My thanks to greatbusinessschools.org for this interesting infographic, published as Entrepreneur U: Schools for Start Ups. I’m posting it here despite its showing schools other than Stanford as tops in MBA entrepreneurship.

Congrats to Michigan for its #1 showing here among grad schools for entrepreneurship—great program, I agree—and also Babson, which has probably the oldest focus on entrepreneurship, and Rice, whose links to the entrepreneurship and high-tech community in Houston are outstanding. And to the others shown here. Yes, I’m biased towards Stanford, NYU, and Notre Dame, but that’s just my bias. This is a good list, and a useful infographic.

Image: http://articles.bplans.com 

Could the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg be sitting in class right now in the District?

Maybe.

Photos of the day Texas oil spill, Washington landslide, Egypt orders execution of 529 Morsi supporters, Russian forces in Crimea and more. Photos of the day: March 21, 2014

More importantly, are there students whose lives could be improved if they learned the ins and outs of running a business?

No question.

Image: http://www.washingtonpost.com 

Jetpac is a clever app that analyzes Instagram photos to create city guides. By identifying markers like how much lipstick people are wearing, or the number of mustaches showing, it rates places as, say, “bars women love” or "hipster hangouts” (a mustache indicating hipsterism in some cities).

Now, Jetpac has turned its technology to happiness. Crunching through 150 million images, and awarding "smile scores" based on the incidence and strength of smiling, it gives us a ranking of the world's happiest places. You may be surprised by the results.

Image: http://www.fastcoexist.com 

Last July, thousands of investors and Silicon Valley watchers received an email about a mobile app that is trying to become the "Uber of shipping." Shyp users snap a picture of the item they want mailed, and a courier--the company calls them "heroes"--arrives to carry it away. The cargo gets packed at a warehouse and sent by U.S. Postal Service, or a private competitor like UPS.

Image: http://www.fastcompany.com 

In my last column, I discussed the key differences between a craft and an enterprise and explained why an SMME can only become truly sustainable once it becomes an enterprise. The successful transition from craft to enterprise requires the implementation of an effective governance process in your business.

While many SMME owners claim to understand this concept, they are often reluctant to make this transition in their own business. But why are SMME owners so hesitant to implement the changes that will ultimately make their business more profitable and sustainable?

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

In reality, so-called “Founder’s” shares are simply common stock, issued at the time of startup incorporation, for a very low price, and normally allocated to the multiple initial players commensurate with their investment or role. But that’s only the beginning of the story.

These shares are allocated and committed, but not really issued and owned (vested) until later. Typically, vesting in startups occurs monthly over 4 years, starting with the first 25% of such shares vesting only after the employee has remained with the company for at least 12 months (one year “cliff”). Vesting always stops when an employee leaves the company.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Tell me which teams’ losses would give you the greatest joy. As it all unfolds, my basketball-sized brain will calculate your Bracket Emotional Toll.

Image: http://www.nytimes.com 

You finally approved the new company logo and now you can sit back and get back to running your business. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your work is just beginning. Your logo may be done, but your brand promotion is just beginning. Since your brand is not what you think or even say about your company, product or service…it’s what your customers and prospects think and say about YOU that matters.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

We all know the damage done when being less than honest with our clients, customers and partners. But the cost of lying in business can be much more than we think. In a conversation with an investor she calls “Peter,” Tech Entrepreneur Rebekah Campbell says she learned the damage lying does to businesses in general.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com 

The Washington Research Foundation (WRF), a private nonprofit group that funds research and initiatives to commercialize innovations in the state, is making a large, long-term grant to University of Washington efforts in data science, clean energy, protein design, and neuroengineering.

Four programs will share in upwards of $30 million over five years, WRF CEO Ronald Howell tells Xconomy, though final budget details are still being worked out.

Image: http://www.xconomy.com 

For nearly five years I walked the same two blocks to my train stop twice a day--morning and evening, passing the same houses, the same piles of trash, the same parked cars. Those two blocks became so dull. Every day the same thing. Nothing new to see. Sometimes, whole days could go by like that--everything the same. Nothing new to see.

