Tag: Science & Technology

3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Software Developers’ Efficiency

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I’ve observed an odd trend in company board meetings. Marketing and sales vice presidents will come in with charts, reports and finely-tuned data. The CFO will fire up a dashboard detailing every penny of revenue and expense. The HR chief will share hiring metrics down to the last employee. But when it comes to engineering, the lifeblood of any modern company, there’s little data — just a vague sense of what’s working and what’s not.

The reality is that engineering efficiency and developer experience remain a black box, even at some of the most tech-forward organizations. And inside that box lurk inefficiencies on an enormous scale.

I’ve heard of big banks that employ tens of thousands of developers who are operating at 30% efficiency because of bloated processes and unnecessary toil. This is more than a waste of resources. Frustrated developers quit. Company payroll sags under the weight of extra salaries needed to compensate for inefficiencies. Customers are stuck waiting on deliverables. Considering the global impact on productivity and output, this is easily a trillion-dollar problem.

The good news is there are simple, concrete ways to prioritize developer experience (DX) and engineering efficiency. I’ve seen the transformative benefits of improving DX as a developer, founder and CEO of three high-growth tech companies. Here’s what every CEO should know:

Related: Use These 4 Tips to Attract and Retain Software Developers

The true cost of poor DX

Any company dependent on software development should be obsessed with optimizing developers’ work experience. Research shows most software engineers spend more than half their workday performing tedious, repetitive tasks. No engineer wants to spend hours troubleshooting an issue that could be detected by automation or wait weeks for approvals from other teams. Yes, they can (and do) move on to other projects, but context switching increases drag and the likelihood of errors. It’s also a stressful way to work.

A frustrating work environment leads to heavy turnover, which is costly at any time, but particularly now when demand for great developers far outstrips supply. In the U.S., there are around 162,900 open positions for software developers and related occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As word travels about a company’s DX failures, recruiting becomes difficult, creating a downward spiral.

All of this translates to the bottom line, with developers earning a median salary of more than $120,000, leaving them idle amounts to burning money. Worse, inefficient engineering inevitably slows product development. Companies in competitive industries like banking, retail or healthcare that can’t figure out DX will lose customers to competitors able to launch apps, updates and new products quickly.

The silver lining is that since most companies are new to DX, a few simple improvements can yield substantial benefits. Here are three practical ways to improve your developers’ efficiency:

Related: The Future of Software Development in 2022 and Beyond

1. Make it someone’s job

It could be a Developer Experience Officer (DXO), lead engineer or rotating team, but you need someone to own DX inside your company. Here at Harness, we have a Tiger Team that analyzes inefficiencies and recommends solutions. Here’s a recent example: The team learned that our code base was too large for developers to test changes on their laptops, which turned a two-minute test into a 40-minute excursion to use a sufficiently robust computer. Once they identified the problem, the fix was straightforward: Reduce the number of microservices needed on developers’ laptops so they could use their own computers to test the code.

2. Gather data, and put it to use

It’s pretty ironic that engineering — of all departments — suffers from a lack of quantitative operational data. Most companies know more about sales team productivity than the engineering teams at the heart of their work. You can’t fix what you haven’t measured, so start by gathering hard numbers. Some useful metrics include the number of automated processes in your developer workflow, how much work a developer can complete within a certain timeframe and the lead time between a project’s beginning and delivery.

Then, there are qualitative insights. Most companies rely on feedback from customer and employee experience surveys to make sure they are on target, but there’s no equivalent for developers — and that’s a huge oversight. Use surveys to gather qualitative data from engineers, and pinpoint bottlenecks and deficiencies to resolve. DX measurements can include metrics like how easy it is to locate the information, tools or systems they need to do their work.

3. Remove needless barriers

Barriers faced by developers can be cultural or technological. Endemic to many large companies is a culture of micromanagement and excessive oversight. For developers, that means wasting time waiting for someone to greenlight incremental progress. Instead, establish high-level guardrails around cost, security and quality, and give engineers free rein within those parameters. The streamlined process will boost creativity and productivity and increase developers’ job satisfaction.

