WALL STREET JOURNAL – After working five years as a regional director at a large health insurer in Oakland, Calif., Daniel Eddleman felt ready to move up the ladder. So he found a mentor within the company who agreed with Mr. Eddleman that his performance and leadership ability merited the promotion. But he’d need to work on a few soft skills to clinch the job. “It can be a challenging environment to get noticed in because it’s such a big organization,” says Mr. Eddleman, who connected with a job coach who helped him identify and work on three weak areas—including the ability to self-assess, manage his emotions and brag. “I realized that I can sometimes come on too strong. I learned to let the moment pass so I could have the space…
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The Cybersecurity Mistakes Startups Make When They Get Big
WALL STREET JOURNAL – When small businesses start to boom, they often rush to add employees, ramp up production and get bigger offices. But something usually gets left off the to-do list: upgrading their cybersecurity. A growing business means more computers—and that means more weak points in a network that hackers can attack. It also means more employees who aren’t up to speed on security, and who click on suspicious links or fall for online scams. Here’s a look at some of the biggest security mistakes small businesses make as they grow, and what they can do to prevent them. 1. Sticking with piecemeal protection When most small businesses start out, they don’t have a lot of hardware to protect, so they install antivirus software and other safety measures on each device…
A Journey From Teetotaler To Successful Winemaker
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Rolando Herrera was a teetotaler until he discovered he had a good wine palate. The native of Michoacan, Mexico, was working as a laborer before discovering an interest in winemaking. He is now founder and sole proprietor of Mi Sueño Winery, and his wines are poured in restaurants throughout the U.S.—and even at a 2001 White House event honoring former Mexican President Vicente Fox. Mr. Herrera grew up in Mexico. He left his parents when he turned 15 in 1982 to look for new opportunities in California’s Napa Valley. He went to live with his older brother, a prep cook at an upscale Napa restaurant, and enrolled at Napa High while working after school as a dishwasher. A year later, he found a higher-paying job as a prep…
When the Brand You’re Selling Is You
WALL STREET JOURNAL – When a friend suggested that he write a blog, Joel Backaler saw it as a good opportunity to share some of his most interesting stories about working as a consultant in China. One of his clients, for example, was the chief executive officer of a state-owned chemical company who lived in a province renowned for hand-pulled noodles. The CEO had a passion for noodles, so he ended up opening a chain of fast-food noodle houses that would offer jobs to laid-off factory workers. “I was surrounded by so many great stories to write about, but I never had an outlet to write about what I was learning through work. It was a passion project,” says Mr. Backaler, who would regularly wake up at 4 a.m. and post new…
Publishing Turns Page with Print on Demand
CHICAGO TRIBUNE – Digital technology is dramatically changing how books are printed- -and by whom. The growing use of print-on-demand services is creating a new generation of self-published authors. It also is changing how traditional publishers bring books to the market. Doug Cummings, a reporter for WGN-AM 720, is one aspiring novelist who turned to self-publishing after two literary agents failed to find a publishing house for his mystery novel, “Deader by the Lake.” (WGN is owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.) Through iUniverse, a self-publishing service that helps authors design, print, distribute and promote books, Cummings has sold 1,250 copies since December. He recently sold about 70 books at a Barnes & Noble book signing. “I’d like to have a hand in erasing the stigma of self-…