I’m a nationally ranked Scrabble player, and there’s a huge difference between how experts play the game compared to casual players. Expert Scrabble players manage to use all their letters in a single turn – earning them a 50-point bonus – multiple times per game. There’s one simple trick I […]

In a new book, physicist and network scientist Albert-László Barabási gives a simple formula that describes how successful a given endeavour will be. His research suggests that success is a combination of a good idea and the talent and skill needed to bring that idea to fruition. The key to […]

Afrojack is among the world’s most popular DJs and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in pop music. He said that the biggest lesson he learned from his collaborations is celebrity cannot become an excuse for becoming self-important. He believes that the egotism that can come with celebrity […]

If you’re aiming for health and happiness in the new year, you’ll want to make your bad habits harder to do. James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits,” calls this adding “friction” to the behaviour. For example, you might take the batteries out of your remote so you’re less inclined to […]

As the CEO of Restaurant Brands International, Daniel Schwartz oversees Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes. Schwartz started as CFO at Burger King in his late 20s before becoming CEO at 32. He said the most important management lesson he learned was to realise that in business, bad execution is […]

For our grandparents, good jobs meant employers that would take care of them. Today’s workers don’t expect security or stability. Instead they want a job that contributes to a fulfilling life and allows them some flexibility. The gig economy is also a relatively new development, though most workers who are […]

Stanley McChrystal is a retired four-star general in the US Army who led America’s Joint Special Operations Command and NATO forces in the war in Afghanistan. McChrystal said the two greatest attributes a leader can have are empathy and self-discipline. An anecdote from his time on the battlefield shows how […]

Toyota has relied on a “just in time” manufacturing philosophy since the 1970s. That means the company makes only what is needed, when it’s needed, and in the amount needed. You can apply the same logic by focusing on abundance instead of scarcity in your life, writes life coach Martha […]

Success and building good habits come down to working toward a new, healthier identity. That’s according to productivity expert James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits.” Clear recommends asking yourself “What would a healthy person do?” when you’re making a decision between, say, walking and driving. I don’t know about you, […]

Work stress has a lot to do with “surface acting,” or masking your real feelings in an effort to please coworkers and clients. Hiding negative feelings in particular can be emotionally exhausting. Surface acting is also linked to worse performance, meaning it can be bad for companies, too. For most […]

A booming economy is usually a good thing … but not for recruiters. Recruiters trying to fill jobs are having their toughest time in decades because of the tight labour market They’re seeing more and more job candidates “ghost” them after agreeing to interviews and even signing HR paperwork. While […]

At more companies around the world, you can create your own schedule based on when you work best, The New York Times reports. That’s also known as your “chronotype,” or your biological predisposition to be a morning person, an evening person, or somewhere in between. Still, experts say most companies […]

Stanley McChrystal is a retired four-star general in the US Army who led America’s Joint Special Operations Command and NATO forces in the War in Afghanistan. McChrystal handed in his resignation to President Barack Obama after a critical Rolling Stone article portrayed McChrystal’s aides as being disrespectful to Vice President […]

When you’re working toward a goal or a new habit, start by doing the quickest and easiest action possible. That’s according to productivity expert James Clear, who calls it the “two-minute rule.” Clear suggested “fold one pair of socks” as the two-minute version of “fold the laundry.” You’ll establish a […]

Afrojack is among the world’s most popular DJs, and won a Grammy with David Guetta for a Madonna remix they worked on. Afrojack said the biggest mistake he ever made was an email he sent declining a credit on David Guetta’s 2011 song “Titanium,” which he helped write, because he […]

Dating apps haven’t ruined happy marriages or our ability to commit, according to The Atlantic. But experts say online dating has a perhaps unexpected side effect: It may make it easier to leave an unfulfilling relationship. Instead of deliberately going to a bar and looking for someone else, you can […]

Many people who took “bad” jobs, or jobs that proved unfulfilling, ultimately ended up learning what kind of role would suit them better. Some people say they needed the money and experience on their résumé before they could pursue their dreams. Even if you just need a paycheck right now, […]

