Social Responsibility: Being Strategic About Community Investment

By Kecia Carroll, Canopy Advisor

It goes by many names:  corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate citizenship, community relations to name a few.  The intent is the same. It’s about a company’s responsibility to invest in the communities in which it serves; about addressing social and environmental challenges while driving economic growth.  Put another way, it means not just caring about the bottom line, but what you can do with the bottom line.
It’s about having an impact. Read More

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3 Basic Steps to Improve Your Elevator Pitch

By Alyce Blum, Professional Networking Coach

When was the last time you shared your elevator pitch and walked away feeling empowered and perhaps even inspired by what you said? If the answer is, “I'm not sure I've ever felt that way," don't worry, you're not alone. Most people haven't spent much, if any, time preparing an elevator pitch that wows their audience or themselves. And that's because most of us haven't taken the time to incorporate one simple, yet highly powerful question that will take your generic pitch and turn it into something unique, meaningful and lasting. WHY do you do what you do? Read More

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The On-Demand Economy – Worker on Tap

In the early 20th century Henry Ford combined moving assembly lines with mass labour to make building cars much cheaper and quicker—thus turning the automobile from a rich man’s toy into transport for the masses. Today a growing group of entrepreneurs is striving to do the same to services, bringing together computer power with freelance workers to supply luxuries that were once reserved for the wealthy. Uber provides chauffeurs. Handy supplies cleaners. SpoonRocket delivers restaurant meals to your door. Instacart keeps your fridge stocked. In San Francisco a young computer programmer can already live like a princess. Read More

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Rethink What You “Know” About High-Achieving-Women

As researchers who have spent more than 20 years studying professional women, we have watched with interest the recent surge in attention paid to women’s careers, work-family conflict, and the gender gap in leadership. Among the most visible contributions to this public conversation have been Anne-Marie Slaughter’s 2012 Atlantic article “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All” and Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, both of which ignited fierce public debate. Read More

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6 Ways to Make Freelancers Some of Your Most Valuable Employees

Today's businesses have a new secret weapon: Employees who are available at any time from anywhere in the world.

Do you need a blog post written, but don't have the time to do it? What about a new logo? Freelancers are perfect for tasks that you can't complete internally or those that would be cheaper to outsource. Read More

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Content Marketing in a Content-Hungry World

By Abby Hagstrom, Canopy Advisor

In today’s digital, content-driven world content marketing is not only a valuable tool, but a critical tool. It can help generate market awareness, support SEO and marketing campaigns and if executed properly contribute to bottom line success.  According to the Content Marketing Institute, 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. In fact, 37% of marketers say blogs are the most valuable content type for marketing. Here is one idea for reaching target audiences through this relevant and powerful third party. Read More

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Branding Yourself for Success

By Hillary Schubach, Canopy Advisor

As any good marketer knows, the key to marketing success is a solid brand foundation.  It’s impossible to sell a brand effectively if you don’t know what it stands for.  Similarly, as a professional out there trying to win business in a competitive marketplace, it’s important that you understand your own personal brand and have the same sense of awareness about yourself.     Read More

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Joining the Conversation: A Case Study in Social Media

By Jennifer Kelly, Canopy Advisor

You may share an idea at the coffee shop, where less than a dozen people will hear your expertise, and where only one or two understand or care. Social media magnifies the number of people who hear you but focuses the conversation on a mutual interest, increasing the impact of any intelligent statement you make. Isn’t that the conversation you should be joining? Read More

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Female Lawyers Still Battle Gender Bias

Despite Advances, Women Still Lag Behind Men in Billing Rate, Management Roles

Despite notching significant gains in the legal world, female law-firm partners continue to lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to billing rates, commanding on average 10% less for their services, according to a new analysis of $3.4 billion in legal work.
Lawyer Patricia K. Gillette said some female rainmakers 'are not getting the credit for what they do.' Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal Read More

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How Tech and Social Go Hand-in-Hand

Q&A: Brad Feld talks how tech and social go hand-in-hand
With a Klout score of 79 and over 220,000 cumulative followers on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, it's safe to say that when Feld talks, people listen. Read More

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