This goes hand in hand with upgrading developers’ own tech toolkits. Too many are stuck using dated and manual tools and processes or hacking their own fixes. That’s why I’ve worked to build solutions using automation and AI to enable users to build, test, deploy and verify on-demand. For example, if a developer is working on a feature, merging it into the main code can require thousands of tests, which could take hours to run. But using intelligent automation, the same process might take 20 minutes. There are even automations that allow you to programmatically define your guardrails and automate approvals when a project meets the specifications.

Related: How AI Will Transform Software Development

Ultimately, improving developer experience can’t be a one-time event. It takes ongoing attention and iteration to gather relevant data, remove blockers and increase productivity and job satisfaction. Yet improvement is well within reach, and the potential return is far too great to ignore.

I dream that I’ll soon walk into a boardroom and see a developer productivity dashboard as comprehensive as any other department’s. We have the tools and data to unlock productivity, morale, efficiency, customer satisfaction and innovation gains. It’s time to free developers from toil so they can do the work they love.

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Jyoti Bansal

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November 17, 2022
5 Lucrative Metaverse Jobs You’ve Never Heard of

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It’s no secret that the world of work is changing. With the advent of new technologies, such as virtual reality and the metaverse, many traditional jobs are disappearing and being replaced by new ones. In this article, we’ll explore five professions anyone can enter in the metaverse without any prior experience.

It’s likely that your kids already spend time in the metaverse, and by taking on one or more of these five lesser-known metaverse jobs, there’s a good chance that their wealth could grow tremendously. Below I’ll discuss what these jobs entail and how money can be made with each one:

Related: The Metaverse Is Where the Money Is

1. Metareal-estate agent

With metaverse property sales topping more than $500 million in 2021, it’s no surprise that becoming a real estate agent is one of the best ways to make money in the metaverse. If you want to make it big in metaverse real estate, you’ll want to find virtual spaces that are in demand that you can eventually sell to clients who have extra cash on hand.

For example, the Sandbox Metaverse may be a great starting point for beginners. Celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg have already purchased property here, which has attracted a lot of attention from the media and fans who are willing to pay thousands to live near someone famous.

As a real estate agent, you’ll be responsible for finding good properties and presenting them to potential investors. You can find clients on Discord servers or crypto-related subreddits, and you can pitch and sell your properties using public presentations or direct messages. With the right approach, you can earn a high income by selling metaverse real estate.

2. Connector

With more than 9.5 million gaming developers on Roblox, there’s no shortage of creators who need help with funding to create and launch a game. This is where you come in.

As a connector, you will be responsible for seeking out the best potential game projects on the Roblox forum and connecting these creators with investors willing to invest money into them in exchange for a share in the project. You can find these investors on websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo or by networking with people in the metaverse community who have extra cash to spend. Once you’ve sealed the deal, you’ll earn a commission for making the connection.

3. 3D modeler

The metaverse is a digital universe that is growing exponentially. And as it grows, the demand for 3D assets also increases. This presents a unique opportunity for those with the skills to create 3D models. With the right tools and a little practice, anyone can become a 3D modeler and start earning money by selling their creations. You can make hundreds of dollars from selling one model.

A great way to begin your journey if you’ve never created a 3D model is to practice in the Shapeyard app. This simple tool will allow you to create 3D models that can be exported and sold in the metaverse. Once you’ve mastered the basics of 3D modeling, you can begin selling your creations on marketplaces such as ArtStation, Turbosquid, and Sketchfab. With tons of potential buyers in the metaverse space, from Roblox game developers to property owners in the Decentraland platform, the opportunities are endless for 3D modelers.

Related: 3 Ways to Build Sustainable Wealth in the Metaverse

4. Trader for 3D gaming assets

While the hype around NFTs has drastically declined, the market for trading 3D gaming assets is still growing exponentially. You may be wondering if a virtual weapon could even be worth anything. The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, a CSGO knife costs more than $1.5 million.

