Liam Neeson, LinkedIn and an $800 Million Adobe Acquisition


Liam Neeson, LinkedIn and an $800 Million Adobe Acquisition

Actor Liam Neeson made news this week with a unique offer on LinkedIn. And LinkedIn itself recently announced some new changes to its profile section. Meanwhile, Adobe acquired a service aimed at giving customers on its Creative Cloud more options.

Read on for a full list of headlines in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Social Media

Liam Neeson Could Endorse Your Particular Set of (LinkedIn) Skills

In the 2009 movie “Taken,” Liam Neeson’s character Bryan Mills boasts about his “very particular set of skills.” As a small business owner, you probably also have a very particular set of skills, though they (probably) aren’t the government operative skills showcased by Mills in the movie.

LinkedIn Launches Streamlined Page Including Analytics

LinkedIn has updated the look of its profile pages by making analytics and insight front-and-center. On the new LinkedIn page, users will find two important stats right at the top. First, they’ll see how many people have been visiting their profiles on the professional social network.

Online Tools

Adobe Acquires Fotolia for $800 Million

Adobe is giving its Creative Cloud users simpler access to millions of stock images and videos. The company recently announced that it has reached a deal to purchase Fotolia for $800 million cash. Adobe plans to incorporate Fotolia’s stock image library into its Creative Cloud suite.

Dropbox Badge Lets You Collaborate on Windows and Mac

Dropbox has added a feature enabling users the ability to collaborate on projects created in Microsoft Office applications. The Dropbox Badge has been added to the Dropbox for Business suite. The badge appears inside any Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint project that’s shared among co-workers or team members.

Feedly Satisfies Your Appetite for the Latest News and Information

If you’ve ever tried to keep up with the latest updates on multiple blogs and news sites, you know just how time-consuming that task can be. Feed readers help folks streamline that chore by consolidating the updates, from the sources they follow, in one central spot where they can be read, saved and shared.

Marketing Trends

Harvard Professor Hassles Mom and Pop Over $4 Overcharge

What happens when you overcharge a Harvard Business School professor for Chinese food? Ran Duan, manager of the Baldwin Bar inside the Sichuan Garden, a mom and pop Chinese restaurant, recently discovered the unpleasant answer.

How To Ramp Up Your Marketing Efforts For The Holidays

For many businesses, the rush that comes at the end of the year simply takes them into survival mode, and as a result, their marketing efforts can fall by the wayside. However, it is possible to have a coherent and easily actionable marketing plan to carry you through the rest of the year and into the next.

Cereal Killer Cafe Targets Customers Using Nostalgia

Think back to breakfast time during your childhood. What were you eating? If you grew up during the 80s or 90s, it’s pretty likely that it involved sugary cereal of some kind. So even though a lot of people today are focusing more on healthy breakfast options, these cereals offer some nostalgia for the people who grew up enjoying them.

Finance

Use Dwolla in AccountingSuite and for 30 Second Payments

Digital payment option Dwolla recently made two big announcements that may increase the number of people who use the payments system and the speed at which its transactions are completed. First, Dwolla has been integrated into AccountingSuite. AccountingSuite is an all-in-one app for accounting, inventory, order management, and time and project tracking.

Small Business Loans Bounce Back in November

Big bank lending to small businesses rebounded in November and resumed a positive trend that has lasted much of the year. This latest data from Biz2Credit’s Small Business Lending Index should be good news to any small business owner seeking more capital to expand or diversify their operations.

Single Serve Wine Company Makes Shark Tank History

Zipz, a single serve wine company, made Shark Tank history last week by closing the biggest deal in the show’s history. The company makes a wine-by-the-glass product that is covered in a protective wrapping to increase its shelf life. Zips came to Shark Tank seeking $2.5 million for 10 percent of the company, which it received from Kevin O’Leary along with some other contingencies.

Innovation & Green Business

Freescale Wireless Charging Introduced for Tablets, Laptops

The fastest wireless battery charging solution available to consumers could be just a few months away — even closer. For a lot of smartphone, tablet and even laptop users, that could mean the end of USB and other power cords winding their way across your office and desk. And it could also mean more mobility outside the office free of the need to always look for an outlet.

Sheep Provide a Green Solution to City’s Landscaping Problem

What do you do when you have a lot of lawn area and don’t want to waste the money or environmental resources it would take to mow it? If you’re part of the community development organization St. Clair Superior in Cleveland, sheep provide a green solution.

Startups

Spotlight: FlipFlop Dogs Offers an Alternative to Kenneling

Going on vacation when you have a dog at home can be stressful. You can leave your dog at a kennel where it could spend most of the day isolated from people. Or you can convince a friend to look after your dog. Or you can take it with you on vacation. But FlipFlop Dogs offers a new option.

Newsletter photo via Shutterstock

1 Comment ▼
One Reaction
  1. Too many things going on around lately. I think Liam is offering a valuable service here. LinkedIn does need an extra marketing boost in order to be effective.