They describe these limited edition posters as, “new rules of the workplace for today’s companies.” While the posters seem to have slight humor to them, I think some people should really take heed to the message about “tweeting boring sh*t.” Let’s be honest, some people just don’t get it…

While the posters boast new school rules, they “Did them old-school and letterpressed them on card stock that either makes them looks like old Bomb-Pops or as if they fell out of a pack of Life Savers.”

The original set of posters is currently sold out, but if you want to buy the “New Rules of Work” Poster Set in Assorted Colors, visit their online store. I personally think this set is better than the original.

Anna Brones, a food columnist at EcoSalon.com, recalls sitting in a San Francisco bar when she saw a woman walk in, dragging a cooler on wheels. “A crowd immediately surrounded her,” she says, “and my friend said, matter-of-factly, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the Tamale Lady.’ I figured I better buy one of the tamales from her cooler—and what an excellent choice.”

Such ever-changing culinary buzz secured San Francisco’s status near the top of America’s best cities for foodies, as chosen by Travel + Leisure readers. Within the important food and drink category of our America’s Favorite Cities survey, readers weighed in on which major cities had the best big-name eateries, neighborhood cafés, ethnic cuisine, and farmers’ markets.

Indeed, today’s most enthusiastic foodies seek out indulgences well beyond the white-tablecloth variety. Markets are a key enticement for those wanting to experience the nationwide farm-to-table trend. Among the top 20 foodie cities, restaurant communities focused on fresh ingredients: local beef at Nashville’s hottest burger spot, “boat-to-table” seafood in Providence, RI, and market produce supplying Lower Manhattan’s finest restaurants.

We found nearly as many fresh takes on comfort food—such as craft beer–infused mac ‘n’ cheese in Minneapolis—and the unstoppable recent trend of food trucks and pop-up restaurants. With more than 200 restaurants-on-wheels patrolling the city daily, Portland, OR, has food trucks for any craving, even Korean-Hawaiian fusion. “Portlanders are obsessed with food, but not in a snobby way,” says New York–based cookbook author Judith Klinger.

The food-obsessed treat top chefs like celebrities, among them, award-winner José Andrés, who experiments with molecular gastronomy and strains mojitos over cotton candy at Los Angeles’s SLS Hotel. Back in San Francisco, long lines form daily outside The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, where the menu often includes a melted pile of Gruyère, sautéed mushrooms, and caramelized onions.

“San Franciscans may have ‘fine’ tastes,” says the restaurant’s general manager, Nate Pollak, “but that doesn’t mean they’re not looking for something classic and simple. A grilled cheese sandwich can be the template for something really special.”

Originally posted here.

Ten years ago, a tip from my good friend Amy allowed me to experience Tulum well before the crowds arrived. And my husband’s former roommate Will, a finance executive who worked in Tokyo for a while, deserves credit for the best sushi dinner of my life.

My friends, in turn, have followed the itineraries of several of my favorite vacations in places like Vieques, Hanoi and Holbox, an island off the Yucatán.

It’s no surprise that travelers tend to trust the advice of people they know. Now, several new travel sites are trying to put those inclinations to use by allowing travelers to use social media sites for targeted trip advice.

Take Gogobot.com and Afar.com, which both made their debuts last year. Each allows users to post specific questions about upcoming vacations to both Facebook friends and users of the sites: Where are the best family-friendly restaurants in Paris? Should we hire a personal driver to get around El Salvador?

“It’s not who you know, it’s who you need to know,” said Derek Butcher, chief technology officer of Afar Media, which also publishes the two-year-old travel magazine Afar.

Gtrot.com, which focuses on users’ immediate network of Facebook contacts, operates on the premise that 10 recommendations from friends you trust are better than 100 suggestions from people you don’t know.

Planning a trip to Ecuador, I signed up with these three sites to see what kind of travel insights I could glean. For the most part, they offered advantages to simply posting a question on Facebook or Twitter. Below, an overview.

AFAR.COM An interactive extension of the travel magazine with the same name, this social networking site offers personalized recommendations from travelers, locals who share your interests, and editors and writers at Afar.