However, you’ve got to be a visionary if you want to make money in this space. You need to be able to identify which 3D assets will increase in value over time and purchase them at a low price so you can sell them for a profit later.

To get started, find a concrete meta space, spend time there, and really take the time to understand and integrate into the community to find truly valuable objects. Then, when you’re ready to buy and sell 3D models, you can use in-systems marketplaces like Roblox Items. If you want to trade in many gaming metaverses at once, try trading platforms such as DMarket or Traderie.

5. Metfluencer

In the metaverse, becoming a rich and famous influencer isn’t hard if you have talent. In fact, one of the most influential people in Roblox, Albert Spencer Aretz, otherwise known as Flamingo, is said to be making more than $20 million annually. So, how does he do it? Simply by making funny Youtube videos where he plays Roblox, earning him both ad revenue and donations from his fans.

Do you want your success story to be similar? To get started, you’ll want to identify a metaspace that isn’t overcrowded, explore it, and begin writing scripts to create your own gameplay videos. As the audience of that metaverse grows, you’ll become one of the early influencers in this space. However, you will need to be patient and shoot consistent videos until you go viral. Once you do, you could be on your way to earning tens of thousands of dollars.

Related: Here’s a Beginner’s Guide to Crypto, NFTs, and the Metaverse

As you can see, there are many ways to make money in the metaverse. Whether you’re a 3D modeler, trader or metfluencer, there’s ample opportunity to earn a good living by creating and selling virtual assets. By following the tips in this article, your kids could be on their way to becoming metaverse millionaires.

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Ashot Gabrelianov

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November 17, 2022
FDA Gives Safety Green Light to Lab-Grown Meat Startup Upside Foods

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

California startup Upside Foods just cleared a major hurdle in bringing its lab-cultured chicken to a sandwich near you. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a press release published Wednesday that the agency had completed its “first pre-market consultation of a human food made from cultured animal cells.”

Tek Image | Getty Images

The FDA cleared Upside to continue creating meat products with its animal cell culture technology. Though the company still needs approval to sell its lab-grown chicken (or seafood or meat), the FDA has concluded by analyzing how Upside produces its meat that it is safe for consumption. The agency does not question its safety.

This is a significant step forward for producers of meat grown from cultured cells. Upside Foods founder Uma Valeti said in a statement that the company has “made history … as the first company to receive a ‘No Questions’ letter from the FDA for cultivated meat.”

“This milestone marks a major step towards a new era in meat production,” Valeti said, “and I’m thrilled that U.S. consumers will soon have the chance to eat delicious meat that’s grown directly from animal cells.”

Upside Foods still has another major milestone to go, however, to receive permission to sell its product. In addition to FDA approval, the company also needs approval from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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Steve Huff

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November 16, 2022
How to To Spot a Liar From a Psychologist Who Trains the FBI

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You confront a co-worker who you suspect may be drinking on the job, or you sit down to speak with an employee who adamantly denies sexual harassment accusations.

How do you decipher if you’re dealing with a liar or someone who is telling the truth?

“By paying close attention not only to what people say but also how they say it, you can figure out what’s really going on inside their head,” writes David J. Lieberman, Ph.D, author of the new book Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are.

He’s not lying. Dr. Lieberman is a seasoned psychotherapist who uses science-based techniques to read people’s words and actions. For the past 25 years, he’s trained the FBI, CIA, and other security agencies to be human lie detectors.

Related: This Body-Language Expert’s ‘Triangle’ Method Will Help You Catch a Liar in the Act

In an exclusive interview with the Write About Now Podcast, Dr. Lieberman shared some tell-tale signs of deceit and manipulation.

Here are seven things to look out for.

1. Liars talk too much

Listen to someone’s immediate response after you ask them if they’ve done something.

“As a general guideline, a truthful response is short and direct,” said Dr. Lieberman. Liars, on the other hand, often engage in a long soliloquy with lots of “pontification” and “moralizing.”

Liars qualify their answers with all sorts of excuses like “I’m not that kind of person” or “As I told you previously.” Basically, they talk about a hundred things except a direct answer to your question.

