezos doesn't let his responsibilities — executive chairman of Amazon, owner of Blue Origin, being a billionaire investor — get in the way of his slow-moving morning routine. This appeared to shock Fridman, who'd just called Bezos "one of the most productive humans in the world." "I'm not as productive as you might think I am," Bezos responded, in an episode first released in December 2023. The morning routine coincides with Bezos' philosophy to embrace wandering, or doing things aimlessly. His time for his morning routine comes from waking up early.

Persons: Jeff Bezos doesn't, —, Lex Fridman, who'd, Bezos Organizations: Amazon

☆ Don’t launch a small business before asking yourself these 3 questions, says CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Having an idea that you believe could become a lucrative business can bring a rush of excitement. Forvr Mood products can be found in Sephora stores nationwide, and sell direct-to-consumer via their website. Forvr Mood sold $700,000 worth of products within the first four hours of its launch, the company told Women's Wear Daily. "And when we started Forvr Mood, we started with candles and I was like, if [customers] are not here for it, I will be burning these candles by myself. Still, just because you're passionate about something doesn't mean it's a good business idea in and of itself.

Persons: Jackie Aina, Aina, fiancé, Denis Asamoah, Women's, DeAndre Brown, We're, Mark Cuban's Organizations: Amazon Insights

☆ Jeff Bezos isn't a fan of 'time blocking'—here's what he does instead to boost his productivity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jeff Bezos doesn't jam-pack his schedule or set strict time blocks for all his meetings. "I don't keep to a strict schedule," Bezos said, in an episode first released in December 2023. "My meetings often go longer than I plan for them to, because I believe in [mind] wandering." "When I sit down [in] a meeting, I don't know how long the meeting is going to take if we're trying to solve a problem," Bezos said. He added that "a lot of people feel like wandering is inefficient," but studies show that a divergent mind can actually boost a person's productivity, creativity and happiness.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, —, Forbes —, Lex Fridman, Bezos Organizations: Origin

☆ CEOs share the 3 kinds of toxic employees you never want to be: 'Have some honesty about it'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

So, whether you want help recognizing the toxic employees around you — or you'd like to avoid becoming one yourself — watch out for these three red flags, CEOs say. The entitled employeeDon't ever act like you're owed a promotion or raise, says Tom Gimbel, CEO of staffing and recruiting firm LaSalle Network. "[People who say] 'I'm only going to do what's in my job description, I'm not going the extra mile, I'm not going to commit time to this' and expect to be rewarded" aren't desirable employees, Gimbel tells CNBC Make It. Sometimes, employees are caught off-guard when colleagues with less tenure get promoted first, but time alone doesn't entitle anyone to a promotion. When the employee turned in the work, it contained a noticeable error — and they blamed Fox, saying her instructions were unclear.

Persons: Tom Gimbel, I'm, Gimbel, Talia Fox, Fox Organizations: Society of Human Resource Management, LaSalle Network, CNBC, KUSI

☆ CEO: Here's the No. 1 most common type of good boss people actually like—and how to become it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

One common type of good boss really sticks out from the rest, says workplace culture expert Tom Gimbel: the people person. Traditionally, good bosses have skills in areas like time management, constructive criticism and simply being able to help co-workers through day-to-day tasks. "The more authentic you are, the more people are going to connect with you and enjoy your company," Gimbel tells CNBC Make It. Here's how you, too, can become a "people person" at work, experts say. Sharing stories with the people around you shows that you want to build a relationship with them, and reminds them that they can "laugh a little bit and enjoy our work," Gimbel adds.

Persons: Tom Gimbel, Michael Scott, NBC's, Ava Coleman, ABC's, Abbott, Gimbel, levity, Bonnie Low, Kramen, they're Organizations: LaSalle Network, CNBC Locations: Chicago

☆ If you use these 3 phrases, you’re more resilient and secure than most, psychologists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"People who are mentally tough stay mentally tough because they don't slip easily into shame or self-criticism or self-loathing." Instead of rushing to recover from a tough situation, give yourself time to feel your emotions, psychologist Cortney Warren wrote for CNBC Make It last year. "A key component of resilience is emotional flexibility, or the ability to regulate your feelings and reduce their intensity in a given situation," wrote Warren. 'No'Imagine this: You're dealing with your jam-packed work schedule when a colleague asks you to help them finish an assignment. Don't feel guilty for putting yourself first and saying no, according to psychologist Jessica Jackson.