An initial travel personality quiz is designed to connect you with people with similar tastes. Based on my answers, I was dubbed an “active adventurer” who likes to get outside as much as possible, avoids tourist haunts and doesn’t mind roughing it a little. (Not too far off.)

To read more, click here where this article was originally posted.

Better make sure you’ve got your social media life in order. Not only are recruiters and HR folks checking up on candidates via social media, but more companies also plan to find their potential hires on social networks.

This infographic—with information from CareerEnlightment.com—breaks down the state of social media and hiring:

Like that million- dollar idea that you just wrote on a piece of paper that is now withering away?

While you continue on your entrepreneurial journey, there will be a lot of things that you discover about yourself. Whether it may be your strengths, weaknesses, endurance or potential, you will find that the smallest things may either deter or inspire you. While reading  George A. Olokun’s book “Empowered to Achieve: 50 Keys to Being and Becoming,” Key #3, “Be Inspired” stuck out to me. “Individual success requires one to be inspired by some Great Purpose… Which allows for a LEGACY to be built,” he says.

Take in stride every situation that you find yourself in and find some form of inspiration. Have a conversation with someone that is in the career path that you want to be in or have accomplished the goals you are trying to obtain. Take every event or pit stop throughout your journey and try to learn something essential from it.

There are even negative situations that may occur that may deter you, however, you have to remember to hold fast to your dreams and persevere. If you are not 100% with your decision in becoming an entrepreneur or confident in your career path, it then becomes easier for distractions to make their way through.

Distractions can make or break a successful person, you either let it defeat you or overcome it. Olokun’s Key #6, “Self-Motivation,” encourages you to find the drive within yourself to keep moving. Utilize your strengths and potential as armor when someone tries to knock you down. “The FIRE that burns from within serves as a Driving Force for your success, so if you allow others to blow out your fire, don’t wonder why you are not successful. No one can “self” motivate you. The keyword is self”. Okolun emphasizes that success begins and ends with you; self. You can be your own best friend and worst enemy.

It is up to you to push aside the fire extinguisher and add fuel to the fire that is burning inside of you. Every time you feel discourage, fuel it,; every negative situation or comment, fuel it; and every time someone says that you can’t do it, fuel it!

Success may come easier for some  and may take more time for others. For the latter group, achieving the level of success they desire, may take a little more guidance and preparation. Luckily, there are a number of books and articles that can assist in a person’s journey to reach their ultimate goal.

The self-proclaimed Empowerer,  George A. Olokun, provides particular steps toward success in his recent book, “Empowered to Achieve: 50 Keys to Being and Becoming.”

You may have a dream of one day being the best at what you wish to become. However, if you do not fully believe in yourself and or have a plan, then you will slowly watch that dream fade. You have to find the  “U” in SUCCESS. This word will now be viewed as a guide to “Start Understanding Certain Conclusions by Examining your Steps to Success.”

No longer will you ask yourself  “Why is this happening?” Or “What am I supposed to do now?” From here on out, begin to understand the situations that you are placed in, interpret various conclusions or outcomes and implement possibilities while examining your next step in your entrepreneurial journey.

When you are able to stop in your tracks and begin to understand the “Why’s,” this  will eliminate the “What ifs” that deter your decision making. Key# 10 in Olokun’s book is “Be Original.” He says, “Understand each of us is uniquely placed in different situations based on the level of ENDURANCE we were born with, never compare your life to that of the next person.”

The keyword in that quote was Understand! You have to understand the reason, the how and the why’s or each situation, create a conclusion of what you want you want out of life, eliminate the “what ifs” and strive to plan out how to exactly obtain that ultimate goal of success. Similarly, your journey to S.U.C.C.E.S.S. must first begin with U.

While skimming the aisles of the business section in the library, I came across a rather enticing title, Thinking Inside The Box, by Kirk Cheyfitz.

Cheyfitz spins the normal saying and capitalizes on what the “The Box” of the Entrepreneurial world really means. He describes the whole process of being a sort of blueprint of utilizing various business tools to building profits, having a long-lasting establishment and making it successful.

Now “The Box” that Cheyfitz is building out of, is not your ordinary box, it is in fact made of not 4 sides but 12. So, get your black binder a.k.a. Your Entrepreneurial Journey Guide and a pen. Here are 12 rules that will help you manage business and enable you to stay in your current state and think utilizing your surroundings.

