Understanding your role in compliance and staying ahead of federal regulations is challenging, but it’s infinitely preferable to the fines and other costs associated with non-compliance.

Creating a culture of compliance in your organization, even if it’s just you, isn’t something that you can deal with in the future, or assume is the domain of only larger organizations. In the current business climate, every organization, regardless of size, is held accountable for compliance, and regulators are examining compliance plans and policies more closely than ever.

The story of the hustling D-student who built a business from a dorm room never gets old, which is why I loved interviewing Kenny Dichter. That’s exactly how the serial entrepreneur, now the CEO and founder of Wheels Up, got his start. But what sets Dichter apart is his track record since then: building and selling one successful business after another.

In college, Dichter and a friend began creating and selling T-shirts with “Wisconsin flair” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The apparel line started to gain traction, so Dichter moved the operation from his dorm to a nearby storefront. That business grew to three locations before Dichter sold it upon graduation.

At the beginning of September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make his first official visit to China and will also participate in the G20 Summit with the Heads of State of Hangzhou. As a Sherpa Delegate for this mission, I will personally have the honour of leading a Canadian delegation of 35 young entrepreneurs at the Summit.

The G20 in China comprises a twofold challenge, with issues of global dimensions:

• To breathe new life into the world's 20 major economies; 
• To reinforce the G20's role of creating a governance platform with long-term vision.

Many years back, the battle cry began: Learn To Code! That call has only become louder since, with numerous bootcamps touting the idea that if you learn the basics of computer programming, you will almost certainly be guaranteed a sweet gig. Indeed, Bloomberg Businessweek devoted an entire issue to explaining precisely what code is.

It is true that learning how to code can take you far, although one skill does not necessarily ensure a healthy career. And as the call for programmers has increased, there has been a concomitant rise of services that offer platforms to automate coding skills. An early example was Geocities, which made it a cinch to set up a simple HTML website without knowing one word of code. Many successful professionals today do technical work even though they don't have a mathematical background.

Image: Flickr user Rachel Johnson

In A City Creating the Future, Rob van Gijzel, Mayor of Eindhoven, takes the reader on a journey into the future. He demonstrates the inadequacy of current social, political and economic systems to deal with the problems of that future. These are huge challenges, the Grand Challenges.

Food, energy, climate, mobility, water and health care are global problems which desperately need solutions. The old system of the vertical world, with its cumbersome institutions, sluggish government, unwieldy decision-making, ideological conflicts and top-down approach has been shown to fall short, unable to provide answers. The reason for this is that change, and technological change, is going faster that the prevailing constitution's capacity to deal with it.

Some of Target Corp.’s first class of Techstar start-ups are already running tests within the company. Others are in active talks about potential partnerships.

In the last several weeks, many have zig or zagged their original concepts.

And a number of them are contemplating setting up a permanent or satellite office in the Twin Cities after the 14-week boot camp finishes up next month.

The 11 companies, chosen from more than 500 applicants, are two-thirds of the way through the first 14-week Techstar accelerator houses inside Target’s headquarters in downtown Minneapolis.

Image: http://www.startribune.com

Immigrant-owned businesses had an economic impact of more than $500 million in Ohio in 2014, according to officials.

Nearly 481,000 Ohio residents were born abroad, or about 4 percent of the state’s population, according to data presented Wednesday during a press conference in Dayton.

This morning’s press conference — hosted by the Partnership for a New American Economy, Welcome Dayton and the Dayton Chamber of Commerce — highlighted the economic impact of immigrants in key industries, including health care and manufacturing, according to a release.

About 11,800 people immigrated to Ohio between 2010 and 2014.

But Ohio’s growth in its immigrant population trailed the nation during that period.

Ohio saw 2.5 percent growth, while the United States saw 5.8 percent growth.

Immigrants were nearly 24 percent more likely to work than native Ohioans.

About 122,404 people in Ohio are employed at firms owned by immigrants.

About 27,620 immigrants in Ohio are self-employed.

It’s that time of year again here in Birchrunville Pennsylvania, USA. In a few days, the Labor Day holiday will be upon us and summer will officially end.

The deer I see out my window have fattened up for the coming winter. Trees are beginning to shed their leaves. The few bars and restaurants will be filling up again as people return from wherever they go over the summer.

Many of us take the end of summer as a signal to begin gearing up for a heightened work load, new projects, a return to busy routines. I can’t think of a better way to start to gear up than by dialing down.

Regardless of whether you want to run a small business on the side or quit your full-time job to build a self-employed career for yourself, starting your own business can be a life-changing decision.

