Despite a drop in sales of its signature product, the iPhone, in recent quarters, Apple once again sits atop Forbes' annual list of the world's most valuable brands. It's the ninth consecutive year Apple has held the No. 1 spot. (Forbes)

In a commencement speech to the 2019 graduating class at Colorado College earlier this week, media icon and billionaire Oprah Winfrey told the students not to sit around waiting for that one big break in life. That's not how it goes, she said. Instead, she told them ultimate success is about "taking one life-transforming step at a time." (The Muse)

Yes, there are some jobs out there that require specific skills, and those in which you need a long list of skills. But generally speaking, the most sought-after employee traits are often universal, whether you’re an aerospace engineer or a mailroom worker. Monster contacted nine recruiters and career experts to find out what they want to see in every candidate, from the C-suite to the interns. (Monster.com)

We could all benefit from taking a closer look at the things on our to-do lists and the hours in our days a little more closely. Here are seven tips to help you get a handle on your schedule. (The Muse)

Who among us hasn't had a bad boss? Whether it's the boss that can't help but micromanage everything, or the one that can never fully explain what it is he or she really wants you to do, it can be extremely frustrating. But how do you decide when your boss is so hard to deal with that you need to make sure you have ways to protect yourself? (Fast Company)

At Etsy, more than 50% of the executive team and half of the board of directors are women. More than 30% of their engineers identify as women/non-binary, and more than 30% are people of color. Etsy recently published its company’s five Guiding Principles, of which one of them states: We embrace differences, making diversity and inclusion an integral part of their company’s mission to Keep Commerce Human. (Infoq)

British voters, including those who want to leave the European Union, appear likely to punish Conservative Party candidates in this week’s EU elections. The United Kingdom was supposed to have left the European Union nearly two months ago. (U.S. News & World Report)

While Uber flopped in China, ride-hailing app DiDi dominates the market. But what does it take get hired by DiDi? As DiDi looks to expand into new markets, as well as developing driverless car technology, it's eyeing up top-caliber business professionals to bring into the company. (Business Because)

The usefulness and necessity of the MBA for the average entrepreneur is a matter of some debate. An MBA isn’t like a degree in a scientific discipline where the majority of jobs it opens up is fairly narrow and predictable. Many businesses will require that anyone applying for a management position has an MBA, and where they aren’t required, candidates who have one will still find themselves at an advantage. (AZBIGMEDIA)

National Black MBA Association® launched the Scale-Up Pitch Challenge in 2017 to address our 2020 Vision Goal of awarding $2 million in Business Grants to our membership. This challenge is a pitch competition designed to “Make Big Ideas Bigger” by encouraging our members to create startups that are scalable. We provide startups the unique opportunity to connect with early stage investors and venture capitalists who are ready to invest. Culminating at the 41st Annual Conference & Exposition in September, the winning team will be awarded a $50,000 Grand Prize, with additional to prizes for 2nd place and 3rd place as well as a People’s Choice Award.
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If you think your startup embodies a “Big Idea” that can be even bigger, this challenge is for you! 

In the face of growing support for breaking up the big tech companies to ensure "fair competition", Amazon and Facebook have changed company policy and called for legislative action against "harmful content", respectively. It's all part of an effort to stop an overreaching policy to break up the companies that may not actually solve the problem. (Inc.)

Andrew Golden, president of the Princeton University Investment Co. for the past 25 years, is trying to do more to ensure that Princeton's outside money managers are more diverse and that the venture capitalists it chooses to help are more diverse. (The Register Citizen)

The announcement by J.C. Penney and Kohl's this week that results for the fiscal first quarter were down cast a shadow over other mid-market department stores. Some analysts believe the latest numbers reinforce the notion that the middle market is "collapsing". (WSBT)

Three years ago, then-treasury secretary Jack Lew announced that after years of deliberations, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, would replace Andrew Jackson, a slaveholder who orchestrated the Trail of Tears, on the $20 bill. The bill was supposed to be unveiled in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. However, Steven Mnuchin, who replaced Lew, said on Wednesday that the Treasury Department no longer plans to unveil a redesigned $20 bill so long as President Donald Trump holds office. (The Washington Post)