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☆ Got a thriving side job? Here's how and when to tell your boss about it — and why you probably should.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Alexandra York | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Experts say it's important to tell your boss about your side hustle. It's probably time to tell your boss about it. If your side hustle is already a thriving business, you tell your boss right away. Alistair Berg/Getty ImagesBut if your side hustle is already a thriving business, you should mention it right away, she said. "The minute you make a mistake or your performance slips, your boss might think you're not focused," Nahrgang said.

☆ How Girl Scouts found itself in a cookie debacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —For decades, Girl Scouts has used cookie sales to raise funds and teach scouts about entrepreneurship. “Right now we are focused on ensuring all Girl Scouts have a successful Cookie Season,” Girl Scouts USA told CNN in a statement, adding that it is also focused on optimizing its operations “in real-time, and [capturing] learnings that will inform our strategy going into future seasons.”But for the scouts, those learnings have been hard-won. That meant shoppers could order it themselves, though Girl Scouts encouraged them to ask scouts to place the orders. Plus, Girl Scouts built a lot of hype with the limited-time offer, creating a sense of urgency, Esper noted. Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesYet as customers clamored for the cookie, scouts and their parents learned there was no chance of increasing supply by the end of the cookie season in April.

"You're going to see every board member tell people to keep your money in multiple bank accounts," said Wesley Chan, cofounder and managing partner at FPV Ventures. "I'm not concerned about Bank of America," one business owner said as they left a Bank of America branch on Monday. Big banks can be less competitive, for example, on interest rates because of the security they offer. I think you'll see startups, in particular, questioning moving to the big banks given just how much more expensive it is," Matheson added. "The big banks are in very good shape, and so it probably is a stabilizing decision to move those deposits.

☆ Why retailers send your like-new returns to rot in landfills
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Not all retailers are environmentally focused, "so things end up being thrown away because of the cost," he said. If consumers want to avoid contributing to landfills with their returns, there are a few things to keep in mind. Luxury brands, too, are more likely to trash returns to avoid products ending up in secondary markets and tarnishing the label's value. Retailers are investing more in returns technology, services, and other advanced strategies as returns volumes grow. Consolidation strategies used by Amazon and other major retailers cut down on shipping costs by pooling returns together at stores.

☆ Live Nation exec will face lawmakers about Taylor Swift concert tickets fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“It goes without saying that I’m extremely protective of my fans,” Swift wrote on Instagram in November. The mergerCriticism of Ticketmaster’s dominance dates back decades, but the Swift ticketing incident has once again turned that issue into a dinner table discussion at many households. Concert promoter Live Nation and ticketing company Ticketmaster, two of the largest companies in the concert business, announced their merger in 2009. ‘Customers are the ones that pay the price’While irate fans were left scrambling to wade through the Swift ticket confusion, their collective anger caught lawmakers’ attention. To me, what happened with the Swift concert tickets was not necessarily the result of Ticketmaster being the dominant player in the industry,” he said.

☆ U.S. weekly jobless claims unexpectedly fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting the labor market remains tight despite higher interest rates. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 190,000 for the week ended Jan. 14, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 214,000 claims for the latest week. Outside the technology industry, economists say companies are generally reluctant to send workers home after difficulties finding labor during the pandemic. In the week ending Jan 7, the so-called continuing claims rose 17,000 to 1.647 million, the claims report showed.

☆ Floridians can blame vacation homes and 'oppressive' homeowners associations for their high rents, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Too many vacation rentals and strict homeowners associations are pushing up housing costs, a study said. According to Johnson, there are too many vacation rentals in the Sunshine State. It's this particular combination of strict HOA rules and the sheer number of vacation rentals is a mixture that is affecting housing affordability negatively, he said. According to Johnson's study, Florida is now home to 9 of the 21 most overpriced rental markets in the US. The number of vacation rentals in the state is only making it harder for people to find affordable places to rent, the study suggests.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond says its days are numbered. The same might be true for its big blue 20% coupons
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Bed Bath & Beyond coupon shoppers take note: If you have a stash of its big blue 20% off coupons in your drawer or in your inbox, better use them soon. “If Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy, the retailer might honor the 20% coupons for a 30-day period. Big Blue became a company iconBed Bath & Beyond introduced its oversized coupon for 20% off a single item three decades ago. Rumors swirled on various social platforms that Big Blue coupons never expire, even though the weekly coupon does feature an expiration date. With stores closed for months, and consumers rethinking their non-essential purchases, Bed Bath & Beyond sales and profit took a hit.

☆ U.S. Accounting Rule Maker Looks to Advance Projects on Tax, Crypto and Expenses in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The U.S. accounting rule maker in 2022 launched new projects following an agenda consultation with investors and other stakeholders in 2021, its first in five years. The board has at least three core projects—two on disclosure of expenses and one on disclosing income taxes—in 2023, according to Mr. Jones. PREVIEWThe FASB will likely finalize a rule in 2023 requiring public companies to start breaking out big-ticket expenses incurred by their business divisions, Mr. Jones said. Another major project Mr. Jones said might be finalized in 2023 would require companies to provide more tax details. “They have an important role in our economy.”The slowing economy will also be on the FASB’s radar, Mr. Jones said.

