Career Archives - Page 3 of 3

10 Most Profitable Companies Of 2012

The numbers are in and some big companies have made huge profits in 2012 making shareholders very happy indeed. Here is the official list of the most profitable companies in the US for 2012.

Banks and oil companies make the list as well as the most profitable tech companies.

Let’s do this in reverse order.

10. Berkshire Hathaway

Profit: $14.8 Billion

Buffett-Obama

Only CEO Warren Buffett could be disappointed with $14 billion dollars profit, while the rest of us can’t imagine such a pile of cash. Buffet described Berkshire Hathaway’s 2012 results as “subpar”.

9. IBM

Profit: $16.6 Billion

Despite a dip in sales, IBM’s profit rose in 2012 through higher-margin software and services. Big Blue has indicated job cuts could be on the card if sales continue to slide.

8. Microsoft

Profit: $16.9 Billion

Last year, Microsoft wrote down $6.2 billion for aQuantive, the online ad business acquired in 2007. Whoops! Something went terribly wrong there, although you’d have to forgive shareholder for not minding too much when Microsoft is still able to rake in almost $17 billion in profit.

7. Walmart

Profit: $17 Billion

The world’s largest retailer’s net profit rose by 8% in 2012 but warned of slower consumer spending and sluggish sales for 2013.

6. Fannie Mae

Profit: $17.2 Billion

With $116 billion to pay back the US government for bailing out the bank, the mortgage “too big to fail” financier posted record profits for 2012. That’s quite the turnaround.

5. Wells Fargo

Profit: $18.9 Billion

Providing a third of all U.S. mortgages and posting a record profit in 2012, Wells Fargo warned that the housing boom might end soon.

4. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Profit: $21.2 Billion

Even with a huge trading loss of $6.2 billion due to risky bets, J.P. Morgan Chase still managed to break it’s own annual profit records in 2012. The so called “London Whale” scandal saw CEO Jamie Dimon’s pay cut by 50%. Poor Jamie will have to struggle this year with a reduced compensation of $11.5 million. 🙁

3. Chevron

Profit: $26.1 Billion

Profits at Chevron’s U.S. operations increased by 30% due to larger supply of domestic energy at it’s refineries.

2. Apple

Profit: $41.7 Billion

That’s a lot of iDevices. In its first year without Steve Jobs, Apple’s profits were largely driven by the iPhone. Sales growth is dropping though, along with smartphone market share with Samsung leading the way.

1. Exxon Mobil

Profit: $44.8 Billion

Exxon Mobil almost set a world record for profits in 2012. The last world record was set by… well, Exxon Mobil in 2008. Come on, Apple. You can do it! It was Exxon’s refineries that boosted profits by having cheaper domestic supplies of fuel, which helped boost profits.

Career - 05/17/2013

Women Business Suits - Pants Suit Or Skirt Suit?

Women business suits come in all manner of fashion and styles. The choice women make can often be influenced by the industry in which they work. Depending on the season or general climate, a pants suit or skirt suit could be the first decision to make.

Business leader, Dale Carnegie once said,

“The expression a woman wears on her face is far more important than the clothes she wears on her back.”

Dale’s comment still rings true, but we do need to dress professionally at the office. When it comes to choosing the perfect womens business suit, we have two main options; the pants suit and the two piece skirt suit.

Skirt Suit

skirt suit

Source

The most traditional form of business dress for women is the two-piece or skirt suit. Coco Chanel was responsible for modernizing the skirt suit to its common pencil shape and giving the jacket a more boxy shape.

She said,

“Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.”

So when choosing a dress suit we also need to take our body shape into consideration.

The skirt suit combination consists of a tailored jacket and pencil skirt, worn with a tailored silk or cotton blouse.

As with all women business suits, the jacket is the most important part.

It is essential that when we are choosing a jacket that we ensure that it is made well. Check that the hems are even and that there is no loose stitching. The sleeves should touch the wrist bone, the shoulders should be wide enough to balance our hips and the jacket should button without wrinkling or pulling.

Suitable fabrics include wool and wool blends.

Jackets With A Skirt Suit

When it comes to choosing a skirt to go with our jackets, the options vary.

We can go for a matching skirt in the same material as the jacket or choose several different material and style types to mix and match our suits.

This can be a very cost effective option to build versatility in your wardrobe, as you can buy more skirts than jackets because they are cheaper to purchase.

