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Tag: Operations & Logistics

  • Why Flexible Payment Systems Are Now a Business Essential | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The right payment solution can accelerate growth, while the wrong one can stunt it. For small businesses, nonprofits and even large enterprises, how quickly and reliably money moves through the organization shapes everything from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy.

    Business leaders must regularly evaluate whether their payment solutions can keep pace with evolving demands or risk falling behind.

    Cash flow is the lifeblood of any organization. Whether it’s a small business handling seasonal fluctuations, a nonprofit managing through a grant cycle or a large corporation coordinating purchases across multiple departments, the ability to effectively manage incoming and outgoing funds is fundamental.

    Payment delays, mismatched billing cycles and inflexible payment terms can all create unnecessary strain, limiting a business’s ability to invest in new opportunities or respond to unexpected challenges.

    Related: Slow Payment Options Are Costing Your Business — Here’s the Alternatives of the Future

    Breaking free from operational bottlenecks

    Research reveals the operational realities business decision-makers face. According to a Morning Consult survey commissioned by Walmart Business, nearly 500 small business leaders reported spending approximately 40% of their workweek on administrative tasks.

    A significant portion of this time is devoted to managing spending, cash flow and reconciliation—activities that, while essential, can detract from core business functions such as serving customers, innovating and pursuing growth opportunities.

    For resource-strapped organizations, every minute spent on manual bookkeeping or chasing receipts is time lost driving the business forward. Yet many still rely on traditional payment processes that are rigid, slow and misaligned with their workflows, adding to the administrative burden. Today’s payment solutions must go beyond processing transactions to actively reduce operational friction.

    Related: Struggling with Finances? These Payment Solutions Will Save You

    Seamless systems, stronger performance

    Beyond cash flow, integrating payment solutions into everyday business operations can have a significant impact on efficiency. Traditional payment methods such as checks or manual invoices often require multiple steps for approval, reconciliation and record-keeping. Each additional step introduces the potential for errors, delays and increased administrative overhead.

    Organizations must consider how payment solutions fit into their unique workflows. No two organizations are alike; purchasing needs, approval hierarchies and accounting practices can vary widely depending on the industry, size and structure of the business. Solutions that are too rigid or too generic will fail to meet the specific requirements of a given organization, leading to workarounds that undermine efficiency and accuracy.

    Modern payment solutions are built for integration. When payment options are embedded into the purchasing experience — whether that’s through an online portal, a mobile app or in-store systems — organizations benefit from a seamless workflow that minimizes manual intervention.

    Features such as automated invoicing, real-time reporting and centralized record-keeping simplify the reconciliation process and make it easier for business leaders to monitor spending, comply with internal controls and generate accurate financial reports.

    Putting integration into action: Pay by invoice

    Flexible payment solutions, particularly those that offer extended terms or credit lines, can provide organizations with vital breathing room. By allowing businesses to defer payment on purchases — sometimes for 30 days or more — these solutions support better cash flow management and allow leaders to allocate their time and resources strategically. This flexibility can be especially impactful during uncertain economic times or periods of growth, when upfront investments may be required before additional revenue is realized.

    At Walmart Business, we recognized this need and recently introduced Pay by Invoice, powered by TreviPay. This offer enables eligible customers to access a business line of credit from TreviPay with 30-day net terms, allowing them to make critical purchases when needed and defer payment to better align with their revenue cycles.

    Such flexibility is no longer a luxury; it’s an expectation among business customers who must navigate complex, multi-location operations and fluctuating cash flows.

    The demand for Pay by Invoice is rooted in the desire for streamlined financial operations. By offering consolidated, detailed invoices, the solution simplifies expense tracking and reporting, making it easier for organizations to maintain oversight and accountability.

    The decision to fully integrate the use of Pay by Invoice into the Walmart Business experience across online, app and in-store channels was intentional, so customers benefit from a seamless, frictionless purchasing and payment process wherever they choose to shop.

    Related: What Sparked the Push for Flexible Pay?

    Looking ahead at the future of business payments

    As organizations continue to seek ways to operate more efficiently and adapt to changing economic conditions, the significance of flexible payment solutions will only grow. The broader trend toward digitization, automation and integration is transforming not only how businesses purchase goods and services, but how they manage finances, assess performance and make strategic decisions.

    For business leaders, understanding the available payment options and evaluating them through the lens of their organization’s unique needs is critical. Solutions that provide flexibility, transparency and integration can help remove operational barriers, improve cash flow and set the stage for sustained growth. Payment processes are no longer a back-office concern; they are a strategic lever for business success and future growth.

    The right payment solution can accelerate growth, while the wrong one can stunt it. For small businesses, nonprofits and even large enterprises, how quickly and reliably money moves through the organization shapes everything from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy.

    Business leaders must regularly evaluate whether their payment solutions can keep pace with evolving demands or risk falling behind.

    Cash flow is the lifeblood of any organization. Whether it’s a small business handling seasonal fluctuations, a nonprofit managing through a grant cycle or a large corporation coordinating purchases across multiple departments, the ability to effectively manage incoming and outgoing funds is fundamental.

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    Ashley Hubka

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  • Expanding Your Small Business? You Need to Prepare For This Money Challenge | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In our increasingly digitally borderless world, the dream of international expansion is more accessible than ever for American entrepreneurs. The reach of social media and a strategic web presence has the power to make your brand visible to a global audience in seconds. Yet, as U.S. small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) increasingly venture beyond borders, a significant yet often underestimated challenge emerges: currency volatility.

    From selling goods in Europe to sourcing materials from Asia, or managing a remote team spread across continents, operating internationally inherently means SMBs are engaging with different currencies. This involves added layers of complexity, not only because it entails managing Profit and Loss (P&L) statements in multiple currencies, but because the value of one currency against another is not static. A currency’s value can shift due to geopolitical events, economic news and market sentiment, often quickly and without warning. For small businesses, this can directly impact their bottom line in ways they might not be prepared for.

    Consider this scenario: You’re a small business owner and the U.S. dollar strengthens significantly against the currency in which you’ve priced an export contract. This means that your expected profit in dollars could sharply diminish upon conversion. Conversely, a weaker dollar could drastically increase the cost of imported goods, squeezing your profit margins or even making your products less competitive in the market. Beyond profitability, currency swings can make it difficult to accurately forecast spending or build a predictable budget. What you forecast to pay one month could significantly vary more or less the next, leading to instability that can derail your financial planning.

    For any U.S. small business looking to succeed in multiple markets, it’s essential to mitigate these risks by adopting a proactive currency management strategy. Here are three simple steps SMBs can take to hedge against currency volatility.

    Related: How to Solve the $800 Million Problem That’s Stopping Small Businesses From Expanding Overseas

    1. Assess exposure

    Small business owners should start by assessing how currency movements could affect their business. Consider which countries the business operates in and investigate the stability of local currency values over time. This provides an up-front indication of the level of risk you are taking on.

    From there, the next step is to establish the best way to manage a cross-border cash flow. For example, if you know you’re sourcing goods and materials from local vendors in a country with a volatile currency, you may want to keep most of the funds siphoned for those payments in USD until the time comes for you to actually make the payment. Alternatively, if you’re working with a foreign currency that is considered stable, it might be more cost-effective for your business to hold funds in that local currency consistently using a multi-currency account. By keeping those funds readily available, you can reduce the number of times you pay conversion fees and manage that revenue stream just like you would in dollars.

    It’s also worth noting that some businesses and individuals living and working in countries with volatile currencies may request to be paid in a non-native currency themselves, including USD. So it’s worth checking with suppliers and employees what their preference is before setting up payments.

    Related: How a Strong vs. Weak Dollar Impacts U.S. Businesses

    2. Rethink your supply chain

    Once SMBs have established their currency exposure, it’s time to start thinking strategically about how they’re spreading risk across the business. Especially this year, as new tariffs — taxes on imported goods — have created additional complexities for many small businesses, it’s more important than ever to mitigate the risk of unforeseen costs.

    A good place for SMBs to start is to take inventory of their suppliers. If they are all concentrated in one region with a volatile currency, it might be worth exploring alternatives. Similarly, if retail-based businesses shipping goods abroad are consistently paying cargo fees that they can’t readily predict, they might look for local suppliers of those same goods to avoid paying import charges on every order.

    Diversifying where the business buys and sells goods and services can significantly smooth out both currency risk and the impact of sudden tariff changes. In other words, rebalancing purchasing zones is a smart way to distribute and lessen overall financial exposure.

    Related: ‘Uniquely Positioned’: How Small Business Owners Can Successfully Navigate the Tariffs

    3. Embrace multi-currency financial platforms

    Regardless of a businesses’ chosen international structure, it’s crucial to choose financial tools that make managing a global cash flow simple. As I’ve already alluded to, multi-currency accounts can be a game-changer for SMBs operating across borders, allowing them to hold funds in multiple currencies and send money like a local to foreign accounts.

    Some multi-currency account offerings even allow businesses to set thresholds for automatic currency conversions, which means their account will automatically convert funds when a currency hits a designated rate. This seamlessly allows SMBs to capture gains and avoid losses without adding to their mental load.

    It’s also important to choose fast, affordable and transparent financial services providers. Faster international payments mean funds arrive quicker, reducing the window of exchange rate exposure. Some providers also offer a fixed exchange rate within a certain time frame, so businesses know that even if funds arrive the next day, it will be the exact amount they expected — no more, no less. For SMBs, having clarity on how much they’re paying in fees, when their money will arrive and how much their recipient will receive can be an enormous relief.

    Ultimately, managing exchange rate risk isn’t just about protection; it’s about creating opportunity. When currency volatility is well-managed, it can become a lever for competitiveness. Businesses that have the right tools can leverage these variations to optimize their purchases or strengthen their positions in critical markets.

    For U.S. entrepreneurs venturing into the global marketplace, understanding and proactively managing currency risk is no longer optional. By embracing transparency, demanding speed and prioritizing control over your international finances, SMBs can protect their margins, empower their growth and unlock the vast potential of the international economy.

    In our increasingly digitally borderless world, the dream of international expansion is more accessible than ever for American entrepreneurs. The reach of social media and a strategic web presence has the power to make your brand visible to a global audience in seconds. Yet, as U.S. small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) increasingly venture beyond borders, a significant yet often underestimated challenge emerges: currency volatility.

    From selling goods in Europe to sourcing materials from Asia, or managing a remote team spread across continents, operating internationally inherently means SMBs are engaging with different currencies. This involves added layers of complexity, not only because it entails managing Profit and Loss (P&L) statements in multiple currencies, but because the value of one currency against another is not static. A currency’s value can shift due to geopolitical events, economic news and market sentiment, often quickly and without warning. For small businesses, this can directly impact their bottom line in ways they might not be prepared for.

    Consider this scenario: You’re a small business owner and the U.S. dollar strengthens significantly against the currency in which you’ve priced an export contract. This means that your expected profit in dollars could sharply diminish upon conversion. Conversely, a weaker dollar could drastically increase the cost of imported goods, squeezing your profit margins or even making your products less competitive in the market. Beyond profitability, currency swings can make it difficult to accurately forecast spending or build a predictable budget. What you forecast to pay one month could significantly vary more or less the next, leading to instability that can derail your financial planning.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    June Yuan

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  • How Pana Food Truck Started Selling Arepas | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    German Sierra, founder of Pana Food Truck in Santa Cruz, California, never imagined his craving for a childhood comfort food would lead him to build a thriving business with a loyal following and the distinction of Yelp’s Top 100 Food Trucks.

    “My brother and I came to the United States in 2016 [from Venezuela],” he says. “There weren’t any arepas. We actually eat arepas every day in Venezuela, so we needed them. My brother was like, ‘Hey, why don’t we make some arepas and take them to the streets, and maybe people will buy them?’”

    Armed with foil-wrapped arepas and homemade Venezuelan juices, the brothers set up outside a supermarket. They didn’t sell a single one. A police officer stopped them, asking for a permit they didn’t know they needed. Instead of giving up, Sierra gave the food away and kept searching for a way forward.

