Day: July 25, 2020

Businesses Can’t Run from Kitchen Tables Forever. Here’s Why Coworking Will Make a Comeback.

wayne July 25, 2020


7 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


The pandemic has rapidly disrupted our marketplace like almost nothing else in modern history, with many companies going bankrupt while others were forced to radically reshape their operations overnight. Some industries have fared far better than others, with certain sectors of the economy being wiped out in the blink of an eye. Coworking arrangements, for instance, were some of the first commercial operations to go under when social distancing efforts became seriously practiced, largely because they were replaced with remote work arrangements that helped limit the spread of Covid-19.

The pandemic won’t last forever, though, and when it finally subsides a number of key sectors are going to come roaring back to life. Here’s an exploration of how coworking can succeed after the pandemic passes us by, and what companies can do now to take advantage of this forthcoming development.

Remote workers can’t stay at home forever

There’s no denying that remote work arrangements are currently keeping our economy alive despite the economic turmoil brought about by Covid-19. Workers who have previously never operated from the comforts of their own home are now managing their responsibilities

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The PPE supply chain is a black box—that needs to change

wayne July 25, 2020

The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the U.S.—which has exacerbated the COVID-19 crisis across the country—is likely to continue in a second wave of the pandemic. It has also exposed supply chain vulnerabilities in the process, namely, the reliance on foreign countries to produce the overwhelming majority of specialized PPE, such as N95 masks. 

While imported PPE can make sense for cost minimization in normal times, the penny-wise dependence on imports during a prolonged pandemic has proved pound foolish and has caused incalculable human and economic losses. But even as domestic manufacturers ramp up production of PPE, the U.S. will face significant public health and national security risks because the extent of manufacturers’ supply chain reliance on foreign countries is unknown.

In a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, we found that the three largest PPE manufacturers in the U.S.—3M, Honeywell International, and MSA Safety—have not disclosed any basic supply chain information, not even in their annual sustainability and corporate citizenship reports. The companies’ disclosures to the Food and Drug Administration have included only the locations of their manufacturing facilities, without data on the production quantity in each facility or the …

Bethenny Frankel on her latest business ventures and how she became a self-made mogul

wayne July 25, 2020

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You may know Bethenny Frankel from her years on reality television, from The Apprentice: Martha Stewart to Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York, or her five New York Times bestselling books. You could also be familiar with her Skinnygirl cocktails, popcorn, coffee, jeans, supplements, or preserves. Or maybe you’ve become acquainted with her philanthropy initiative, BStrong, which provides relief for natural disasters like hurricanes Dorian, Irma, and Maria. To put it simply, she’s everywhere. 

Though she recently left the Real Housewives cast, Frankel has plenty keeping her busy. She is investing outside of her business for the first time in her life and has an HBO Max show (The Big Shot With Bethenny) and a podcast (Just B With Bethenny) in the works. 

Frankel spoke with Fortune about her approach to business, television, philanthropy, and more. 

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Looking into your business dealings, my first question is just genuinely, How on earth do you do all of this? 

I do sleep, and I don’t …

Need extra money? See if you qualify for a legal payout from Apple, Facebook, and others

wayne July 25, 2020

Our mission to help you navigate the new normal is fueled by subscribers. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

Many consumers don’t realize that big companies—including familiar ones like Apple, GE, Facebook, and Kotex—owe them money from class action settlements. The money they are owed can add up to hundreds of dollars, but most consumers fail to collect.

This is partly by design since the lawyers who design these settlements may be more interested in getting paid themselves rather than ensuring consumers—who are the victims in the lawsuit—end up collecting. According to Jay Edelson, a prominent Chicago class action lawyer, typical payout rates are between 1% and 3%.

This may be changing, however, as Edelson says judges are growing frustrated with settlements that leave consumers out in the cold. He adds that since the COVID outbreak, judges have been moving along class action cases at a faster pace—presumably to speed up payouts during an economic crisis.

How do you know if you’re eligible for some lawsuit cash? A good place to start is to visit a site called Top Class Actions, which lists dozens of open lawsuits along with links for …

Winning the peace: The role of business in forging a post–COVID-19 recovery

wayne July 25, 2020

In our previous article earlier this week, we noted that after World War II, international organizations and the public and private sectors worked together to create the conditions for two decades of strong, broad-based economic growth in Western Europe, Japan, and the United States. This record, we argued, offered lessons for the world today, and we suggested some specific ways to reshape globalization and renew the public sector. In this article, we turn to the role of the private sector. 

In the immediate aftermath of war, governments concentrated on cleaning up the rubble, and then creating a stable political and social environment. In economic terms, that meant establishing the basics, such as stable currencies, freer trade, antitrust laws, workforce training, and land and labor reforms. 

With that done, business was able to get back to business. In 1948, for example, when West Germany scrapped price controls and created the deutsche mark, industrial production rose 50%. With investment coming in, and liberalized trade rules fostering technology transfer and structural change, the stage was set for sustained growth. 

To win the post–COVID-19 peace, we need to channel the optimism and imagination of the postwar era and apply them to our …