The basic skirt styles to wear with our jackets are a pencil skirt, sitting just above or at knee level, or a longer calf length skirt which is also form fitting.

Skirts that are flowing or ankle length should not be chosen as part of a dress suit as they just don’t project the professional image we need to have at work.

Pantsuits

pants suit

Source

During the late 1960’s, as increasing numbers of women entered the workforce, Andre Courage created the pants suit. It was designed to give men and women equal footing in business dress.

At first it was not a popular choice, with many traditionalists firmly believing that women should wear skirts, not pants. But it has gained a popular foothold in women’s business attire and is now worn by lawyers, accountants, receptionists and every profession in between.

As Vera Wang said,

“A woman is never sexier than when she is comfortable in her clothes.”

Women have adopted the pantsuit as a smart and comfortable piece of business wear of their own.

Jackets With A Pants Suit

As with the skirt suit, the jacket remains the most important aspect of clothing, with the same rules in choosing a jacket applying.

The fabric choices are somewhat different however and we can choose from different materials such as silk, linen, velvet, crepe and wool. This is because of the differences between the way skirts and trousers are cut and sit when sewn.

Pants, when forming part of a suit, are very well tailored, though unlike men’s pants, do not need to have a permanent crease in the front. Instead they should be form fitting, but not tight or loose and flowing, but not baggy.

A Technicolor Dream Suit – Or Not?

When choosing a color for women business suits, we need to remember that we want to present a professional statement, not a fashion statement.

Therefore sticking to traditional colors like black, navy and grey are sure fire winners. However, by introducing colorful accessories such as shoes, handbags, scarfs and jewelry, we can show our love of color.

This can also be achieved by changing the color of the blouses we wear too and just like men’s ties, the color choices we choose for our blouses, also imply things about our personality and the type of office environment we work in.

Scott Adams quipped,

“Your Business clothes are naturally attracted to staining liquids. This attraction is strongest just before an important meeting.”

So when choosing a business suit for women, remember that most of our dress suits are made from materials that are dry clean only.

This can work out to be very costly, but by wearing suits with a herringbone, plaid, check or tweed pattern, stains and dirt are harder to see.

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Tags: pants suit pantsuits skirt suit two piece suit women business suits womens suit

Career - 04/25/2013

13 Credit Score And Credit Report Myths Busted

Do you have a high FICO credit score? FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation, which is the company that created the industry standard credit scores used by almost all loan lenders.

If you have a high credit score, you’re one of the lucky ones. When a loan lender looks at your credit report, a higher credit score shows how likely you are to repay a loan on time. The higher your credit score, the more likely you will be approved for a line of credit.

1. Myth: If you always pay bills on time, you don’t need to worry about checking your credit report or credit score.

Busted: Sometimes mistakes can creep onto your credit report, from innocuous stuff like incorrect date of birth or missing accounts that are in good standing. Identity theft can also be a problem where someone has fraudulently opened accounts in your name. It’s recommended to check your report yearly to make sure the information on file is correct.

2. Myth: Your credit score is merged with your spouse’s credit score.

Busted: Credit scores are not like assets that become merged upon marriage. Your credit score is yours and no-one elses. But your partner’s credit history can affect your ability to qualify for credit together.

3. Myth: Checking your own credit report can hurt your credit score.

Busted: You can check your credit score as often as you wish, but it doesn’t change your credit score.

4. Myth: Opting out of pre-approved offers will benefit your credit score.

Busted: Occasionally you may receive pre-approved offers through the mail coming from banks. If you are opting out to stop receiving junk mail, sure, go ahead. But opting out of these offers will not benefit your credit score what-so-ever.

5. Myth: If you correct an error on a credit file with one credit reporting agency, the correction will carry through to all agencies.

Busted: Each credit bureau maintains its own separate database. When you find an error on your credit report from one of the three major agencies, you should also check if it also appears on the credit reports from the other two.

6. Myth: Settling a judgment or lien will remove that item from your credit reports.

Busted: Most negative events that have been resolved will fade away from your report after 7 years, except for bankruptcies that can last up to 10 years. They do not disappear immediately after being settled.

7. Myth: You can’t have any negatives on your report.

Busted: If you have a missed payment or you’ve even been bankrupt, don’t worry too much. Over time, negative marks against your report fade away into less significance. It’s the most recent credit data that is used in calculating your credit score.