2. Liars try to sell you the truth

When someone is telling you the truth, they’re not interested in convincing you of anything. They only want to tell you the truth.

“A liar is interested in selling you something,” Dr. Lieberman says. “They need you to believe them, which means that they typically oversell well past the point when a truthful person would have stopped. There is a tendency to overexplain.”

Related: 10 Telltale Phrases That Indicate Somebody Isn’t Telling the Truth

3. Liars are relieved when the conversation is over

Lying takes a lot more energy than telling the truth—it can be exhausting. For this reason, liars are often relieved once they’re done spinning their web of deceit.

But Dr. Lieberman says this sense of relief can also be a red flag. “Put yourself in the minset of an honest person that was wrongfully accused of something. When that conversation ends, you’re like, ‘Hold on a second. You’ve just accused me of something. You are upset and bothered, maybe resentful—but you’re not relieved.”

4. Liars smile with their mouths, not their face

Watch for the “say cheese” smile on a liar’s face. “When somebody’s feigning an emotion, it doesn’t encompass the entire face,” Dr. Lieberman says. “The smile doesn’t include the upper part of the face, but the bottom of the face only.

Liars smile with their mouth closed, lips tight, with no movement in the forehead. A genuine smile lights up the whole face.

5. Liars pretend to be calm

“When somebody is pretending to be innocent of something, like an accusation, they try to portray the image of somebody who is calm and confident,” Dr. Lieberman said.

They tend to do very self-conscious things, such as pick imaginary lint off their pants or stretch out and yawn.

Why? Because common sense tells them that an innocent person acts this way and that guilty people act nervous.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. “A person who is wrongly accused of something is not going to be calm and confident—they’re going to be upset.” Dr. Lieberman explains. “A person who wants to convince you that they’re not nervous is going to appear much less nervous that.the person who is genuinely not nervous because, again, liars often oversell an emotion that they don’t really have.”

6. Liars’ stories are too perfect

When a person is telling the truth, particularly about something that is dramatic, the story is probably not going to have a logical flow to it. Dr. Lieberman says they often start with the most dramatic part and then sort of fill in the blanks as they go.

“A person who is making up a story, after they get to the main event, they’re gonna be done. They’re not going to continue because, in their mind, that’s what they have to sell you,” Dr. Lieberman said. “But an honest recounting of what happened is going to include an emotional aftermath, how the person felt.”

A liar will also fill in a story with lots of superfluous details. Why? Because they don’t have real details, they overcompensate and “put in lots of details that are irrelevant.”

7. Liars use impersonal pronouns

Dr. Lieberman trains law enforcement to pay attention to the personal pronouns suspects use.

“Pronouns can reveal whether someone is trying to distance or altogether separate himself from his words,” he writes in Mindreader.

Just like a liar might look away from you or have trouble making eye contact, they will distance themselves from their own words, avoiding personal pronouns like I, me, mine, or my.

Instead, the liar will often talk more in the second person with lots of “you” statements, or they’ll keep referring to “they” or “that” person. The subconscious tell here is that they’re too guilty about lying to refer directly to themselves.

No one-trick ponies

Dr. Lieberman stressed that each of these tells in and of themselves may not prove someone is lying. His techniques are “not one-trick ponies,” he said. “But if you’ve got 7, 8, 9 markers in a single sentence, then you can very clearly tell whether or not somebody’s being truthful.”

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Jonathan Small

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November 16, 2022
What the Downfall of Web Cookies Means for Advertising

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

With initiatives to prioritize consumer privacy by companies like Apple, app trackers and third-party cookies are disappearing, which is impacting the efficiency of traditional methods for performance advertising.

How does paying 25% more to reach the same audience this coming year sound? While nobody wants to spend more to get less or the same, that is going to be the reality for 44% of marketers, according to GetApp.

Perhaps this increased cost is a fact that you have accepted already. Maybe you’re not ready to make drastic changes to your advertising approach, or your company has decided to reduce its advertising budget. But what if you have to spend 50% or more for the same audience the following year? At what point will the pain become too much that you are forced to make a complete baseline paradigm shift? What’s really at risk here?

