We asked four entrepreneurs what one question every busy entrepreneur should ask themselves daily to stay centered. Check out what they had to say and get your stress in check: What Are Three Things That Must Be Accomplished Today?I think many entrepreneurs get distracted by dozens of tasks on their plate, endless emails to respond to, people reporting to them for feedback, etc. However, I’m finding it helpful to make a list of the top three big things that must get accomplished in any given day to make the most impact towards forward momentum....

Before the days of contract-less phone plans, that two-year iPhone 5 contract you bought into also came with several caveats, one being that your service provider gets to trap you in for that duration. This also means you were stuck using their international plans, making it more challenging to sell your phone or repair it. If you wanted to switch plans, you’d have to pay a good chunk of change in fees....

It all starts with improving your customer experience, and using these four strategies can help you retain and grow customers faster than ever before. Incorporate Social Proof According to a recent study by Nielsen, 83 % of respondents from 60 countries indicated that recommendations from friends and family remain the strongest purchase decision driving factor. In the same report, 66% of respondents indicated that consumer opinions posted online by their peers encourage them to seal the deal with a certain company....

Considering the integral role the internet plays in everyday life, it’s easy to forget how much it’s evolved in the last three decades. Whether your first experience with the connected world was slow loading pictures, poorly designed search engines, or AOL Instant Messenger, the internet has undeniably gotten a lot faster, prettier, and devoid of AOL Instant Messenger. Unfortunately, with that evolution comes some pretty serious growing pains. Social media has created a movement of validation-hungry users, shady data practices have opened up pretty much every person on the planet to potential identity theft, and the tech companies in charge of it all are too busy trading caches of personal data like trading cards to do anything about it....

According to his blog, Ferris, himself, claims to have kept this ritual for years: “I wrote from 11pm-4am or so, fueled by carefully timed yerba mate tea, Malbec, and Casino Royale left on repeat in my peripheral vision.” It must have worked for him since he has three New York Times best selling books. In the spirit of self-improvement, I’ve compiled a list of daily rituals undertaken by creatives, entrepreneurs and others of successful, ambitious, and productive ilk....

Launching a med tech startup is an exciting prospect. Transforming an idea into a business is both lucrative and rewarding. Unfortunately, there are many ways to sink your dreams before you get off of the ground. If you are on the cusp of turning an idea into a full-fledged company, here are five tips to get you started. 1. Work with an Attorney Who Specializes in Intellectual Property Rights Never assume that you know what you need to protect and what you do not....

It wasn’t that long ago that retail-focused entrepreneurs were thrilled by the possibilities of online-only business models. Doing away with significant expenses such as store rent, utilities and labor while serving customers efficiently seemed like a win-win. Now, even the most prominent online retail brands are considering opening or have opened brick-and-mortar locations, as they have begun to realize that the cost savings may not be worth the diminished returns....

Over the past several years, SXSW Interactive has become a great place to connect with globally-minded innovators. After seeing President Obama’s opening SXSW keynote, consider these 5 ways to connect with globally-minded startup communities, corporations and government officials beginning March 11 in Austin. 1. The Official SXSW Interactive Sessions There’s a wealth of programming in and around the convention center from forum with globally-minded locals (Austin Goes Global) to advice for doing business in Cuba to Startup Hubs in Southeast Asia to the Modern Middle East....

1. Online Presence And mind you, it isn’t your app that should be present, but you personally or your company. Ideally, you should establish yourself as a specialist in a particular area before you launch an app. In a way, establishing a healthy online presence independent of any apps is a very strong preliminary step to take before creating a business model based on app distribution. If you have a noticeable following on social media or a blog, all these people will immediately see your new app once you roll it out – and if you have good relationships with them, you may expect a considerable number of them to download it....

Why do veterans and entrepreneurial ventures go together so naturally? Because plenty of skills apply in both worlds. I interviewed Bart Lomont, cofounder of lawn care service Robin, in order to learn more about the connections between the two. Here’s a quick look at the skill set a veteran can rely on for entrepreneurial success: You Have No Playbook When you are self-employed, there isn’t necessarily a guide to help you along the way, and on a daily basis, you’ll need to make time-sensitive decisions that can impact your company....