Many millennials wonder: “Should I have a baby?” The struggle to decide has prompted them to pay for coaches, classes, and books, The New York Times reports. One such online group course costs $US397. Many women are worried about juggling parenting and their careers, and about giving up their freedom. […]

As the CEO of Restaurant Brands International, Daniel Schwartz oversees Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes. Schwartz started as CFO at Burger King in his late 20s before becoming CEO at 32. He said that he considers his two greatest skills to be the ability to spot talent, particularly at […]

Asking your boss for help can be a sign of strength at many companies. But too many young professionals try to pretend everything is perfect. That’s according to Sarah Wagener, chief people officer at DoorDash and a former recruiting leader at Facebook. If you don’t seek your manager’s guidance, they […]

Americans vary in how they pronounce the words “merry,” “marry,” and “Mary.” A majority, 57%, of Americans pronounce all three words the same. The divide highlights something fascinating about American English. You’re probably going to hear the phrase “merry Christmas” a lot over the next few days. But depending on […]

It was hard to keep up with all the great books published in 2018 – but a few stood out as insightful, entertaining, and helpful. We’ve defined “business books” as reporting on businesses and the economy, as well as career and finance guides. Highlights include “Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou, […]

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia‘s new mission is “We’re in business to save the planet.” Its founder Yvon Chouinard has dedicated the company to environmental causes from the beginning, and they have attracted both customers and employees. The new mission bolsters existing initiatives overseen by CEO Rose Marcario, who has quadrupled […]

In order to be wildly successful, you need to be optimistic and overconfident about your chances. But for the average person, being so out of touch with reality can lead to failure. That’s according to Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, who calls it a “paradox” of success. Still, in […]

I spent 2018 hosting the podcast “This Is Success” and reporting for our Better Capitalism series. For both, I had key takeaways that have informed the way I approach my career and see the world. From the podcast interviews, I learned that the challenges and anxieties I encounter are almost […]

Falon Fatemi has secured more than $US20 million for her tech startup Node, and even convinced Mark Cuban to invest. She said whenever she was caught off-guard by a question during a business pitch, she would write down the question afterward and incorporate her answer into her next pitch. She […]

In almost every job interview he conducts, Justin Angsuwat asks the candidate to talk about a trade-off they have made to uphold a core value. Angsuwat is the VP of people at Thumbtack and a former Google HR exec. He said the candidate’s answer not only shows how they think, […]

This year I read lots of self-help books. I learned how to be more productive, how to be a better romantic partner, and how to advance at work. Below, I’ve listed the top takeaways from the books I read. For example: Approach dating like dieting, and remember that your coworkers […]

Falon Fatemi, the founder and CEO of the tech startup Node, was the youngest person Google ever hired when she got a job at age 19. The entrepreneur said she remembered how awe-struck she was the first time she toured the Google campus. Fatemi worked on global expansion and strategic […]

The items on your to-do list will probably take longer to finish than you think they will. So when you’re estimating how much time it will take to complete a task, multiply that number by three. That’s a tip from leadership expert Greg McKeown, highlighted in The New York Times. […]

Successful leadership isn’t about having complete confidence that you can do the job. You need some amount of self-doubt, too. That’s according to Sam Walker, who writes in The Wall Street Journal that the best leaders are often the ones who didn’t want the job in the first place. In […]

Merriam-Webster announced its words of the year, and the list included the words that people couldn’t stop looking up in 2018. The words included “nationalism,” “pansexual,” and “laurel” of the notorious “laurel or yanny” debate. All those words were looked up at significantly higher rates than they were a year […]

Having a strong work ethic and developing a reputation for being able to execute on projects is one of the most important determinants of career success, said Marc Spilker, a former Goldman Sachs exec who’s now chairman of Chiron Investment Management. Working hard leads to learning more, which leads to […]

Maria Hatzistefanis has been rejected hundreds of times in her career since founding the skincare company Rodial in 1999. She said she learned to turn a “no” into a “yes” by waiting a day after a rejection and then following up with a pledge to improve her business and try […]

