ESG: Will it improve your company?
New ESG requirements will affect almost every business as investors demand more transparency and government places new demands around these issues.
Latest Viewpoints
Competition for tech talent entering new era in Wisconsin, well beyond
It’s no longer a case of Wisconsin companies needing to compete against their peers in Illinois, Minnesota, or other neighboring states for technology talent. It has become a national and international contest, thanks in large part to the rise of remote work.
Corporate cash management: Ideas to make your money work harder
The widespread disruption to the country’s supply chain has, perhaps unsurprisingly, impacted cash flow for many businesses, but not in the way one might expect.
A new classic pairing: Technology and cybersecurity
Most pairings flow together naturally — peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, cardinal and white. Some, like the new pairing of technology and cybersecurity fit together uneasily.
Up the river with a paddle: Wisconsin River investors making waves
The village and town of Plover near Stevens Point are not unlike many mid-sized communities in Wisconsin, with tidy homes, stores, schools, restaurants, parks, and more. But Plover has something hard to find in most other places: It has an organized group of early-stage investors.
Exact Sciences story grows globally while remaining intensely local
For those people who live in the Madison area or often pass through, the evolution of Exact Sciences in a physical sense has been nothing short of dramatic.
The confidence code: How to support tomorrow’s sales leaders
Sales is a skill that is developed and perfected over time, and the best salespeople will tell you that along the way they had a mentor, cheerleader, or supportive boss or colleague who helped them see something in themselves that maybe they didn’t see.
Reconciling federal R&D bills won’t be easy; can Wisconsin members help?
Two years ago, when the bill was called “The Endless Frontier Act,” Wisconsin’s Mike Gallagher was among four bipartisan members of Congress who took the lead in pushing for deeper federal investment in science and technology to reenergize economic growth.
3 tips to adjust your business’s financial plan to inflation
There’s no doubt that inflation is everywhere these days — gas prices have skyrocketed, the prices of raw materials are at astronomical levels, and the costs of grocery items like produce, meat, and bread have shot up.
Easing early childhood education woes part of solving worker shortage
The numbers are hard to dispute: Kids who attend organized but relatively inexpensive preschool programs are more likely to graduate from high school, to earn more as adults, to stay off welfare, and to avoid spending time in jail.
5 reasons to adopt a PE state of mind
Not too long ago, I was working with a business owner who was assessing their options for a sale. We started talking about private equity (PE) as a viable option.
Time to break out
It feels more permanent this time, like we’re finally moving beyond the pandemic and into some semblance of a sustainable routine.
Just following up: Looping back on recent columns
A brutal war in Ukraine rages, inflation is infectious, and a cold, wet April has largely lived up to poet T.S. Eliot’s branding as “the cruelest month.” Perhaps some updates on recent missives will warm things up.
5 blunders all new service-based businesses need to avoid
Launching a service-based business is so appealing to entrepreneurial folk, as they are the easiest to start with no capital.
Road to widespread electric vehicle use is long, but bumps can be smoothed
Judging by commercial advertisements and the evangelical reviews of proud owners, nearly everyone will be driving an electric vehicle within a few years.
Understanding mortgage rates: Did you miss the window?
For those who didn’t purchase or refinance last year, you might be feeling like you missed the boat on low mortgage interest rates.
Investors from outside Wisconsin are finding worthy deals here
For years, Wisconsin could be described as a “flyover state” when it came to venture capital funds that historically clustered on America’s coasts. Why invest elsewhere if you could find all the talent and technology you needed in young companies a few blocks away?
When a bright shiny light takes you into the deep, dark ditch
The hallmark of an entrepreneur is their “Can do!” and “Let’s go!” attitude. They have an energy and sense of possibility that drives them and can be infectious.
War in Ukraine speeds thinking on harnessing power of atoms
Nothing like a brutal war in Ukraine to drive home the realities of the world’s dependence on oil. The devastation and suffering there has also pushed talk of nuclear power back to the forefront … for reasons bad and good.
The significance of Starbucks employees unionizing — and how they can retain control
There are currently more than 8,000 corporate Starbucks locations in the United States. In December, a store in Buffalo, New York, became the very first to form a union.