    Related: They Built Their First Restaurant With Their ‘Bare Hands.’ Now They Have 380 Locations.

    “Sometimes there’s a little miscommunication between entities. Sometimes the health department will [have] different rules than the city,” Sierra says, describing the challenges he faced trying to get his business off the ground. “There are specific places to park. You cannot park everywhere because there’s gonna be competition with restaurants.”

    As a business with one core offering, Sierra had to sell the value of arepas to customers who had never heard of them.

    “It was hard in the beginning — and [is] still hard — to convince people why we don’t have other dishes,” Sierra says. “We wanted to focus on arepas [so] there is no confusion of what we sell, and it’s memorable.”

    Small adjustments, like listing arepas as “chicken” or “beef” on the menu, helped introduce the dish to American diners and reduce confusion without losing cultural authenticity. “When customers come, they want 30-second decisions — no half an hour figuring out the menu and what to get,” Sierra says.

    Related: He Grew His Small Business to a $25 Million Operation By Following These 5 Principles

    As word spread, Sierra focused on making connections with customers, pairing education about the food with free samples to encourage repeat visits. Early on, he recognized that an excellent customer experience made people more likely to choose Pana over another restaurant.

    “I didn’t wanna be just in the food truck business,” he says. “I want to be in the heart-warming business, because the food makes your heart warm. That’s the emotion I want to create every time.”

    Now celebrating six years in business, Pana continues to grow while staying true to its roots. In 2025, Sierra and his wife, Gabriella Ramirez, opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz. “It wasn’t an overnight success, and we’re still growing and improving,” Sierra says. “We are just a baby, and there’s so much that we can change and improve.”

    For Sierra, every arepa is a chance to share a piece of home, and to build what he calls “an arepa empire, one arepa at a time.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    After turning a craving for arepas into one of Yelp’s Top 100 Food Trucks of 2025 and opening a brick-and-mortar, Sierra’s advice for current and future business owners is clear:

    • Start small but stay consistent. Break overwhelming challenges into smaller steps and commit to showing up for your customers every day.
    • Adapt to your audience while staying authentic. Customer education can help your audience understand new offerings and grow goodwill in your community.
    • Lead with generosity. Warm service and meaningful interactions matter just as much as what’s on the menu. Customers return not only for flavor, but also for connection.
    • Think about the big picture. For Sierra, selling arepas was never just about food — it was about creating heart-warming experiences. Any platform, whether it’s a food truck or restaurant, can be a vehicle to share your mission.
    • Play the long game. Building something meaningful takes time, patience and passion. If your business isn’t an immediate success, research the steps you’ll need to take to achieve smaller goals that get you closer to your vision.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from German Sierra, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • The Shocking Cost of Vendor Data Breaches | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Modern supply chains are a complex web of interconnected, intertwined digital ecosystems, each supporting the other. Look around you, and everything from how your workstations perform to how your data is being managed consists of several different suppliers and vendors, beyond what might be evident to you on first glance.

    You may have bought your web domain from an American company, but your hosting servers are in Europe. You probably bought your cloud infrastructure from AWS or Google, but your data is being stored in a remote village in Norway.

    Beyond what is visible lies a plethora of vendors and suppliers that work together like clockwork to make sure your business infrastructure remains up and running.

    However, this is where the problem begins. A single outage, data breach or fault with one of these vendors can have a devastating ripple effect on your business operations.

    Your direct vendor might not even be responsible, but their service might depend on a third-party provider, with whom you have no connection, and yet, your business takes the complete brunt of the situation.

    Therefore, in today’s world, companies don’t just have to prepare for internal data risks but also think about the data risks posed to their suppliers and vendors.

    Related: How to Mitigate Cybersecurity Risks Associated With Supply Chain Partners and Vendors

    Vulnerabilities due to a web of interdependencies

    In 2021, millions of websites across the world suddenly went offline. This included business websites, banks, ecommerce ports and even government agencies. In fact, it took out a major chunk of European and mostly French websites.

    After a couple of hours, it was found that one of the four data centers owned by the company OVHcloud was destroyed due to a fire.

    While the data centers supposedly had backups, the resulting damage in terms of data breaches and lost business cost tens of millions of dollars.

    Even some of the largest companies in the world are regularly attacked and are susceptible to data leaks.

    Orange Belgium‘s data breach exposed information of 850,000 customers. Allianz Life‘s data breach exposed personal information of more than a million customers, and a Qantas cyberattack leaked information on over six million airline customers!

    More recently, a ransomware attack on the UK’s NHS (National Health Service) disrupted blood tests across several London hospitals, eventually leading to the death of at least one patient. The software provider for the NHS, Advanced Computer Systems, was eventually fined £3 million, but only after an innocent life had already been lost.

    While these large organizations cannot be solely blamed, it is clear that even if you have the most robust IT and security infrastructure within your organization, you are never immune to the vulnerabilities of your vendors.

    Common mistakes that lead to weak data management

    Similar to the example of OVHcloud, many vendors simply lack a robust backup system to ensure operations run smoothly — this is where the problem starts. Due to a poor backup system, they also have an insufficient disaster recovery plan in case of a ransomware attack. Therefore, a fire in only one of their four data centers brought down millions of their customers’ websites.

    Another example might be the NHS’s software. They probably had data integrity checks built into their security, but they were insufficient, making it easy for an attack to take place across a number of locations. Overall, a reliance on manual recovery efforts and weak cybersecurity practices creates vulnerabilities that can have devastating consequences.

    Related: 3 Ways to Ensure Cybersecurity Is a Priority for the Companies You Partner With

    Cost of a vendor data crisis

    Any data breaches or attacks on your vendors will have a direct impact on your business. It can directly result in operational downtime, which can include workflows that completely stop working, supply chain disruptions, invoicing issues and much more.

    In the short run, it can lead to lost sales, SLA breaches and even penalties, while in the long run, the financial impact due to reputational damage can be even worse. If customers can’t trust you to deliver on time or protect their data, they might never return.

    It’s important to safeguard your business against such scenarios, and there are a couple of steps that can help you mitigate these.

    How to mitigate a vendor data crisis

    Before signing a contract with a vendor, it’s important to do your due diligence and assess their data and security infrastructure. This might seem instructive, but it is one of the important first steps you can take to protect your business and data against vulnerabilities.

    It is also important to carry out regular audits and ensure SLAs are met and that they are up-to-date with industry standards.

    Overall, there needs to be a plan for diversification so that no single vendor can impact a critical workflow.

    Related: Why Cybersecurity is the Key to Unlocking the Full Potential of Supply Chains

    Why it’s important to have robust data recovery tools

    Despite all the due diligence and backups, no system is 100% fail-proof. This is why your business must have reliable recovery tools that can help recover damaged files, important emails and even complete databases, making sure your organization can be back on its feet as soon as possible.

    A company’s data can be worth tens of thousands of dollars for a small business and much more for a larger organization. Using such software is the perfect safety net when prevention fails.

    Modern supply chains are a complex web of interconnected, intertwined digital ecosystems, each supporting the other. Look around you, and everything from how your workstations perform to how your data is being managed consists of several different suppliers and vendors, beyond what might be evident to you on first glance.

    You may have bought your web domain from an American company, but your hosting servers are in Europe. You probably bought your cloud infrastructure from AWS or Google, but your data is being stored in a remote village in Norway.

    Beyond what is visible lies a plethora of vendors and suppliers that work together like clockwork to make sure your business infrastructure remains up and running.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Chongwei Chen

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  • 6 Questions AI Should Be Able to Answer — or It’s Useless | Entrepreneur

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    “We need 1,000 leads — are we on target?”

    It seems like a simple business question, but for many teams, arriving at an answer requires hours of digging through manual files and spreadsheets, piecing together data from individual systems and uncovering where information exists across siloed departments.

    It’s not only about finding the right data and bringing it together — knowing whether a team is on track toward its goals takes analysis to understand what the data actually means. This requires a level of expertise and training that most employees, outside of data scientists, don’t have.

    As a result, many companies are now leaning into AI to bridge this gap.

    Employees can rely on AI to pull relevant data, analyze trends, compare current progress to business goals and make recommendations on what to do next — all without any prior data analysis experience. And because it’s all autonomous, AI can track progress in real-time and identify any shortfalls or potential roadblocks as they happen.

    With AI, teams can quickly identify their progress towards goals and make informed decisions on what to do next to drive business impact.

    With Slingshot — our AI-powered data-driven work management platform — we put data at the center of every organization and enable teams to quickly analyze and visualize data so they can put it to work immediately. Because all of a company’s data is in one place, AI can access all the data it needs — exactly when it needs it — so teams can ask questions in simple business terms and receive an answer in seconds. This AI-driven analysis saves teams hours of searching and sifting through data, so they can focus on making their data drive value for the business.

    If AI isn’t delivering these insights, it’s a sign that teams need to check the data feeding it, review their tech stack or upskill employees — otherwise, they’re missing out on AI’s full potential.

    Here are five other questions that teams should ensure their AI is ready to handle.

    Related: Two-Thirds of Small Businesses Are Already Using AI — Here’s How to Get Even More Out of It

    1. Which KPIs are underperforming and need attention?

    Key performance indicators — or KPIs — are important for understanding how well a company is running its operations and hitting its goals. Teams often spend time checking individual metrics, like website traffic or how many customers they have, but this means very little in relation to larger company goals. Instead, they need to create KPIs like “increase website traffic by 5%,” or “increase monthly active users of a product by 10%,” to track against larger business goals.

    Most of the time, tracking KPIs requires a holistic look at many different departments and business processes. And they require regular review, to both avoid any roadblocks and adjust as a company’s strategy evolves in real-time.

    Teams can bring together multiple data sources to calculate KPIs in real-time with AI. This allows them to immediately see if they’re tracking with their KPIs — and if they’re not, AI can recommend actions to improve them.

    2. What is our ideal customer profile — and how is it changing?

    Go-to-market teams aim to focus on their highest-fit prospects, because they’re the ones most likely to buy their products. Many are, however, relying on outdated personas or their gut instincts on where to prioritize their efforts. AI can analyze CRM data, product usage and support tickets to uncover emerging trends in behavior, sentiment and adoption that would take days to surface manually. With these insights, teams can identify their ideal customer profile, adjust targeting, personalize messaging and refine their go-to-market strategy to drive success.

    Related: AI Can Give You New Insights About Your Customers for Cheap. Here’s How to Make It Work for You.

    3. What’s our feature adoption rate by user segment?

    Product teams, specifically in tech, likely know which features are being used most frequently and how many users they have each month — but they often struggle to break down that usage by user type, industry or reason. Even when that data exists, manually sorting through it can take hours — or even days, making it difficult to understand what’s working, what’s not and which users are truly benefiting from the product.

    That lack of clarity can lead to wasted time and resources on features that don’t move the needle for core customers. With AI-powered tools, teams can automatically segment users based on behavior, role, company size, use case and more, and instantly surface adoption trends across these key segments. This enables teams to focus on building features that deliver the most value to the right users, to optimize product adoption and customer satisfaction.

    4. Which team members are overloaded and how does that affect our project timelines?

    Workload imbalance is one of the most common reasons projects fall behind. In fast-paced, cross-functional work environments, it’s easy for some employees to feel overloaded while others are underutilized. While many managers try to keep tabs on what’s on every employee’s plate and who’s at capacity, it’s difficult without a bird’s-eye view into an entire team or department.

    AI can analyze task assignments, due dates, cross-team tasks and project updates to spot patterns that employees or managers might miss — like unrealistic timelines, resource gaps or dependencies that are holding things up. With this insight, teams can rebalance workloads, course-correct before delays spiral and keep projects moving more efficiently.

    Related: How to Prepare Your Small Business for the Next Wave of AI Innovation

    5. How should we allocate next quarter’s budget and headcount next quarter to drive growth?

    While many businesses look backwards to evaluate performance, AI can help look ahead. By analyzing insights such as historical sales data, marketing performance, user adoption and resource utilization, AI can provide recommendations on where to allocate budget and headcount. AI can identify where the largest return is coming from, where additional investment could be beneficial — and where it makes sense to scale back. That may mean doubling down on a high-converting marketing channel, investing into more sales support or reducing focus on a specific product or product feature.

