It’s amazing to see Notre Dame students featured in Forbes! Here’s an article about Notre Dame students who are trying to address the gap in resources available for “pre-idea social entrepreneurs.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/annefield/2017/03/31/this-program-helps-aspiring-social-entrepreneurs-before-they-even-have-an-idea/#31345f0c549f
The article states:

“[T]he basic concept would be to help aspiring social entrepreneurs come up with ideas and get to the stage where they’re ready to apply for an accelerator or start talking to angel investors. The first cohort probably will be about six months long–enough time to think of and refine an idea–though that’s not set in stone. ‘We’d help them generate ideas and then send them off into the rest of the ecosystem for further support,’ says Mix. They figure that applicants will come from three buckets: generalists, like, say, a management consultant who enjoys problem solving; experts in such sectors as finance; and technologists.”

Under this business model, I wonder if the students will also employ attorneys as “experts.”

This article focuses on practical approaches for entrepreneurs. It takes into consideration time and monetary costs, in advising entrepreneurs not to incorporate unless:

1. Your company’s net worth is over $100,000.
2. Your company is getting funded by investors.
3. Your company is dealing in a business that has a high risk of liability.

I think these are good simple general guidelines for entrepreneurs.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cameronkeng/2014/11/03/entrepreneurs-shouldnt-incorporate-trademark-or-patent/#462a79314c3e

Radiolab is uniformly superb.  This podcast is an update from one they did two years ago, when CRISPR first started heating-up as a gene editing tool.  Of course, they discuss what CRISPR is, how it works, and some of the potential applications.  However, what I really enjoyed about this, is that they discuss the ethical implications of the innovation.  If you are presented of paying to reduce your child’s chance of ever getting Alzheimer’s or not, is there really a decision to be made?  What about manipulating the genome of an entire species?  Its easy to see where the law might start wading into the debate.  Its also easy to see how one side may seek to stop the innovation entirely, either for ethical reasons, or under the flag of IP rights and obscene licensing fees.  The IP debate over CRISPR is ongoing, but I found the ethical discussion refreshing.

http://www.radiolab.org/story/update-crispr/

Entrepreneurs can engage Millennials by using these three tactics to make work more meaningful and purposeful. The suggestions given in the article drive home the idea that making work have value for Millennial employees is important.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292048?utm_source=Latest&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=iScroll

This is an interesting article about Alibaba, one of the world’s largest e-commerce websites, with a primary focus on exporting goods from China. The article is written from the perspective of a small business owner in the United States, one who makes antique tables. His tables, which cost approximately $5,000, were knocked off on Alibaba for $24. (See article). The article outlines Alibaba’s claims that it proactively fights counterfeit goods, along with the small business owner’s fight against the company, armed with only “his iMac, $74-a-month image-searching software, his phone and a lot of time — sometimes, he says, 12 hours a day.” Id. 

This article is relevant to the class for a few reasons. It shows what kind of competition a small business owner and/or entrepreneur could be faced with in our increasingly connected world. It also allows for some insight into the importance of IP, especially with how much easier it is to manufacture something quickly than it was in the past. Overall, I found this to be an informative read.

TastyTrade’s founder shares how taking risks make entrepreneurs succeed in this video.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/291023?utm_source=Latest&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=iScroll

 

Toshiba has had its difficulties and is expected to have huge loss in the future after the Westinghouse Bankruptcy. This article explores their current state and future.

http://fortune.com/2017/03/30/toshiba-has-become-a-laughingstock-angry-shareholders-vent-at-ceo-after-westinghouse-bankruptcy/

 

Channelplay is assisting business to be successful on the retail level. Sometimes it is better to outsource some functions to maximize productivity. In particular, “Channelplay offers a full portfolio of services geared towards maximizing the availability, visibility and sales promotion of products from retail stores.”

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/291939

As stress affects life and productivity, I thought that this article was helpful to entrepreneurs in managing life and entrepreneurship.

http://www.success.com/blog/3-ways-to-deal-with-the-anxiety-of-being-an-entrepreneur