Louis Vuitton's next major model is a 'Final Fantasy' character

Few people associate video games with high fashion, but Louis Vuitton and Square Enix are teaming up to alter perceptions. 

Behold, the Spring-Summer 2016 Louis Vuitton fashion line, modeled by the character Lightning from the "Final Fantasy" series:

Someone created a way for blind people to see art

Writer and podcast host Romeo Edmead is using his fingers to unlock a world he has never experienced before. Edmead lost his sight when he was just two-years-old, so he has always had a complicated relationship with art and museums.

While he has heard of classical paintings, he says school trips to museums were uncomfortable. 

"I knew that what my friends would experience, because I went to public schools with sighted kids, and knew that what they would experience, I wouldn't necessarily experience because they could use their sense of sight and I didn't have that. Touching was obviously... prohibited. So it was a double edge sword growing up," said Edmead.

He describes running his fingers over a 3D version of Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware," at a library for the blind in New York City, as a kind of "freedom."

JAY LAGARDE: 6 Reasons Why Amazon Product Reviews Matter to Merchants

Product reviews are a major reason why consumers love Amazon. Where else can you go to read hundreds of candid testimonials -- or complaints -- about every aspect of an item? In this post, we'll show why product reviews matter to sellers, too.

1. Consumers love online reviews.
Study after study has shown that consumers are increasingly reliant upon online reviews when making purchasing decisions. In fact, a recent Nielson study found that 70 percent of global consumers trust online reviews, up 15 percent within a four-year period. Industry experts project this trend to further increase in the coming years.

If consumers love online reviews, what better reason does a merchant need? Sellers are in the business of delivering products that customers will rave about. Acknowledging the growing importance of online reviews is the first step toward better understanding the market.

OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE IN THE NEW YEAR

Ayo Benson here. I would like to thank you for your comments and questions regarding this series on how to create the life you want by exploiting the opportunities available online and I can assure you that we have included your questions as part of the training program. We’re now close to completing our training program  “creating wealth online by selling your skills/products”
Therefore if you’ve missed any of the series, you would do well to track back and get up to date. Today I’d be sharing with you my goals for creating this training program and I created a video clip which I implore you to watch carefully and follow the instructions there in.   It’s a very incisive video clip that extensively deals with targeting your ideal customer and also dwelt a bit on how to maximize your talent to create wealth online.
Incase you have any question or comment after watching the video clip, kindly drop your questions/comments.

MATT SWEETWOOD: Was the Steve Harvey Miss Universe Mistake a PR Stunt?

I have to admit, I had no idea the 2015 Miss Universe pageant was taking place this past Sunday. I found out about the contest when video replays hit the Internet. The big story was host Steve Harvey mistakenly naming Miss Colombia as Miss Universe, instead of the real winner, Miss Philippines.

The news and videos went viral as we watched Miss Colombia being crowned and receiving the adulation of the crowd. She stood there for what seemed like minutes until Steve Harvey appeared to apologize and announced he had made a terrible mistake. The most awkward moment came when they removed the crown from Miss Columbia and placed it on Miss Philippines. Ouch.

The Internet buzzed with comments and memes making fun of Harvey. The elimination card seemed easy to read, so it was hard to imagine making such a mistake.

NADER MASADEH: How 'Undercover Boss' Taught Me to Hire the Right People and Continue to Nurture Them

There’s something you should know about me. For more than 40 years, I’ve been a proud wearer of a moustache.

When I was presented with an opportunity to explore the inner-workings of Buffalo Wings & Rings by participating in the hit CBS show Undercover Boss, I was tasked to do so under the guise of “Pete.” But here’s the thing, "Pete” is an older guy -- maybe by nearly 20 years -- and he’s balding. He has gray, wispy eyebrows. He wears thick glasses. And he doesn’t have a moustache.

You probably know where this is going. To truly embed myself in the day-to-day operations of the company, not as the CEO and co-founder but as a regular employee, my nearly life-long moustache had to go. So I shaved my head and my face, stripped the dark color from my hair and died it gray. To be honest, looking in the mirror kind of freaked me out, but I knew that if I really wanted to understand what makes my company work -- and not work -- I had to fully commit to this new and strange persona.

CARMINE GALLO: What Steve Harvey Did Right and Wrong in Big Miss Universe Flub

We all make mistakes. Some are more public than others. One of the most cringe-worthy flubs of recent television history occurred Sunday on stage at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant.

