No one intends to drop out of college. If you show up to campus for your freshman year, chances are you plan to graduate in four years and use your degree to land a job. Maybe you even have the whole thing mapped out, step-by-step.

But then life happens. Whether it’s a family emergency, deteriorating health, stress burnout, or just the realization that college isn’t the right choice, plenty of people choose to drop out of their university every year. The problem is, your student loans don’t go away just because you never ended up with a degree.

So how should someone in this position approach student loan repayment? Are there any unique considerations to take into account? Here’s what you need to know.

Choose an Income-Based Repayment Plan

If you have federal student loans, you’re eligible for the same repayment options available to borrowers with a degree.

You may … Read the rest

Former President Barack Obama did not hold back in blasting President Donald Trump in a speech with a combination of truth and sarcasm.

Ahead of Thursday’s debate, Obama let out four years of frustration in a scathing attack at a Philadelphia drive-in rally for Joe Biden that is sure to upset Trump. Obama was quick to attack Trump for abandoning the people he was elected to serve.

“He hasn’t shown any interest in doing the work, or helping anybody but himself and his friends, or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention and by the way even then his TV ratings are down, so you know that upsets him,” the former president said to the sounds of clapping and horns honking.

Obama also went after Trump’s lackluster coronavirus response which has led to thousands of deaths and months of despair for Americans.

“At … Read the rest

After starting companies during the Great Recession, the Inspired Capital co-founder knows the importance of quick pivots.

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This article originally published on GoDaddy’s OpenWeStand.org website.

Small businesses across the country have been drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Coronavirus Impact Poll, 70% of small businesses are concerned about long-term financial hardship while 58% worry about having to permanently close. With small businesses teetering on the edge of failure, other entrepreneurs are stepping in. Local business owners can help each other out and build each other up during this pandemic.

While some companies might technically be your competitors, it’s important to focus on collaboration over competition: we’re all in this together. Here’s how to support local businesses and protect small businesses as an entrepreneur.

Related: America — Land of the free, home of the small business 

Buy from local vendors

Entrepreneurs can go above and beyond to support localism or the idea that you should prioritize businesses within … Read the rest

The OKR framework is a method used to bridge the gap between strategizing and executing ambitious business goals, but it can be used for personal goals too. OKR, which stands for “Objectives and Key Results,” has revolutionized the way the corporate world approaches goal-setting. OKR allows teams to focus on big picture outcomes and achieve more than the team thought possible, even if they don’t completely attain the original goal.

Since the late 1990s, thousands of organizations and Fortune 500 companies worldwide have implemented the OKR framework to improve both team and individual performance, and increase their bottom lines. What if you could use these same principles to achieve your personal goals? It’s definitely possible to apply the OKR framework in a non-business context to map your future success.

In the same way that OKR allows companies to “work with purpose,” this framework can help you set purpose-driven goals in … Read the rest

With all the fuss over O’Shea Jackson, better known as Ice Cube, “assisting” the Trump Administration with their Platinum Plan for Black Americans, people are frustrated that the former NWA rapper would even meet, let alone, collaborate with Trump’s team so close to the election. The irony is the plan that the Trump administration has devised is eerily similar to something the Congressional Black Caucus has introduced, according to TheGrio.

When asked about Ice Cube’s Contract With Black America, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, (D-TX) told theGrio, “I have not heard first-hand of any attempt to reach out to any senior members of the caucus about this.”

The Congressional Black Caucus says the plan makes similar points brought forth in its Jobs and Justice Act 2020 legislation proposal introduced just last month in September. 

Rep. Jackson Lee added that the Trump administration has shown little interest in the … Read the rest

Peter Colis of Ethos also talks about saying calm in the face of adversity, and overcoming imposter syndrome.

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This article originally published on GoDaddy’s OpenWeStand.org website.

Restaurant owners have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, restaurants have depended on serving food to people indoors and in person, but with the lingering threat of the novel coronavirus, small business owners have had to adapt.

For months, some restaurants pivoted to offer takeout only, or provide delivery services. Others closed down entirely, hoping for the pandemic to end quickly. Now, both types of restaurants are trying to reopen, while managing new stay-at-home orders and constantly shifting customer expectations.

How can you thrive as a small business in this “new normal” of COVID-19?

How restaurants can thrive in the new normal

We don’t have all the answers, but these tips can help your restaurant thrive in these uncertain times:

1. Pivot your model

Your initial business model has probably changed a great deal since the pandemic hit.