What's Working in Washington

Despite the vastly changing times in business and technology, Junior Achievement continues to train young people to work in the real world and expose them to an array of opportunities. "We were founded almost a hundred years ago, teaching kids how to start businesses, how to run businesses," said Ed Grenier, President of Junior Achievement, a not-for-profit organization introducing young people to...

One of the biggest challenges for leaders is accomplishing change, particularly at moments of crisis and risk. Chris Fussell, managing officer of the McChrystal Group and author of "One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams" says his biggest military lesson is that team decisionmaking must be decentralized down to those frontline elements, that are closest to these fast-changing problems. See...

This week marks D.C. Techweek, an opportunity for entrepreneurs and companies in the greater Washington region to better raise capital, recruit talent, select advisors, and network. "We think technology is one of the biggest drivers of our economy. It's one of the only industries thats experienced positive job growth over the last twelve months," said Matt Coursen, managing director at Jones Lang...

In this EXTRA, we sit down with three of the area's experts on communication to talk about what our First Amendment means today, its limits and its controversies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Immigrants are one of the biggest factors that help the D.C. region grow and sustain itself. "My mission in the office is to improve the quality [of life] for D.C.s Latino residents," says Jackie Reyes, director of the Mayors office on Latino Affairs, to learn more about how immigration benefits the greater Washington area. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Not...

What makes a great entrepreneur? Its not always clear. To find out what exactly fits the bill of entrepreneur in todays economy, Whats Working in Washington spoke to Gene Riechers, a D.C. tech executive, founder, investor and expert. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

First things first. Update your profile on professional social media sites, says Frances Reimers, a personal brand consultant and founder of brand consulting business Firestarter LLC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

JJ Green, National Security correspondent for WTOP-FM and host of the TargetUSA Podcast, Brian Fanzo, founder/CEO of social strategy consulting firm iSocialFanz and Judy Kurtz, In the Know columnist for The Hill join in this What's Working in Washingon EXTRA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Inventors and small businesses must ensure their intellectual property isn't stolen by larger companies. Creating currencies might be the solution. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

One of the biggest questions regarding the structure of the human mind is what, exactly, predisposes humans to be curious. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

To help steer the greater Washington region towards a more innovative future for entrepreneurs, local business owners penned an open letter to future area politicians. James Quigley, founder of coworking space Canvas and one of more than 40 co-signers, wants talent growth to be boosted. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

Making sure the person you present matches up with the person you really are is pivotal for success. "I like to say a brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room," said Elizabeth Shea, founder of SpeakerBox Communications. "If you dont think about your own brand, or your companys brand, somebody else will do it for you." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...

Networking in New York City is distinctly different from networking in the D.C. region, according to Rachel Adler, digital media business development manager for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority."I'm a research junkie. A lot of my research comes from working for New York State. I used to do a lot of vetting for political candidates," said Adler. "I try to find touch points I could...

Making the pivot from an advisory role to doing things yourself can cause whiplash for a rising entrepreneur. AJ Mushtaq, CFO and founder of health services franchise Fitness Connection built up a sweat as he moved to a principal position. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

One of the weakest links in any cybersecurity network is passwords, and if even one is uncovered, an entire system can fall apart. A new technology developed in South Korea to prevent and minimize possible damage is currently taking hold in the D.C. region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The former president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, Barbara Lang, is encouraging leaders to keep reaching out for new opportunities. "When I left the chamber a little over three years ago, we set up a consulting firm, a business advisory group, really with lessons learned from the D.C. Chamber of Commerce." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

Unique challenges face female entrepreneurs and Julie Kantor, founder of training firm Twomentor, is an expert in solving some of these issues. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In founding The Pretzel Bakery, local entrepreneur Sean Haney instantly found his market. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Healthcare is one of D.C.s largest industries, yet its impact is sometimes unnoticed by much of the region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Now, more than ever, D.C.s Newseum serves as a hub for the history and importance of journalism. "The mission of the Newseum is to champion the five freedoms of the first amendment," and we do that through exhibits, programs, and education, said Scott Williams, Newseum's chief operating officer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...

Lobbying is an industry ripe for disruption, according to Paul Kanitra, founder and president of Lobbyit. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The value of networking in the professional world cannot be overstated, and knowing the right person can be the difference between success and failure. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

D.C. entrepreneurship comes with a few assumptions: funding is top priority, and a startups investors and employees have different jobs. Marc Langer, founder and president of Recovery Point Systems, believes these assumptions are outdated. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Traffic in the D.C. region makes it uniquely difficult to get anywhere quickly. Real estate developers are reacting by building mico-ecosystems in urban and suburban areas. Richard Samit, CEO and founder of Fraser Forbes Real Estate Services, explains why the D.C. region is experiencing more urbanization than many would expect. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...