A book can be an effective way to get your message out to your peers, customers and employees
Being able to tell your story is critical in today’s fast-paced world. Media options fight for attention, making it imperative to identify new channels where you can stand out. We launched Smart Business Books to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to tell their stories in greater detail and share lessons learned. Over the past few years, […]
Jean Bourgeois: Using employee-led teams to advance business initiatives can bring impressive results
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” It is also true that a small group of thoughtful, committed employees can change your company for the better. Every business has myriad initiatives it would like […]
At the top of his game: Pat Riley defied the odds to build a championship team
Many organizations can point to one defining moment behind their success. For President Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, that came in 2010 when LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade signed as free agents. That trio led the Heat to the NBA finals three years in a row, winning championships the last two seasons. […]
Healthy dose of flavor: Kara Goldin and Hint Water are converting more people into H20 drinkers
When Hint Water CEO Kara Goldin decided to get healthier and kick her diet soda habit, she couldn’t find a suitable substitute. At first, she decided to switch to plain water, only to discover that approach didn’t work for her. “I just really wasn’t a water drinker,” she says. “Then I started slicing fruit and […]
Dropping off drawers: Why business leaders collected 7,500 pair of underwear
You wouldn’t expect to see 40 business leaders spending their time gathering 7,500 pair of underwear. I would have been surprised as well if I weren’t part of the 2014 Leadership Pinellas fundraiser. “Drop Off Your Drawers” benefited Clothes to Kids, which collects clothing for needy and in-crisis children in Pinellas County. All clothing is […]
Why you always have to be thinking about the next step in life
Chris Clawson knew that it was the end of his baseball career, even if his father wasn’t ready to admit it. The future president of Life Fitness had put together a great spring training performance in 1986 with the Houston Astros. He hoped to use it as a springboard to a strong season in the […]
Making the connection: How Tim Schigel and ShareThis brought Internet users together
Tim Schigel sensed where the Internet was headed and developed a platform that changed the way people connect. “I had this notion that people were going to become the center of the Web, not domains or websites,” says Schigel, chairman and founder of ShareThis Inc., a widget featured on more than 130,000 websites that allows Web […]
The Will to Win … Northeast Ohio's Smart 50
Introducing the leaders of the region’s Smart 50 companies presented by Corporate College Cuyahoga Community College, a member of the League for Innovation in the Community College, is a nationally-recognized leader in higher education; as a result, developing innovative training solutions for the business community that make a difference is embedded in the culture of […]
Nature or nurture? How EY decoded the DNA of the entrepreneur
Despite their vital role in the global economy, entrepreneurs are often misunderstood. “By developing new businesses, they create jobs, increase economic activity and drive innovation,” explains Maria T. Pinelli, global vice chair, Strategic Growth Markets, EY. Yet, she says, decades of academic research into the topic have produced no universal definition of entrepreneurship, and no […]
MCO open enrollment ongoing through May
A GUIDE TO OPEN ENROLLMENT It happens every other year as the weather gets warmer and the summer months approach. But it doesn’t have anything to do with April showers or May flowers — it’s the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s MCO open-enrollment period. This is the biennial time in which employers can choose to […]