Business Brief

The Market Dives podcast continues its look at the business and economic indicators that will help tell the story of 2022. The second episode of this two-part forecast focuses on indicators measuring business confidence, auto inventory, home foreclosures and workspace shifts.

While 2021 brought significant recovery from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year also saw labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising prices. What can we expect in the new year? The Market Dives podcast wraps up 2021 and looks ahead to 2022 with a focus on some of the key economic indicators that will help tell the story of the next year — and beyond. The first episode...

Missouri ranked second in the country in 2020 in coal-generated electricity. But the state is undergoing a shift away from coal. In the latest episode of the Market Dives podcast, we look at how this transition is going and what the path toward a different energy profile looks like.

Businesses are trying to cope with the holiday season crunch in an economic climate the likes of which they have never experienced. With some projections forecasting the biggest holiday season ever for retailers, business owners are facing high demand while contending with supply chain issues, labor challenges and other lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This week's episode of the Market...

Demand for housing has skyrocketed during the pandemic, but homebuilders and remodelers haven’t caught up because of labor shortages and long wait times for raw materials, tripling the timeline of some housing projects.

On Oct. 1, Missouri is experiencing something that hasn't happened in a quarter century: an increase to the state's gas tax. The driving force behind that tax hike? Transportation infrastructure. This episode of Market Dives examines how the tax increase addresses a growing need for funding in Missouri’s roads, bridges and more.

From the team that brings you the Speaking Startup podcast comes a new podcast: Market Dives. The show dives into big developments across business, politics, sports and more, explains the economic forces driving them and helps you understand why they matter in Missouri. On the first episode of Market Dives, we tackle the topic of compensation for college athletes. Landmark decisions this summer me...

The latest episode of the Speaking Startup podcast is a tale of two types of retail. First, we visit with St. Louis entrepreneur Doug Spencer. He's co-CEO of Bold Xchange, an ecommerce startup looking to boost Black-owned businesses by providing them the exposure and connections they need to grow. Then, we hear another story from our Outstate series on entrepreneurship in small-town Missouri. This...

In the midst of Midwest Black Restaurant Week, we set out to find Missouri entrepreneurs getting involved in the second-year event. We wound up talking with a trio of entrepreneurs participating in the event for the first time — because it's their first year in business. On the latest episode of the Speaking Startup podcast, we dig into three Black restaurateurs' reasons for starting food-service...

In the fall of 1839, a young boy named Samuel Clemens moved with his family to Hannibal, Missouri. Almost two centuries later, Clemens — more commonly known by his pen name, Mark Twain — has given the town an international reputation. Hannibal is perhaps best known as the childhood home of Twain and the setting of some of his most famous books, including "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventu...

In the eastern Missouri town of Bowling Green, the demolition of a pair of prominent buildings a few years ago left a void in the downtown district, and ultimately it inspired a revitalization effort. City leaders are pursuing a host of ideas for reinvigorating the business district. But those big plans start with small, wooden structures. The city has three chalets that provide short-term homes f...

Many businesses have been hit hard by the cancellation of large, indoor events as a result of COVID-19. According to the Live Events Coalition, an industry group, 90% of events businesses have seen cancellations since the beginning of the pandemic. But in the face of diminished demand for some events, other options have … popped up.  Pop-up picnics have been one area of the event industry that has...

This week's episode of the Speaking Startup podcast is a holiday-themed entrepreneurship extravaganza. First, from bubble buses to beer trucks, entrepreneurs across Missouri who cater to crowds at large public events are bracing for brisk business this weekend with the return of large July Fourth events. It’s a different scene from last summer, when as many as 80% of Independence Day celebrations...

The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or USICA, is a $250 billion bill aimed at boosting the U.S. semiconductor industry, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics and more. The legislation, viewed as an effort to encourage American competition with the growing high-tech sector in China, passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month and is working its way through the House...

Neobanks are a type of financial technology, or fintech, aimed at making banking faster, cheaper and easier. They have grown significantly, especially alongside racial protests over the last year highlighting financial inequities, which have been exacerbated partly by lack of access to banking. Tim Prier started one of these neobanks, called Wicket, in the Kansas City area. He saw it a way to reac...

It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought extreme difficulties for bars and restaurants. More than 110,000 of those businesses across the U.S. shuttered either permanently or temporarily last year, according to the National Restaurant Association. Still, amid widespread closures resulting from the pandemic, some business owners have gotten bars and restaurants off the ground over the l...

Jonaie Johnson grew up in a single-parent household with a mom she describes as "the epitome of a businesswoman," and Johnson knew from a young age that she wanted to run her own business. In high school, she hatched the idea for a connected device to enable busy dog owners to monitor and interact with their pets remotely. Now a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Johnson is the fou...

The special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, has seen a surge in popularity recently. A SPAC is company without any operations that goes public for the purpose of acquiring another company, effectively enabling the acquired company to go public without the same scrutiny and processes it would have to navigate in an initial public offering. Te number of SPACs to go public jumped to 248 last ye...

From pitches in the "Shark Tank," to bars being rescued, to diners, drive-ins and dives getting Fieri'd, TV today is littered with examples of entrepreneurs sharing their stories and seeking expert advice. It's a tried-and-true formula for compelling television. And for the businesses involved? Missouri entrepreneurs who have been featured on shows like "Shark Tank," "Bar Rescue" and "Diners, Driv...

The subject of social entrepreneurship may call to mind big brands like footwear company Toms Shoes and eyewear retailer Warby Parker, but social enterprises come in all different shapes and sizes. The latest episode of the Speaking Startup podcast looks at Missouri entrepreneurs running businesses that aim to address social, cultural and environmental problems. Plus, the latest installment from o...

Though economic recessions historically lead to increased unemployment, they also can lead to increased entrepreneurial activity. Dane Stangler, director of strategic initiatives at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Census numbers show a surge in business applications in the second half of 2020. Stangler said one cause of this is that...

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have been drawing lots of attention — and investment — in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the digital artist Beeple set a record for the sale price of an NFT when a piece of digital art he created sold at auction for more than $69 million. But it's not just artists that are tapping into the capabilities of NFTs, which are unique digital assets whose ownership is aut...

Entrepreneurs are often known for working around the clock to keep their business afloat. But is sacrificing sleep for work actually what’s best for business? According to Jeff Gish, an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Central Florida, the answer is no. Gish’s research shows that a lack of sleep can have a negative impact on decision making. “We found that when you're s...

The coronavirus pandemic has posed an existential threat to businesses in the health and fitness sector, with various industry estimates suggesting more than one in seven gyms has closed for good since the onset of COVID-19. The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association estimated that 15% of gyms and fitness studios had shuttered through the third quarter of 2020. A December report fr...

As Black History Month draws to a close, this week's episode of the Speaking Startup podcast digs into two stories of Black entrepreneurship in Missouri. First, from Columbia's Sharp End business district to a St. Louis entrepreneur with ties to the famed Madam C.J. Walker, Missouri his a history rich with thriving Black businesses. We look at the evolution of some of those businesses and their le...