Persons: Brené Brown, Brown, Cortney Warren, Warren, Judy Ho, Jessica Jackson, Jackson Organizations: CNBC

☆ CEO shares her No. 1 simple tactic for getting people to listen to her—you may remember it from grade school
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If you want people to listen to you, you need to be clear and concise. Using "ums" and "uhs" in your next conversation or presentation won't help you get your point across. "You can turn that into a one-minute talk, a 10-minute talk, a 20-minute talk or even an hour and a half talk." Even telling yourself things like "I'm capable" or "I'm confident" can help you "overcome nerves and get grounded," Taylor advised. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

Persons: Talia Fox, Fox, I've, Simon Taylor, Taylor Organizations: Washington, Washington , D.C, KUSI Global, Fox, CNBC Locations: Washington ,

☆ Barbara Corcoran made a $200,000 'Shark Tank' offer on one condition: Power to revamp the CEO's entire business
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Angie Cella was a "Shark Tank" investor's perfect candidate, according to the show's judges: a big dreamer and go-getter with a powerful backstory. The only catch, the investors said on Friday's episode of the ABC show: Cella's business needed a major overhaul, and Barbara Corcoran wanted to be the woman for the job. Cella sold her house to cover the costs, she said — moving herself and her four children into a rented townhome, while working virtually with a factory in China to bring Blinger to life. By the time of filming last year, the product was projected to bring in $4.2 million in annual sales, Cella said. She asked the show's investor judges for $200,000, in exchange for 5% of her product, which she sold through a parent company she named GEMC².

Persons: Angie, Barbara Corcoran, Cambria, —, GEMC Organizations: ABC Locations: Avondale , Pennsylvania, China

☆ Mark Cuban says his leadership style cost him $100,000 in fines after he bought the Dallas Mavericks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Not even a six-figure fine can get Mark Cuban to change his leadership tactics. A year later, he was fined $100,000 by the league for his unconventional methods of team leadership, he tells CNBC Make It. At the time, Cuban was 41 and full of energy after buying his way into his dream job. He still leans on his interpersonal leadership approach today, often providing advice, building connections and offering mentorship to contestants on ABC's "Shark Tank." If you're struggling with your own leadership style, Cuban recommends figuring out what being a leader actually means to you.

Persons: Mark Cuban, he'd, Draymond, Cuban, David Stern, Stern Organizations: Cuban, Yahoo, NBA's Dallas Mavericks, CNBC, NBA, Mavericks, National Society of Leadership

☆ CEO sold her house, liquidated 401(k) to start a beauty tech company—then she got a 6-figure ‘Shark Tank’ offer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Seven years ago, Dawn Myers saw Lori Greiner invest in a woman-owned hair company on ABC's "Shark Tank." She felt inspired, and started her own hair company catering to curls and coils. Today, Myers is the founder and CEO of Washington D.C.-based The Most, a parent company for brands Richualist and The Most Curls. Myers, a lawyer by training, said her lack of beauty, tech and engineering experience made it hard to attract investors. She ultimately raised $1.1 million in venture capital while undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, a Richualist spokesperson tells CNBC Make It.

Persons: Dawn Myers, Lori Greiner, Myers Organizations: Washington D.C, The, CNBC

His skills were passed down and cultivated from generation to generation, prompting two of his grandsons to create a construction company in Tennessee, also called McKissack & McKissack. "My father always took us [to] job sites, took us to the office. Today, it brings in between $25 million and $30 million per year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, and manages $15 billion in projects with offices in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Baltimore. She applied for jobs as a federal contractor, getting her foot in the door to work on construction projects at the White House and U.S. Treasury building. Deryl McKissack

Persons: Deryl, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Moses, Cheryl, McKissack, Moses McKissack, we've, they've, Andrea, William DeBerry Organizations: McKissack, D.C, Smithsonian African American Museum of, CNBC, Howard University, Washington Post, White House, . Treasury, Oxford Locations: Washington, Tennessee, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Baltimore

☆ Ditch these 10 common crutch phrases, says Stanford expert—they ‘undermine our competence and intelligence'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But beware, says Stanford University communication expert Matt Abrahams: They can get you into trouble, by negatively impacting the way other people see you. Crutch phrases often include "hedging language" that water down your sentences and make you seem less smart, he says. "[They] can actually undermine our competence and intelligence," Abrahams, a communication consultant and organizational behavior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, tells CNBC Make It. "Saying something like, 'So what I hear you saying is,' demonstrates that you've actually really listened to the person. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

Persons: Matt Abrahams, Abrahams, I'd, you've, Wharton, I've Organizations: Stanford University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, CNBC, Harvard

☆ Mark Cuban says he broke his No. 1 negotiating rule to buy the Dallas Mavericks: 'I was just like, yes'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

On television, Mark Cuban is a savvy and patient negotiator. But when the entrepreneur was a newly minted billionaire with cash to spend, he used a different tactic to buy the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. "It was all about fun," Cuban, 65, told NBA player Draymond Green's podcast, "The Draymond Green Show," on Monday. The following year, Cuban — a self-proclaimed basketball junkie — acquired a majority stake in the Mavericks for $285 million, from real estate developer Ross Perot Jr. The moment the deal was signed, Cuban hit the ground running, he told Green: "It was done.