Thanks to data from Comparably, we now know exactly which companies boast the most impressive team cultures fostering innovation, developing talent, and building better businesses for everyone involved. With piles upon piles of employee reviews, the data platform has gotten the information we need about team cultures right from the horse’s mouth. If you want to learn more about how and why these companies made the list, feel free to check out the full report here, and take a look at the alphabetical list below....

Totallee Thin iPhone X Case At 0.02 inches thick, this is your thinnest option for a case that won’t be conspicuous. It’s more for protecting the device from scratches and scrapes than long falls, so you might want something sturdier. But if appearances are a big concern, it’s tough to get a case slicker than this. Price: $16.99 Spigen Air Skin iPhone X Case Another option for the less noticeable case is the “air skin” iphone X case, which comes in semi-transparent lightweight material that includes black or clear as colors....

1. Crew I first learned about Crew through Unsplash, their separately branded side project that provides free high resolution stock photos with no strings attached. (I use Unsplash daily for my personal blog, Text Request, and others.) Crew is particularly interesting because it’s an invite-only community. That means every freelance developer or designer is handpicked by the staff for their ability to provide high quality work. Instead of individual professionals fighting over who has the lowest price to win a bid, Crew pairs you with top tech talent, selected specifically because they’ll do incredible work for your project....

First of all, you should know that this is normal; it’s your body cycle at work, and every 24 hours, you have two periods of intense sleepiness. Instead of going for a third –or fifth–cup of coffee, why not take a nap instead? Studies have shown that a few minutes of snooze during the day can do wonders for your health and creativity. A recent research conducted at the Beijing University of Technology found that naps can improve brain function and visual systems, and promote physical and mental recovery....

The Form Here’s the link to a quick submission form for the list that CBInsights calls the “ranking of the 100 most promising private artificial intelligence companies globally.” Applications for this first round close on 11/3/16, so get yours in now. The winners will be announced January 10, at The Innovation Summit hosted in Santa Barbara, CA. CBInsight’s past work may throw a little light on what they’re looking for. One market map, for example, covered over 60 startups across a variety of sectors, all of which relied on deep learning processes for their business....

Musk and the rest of the specialists — from a total of 26 different countries — sent an open letter to the UN explaining their position. Here’s what you need to know. It Could Be a “Third Revolution in Warfare” The Guardian has a widely cited rundown of the background behind the open letter. The problem with banning these lethal autonomous weapons is that, to some people, a third revolution in warfare isn’t necessarily a bad thing....

Users can subscribe to the Instagrammers that pique their interest and view their content. They can also search for and subscribe to Instagrammers that Appiphany may have forgotten. Best of all, they can create their very own custom feeds populated with Instagrammers of their choice. This feature makes it easy to Like, comment on, and repost your favorite photos to Instagram from directly within InstaFeed. Founded in August, 2012 by three Stanford grads, Appiphany aims to create simple yet valuable mobile apps for consumers....

BeerGivr – BeerGivr enables friends to buy each other drinks even when they cannot be together. Settling a bet or saying happy birthday, cheers!BetaPunch – BetaPunch connects startups founders with influential beta testers who are eager and ready to try the next great web, social, or mobile application.Bizelo – A growing collection of awesome small biz apps that work simply and simply work — all for under $30 a month.CodePupil – Learn to code HTML/CSS thru visual exercises/games and offline workshops....

The Year Of The iPadIn a year that started with a netbook frenzy, the iPad stole its thunder and was one of the most anticipated products ever. I would have to say that the iPad had by far the most impact on 2010. The large touch screen changed the way we interact with content and the Web forever as I shared in my first impression. With the iPad came innovations in publishing and distribution of content and utility....

The social media platforms aren’t out of hot water yet, though: Biden replaced the ban with his own legislation aimed at regulating Americans’ personal data. It’s a sign that both administrations share a similar suspicion of other countries’ access to citizens’ data, even if they voice it in different ways. Biden’s Order Biden officially revoked previous orders in the process of issuing his new executive order. Under this order, the Commerce Department must develop criteria for assessing the risks posed by apps owned by other countries....