Amala Thorne’s business, Island Turmeric, is a tribute to her roots. Her family knowledge and recipes have become soaps and healing balms, which she sells at local farmers markets.

Google software engineer Goutam Nair told BI that a good résumé and a solid networking connection were both key to landing the job.

Many observers underestimate the role that a company’s ownership model has on its approach to strategy and the risks it faces. Public companies tend to overreact to threats, while privately held ...