How Businesses Can Invest in Employee Training

Hi there, and welcome back to b. Building from business.com . This is the highlight reel of the b. Newsletter — your digest of bite-sized news, thought and brand leadership, and entertainment. For the full-length version of the b., sign up here to get the full edition in your inbox two times a week.?

In this edition, we discover how businesses can invest in employee training, discuss supporting mothers at work, learn from the inspiring stories of business owners who rose from failure, and? learn how Projects Watches' creative director engages with Gen Z. Plus, we’ll delve into how Rockstar Games turned a leak into a triumphant win with GTA VI.

As always, our meme of the week offers a relatable knee-slapper to coax you back into flow state. Let's dive right in, shall we?

Knowledge of AI is no longer a “nice to have” for job applicants. A staggering 66% of business leaders say they won’t hire a candidate without any AI skills, according to new research from Microsoft . (To put that in perspective, ChatGPT hasn’t even been out for two full years!)

However, only 1 in 4 employers is planning to offer AI training, Microsoft found. That’s leaving workers to teach themselves, although each company will have its own specific use cases. To make sure your employees are on the same page, check out business.com 's guide to How Businesses Can Invest in Employee Training .

How to Support Moms at Work, According to CEO Sarah Wells

When Sarah Wells went back to work as a first-time mom 11 years ago, she faced a common challenge. “I wanted to nurse … but quickly realized how difficult that was going to be in the workplace,” she said. That led her to launch Sarah Wells Breast Pump Bags, which generates a reported $5 million in revenue per year. Now she’s written Go Ask Your Mothers: One Simple Step for Managers to Support Working Moms for Team Success. Wells told b. how companies can gain a competitive edge by listening to the most common requests of working moms. Read the full interview here.

How Flickr (and Slack) Rose From the Ashes of a “Neverending” Video Game

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Neopets — a browser-based game in which you care for virtual animals — took internet-savvy preteens by storm. It had 150 million users at its peak and sold to Viacom for $160 million. Inspired by Neopets, Stewart Butterfield, president of Vancouver video game company Ludicorp, launched Game Neverending , and recovered from its flop by salvaging its most popular feature, launching Flickr. Just one year later, Yahoo — still a web behemoth — acquired Flickr for an estimated $25 million. It grew to host over 6 billion images from 112 million users.

Get inspired by another rags to riches story, a flop that later sold for $27 billion, and read our tips on how to learn from your mistakes, and parlay them into big paydays. Read on.

Projects Watches’ Creative Director Dials Into What Makes Gen Z Tick

Talk about timing the trend. Analog watches have found an unlikely new fandom in digitally-savvy young adults; the global watch market is expected to grow from $66 billion to $113 billion over the next decade.

Projects Watches saw an opportunity. Each of its timepieces boasts a bold, untraditional, TikTok-flexworthy design from an independent artist — but the entire lineup is priced between $100 and $200, far more affordable than Rolexes and Omegas.

b. spoke with Connor Hudson, the creative director at Projects Watches, about marketing a timeless product category to a new generation.? Read the full Q&A at business.com .

The 3 Apps Connor Hudson Can’t Live Without

• Instagram: “Being hyper-connected on Instagram and with your community that you’re trying to engage with is really how you can get ahead and stay ahead.”
• MightyScout: “It’s really helped us keep a log and find an understanding of everything that people are sharing on our behalf, providing a visual look at user-generated content outside of Spreadsheet Land.”
• Asana: “Because we don’t have a physical office and work with freelancers from everywhere, Asana has been a lifesaver in keeping us connected as we tackle more projects.”

Rockstar Games Turned GTA VI Leak Into a Media Win

With the most profitable media title in history , Grand Theft Auto publishers Rockstar Games wouldn’t leave any marketing to chance. But in a bit of irony, the trailer for its decade-in-the-making Grand Theft Auto VI got stolen. Read the story here.

We Meme Business

Written by Antonio Ferme and Dan Ketchum.

Coming Up: Tough Boss or Toxic?

Leadership is a balancing act. Without setting goals and measuring results, employees can underperform. However, excessive criticism and micromanagement tend to backfire and cause even worse problems.

So, is there a perfect medium??

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