I am so interested by this whole concept. I know that urban beekeeping is becoming a really popular concept, but I never though about using urban farming in general as a business model. It’s a really interesting idea that if successful, could certainly create a whole new way of doing things. The fact that a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse in Brooklyn yields nearly the same amount of produce as a 20-acre farm blew my mind!

http://Their 20,000-square-foot greenhouse in Brooklyn yields nearly the same amount of produce as a 20-acre farm.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/04/18/google-logo-esther-afua-ocloo/100592886/

Found this interesting article about the “Google Doodle” for today, April 18th. The “Google Doodle”, an  animation at the top of the google homepage today is Esther Afua Ocloo, an entrepreneur from Ghana who worked to establish a micro-lending channel for women to become entrepreneurs in the African country. I thought the doodle was pertinent because one of the group presentations last week centered on the idea of establishing a system to provide easier access funds to start a business and become an entrepreneur.

Here is an interesting and timely article about the recent United fiasco. For those who have not heard, United recently called Chicago police to forcibly eject a passenger from their overbooked airplane. (here is an overview of the incident). The author of this piece lists five things that went wrong, from a leadership perspective, at United. He then derives a “leadership lesson” from each one. For example, he notes that United has a well defined set of core values, but that the CEO’s initial response to the incident strayed away from these values. (see article). I think that these tips can help us as leaders wherever we begin our careers. In addition, I think this kind of “post-mortem” analysis can be helpful in myriad ways, and it was interesting to see such an analysis done so quickly after a major incident.

I think that this was a really great article because it raised some interesting questions. Capitalism has failed to solve some major world issues–especially when it comes to climate change and global sustainability challenges. But adaptable entrepreneurs may be able to meet these challenges with creative solutions.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/11/the-planet-saving-capitalism-subverting-surprisingly-lucrative-investment-secrets-of-al-gore/407857/

Here is an article discussing five things that two recent business founders kept in mind while starting their company. I found this article interesting because I also viewed their tips through a lawyer’s lens. I think that we can take these tips and integrate them into our future practices in two ways. First, we can use them to think about how our clients who have started businesses are feeling. For example, they may have “put it all out there” (see article), and may be risking everything through this business. That makes their legal problem high stakes. Second, we can internalize some of these tips for our own lives. For example, “every minute counts” (id.) for both small business owners and attorneys alike.  

What once seemed quite futuristic is now the present. Technological advancement always brings with it new ethical considerations, but, with the increased rate of innovation, some of these concerns are going to come faster than we may have thought. This article addresses some of our newer technologies and a few of the ethical concerns that may come along with them. The article is lengthy, but I think the most interesting part is thinking about “big data” and privacy. We, as a society, have begun collecting much more data about people and the things they do. Eventually, we are going to have to come up with a way to protect this data from breaches that we hear about in the news (it seems like this happens weekly). Overall, an interesting read for the future.

After three years here at ND, I have come to the realization that many of us will eventually become “leaders” in some respect. I came across this article and instantly wanted to share it with the class. It provides some great tips on being a “good” leader. Some of the tips are quite obvious, but others appear somewhat counterintuitive at first blush.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270486

I love reading about new, innovative approaches to “entrepreneur-ing.” This article breaks some erstwhile stereotypes regarding entrepreneurship that some may appreciate.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292889

This video highlights the efforts of Opportunity International, which provides financial services, including loan and insurance services, to over 14 million entrepreneurs in over 24 countries. Notably, 98.9% of the loans are paid back. The goal is “to help hopeful entrepreneurs work their way out of poverty.”

It’s an interesting video, especially because the founder is very clear about the vision of the organization. Founder Vicki Escarra emphasized that they work for “clients,” and work to help them reach their dreams. She states that Opportunity International is an investment non-profit, not an aid non-profit. The organization has a goal of creating 20 million jobs by 2020, and are, astoundingly, “are already 17 million jobs in.”

In a follow up to my blog post about working remotely (via RemoteYear, etc.,), it’s notable that the physical workspace has been changing.

The company WeWork, for example, is a pioneer in workspace sharing, and allows for people to change their workspace regularly and meet new people. As their website states, WeWork provides “workspace, community, and services for a global network of creators.”

It’s fascinating that entrepreneurs are not simply creating their own products or marketing their own services – but that their services (such as WeWork) are actually designed to help other entrepreneurs collaborate with each other and, ultimately, designed to help other entrepreneurs succeed.