Category: How-To’s

What comes to mind when you hear the words “Mai Tai”?

You’re probably picturing a beautiful beach, a colorful sunset, and an ice-cold beverage in your hand. Are we close? We thought so.

The Mai Tai is a global phenomenon, proudly sitting alongside equally famous cocktails like the margarita and the Manhattan. But did you know that less than a hundred years ago, this iconic drink didn’t even exist?

We can thank Vic Bergeron for our favorite beachside beverage — or as many of us remember him, Trader Vic.

You may not know Vic by name, but we can guarantee you’ve experienced his legacy in one way or another. What started as a small shack in Oakland has become a beloved brand that reached every corner of the globe.

Trader Vic’s is a restaurant, an apparel store, and a decor line. Still, more than anything else, Trader Vic’s creates extraordinary experiences that introduce us to cultures and traditions from across the world. And at nearly ninety years old, Trader Vic’s is going strong.

Keep reading to learn about the history of the iconic Trader Vic’s brand and the impact it made on the restaurant industry at large.

Summer is here – beautiful summer – and that means it’s time to update your playlist.

If you’ve been listening to the same albums, EPs, and singles for months, the songs are probably getting a little stale. Even though Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Latto’s “Big Energy,” and Jack Harlow’s “First Class” are all certifiable summertime hits, you’ve heard them a million times already. How about something new?

Here are some of the songs we have on repeat this season. You may recognize a few of the artists, and the rest are about to become your new favorites.

As we start 2022, we are still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic that began almost two years ago and continues to affect our everyday life, both personally and professionally. We can no longer attempt to ignore the impact of Covid and therefore have to meet it head-on.

Global supply chain issues, the strain on the healthcare system, and rising inflation are all factors affecting business in the new year. But that makes now a great time to look ahead and plan for the next 12 months.

To understand the risk trends and priorities facing small and medium businesses in 2022, we talked with industry leaders to get their insights on what to be ready for.

With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, companies all over the world have switched to functioning virtually. Not only is this good for the health of the people within the company, but it also cuts down on the costs of running an in-person company. Maybe you are in a different category altogether, and your company has employees working in the office as well as employees working remotely. Remote work is becoming increasingly popular, but companies must tackle the obstacle of hosting virtual company meetings with employees working away from the office.

Virtual meetings are extremely useful because they allow company employees from potentially all over the world to be gathered in one online call. However, it is very easy to become disengaged during virtual meetings. During a virtual meeting, employees could be anywhere from laying in bed in pajamas to ordering food at a fast-food chain, and with the mute and camera on/off features, there is no way for you to tell how engaged your employees actually are during your meetings. 

A recent study shows that 92% of executives in the U.S. say that employees who keep their cameras and microphones off during virtual meetings usually don’t stay with the company for long. Clearly, employee engagement is an important area of concern. 

This article aims to provide some useful tips for increasing employee engagement during virtual meetings. Employee engagement is critical to the company’s success, but the responsibility to spark that engagement lies on the shoulders of the company’s managers. In the words of authors Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfield, “It’s sad, really, how a negative workplace can impact our lives and the way we feel about ourselves. The situation is reaching pandemic heights – most people go to work at jobs they dislike, supervised by people who don’t care about them, and directed by senior leaders who are often clueless about where to take the company.” 

Keep reading to see how to be a leader in your company that promotes high engagement during virtual meetings.

The world of entrepreneurship is littered with potential pitfalls which can bring a business from its apex mountain to the depths of a ravine. The endless number of failed startups is evidence of these pitfalls taking effect despite efforts to avoid them entirely. From something simple such as direct business competition to more intricate items such as social media marketing, it can feel as if every turn holds something that can derail an entrepreneur from establishing their business. Thankfully, the road to the top of the mountain has been paved by decades worth of entrepreneurs whose actions are worth learning from. 

Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, advised others to approach each of these challenges as an opportunity: “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had — every day, I’m learning something new.”

Other entrepreneurs have just as much wisdom to offer. Therefore, we’ve gathered them to help you prepare for and overcome common challenges every entrepreneur faces.

The job application and interview process can easily leave the person seeking a new position feeling like they hold minimal power. After all, whether they work for the company they have applied to seems to depend entirely on personal characteristics and achievements. That is a ton of pressure, no matter how it is sliced. Between the interrogative questions, vast amounts of personal information requested from the company, and awareness of the element of being evaluated personally, there is sufficient evidence to suggest this feeling is not unfounded in the slightest.

Unfortunately, some potential hires find themselves in a similar situation, resigning themselves to potential employment here without considering the various aspects of the company which could impact them on any given workday. Another way to think of this is simply this – not every job is cut out for every person. Author Catherine Pulsifer summed this up: “We are all different, which is great because we are all unique. Without diversity, life would be very boring.”

No person wants to step into a new role only to discover that the fit between themselves and their employer is rocky at best. However, can one know what the fit will be like without assuming the position? Realistically, not entirely. But some clues can aid in the evaluation. A company’s mission statement is an example of this which is why you need to read it before you accept a job offer. To help you understand what to look for, we spoke to a few people with substantial knowledge of the topic.

Imagine for a second a ship with traditional sails navigating the open water. The captain and crew have total control over which direction the vessel heads in by using the sails and steering wheel. But what if these people do not know where they are going? Then even the nicest ship becomes more like a floating graveyard waiting to happen than anything else. 

That is exactly what boat companies find themselves in when they are unable to secure high-quality customer feedback. They might have a fantastic line of products or operate incredibly efficiently, but without clear guidance on what they should be doing to grow, the company will find itself under water sooner than later. 

The former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, summed this up: “The basics of business are to stay as close as possible to your customers—understand their behavior, their preferences, their purchasing patterns, etc.”

So how does a company do this? Below you will find a few tips and tricks from business experts to get high-quality customer feedback.