Telecommuting is up, Great Bosses Are Still "In"

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 discuss distinguishing between tough and toxic bosses, the century-long journey to perfecting the Hario pourover, how Starbucks weathered the Great Recession, and an innovative startup that envisions you working in your dreams.

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?

The telecommuting-from-abroad trend ended a couple years ago with return-to-office mandates, right? Maybe not. Google searches for “digital nomad visas” hit an all-time high in 2024, spiking over 1,000%.

That’s because Italy launched a one-year digital nomad visa in April to “highly-skilled” workers outside the EU. Before you book your tickets, though, you’ll need to visit your nearest Italian consulate office to apply.

“Ensure you fit the minimum criteria to deter possibilities of any issues during the application process,” advises Jason Wilson, CEO of tourism site Places to Travel. “Not to mention speaking with your employer to ensure they will permit you to work from another country …”

Oh yeah. Right. Per favore, il mio capo? Grazie!

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? b. spoke with Teresa A. Daniel, JD, PhD, dean of human resource leadership programs at Sullivan University to find out. Read the full interview here.

Hario’s Pour-Over Coffee Perfection Began as Laboratory Glassware 100 Years Ago

Hario’s spiraling V60 pour-over and glass Chemex are a staple at hip coffee shops, but you probably already knew that. What you might not know is that it took the Japanese company a century to reach brew ubiquity (brewbiquity?). Learn more in the full article. 

How Starbucks Robustly Emerged From the Great Recession

With nearly 35,000 Starbucks stores worldwide (just shy of McDonald’s’ 40,000 restaurants) collectively brewing $37 billion in annual revenue, you could almost forget that the coffee chain was on the brink of ruin in 2008. We discuss their Venti-sized comeback in the full article.

Prophetic Wants You to Work in Your Lucid Dreams

If you’ve ever said you could do a job in your sleep, well, maybe you can.

Prophetic’s upcoming headband is a “non-invasive neural device” that claims to induce lucid dreams (the kind in which you’re aware it’s a dream) by beaming ultrasound currents to AI-targeted areas of the brain. Get our take.

We Meme Business

Written by Tess Barker, Elizabeth Barton, and Dan Ketchum.

Coming Up: Resilience is a Buzzword - Now That We Know Better, Are We Doing Better?

A whopping 97% of executives consider resilience “very or somewhat important,” analytics firm SAS found in 2023, and as the dollars flow to support employee resilience, is there an ROI? We discuss this and much more in the next edition of the b., so be sure you’re subscribed here.

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