Comedian and Family Feud host Steve Harvey wrongly crowned Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez-Arévalo, the winner. Moments later a somber Harvey reappeared on stage to correct the error, announcing that Miss Columbia was actually the runner-up. Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo-Wurztbach, was the actual winner.

In crisis communication, we recommend several strategies to deal with an honest, but regrettable mistake. Steve Harvey -- a seasoned performer -- did some things well and could have done other things better.

ROBERT WALLACE: Think You're Not Ready for a Marketing Budget? Think Again.

Ask nearly any startup founder what their marketing budget is, and you’ll often be met with a chuckle and -- “Marketing budget? What marketing budget?”.

Cash restraints and unpredictability can equate to rocky projections. And while the idea of having an actual marketing budget may seem unattainable for many early-stage companies, the good news is that today, marketing experimentation is relatively cost effective and approachable -- making it easier to build an actual budget.

Before you begin, your leadership team (even if it’s just two of you) must outline clear strategic objectives and generate sales-revenue targets. From there, it comes down to brass tacks. The following tips will guide you through the marketing tactics that can help entrepreneurs and young ventures give budgeting for marketing a proper try.

SAM BAHREINI: Poor Employee Engagement Is the Biggest Retail Fail of 2015

If you had to think of a list of retail fails, the majority of them would probably have to do with the way a company interacts with customers. Maybe a product launch left a lot to be desired, or perhaps customer service took it on the chin more times than you’d care to admit.

While these are all important things to think about regarding the way your budding retail business operates, they unfortunately overlook what’s perhaps the biggest fail of all -- a lack of focus on employee engagement.

The problem with poor employee engagement
According to Gallup, only 30 percent of American employees feel actively engaged with their jobs. This disengagement costs the U.S. economy between $450 billion and $550 billion every year in squandered productivity. Beyond wasted dollars, dwindling employee engagement negatively affects your business in a number of other ways.

As engagement decreases, so do your employees’ attitudes. At that point, they’re just punching a clock -- a far cry from the loyal brand ambassadors you need them to be. When your business breeds negativity, it will bleed into customer interactions. Soon, customers will avoid your store, opting to do business with competitors instead.

Report: Amazon in Talks to Lease 20 Boeing Jets to Potentially Launch Air Cargo Service

Amazon might soon soar into the air cargo business. The online retail giant is in negotiations to lease 20 Boeing 767 freighter jets with the aim of launching its own air cargo service, according to reports from several media outlets, including VICE’s Motherboard, The Seattle Times and Cargo Facts.

The world’s largest ecommerce outlet is reportedly looking to create its own air-delivery operation to curb shipping bottlenecks from third-party carriers, a cargo industry analyst told the Times.

LIFE CHANGING STEPS YOU CAN TAKE BEFORE THE NEW YEAR – GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE WEALTH ONLINE!

In my last email on the series of how to create the life you want by exploiting the opportunities available online; I promised to share with you how to create wealth online whether or not you have capital to start a business. We are now close to completion of our training program Creating Wealth Online by Selling Your Skills or Products. I thank you for your questions as the potential beneficiary of the program; we have included the answers to these questions as part of the core content of the training program.

I have been involved in online business in the last 7 years with millions of pounds turnover using the methods I am going to teach you here and even some new ones my teams are currently using with outstanding results.

If you have been following this series then I congratulate you because you are one of those few people in the world who are scanning for opportunities and when they see one they grab it with both hands. Others may look at you as if you are lucky, yes you are lucky because you make your own luck by acting on ideas you come across! This is one heck of an idea that may transform your situation in matters of weeks if you follow through on all the ideas. Therefore if you have missed some of the previous series, you will do well to track back and get up to date. 

I have two major goals in creating this training program:

MATT SWEETWORD: 7 Social Media Power Techniques that Build Your Brand and Business

It was 2007 and my business was in trouble. For the previous 20 years, Unique Photo had been one of the largest distributors of photographic supplies, including film (35mm, 120/220, Polaroid, Kodak, Fujifilm, etc.), cameras, photo paper, chemistry, and accessories. At one time, we even represented 5 percent of all rolls of film sold in the U.S. Our customers were primarily small retail outlets, such as camera stores, photo labs, tourist shops, pharmacies, and professional photographers. They relied on us for low prices, quick delivery, and stellar customer service.

As we entered the early and mid-2000’s, we were plagued with many seemingly insurmountable attacks on our business:

JEFFREY HAYZLETT: You Don't Need 'It.' You Need 'G.R.I.T.'

