The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a sledgehammer to the economy and the space industry is no exception. Before the pandemic, the global space industry was really coming into its stride, valued at around $360 billion. For the last few years, space startups with bold ideas could successfully close round after round of funding. Now, companies may have a hard time getting infusions from outside investors. That means companies will likely rely on government contracts, either from NASA or the Department of Defense, now more than ever as a guaranteed source of funding. A few high-profile space companies succumbed at the start of the pandemic. Analysts say these early losses are likely the result of problems that companies had before the pandemic, and the economic downturn just amplified those issues. Whether they’re keeping busy or just trying to keep the lights on, companies across the industry are all stuck in the same pandemic-induced holding pattern. Like many industries, it’s still too early to say what will happen in the future. But for smaller companies with loftier ambitions, the financial picture has already shifted. To make it through, they’ll have to tighten their belts and adjust their plans or scramble for a government-funded lifeline that keeps their unique space goals alive. Read More >>
Monthly Archives: May 2020
OVERWHELMED? ADOPT A PARADOX MINDSET
With lockdowns closing schools and offices around the world, it’s become commonplace to see dogs and kids barge into business meetings as the boundaries between work and life have blurred. A seamless balance is impossible. We have to do both – work plus managing our lives, our spouses, kids, pets and home – all at once. Doing both depends on our ability to adopt a paradox mindset, to consider the world with a “both/and” approach instead of an “either/or” one. In times like these, times of change, uncertainty and scarcity, we need to do many tasks together. And people need to feel comfort with discomfort – these hurdles aren’t going away. The paradox mindset suggests an alternative perspective, accepting and learning to live with the tensions associated with competing demands. It is an understanding that these competing demands are not really resolvable, in the sense that they can’t be completely eliminated. A paradox mindset can be cultivated. In the current crisis, a paradox mindset won’t solve every problem, but it is a helpful and relevant way of thinking. A paradox mindset allows us to look at the challenge, understand the need to adapt and uncover a different way of working. Read More >>
SEVEN LESSONS FROM REFUGEES WHO BECAME ENTREPRENEURS
According to the UN Refugee Agency, every minute in 2018, some 25 people had to flee their homes. Across the world, there were 71 million people forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. These refugees left jobs and professions, studies and dreams, to find themselves in environments often hard to navigate, where they must reconstruct their careers as well as their lives. The seven lessons we can learn from refugees who restarted their careers are that adversity is the mother of invention, when stuck, be smart and look for alternatives to keep moving forward, education and self-study are key; be curious and seek learning in all possible ways, to develop skills that are transferable and master English, use whatever ideas and passions you have to build your future as best you can, optimism and self-belief are critical to success, and do not assume you need perfect conditions to start a great company. Read More >>
11 WEB DESIGN BEST PRACTICES TO ELEVATE USER EXPERIENCE
Website visitors usually take five seconds to decide whether to leave a website or not. Website designs must be engaging to encourage visitors to stay. One way of doing this is to optimize load speed. When we land on a webpage, we expect it to load within 2 seconds. If it takes longer than that, we may get impatient. Anyone with access to a computer and an internet connection should be able to visit your website, regardless of their circumstances and abilities. To cater to everyone, you should design a website that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act so that people with a wide array of disabilities can browse. This will also help you avoid any lawsuit connected to a non-compliant web design. A call-to-action is how you get your clients through the sales funnel. Without clear CTAs, your visitors have no idea where they are supposed to click next. Among your top priorities when you think website design is the ease of navigation. Your visitors will use the navigation to find any relevant information they are looking for. Without clear navigation, you end up with disappointed visitors that exit your website for better alternatives. The responsiveness of a well-designed website needs to be fluid and adjustable to all devices. It is especially critical to make it mobile-responsive as the number of users on mobile continues to increase annually. The importance of SEO is well established. Without it, search engines cannot find you. Technical SEO involves optimizing your website and servers so search engine spiders crawl to index your website better for improved organic results. While it mainly concerns on-page ranking factors, it also involves several off-page SEO ranking factors as well. Your website design has as a primary function to be the initial hook for your visitors. When best practices are correctly implemented, the user experience is elevated to create an emotional connection between your brand and the visitor. Read More >>
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