    Employees shouldn’t spend hours digging through data or trying to understand what it means. Instead, AI should be able to share instant visibility into what’s working, what needs attention and where to go next with simple questions. That kind of clarity drives better decisions — and better results.

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    Dean Guida

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  • Why Every Entrepreneur Needs Raving Fans (and 3 Steps to Build Them) | Entrepreneur

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    What if the real reason you feel stuck in business isn’t your offer, your ads or your strategy — but the fact that you don’t yet have a community of raving fans?

    I know this firsthand. I built a multi-million-dollar company that has been recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America. And if I am honest, one of the biggest reasons we scaled wasn’t just our offers. It was the loyal community we built along the way.

    Because here’s the truth: a raving fan community does not just give you customers. It gives you defenders, promoters and ambassadors. It transforms buyers into believers. It is the difference between someone buying once and someone shouting your name, lining up at your events and bringing their friends with them.

    This is why Beyoncé can sell out stadiums back-to-back. This is why Sarah Jakes Roberts fills arenas every year with Woman Evolve. And it is why our company continues to grow — because we have intentionally built a movement of experts we call ‘Cashletes.’

    The good news? You do not need millions of followers or billions of dollars to build this. You only need to understand what I call The Community Amplifier Method™.

    This method is built on three roles every great community must have:

    1. Transparent Leaders. People follow leaders they can trust. That trust comes from honesty, not perfection.
    2. Brand Evangelists. Super-fans who spread your message and recruit others into your movement.
    3. Brand Bodyguards. Loyal defenders who stand up for you when critics or challenges appear.

    Related: Why Emotional Branding Is Out and Functional Loyalty Is In.

    Pillar 1: Transparent leadership

    When I left my $300K law firm job in 2018, I thought success would come instantly. The reality was very different. In the first few months of business, I made less than $800 total. I remember questioning and regretting my decision.

    Yet those hard months became my most powerful story. People do not connect with the perfect version of you. They connect with the real you. The you that struggled, doubted and almost gave up but didn’t.

    Sarah Jakes Roberts embodies this. She does not just share her wins. She shares the fact that she was a teen mom, that she felt unqualified and that she wrestled with insecurity. Her openness makes her community feel seen. Even Beyoncé has pulled back the curtain — through documentaries and candid moments, she lets the BeyHive see her real life, and her transparency deepens loyalty.

    Here are some tips to implement transparent leadership:

    • Share your origin story, including the early struggles.
    • Choose 2–3 “professional personal” areas of your life you are comfortable showing.
    • Tell stories of moments when you almost quit. People connect with honesty, not perfection.

    Transparency creates trust. Trust creates community.

    Pillar 2: Brand evangelist

    Once you lead with authenticity, you will attract more than customers. You will attract evangelists — people who buy into your mission so deeply they cannot help but share it.

    I will never forget the first time I attended a truly transformative event. The experience shifted me so deeply that by the following year, I invited over a dozen clients to join me. I even purchased extra tickets just to give away. No one asked me to. No one paid me to. I did it simply because the experience was that powerful.

    That is the power of evangelists. They are your free marketing army. They recruit with passion, and their word carries weight because it is trusted.

    Here are some tips to implement brand evangelists:

    • Deliver value so good people feel compelled to share it.
    • Give your community a name or identity they can proudly carry.
    • Publicly recognize and reward your loudest supporters.

    Serve people so well that they cannot help but talk about you.

    Pillar 3: Brand bodyguard

    The final pillar of The Community Amplifier Method™ is bodyguards. These are the fans who protect your brand when challenges or critics appear.

    The BeyHive is legendary for this. The moment anyone criticizes Beyoncé, her fans swarm. Their loyalty is unmatched.

    I have experienced this in my own business. After one of my events, critics tried to drag me online. Before I could respond, members of my community stepped in. They corrected the misinformation and defended me without me asking. They did it because they believed in me and in the brand.

    Here are some tips to implement brand bodyguards:

    • Define community values and invite members to live them out.
    • Deliver so consistently that members feel invested in protecting what you built.
    • Thank and acknowledge those who defend your brand. Gratitude reinforces loyalty.

    You cannot force devotion. You earn it.

    Related: 4 Steps to Building a Community of Raving Fans

    How to build your own raving fans community

    1. Share Your Story and Plant the Flag. Introduce who you are, why you are building this community and why it matters. Transparency attracts your first believers.
    2. Create a Space and Spark Conversations. Use a group platform where members connect with each other, not just with you. Your role is to spark the culture until it grows on its own.
    3. Bring People Together. Host live experiences, online or in person. Shared experiences create shared memories, and shared memories create loyalty.

    Here is the bottom line.

    You do not need millions of followers to build a raving fan base. All it takes is a small group of people who believe deeply in your story, your mission and your brand. From there, momentum multiplies.

    Every movement begins with just a handful of people who lean in, listen and believe. What starts small can grow into a community that spreads your message further than you could alone.

    You can do this!

    The sooner you start applying The Community Amplifier Method™, the sooner your business stops being a struggle and starts becoming a movement.

    What if the real reason you feel stuck in business isn’t your offer, your ads or your strategy — but the fact that you don’t yet have a community of raving fans?

    I know this firsthand. I built a multi-million-dollar company that has been recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America. And if I am honest, one of the biggest reasons we scaled wasn’t just our offers. It was the loyal community we built along the way.

    Because here’s the truth: a raving fan community does not just give you customers. It gives you defenders, promoters and ambassadors. It transforms buyers into believers. It is the difference between someone buying once and someone shouting your name, lining up at your events and bringing their friends with them.

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    Ashley Kirkwood

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  • How Cava Grew From One to 380 Locations | Entrepreneur

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    Ted Xenohristos, co-founder and chief concept officer of Cava, drew inspiration from his immigrant parents’ Greek heritage and the food he ate growing up. What began as a humble restaurant inside an old Russian bakery in Rockville, Maryland, blossomed into a national brand with 380 locations across 28 states and Washington, D.C.

    “We wanted to do it for an affordable price and [offer] something that people could share,” Xenohristos says. “We built that first restaurant with our bare hands. Everything [was] from the Dollar Store, Target, Home Goods.”

    The first few weeks of business were filled with uncertainty and long hours. Xenohristos and Cava CEO Brett Schulman poured their energy into constructing the brand’s first location, building it from the ground up. Without a marketing budget, they relied instead on something more powerful: authenticity and hospitality.

    Related: He Grew His Small Business to a $25 Million Operation By Following These 5 Principles

    “We used our Mediterranean hospitality that we grew up knowing, without a marketing budget, without signs outside, without a POS system,” Xenohristos says. “We gave people free things — free drinks, free food, free dessert — and they eventually told other people, and before you knew it, that little restaurant had a really long line.”

    As word spread and momentum built, the founders realized they had tapped into something much bigger than a single restaurant. In just over six months, they opened a second location and expanded operations to include a retail line of dips and spreads, bringing Mediterranean flavors into grocery stores.

    Despite its rapid rise as one of Yelp’s fastest-growing brands of 2025, Cava never strayed from its core values of generosity and Mediterranean hospitality.

    “One of the reasons we started this business was to take care of people and to change the culture,” Xenohristos says. “We love food, we wanted to share it, but we really wanted to change how people were treated. It starts with that.”

    The brand’s mission statement is “to bring heart, health and humanity to food.”

    The company’s leaders demonstrate heart by caring for guests and staff, health through fresh Mediterranean ingredients and humanity by fostering connection and community inside and outside the company.

    “All those things together keep that culture alive,” Xenohristos says. “We still work hard to execute on that dream, to have a greater culture and restaurant.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    Making culture a cornerstone of the business includes providing meaningful employee benefits, such as tuition discounts, family planning assistance, accessible healthcare and mental health resources. Cava also hosts an annual conference designed to foster connection and collaboration among general managers.

    This culture extends to the customer experience. Even in the fast-casual dining space, Cava’s team finds ways to create meaningful human connections. One such initiative is the “love button,” a tool that empowers employees to cover a customer’s meal if they notice someone having a rough day.

    Xenohristos says this initiative is all about “giving our team members the tools to be able to share that generosity that’s ingrained in us and our culture.”

    While no journey is without its challenges, Cava’s values continue to push the brand forward, redefining how guests experience food and hospitality. “As we continue to grow, the more we can do what we set out to do, which was change the restaurant industry,” Xenohristos says.

    His advice for current and future business leaders is clear:

    • Lead with purpose and heart. Building a business rooted in hospitality, care and connection creates lasting impact — for both your team and your customers.
    • Make culture your cornerstone. A thoughtful employee experience does more than retain talent; it distinguishes your brand.
    • Grow without losing your roots. No matter how big you scale, stay grounded in the mission that started it all. Authenticity is your most valuable asset.
    • Empower generosity. Give your team tools to care about their work, people and purpose. Small acts of kindness create big ripple effects.
    • Don’t just follow the industry — change it. Cava didn’t just open restaurants. It built a movement around food, humanity and culture, proving that chains can be both scalable and mission-driven.

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Xenohristos, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • How Switching to a C Corp Could Save Your Business Thousands | Entrepreneur

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    I own a firm dedicated to business optimization. Since the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or OBBBA, I’m now more inclined than ever to advise my larger and more growth-focused clients to consider the C corporation over other popular entity types such as LLCs and S corporations. That said, for smaller businesses and owners who rely year-by-year on their business profits for personal living expenses, the LLC or S corporation may still be the right fit for maximum tax savings.

    A refresher on pass-through income

    In order to understand the impact of the new law and what it means for your business, it’s important to understand “pass-through income.” If you have an LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or an S corporation that makes money this year, you can rest assured you will be taxed on that income. Your profits pass through from your business and are taxed as individual income. The C corporation, however, presents a different dynamic. Your business profits don’t automatically pass through to you individually but are taxed at the corporate level.

    Now, if your C corporation issues a dividend or you sell your shares, then the money you receive counts as individual income and is taxed as such. But here’s the thing, no one can force you to issue a dividend or sell shares in your company. Plenty of C corporation owners reinvest most or all of their profits back into their business. And why shouldn’t they? Especially now, given that the OBBBA incentivizes you to do just that.

    Related: Why New Tax Rules Could Be a Game Changer for Your Business

    Corporate tax is way less expensive than individual income tax

    To reiterate, C corporations must pay corporate tax on profits. Corporate tax is always less costly than individual income tax. Prior to 2018, the corporate tax rate could go as high as 35%, similar to the highest income tax bracket. This is no longer the case. Corporations have enjoyed a flat 21% tax rate for the past several years, “flat” meaning that regardless of whether your business profits $50,000 this year or $50 million, you pay 21%. The new law makes this 21% flat rate permanent.

    C corporations are the only business entity type that, when profitable, doesn’t automatically trigger individual income tax at the end of the year. So, a good strategy for a business owner with a C corporation is to maximize the amount of profits taxed at 21%, and only 21%.

    The OBBBA makes it easier than ever to defer individual income tax

    The trick is to retain as much of your earnings as possible within the corporation. The new law provides ample means for doing just that. There’s a kind of cascade of incentives in place in the OBBBA that encourages higher levels of corporate earnings retention. Consider, for instance, the bill’s making legal the immediate expensing of Research and Experimentation costs. In the past, it was required that such costs be expensed in accordance with a specific schedule over several years.

    Research and Experimentation costs can now be deducted in full in the same year they’re incurred. If you were looking for a reason to retain more of your business’s earnings and benefit from the ensuing tax savings, then deploying more R&E funds to quickly reduce your overall tax liability may be a brilliant move.

    Pass-through entities still benefit

    Don’t get the wrong idea. The OBBBA is by no means hostile towards pass-through entity types. In fact, the bill provides pass-throughs with a nice and exclusive perk in the form of the now permanent 20% QBI (Qualified Business Income) deduction. C corporations don’t get this.