Persons: Mark Cuban, Draymond, —, Ross Perot Jr, Green Organizations: Dallas Mavericks, Yahoo, Mavericks Locations: Cuban

☆ Barbara Corcoran: I wish I'd been 'easier on myself' in my 20s—especially about money
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But I wish I had been a little bit easier on myself," Corcoran said. One way to deal with it, executive coach Christina Helena wrote for CNBC Make It last year: Use the people around you for support. "Sometimes people see potential in us that we ourselves are not yet able to recognize," wrote Helena. Twenty-eight years after launching her business, Corcoran sold it for $66 million. Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank," which features Barbara Corcoran as a panelist.

Persons: Barbara Corcoran, Corcoran, Christina Helena, Helena, Esther Kaplan Organizations: CNBC, The Corcoran Locations: New Jersey

☆ Avoid these 3 common phrases—they make you look weak and insecure, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It's important to choose your words carefully and use assertive language, say authors and communication experts Kathy and Ross Petras. "The key is to be assertive without being overly aggressive," the Petrases wrote for CNBC Make It last year. No, if you have something important to say, then say it." If you're nervous or insecure during a meeting or conversation, changing a few words won't change the way you feel. 'I don't know'"I don't know" is a common filler phrase, or crutch word, to fill space until people can complete their thoughts.

Persons: Kathy, Ross Petras, Danny Rubin, …, Rubin, Simon Taylor, Eric Yaverbaum, Yaverbaum Organizations: CNBC, Ericho Communications

☆ 2 simple ways to get people to listen when you speak, according to a Stanford communication expert
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Many professionals believe that they're highly attentive, but 70% of them actually exhibit poor listening habits in the workplace, according to a 2020 University of Southern California report. So you've got to be clever if you want to grasp someone's attention, says Matt Abrahams, a communication consultant and organizational behavior lecturer at Stanford University. Polite requests for his students' attention fell on deaf ears, drowned out by their "chit-chatting," he tells CNBC Make It. It only takes four seconds for silence to become awkward, according to a Dutch psychology study published in 2011. "It's very hard to stand in silence, but that can be very helpful," he adds.

Persons: you've, Matt Abrahams, It's, Abrahams Organizations: University of Southern, Stanford University, CNBC Locations: University of Southern California

☆ Beyoncé's first country music foray drew harsh criticism—here's how she used it to craft a No. 1 single
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It was born out of an experience I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn't," Beyoncé wrote in a recent Instagram post. She was likely referring to a 2016 performance of her first country song, "Daddy Lessons," at the annual Country Music Awards. !," one user on social media platform X posted. Instead of letting those opinions deter her, Beyoncé spent five years crafting her country album, she wrote. "Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive," she wrote.

Persons: Cowboy Carter, wasn't, Beyoncé, @DixieChicks Organizations: The Chicks, Dixie Locations: Texas

☆ Wharton psychologist Adam Grant: 'Hustling' and taking care of yourself aren't mutually exclusive—here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Adam Grant and Robin Arzón want to reclaim the phrase "hustle culture." But there's a healthier way to approach the concept of "hustling," according to Grant, a Wharton organizational psychologist, and Arzón, vice president of fitness programming at Peloton. In other words, working hard and taking care of yourself don't have to be mutually exclusive. What "so many people get wrong" is that "they contrast hustle culture with self-care," Grant added, noting that "there's a difference between intensity and volume." That's the kind of hustle Arzón supports and implements in her own life, she said.

Persons: Adam Grant, Robin Arzón, Grant Locations: Wharton

☆ These 3 phrases make you sound smarter and more emotionally intelligent, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sounding smart and emotionally intelligent isn't just about the idea you're trying to convey. People often resort to using complex words and phrases to sound more insightful. And if you're trying to make things common, you really have to put them in a way that people can understand," Abrahams told CNBC Make It in January. Next time you talk with someone, try using these three simple expert-endorsed phrases:'Could you tell me more about that?' But emotionally intelligent people are interested in how others feel and what they have to say," the Petrases wrote for Make It last year.