Of course this is not true, but it's very easily the mindset we can slip into, eased into the routines of the day, all too familiar with our surroundings. It's that mundaneness that can stifle creativity. After all, what is creative thinking but exploration?

Image: http://www.fastcompany.com 

Of all of the perplexing career dilemmas this is a pivotal one. Stay at your job and try to climb the ladder or jump ship in search of greener pastures?

This week's reader question comes from "Trying to Move On Up" in Washington, D.C., and is answered by leadership coach Lolly Daskal and psychologist Art Markman:

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10361931@N06/4900705092 

By now, you probably know that a salary is negotiable.

But that’s just one of the workplace policies and perks up for discussion. Whether it’s explicitly said or not, things like flexible working arrangements, maternity leave and even the projects you get to work on may not be set in stone.

Image: http://www.fastcompany.com 

For many, a trip to the beach just isn’t complete without the possibility of a deep sea dive. Whether you want to explore ship wrecks, meet creatures of the deep, or wonder at gorgeous coral formations, scuba diving can be a fun and athletic opportunity while you’re on vacation.  Getting certified is crucial before attempting a dive, and if you choose to give it a go, we’ve compiled some of the best dive sites in North America for you to visit. Some may not realize just how many dive sites await in our own backyard!

Image: Picasa - Portofino Beach Resort, Half Moon Caye, Belize 

In an effort to boost U.S. manufacturing, President Obama recently announced the opening of two new manufacturing innovation hubs. The hubs will serve as institutions to increase manufacturing technology in the U.S. and will create local jobs for middle-class workers.

The first innovation hubs to open will operate in Chicago and Detroit. These will be led by the Department of Defense and backed by more than $280 million in combined private and public funds. Both institutions will bring together universities, non-profit organizations, and companies, which can all contribute and benefit from the hubs. Additionally, the hubs will allow students, engineers, and workers of all skill levels to learn from and work with cutting-edge technology. The hubs will also help small businesses thrive by allowing them access to the latest manufacturing technology.

– Effort designed to help revolutionize access to genomic interpretation services in hospitals, molecular diagnostics companies and academic medical centers throughout the U.S. –

ROCKVILLE AND BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, MARCH 25, 2014 – Strand Genomics Inc. (Strand) and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) today announced a strategic partnership designed to expand the Strand Centers for Genomics & Personalized Medicine into the U.S. This effort is intended to help revolutionize access to genomic interpretation services in cardiovascular disease, oncology, rare diseases, and many other indications. Strand Genomics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Strand Life Sciences, a Bangalore, India-based bioinformatics, clinical genomics, and diagnostics company.

Read the PDF

Guillaume Santacruz, an aspiring French entrepreneur, brushed the rain from his black sweater and skinny jeans and headed down to a cavernous basement inside Campus London, a seven-story hive run by Google in the city’s East End.

It was late on a September morning, and the space was crowded with people hunched over laptops at wooden cafe tables or sprawled on low blue couches, working on plans to create the next Facebook or LinkedIn. The hiss of a milk steamer broke through the low buzz of conversation as a man in a red flannel shirt brewed cappuccino at a food bar.

Image: Guillaume Santacruz is among many French entrepreneurs now using London as their base. He said of his native France, “The economy is not going well, and if you want to get ahead or run your own business, the environment is not good.” Credit Andrew Testa for The New York Times 

When I think about all the business books I’ve read, I realize how much I’ve learned. David Meerman Scott opened my eyes to content marketing long before it became a buzzword with his bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR. Susan Friedman taught me that it’s better to be a big fish in a tiny pond in Riches in Niches.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com 

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business. All the evidence says that over 99% fail to make that leap.

So a better question than asking about the quality of an idea, is asking about the quality of your plan to cash in on the idea. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. It’s really a multi-step process, with the first step getting you from an idea to a viable product, and the remaining steps creating a sustainable business.

My cousin Brian recently shared an article titled 5 Ways To Test An Entrepreneurial Idea. It was full of cute and inspiring ideas on how to succeed in the world of small business ownership. “Research an analogy,” “Contact your prospective clients,” and my personal favorite, “Visualize it.” When I read the last one I choked on the cup of Ramen Noodles that I was slurping down for lunch.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net