Luke Sherwin, co-founder and chief creative officer of online mattress startup, Caspar, knows genuine stories build a strong bond of trust with customers.

"Word of mouth with a modern twist." That’s how Luke Sherwin, co-founder and chief creative officer of the mattress startup, Caspar, describes the company's foundation for marketing.

Kyle Ballarta, founder and CEO of Falkon Ventrues, sees many similarities in art and entrepreneurship. Ballarta graduated from some of the most prestigious performing arts institutes to pursue a career as a professional trumpet player. When a serious injury to his lungs ended his dream, he transposed his focus to business.

Founder and CEO of Falkon Ventures Kyle Ballarta, uses biology as a model to help design an improved, sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ballarta says you can have both purpose and profits, resulting in a win-win for everyone involved – the entrepreneur, the investor and the community.

Diana Mao, president of Nomi Network, is part of an elite group of Presidential Leadership Scholars. Established and taught by U.S. presidents Clinton and Bush, the program is designed to develop the skills of leaders from varied background. The scholars’ common thread is a commitment to helping solve society’s greatest challenges.

Wall Street Journal investment management expert Bill Reichenstein says, somewhere around the age of 50, it gets more difficult for Americans to find full-time employment. It often comes down to being over qualified.

One of the most common misquotes attributed to Benjamin Franklin is “A penny saved is a penny earned.” It’s close, but it’s not Franklin. Franklin is best known as one of the foremost founders of a new nation. He helped define the American spirit through his wit and wisdom. Nationally recognized scholar on his business practices, Dr. Blaine McCormick, says Franklin is often misquoted.

Jim Ryan of Merrill Lynch explains that you don’t have to sacrifice performance by bringing your values into your portfolio. Social impact bonds are being offered in the marketplace, often referred to as “pay for success” securities.

Jim Ryan, managing director at Merrill Lynch at the the private banking and investment group in New York City, says investors today are demanding more from their portfolio. He says institutional investors have a greater responsibility to ensure that their own investments reflect their underlying ministry or mission.

Companies today compete as a supply chain. All it takes is a failure of just one supplier in the chain to cause the whole company to come under scrutiny. Diana Mao, president of Nomi Network, says a company has an obligation to ensure responsible practice in supply chains beyond the first tier.