Below are the events, trends and topics investors expect to shape the outlook for emerging markets next year. "The economic downturns along with the aggressive monetary tightening and geopolitical and commodity shocks that induce them will be temporarily painful in financial and emerging markets," said David Folkerts-Landau, group chief economist at Deutsche Bank. Globally, the war has transformed energy markets and inflation pressures, food security and geopolitical risk perception - factors that are often more keenly felt in emerging economies. "There's not actually a lot of debt maturing next year," said Carmen Altenkirch, emerging markets sovereign analyst at Aviva Investors. 6/ TURKEY ELECTIONSPresident Tayyip Erdogan could face the biggest political challenge of his two decades in power as Turks head to the ballot box in the most high-profile vote in emerging markets.

☆ Got a thriving side hustle? Here's how and when to tell your boss about it — and why you probably should.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alexandra York | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Experts say it's important to tell your boss about your side hustle. It's probably time to tell your boss about it. If your side hustle is already a thriving business, you tell your boss right away. PeopleImages/GettyBut if your side hustle is already a thriving business, you should mention it right away, she said. If you have a good relationship with your boss, consider having a frank conversation about how your full-time work benefits from the side hustle.

☆ An ex-Adidas designer who helped launch Yeezy's is trying to make it easy for anyone to start a sneaker brand
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fctry Lab also will help smaller brands get products to market through consulting and possibly investments. Industry experts said Fctry Lab will give young sneaker companies easier access to the tools and expertise needed to get sneakers to market. "The alternative (to Fctry Lab) is get on a plane, go to China, and figure it out." Eventually, Fctry Lab could be turning out small batches of shoes and serving as a sort of music studio for sneaker-makers. The $6 million, which Fctry Lab considers a seed round, will be used to grow the business.

It’s a seemingly simple calculation, but supply-chain experts caution that shipping from stores can be more challenging than filling orders at fulfillment centers that are set up for the job. It now packages orders at 116 of its approximately 1,350 stores, said Amiee Bayer-Thomas, the company’s chief supply chain officer. The chain said it has converted areas in 35 stores to serve as semi-automated miniature distribution centers. That is one reason department store Nordstrom is pulling back on shipping orders from stores for its discount brand Nordstrom Rack. The company will continue using Nordstrom stores to fulfill online orders for that brand.

☆ Some Retailers Are Learning to Love Bulked-Up Inventories
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Discount retailers Burlington Stores Inc. and TJX Cos. are among those happy to stock up as other merchants look to off-load goods. “Last year, our store inventories were just too lean going into the spring,” Mr. O’Sullivan said on a Nov. 22 call with analysts. The overall retail sector’s ratio of inventories to sales, a measure of how much companies have in stock compared with what they sell, remains tight by historical standards. The ratio for inventories to sales at those stores was 1.54 in September, up sharply from 1.39 in September 2019, according to Census Bureau figures. The company reported inventories rose 44% in the latest quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.

☆ Amazon Launches Supply-Chain Software Service
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon’s launch of its cloud application, AWS Supply Chain, adds Amazon to a growing list of software suppliers, such as Manhattan Associates and Blue Yonder, that help merchants juggle increasingly complex cargo flows and inventory demands. Microsoft Corp. launched its own supply-chain management software platform earlier this month. Companies are relying more on sophisticated supply-chain software as a growing share of sales shifts away from sending goods in bulk to retailers and moves more toward direct-to-consumer online sales that require better balancing and positioning of stock. Amazon has a ready audience for its software with a phalanx of small- and medium-size businesses in its third-party marketplace. The software identifies risks and provides recommendations to guard against shortages and delays so that companies can “quickly see and respond to potential supply-chain disruptions,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, vice president of AWS Supply Chain at Amazon Web Services.

☆ Here's what to do when your boss is gaslighting you
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This edition of Insider's work-advice column is about how to deal with a boss who's gaslighting you. He's gaslighting me about my performance, and I worry he's building a case to eventually try to fire me. And because we work in a very transparent and data-heavy organization, I can prove that he's wrong. Or, he could double down on the gaslighting behaviors, in which case you need to fashion an exit strategy, stat. Do your best to reduce direct contact with your boss — and take detailed notes on the meetings you do have.

☆ Logistics Companies Are Diversifying Hiring, but Challenges Persist
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Photo: Sarah Oden/Associated PressWomen and people of color are being hired into top roles in the logistics industry. United Parcel Service Inc. turned to Carol Tomé, a former finance chief at Home Depot Inc., in 2020 to become chief executive officer. Raj Subramaniam, who is from India, was chosen to succeed FedEx Corp. founder Fred Smith as chief executive earlier this year. Judy McReynolds has been chief executive of ArcBest Corp. , one of the largest trucking companies in the U.S., since 2010. Studies also show there is a big gap in pay across the logistics industry.