In business, we often hear about the characteristics, or "it" traits that every entrepreneur must possess. We hear about ability, experience, nerve, vision and tenacity, among others. And these are fine traits to possess -- in every aspect of life, not just entrepreneurship. But when you look at yourself, is it one of these "it" traits that really motivates you?

Or is something more? Something I call G.R.I.T

In an age where we're all looking for the “it factor,” perhaps we should look instead for G.R.I.T -- an acronym for guts, resilience, initiative, tenacity. The most successful entrepreneurs have G.R.I.T., and the good thing here is that anyone can develop it. Most successful people in the world don’t have "it," but they do have G.R.I.T.

ANNA JOHANSSON: 5 Risks Every Entrepreneur Will Need to Take

Entrepreneurship is nothing without risk-taking, as it’s impossible to earn a substantial reward in the business world without an equally substantial risk taken in its pursuit. Risks are intimidating, of course, but that’s what separates the bulk of the population from the inspired, hard-working entrepreneurs who try their best to nurture an idea to success.

Some risks are optional -- not all businesses are the same, not all entrepreneurs are after the same goals, and not all situations are inevitable. Still, there are a handful of risks that every entrepreneur has to take at one point or another.

MATT STRAZ: 4 Important Ways to Look at Employee Well-Being 'Holistically'

There’s no doubt about it: Healthy employees save companies money. But there’s more to the story. A holistic approach to employee well-being can improve employee engagement, productivity and morale -- not just an organization’s bottom line. And senior level management groups around the country are taking note.

In a recent survey of management and HR professionals conducted by Workforce and Virgin Pulse, 48.4 percent of respondents said they viewed physical energy, mental focus and emotional drive as interconnected pieces to overall employee well-being.

Still, employee health goes beyond nutrition and the number of sick days used. Looking at employee health as a whole can lead to a happier, healthier and more productive workforce. Here are four important areas of employee well-being and how to address them within the workplace:

PAUL MANDELL: 3 Ways to Know If You Have the Right Team for 2016 and Beyond

As we rush through our work during the year, it can be hard to focus on much other than hard data to tell us whether our staff is succeeding. Are productivity metrics improving? Have revenues increased? Have we met all our deadlines?

Analysis of such information is a critical element of management. However, there are other ways to evaluate whether your teammates are the right fit for the long term. As the end of the year approaches, it is a good time to take a step back, put the reports aside, and ask yourself some different questions to help you determine if you have the right team for long-term growth -- as well as whom you should promote or release.

WILLIAM HALL: 5 Steps to Skyrocket That Great Idea Into Market Launch

When it comes to choosing between creativity or productivity, most companies consider them to be mutually exclusive. In reality, they shouldn’t be. In a study by Adobe Systems, 80 percent of respondents said that unlocking creativity was crucial to economic growth. However, nearly the same number noted that they were under pressure at their workplace to focus on productivity rather than creativity, and only a quarter felt they were living up to their creative potential.

Today, people are living in an age of big data and its cousin, data analytics, spawned by Google and IBM’s Watson and furthered by any number of Silicon Valley companies. Data crunching is crucial to the smooth running of a company. But when the focus on data comes at the expense of creativity and innovation, the company has the potential to lose forward momentum.

Some highly successful companies have chosen to pay special attention to creative and innovative thinking. But the highly successful companies don’t stop there. They ask: “What comes after the idea? How can we create an environment that allows a light bulb thought to become reality?”

MARTIN ZWILLING: Are You 'Intelligent' Enough to Be an Entrepreneur?

Many people feel that they just aren’t smart enough to be an entrepreneur, yet there seems to be no convincing evidence that a high IQ is a prerequisite for this lifestyle. We all know of successful businesses started by first-time entrepreneurs who dropped out of school, and according to many sources, “street smarts” (experience) tends to trump “book smarts” (intelligence) every time.

Another perspective is that there are in fact multiple types of intelligence, and we all have strengths and weaknesses along all of these scales. It does appear that most successful entrepreneurs are those with the broadest range of interests, skills and experiences (street smarts), while a maximum depth in any given discipline is not so important.

Here are basic definitions for the eight most commonly recognized intelligences that cover the potential of most humans, prioritized by my view of applicability to the entrepreneurial role:

SECRETS REVEALED - HOW WE GENERATED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS ONLINE –PART 2

Ayo Benson here, I welcome you my friends to this life changing series that would make next year your best ever if you follow this course to the end!

