For decades, companies have been collecting data to improve their brand and connect better with consumers. Computers and the internet have blazed a trail for what is being called “the Digital Age” or “Information Age.” Humanity’s ability to collect and store data continues to expand exponentially. The consumer’s desire and competitive advantage’s reliance on new information both advance this data
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Hollywood and popular culture have created the myth of the college-aged entrepreneur with movies like The Social Network and the buzz around young, successful CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg. As usual, Hollywood’s representation is inaccurate and Zuckerberg is an outlier in a group more likely to be in their forties than in a college dorm. First Round Capital’s annual survey, The
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By Mike Adams & Rob Russell, Missouri SBDC Several years ago we had the opportunity to work with a small business that was interested in making a “diversity hire.” The business interviewed a number of candidates who were qualified to help it increase its workforce diversity. Ultimately, the business ended up making an offer to one of these candidates, who
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Missouri is a microcosm of America. As such, Missouri reflects the challenges the country faces. There are vast disparities in wealth and access to resources and influence. Could the answers to these problems lie within the space of innovation and entrepreneurship?
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When was the last time you really talked to your customers? I’m not talking about typical business chats — saying hello and how you can help them or commenting on the weather or sports teams. I’m asking: When was the last time you had an in-depth conversation with your customers about their needs — about the different tasks they have
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Business owners often express difficulty finding qualified employees. This struggle makes sense considering the near-record low unemployment rates (3.7 percent in Missouri at the time of this writing). Maybe this is a struggle you can relate to. If you don’t have the ability to expand your team, growth is impeded if not halted altogether. Is there any option to manage
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You know more about your company than anyone else. But like most CEOs, you could probably use some help when it comes to making decisions about new markets, generating sales leads or deriving more value from your website. Economic Gardening helps existing businesses grow larger by providing customized information to address strategic issues. Two Missouri companies to complete the Economic
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Missouri has the second-best survival rate for startups in the entire country! This announcement was just made based on a study conducted in August 2017 by GO Banking Rates. When you consider that according to Forbes, 90 percent of all startups fail and that Missouri startups tend to succeed, that begs the question: Why are Missouri startups surviving at much
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The key to marketing is knowing your audience. Unfortunately, this is no easy task since audiences are always changing. One of the most powerful tools for identifying and understanding your company’s audience comes from a company called Esri. This company views the market as a tapestry of people who have different needs, desires and preferences. The system Esri developed divides
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