Danica Patrick is the most successful female driver in the history of racing, a hugely male-dominated sport. At Business Insider’s Ignition conference, Patrick said she was motivated by a need to prove herself, and that she’s carried lessons learned into her businesses since retiring from racing this year. Patrick said […]

Merriam-Webster chose “justice” as 2018’s word of the year. People looked up “justice” 74% more than they did last year because it was at the heart of many national conversations this year, the dictionary said. Key political stories this year centered on the US Justice Department, obstruction of justice, and […]

Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones cofounded the nonprofit Just Capital in 2013 to measure what Americans want from corporations, and which of these corporations are contributing to a “more just” society. Just issues an annual ranking of the world’s largest corporations based on how they are creating long-term value in […]

We heard lots of great advice in 2018. The best tips are listed below. Topics included relationships, careers, and productivity. For example, we learned about eliminating temptation to curb bad habits and spending more time with friends and family to feel less busy. Good life advice can be hard to […]

Many top tech companies allow employees to easily move between roles and teams (this practice is commonly called internal mobility). Experts say this strategy helps with talent retention because people are less likely to leave out of boredom. Gaining a variety of skills and experience can also benefit your career […]

IEX cofounder and CEOBrad Katsuyama worked at the Royal Bank of Canada before creating his own company. He said employees take a lot of things for granted at big companies that people don’t have as an entrepreneur. “It’s incredibly humbling. You get rejected hundreds of times and people are basically […]

People dream of working for big-name companies like Goldman Sachs or Google … so why would anyone ever leave such a prestigious job? Many workers quit high-paying jobs at impressive companies because, as their careers progress, prestige feels less important than it did when they were younger. Other factors, like […]

More and more workers are “ghosting” their employers by not showing up to work and cutting off contact with the company, according to The Washington Post. It’s a sign of the tight labour market, The Post said, as there are more job openings in the US than people looking for […]

The best way to avoid procrastinating is to tackle your most boring task first thing Monday morning, Rodial CEO Maria Hatzistefanis said. Your ability to make decisions breaks down over the course of a week, so you should knock out difficult tasks early when you still have the mental energy, […]

After a lifetime of sitting, I switched to a standing desk at my home office over a year ago. It wasn’t an expensive change. All I needed was an unused cardboard box. BUT the box eventually wore out. I thought about having a new one made from wood, but then […]

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced a commitment to $US10 million in long-term, low-cost commercial real estate loans for Chicago’s South Side and its West Side. The two parts of the city contain neighbourhoods with more crime and less development than average. The investment comes off a previous $US40 million […]

Brad Katsuyama worked as an executive for the Royal Bank of Canada. Instead of retiring from the RBC, he decided to launch his own company, the Investors Exchange (IEX). As the cofounder and CEO of IEX, Katsuyama is determined to build a company he’s proud of, but not one that […]

Former Facebook and Amazon HR exec Bharath Jayaraman says top tech companies value people who can collaborate effectively. That means knowing how to argue and disagree respectfully. It’s critical that your coworker should never question your commitment to the team or the product during the conflict. Netflix prizes employees who […]

Google took a look back on the people, topics, events, and places that trended the most on search as part of its 2018 “Year in Search” series. We looked at the top results for the search, “Where is…” The most trending queries involved natural disasters, world events, and unexpected people […]

Wondering how to get a promotion? First figure out why you want the title bump in the first place. That’s according to Justin Angsuwat, a former Google HR exec and the VP of people at Thumbtack. Angsuwat said you don’t have to wait for a promotion to start tweaking your […]

John Heggestuen leads research for Business Insider Intelligence and manages a team of more than 20 analysts and editors in New York and London. He says that it’s important to realise that effective managers delegate tasks that are high priority and saying “no” can leave the wrong impression. In his […]

Caryl M. Stern is the President and CEO of UNICEF USA. She took the position 11 years ago, after serving as the COO of UNICEF USA. She’d never planned to be a CEO – out of college, she wanted to be a painter. Stern was acting CEO for about a […]