Related: Data in 4 Flavors, and the Demise of the Cookie

The downfall of the cookie

That we are forced to pay more with less quality of tracking and measurement really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The whole space has been the Wild West for so long, and third-party tracking has made it easy to find our target audience — something had to give.

In advertising, we’ve had easy access to audiences. If someone looks at Perrier on one website and then sparkling water on another, cookies tell us they are in the market for beverages. However, for consumers, the disconcerting experience of talking about cats with your phone nearby and then being presented with cat food ads on Facebook seems to have crossed a line: it’s just plain creepy. In fact, 69% of people are concerned with how their data is collected.

We are still in the Wild West. Even though the EU adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), privacy experts question its robustness. In the U.S. — where a U.S. version of GDPR hasn’t been passed by Congress — companies are basically only required to display pop-ups that prompt users to accept all cookies or not and 76% of people choose to ignore it. Who’s really going into the advanced cookie settings and carefully selecting 36 different tracking options on every website they visit?

What’s most at-risk is discovering who our audience is, what they are interested in and where they are hanging out so we know where to serve them best. If we play our cards right, it could be a win-win situation instead: Customers could be served ads they are actually interested in (and in the medium they prefer) while advertisers can become more efficient and stop wasting money serving ads to people who aren’t interested.

This becomes a question of data: Who’s got the best first-party data, and how do we make the most of it?

Powerful data, served up fresh (and safe)

Fortunately for us, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel; the framework for obtaining and leveraging powerful data is out there already; we just need to use it. Things like retail media and first-party shopper data aren’t typical media investments for marketers and can be overlooked easily, but regardless of whether you sell a physical product in the retail space, retail media platforms have incredible tools to activate for your brand.

Retail media data is better because it provides a clearer picture of who is actually in the market. Just think of what all that single sign-in user information from Amazon can provide — everything a customer buys; the movies they watch; all the items they spend time looking at across all the web properties Amazon owns like IMDB or DPreview — the list goes on.

Let’s dig deeper and consider all of the companies that Amazon owns, like MGM Studios. Amazon is buying bits and pieces of what are powerful touchpoints to identify customer interest, age and preferences to create a comprehensive view of the audience.

Now, when I skip past all the horror films to watch my favorite new comedy, Amazon knows what I like. When I binge a new Podcast on Wonderly, it gives insights into what captivates me. Combine that with Amazon’s ownership of other publications like Twitch — the top game-streaming platform in the U.S. — Alexa devices and Whole Foods, and not only does Amazon have the data but it also has the avenues to communicate with audiences.

In contrast with the creepy social media ads that seem to know a little too much, most first-party data is brand-safe. For instance, Amazon has spent the last 20 years becoming one of America’s most trusted companies, and it wouldn’t risk that by tinkering with data in an unscrupulous way. Thus, leveraging this type of information allows us to identify audiences in a way that is safe for our brands, all while being comprehensive and giving us access to premium advertising inventory.

Related: How Marketers Can Prepare for the Removal of Third-Party Cookies

A no-brainer

As we adapt to the changing tides of the digital advertising landscape, a new way is necessary — and the solution really isn’t complicated. While 81% of companies still are dependent on the sinking ship of third-party cookies, we can use our own first-party data combined with retailer data through Amazon Marketing Cloud to create a powerful picture of our consumers and serve them ads where they congregate.

This goes beyond simple awareness advertising — which doesn’t have many useful metrics (in the prehistoric days of TV and radio, it was really just general demographic data from surveys) — by tying that awareness to a specific event. With a clickable icon or a QR code in a StreamingTV, we now have traffic to the landing page and information about how people interacted with it — a constant feed of measurable and trackable consumer behavior.

And we can do all this, from discovering our audience and shopper behavior to ad platforms and measurement, while getting the most out of our advertising dollars and respecting our customers’ privacy.

Take that, cookies.

