Organized. The word alone can make you feel inadequate. But the reason it’s so intimidating isn’t because it’s hard; more likely, it’s because we don’t understand what it really means, says Andrea Brundage, founder of Simple Organized Solutions, an Arizona-based professional organizing firm.

"Being organized is more than papers filed neatly in nicely labeled folders; it’s about intentional living," she says. "People have different tolerances for stuff in their space, and finding the happy medium is critical for finding peace. Vow to become more organized, not necessarily perfectly organized."

Gender disparity is the greatest at some of the highest positions in the business world. According to the research firm Catalyst, women only make up 4% of CEOs in Standard and Poor’s 500.

Yet a new report, titled "Women in Leadership: Why It Matters" from the Rockefeller Foundation, indicates that this reality doesn’t line up with Americans’ perceptions. Polling 1,011 adults online revealed that 9 in 10 surveyed think there are more women leading major companies than the 20 who actually do.

Image: Photo: U.S. Marine Photo by Cpl. Natalie M. Rostran/Released via Wikimedia Commons

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology trade association, announced the winners of it 28th Annual Industry Awards during a celebration at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center attended by more than 600 technology and business leaders.

“The technology and life science communities in Maryland are rich with innovation and talent, which is epitomized in the winners of our 2016 Industry Awards,” Rene B. LaVigne, president and CEO of Iron Bow Technologies and TCM chairman-elect. “We are proud to honor our recipients for their accomplishments and, through all of our nominees this year, to showcase the impressive work that is being done across our state.”

WASHINGTON—Greater Washington builds great startups – we just can’t keep them here.

Over the past 20 years, 105 D.C. area startups were sold for more than $1 billion, but only 16 of those deals kept the businesses in the region, according to a new report examining innovation in the D.C. area. And out of 6,000 business sales over the last 20 years, about 75 percent were to out-of-region purchasers.

Recent examples include the recent $1.65 billion purchase of Cvent Inc. by San Fransisco-based private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, and the $532 million purchase of Opower Inc. by California-based Oracle Corp.

Image: Jonathan Aberman, managing partner of Amplifer Ventures LLC, believes the Greater Washington business community needs to work together to spur innovation.

Pittsburgh-based venture capital firm iNetworks LLC has more capital in hand. The iNetworks Opportunity Fund LP has raised $21 million toward a $100 million goal, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

John Haynes, iNetworks senior investment manager, confirmed the fundraising and said it is able to invest from the fund. But he could not provide further details, such as identifying investors in the new fund, at this time.

(TNS) -- On Monday, a new type of crowdfunding will become legal, and the public can begin buying shares or debt in private companies.

But will Philadelphia start-ups and local entrepreneurs raise big money through crowdfunding?

If this past week's Angel Capital Association convention is any indication, probably not right away.

Sebastian Gomez Abero of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Small Business Policy addressed the angel-investor crowd Wednesday, and as one of the authors of regulation for crowdfunding, sought to clarify for investors and issuing entrepreneurs the rules on this new type of financing.

Image: Yancey Strickler, co-founder of Kickstarter, one of the most popular crowdfunding sites. REX HAMMOCK

Believe it or not, there’s no right or wrong way to work out how much a business is worth. Experts use loads of different valuation methods — and the number those calculations come up with will vary greatly depending upon the criteria set forth. That being said, if you know exactly what it is you value in a business, it’s not hard to work out a ballpark figure. After all, nobody in their right mind would pay for an existing business without knowing what it’s worth.

The sole proprietorship is the simplest business structure to create and maintain. It’s the default business structure for solo business owners. If you’ve started a business and haven’t filed for a formal legal structure yet, then your business is a sole proprietorship.

There are minimal legal costs associated with forming a sole proprietorship: you just need to make sure you’re complying with any local zoning and business permit laws. Additionally, a sole proprietorship has few formal business requirements. Sounds good, right? This simplicity and affordability are why many small businesses in the U.S. operate as sole proprietorships.

Historically, industrial revolutions haven’t been kind to poor people. Despite the potential benefits technology can offer, the immediate impact on the lowest-paid members of society has often been negative. If it wasn’t putting people out of work, then technology was usually endangering them through hazardous working environments or long-term exposure to pollutants. And even today there is evidence that technology-driven economies are favoring just a small group of successful individuals, and thereby exacerbating inequality.