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban said that he invested in legal service Paladin because it’s an example of tying business success to societal benefits. Cuban said that today’s consumer wants to support companies with a greater purpose and that employees want to work for the same. He said he’s seen it […]

Some people are just wired to wake up early in the morning, according to Marc Spilker, a former partner at Goldman Sachs who’s now chairman at Chiron Investment Management. Spilker insists that it was always easy to get up early and that even in college, he was one of the […]

Your passion shouldn’t necessarily become your full-time job. That’s according to career coach and ex-Googler Lindsay Gordon. An avid baker, she took a pastry-making class and learned she should keep baking as a hobby – for now. If she were a full-time pastry chef, she’d have to wake up early […]

Business Insider spoke to more than a dozen people at different stages of their lives and careers, and surveyed 1,000 more, about what a “good job” means to them. We found good jobs in the US today are characterised by things as basic as health insurance and a retirement account […]

The best way to make a decision is either by having someone choose for you or by pretending you’re choosing for someone else, says one business school professor. When we make decisions for other people, we tend to be more adventurous and optimistic. That’s according to Evan Polman, a professor […]

Afrojack is one of the world’s most famous DJs and has been making electronic music since he was a young teenager. He’s the CEO of a large talent-management company and runs his own record label. He said the biggest mistake he ever made was declining a credit on David Guetta’s […]

Evaluating people’s results, as opposed to the effort they put in, may penalise bad luck and reward good luck. That’s according to top behavioural economists such as Daniel Kahneman and Dan Ariely. What’s more, says psychologist Barry Schwartz, prioritising results over process can hurt the quality of people’s work in […]

Wendy Clark is the CEO of DDB Worldwide, a top ad agency. She remembers powerful people often treating her poorly during her first job out of college, as a receptionist. She says the best lesson she passes on to young people is to never let your ego be above anything, […]

Presidents Day is Monday, February 15. Joe Biden was sworn into office on January 20 as the 46th US president. Biden gets to enjoy luxurious benefits that come with the highest office in the United States. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Monday, February 15 is Presidents […]

Responding personally to every email you get at work can consume valuable time. Instagram executive Eva Chen noticed most of her emails concerned the same 10 topics, so she came up with a clever workaround. Instead of typing a response to each email she gets, she keeps stock responses saved […]

When it comes to being more productive, there are many time-saving skills you can adopt. You can work in 30-minute increments, for example, or attempt to eliminate distractions for set periods of time. Here, career experts share 15 ways to be more productive and manage your time better. Visit Business […]

Entrepreneur Jason Brown wants people to think of his personal-finance app Tally like a washing machine Most people don’t think about how much time and stress washing machines save them. Brown’s endgame is for Tally is “a world where all of your financial decisions and financial work will be done […]

To make a good decision, delay your intuition until you’ve gathered all the necessary information. That’s according to Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman. At the World Business Forum in New York, Kahneman said that if you rely on intuition first, you’ll just waste time looking for evidence that supports your […]

Brad Katsuyama, CEO of IEX and the star of Michael Lewis book “Flash Boys,” spoke on Tuesday at Business Insider’s IGNITION 2018 conference. Katsuyama said successful entrepreneurship means having experienced the problems you’re trying to solve. He was a trader for years and felt there was a need for an […]

Entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian spoke against the popularity of an online “success” culture promoting constant exhaustion. He said his experience building Reddit and working with his cofounders taught him successful businesses require mental and physical well-being. He said his wife, Serena Williams, taught him that while periods of intensity […]

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson spoke with Business Insider’s media editor, Nathan McAlone, at Business Insider’s IGNITION Conference Tuesday afternoon in New York City. Jackson said he didn’t have to think too hard to come up with the chorus to “In Da Club”: “Go shorty. It’s your birthday.” To date, “In […]

Before making someone a boss, allow them to have some management experience, so they know what they’re getting into. That’s advice from Bharath Jayaraman, vice president of people at Paxos and a former HR exec at Facebook and Amazon. Jayaraman recommended allowing would-be managers to mentor a new hire on […]

Sam Shank, CEO of booking app HotelTonight, gets up at 5:15 every morning, even though he wasn’t always a morning person. He says that starting his morning with a workout class helped him adjust to the new routine. The penalties incurred by missed classes and the expectation of seeing the […]

If you’ve never failed before, you won’t get a job at the home-maintenance startup Setter. That’s a rule developed by Setter cofounder David Steckel, who said if a job candidate hasn’t made any professional mistakes, it’s a red flag. Steckel drew the rule from his personal experience founding the company, […]

Larry Morrow is a well-connected entrepreneur in New Orleans. From booking Floyd Mayweather to Mary J. Blige, he handles everything from party and performances to his new restaurant, Morrow’s. The 27-year-old says he learned to take big risks as a young kid shooting dice behind a barbershop. At 27 years […]

Heather Dietrick is the CEO of the Daily Beast. She was the president of Gawker during the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, which brought down the company. Dietrick says she’s embraced risk taking, and it’s led to unusual job opportunities that have paid off. When Heather Dietrick came to the Daily Beast […]

Jason Brown, the cofounder and CEO of the personal-finance app Tally, asks every potential hire, “As a human, are you happy?” It’s Brown’s way of finding out whether the applicant is aligned with Tally’s mission and has personal motivations for wanting to work there. Applicants who can pinpoint the things […]

Life at an Ivy League school isn’t as glamourous as Hollywood would have you think. While it’s true Mark Zuckerberg graduated from Harvard, the dorm room from which he started Facebook was no more luxurious than a dorm room at any other top school. When it comes down to it, […]

You won’t wow your boss by doing absolutely everything. Instead, prioritise the work that will have the most impact – and say “no” to everything else. That’s according to Justin Angsuwat, vice president of people at Thumbtack and former human-resources executive at Google. Angsuwat said he doesn’t reward people who […]

It’s hard to get a venture capitalist’s attention in a cold email. But Arlan Hamilton, a VC who launched her own firm after being homeless and teaching herself skills on YouTube, said there’s a formula for writing an email that will get responses. The key, she wrote in a blog […]

It’s OK to be bored at work – in fact, sometimes it’s advisable. That’s according to Lindsay Gordon, a career coach and a former Google employee. Gordon said if the job fulfils your top values, like financial security, then it might be worth keeping. Plus, a boring job can afford […]

Business cards are an afterthought for many people, but for entrepreneur John Ruhlin, they’re a great way to make a good first impression. Ruhlin spends $US3 on business cards and $US9 on company letterheads that are made out of solid aluminium and engraved with his contact information. He says it’s […]

Baupost Group CEO Seth Klarman gave a speech calling for a shift away from what he sees as toxic short-termism. He believes this is the result of the theory of shareholder primacy, and he thinks other stakeholders, like employees and the community, need to be considered for the sake of […]

You can impress your boss by stepping up to tackle important challenges in other parts of the company. That’s according to Traci Wilk, senior vice president of people at The Learning Experience and a former HR exec at Starbucks. Wilk said she wants to see people thinking about how their […]

Most of us try to avoid tough conversations, but the most successful people tackle awkward subjects head on. A professor who studied 20,000 startup founders said “going ugly” and addressing uncomfortable issues can help you both in the business world and in romantic relationships. From planning for the departure of […]

The four Yuengling sisters who run the oldest brewery in America joke that it took 189 years to get their beer in 22 states. The brewery took 18 months of research and testing before releasing its first new product in 17 years, and it has no immediate plans to expand […]

At web app company Basecamp, every time an employee leaves, a “goodbye announcement” is sent to the entire staff. The person can write it themselves or have their manager write it. If the person doesn’t include details about why they quit or were fired, the manager sends a follow-up note. […]

Four sisters run Yuengling, the oldest family-run brewery in America producing more than 2 million barrels of beer annually. Each sister brings a different skill set to the company, which helps keep the brewery flowing. If the sisters have a new idea, they run it by their father, Dick Yuengling, […]