    Here are the specs: Though subject to income limits and other restrictions, for most businesses, the QBI deduction flat out erases the tax liability for 20% of your pass-through entity’s taxable income. The benefit begins to phase out at $165,000 for single status tax filers, and $330,000 for married filing jointly.

    How should I weigh the QBI deduction for pass-throughs against C corp benefits?

    For starters, if your income is lower than the aforementioned thresholds ($165,000 for single, $330,000 for married) then the 20% QBI deduction afforded by your pass-through entity will be hard to pass up. Once your business earns above these thresholds, a pass-through can end up costing more in taxes than a C corporation, since C corps can retain profits without immediately triggering personal income tax.

    Related: Here’s What the ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ Means for the Franchise Industry

    What else should I know about the OBBBA?

    The new law extends other existing business perks that can benefit C corporations and pass-throughs alike. The 100% Bonus Depreciation provision will no longer phase out but is now made permanent. This allows businesses to immediately deduct the full costs of qualified tangible property rather than deduct those same costs incrementally year after year.

    Similarly, the bill’s increased expensing cap provides tax savings — particularly for small- and medium-sized businesses — by increasing the maximum amount a business owner is able to write off in Section 179 expenses (machines, equipment, office furniture, computers, etc.) The bill’s $2.5 million expensing cap is time and a half more than the previous cap of $1 million.

    While these incentives benefit both corporations and pass-throughs by reducing overall taxable income, they also uniquely expand opportunities for C corporations to retain earnings, fueling reinvestment and long-term growth.

    The effects of the OBBBA will be felt for decades to come, a wave of growth and tax savings for businesses of all types and sizes. If you’re looking to reinvest your earnings in growth, innovation and expansion, talk to your attorney about the benefits of moving into a C corporation or contact a business formation services provider for more information.

    I own a firm dedicated to business optimization. Since the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or OBBBA, I’m now more inclined than ever to advise my larger and more growth-focused clients to consider the C corporation over other popular entity types such as LLCs and S corporations. That said, for smaller businesses and owners who rely year-by-year on their business profits for personal living expenses, the LLC or S corporation may still be the right fit for maximum tax savings.

    A refresher on pass-through income

    In order to understand the impact of the new law and what it means for your business, it’s important to understand “pass-through income.” If you have an LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or an S corporation that makes money this year, you can rest assured you will be taxed on that income. Your profits pass through from your business and are taxed as individual income. The C corporation, however, presents a different dynamic. Your business profits don’t automatically pass through to you individually but are taxed at the corporate level.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Nellie Akalp

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  • How to Build a Business That Thrives in Tough Economic Times | Entrepreneur

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    Tough economic times are scary for businesses and consumers, but the solution isn’t to take your foot off the gas. I opened the first Roof Maxx dealership in 2019, just one year before the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, it’s a nationally recognized residential roof restoration brand with an annual revenue of nearly $200 million in 2025.

    Here are five key principles I used to guide my business decisions during those difficult years.

    Related: How Great Entrepreneurs Find Ways to Win During Economic Downturns

    1. Essential problems are more important than aspirational ones

    A lot of founders focus on flashy, dramatic solutions that dominate headlines, like getting humanity to Mars or being the first to create AGI. But sometimes, those are solutions to problems that don’t really exist — or at least, that don’t exist urgently for everyday people.

    Most people aren’t worried about whether they’ll ever set foot on the surface of the red planet. They’re worried about what will happen to this planet in their lifetimes, because they’re worried about their homes.

    So when my brother Todd and I started our business, we didn’t shoot for the moon — or Mars. We focused on helping people extend the lifespan of their asphalt shingle rooftops and avoid the waste created by replacing them prematurely. It was a simple problem, but one we saw impacting homeowners all over America. That meant we had a nation full of target customers from the start.

    2. Affordable alternatives to big-ticket items can create new markets

    One of the biggest challenges we faced during those early years was that no market existed for our product. Roof restoration already existed in commercial roofing, but it was for metal and flat roofs only. Everyone in the residential space was selling replacements at the time, and there was no alternative for asphalt shingles until we invented one.

    Even in the best of times, creating a brand new niche is a tall order. But the economic uncertainty of the pandemic actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When homeowners heard that our treatments cost up to 80% less than the cost of fully replacing their shingles, it no longer mattered that we were doing something previously unheard of in the residential space. The cost savings alone were enough to convince many people to opt in.

    Related: 5 Tips to Create Affordable Products Without Compromising on Quality

    3. Controlling your operating costs reduces your risk

    Scaling any business comes with a certain amount of unavoidable risk, which is why many companies tend to be more careful about pursuing growth during times of economic upheaval. But stagnation is an even bigger risk.

    Think of it this way: If you’re climbing a volcano and it erupts, your first instinct might be to freeze. But if you stay on your current ledge, you’re probably not going to make it. As scary as it is, you have to move.

    The key is to stay agile. If you were the climber, you’d probably ditch your backpack and any non-essential items so that they wouldn’t slow you down. As a business in an uncertain economy, the same principle applies: You want to become financially lean so you can scale with less risk.

    For us, that meant setting up a national network of dealers instead of opening and managing new locations ourselves. It didn’t just help us expand into new markets with less overhead; it also allowed us to invest more heavily in providing each dealer with the training resources and materials they needed to succeed. At a time when many Americans were looking for new ways to earn but were nervous about starting their own businesses, this gave everyone a leg up.

    We couldn’t afford to take on that kind of risk during a pandemic, but by providing comprehensive training resources and remote support to our partners, we gave them everything they needed to bring the brand across North America.

    4. Aging systems and infrastructure are an overlooked but essential market

    Time impacts everyone and everything. Even when budgets are tight, things still get old and need maintenance to stay functional.

    For some of those things — like rooftops — putting off the work isn’t an option. 29% of asphalt shingle roofs have less than four years of usable life left, and that clock keeps ticking regardless of market conditions.

    If you can build your business around servicing assets that are both necessary and depreciating, you can always count on a steady stream of customers. We knew people might defer their landscaping plans during a pandemic, but they wouldn’t let the roofs over their heads degrade to the point where they put their properties at risk.

    5. Green solutions can be profitable as well as planet-saving

    Last but not least, we have to talk about the value of offering eco-friendly products and services. It’s a mistake to view green solutions as luxuries that people will only want to purchase during times of financial comfort.

    During rocky economic periods, the last thing people want to do is waste resources. If they can save money by maintaining something instead of throwing it away, they will. And since many green solutions focus on reducing waste, these services have more appeal when the economy suffers, not less.

    With Roof Maxx, we offered homeowners a way to keep their current asphalt shingles in good condition instead of having to pay for a full roof replacement. Not only did it save an average of 3.8 tons of landfill waste per home, but it also cost up to 80% less. The fact that we were eco-friendly wasn’t a bonus; it was a key part of the value we were offering at a time when every saved shingle (and dollar) mattered.

    Related: Build a Business That Helps People Feel Good About Doing the Right Thing

    Make your business recession-resistant

    The principles that helped my business grow during one of the worst recessions in our lifetimes weren’t rocket science. They were simple:

    • Focus on an essential problem

    • Offer an affordable alternative to something expensive

    • Keep operating costs in check

    • Focus on aging systems or infrastructure

    • Help customers stay lean and green

    You can use these to insulate your business as well. Here’s to sustainable growth, no matter what the future holds.

    Tough economic times are scary for businesses and consumers, but the solution isn’t to take your foot off the gas. I opened the first Roof Maxx dealership in 2019, just one year before the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, it’s a nationally recognized residential roof restoration brand with an annual revenue of nearly $200 million in 2025.

    Here are five key principles I used to guide my business decisions during those difficult years.

    Related: How Great Entrepreneurs Find Ways to Win During Economic Downturns

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Mike Feazel

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  • Running an Online Business Is Tough — But Doing These 4 Things Will Make It Easier | Entrepreneur

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    Becoming an ecommerce entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. The technological hurdles can be substantial. And there is ample competition within the space.

    The good news is that the technology has created opportunities, and the competition is there because there is substantial opportunity. Technology and the acclimation of society to buying online have created a perfect storm of opportunity that shows no signs of abating.

    So what has to happen to be a successful participant as an ecommerce entrepreneur? Here are four initiatives one must embrace.

    Related: 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Launching an Ecommerce Business

    1. Experiment, experiment, experiment

    This is a mentality. As we all know, failure can be your friend. And failure, inevitably, arises from experimentation. Some of my experiments early in my ecommerce career that didn’t pan out were: Starting my own private label brand early on without doing enough market research, specifically checking for demand of the item, and relying too heavily on one supplier or fulfillment channel.

    This being said, if I had not taken the chance, I would not be where I am today.

    One of the best ways to cultivate this habit is to embrace mentors. They can think about things analytically, without the baggage of the business being “their baby.” Take inventory of what they suggest, and step out into the unknown. It is your best chance of success.

    2. Track the competition

    Ten years ago, I was just starting my first store on the Amazon marketplace and opened several niche Shopify stores around the same time. I focused on the competition, often trying to learn how they might approach a similar challenge to what I was facing.

    For example, I noticed some people were creating funnels for their ecommerce stores. I took note of that. Some of them were testing out different types of landing pages. Others were testing out YouTube ads for ecommerce products back in the 2010s, specifically trendy gadgets with the potential to go viral. It was something I had never experimented with before, and it was a really creative, niche-specific way of marketing. I went on to build out product funnels of my own, learned about upsell strategies, what goes into making a strong product landing page and so much more.

    3. Embrace financial literacy

    When I started my ecommerce business, I knew quite a bit about online marketing — I had a small locally based marketing agency in Northern California in my early 20s and I created a social media influencer business. Both of these ventures taught me important things about running an ecommerce business.

    Creating and analyzing financial metrics wasn’t exactly my strong suit in the beginning. I started by learning how to read basic reports like profit and loss statements, and quickly realized how crucial it is to know which numbers actually matter. As an ecommerce seller, you have to keep a close eye on metrics like your average order value (AOV), cost per acquisition (CPA), cost of goods sold (COGS), gross revenue, net profit, overall profit margin and more.

    At first, I didn’t fully understand how all these pieces fit together, so I had to learn as I went. That experience is a big part of why we prioritize financial education for our clients. Even though we break the numbers down into clear, actionable insights, we also want to empower them. Whether they eventually want to run their own operation or branch out into a related ecommerce business, perhaps on Amazon, understanding the financial side is essential.

    Related: How to Build, Grow and Make Money With Ecommerce

    4. Delegate

    Successful people buy their time back. If you can afford to, outsource at the outset. Generally, if you do that, you can grow faster. You can’t do everything at once. You can’t wear an expert hat in every area. I tried in my early and mid-20s to do so much on my own, only to be faced with major symptoms of burnout.

    Outsource it. For example, even if you’re just starting out with a modest budget, consider hiring a virtual assistant. You can train them to support your operations, or they may already bring expertise in areas where you lack experience, such as customer service or product research. A skilled assistant can help manage customer communications and keep buyers satisfied while orders are being fulfilled. Alternatively, a product researcher can take on the time-consuming task of identifying opportunities, whether you guide their efforts or delegate it entirely, freeing you up to focus on higher-level strategy. Either way, you’re buying your time back.

    Reclaiming your time by delegating is one of the most strategic investments you can make. It shifts you from an operator to a true owner.

    At the end of the day, ecommerce success isn’t about doing everything perfectly from the start but it is about taking action, learning quickly and making adjustments along the way. The entrepreneurs who thrive are the ones who stay curious, keep testing and aren’t afraid to “fail forward.” Every mistake you make is simply another step closer to understanding what works and building the foundation for long-term success.

    If you’re willing to experiment, study your competitors, get a handle on your numbers and learn to delegate, you’ll put yourself miles ahead of most people who give up too early. The road won’t always be smooth, but the opportunities are very real. Ecommerce is still growing, and the best time to build something meaningful is right now.

    Becoming an ecommerce entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. The technological hurdles can be substantial. And there is ample competition within the space.

