The National Digest

Map: States With The Most Fatal Workplace Injuries

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Some jobs are more dangerous than others, and states with lots of dangerous jobs have more workplace deaths.

Every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases their counts of the number of fatal injuries that occurred at work in the previous year. The above map shows the fatal injury rate for each state in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, adjusted by the number of workers and hours worked to give a rate per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers.

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The National Digest

3 Proven Ways Your Business Can Disrupt That Well-Established Industry It’s Struggling to Enter

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Our world has no shortage of entrepreneurs: As Entrepreneur’s Grace Reader wrote, citing Kauffman startup index data, each month, about 550,000 ambitious souls launch a business. And all these entrepreneurs no doubt fight for a chance to be the best at what they do, in the market where they do it — from baking the best pastries in town to creating a user experience to rival that of Facebook or Instagram.

Sadly, though, 20 percent of businesses fail in their first year of operation and only 50 percent make it into their fifth year, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office Of Advocacy. And that reflects what we already know: Most market segments are filled to the brim with competition.

The good news is that you can still outsmart the competitors in your industry, no matter how crowded it may be. Determined and savvy startups find their footing in crammed markets all the time (think: Uber, Zapier or AirBnB, which were all startups not so long ago). Sure, it takes time and muscle, but it’s certainly possible. You just have to know how to do it.

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The National Digest

How To Sharpen Your Leadership Skills And Grow Your Business

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Many CEOs must speak in front of their colleagues, peers and investors. However, public speaking terrified Caswell. Before a big speech to the U.S. Air Force, he spent hours driving around the interstate practicing his material.

Mark Caswell is the CEO of KSM Consulting, a technology, data and management firm. This Indianapolis-based company employs more than 130 people. Caswell previously worked as a mechanical engineer for Rolls Royce on technology that won’t reach the market for “another 10 or 15 years.”

While working as an engineer, Caswell completed a computer science degree, wrote software and acquired project management and business leadership skills. Later, he pursued an MBA in Madrid. Caswell believes studied concepts from different disciplines improved his leadership style.

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