Blog, YouTube & Content Monetization

Since exercise can make you smarter, less stressed, and happier, Google decided to find ways to help employees exercise more often. The research team assigned employees to one of three groups: People in one group were asked to pick a convenient two-hour window, and to follow a strict routine: something along the lines of “work out at 6 p.m. every day.” They then received a financial reward every time they worked out. People in a second group followed a flexible plan, working out whenever they wished. They also received a financial reward every time they worked out. People in the third group (the control group) were simply “encouraged” to work out more: no routi…

Hi there! My name is Marcus Collins, DBA, and I study culture and its influence and impact on human behavior at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Each week, this column will explore the inner workings of organizational culture and the mechanisms that make it tick. Every entry will be accompanied by an episode from my podcast, From the Culture, that digs deeper into the culture of work from my conversations with the organizational leaders that make it all happen. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you are not having. Sign up for the newsletter to make sure you don’t miss a beat. …

After seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2025, Ohio-based retail chain American Signature Inc. (ASI) now says it will close all of its Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture stores. Here’s what you need to know about the first major home retail store closings of the year, and why some of the chain’s customers need to beware. What’s happened? As Fast Company previously reported, home furnishings retailer American Signature Inc. announced in November that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Ohio-based company was founded 78 years ago in 1948 and grew to become one of the country’s largest regional home furnishin…

Fitness brand Modern Warrior has voluntarily recalled all lots of its dietary supplement Modern Warrior Ready after testing revealed the presence of “undeclared ingredients,” one of which could be potentially life threatening. ​The product was sold over a period of three years as capsule-based dietary supplements. Consumers nationwide could buy them directly online. The voluntary recall was announced on Friday, January 9, the same day that a recall notice was published on the website of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here’s what you need to know. What does the recalled product look like? The recalled dietary supplement, Modern Warrior Ready, is…

When you think of tools for studying substance use and addiction, a social media site like Reddit, TikTok, or YouTube probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet the stories shared on social media platforms are offering unprecedented insights into the world of substance use. In the past, researchers studying peoples’ experiences with addiction relied mostly on clinical observations and self-reported surveys. But only about 5% of people diagnosed with a substance use disorder seek formal treatment. They are only a small sliver of the population who have a substance use disorder—and until recently, there has been no straightforward way to capture the experien…

Want to be wealthier? Get married. According to a study published in Journal of Sociology, the net worth of a married person grows approximately 75 percent more during their thirties, forties, and fifties than the net worth of an unmarried person. (That’s per person in the relationship, not per couple.) Want to make a higher income, and feel more satisfied with your job? Get married. A Washington University in St. Louis study found that people with relatively prudent and reliable partners tend to perform better at work, earning more promotions, making more money, and feeling more satisfied with their jobs. What the researchers call “partner conscientiousness” pred…

While working as an engineer at Tesla, Niccolo Cymbalist never planned to start a business. But he’d been considering an idea for new technology—an autonomous, wind-powered cargo ship. Then, while on paternity leave in 2024, he discovered a free program that helps scientists and engineers launch businesses for the first time. Weeks after finishing the program, called 5050, Cymbalist had launched a startup called Clippership. The company’s first ship is being built in the Netherlands this year. Without the accelerator, he says, the company likely wouldn’t exist. The program has now helped scientists and engineers launch 100 businesses, from Huminly, which uses enzy…