The number of retail investors has increased dramatically over the course of the pandemic and years prior. Their impact on the market has been astronomical, raising stocks to record highs and increasing the markets speculative nature. However, the question remains on what comes next for the average new investor.

As a Chicagoan, there's a good chance you've heard of a project called Lincoln Yards. If you’re unfamiliar, Lincoln Yards is a transformative project that began in 2016, aiming to revitalize a former industrial corridor along the Chicago River. The project envisions a vibrant mixed-use community featuring office spaces, residential units, recreational facilities, and entertainment venues.

Marketing is how businesses promote their products and services. Historically, this has been through things such as billboards, TV commercials, or mail-in campaigns. While these are still used today, there has been a noticeable shift in the way most companies have been marketing, many switching to digital marketing, which is marketing through things such as social media and/or advertisements on websites. 

In mid-January 2023, large tech companies including Google, Amazon, and Meta, began to lay off large amounts of tech workers, which made headlines across the world. However, layoffs inside tech are not new. Tech is a cyclical sector, which means that when the economy goes up, so does the sector.

Higher education opens up a lot of valuable benefits and opportunities for students. College graduates have more career stability and higher earnings (Georgetown Center on Education and Workforce Study as cited in Nietzel, 2021)

You don’t see cabs around the city of Chicago like you used to. NBC Chicago reports, “There were 27.2 million taxi trips in 2013, compared to just 6.5 million in 2023” (Sisk, 2024). 2013 is around the time that Uber and Lyft were introduced in the city, and they have had a notable impact on the cab industry around the world. These apps allow for the convenience of calling up a ride wherever you are.

Thanks to Divvy, the city’s official bike and scooter sharing system, Chicago's streets have become increasingly dotted with blue bikes. Since its launch in 2013, Divvy has expanded to more than 15,000 bikes and 1,000 docking stations across Chicago and Evanston, making it one of the largest systems of its kind in North America.

Each year, an average of 20 technology startups reach $100 million in revenue (Kedrosky, 2013). Technology is a fast-growing field, with hundreds of new and useful inventions being created every year. From social media applications to new medical technology, every startup makes something different, but what separates those that succeed from those that fail?