Entrepreneurship

Retailers and consumer products companies are on charging toward a touchdown on Super Bowl Sunday.

Consumer spending related to the big game Feb. 5 is expected to reach an all-time high this year, with the average watcher projected to shell out $63.87 on Super Bowl-related merchandise -- from team apparel and TVs to snacks -- up from $59.33 in 2011, according to a new survey by the National Retail Federation's Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, conducted by BIGInsight.

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By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool
Yes, the New England Patriots and New York Giants will interrupt the entertainment to run some football plays, but everyone knows that the Super Bowl is really all about the commercials.

With advertisers spending a record average of $3.5 million this year for 30 seconds of pitch time, sponsors certainly seem to think that they'll be getting their money's worth. But will their shareholders feel the same way?

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By The Associated Press
About two-thirds of smartphone and tablet owners use their gadgets to do things like text or post on Twitter while watching TV, according to research firm Nielsen. So, for Sunday's game, companies from Coke (KO) to Chevy are trying to reach fans on all the "second screens" they have.

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Remember cute 12-year-old Haley Joel Osment in the film Pay It Forward? In case you missed it, the film is about a young boy who tries to make the world a better place by helping three people who, in turn, will help other people. This Hollywood film sets an excellent example for anyone who wants to succeed in life and in business.

On occasion we may hear stories about how a millionaire paid a financially struggling woman's late electric bill or a celebrity who left a 200% tip to a waitress. Kind gestures, indeed. But you don't need to have the wealth of Oprah and her 1% peers to make a positive change in someone's life.

Everyday people can and do make a big difference.

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool

Now that Facebook has filed its paperwork to go public, we're getting our first real glimpse at the inner workings of the world's largest social networking website.

It's pretty impressive.

Let's set aside the potential for Facebook's valuation to get out hand. We're still several weeks away from actual deal pricing and retail investor reactions. What we have now are the company's fundamentals.

Let's dive into a few of the numbers that may surprise you.

Are you a highly successful middle aged man? You too can date sexy college co-eds at the University of Toronto, as long as you've a steady stream of cash.

The global economic climate combined with massive student loan debt have forced some girls on the UofT campus to find a creative solution when it comes to making money. It seems a lot of them turn to Seeking Arrangement -- a website that matches perspective sugar babies with the sugar daddies willing to pay them for their time (However it happens to be filled).

According to statistics recently released by the site, UofT has the second highest number of college girls, with 471 users taking advantage of the site's matchmaking capabilities. The number is second only to New York University with 498 users. In general, women out number men on the site five to one and while most of the girls leave their fee negotiable, the average seems to be between $1,000 and $5,000 per month for those that do list it on their profiles. Inevitably, there are some women who over value themselves, posting requested amounts between $10,000 and $20,000 per month without the Perfect 10 looks to back it up.

Related Links:

• Risque Business: Ads that Use Sex to Sell
• More Sex, More Income?
• In Dating, When Should You Reveal You Have a Large Debt?

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A few years ago, while at a dinner party celebrating her recent promotion, Vivian Prokop, the two-time Top 100™ Award-winner and the CEO of Canada's highly successful Canadian Business Youth Foundation (CBYF),felt the sting of being whacked in the knees by a laying on of the gender card. It didn't matter that the Harvard University graduate had an impressive background of senior leadership roles under her belt, nevertheless, her male colleague and intellectual equal didn't bat one eye when his ugly comment of "You do realize that you only got that job because you are a woman, don't you?" left his lips.

Women, arguably, have come along way. In terms of North American post-secondary graduates, women out number men 3:2. In the U.S. 60% of Masters degrees go to women and the number of women in the workforce from the years 1970 to 2007 went up 44%, and 33 countries have had a female president or prime minister. Indeed, this is progress ... slow progress. Still, very few women are at the helm of major international corporations. We have, though, some great examples: Ursula M. Burns (Xerox), Indra Nooyi (Pepsico) and Estée Lauder (Estée Lauder).

Yet, despite the noteworthy achievements of these aforementioned ladies, respect and status that rivals men, remains elusive for many women. The culprit? Stereotypes.

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When I caught up with my friend Sean at a local coffee shop, he vowed not to make any New Year's resolutions.

He joked, "I'm doing everything right." But my friend holds an MBA from a top Swedish business school and is underemployed. Somehow our conversation turned to the topic of negotiation. He's a big believer in compromise and bowing down to what "the market" deems as being fair.

I, on the other hand, sang the praises of win-win. Who would have thought that both of our opinions, that are deeply rooted in conventional wisdom, are among the most dangerous negotiation mistakes that can be made. Why? What does it take to be an effective negotiator?

In Start With NO Jim Camp explains why win-win is an ineffective and disastrous strategy. After reading the 259-page book and speaking with America's most sought-after coach I'm changing my approach. Here are the five ways I'm improving my negotiation skills by starting with no:

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Redemption Inc. is a CBC reality show that sees ten ex-cons vie for an opportunity that has been "Kevin sent" -- as in, Kevin O'Leary.

The chairman of O'Leary Funds, best known as the most acerbic venture capitalist on Dragon's Den and Shark Tank will be showing his softer side in 2012 by investing $100,000 of his own money into the business of a reformed criminal, giving them a second chance at a productive and fulfilling life, when no one else will employ them.

If you ask him though, he's the same money loving free-market philosopher he's always been. He's simply responding to an entrepreneurial spirit that has always been there among these people and redirecting it to the right side of the law.

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Tourism is an important part of a nation's economy. That is why cities, towns, villages, even, compete for the tourist dollar.

Now, the federal government has jumped in, head first, too. It has created a national strategy plan that it hopes will help the tourism industry flourish.

But: why should the government be involved at all? Well, the reason is simple: the more tourists, the more sales; the more sales, the more jobs in retail; the more sales and the more jobs, the more the government rakes in in taxes.

The question is: will the government's participation not interfere with the perfectly logical competition that exists between tourism companies, and that exists between provinces, cities, towns and villages, even?