The Basic Box: Some Things Never Change

You must understand the economic conditions and consider what the past, current and future holds for new business

The Jack in the Box: Profits

Insure that in fact you business can be profitable, review the true nature of its revenue vs. expenses vs. profits.

The Money Box: Cash is Everything

Profits are not enough to sustain the company, you must put aside cash that can handle the company’s bills as well

The Bottom-Line Box: Knowing What Can Be Controlled and What Can’t:

Keep an eye on your expenses vs. profits, always make sure that you break-even versus coming up short and jeopardizing the company’s success

The Box-Top: Customers Are The Boss

Satisfy your customers by supplying their needs, versus what you want them to have.

The Marketing Box: Unifying the Whole Business

Market by using all types of tools, even ones that you think will not make a difference. Selling is defined as doing the right things for the customer, so your goal is to sell all the time.

The Getting-Bigger-Faster Box: If You Can Buy It, Don’t Start It Up

Research, research, research! Make sure that you are pushing a product that is different than what can already be bought, or a service that can already be obtained. Be opportunistic, but focused at the same time.

The People Box: Hire Smart or Manage Hard

Hire quality people that can manage your business without you looking over their shoulder. When you hire for convenience that you become a micromanager and stray away from your own duties.

The Treasure Box: Secure the Real Assets

Find the business’s true asset, what makes it different and or insures it’s success and capitalize on it.

The Ends-Over-Means Box: Results Are More Important Than Process

The end result matters the most, the Ultimate Goal is more important than what it took for you to get there. Once you know where you want to be, how you are going to get there comes easier.

The Renewable Box: Nothing Lasts Forever

Renew the basic business, always keep the foundation that started your company in the first place.

The Houdini Box: Always Have an Exit Strategy

Make a plan to get your money out, once that business is producing profits, find different ways to no longer use the money out of your pocket.

So, take these 12 sides and think inside the box or state of mind that you are in. Use the tools to help you make the best out of where you are, instead of getting out and figure out what you did wrong. If you start within, the chances of expanding in a more positive way are far greater!

If you would,  please gather your things and turn on your GPS (Goals to Promise Success) system. You’ll surely need it to get through Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success by Mike Chaet, Ph.D.

As I read the book, I came across   a lot of key tools that were hidden between the lines. Upon identifying many of them, I had several  “Ah-Ha” moments. One of those moments was the development of the “GPS” acronym that transpired after just reading the second chapter.

A second “Ah-Ha” moment was identifying the “how-to” points to get through “Trip Entrepreneurship.” The “How-To points,” also known as the Seven Essential Loops, consist of the following:

1. Managing the Experience Zones

2. Building a Winning Culture

3. Monitoring the Fundamentals

4. Standardize Every Major Process

5. Innovation

6. Live in the Real World

7. Lead by Example

Sure there is a lot to take in, however, each has their own message that can certainly be utilized. Once you have developed your product or service, you then must get to know your consumer.

When you become fully confident with your product or service, then strive to become confident in your customers’ experiences. Get to know the people that you are providing services for. Guaranteeing customer retention is more important than mediocre customer service.

Now that you have secured a plan to keep your customers coming back, you must enhance the median between your products and customers. The quality of the people you hire is an important factor in the success of your business.

Employees create a winning culture that consists of building the company, a brand and a reputation. Creating a winning or memorable moment for the customers each and every time they need your service, will both heighten your reputation and your revenue.

Every business has to monitor its fundamentals, which are to establish a sense of direction, set goals, designate responsibilities, measure accomplishments and track the progress of product sales and revenue.

What happens when you miss your turn or go the wrong way on the freeway? You instantly become creative and innovate a way to get back on the route you were originally on.

Innovation is a big part of the longevity of your company; there might always be a need to switch up your plans and or think of a way to get out of a tight spot. The real world shows us that nothing is perfect and something can always go wrong.

Plan for the unexpected is a major tool to have in your “Business Survival kit”. Adding these “How-to’s” can enable you with resources to get through loops of your entrepreneurial journey and will insure a smoother ride. Set a foundation for your company and watch it achieve the ultimate success that you see down the road.

