A couple I know recently welcomed their first child. The husband, an engineer by profession, was the sole breadwinner. He lost his job in this economic downturn and has been unemployed for the last few months. So? There are probably hundreds of thousands of people in a similar situation i.e., single income families, with a baby to boot, searching for … Read More

Entrepreneurs, in fact everyone, loves their own business ideas. Just watch a few episodes of Dragons’ Den you’ll see exactly what I mean as the would be entrepreneurs parade their business ideas in front of the Dragons. There’s always a few hopefuls looking for investment in their great business idea even though it’s nothing more than an idea. Worse still … Read More

I’m working my way through ReWork, a book about no-frills startups. It’s by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37Signals (which developed Basecamp, Backpack and other no-frills software). You can download excerpts from the book here. I’m now halfway through the book, and a bit disappointed that it reads like a primer on startups. Some of it … Read More

This is a guest post by Richard Heinberg. It is a shortened version of a longer post published by the Post Carbon Institute. What if the economy doesn’t recover? In 2008 the U.S. economy tripped down a steep, rocky slope. Employment levels plummeted; so did purchases of autos and other consumer goods. Property values crashed; foreclosure and bankruptcy rates bled. … Read More

Oil King Warns Of ‘Green Bubble’ It’s Ghawar that is of utmost interest to the industry. The biggest oilfield ever found, it has been producing for five decades, often putting out more than 5 million bpd, a level that Aramco has been able to maintain by injecting millions of barrels a day of water into the field to push up … Read More

I t’s not your neighbor who once gave you awful advice on a hot stock tip (you’re no longer on speaking terms, unless you need to borrow a power tool). It’s not one of those “market pros” you read about on CNBC who seemed so sure about this one stock that he called it a no-brainer (you bought the stock … Read More

The most successful entrepreneurs are always capable of getting clients, making money, and building their businesses. What qualities do most successful entrepreneurs have in common? They have clear visions. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not going to get there. They have faith in themselves. In the words of Henry Ford: “Whether You Think You Can or Can’t, … Read More

Shopping malls, those bastions of American consumerism, have not been immune to the recent economic downturn. In a recent piece by our own Greg Lindsay, we looked at the impending decline of the mall, which is part of the “single-use environment” category of real estate development that will slowly disappear over the next thirty years, according to one developer. But … Read More

Where’s Weird Al when you need him? The curly locked spoofmeister could have hit Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” out of the park, but instead, we’re being treated to “The New Dork: Entrepreneur State of Mind.” It’s a blatant bid at a viral video from Pantless Knights, the makers of the popular “Mac or PC” rap . … Read More

Shell’s discounted bid for Arrow reflects the present world oversupply of gas The bid and Arrow’s decision to take it seriously despite the price discount reflect the much more complicated outlook for gas in the wake of the global financial crisis, and after the development of technology that is capable of doubling the world’s gas reserves. There is an awful … Read More