Daily Archives

Starbucks and McDonalds are saying no… to plastic which is great for the environment. However, why should we stop at plastic straws? That is just what entrepreneur Christina Ramirez wondered – and when there’s a problem, any good entrepreneur will create a profitable solution. But rather than focusing on plastic straws, Ramirez is looking at recreating the toothbrush.

Ultra Plus is the name… of the company that makes bamboo toothbrushes that are sold in 320 retail stores, including Amazon. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans, making the bamboo toothbrush even more appealing. Unlike plastic toothbrushes, bamboo ones are 99% biodegradable and won’t become plastic waste floating the ocean.

Here are the numbers… starting with 150 million which accounts for all of the plastic already floating in our oceans. You will use about 300 toothbrushes in your lifetime at a rate of around 4 toothbrushes per year. Thus, each of us will be responsible for 12 pounds of plastic waste by using plastic toothbrushes. Ramirez has sold thousands of her eco-friendly toothbrushes, saving at least 1,000 tons of plastic waste from entering the ocean.

Technology is pushing finance higher… especially for companies like Visa and Mastercard. Nominal person expenditures, or things people spend on goods and services, has gone down once in 60 years. So, how resilient is fintech you ask? Visa shares are up 43% over the past 12 months and Mastercard shares are up 61%. In contrast, the S&P 500 is up just 14% over the same time period.

Have you ever been to… a place that accepts cash-only? If you are anything like most people on the planet, you often find yourself without cash-on-hand and such a policy is a highly inconvenient surprise. This is because consumers are using digital payment options, not cash, nowadays. Even better, finance companies are creating more electronic business-to-business payment options.

The same way you pay… should be the same was businesses pay, according to James Anderson of Mastercard. These new payments method could even save businesses money compared to check writing or wire transfer options. In fact, why hasn’t this been a thing for years now?

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Yes, trillion with a ‘T’… is what many believe Microsoft will be worth after the company’s latest earnings results. Analysts have taken notice, raising price targets from $123 to $130 – to be worth $1 trillion Microsoft’s share price would need to hit $130.16.

Here’s how they are doing it… the company has shifted from selling software to a subscription-based cloud model. Azure cloud, business subscription to Office 365, and Dynamics 365 software were responsible for 25% of the company’s total revenue, up 3%. And not only is the cloud business growing, it appears to be adding to older products, such as Windows, rather than hurting it.

But there are concerns… such as whether Azure can reach the same level as Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS was performing better when it was the same size as Azure is now. In other words, just because AWS has been a huge success does not mean Azure will do the same. We’re not saying that won’t happen – but don’t start counting your trillions of dollars just yet, Microsoft.

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In 30 years… when most of us will be in our fifties (or beyond) we can do what all old people do – reference things that young people never knew existed. I think the millennial generation will include CD players, movie rental chains, and possibly rental car companies, to name a few. However, down 25% this year, rental car company Avis aims to avoid becoming just another part of an old person’s [deteriorating] memory.

We are skeptical because of… Uber and Lyft – who else? Investors are asking that same question. However, according to Avis CEO Larry De Shon, there is no need to be skeptical about his company’s long-term viability. City dwellers, businesspeople, and families all have use for renting a car rather than Uber-ing from place to place. Short-term trips that rideshare companies can often accommodate account for only 3% of rental business at Avis.

Avis won’t be left behind… and taken steps to adapt their business to changing customer needs, such as acquiring Zipcar in 2012, a company that provides rental cars at hourly rates. The rental-car company also has a partnership with Waymo, the self-driving subsidiary of Google. These changes, and more, should be enough to boost customer satisfaction and profits. Maybe rental-car companies aren’t destined to be forgotten after all.

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