Let me give you a quick gift before we even go further; get this my e-book for free – 10 TIPS TO GET YOUR DREAM JOB is now available for download on my entrepreneurship website http://ayobenson.com/. Please tell your friends and families to go there and get it for free and set themselves up for a new year of change for better!

Now let’s get back to topic of today. I talked about how creating information product (Online Courses) is the goldmining of our era; the truth is that the secret of the huge success has nothing to do with the products but all to do with the marketing which is what I want to share with you today.

MATTHEW TOREN: How to Transform What You're 'Good at' into a Scalable Business

It’s commonly said that if you do what you love, you’ll never "work" a day in your life. And, while that may not be absolutely true, much can be said for transforming your passions, interests and natural (or developed) talents into a scalable business.

Of course, running your own startup will take more than just passion, but it’s a good place to begin. So, how do you transform your talents into a scalable business?

Here are five important questions to ask yourself as you begin to hone your skills into a business that can thrive.

JON NASTOR: 7 Mindsets at the Foundation of Entrepreneurial Success

Do you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs have the ability to bounce from success to success, without falter? To be clear, no one has that ability, but from afar it can seem like that.

There are many, many skills and attributes required for success as an entrepreneur. Fortunately, most of them can be learned, strengthened and nourished through diligence and a willingness to grow. Having the proper mindset as an entrepreneur will allow you to deal more effectively with the day-to-day of your business because you will be thinking like a successful entrepreneur.

Having interviewed 200+ brilliant entrepreneurs, I have noticed over-arching themes and mindsets held by entrepreneurs who bounce from success to success. These are the seven mindsets that will dramatically improve your business.

MARTIN ZWILLING: 6 Ways to Stop Selling and Get More Customers Buying

Making more sales quickly today is no longer about selling. It’s all about getting customers to make a buy decision. Customers are more in control of their buying decisions than ever before, with the wealth of alternatives and information available online, and interactive access to sources they trust via social media. They don’t want to be pushed into a sale, but they love to be pulled in by what is important to them.

Thus, it is critical for sales and marketing people to spend more time understanding what motivates their customer decisions today and less time pushing for a fast close. It means more focus on the customer buying process rather than the customer selling process.

Here are some specifics I recommend to accomplish this.

DAN NEWMAN: What Small Businesses Need to Know About Digital Transformation and Disruption

Although a small or medium-sized business’s digital transformation may not be as large an undertaking as it would be for a big corporation, it is every bit as significant.

Some small businesses think their size creates some kind of immunity when it comes to digitalization. They assume, because they are “small,” they don’t need to undergo a digital transformation to maintain a solid book of business. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Digitalization is changing everything about life today – from consumer purchasing to how we conduct business. As more devices become connected to the Internet, more brands have started to create content and customer connections that cater to the buyer no matter where they are. And In today’s market, every company is now responsible for living up to the "anywhere, everywhere" consumer expectation.

ZEYNEP ILGAZ: 3 Ways to Turn Employees Into Brand Ambassadors

These days, generating good PR isn’t a goal that resides in one department. It’s something the whole company can contribute to. Regardless of an employee’s job title and day-to-day duties, he or she plays a vital role in driving a brand’s public image and reputation.

Your employees might not realize it, but they’re actively promoting your company’s values, mission and goals every time they post on social media. That’s why it’s so important to move modern workers beyond their expected daily tasks and show them they’re also your most important salespeople.

MARIAH DELEON: Why You Should Want Your Employees to Love Each Other

If you frequently observe team members hugging, laughing or even saying, “you rock” or, “I so appreciate you,” you are witnessing healthy workplace love. Yes, appropriate love in the workplace is a great thing! Obviously, we are not talking about inappropriate sexual harassment -- that's a whole different story. But there is something to be said for an environment where people feel comfortable expressing appreciation, respect and caring for their co-workers.

When employees can feel really comfortable and supported in the workplace, magic can happen -- innovation peaks, creativity stirs and collaboration naturally happen. This is how really great results are produced. When you create an environment where “we win” is supported over “I win,” you will create a much more supportive and collaborative work environment. And what’s not to love about that?

KIMANZI CONSTABLE: 5 Ways Personal Growth Makes Your Business Stronger

Being an entrepreneur is more than the business you start. People buy from the person or the idea behind the business. They make that buying decision when they know the entrepreneur, like him and/or his business, and have some trust.  You have to continue growing as an individual to be an entrepreneur trusted by your customers and leads.