Image: https://www.technologyreview.com 

The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which dedicate a percentage of federal research and development funding to allow small- and medium-sized businesses to work with federal agencies, could finally be made permanent, should new legislation pass.

A bill introduced in April by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and U.S. Senator David Vitter, R-La., received markup and approval from the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship yesterday evening. The bill would make the SBIR and STTR programs permanent across all agencies.

Vitter is chair and Shaheen is the lead Democrat on the Senate panel

Image: 'Making SBIR and STTR permanent for the Department of Defense is good news for our small businesses in New Hampshire,' says U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. 

A team of MIT and Harvard University students who invented a smartphone-connected sensor that detects lung cancer from a single breath took home the grand prize from Wednesday night’s $100K Entrepreneurship Competition.

Astraeus Technologies won the $100,000 Robert P. Goldberg Grand prize at the 27th annual competition, beating out seven other finalist teams that pitched business ideas to a panel of expert judges and a lively capacity crowd in Kresge Auditorium. Five other teams innovating in big data, creative arts, and food service took home separate category prizes totaling $40,000.    

Image: MIT $100K grand-prize-winning team Astraeus Technologies (left to right): Graham Lieberman, Jay Kumar, Alexander Blair, and Joseph Azzarelli. Photo: Michael Last

Paul Singh sold his house, car and belongings to embark on a yearlong entrepreneurial journey across North America, and one of his strategic stops is Kansas City.

The serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist's road trip, dubbed the "North American Tech Tour," includes 34 cities where tech startups have chosen to start and grow. His mission is twofold: It's an opportunity to identify new tech startups to invest in and to discover what makes each city's tech ecosystem tick.

Image: Paul Singh sold his house, car and belongings to embark on a yearlong entrepreneurial… more LESLIE COLLINS | KCBJ

Hiring experienced technologists is difficult. Many are happy in their current positions, and the others are inundated with offers. With software developer employment projected to grow 17% by 2024 — 10% faster than the average occupational growth rate in the US — it’s incumbent upon employers to ensure they stand out from the crowd.

The right organizational structure and workplace culture will help them do just that. There are three principles to enact:

For product-oriented businesses, launching a new item can be intimidating. In today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, the pressure is high to be as innovative as possible. Businesses are competing with not only existing products on the market but the many other new pieces of merchandise being created by creative startup founders.

We’re in the golden age of innovation, an era in which digital technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence. Or so a techno-optimist might argue.

We’re in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed and living standards are barely rising. That’s what some skeptical economists believe.

Among other things, I’m a political junkie, a consultant to business leaders and their leadership teams, a regular global business traveler, and an all-around curious person. These roles and this personality trait have led me to also be an agnotologist.   “A what?”, you ask. Read on.

Think of knowledge as a tropical island surrounded by a great sea of ignorance. The island becomes more lush as it expands in random and unpredictable fits and starts, pushing away parts of the ignorant sea, and replacing it with solid ground and vibrant growth.  Most people live quite comfortably on the island, often as far from the shoreline as possible.

After President Barack Obama’s announcement in December 2014, investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs asked, What will this historic change mean for economic relations between the United States and Cuba? What opportunities—and risks—should US companies consider as they explore the business potential of one of the largest markets in the Caribbean? Now, 15 months later, the answers are becoming more clear.

The following discussion addresses the criteria that a good innovation metric should meet.

Comparative

A good innovation metric should allow users to measure current innovation performance with prior years’ performance, as well as with competitors’ performance. The ability to compare to prior years’ performance will support company improvement. The ability to compare against competitors performance will support increasing the company’s competitiveness, market share, revenue, and profitability relative to its competitors in the market.

Image: http://www.innovationexcellence.com

With over 700 investors attending, most startup founders would kill to be a fly in the wall at the 2016 Angel Capital Association’s Summit, being held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Monday to Wednesday.

The event’s programming involves dozens of sessions, keynote lectures and roundtables, and will wrap up on Wednesday with a keynote presentation from Howard Morgan, the longtime managing partner of Philly-based venture firm First Round Capital.

Image: https://technical.ly

I have many conversations with founders that start with “I need…” “I need to raise money.” “I need to hire more people.” “I need to find some more customers.”

It is very easy to develop tunnel vision when building your company as you are tackling difficult problems everyday. Your world consists of aggressive (maybe impossible) goals, and you evaluate all the things you need to be able to achieve those goals. Those needs become your entire focus.