There are many reasons that motivate new entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams of launching a profitable company. Some reasons are better than others and, truthfully, some reasons are downright bad. 

Accelerator will spur growth in Central Iowa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by focusing on companies in key industry of agriculture

GREATER DES MOINES, IA — Four investors have signed on to support a new startup business accelerator that will further establish Central Iowa’s reputation as a global leader in cutting-edge agriculture technology. The Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Cultivation Corridor announced today that they will form an Ag Tech Accelerator (The Accelerator) with the support of investors DuPont Pioneer, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company, John Deere and Peoples Company. Each investor company has committed to support the Accelerator in the amount of $100,000 for the first year. The Accelerator is designed to build upon one of the state’s key industries of agriculture and the entrepreneurial activity that can advance technology in the industry.

BOONE, Ia. — Two heavyweights in agriculture and major employers in Iowa are backing a new home for technology startups in their field.

Equipment maker Deere & Co. and seed company DuPont Pioneer are two of four initial investors in an agriculture-technology accelerator, a startup development program slated for central Iowa.

Farm insurer Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and Peoples Co., a land management and brokerage firm, have also signed on as investors.

After months of informally listing an ag accelerator as a possible priority, the Greater Des Moines Partnership and Cultivation Corridor have drawn support from four firms to make the idea happen.

The ag startup accelerator, to be modeled after the Global Insurance Accelerator, has drawn separate $100,000 investments from DuPont Pioneer, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co., John Deere and Peoples Co. The ag accelerator is meant to help build entrepreneurial efforts in ag technology, especially in hardware and software. The effort will be named later by a board that will include representatives of each investor.

According to Deloitte, Australia’s innovation future is under threat, due to the many high-growth start-ups, or ‘gazelles’, being lured overseas. They are attracted by favourable incentives, opportunities to network with like-minded gazelles and potential investors, as well as profile-building opportunities in innovation hotspots around the world.

Deloitte has asserted that Australia needs to do more to incentivise start-up companies, in order to prevent talented people and business potential from leaving the country.

What’s Italy’s biggest export right now? If you answered food, fashion, wine, or sports cars, you’ve guessed wrong.

There’s no question that Italy remains famous for its great cuisine, world-class wines, and incomparable automobiles. But the country’s strongest export industry today is high technology. In fact, about 60 percent of Italy’s exports are in machinery, technology, and related industries, according to the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).

The year is more than halfway over, and we’re now heading into conference season! I realize that there are literally hundreds of conferences you could attend, but to help you out, we hand picked 15 of the best conferences around the world.

But why should you even attend a conference? You’re a busy entrepreneur or leader, and you’ve barely got enough time as it is. Why go to a conference?

In meetings, emails, conversations, and conference calls, business leaders spend roughly 80% of their time communicating. So, it’s a significant waste of time and resources if that communication isn’t effective. When it comes to the way we speak to others—either groups or individuals—we can often be inadvertently doing or saying things that undermine our effectiveness.

If you have dreams of one day launching your own startup, the idea of getting an MBA may have crossed your mind. After all, business schools are great at explaining how successful companies got off the ground and providing networking opportunities so you can connect with potential investors and cofounders. That's probably why U.S. Department of Education data indicates that the MBA is the most popular graduate degree.

Image: https://www.fastcompany.com 

Most people think that being an entrepreneur is about having that big idea. And it is. To start something new, you need to have an idea that works: something people need, something they’ll want, and most importantly — at least for the people investing in your idea — something that’s scalable.

But what I’ve found from interviewing multiple entrepreneurs who focus on consulting, the internet, and software development is that without the capacity to execute an idea — to take an idea and turn it into a living, breathing, viable organization — you’re doomed to fail. And for many entrepreneurs who are thinkers, rather than doers, this is a frightening notion.

High Tech Rochester just got a financial boost for its planned business incubator in downtown Rochester.

On Tuesday, New York-based federal legislators U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, announced that $2.5 million will go toward the construction of HTR's business accelerator. The money comes from the federal Economic Development Administration.

Image: http://www.democratandchronicle.com 

Between languishing economic growth and exacerbating income inequalities, the money economy is suffering. In contrast, the gift economy seems to have embarked on a promising path. The pioneers of next practices to implement the act of giving are engaged in such different fields as – to name just a few – health, food, care for the poor, neighborhood socialization, urban decay, and the nascent entrepreneurship. The recruitment and engagement of donors in the online crowdfunding communities has already taken form and becomes clearer and clearer day after day.