    The good news is that the technology has created opportunities, and the competition is there because there is substantial opportunity. Technology and the acclimation of society to buying online have created a perfect storm of opportunity that shows no signs of abating.

    So what has to happen to be a successful participant as an ecommerce entrepreneur? Here are four initiatives one must embrace.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Katie Melissa

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  • Inside PepsiCo’s Project Helping Local Restaurants | Entrepreneur

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    Restaurants are racing to go digital, and PepsiCo wants to help them get there.

    To the world, PepsiCo is a global brand known for bold flavors, iconic ads and entertainment partnerships. To restaurant owners, it is also a growth partner offering tools to strengthen their businesses.

    André Moraes, who leads global digital marketing for PepsiCo, explains how the multinational food and beverage corporation has been building a digital powerhouse for restaurant partners. “Restaurants are at the center of our lives,” Moraes tells Shawn Walchef of Restaurant Influencers. “If they succeed, the whole community does.”

    The initiative includes the Digital Lab, Menu Pro, Local Eats and Media Pro, all designed to make restaurants stronger in the digital age. “Everything that we offer to our customer partners is completely free,” Moraes adds.

    That commitment has already scaled in a big way. Through its Menu Pro program, PepsiCo has worked with more than 200,000 restaurants and optimized over one million menus worldwide. It can share insights from one market to another, giving local operators access to the same expertise that benefits national chains. The data collected from this global reach has helped restaurants improve ordering experiences and grow sales.

    The results, Moraes noted, are measurable.

    “We continue to see double-digit growth in overall digital sales for our restaurant partners,” he says. “Through it, we see growth in beverage sales as well, but it’s profitable growth, which is what we’re really excited about.”

    PepsiCo also makes sure the support is hands-on. Digital leads across the country work directly with restaurant operators, helping them improve their menus, adopt new tools and stay on top of changes.

    For many operators, it is the kind of one-on-one guidance they would not be able to afford on their own. Proprietary AI systems monitor menus continuously, ensuring items, prices and photos stay accurate across platforms.

    For Moraes, the outcome matters most. “Guests are ordering and going to our restaurants, [and they’re] excelling through the tools and services and partnerships that we’re offering,” he says. “We are truly coming through as the growth partner for our restaurant partners.”

    Related: People Line Up Down the Block to Try This Iconic NYC Pizza. Now, It Could Be Coming to Your City.

    Why local matters

    PepsiCo’s impact goes further than digital tools. The company is investing directly in local restaurants and the communities they anchor.

    That is where PepsiCo’s Local Eats program comes in. “Local Eats is our program specifically focused on local restaurants,” Moraes says. “If you’ve got one location to even upwards of 100 locations — but focused on local markets — we’re here for you through the Local Eats program.”

    Local Eats drives awareness, traffic and loyalty for independent and regional restaurants. The program invests in digital ads, out-of-home campaigns and even connects restaurants to PepsiCo’s national marketing. When PepsiCo shows food in ads, it often highlights a partner restaurant’s story.

    Inside the restaurant, PepsiCo provides branded assets to enhance the guest experience. Online, the company buys search and maps ads that put local restaurants at the top of results when hungry customers are deciding where to eat.

    The impact was on display at the National Restaurant Show with Russell’s Barbecue, a partner PepsiCo guided through a Local Eats transformation. “What you see here is a bit of the before and after, and you’ll see what their business looks like today,” Moraes says. The results included sharper branding, stronger digital traffic and more in-person visits.

    Related: He Went from Tech CEO to Dishwasher. Now, He’s Behind 320 Restaurants and $750 Million in Assets.

    “Local Eats is about reaching, converting and retaining guests for our partners,” Moraes says. “We want to make sure we are not just driving traffic, but helping restaurants keep customers coming back.”

    There is also a community element. Local Eats includes a digital and delivery community program, where operators join live courses with PepsiCo experts and peers to learn best practices and build long-term strategies together.

    Diners still want to eat out, connect and be part of a local scene. And for PepsiCo, success means being part of that journey. By investing in digital tools, marketing support and hands-on partnerships, the company is showing that it is not only a beverage brand but also a growth partner committed to helping restaurants thrive in their communities.

    Related: His Sushi Burger Got 50 Million Views — and Launched an Entire Business

    About Restaurant Influencers

    Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

    Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about Toast.

    Related: Von Miller Learned About Chicken Farming in a College Class – And It Became the Inspiration for a Business That Counts Patrick Mahomes as an Investor

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    Shawn P. Walchef

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  • Is AI the Future of PR? | Entrepreneur

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    I was recently asked, “What trends should we be watching out for in terms of the future of PR?” Well, according to my 75-year-old mother — and lots of other interested observers — the future of PR looks like it’s populated with a little AI, some more AI … well, okay, entirely with AI.

    If you’re a business owner considering letting AI run your PR show for you, let me tell you why that’s a bad idea. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a fan myself; I’ve steadily been incorporating AI tools and tasks into my daily workflow, and I get the appeal. And the added efficiency.

    But as a two-decade veteran in this field, I also know a helluva lot more about PR than any bot you can call on, and here’s my take on where things stand now and where they look like they’re going in the marriage between PR and AI.

    AI is great in the passenger’s seat, not the driver’s

    AI makes for an incredible assistant. PR professionals can benefit from it tremendously in myriad areas, such as drafting initial press releases and pitches, creating data-based reports and analyzing audience/consumer preferences and trends. The time savings (and thus the concomitant cost-efficiency) are indisputable.

    But public relations, by definition, involves the “public” — a public that expects cultural awareness, responds to qualities like empathy and humor, and demands ethical accountability. Last I looked, AI doesn’t live by a moral code, it isn’t a sentient being personally sensitive to any specific cultural milieu, and it certainly isn’t the funniest guest at the party!

    So long as the “public” with which our industry deals turns to us for solid expertise, sound judgment and fair business practices, human intuition and integrity should steer the vehicle, not algorithms.

    Related: AI Is Changing Public Relations — Here’s How to Stay in Control

    The old-fashioned meetup is still a thing

    Remember when everyone thought books were going to die once Kindle hit the market? And yet reading is still a beloved pastime in America, with most readers still preferring printed books over ebooks, relishing the touch, feel, smell and experience of turning actual pages.

    The same applies to PR. Journalists love it when we pop into the office to bring them a coffee and have a chat. Media contacts readily accept our personal invites to restaurant openings or product launches. Influencers welcome the opportunity to come meet us at a new venue or promoted site and actively participate in our PR efforts.

    And when it comes to PR clients, they, too, appreciate sitting across the table from us face-to-face, where we can see each other’s expressions, read each other’s gestures, shake hands hello and hug goodbye in person. AI can’t replace eye contact and shared smiles, the authentic moments of connection that form client bonds.

    So long as “relations” remains part of our industry name, being in the same room with someone is always going to bring you closer than ChatGPT output. Which leads me to …

    Relationships will always trump datasets

    Cue up Streisand for this one: “People who need people …” As smart and spiffy as AI is, it is not and never will be a person. People build rapport. People establish credibility. People learn to trust one another. People interpret emotions and moods. And people can adapt on the spot when they sense the discomfort of clients, stakeholders or team members.

    I’m excited about implementing AI to help my firm with research, scheduling, campaign details and delivering up-to-the-minute insights about my clients’ customer base. But AI will never hold a meeting with one of my clients. It will never anticipate their needs, see their eyes light up when we come up with a brilliant plan or reassure them when an initiative doesn’t land as hoped.

    Idea generation, mapping out a project and determining custom-tailored campaign goals for a particular client are best left to the experts. Why? Because AI’s intelligence is artificial. Humans, on the other hand, possess EI — emotional intelligence.

    Related: Why Emotional Intelligence Is the Key to High-Impact Leadership

    AI is more prone to mistakes than people are

    Sounds improbable, right? How can machine learning be inferior to us flawed and fallible mortals? I’m not talking here about mistakes like typos or forgetting to order the banners for the fundraiser. I’m talking about the things that really matter in PR, like understanding societal nuances, interpersonal dynamics, behavioral psychology and actual lived experience.

    And when AI gets that wrong? The consequences can be serious for clients. Using no-longer-acceptable language. Producing content that could be offensive to certain populations. Providing out-of-context information. And, most notably for our purposes, communicating faulty messaging.

    In PR, marketing and advertising, messaging is everything. Humans can better spot potential pitfalls with language (even if it is absolutely technically correct) and can better discern the tone and subtext of customer engagement communication. So it’s great to use AI for media monitoring and sentiment analysis. But what to do with the results of those measures should remain in the hands of real-life pros who employ cognitive reasoning, not just logic; who shrewdly apply information, not just amass and analyze it; and who can make moral judgments when called for.

    SIDE NOTE here on crisis communications: Using AI to manage crises is a whole different topic unto itself. For now, suffice it to say: It’s a no-no. Keep out! When an individual’s or company’s reputation is at stake, coming across as tone-deaf can toll the death knell for their public image. And the generative AI tools we have available today (the type of AI content-focused industries like mine are using far more than agentic) definitely runs the risk of sounding too factual, too formulaic, too … well, inhuman, right when a human touch is needed most.

    Keep your eye on integrative PR

    So what do I think the wave of the future is? Integrative PR — an approach that blends all the various communication channels into a cohesive whole for consistent branding across all platforms, no longer separating different aspects of marketing and public relations into different compartments.

    Of course AI will play a significant role as we shift toward more social media–focused campaigns and more content curation taking the place of strictly media relations, which traditionally dominated PR. But the type of integration I envision requires creativity, first and foremost, coupled with inventive strategy and finding new connections where none existed before.

    Generative AI relies on anything and everything that has existed before, and precisely for that reason, I believe humans will remain the alchemists who bring humanity to PR. After all, PR is an art, not a science. And art is made by artists — original thinkers and doers, master storytellers, who will ever play the starring role on this always-changing, wildly interesting stage of public relations.

    I was recently asked, “What trends should we be watching out for in terms of the future of PR?” Well, according to my 75-year-old mother — and lots of other interested observers — the future of PR looks like it’s populated with a little AI, some more AI … well, okay, entirely with AI.

    If you’re a business owner considering letting AI run your PR show for you, let me tell you why that’s a bad idea. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a fan myself; I’ve steadily been incorporating AI tools and tasks into my daily workflow, and I get the appeal. And the added efficiency.

    But as a two-decade veteran in this field, I also know a helluva lot more about PR than any bot you can call on, and here’s my take on where things stand now and where they look like they’re going in the marriage between PR and AI.

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    Emily Reynolds

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  • Here’s Where Prince St. Pizza Is Opening Next | Entrepreneur

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    Lawrence Longo is certain about one thing: America needs a great national pizza brand.

    Not just a chain that cranks out slices, but a name that stands for quality, heritage and the kind of flavor people will travel for. “Our goal is to be that premium slice shop in America,” he tells Restaurant Influencers host Shawn Walchef.

    That mission is at the heart of his work growing Prince St. Pizza from a single shop into a brand with locations across the country.

    The story started on a block in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, where the original Prince St. Pizza has been drawing crowds for years. Its pepperoni square slice is an icon: crispy-edged, overflowing with curl and dripping with flavor.

    Longo was a fan before he was a partner. “I used to go in as a customer,” he says. “I loved the pizza; I loved the energy in the shop. I could feel how much it meant to people.”

    Related: He Went from Tech CEO to Dishwasher. Now, He’s Behind 320 Restaurants and $750 Million in Assets.

    That connection turned into conversations. Longo got to know the owners, learning not just about the recipes but about the pride and history behind them. “We started talking about what it could be,” he recalls. “I told them, ‘This isn’t just a slice shop. This is a brand that could mean something in every city.’”

    Eventually, that dialogue became a partnership, grounded in a shared commitment to keep the product and culture intact. Now the expansion is real. This interview took place inside a new Prince St. Pizza in Las Vegas, just steps from the Strip.

    The crowd here is a mix of locals and visitors, but the slice in their hands tastes just like it would in SoHo. “That’s the goal,” Longo says. “No matter where you are, when you bite into it, it should feel like you’re in New York.”