8. Myth: Requesting a lower credit limit will benefit your credit score.

Busted: If you can control your spending and finances, there’s no point asking for a lower credit limit because it will not benefit your credit score. But keep in mind, lowering your credit limit will effectively increase your debt to credit ratio and this would have a negative effect.

9. Myth: Filing for divorce will release you from financial responsibility for an account.

Busted: No. Since your credit score is yours and no-one elses, your credit score follows you, regardless. If you have joint debts between you and your ex, divorce settlements do not carry weight with creditors.

10. Myth: Using debit or check cards can help rebuild your credit score.

Busted: Debit/check cards have no bearing on your credit score. However, if you overdraw your account using a check card and fail to repay the negative balance, this may harm your credit score if the bank files for collection.

11. Myth: The higher your credit score, the lower interest rate you’ll get.

Plausible: This is not always the case because loan lenders calculate interest rates using a grading system. Scores that fall within a specific range will be given a grade corresponding to a particular interest rate.

That means a score that is at the top of the range wont get a better rate than a score at the bottom of the range. Eg, a score between 760 and 850 might get an “A” grade and be eligible for the lender’s lowest interest rate. Therefore, raising your score from 760 to 800 would not affect your interest rate.

12. Myth: Your credit report will show a zero balance for any credit cards paid off before the due date.

Busted: It’s not the due date that’s important. Lenders usually report to the credit bureaus on the statement closing date that appears on your statement. It’s generally 20 to 25 days before the due date.

13. Myth: Your salary and your level of education can affect your credit score.

Busted: Neither your salary nor your level of education affects your credit score. Lenders may consider this information, but it does not change your FICO score.

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Tags: credit report credit report score credit score

Career - 04/15/2013

30 Celebrities Born With Awesome Names Who Don’t Use Stage Names

Using real names in the business world is essential to maintain trust and honesty. Unfortunately, having an ordinary real name does you no favors. Printing your ordinary name on an ordinary business card looks like you’re handing out a sample from the printing company.

To those of you born with interesting names, be sure to thank your parents because names make a big impression on people. Celebrities generally don’t change their names to flee from the law or for more mundane privacy reasons.

When actors are forced to change their real names, sometimes it’s because of rules governing the Screen Actors Guild that says no two members can have the exact same name. For example, this rule forced Michael Douglas (not the one who played Gordon Gecko) to become Michael Keaton (the one who played Batman).

In our companion article 30 Celebrity Stage Names You Thought Were Real, you’ll find out which celebrities use a sneaky stage name rather than their real birth name. Some may surprise you!

But continue reading as you may be gobsmacked to learn of some celebrities with real names you’d swear they made up, but are in fact their birth names!

elon musk

elonmusk.com

1. Elon Musk

A serial entrepreneur who could easily release a scented perfume in his own name, Elon Musk is the co-founder of Paypal, the online payments processor. Paypal was bought by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion giving Elon an enormous windfall of cash.

Elon shot for the stars (literally) and created Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX which was the first private company to successfully launch and dock a spacecraft with the international space station.

Back down on Earth, Elon also started an all-electric American car company called Tesla Motors that manufactures affordable electric vehicles.

Wolf Blitzer

Wolf on Twitter

2. Wolf Blitzer

Sounding like he can slay wild animals with his bare hands, Wolf Blitzer is an American journalist and CNN news anchor known for his in-depth reporting on international news.

Blitzer has won many personal awards for journalism as well as being on the team reporting during 1991 Gulf War. He has also been awarded several honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Over the decades, Blitzer has reported on a wide range of major breaking stories around the world that have shaped the international political landscape.

jude law

Jude Law on IMDB

3. Jude Law

The Beatles weren’t singing about him, but many women certainly do. British heart-throb Jude Law started acting at the age of 12.

He learned ballet dancing for the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Talented Mr. Ripley. He’s also appeared as Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes alongside Robert Downey, Jr.

He’s quoted as saying, “Face it, I didn’t become famous until I took my clothes off.”

quentin tarantino

Quentin on Facebook

4. Quentin Tarantino

Director of Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2 with his film debut in 1992 of Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino has made a series of cult classics amassing a huge following.

In 1996, Quentin was planning to direct an episode of “The X Files” at the height of it’s popularity, however he refused to join the Director’s Guild of America and subsequently could not direct.

His movies often feature violence mixed with subtle humor and favors working with actors Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson.

Muhammad Ali

ali.com

5. Cassius Clay (aka Muhammad Ali)

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., Muhammad Ali changed his name after converting to Islam in 1964.