It’s sad when an entrepreneur feels they’ve “arrived” and don’t continue growing in their life and business. I learned this lesson the hard way in my first business, which is why it had major issues, so in my second business I’ve continued to do what it takes to be the best version of myself. The result has been explosive growth every year.

There are five simple but important ways that you can grow and become a stronger entrepreneur. These things will lead to growth in your life and business if you’re committed to doing the hard work it takes to achieve success. No matter how much money you’ve made, there’s always an opportunity to grow.

ADAM ROOT: Take 4 Steps Back to Move Your Small Business Forward

Startups are small but mighty -- that’s no secret. They fight for their marketplace positions by being scrappier and nimbler than their behemoth corporate counterparts. But that doesn’t mean they’re impervious to the need for support.

Until 2008, there were about 100,000 more new startups than business failures every year, but that ratio has nearly reversed itself in the last seven years. This steep decline in entrepreneurship makes it clear that startups require support -- but in fact that support can also come from within.

While securing backing from the government (or even from large franchisors) may seem good solutions, one of the best ways to help your small business thrive is to go back to the basics. By building a strong foundation, you can make internal problem-solving a cornerstone of your business model.

Take these four simple steps to breathe life into your company:

LESSON 1: HOW TO CREATE WEALTH ONLINE SELLING YOUR OWN ONLINE COURSES

There is nothing like lack of money only lack of ideas! You need only one idea to transform your life; the one I am sharing with you here today is the goldmining of our era because of the powers of the internet.
Let us review briefly some of the income generating ideas any ordinary person could adopt and use today:
I would share with you the:

Thank You!!!

This is a big thank you for the overwhelming response to my request yesterday. I reproduce the question here:

What are your two top questions about Creating Wealth Online By Selling Your Skills OR Products that we absolutely NEED to answer in our Training Program?

Your questions are so many and varied but there is a common theme which I want to address very quickly and it may be a huge help to you in your business.

Some people are interested in grabbing the opportunity to make money online but they have little or no idea where to start.

Some people are in jobs and just cannot find the time to do anything else even when they know what to do.

ANDRE LAVOIE: What You Can Learn From Hollywood on Hiring and Managing Employees

The holidays are a time for family, festivities and award-seeking films. On Friday nights, some of us try to escape the stress of the office by losing ourselves in the best Hollywood has to offer. It’s easy to forget that outside of the dark theaters, the movie industry faces a lot of the same work issues the rest of the workforce does.

Studios spend millions trying to recruit the best cast, and salary negotiations can go on for months. Gossip magazines are full of stories about starlets spending most of their time arguing with co-workers. Does that sound familiar?

The main difference between Hollywood's hiring practices and the real world is all the former's decisions are under the spotlight. Here are three common workplace hiring problems and the lessons we can learn from the movie industry on how to deal with them:

QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT AND A FAVOUR

Ayo Benson here, I am the CEO of Mannastores.com. I would be sending out a training program on how we have had hundreds of millions of sales online with little or no offline advert which you may adapt to your own business, second income stream or start up business. But first I need to ask you for a favour

We are really close to wrapping up our long awaited training program. We will be releasing it in Dec 2015. But before we do, I have to ask you a couple of questions. Can you help us out?

MATT STRAZ:How to Keep Employees Productive at the End of the Year

It’s the official start of the holiday season. Employers and their employees are excited and, reasonably so. Productivity is dipping just a bit. As the end of the year approaches, the focus drifts slightly from work.

During the holidays employees need well-deserved family time, but the last few weeks of the year shouldn’t be a waiting game. Time zooms along quicker when we’re locked in and productive. Use these tips to keep employees’ eyes on the prize and make the end of the year just as productive as the beginning:

MARTY FUKUDA: How 'Elevator' Leaders Lift Everyone to Higher Achievement

An "elevator" leader takes you to heights you would not reach on your own. A leader is truly impactful only when both the individual and team achieves more than they would have without his or her guidance.

"Elevators" are one of those rare breeds that not only see productivity beyond the expected; they also elevate every nuance of their team, including happiness. They make big things happen through actions that drive their teams upward. Workers don't simply produce more; they likewise enjoy every step of the process, which is critical for sustainability.

Elevators form the foundation of great organizations. Here are three ways to start your path towards being this brand of leader: