Don’t be left listless

Who doesn’t love a good list? Weekend Reads certainly does, which is why we are encouraging you to take advantage of a recent slew of business-related countdowns.

US site FastCompany has gone a little list crazy, deciding to chart the most impressive businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Check out its design countdown.

Rival Inc is determined not to be outshone, using its 30^th anniversary to remind readers of the best businesses to be etched on its pages. You can see them here.

Meanwhile, Entrepreneur.com has gone the jargon route for its list, outlining what terms such as “cross-functional” and “geolocation” actually mean.

No such modern business terminology was needed when Nike came up with one of the most recognisable logos on the planet – its “swoosh”.

It is 40 years since a design student was paid $2 an hour to come up with the odd-looking tick that has helped transport Nike’s brand around the world. Here are some of the original sketches.

If you don’t fancy your chances of stumbling across such an iconic breakthrough, you may be interested in a new business that has documented the 10 steps of creating a start-up.

You’d think that US retail giant Wal-Mart wouldn’t need any such help. So why is it pretending to be a start-up?

Nokia has interviewed some of Australia’s top entrepreneurs for their tips. Well worth a look.

Finally, are office romances a good idea? Maybe not, although if you want to give it a go, here’s how to go about it.