QR codes are a useful addition to a business card design, enabling linking to your website or allowing easy pickup of all your contact details. Recent versions of the (open source) Inkscape design app have support for creating QR codes. You can also use this online QR code generator.
See this article and examples of business card designs in DzineBlog
In economics, the Jevons paradox (sometimes Jevons effect) is the proposition that technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used tends to increase (rather than decrease) the rate of consumption of that resource.[1] In 1865, the English economist William Stanley Jevons observed that technological improvements that increased the efficiency of coal-use led to the increased consumption of coal in a wide range of industries. He argued that, contrary to common intuition, technological improvements could not be relied upon to reduce fuel consumption.[2]
Holidays breaks can be filled with opportunities for our young people to develop themselves in preparation for adult life. For many of us, we would like to see our young people develop skills that can not be built as just a seasonal employee. Skills such as resource and skills planning, negotiation skills, expense management, time management and establishing work/life balance are just some that we can expect teenagers to be able to learn by establishing themselves a holiday business – which, of course, could be extended to part time work should the industry and study commitments allow for it.
Steven Johnson’s short (4 minutes!) talk “Where Good Ideas Come From” provides awesome insight in how ideas develop.
For me, it emphasises the importance of Upstarta principle #4: “Pragmatic on Intellectual Property (IP): speed-to-market over protection. Share information. No software patents.“, specifically the bit about sharing information. Keeping everything to yourself hinders you. Others do not have the motivation or the opportunity to do the exact thing that you want to do right now, but they can help you along.
An interesting read: How a new jobless era will transform America (The Atlantic). It doesn’t paint a particularly rosy picture in social terms, it’s rough. But, I reckon times like these there are great opportunities for being entrepreneurial, just not relying on the predominant methods.
I started my business (the one the Upstarta principles were derived from) before the GFC, and when it hit I actually found myself better positioned and my business continued growing and in fact flourishing. I find that inspiring, not just economically but also socially – as my life is better for it.
In the end, I think that recession and joblessness is a state of mind on a very personal level – if you wait for work to pop up in your area or your government to do something, indeed things can look bleak. But you could also take the initiative, and start something yourself, differently. There’s always opportunity, you only need to look around you with the right mindset. It won’t be a get-rich-quick goldmine, but it’s likely to be profitable enough for a decent living and a lot of satisfaction.
If you need some help with this, that’s what Upstarta is for. Doing it all on your own is hard, slow, and actually much less fun. What are you going to explore?