Lead by example and bring all of your passengers along for the ride of a lifetime.

While reading “Awakening the Entrepreneur Within“ by Michael E. Gerber, his chapter about understanding “The Five Realities of the Entrepreneur” I’ve come to grasp the following:

Reality #1: An Entrepreneur is an inventor

Reality #2: Entrepreneurs do not buy business opportunities; they create them

Reality #3: Invention is contagious

Reality #4: The success of the invention- the business – is measured by growth

Reality #5: Everyone possesses the ability to be an entrepreneur

Consequently, an entrepreneur can be perceived as an inventor. They can either create something the world does not have or enhance something it already does.

The eyes of an inventor are always awake and alert in order to search for that million-dollar idea, product or service. You must first understand that entrepreneurs do not buy into business opportunities, they would much rather prefer creating their own.  Sure, purchasing a franchise that you think will be extremely successful can be seen as a bread winner, but  it can also be seen as taking the easy way out.

You no longer have the entrepreneurial passion of owning your own business because truthfully it is not entirely yours. You have become a branch on another person’s entrepreneurial tree. The uniqueness of having a business that you create is far more rewarding than running another person’s million-dollar idea.

Thirdly, there are plenty of businesses that started off in the basement of their parent’s house or even the comfort of their college dorm.  The reality is that the power of invention is contagious. When people began to realize that their inventions could be profitable, a mass amount of “inventors turned entrepreneurs” are at large.  People are no longer solely creating things for themselves, but more so creating things to change the world.

The true beauty of being a successful entrepreneur is knowing how to measure your success. It is not about the amount of money that is being made; rather it’s the growth of the business and how it is being perceived by the community.

Nothing is more satisfying for an entrepreneur than to have created something that can help so many people. The person behind the creation of the project is more satisfied than the person it is being sold to.

One must understand that not every invention is going to be successful or transform you into an entrepreneur. Although everyone possesses the ability to be an entrepreneur, you have to realize that entrepreneurs are made, not born. Practice makes perfect. Because you are an inventor,  the creativity to forge ideas will come easy to you, but trial and error is essential.

If you are currently stuck on your Entrepreneurial Journey, no worries, I have a few guidelines that may assist you. Now my main tip for today is to go and get this book, the success stories will amaze you.

I’ll give you a snippet of one that really inspired me.

Fred DeLuca, a seventeen year-old that just graduated from high school, was sitting at a barbeque conversing about how he should raise money to pay for college. A family friend, Peter Buck suggested that he open a small sandwich shop. Thus, “Peter’s Super Submarine” was born and that later evolved into the Infamous “Subway.”

He was 17 years of age, a budding entrepreneur like you and he was getting ready to embark on a journey that led to his empire!

Fred was unaware of what his business would grow into years later, so his first plan of action to start small provided him with the foundation of finishing big. He was an example of a microentrepreneur, which is a person who forges small ideas today and starts their business tomorrow.

There are plenty of successful microentrepreneurs, however, there would be more if people would just have more faith in themselves. The common misconception about starting a business is that you need a lot of money in order to even think about starting one up. A large amount of starting capital may be the case in a really large venture, but it is not always required.

Get your pencils out! Here are the prerequisites for starting Entrepreneurship 101.

• Develop your million-dollar idea,
• save a enough money to get it trademark or incorporated,
• embrace the desire to be successful,
• understand that the sky is the limit, and
• do not tell everyone what you are doing.

Sharing something that you passionately believe in with someone else that share the same passion, may do more harm than benefit for your dream.

Most microentrepreneurs are the most innocent of them all, these are the people who see a need for something and the next day have a solution to fill that need.

Like Paul Orfalea, who noticed the hard work of businessmen on the go and came up with an ingenious idea. He leased a copy machine and space in a garage to house his business and the rest is the history behind Kinkos. Anything is possible when you see a need and develop the seed to make it grow. Enhance your “Inner Microentrepreneur” and start your BIG dream with small steps.

All you have to do is believe in yourself whole heartedly, perfect the tunnel vision of where you want to be, put one foot in front of the other and GO!