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Microsoft Corp ( MSFT.O ) said sales of its flagship cloud product doubled in its first quarter, propelling earnings above analysts' estimates and sending its shares to an all-time high, breaking past a level hit in 1999 at the peak of the tech stock bubble. The company's shares have doubled since August 2013 with Chief Executive Satya Nadella restoring investor confidence by focusing on mobile and cloud computing rather than PCs. Long known for its Windows software, Microsoft has shifted focus to the cloud where it is dueling with larger rival Amazon.com Inc ( AMZN.O ) to control the still fledgling market. Its jump in revenue underscores how businesses around the world are turning to new applications in the cloud and leaving once critical software programs and other hardware in the dust. Shares of Microsoft rose as much as 6.2 percent to $60.79 in after-hours trading. They later pared gains to $60.43, still adding nearly $25 billion to its market value.

Millennials have gotten some bad press over the years, particularly in relation to business matters. But don’t let it fool you. These are high-value customers you absolutely want to attract to your business. The first thing to understand about millennials is that most of them aren’t kids anymore. They’re full-grown adults. While there’s no official start date for the millennial generation, Pew Research defines them as anyone between 19 and 35 as of this year. These are people who are well underway with all the trappings of adult life. By their late twenties, many people have gotten married, even started a family. They might have seen a few promotions at work, too. Some of them will be in mid or possibly even upper management. There are also  more millennials now  than any other age group. They’ve got the  buying power  (an estimated $2.45 trillion in 2015) to prove it, too. All those things make millennials a group any small business would love to attract. So here’s a few t

We had a warm day after a week of freezing cold and my youngest wanted a  Jamba   JMBA -1.08%  Juice, so I took him to get his Jamba and hit the phone store on the same trip. The young man taking care of us at the phone store was a dynamo. He got us what we needed and switched our family plan so that we’ll save money on our phone bill. I asked the young man about himself. “Oh no,” said my twelve-year-old, rolling his eyes. “This is my mom. Now she’s going to ask you about your career plans!” The young man didn’t mind talking about his plans. His name is Yaz. Yaz had already given me his phone-company  business  card when I walked into the store. When I asked him about his career plans, he pulled two more business cards out of his pocket and gave them to me. “This is my dj business,” he said about the first card. “I dj for weddings and other events.” “This other card is my entrepreneurial business,” he said. “I design websites now and do social media marketing for small busine

It's no secret that reading can help you get ahead. The most accomplished people tend to love to read. However, starting a new book can seem daunting and overly time-consuming. The good news is there are several short business books loaded with powerful information about selling, managing, and investing.  We compiled a list of the best business books under 150 pages that you can start    and finish in an afternoon. 'Who Moved My Cheese?' by Spencer Johnson Image credit: Penguin Books | Amazon " Who Moved My Cheese? " made it on "Shark Tank" investor Daymond John's list of  business books that changed his life .  Johnson's parable was an instant hit when it came out in 1998 and has continued to be a bestseller over the past decade. It tells the story of two mice, Scurry and Sniff, and two sprite-like people, Hem and Haw, living in a maze where the location of the cheese suddenly begins changing every day. Johnson wrote

Books have the power to change lives. We live in a time when books are more affordable and accessible. Yet, fewer entrepreneurs read books, using the excuse of a lack of time. If you can’t find time to read, you as an entrepreneur will not grow, which will have an effect on your business. If you study any successful entrepreneur, you’ll see one of the keys to their success is that they educate themselves through books. You can get books these days for as little as .99 cents. Many are even free through Amazon’s KDP Select program. There’s no reason not to have a Kindle full of books that can educate you and teach you strategies to grow your business.  Here are six books that can help you create a business and life you love. This list is a good start. It’s up to you to research books that will help you and your business where you are in your journey. These books are changing lives and helping entrepreneurs grow their business.  1.  Just Blow it Up: Firepower for Living an Unlimit