Johanna Björk

Good branding is essential for any successful company, and particularly important for small businesses just starting out. It's easy for solopreneurs to forget this piece of the puzzle as they spend every waking hour working on the other aspects of starting a new business. However, allocating time for brand development from the very beginning will help get your business off to the right start.

Forget business as usual. These days, many successful businesses are reinventing everything from supply chains to customer service. Vertical commerce brands (VCBs) are quickly replacing traditional retail models with a digital-native, direct-to-consumer model that cuts out the middle of the supply chain, bypassing things like traditional storefronts and wholesale pricing. (Think brands like Dollar Shave Club, Casper and Warby Parker.) For consumers, this shift has generally been a positive...

Since it launched 13 years ago, creative marketplace Etsy has helped turn countless creators into successful entrepreneurs. It's easy to see why. As of 2017, more than 1.93 million sellers used Etsy to sell their products, and nearly 33.4 million buyers had purchased goods through the marketplace. For someone just starting out, that's quite a reach.
The reality, however, is that your Etsy shop won't necessarily reach 30+ million potential customers, and you are competing for attention with...

The first step toward becoming a successful entrepreneur is to take a leap of faith and start making your small business idea a reality. Maybe you already have a great idea and basic plan for your business. You know it has potential — so much potential. One of the goals of entrepreneurship is to unlock economic freedom. But how do you begin without jeopardizing your personal financial solvency?

As any passionate entrepreneur has experienced, an innovative business idea is just the beginning. True success lies in the ability to realize those ideas and create something unique and marketable. But how do you know when you have a really good idea?

Successful small business owners often share a set of common characteristics — things like fearlessness, thinking outside of the box, willingness to fail, drive and determination. Some of us are born with these entrepreneurial instincts. For others, they are acquired skills. The good news is that the latest neuroscience shows that things like conscious habits and mindfulness training can help rewire our brains to be more conducive to entrepreneurship.

Finding new customers and generating buzz are the key to success for brands of any size, but particularly for small businesses. Without a big marketing budget to spend on traditional advertising and PR, getting your message out there may seem like an impossible task. Fear not, there are plenty of affordable ways to grow your audience, starting with these five.

Creating and cultivating a strong, consistent brand is important for all aspects of your business. It gives your customers an idea of what to expect and helps you stand out from the competition. Communicating in a consistent manner builds brand loyalty and recognition — crucial factors that help your business succeed. The beginning of a new year is a great time to take a look at your current brand and determine what you could do better.

The 1980s were a dramatic time marked by excess, self-expression, and rapid change.
The Cold War quietly wore on, only to end with the destruction of the Berlin Wall. AIDS, which was clinically identified in 1981, ravaged the gay community. Innovations in technology, such as Apple’s Macintosh home computer, progressed at an unprecedented pace. MTV debuted in 1981, blurring the lines between music, art, and fashion and forever changing popular culture. Everything was bright and bold and larger...

The 1970s was a time of political activism, environmentalism, and a steadily growing feminist movement. Pant legs were flowing, as was sexuality. People dressed with elegance, confidence, and ease. At the hands of influential designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent, luxury became democratized and couture was no longer something only worn by socialites. Freedom, individuality, and personal expression was valued above all else.

It’s no surprise that spending time by the ocean grounds us, brings us calm and provides a greater sense of creativity and clarity — a well-needed antidote to our constantly connected lives. Overlooking a seemingly endless expanse of blue water is pretty much the opposite of staring at an ever-updating social feed on your smartphone — and it provides many healing benefits.

As the temperatures start dropping in the small Swedish town of Jukkasjärvi, 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle, construction begins on a new iteration of the ICEHOTEL. Completely made of ice and snow, the 65-room ICEHOTEL is built from the ground each year (and allowed to melt away in the spring).

Transgender and gender non-conforming people have long struggled on the fringes of society, fighting for acceptance.

But with Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner gracing the cover of Vanity Fair in July and the Amazon Original series Transparent gaining popularity and critical acclaim, it seems like everyone — from our grandparents to our kids to our elected officials to our Netflix shows — is finally talking about it.

In honor of Women's History Month, we're looking at some of the women who have helped define and shape the fashion industry. From staging the first fashion show to inventing timeless wardrobe staples, these 10 female fashion pioneers and their innovations have shaped the future of style — forever changing how we get dressed:

In an industrial loft just off Rose Avenue in Venice Beach—where creative shops, innovative restaurants, juice bars and trendy yoga studios abound—is a co-working space called Number Five...