Persons: Matt Abrahams, Abrahams, shouldn't, Kathy, Ross Petras, you've, John Bowe, Bowe Organizations: Stanford, CNBC Locations: People

☆ Mark Cuban says this common leadership style is a toxic trait: 'Trust the process or fix what's broken'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The 65-year-old billionaire entrepreneur weighed in on the common leadership style in a recent post on social media network X. If you find yourself constantly micromanaging the people around you, something's wrong, Cuban noted. Trust the process or fix what's broken if you always have to micromanage," Cuban wrote in his March 11 post. Cuban's post was a response to a thread about counterintuitive leadership principles written by Ofek Lavian, CEO of financial tech company Forage. In that thread, Lavian referenced a 20VC podcast episode from last year featuring Shopify CEO and co-founder Tobi Lütke, who embraced micromanaging.

Persons: Mark Cuban, Cuban, Ofek Lavian, Tobi Lütke, Lütke, It's, they'd Organizations: Trust Locations: Cuban

☆ Couple spent $400 to start a bakery—now it's a 'Shark Tank' success story worth $1.6 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

If you ask Saphira and Maurizio Rasti, the way to a "Shark Tank" star's heart is through their stomach. The Costa Mesa, California-based husband-and-wife duo brought investors treats from their business, Nowhere Bakery, on Friday's episode of the ABC television show. It might not have happened if the cookies and brownies didn't taste so good, much to the investors' surprise. "They're free from dairy, eggs, gluten, soy, refined sugar, sugar alcohols and are paleo-friendly," Saphira said on the show, noting that the idea originated as a solution for her own dietary restrictions. It brought in $770,000 in 2022 revenue — including a $32,000 profit — and was projected to finish 2023 with $1 million, Saphira said.

Persons: Saphira, Maurizio Rasti, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, We've Organizations: Nowhere, ABC Locations: Costa Mesa , California

☆ Outdoor Voices' layoffs via Slack ‘lack basic empathy,’ says expert: 'May only exacerbate the anxiety'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Athletic apparel brand Outdoor Voices is just the latest in a long line of companies to conduct mass layoffs — and "totally mishandle" them, says a leadership expert. Two employees told the publication that they were blindsided by the news. San Francisco-based executive coach Rohan Verma says that while this an unfortunate economic reality, Outdoor Voices could have handled the situation with more care. "These approaches, especially laying off folks over Slack, lack basic empathy for the employees' contributions and may only exacerbate the anxiety and shock people are feeling," Verma told CNBC Make It via email. Outdoor Voices also joins retailers like Dollar Tree, Bath and Body Works and CVS in closing a significant number of their physical stores.

Persons: Rohan Verma, Slack, Verma, curt Organizations: The New York Times, CNBC, Amazon, Twitter, Body, CVS Locations: Francisco

☆ This CEO had to drop her 'self-centered' habit to become highly successful: Ditching it was 'a complete game changer’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But, if you can ditch that habit, you're likely to become much more successful, says Talia Fox. I call it self-centered fear," Fox tells CNBC Make It. "Anytime I'm about to take an action, the thing that stops me from taking the action is worrying about what someone might think about me." Two decades ago, self-centered fear put Fox on the brink of an emotional breakdown as a Master's student at Howard University. She went on to become CEO at her coaching firm, a role she's held for over 20 years, according to LinkedIn.

Persons: Talia Fox, Fox Organizations: Kusi, D.C, Harvard School of Public Health, Fox, CNBC, Howard University, LinkedIn Locations: Washington

☆ The No. 1 trait bosses look for when promoting employees, says ex-CEO and Harvard expert
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But often, bosses look for something more subtle, says Harvard Business School executive fellow Bill George. In other words, CEOs and other leaders may want to see you guiding and inspiring the rest of your team. Great employees — the ones managers tend to see as worth promoting — don't just boss their co-workers around. They excel at building trust with the people around them, which requires a certain amount of self-awareness to achieve, George says. "Many people do not know who they are," George wrote in his book, "True North: Emerging Leader Edition," which published in 2022.

Persons: Bill George, George, — Organizations: Harvard Business School

☆ Ex-Amazon engineers lose 6-figure 'Shark Tank' deal off 1 blunder: 'That's the biggest mistake startups make'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

They still couldn't land a deal on Friday's episode of ABC's "Shark Tank" due to making what billionaire investor Mark Cuban referred to as "the biggest mistake startups make": trying to grow their brand too quickly. Skaloud and Feiereisen co-founded Boona, a Seattle-based company that makes a $249 showerhead called the "Tandem." "We want to build a brand," Feiereisen said. "Some of the greatest deals in 'Shark Tank' history [are] when the entrepreneur focused on that one application and maxed it out." And if we do create new products, it's to support Tandem," Feiereisen said, trying to reel investors back in.

Persons: Brett Skaloud, Jeff Feiereisen, Mark Cuban, Feiereisen, Kevin O'Leary, Skaloud, I'm, O'Leary Organizations: Amazon Locations: Seattle, Cuban

Search resuls for: "Ashton Jackson"

25 mentions found