At the age of 22, he won the world heavyweight boxing championship and was nicknamed “The Greatest”.

Ali’s title would be stripped after his refusal to be drafted to Army service, only to return years later facing off against heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman in 1974 in a bout nicknamed “The Rumble in the Jungle”. Against the odds, Ali regained the title.

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984, possibly brought on by head trauma suffered during his career in boxing.

val kilmer

Val on Twitter

6. Val Kilmer

First becoming popular in the mid-1980s appearing in Top Gun, Val Kilmer received critical acclaim for his performance as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors. The real members of the band said they had difficulty distinguishing Kilmer’s voice from that of Morrison’s.

Following his rise to stardom, Kilmer acted his way into Bruce Wayne’s shoes in Batman Forever – the only blonde actor to have played Batman.

Val apparently turned down Patrick Swayze’s role in Dirty Dancing because he didn’t want to be perceived as a “hunk.”

channing tatum

Channing on Twitter

7. Channing Tatum

His name sounding like a Gregorian chant to be repeated with a fulfilling ‘ohmmm’, Channing Tatum’s career began as a fashion model and cast as a dancer in Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” music video.

He has starred in films She’s The Man, Step Up, 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike.

8. Humphrey Bogart

Widely regarded as a cultural icon and amazingly born in the 1800s (Christmas Day, 1899 to be exact), Humphrey Bogart shot to stardom as an actor in the 1930s rising to the peak of his profession with his performance in Casablanca.

Bogart was a founding member and the original leader of the Rat Pack, consisting of other icons of film Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. The “Rat Pack” was named by Bogart’s 4th wife, and another Hollywood icon, Lauren Bacall.

He appeared in 75 feature films.

Powers on IMDB

9. Powers Boothe

Faster than a speeding bullet, Powers Boothe sounds like he could beat superman in a race around a department store.

Boothe appears mostly in TV (24, Deadwood) and also cinema such as Sin City and The Avengers.

He’s been quoted as saying “I’ve done love scenes with Jessica Lange and Jennifer Lopez, and I won’t kid you, they’re fun.”

Charlize on Facebook

10. Charlize Theron

This beautiful bird was born in South Africa with a name that sounds just like… well… a beautiful bird, Charlize Theron is an actress and fashion model who’s won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress amongst many others.

Early in life, she has danced ballet in “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker” but a knee injury put a stop to her dancing career.

Charlize has starred in Prometheus, The Italian Job, Mighty Joe Young and Monster for which film critic Roger Ebert called her acting “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema”.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Mary on IMDB

11. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Sounding like a descendant of royalty, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is an actress who has starred alongside Al Pacino in Scarface and in The Color of Money, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

She’s also worked in television starring in Without a Trace, Grimm and playing Captain Zoe Callas in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

James on Twitter

12. James Van Der Beek

Perhaps best known for his portrayal of lead character Dawson Leery alongside Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson in Dawson’s Creek, Beek sounds like he’d be right at home on the waterfront.

In 2002, he played Sean Bateman in The Rules of Attraction, which was initially a box office flop, but found a cult following on DVD.

James also featured in Kesha’s music video for “Blow”.

soleil moon frye

Soleil on Twitter

13. Soleil Moon Frye

With a name that could tame planets, Soleil Moon Frye shot to stardom as a child actor playing Punky Brewster and also joined the cast of Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

punky brewster

She frequently lends her voice to animated characters for TV.

Keira Knightley

Keira on IMDB

14. Keira Knightley

As her name suggests, like defending the crown of the realm, Keira Knightley’s role as the decoy queen in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was kept secret throughout the film’s promotion, maintaining that Natalie Portman played both the Queen and the decoy.

The similarity between Knightley and Portman meant that during the filming, their own mothers could not tell them apart once in makeup.

Her filmography also includes Bend It Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean, Love Actually and Pride & Prejudice.

forest whitaker

Forest on Twitter

15. Forest Whitaker

Smarter than the average bear, vegetarian Forest Whitaker ran with films Platoon, Stakeout and Good Morning Vietnam.

Forest was originally cast in the role of “Sawyer” on “Lost”, but later opted out.

He has said his droopy eye condition is genetic, passed down from his father.

