Foundations In the middle of the American Civil War, a boy was born in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He grew up on a farm and showed an early interest in machinery and technology. At the age of 16, he left home to work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit. Over the next several years, he worked […]
Continue reading »Category: Team Building
Why We Game, a Theory of Practice, Risk, and Fun
It is a strange thing, gaming, anywhere on the planet you find people, those people will likely have a game to play, but why? For most, the answer why is simply, “for fun,” and while that is true, there’s more to it than that. Like most innate or universal behaviors, the answer lies in pragmatism. […]
Continue reading »Stirling’s Engine, the Comeback of the Century
In the yonder years of the Industrial Revolution machines of monstrous proportion dwarfed man in both means of production and thirst of power. The demand for energy was unlike anything called upon before, but inventors of the time powered through to usher in the modern age. It boiled down to two types of generators, the […]
Continue reading »Best Ways to Build Team Chemistry
When it comes to achieving team goals, it sure helps if there’s team chemistry to begin with. But if your team is new, or is taking on a project together for the first time, team chemistry doesn’t happen instantly. The optimal way to get your teams engaged is to take them out of the office […]
Continue reading »CLICHÉS at Work: Why does there have to be a box?
When Venture Up’s 22-year-old creative director, Mason Lengyel, was in kindergarten, many of his teachers remarked how creative he was, saying, “He thinks outside the box.” This made no sense to Mason. “Why does there have to be a box?” We ran into this tired expression again today, in an article listing “40 most annoying […]
Continue reading »Wise Ways of Working with Millennials
If ever a generation was denigrated in the mass media, it’s those born between 1980 and 2000. To many of us, these are our kids, our relatives, our doctors, our mechanics, our teachers, our cpas. our pet’s veterinarian, our co-workers. In real life, few people are willing to bash millennials face-to-face, simply for the sake […]
Continue reading »35 Things We’ve Learned About Successful Businesses
Venture Up marks its 35th anniversary in 2018. To mark the occasion, here are 35 things we’ve learned about successful businesses over the years decades. They start with a mission. They know how to regroup if they stray far from the mission. They improve people’s lives. (No product or service succeeds without showing how it […]
Continue reading »Tips for Engaging Hourly Employees
More than 50 percent of young people in entry-level hourly positions have plans to leave their current jobs in less than a year, a recent FSB and Hart Research Associates study shows. Less than 25 percent of those surveyed stated that they were satisfied with their current job. Employee disengagement is a big problem for […]
Continue reading »Why Should You Have A Company Party?
As advocates for the power of fun to nourish staff relationships and brand loyalty, it may not surprise you that Venture Up supports having parties at any time of year. What is a surprise is that nearly one-third of company decision-makers are against throwing parties for employees. Why? They’re costly, and the potential for drama […]
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