Reese Witherspoon says she’s brutally honest with her kids about what they’re bad at. She once told her now 19-year-old daughter she might be bad at basketball. Witherspoon’s husband appears to be equally honest with her about her weaknesses. Experts say being honest with others – and with yourself – […]

Stanley McChrystal retired after a 34-year military career as a four-star general in the US Army in 2010. He’s identified three common myths about leadership, which can lead to less effective results. The three myths concern the “Great Man Theory” of history and the idea that following things by the […]

Choosing a business partner (or choosing not to have one) is one of the most important decisions an entrepreneur makes. On Business Insider’s podcast, “This Is Success,” we’ve discussed navigating partnerships with the founders of Lyft, Harry’s, Drybar, and GOAT, as well as a promoter working with clients like Drake […]

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and 12 other successful entrepreneurs revealed their favourite places to “think big” on the podcast “Masters of Scale.” Host Reid Hoffman, who founded LinkedIn, said it’s one of the questions he asks every guest on the show. Their answers ranged from the treadmill and a dance […]

The unemployment rate in the US has been falling, and fast-food CEOs have reported that they’re having trouble filling open positions. However, writes Morris Pearl, they haven’t tried the most effective tactic: raising wages. Major companies like Amazon, Disney, and Target have announced significant pay raises, and found people were […]

Pinterest reaches 250 million users every day and is reported to exceed $US700 million in annual ad revenue, making the photo-sharing site worth $US12 billion. In the early days of Pinterest, cofounder and CEO Ben Silbermann included his personal number in an email signature so users could reach him if […]

Jay Coen Gilbert is an entrepreneur who founded B Lab in 2006. B Lab grants certification for B Corporations, which have proved themselves to contribute value to all stakeholders, not just shareholders. B Lab also lobbied for benefit-corporation legislation, which legally proclaims a board is working to create value according […]

D.G. Yuengling & Son started producing beer in 1829 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, making it the oldest family-run ;brewery in America. The four Yuengling sisters who run the brewery today did not realise the significance of their last name until they went to college. Working with family can be difficult at […]

The holidays are the worst times to give a gift to a business client, according to gift-giving expert John Ruhlin. Your holiday gift isn’t likely to stand out and it can seem like you bought it out of obligation, he said. Ruhlin recommends buying your clients gifts at unexpected times […]

There’s a lot in common between working at a restaurant and running a business, said Setter cofounder David Steckel, who’s done both. Both roles require workers to negotiate between several parties and anticipate problems to best serve the customer, Steckel said. He still uses the skills he learned from waiting […]

When Beth Comstock was hired as chief marketing officer for General Electric, she spent her first 90 days on the job learning about the basics of marketing. Comstock picked up Phil Kotler textbooks, read “The Four Ps of Marketing,” and hired people with the expertise she needed to teach her […]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivered a memorable speech in 2005 about his struggle with cancer and facing his own mortality. Thirteen years later, business executives are trying to attain similar clarity by writing their own eulogies. Some leadership coaches say writing your own eulogy can help you realise what kind […]

Asking some interview questions about how you’ll fare at the company, given your relative strengths and weaknesses, can be helpful. That’s according to Traci Wilk, senior vice president of people at The Learning Experience and a former HR exec at Starbucks. A recent job candidate asked Wilk about the challenges […]

The founders of Kitu Life appeared on “Shark Tank” pitching Super Coffee in February 2018. They didn’t land an offer, but they say going on the show helped them prepare for future business meetings. They also discovered new types of customers they hadn’t anticipated. Three years ago, the DeCicco brothers […]

Image sharing site Pinterest was founded right after the financial crisis, which made it difficult to fund. When pitching to investors, Pinterest cofounder and CEOBen Silbermann wouldn’t over-promise what the company could do. After going through several pitch meetings with venture capitalists, Silbermann learned that he needed to do more […]

After Jay Coen Gilbert sold AND1, the basketball-apparel company he cofounded, he created B Lab in 2006. B Lab certifies companies for “B Corporation” status, which publicly holds them accountable to stakeholders beyond shareholders, like employees and the environment. There are now more than 2,600 B Corps around the world. […]