We still have 15 more celebrities to take a look at. You may be surprised to find some of your favorite famous names were not made up, but are in fact their birth names!

jennifer love hewitt

Jen on Twitter

16. Jennifer Love Hewitt

What’s not to love about Jennifer Love Hewitt? Right, guys? Jen rose to fame starring in Party of Five and a lead role in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Jennifer had mixed success in music with her song How Do I Deal charting thanks to featuring in the movie soundtrack.

Antonio Banderas

Antonio on Wikipedia

17. Antonio Banderas

He’s a Puss. And he’s in Boots. Although his tough guy name doesn’t lend well to his singing and dancing, voice of Puss In Boots from the movie Shrek, Antonio Banderas can also slice a mean ‘Z’ right into your shirt.

Also know for his role as Zorro The Mask of Zorro, he’s also starred in Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, Desperado and Spy Kids.

He has his own cologne brand for men and has been quoted as saying “There is nothing in the world that cannot be cured by love.” Aww. You old Spanish romantic, you!

Boutros Boutros Ghali

Boutros on Wikipedia

18. Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Got to love the double name. Boutros, the Arabic version of Peter, is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).

His grandfather had been Prime Minister of Egypt for 2 year before being assassinated in 1910.

His unique name is frequently mentioned in comedy TV shows, such as Seinfeld, King of The Hill, Friends and was interviewed by Ali G in a comedy sketch.

Yo-Yo Ma

yo-yoma.com

19. Yo-Yo Ma

Grammy Award winning, French-born American cellist and virtuoso, Yo-Yo Ma is another unique name frequently cited in comedy TV shows. Here is a double whammy from Seinfeld.

Ma was also seen with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, often invited to perform on stage during event keynote presentations, as well as appearing in a commercial for the Macintosh computer.

Edward on IMDB

20. Edward Woodward

How much wood could an Edward chuck if Edward Woodward chucked wood?

This British actor and singer was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) and rose to stardom in the mid-80s thanks to the The Equalizer, earning him the 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor.

He’s landed lead roles in TV and also made a brilliant performance in the original version of The Wicker Man and also in Breaker Morant.

leonardodicaprio.com

21. Leonardo DiCaprio

With a similar name to the famous artist Da Vinci, Leonardo DiCaprio has risen to become the “king of the world” of entertainment.

Leo got his start in the TV show Growing Pains and became truly recognised for his acting prowess in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet.

Not even icebergs could crash this rising star after stellar performances in Titanic, The Beach, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, Shutter Island, Inception, Django Unchained and many other great films.

Dick on Wikipedia

22. Dick Van Dyke

With a lengthy span of 7 decades – his career, that is, Richard “Dick” Van Dyke is an American actor and comedian starred in the films Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the TV series The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis: Murder.

Ambidextrous, Dick dabbled in computer animation since the 1980s. Using Newtek’s Lightwave 3D from home, he created and animated a CG version of himself that he danced along with as seen in The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited (skip to 6:50 min).

“Van Dyke” on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was misspelled as “VANDYKE”. At the revealing, he laughed, took a pen and drew a slash between “VAN” and “DYKE”. The star was corrected soon after.

billy bob thornton

billybobthornton.net

23. Billy Bob Thornton

With such a pointy name, William Robert (Billy Bob) Thornton drew blood from Wife #5 in Angelina Jolie, most famously wearing one another’s blood in vials around their necks.

Jolie once had a tattoo in the name of her 2nd husband “Billy Bob”, which she has since lasered off her skin.

He has starred in The Man Who Wasn’t There, Sling Blade and Bad Santa.

Danny Elfman

Danny on Wikipedia

24. Danny Elfman

It’s no surprise that with such a cartoony name, Danny Elfman, American composer and musician created The Simpsons main title theme.

He’s also well known as the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Oingo Boingo as well as providing the musical scores for most of Tim Burton’s movies.

Elfman has worked on Terminator Salvation, Spider-Man 1 & 2, Men in Black trilogy and dozens of other movies.

leonard nimoy

Leonard on Twitter

25. Leonard Nimoy

“Live long and prosper” as the aliens would put it. Well, only if they were half human, half alien. Leonard Nimoy is best known for his role as Spock in the original Star Trek series.

Nimoy wrote two autobiographies, the first in 1975 titled I Am Not Spock. Later, relenting with the second in 1995 titled I Am Spock.

He was best man at co-star and good friend William Shatner’s third marriage, and still has the last pair of Spock’s ears he wore on the series, as a memento.