☆ Conscious spending: Personal finance that's smart and fun
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

You don’t have to think or feel this way, thanks to a flexible personal finance approach called conscious spending. “Conscious spending is all about spending extravagantly on the things you love, as long as you cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t. But a conscious spending plan allows you to say, “Yes, I want to go on vacation. Rewiring your spending habitsThe term “conscious spending” implies that people experience unconscious spending, said Bradley Klontz, a financial psychologist and associate professor of practice at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business in Omaha, Nebraska. Or should I not?’”If you want to give conscious spending a shot, try it for a month.

☆ For small-business owners, poor performers can be a drag on the bottom line. Here's how to help them improve.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

InsiderPeople management is challenging for small-business owners, even when workers are productive. This article is part of Talent Insider, a series containing expert advice to help small business owners tackle a range of hiring challenges. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyPeople management is a perpetual challenge for small-business owners. Insider spoke with small-business owners and experts who offered advice on how to work with subpar employees to improve their performance. Nyberg said small-business owners often neglect to do this because they're stretched thin.

☆ Retailers Turning to Specific-Day Delivery Over Speediest Shipping
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Retailers this holiday season are focusing on delivering packages to customers on specific dates, rather than competing on speed of delivery. With inflation-conscious consumers now dialing back their online shopping, many retailers are focused on restraining the high costs of fulfillment and last-mile delivery. In 2019, the e-commerce giant also gave its Prime members the option to pick a specific delivery date. The feature refines the retailer’s previous three- to five-day shipping window, said Shivi Shankaran, the company’s chief operating officer. “Sometimes they want it really, really fast, or they want it really, really scheduled,” Mr. Gorlin said.

☆ Why companies like UPS and Disney are allowing workers to show their tattoos
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Companies including Disney, UPS and Virgin Atlantic have relaxed their dress and style codes to allow employees to show their tattoos in the workplace. Shifting views on tattoos at workBartlett said after that policy was well received, UPS began looking at changes to its tattoo policy. Previously, the company barred employees from showing any visible tattoos — workers with tattoos had to cover them with long sleeves or pants, or skin-colored coverings. According to the Disney cast member handbook, visible tattoos that are no larger than an extended hand are permitted except for any on the face, head, or neck. That carried over into corporate culture, where hiring managers would stereotype applicants with visible tattoos, or where employers would worry that employing someone with tattoos would turn off customers.

☆ 86% of Gen Z interns think a recession is coming—and it's changing their approach to their careers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Cassidy Case is a few months into her fall internship, but she's already planning ahead for summer. As young workers search for stability and meaning when entering the working world, they're changing their behaviors and mindsets to "recession-proof" their futures. At this stage of their lives and careers, Gen Zers want flexibility in the way they live and work most of all, Cruzvergara says. At the University of Arkansas, 21-year-old senior Oliver Sims also has his summer work plans locked in. "You could work remotely from your parents' house for a company with an office based in New York."

☆ Buyer beware: Some Amazon Prime Day deals may not be what they seem, according to a new study
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new study warns that Amazon deals might be price hikes in disguise. When you consider vacuum cleaners, for example, the addition of a list price was accompanied by a price hike 22% of the time. One day, a "List Price" of $300 pops up on the page with a slash through it. List prices are based on amounts Amazon customers recently paid and other retailers recently charged, Amazon said. Still, the study's authors warned that consumers shouldn't always take Amazon deals at face value.

☆ Micro-Warehouse Provider Pivots as Retail Consumer Market Shifts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Israel-based robotics startup Get Fabric Ltd., which has placed so-called microfulfillment centers in New York City and Dallas, is focusing on selling its warehouse automation platform rather than building more specialized small distribution sites. Some companies leased vacant retail spaces for use as “dark stores” for fulfillment and delivery, while others opened smaller warehouses near population centers. The shift makes the niche logistics business the latest to see a business strategy that gained traction during the Covid-19 pandemic lose its momentum as consumers have resumed prepandemic buying habits. That has some retailers rethinking their heavy investments in online fulfillment. Takeoff Technologies Inc., a microfulfillment system provider, expanded its business in the past year, said co-founder and Chief Executive Max Pedró.

☆ Ford Supply-Chain Leadership Overhaul Reflects EV Ramp Up
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Liz Young | Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Ford Motor Co.’s moves to overhaul its supply-chain leadership reflect the increasingly crucial role technology is playing as the development of electric vehicles is transforming the way cars are produced. Ford said the company is seeking to align operations from sourcing and assembly to distribution with a goal of transitioning to EVs. Ford also plans to name its first chief supply-chain officer. It had sold more than 36,500 electric vehicles year-to-date through August. Ford has been working on building closer ties with its suppliers for years, but pandemic-related supply-chain snarls have made it a more urgent priority, the company spokesman said.

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