    The Las Vegas shop is just one of several new locations, each chosen carefully. “We don’t just go anywhere,” he explains. “We look for cities where Prince St. can fit in and still stand out. And then we build the right team to protect what makes it special.”

    For Longo, it is not simply about growing bigger. It is about creating a national pizza brand without losing the soul of the original.

    Related: His Sushi Burger Got 50 Million Views — and Launched an Entire Business

    The next great American pizza brand

    Prince St. Pizza’s footprint is getting bigger, and the momentum is real. New locations are opening in markets like Miami and Dallas. Each one matches the quality and culture of the original SoHo shop. Celebrity customers have become part of the story. Usher. Adam Sandler. Dave Portnoy. They aren’t there for photo ops. They come in because they like the pizza.

    “They try, and they come back, and they like the brand,” Longo says. Being in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago means crossing paths with people who live for good food, whether they are famous or not.

    Growth also brings noise. “The bigger you get, the more haters you get,” Longo says. “You can’t listen to the noise. You want to listen to everybody, but you gotta just keep your head down, worry about yourself, do the best job you can and focus on your customers.”

    Related: Von Miller Learned About Chicken Farming in a College Class – And It Became the Inspiration for a Business That Counts Patrick Mahomes as an Investor

    That mindset is what allows Longo to keep expanding without losing the flavor and culture that made Prince St. Pizza a destination in the first place.

    Every new store is another chance to prove that a premium slice shop can scale nationally without losing what made it special.

    “Every time you open a new restaurant, you learn something new about your brand,” Longo says, “and we’re only getting better.”

    It’s the same goal he set from the start — to take Prince St. Pizza from a single shop in New York to a true national brand. And for Longo, the recipe for getting there is simple: protect the product, protect the culture and keep serving slices worth traveling for.

    Related: This Restaurant CEO Created His Own National Holiday (and Turned It Into a Business Strategy)

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    Shawn P. Walchef

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  • Building Tech With No Experience Taught Me This Key Skill | Entrepreneur

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    In today’s world, not every founder comes from a technical background, and that’s no longer a dealbreaker. With AI projected to grow 28.5% by the end of the decade, even specialists are racing to keep up with emerging innovations. In such a fast-moving environment, the expectation that any one person, founder or otherwise, will master every detail is both unrealistic and counterproductive.

    The reality is this: You don’t need to code to build in tech, but you do need to translate. The ability to connect across disciplines has become the most important skill to develop — not just as someone building a company, but as someone leading one.

    If my experience in the NBA has taught me anything, it’s that every good team is made up of strong translators: people who understand both the locker room and the boardroom, coaches who can speak to data analysts and players, and leaders who can turn strategy into execution. Unsurprisingly, this is exactly what tech startups need, too.

    Related: Having No Experience Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Start a Business

    Clarity beats jargon

    When I started building Tracy AI, I quickly learned that trying to sound technical wasn’t helpful and actually slowed things down. Translating product decisions into clear, outcome-based language helped us move much faster. We didn’t always need to build models from scratch, but we did need to understand what those models were aiming for. That’s the real distinction between technical literacy and technical fluency: One is about credibility, but the other is about clarity. When everyone’s on the same page, people align, and products get better.

    Having this approach enabled us to bring in outside subject-matter experts, test assumptions early and avoid costly missteps that often come from internal echo chambers. Regardless of whether your team is fluent in Python, the ability to communicate clearly across complexity is what ultimately drives the company’s momentum.

    Hire smart

    I once read a quote from David Ogilvy that stuck with me: “Hire people who are better than you are, and then leave them to get on with it.” In tech, that means surrounding yourself with brilliant engineers, designers and product minds, and focusing your own energy on alignment, direction and decision-making.

    Building a company is about asking better questions, setting the right priorities and making sure your team is rowing in the same direction. That requires trust, communication and discipline, not technical depth. It also means knowing how to translate business needs into technical priorities, and vice versa.

    When it comes down to it, a founder’s job is to build bridges. Between vision and execution. Between product and people. Between strategy and reality. The most valuable skill in business isn’t your ability to code; it’s your ability to connect. Not being afraid of connecting strong, self-motivated individuals in your business is not only a recipe for success — it’s just good business sense.

    Related: How (Not Why) You Need to Start Hiring People Smarter Than Yourself

    Letting go

    Rapid-growth companies face a specific leadership challenge: knowing when to direct and when to step back. For founders, especially those without technical backgrounds, there’s a strong temptation to stay hands-on with every detail. According to a Harvard Business Review study, 58% of founders struggle to let go of control, often remaining stuck in what’s known as “founder mode,” even when the company is ready to scale.

    Being stuck in founder mode can slow down progress, stifle creativity and burn out the very experts hired to build. The job of the founder is to hold the vision and define the “what” and “why,” while trusting the team to figure out the “how.” That means giving engineers autonomy to explore solutions and trusting their understanding of the mechanics.

    At the same time, it’s important to stay connected to the people you’re building for. From my experience, I made sure to spend time with athletes, coaches and trainers — not just as a former player, but as a product owner committed to learning. That user feedback wasn’t just helpful; it became a compass for the tech. Just because we may need to let go of day-to-day, doesn’t mean we can’t get involved in other ways.

    At a certain point in any startup’s life, there is a transition from idea to alignment. Engineers speak in sprints and system architecture. Investors speak in ROI and risk. Users speak in frustrations, workarounds and outcomes. As a founder, your job is to be the connector between all of them, bridging the gap between engineers, users and investors, often speaking three very different languages in the same meeting.

    Related: Are You Running Your Business — or Is It Running You? How to Escape ‘Founder Mode’ and Learn to Let Go

    That means being able to explain what users actually want to your developers, breaking down technical constraints in a way your investors can understand and communicating a vision clearly enough that everyone in the business can see where they fit in. This is what makes a product usable, turns a group of builders into a team and ultimately transforms a good idea into a lasting company.

    In today’s world, not every founder comes from a technical background, and that’s no longer a dealbreaker. With AI projected to grow 28.5% by the end of the decade, even specialists are racing to keep up with emerging innovations. In such a fast-moving environment, the expectation that any one person, founder or otherwise, will master every detail is both unrealistic and counterproductive.

    The reality is this: You don’t need to code to build in tech, but you do need to translate. The ability to connect across disciplines has become the most important skill to develop — not just as someone building a company, but as someone leading one.

    If my experience in the NBA has taught me anything, it’s that every good team is made up of strong translators: people who understand both the locker room and the boardroom, coaches who can speak to data analysts and players, and leaders who can turn strategy into execution. Unsurprisingly, this is exactly what tech startups need, too.

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    Tristan Thompson

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  • How This Entrepreneur Went From Small Business to $25 Million | Entrepreneur

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    It’s hard to imagine modern life without air conditioning, heating and plumbing. For Josh Campbell, founder of Rescue Air and Plumbing, these necessities have been the foundation of his success as an entrepreneur.

    “We may as well be doctors,” Campbell says. “Doesn’t matter what’s happening in this world — we can’t have our quality of life without [these services].”

    Rescue Air and Plumbing doesn’t just rely on necessity for growth, however. The $25 million business has achieved success due to the ingrained, small-town values Campbell grew up with.

    “We treat people like we did when we grew up in the country, and we do what we say we’re gonna do,” he says. “Because if you burned a bridge where I’m from, that burnt bridge is gonna follow you forever.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    This service mindset gives Rescue Air and Plumbing an edge in an industry where customers often feel like just another transaction.

    “[Businesses in Dallas] tend to move through people a little more. You burn a bridge here, you just move on to a new person,” Campbell says. “So I think having a country upbringing gives us a big competitive advantage in the city.”

    Campbell built his business around the idea that when people feel seen and cared for, not just sold to, they’ll keep coming back. “We do a killer job, and it’s just included in the service,” he says. “Once somebody uses us and they experience how well we do it and how differently we do it, they keep using us.”

    From the start, Campbell had a clear vision for growth. One of his most significant milestones came when he acquired a local plumbing business in 2022, expanding the company to more than 100 employees. “It’s very, very healthy in your company to demonstrate that you’re growing in interesting ways that people want to be a part of,” he says. “If you’re not growing, look for turnover in your company.”

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    The decision to expand beyond HVAC services wasn’t just about increasing revenue. Campbell sought opportunities that aligned with Rescue Air’s existing customer base, team culture and operational strengths.

    “If you buy a company, you’ve bought an entire system,” he says. “Don’t change anything. Don’t break the machine. It’s already enough discomfort and change [for the employees].”

    The acquisition taught him that timing, resources and a clear purpose are essential when planning an expansion. You must be ready for new responsibilities and understand the workings of the business you’re plugging into your own.

    Campbell’s advice is to take things slow. Acquired businesses come with their own set of procedures and people. He recommends waiting two to three months to make changes, so new employees feel valued instead of confronted by changes to their daily work life.

    “If you’re gonna change the pay plan, it better improve their quality of life,” he says. “Give them wins before you start doing any procedural stuff they might not see any gains out of.”

    That same philosophy shapes his leadership style. Campbell focuses on creating an environment where his team can succeed, because when they win, the company wins.

    Related: This Is What the CEO of Kickstarter Wishes Aspiring Entrepreneurs Knew

    Campbell also stresses the importance of structure, time management and personal discipline. “I think it really is important as entrepreneurs to be mindful about your time,” he said. “So often you’re pulled in a million directions, so having those habits or things you do that are for yourself and for your business on a recurring basis are really important.”

    This discipline extends to finances as well. Although financial oversight might not be every business owner’s favorite task, Campbell views it as essential to informed decision-making.

    “If you don’t know your P&L, there is a ceiling for how far you’re gonna be able to grow your business,” he says. “Truly, if you wanna operate your business successfully and even think about growing, you have to know your numbers.”

    Whether it’s integrating a new acquisition or serving a long-term client, Campbell’s approach centers on transparency and accountability. “Don’t leave anybody in the unknown,” he says. “Over-communicate, as uncomfortable as it might be.”

    It’s this commitment that drives Rescue Air and Plumbing’s reputation and growth and sets it apart in a competitive industry. For Campbell, the equation is simple: Treat people right, follow through, and build customer trust that lasts.

    Related: She Created the Dance Studio She Was Looking For. Now, It’s a Nationwide Brand.

    After growing Rescue Air and Plumbing into a trusted name in the Dallas area, Campbell shares the guiding principles of the company’s success that can help other service businesses thrive:

    • Invest in people first. Whether it’s a customer or a team member, relationships matter. Be honest, keep your word and show people you value them beyond the transaction.
    • Lead with integrity. Always keep your promises to customers. Reliability and consistency are the foundation for long-term customer relationships.
    • Build a team you trust. Surround yourself with people who care about doing the job right. Set employees up for success by outlining clear expectations and processes.
    • Stay resilient through challenges. While navigating the ups and downs of running a business, staying true to your values can help you persevere.
    • Focus on lasting trust. Success in the service industry isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about earning a place in the customer’s life as a trusted partner.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Josh Campbell, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

    This article is part of our ongoing America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™ series highlighting family-owned and operated businesses.

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Your Ads Won’t Matter if Customers Hate the Experience | Entrepreneur

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    When business leaders consider brand building, they often think of traditional promotion, like print and digital advertising, or maybe a well-placed radio commercial to attract their target audience. They spend massive amounts of ad dollars to build brand awareness. But for most private businesses, brand building isn’t about throwing more money at advertising. It’s about creating an organization that engages, delivers on promise, and perhaps most of all, provides exceptional customer experience.

    According to a recent PwC Future of Customer Experience Survey, 65% of customers say a positive experience with a brand is more influential to them than great advertising. This is not to say there isn’t a place for advertising. But an engaging customer experience can be profoundly more impactful.

    Brands that crushed it with little advertising

    There are notably some massively successful brands that simply don’t advertise. In the B2B sector, have you ever seen an ad for McKinsey Consulting? Or consider Trader Joe’s, a grocery store chain with more than 600 locations and an incredibly loyal customer base. They don’t spend a dime on traditional advertising. Or think back to TGI Fridays in its heyday. Customers flocked to the casual dining hotspots, attracted by charming décor, a crowd-pleasing menu and its signature flair bartending that almost defined the era. While revenue was in the billions, TGI Friday’s focused on experience, not ad dollars, to create loyalty and buzz around the brand.

    Zappos is another excellent example of a brand that was built mostly on customer experience rather than big ad budgets. While the online shoe seller does advertise, the company is most recognized for delivering high-impact customer service.

    Former Zappos CEO, the late Tony Hsieh, was a trailblazer in the customer loyalty space and famously said, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.” Under Hsieh, Zappos implemented legendary practices like its 365-day return policy, unscripted customer service reps with no call time limits and surprise free overnight shipping upgrades. Imagine expecting the delivery of your new boots in a week, only for them to be waiting on your doorstep the very next day.

    Hsieh also wisely once said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”

    Are you more likely to trust an ad in a magazine or the company that just delivered your package a week early?

    Related: How to Earn Customer Trust and Boost Sales Without Big Ad Budgets

    Misalignment can kill a brand

    What happens when a brand underwhelms, angers or alienates the very customers it intended to serve? Misalignment between brand messaging and customer experience turns once-loyal customers into disillusioned doubters who eventually turn to the competition to better suit their needs.

    Branding misalignment can take many forms. A hotel that advertises luxury accommodations has stained carpets and low water pressure in the shower. A software company that promises seamless integration has customers waiting hours for help desk support.

    A restaurant that advertises itself as a culinary delight serves up wilted salads by moody waiters. A supplier delivers low-grade stainless-steel parts that were promised to be titanium.

    When your marketing and advertising make promises that your operations are unable to satisfy, the business loses credibility, customers and ultimately money.

    The power of word-of-mouth marketing

    Most of us don’t make buying decisions in a vacuum. We search the internet, scour reviews and compare competing goods, services and suppliers. But the most significant green flags for purchasers are recommendations from people we know and respect. According to a 2012 Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report, 92% of consumers find more value in recommendations from people they know than any form of advertising. When a brand delivers an experience worth talking about, happy customers become their word-of-mouth marketing and are more persuasive than a two-dimensional ad could ever be.

    When was the last time you recommended a business or brand to a friend or colleague? While your endorsement may have been partly due to price, chances are there was something more to the experience that made the brand worth sharing. Your advocacy wasn’t due to a shiny ad, but rather how your customer experience made you feel respected, cared for and valued.

    Now those are impressions worth sharing.

    Related: Harness the Power of the 5 Senses to Make Your Brand Better

    Happy customers are your most powerful marketers

    By giving your customer a positively memorable experience, you transform that person into a brand ambassador willing to shout their support from the rooftops, and without ever dipping into your advertising budget. Word-of-mouth marketing scales organically when you consistently exceed customer expectations. So, give them something to talk about and see how that brand ambassadorship multiplies by dozens, hundreds or even thousands of raving fans eager to champion your business.

    Keep in mind that negative experiences are just as likely, if not more so, to spread like wildfire and scorch the brand you worked so hard to build. You have surely witnessed devastating brand damage from a single viral video posted to social media by an unhappy patron. Even more reason to ensure your customer experience goes above and beyond. Always.

    When business leaders consider brand building, they often think of traditional promotion, like print and digital advertising, or maybe a well-placed radio commercial to attract their target audience. They spend massive amounts of ad dollars to build brand awareness. But for most private businesses, brand building isn’t about throwing more money at advertising. It’s about creating an organization that engages, delivers on promise, and perhaps most of all, provides exceptional customer experience.

    According to a recent PwC Future of Customer Experience Survey, 65% of customers say a positive experience with a brand is more influential to them than great advertising. This is not to say there isn’t a place for advertising. But an engaging customer experience can be profoundly more impactful.

    Brands that crushed it with little advertising

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    Jason Zickerman

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  • Why Every Entrepreneur Needs an Exit Mindset from Day One | Entrepreneur

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    After three decades in capital markets and entrepreneurial ventures, I’ve learned one hard truth: Most founders wait too long to think about their exit. They’re focused on growing the business, product-market fit, hiring the right people or raising their next round, and understandably so. But here’s the reality: The companies that scale, endure and lead are the ones built with the end in mind.

    Having an exit mindset doesn’t mean you’re planning to abandon ship. It means you’re architecting your business with intention and strategic foresight. Whether your future includes an IPO, a SPAC merger, a venture-backed acquisition or simply attracting long-term capital, an exit mindset forces clarity. It requires discipline. And it ensures you’re building not just for now but for what comes next.

    Related: Starting a Business? You Should Already Be Thinking About Your Exit Strategy. Here’s Why.

    I learned this the hard way

    During the Great Recession, I lost everything. Years of work and millions in value disappeared seemingly overnight. That moment was both devastating and instructive. I realized that while I had been focused on growth and momentum, I hadn’t built with durability in mind. I hadn’t built to exit; I’d built to run.

    Coming back from that loss forced me to rebuild from the ground up and reimagine what success really meant. I leaned into the volatility instead of resisting it, and over time, that shift led me to support other founders navigating the capital markets, helping them structure for growth and prepare for their own exits.

    I noticed a pattern: The most successful entrepreneurs weren’t necessarily the smartest or the most well-funded. They were the ones who led with clarity, who built their businesses with the intention to exit, whether that meant selling, stepping back or scaling beyond themselves.

    Exit is a mindset, not a milestone

    Going public or selling your company shouldn’t be a last-minute decision. It can (and should) take years, as a natural progression of a business built on solid fundamentals. That starts with a clear answer to one question: What are you building toward?

    If your answer is vague or reactive, it’s time to revisit your strategy.

    An exit mindset helps you:

    • Build toward investor-grade readiness: This includes predictable revenue, clean cap tables, strong corporate governance and a scalable operating model.

    • Attract the right capital partners: Investors can sense when a business has long-term value versus short-term hustle.

    • Avoid short-term traps: When you’re playing the long game, you’re less likely to overpromise, overhire or overextend.

    Related: 4 Go-To Moves to Help Start Your Exit Strategy Now

    Think like a public company (even if you’re not one yet)

    Entrepreneurs often underestimate the rigor and transparency required to go public or raise institutional capital and often think of an IPO or acquisition as a finish line. But it’s not a finish line, it’s a new starting gate. And the market doesn’t hand out second chances.

    If you want public markets, investors or strategic acquirers to take you seriously, you need to demonstrate:

    • Financial maturity: Are your books audit-ready? Do you understand your KPI and unit economics? Can you forecast with precision?

    • Strategic clarity: Do you have a clearly articulated long-term vision? Can you tell a compelling growth story?

    • Operational resilience: Have you built processes that scale? Do you have a team that can lead beyond you?

    I tell the entrepreneurs I work with that the stock doesn’t trade itself. A great business is not the same as a great public company. The companies that perform post-IPO are the ones that prepared for the scrutiny long before the bell rang.

    Lessons from the frontlines

    Over the past few years, I’ve seen how volatile and unforgiving the IPO and public markets can be. In 2021, deal flow was booming. In 2022 and 2023, it all but froze. Yet in that same period, a handful of companies thrived. Why? Because they had built with optionality in mind.

    Take CAVA Group, for instance. In a tough IPO market, they went public in 2023 and saw their stock jump 37% on the first day. That didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of strategic decisions made years earlier: disciplined growth, strong financial performance, well-crafted storytelling, focused leadership and the ability to meet investor expectations.

    Don’t just raise capital. Rehearse the exit.

    Too many founders treat fundraising like a finish line. But capital is a tool, not a strategy. If you raise money without a clear exit roadmap, you risk dilution, misalignment, or worse, getting stuck in the middle.

    Instead, start with the exit in mind. Ask yourself:

    • What would a strategic acquirer find most valuable about my business?

    • If I were to list tomorrow, are my systems, controls and structures ready?

    • Do I have the right team and board to guide me through a real transition?

    The earlier you ask these questions, the more optionality you create. And in this volatile market, optionality isn’t a nice-to-have. It is your edge.

    Related: How to Expertly Position Your Business for an Exit

    Build to exit, lead to endure

    The paradox is real: The strongest exits come from businesses that aren’t built just to exit. They’re built to endure. They have resilient models, committed teams and founders who lead with transparency and purpose.

    An exit mindset doesn’t mean you’re pulling back. It means you’re more strategic and leading with vision. It doesn’t mean you’re ready to walk away; it means you’re building something that can outlast you.

    So, whether you’re on your first round or your fifth, ask yourself: If I had to exit tomorrow, would I be ready?

    If the answer is no, you’re not alone. The time to start building with that end in mind is now.

    After three decades in capital markets and entrepreneurial ventures, I’ve learned one hard truth: Most founders wait too long to think about their exit. They’re focused on growing the business, product-market fit, hiring the right people or raising their next round, and understandably so. But here’s the reality: The companies that scale, endure and lead are the ones built with the end in mind.

    Having an exit mindset doesn’t mean you’re planning to abandon ship. It means you’re architecting your business with intention and strategic foresight. Whether your future includes an IPO, a SPAC merger, a venture-backed acquisition or simply attracting long-term capital, an exit mindset forces clarity. It requires discipline. And it ensures you’re building not just for now but for what comes next.

    Related: Starting a Business? You Should Already Be Thinking About Your Exit Strategy. Here’s Why.

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    Peter Goldstein

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  • Scaling Without Systems? You’re Setting Your Business Up to Fail | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Most companies chase wins: a big client, a viral moment or a record quarter. When those wins happen, they celebrate. In my experience, however, the most sustainable businesses aren’t the ones that cheer the loudest after a win. They’re the ones that quietly get back to work, focused on building systems that make those wins repeatable.

    At Asset Living, we often talk about how scale is never accidental. Instead, it’s the byproduct of repeatable, resilient systems that evolve over time. More specifically, you build a lasting business by creating processes that get smarter, sharper and more reliable with every iteration.

    Start building infrastructure around wins

    Success, especially early on, can be misleading. One great hire doesn’t mean your recruiting process works. Similarly, one big acquisition doesn’t mean your integration playbook is ready.

    Short-term momentum can be enticing; a winning streak feels good, but then cracks begin to show. Because the underlying process in place wasn’t designed to last — in other words, it wasn’t repeatable.

    When I look at a win, the first question I ask isn’t, “How do we do that again?” It’s, “Can we build a system around this?”

    Related: 10 Critical Pieces to Gain Momentum in Business (and Life)

    What LLMs get right about improvement

    Large language models, like ChatGPT and Gemini, don’t rely on streaks. They get better through relentless feedback, learning from millions of interactions to become sharper with every cycle. The improvement is systemic. Rather than producing one good output, the system attempts to upgrade the model that produces all outputs. This is the mindset more businesses need.

    Wins are great, but the real value lies in the system that created them. Are you analyzing what worked? Are you refining the process? Are you creating feedback loops to feed the next version?

    I try to approach my own internal processes at work the same way: as living systems. From onboarding and acquisitions to reporting and operational handoffs, I don’t assume something works just because it worked once. I try to measure, adjust and re-architect as needed.

    Not every win is worth building around

    One of the toughest parts of leadership is resisting the urge to scale a win that isn’t actually sustainable. We’ve had moments where a strategy generated short-term success, but it wouldn’t hold up long-term. Sometimes it was overly dependent on one person or circumstance. Other times it didn’t align with our long-term operating strategy. As tempting as it was to double down, we walked away.

    Sustainable systems require discipline. You have to evaluate not just what worked, but why it worked, who it worked for and whether it can be repeated without you in the room.

    Related: Here’s How Scaling a Business Really Works (It’s Not What You Think)

    Behind the scenes: What strong systems look like

    The most effective organizations rely on playbooks that evolve over time, covering everything from acquisitions to internal promotions. While the specifics vary, the underlying structure tends to hold: clear milestones, cross-functional accountability and post-mortem reviews to capture lessons learned.