Yoko on Twitter

26. Yoko Ono

Imagine all the people angry with this woman, whose name translates to “ocean child” she caused quite a storm during her marriage to John Lennon. Both the public and media blamed for the breakup of The Beatles.

During Lennon’s last two years in The Beatles, he and Ono began public protests against the Vietnam War.

She is a Japanese artist norn in Tokyo and an avid peace activist with her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking.

David Hasselhoff

davidhasselhoff.com

27. David Hasselhoff

To the surprise of some American’s from his home country, ‘The Hoff’ (as he calls himself) is not just an actor, but also a singer who’s very big in Germany and Eastern Europe, selling millions of records.

He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch, running in slow-motion down the beach alongside Pamela Anderson.

Uma Thurman

Uma on IMDB

28. Uma Thurman

Former model who was 5 foot 10 by age 13 and named after the goddess of light and beauty in Indian Mythology, Uma Thurman earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Quentin Tarantino classic Pulp Fiction.

Director Quentin Tarantino (also on this list – see page 1) considers Uma to be his muse. Along with Pulp Fiction, she starred in his films Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2.

Uma describes herself as ‘Tall, sandy blonde, with sort of blue eyes, skinny in places, fat in others. An average gal’.

Shaquille ONeal

Shaq on Twitter

29. Shaquille O’Neal

One of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA standing at 7 foot 1 inches, Shaquille O’Neal overpowered his opponents on the court with the ‘Shaq Attaq’.

In addition to his basketball career playing in 6 teams, Shaq has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum.

gwyneth paltrow

goop.com

30. Gwyneth Paltrow

Not too fond of paltry poultry, wife to Chris Martin from Coldplay and daughter of Hollywood star Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Gwyneth once dated Ben Affleck, reportedly is good friends with Madonna, and also became engaged to actor Brad Pitt but the two did not marry.

She speaks French and did her own singing in the movie Duets. Her godfather Steven Spielberg had her play Wendy in flashbacks for his film Hook.

Having an interesting name can certainly get you places and celebrities are the perfect example of this. Luckily for the folks in this list, they were born with fantastic names.

But what about those celebrities born with boring names? That’s what stage names are for!

Read our next article 30 Celebrity Stage Names You Thought Were Real to discover which of your favorite celebrities have been deceiving you with fake names.

Career - 03/21/2013

Why Is Running A Small Business Like Spinning Plates

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No small business owner wants customers to perceive them as a circus act (unless that’s your niche) even though you’d be a master at spinning plates.

Unlike the circus trick where, perched atop a long stick, each spinning plate is empty, your plates are full but you’re still frantically running from plate to plate to keep them spinning so that the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down around you.

You’ve always got a lot on your plate and keeping your business running smoothly takes a lot of skill, determination and focus.

I’ve been there – managing 3 small businesses over the past decade and spinning many plates all at the same time. There’s accounting, customer service, sales, marketing, technical maintenance, product development, suppliers, staffing, legalities and the list goes on.

I used to get frustrated when acquaintances would ask what I did for a living and at the time I was working from home. They’d just presume I sat in front of the TV all day watching Oprah. Regardless where your office is located, operating a business is beyond the general understanding of non-entrepreneurs. It’s difficult to grasp every facet of business if you have not experienced it first-hand.

So, when you get a few small business owners in a room together, there is a kinship that goes beyond trying to hock your services. We all understand there are hardships to overcome and there is competition to contend with. There are steep learning curves to conquer and finding the perfect work-life balance is the utmost importance in making yourself happy and keeping the family unit together.

We also understand that while we work hard during the day (and often at night and weekends!) we must also give ourselves a break – even if it’s just for 10 minutes after finishing off that task.

Inscribd Is Your Excuse To Take A Break

This website, inscribd.com, is slated to be that destination for your 10 minute break offering interesting and entertaining business-related articles to read. You won’t feel like you’re wasting your time on our website, in fact, you can feel comfortable knowing you’re still working because our articles are informative and educational for your working life, while being fun and light-hearted.

Inscribd.com operates just like any other business. That means there is a flow of money in and out. We hire writers and content developers. We pay suppliers for web hosting and other technical services. You’ll notice advertising and affiliate links throughout the site that enables us to provide free content for our readers.

This is the website that I want to read as a small business operator and I hope you will join me, support my new venture, subscribe to our mailing list and get notified when new articles appear.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,

Editor in Chief

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Career - 01/14/2013