Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
In the fight against poverty, work is our most powerful weapon
Fourteen years ago, I left suburban Los Angeles to teach English in rural Ghana. I’d expected, like so many young people with bleeding hearts and big dreams, to make a difference by donating my time as a schoolteacher for six Read More...
Google is pledging $1 billion to those who will lose their job to Artificial Intelligence
While Artificial Intelligence will certainly benefit a plethora of industries, it will also take many jobs away from the labor market. That’s why Google has pledged $1 billion to its new “Grow with Google” initiative that will help re-train people who are about to lose their jobs to AI. As a Read More...
Airbnb’s next step: an apartment complex designed for home sharing
Airbnb may have found a way to make landlords, tenants, and possibly even lawmakers happy. The home-sharing platform has teamed up with Florida developer Newgard to create Niido, a concept apartment building designed to support home Read More...
3 surprising ways that gratitude works at work
A couple of summers ago, I traveled to the steamy cauldron of central Florida to speak at the WorkHuman conference. Nearly 1,500 human resource professionals were in attendance, eager to hear from luminaries like Arianna Huffington and Rob Lowe (probably more than they wanted to hear an academic Read More...
Uber’s journey through Africa’s fast-changing cities is bumpy, but disruptive
Uber is celebrating four years in Africa—a marked milestone shaped by violent protests, policy disputes, and price wars since the company first launched in the continent in 2013. In that time, the San Francisco-based company has disrupted local cab industries, created tens of thousands of driver Read More...
Most venture capitalists aren’t funding the innovation we need, but some are
Venture capital is an essential vehicle for many companies to grow. But there’s a problem: most money flows to the ideas that are the most convenient to find, not necessarily those that are the best. There are blind spots in the way we innovate and that makes it harder for problems to get solved. Read More...
This 18-year old entrepreneur has an idea that could change the world
When you take a look at the finalists of the #BuiltByGirls startup challenge, a competition that works to promote women in tech, you will see that the future of the world is in good hands. Ideas for solving problems including autism-related anxiety, waste decomposition, and knee injuries were all Read More...
Patagonia’s Worn Wear is now an online store for used gear
A few years ago, outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia started hosting events where people could bring used clothing items for repair or exchange. The pop-up events have been so successful that Patagonia has made them permanent with the launch of the online platform Worn Wear. On this website, you Read More...
A successful leader needs LQ, says Alibaba founder Jack Ma
There is an unhealthy overlap between leaders in business and politics, and narcissists. Therefore, we may want to be careful with accepting leadership tips from CEO’s and entrepreneurs. But this one is so original and different, that it at least deserves a mention. We are familiar with the Read More...
Impact investing gets big boost as millennials take control of family fortunes
A new trend shows that the tendencies of ultra-wealthy families with ‘old money’ are changing. According to a new report, more than a quarter of the world’s richest families are now putting money into social and environmental areas. Considering that Millenials are twice as likely as other Read More...