    That kind of structure creates the conditions for speed and consistency. It prevents teams from reinventing the wheel and reduces the drag that comes with scale. The same approach applies to how leaders are developed, how performance is evaluated and how information flows across large groups. When something works, it’s not left to chance — it’s documented, tested and improved.

    How to build a system

    1. Start with the outcome, then reverse-engineer the process. After a win, resist the urge to celebrate and move on. Instead, deconstruct what happened. Ask yourself: What specific actions led to the result? Who executed it? Was it replicable, or was it situational? This analysis becomes the blueprint for a future-ready process.
    2. Stress-test before scaling. Not everything that works once should be rolled out company-wide. Try the strategy under different scenarios, with different teams and at different altitudes. See if the outcome holds. If it breaks down quickly, the system needs work before it’s scaled.
    3. Create feedback loops. Great systems evolve by design. Build in opportunities for real-time feedback from the people closest to the process. Collect data, learn from missteps and adjust accordingly — just like a language model tuning its next version.
    4. Document it. Share it. Refine it. A process used by only one team or individual isn’t helpful. Write it down, make it easily accessible and let others pressure-test it. Then refine it through usage. The more people who can use and improve it, the stronger it becomes.
    5. Play the long game. If your strategy only works this quarter, it isn’t a strategy. The best systems are built for durability, not immediacy. Invest time and energy into infrastructure that compounds in value and reduces future friction.
    6. Make it teachable. If a process can’t be explained clearly to someone new and executed well without micromanagement, it hasn’t yet matured. The more teachable your systems are, the faster your team can grow.
    7. Build in redundancy. Systems need backups. If your results hinge on a single person or tool, you’re one variable away from failure. Build roles and technologies that overlap slightly, so if one part fails, the whole doesn’t collapse.
    8. Audit regularly. Even the best systems expire. Commit to regular reviews to reevaluate efficiency and relevance. Invite internal and external perspectives to avoid blind spots and surface better solutions.

    Related: How to Think About the Systems in Your Business

    Why systems win in the long run

    The most impressive companies aren’t the ones with the flashiest headlines. They’re the ones with the most consistent output. That consistency is the result of systems — optimized daily, tested constantly and designed to scale.

    If you want to stop relying on luck, you need to start investing in infrastructure. Look beyond the highlight reel of your company. Study the engine that produced it because that’s where the real competitive advantage lives. Build the system; the wins will follow.

    Most companies chase wins: a big client, a viral moment or a record quarter. When those wins happen, they celebrate. In my experience, however, the most sustainable businesses aren’t the ones that cheer the loudest after a win. They’re the ones that quietly get back to work, focused on building systems that make those wins repeatable.

    At Asset Living, we often talk about how scale is never accidental. Instead, it’s the byproduct of repeatable, resilient systems that evolve over time. More specifically, you build a lasting business by creating processes that get smarter, sharper and more reliable with every iteration.

    Start building infrastructure around wins

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Ryan McGrath

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  • How Miami’s Pest Brothers Got Its Start | Entrepreneur

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    Jose Rodriguez wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and build a career in the pest control industry, so it was a dream come true when his brother, Michael, teamed up with him to start Pest Brothers. Their strong bond set the tone for a thriving business focused on building lasting relationships with customers.

    “I don’t think there are a lot of options where you get to work with your best friend and your biggest cheerleader,” Michael says. “For me, that was really the most important thing.”

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    It turns out, going into business with your best friend can be your key differentiator. The two exhibit excellent teamwork, which is reflected in their customer interactions and many five-star reviews — securing their spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Local Businesses of 2025.

    “[Customers] find us well-tempered, well-mannered,” Michael says. “And the reason for it is we’re enjoying what we do and who we do it with. I think that’s really the basis for it all. And then from there, good things come.”

    Joined by their brother-in-law, John, each member of the Pest Brothers brings something different to the table, including recruiting, marketing and industry experience.

    Old-school relationship-building was key to their early growth. The team sponsors golf tournaments for local schools and attends community events to not only create visibility for Pest Brothers but also to honor their roots.

    “We were sponsors at the golf tournament for [my son’s] high school, where we get a lot of leads,” Jose says. “We advertise wherever we can because those are the folks who have fed us when we weren’t necessarily getting to Yelp’s Top 100.”

    Related: This Is What the CEO of Kickstarter Wishes Aspiring Entrepreneurs Knew

    Still, the brothers knew there was more they could do to boost online visibility. They saw Yelp as an opportunity to attract more leads, and the investment paid off quickly. “We tried out the free trial [of Yelp Ads], and it was an absolute success — almost like we flipped a light switch, and [leads] tremendously started flowing in,” Michael says.

    They received such an influx of attention from homeowners that they decided to stop sending out snail mail advertisements, which can have a low success rate.

    “Whenever we receive a lead on Yelp, it’s about speed to lead,” Michael says. “The more quickly we can reach out, the more quickly we can get to that house, service it and win that lead.”

    Its Yelp presence does more than lead generation, however. It also builds trust and helps turn potential customers into loyal, long-term regulars. Especially in the pest control and home service industry, a new customer doesn’t always mean one job. Every new lead is a chance to create a recurring customer — and the opportunities are rolling in for Pest Brothers.

    “These are folks that if you do a good job, they’re gonna reward you for a long period of time,” Michael says. “In terms of the Yelp leads I saw on our dashboard, views on our page have increased by 576% over the past 30 days [since winning Yelp’s Top 100]. You talk about market awareness — that’s tremendous. That’s viral if I’ve ever seen it, so it’s been awesome for us.”

    Once you have your audience’s attention, Jose emphasized how important it is to set clear expectations, such as how long a treatment will take or when the customer will see results. It’s this type of transparency that builds credibility, prevents confusion and earns five-star reviews.

    When mistakes inevitably happen, the brothers acknowledge them with grace, reaching out personally to customers to make things right. “If somebody calls you, you can definitely rectify their issue as soon as you can,” Jose says. “That’s literally the whole point of being a small business, [being] able to do that.”

    Related: She Created the Dance Studio She Was Looking For. Now, It’s a Nationwide Brand.

    After building Pest Brothers from a two-man operation into one of the most trusted pest control companies in the Miami area, co-founders Michael and Jose share what’s helped them succeed in the competitive home service industry:

    • Lead with trust. Customers extend trust when they let you into their homes and workplaces. Be reliable, show up when you say you will and treat every space with respect.
    • Invest in relationships. Repeat customers and referrals are the lifeblood of a service business. Learn people’s names, remember their concerns and treat every job as an opportunity to strengthen the connection.
    • Use tools to work smarter. From routing software to online reviews, technology can save time, improve efficiency and help you better serve customers. Leverage different platforms and tools to stay organized, respond faster and build your reputation.
    • Stay adaptable. Every job is different. Be ready to adjust your approach and keep learning new methods to stay competitive and efficient.
    • Build a reputation that lasts. Home services are about more than solving a specific problem. They’re about creating peace of mind. When people know you genuinely care about their home or business, they’ll trust you for years to come.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Michael and Jose Rodriguez, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

    Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Take These 5 Steps to Future-Proof Your Business | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Small businesses are facing strong headwinds in today’s dynamic business environment. Technology is evolving faster than entrepreneurs can keep up with, market and consumer demands are constantly changing, and there seems to be a new economic or geopolitical disruption every week. Surviving in this landscape requires businesses to have robust strategies and systems in place while simultaneously remaining nimble. This pressure is exceedingly difficult to tackle as the business grows.

    To thrive in this volatile business landscape, a comprehensive and resilient strategy is absolutely essential. This involves establishing robust frameworks that allow your business to absorb shocks and swiftly recover from constant change. With technological advancements, particularly AI, businesses must proactively adapt their operations and integrate new tools to avoid being outpaced by agile competitors. Developing a strategy that ensures core functions remain stable under pressure while aligning with your personal and professional vision is paramount for long-term success.

    Related: Follow These 7 Business Strategies to Future-Proof Your Business

    1. Audit and streamline operational processes

    The foundational step to future-proofing your business is to have a deep understanding of your business’s operational processes. The good news here is that for startup entrepreneurs, you were likely involved in their creation. The bad news is that it can be difficult to spot inefficiencies because of internal biases, which is why it’s important to engage other members of your team to participate in the process.

    Start by mapping out all of your critical business processes. Having clearly documented processes allows your business to function like a well-oiled machine. It ensures that everyone is on the same page and working together. As you go through this exercise, look for opportunities to improve tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming and prone to human error. By formalizing your processes, you are future-proofing from the standpoint of reducing dependency on the founder and ensuring critical operations aren’t reliant on a single person.

    2. Leverage technology for automation

    Once you have clearly documented processes, you can strategically leverage technology, including AI, to automate repetitive tasks and drive efficiency. This entails developing a technology roadmap to identify gaps, research emerging solutions and plan seamless integration.

    It’s important to prioritize solutions that solve specific problems and integrate smoothly, such as AI-powered chatbots for customer interactions, predictive analytics for inventory and automation for administrative tasks. Thoughtful implementation can boost efficiency, minimize errors and free your team for strategic work.

    In addition, automation should generate actionable data, allowing your team to identify areas for continuous improvement and proactively spot future disruptions.

    Related: 90% of Your Business Could Be Automated With Just These 4 Tools

    3. Build a culture of delegation

    While technology provides powerful tools, a business cannot truly scale if decisions and critical tasks consistently bottleneck with the business owner. This is why a pivotal step in future-proofing involves actively building a culture of delegation and empowerment within your team. As a business owner, it’s critical to start systematically delegating tasks and responsibilities by providing clear guidelines, comprehensive training and the necessary authority for team members to succeed independently.

    The ultimate goal is to foster an environment where employees are encouraged to take ownership, proactively solve problems and contribute ideas. From a future-proofing perspective, a strong, empowered team is fully capable of adapting and performing effectively even in your absence.

    4. Develop a talent strategy

    Your team is your greatest asset. A solid future-proofing strategy involves more than just hiring. It means actively attracting, developing and retaining adaptable talent, skilled in new technologies. For your existing team, be sure to invest in ongoing training and skill development to ensure their capabilities keep pace with technological advancements and market demands.

    A skilled and adaptable workforce is essential for navigating change, implementing new strategies and embracing new tools. A proactive talent strategy ensures that your team is prepared to meet future demands and leverage emerging technologies effectively.

    5. Foster a mindset of continuous innovation

    To truly future-proof your business, entrepreneurs should encourage a mindset of continuous improvement and innovation. You can do this by encouraging experimentation and allowing your team to make small mistakes and learn from failures. By building agility into your operational planning and decision-making, you are setting up the team to be nimble when unforeseen market challenges arise. Having a culture that embraces change and actively seeks new ideas will enable you to better identify and capitalize on future trends, rather than being overwhelmed.

    Related: The Power of Continuous Innovation — and 3 Easy Ways Your Company Can Achieve It

    There is a lot of uncertainty about the future. With rapid changes due to technology and other factors, it’s impossible to predict the resources, skills and strategies businesses will need to survive. It’s critical for every entrepreneur to take the time to carefully consider what they can do to strengthen the resilience of their businesses and position themselves to take advantage of new and emerging opportunities.

    Small businesses are facing strong headwinds in today’s dynamic business environment. Technology is evolving faster than entrepreneurs can keep up with, market and consumer demands are constantly changing, and there seems to be a new economic or geopolitical disruption every week. Surviving in this landscape requires businesses to have robust strategies and systems in place while simultaneously remaining nimble. This pressure is exceedingly difficult to tackle as the business grows.

    To thrive in this volatile business landscape, a comprehensive and resilient strategy is absolutely essential. This involves establishing robust frameworks that allow your business to absorb shocks and swiftly recover from constant change. With technological advancements, particularly AI, businesses must proactively adapt their operations and integrate new tools to avoid being outpaced by agile competitors. Developing a strategy that ensures core functions remain stable under pressure while aligning with your personal and professional vision is paramount for long-term success.

    Related: Follow These 7 Business Strategies to Future-Proof Your Business

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    Nicholas Leighton

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