Evolve or Die

Small businesses must change with the times, or go the way of the buggy-whip makers. 

A new survey showed that more than half of small companies surveyed have reinvented their operations in the past two years. Check out my column on the topic, and while you're there take a look at Roscoe, the Bed Bug Hunting Beagle, and watch the ABC news report on how he does his thing. He's pretty amazing.

Teaming Up For Success

Small- and mid-sized companies that team up to win government contracting work are more successful than those who try to go it alone.

Read my column on the topic this week.

Dancing Fool

I am such a sucker for stuff like this, I think because it uniquely demonstrates such a tantalizing possibility: That we are all the world's people and none of the artificial barriers, despots and borders should be able to keep us apart forever.

Amway Et Al

My story on how regulation of the multi-level marketing industry failed to go through made the Bloomberg website today.

Doing Good by Doing Well

Check out America's most-promising social entrepreneurs for 2012.

Our readers nominated some fascinating companies doing all sorts of terrific work around the world and here at home.

Look at the slide show and then cast your vote for the top company of the year.

Innies Vs Outies

No, we're not talking about belly buttons. (Greatest name for a body part ever, except for the funny bone.)

We're talking introverts vs extroverts and how they perform as CEOs. Check out this fascinating article on the topic from Amex OPEN.

The Woman In The Moon

China sent its first woman astronaut into space this week. The news prompted a source of mine, James Chan, to muse about a Tang dynasty poem that tells the myth of Chang'e, the goddess who lives on the moon.

The poem, by Li Shangyin, predicts the regret Chang’e must feel, for though she has gained the perfection of heaven, she no longer has love and companionship. The poem "strikes an unbearable melancholy and anguish in the heart of anyone who understands and values love and human companionship," James writes. (Pretty artsy stuff for a business consultant, but as a former English major, I'm with him all the way!)

Watch the YouTube video of James reciting the poem and remembering his own childhood growing up in Hong Kong, where his mother's longed to have the same opportunities as a man.

Here's the poem's literal translation:

On the screen made with mother-of-pearl, shadows of burning candles get deeper and deeper
The Milky Way (Long River in the sky) gradually descends with nightfall and the morning stars have sunk low.
Chang’e should regret having stolen the magical pill (of immortality)
Because, every night, facing the deep blue sea, an azure sky, her lonely heart yearns for her love.

  
"All Chinese people, with no exception, knows of the myth and the story. I hope my inadequate command of the English language could help you come up with a translation that gets into the hearts of all Americans. That would be lovely," James writes. No need for my help, James, your translation is beautiful, thank you.