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Joshua Kreitzer

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November 14, 2022
7 Common Mistakes New Technology Leaders Must Avoid

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Technology leaders are responsible for sharing IT strategies and visions that support their companies’ goals. It is also crucial that they maintain a budget that makes it possible to implement such decisions and make them fully actionable. Technology is significantly changing and improving business operations, from task automation to advancements made to enhance time-consuming activities.

Unfortunately, there are numerous mistakes that technology leaders make that might translate to high turnover rates and negatively impact revenue creation. Some include underestimating the political nature and impact of their role and trying to implement too many changes at a go. A better part of these mistakes is due to bad habits, stress, poor preparation and internal and external pressure. Here are some of the common mistakes that trip up new technology leaders:

Related: 6 Mistakes That Rookie Leaders Make Which Can Cause Them To Fail

1. Trying to implement too many changes too fast

Innovation and change are one of the top responsibilities of technology leaders. These professionals are considered the lead change-makers of business strategies and technology initiatives. Consequently, this can put too much pressure on new technology leaders, leading to drastic changes. New technology leaders are tempted to implement too many changes, often leading to potential challenges. Generally, business organizations can only absorb a specific amount of change at a time. Therefore, new technology leaders must set realistic expectations for ultimate success.

2. Using inaccurate and unreliable data sets

New tech leaders should learn to detect and avoid faulty data sets as early as possible. This is because flawed data sets generate inaccurate results in the final algorithm’s output. New tech leaders should go above and beyond to ensure proper parameters are defined and reliable data is presented. After all, starting their technology initiatives with inaccurate data can translate to misalignments of goals, objectives and targets, causing a wide range of decision-making and implementation challenges.

3. Poor communication

How technology leaders communicate with their teams can make or break a project implementation process. Leaders can choose to share face-to-face or electronically. If you are a new tech leader, you should remember that just because the information is clear from your perspective does not mean it is the same for the entire team. Besides precise details, you should provide specific communication guidelines that your team will accept. Take time to lay down your proven schemes, but remember they should be all about mutual understanding, and you cannot impose them on the rest of the team. Fortunately, the technology industry boasts state-of-the-art and practical tools, including project management tools and instant messengers, to enhance organizational communication.

4. Implementing technology without a clear goal

So, how will the new technology help enhance your organization‘s daily operations and productivity? Most new technology leaders start piloting and implementing new technologies without a clear goal or vision. Note that you will be stuck in the theoretical stage without a clear view of the expected results. New technology and strategies must be modeled to enhance the company’s productivity, revenue generation and solving real business problems.

Related: Become a Better Leader by Improving Your Communication Skills

5. Being afraid to let people go

In their first 100 days, information technology leaders might find it hard to clean the house and try hard to keep everyone on the payroll. They feel that no employer deserves to be fired, but in some cases, there is a great need to let some people go. Understandably, the leaders want to make an excellent first impression and maintain the status quo with the team. Therefore, they do not want firing people to be one of their first moves. New technology leaders should take the time to evaluate the existing team, identify any toxic personality that pulls down the organization’s productivity, and let them go. That is among their top responsibilities as leaders. If you ignore it for too long, the problem might get worse.

6. Relying on technology as the ultimate problem-solver

Contrary to popular belief, technology cannot solve all organizational problems. Technology should be implemented as an effective way to serve you, not the other way. Therefore, tech leaders must stay on the lookout to ensure everything is flowing and working as it should. Start slow, and do not ignore anything, as people have different levels of understanding and retaining information.

7. Failing to access the business culture early on

If you are a technology leader, you have probably come across the “culture eats strategy for breakfast” quote from Peter Drucker, a renowned management guru. However, that is not always the case. One of the most common mistakes of new technology leaders is the failure to analyze and understand their organization’s culture and fabric. While most new leaders are all into their 100-day plan, the fact is that the pace of business technology composite and method will vary with different organizations. They should therefore take the time to assess their teams, peers and overall business structure and culture before embarking on an excessively aggressive approach. After all, organizations win when they have the best and most well-connected teams.

With that in mind, by understanding your business culture early on, new technology executives will know when and how to adjust and implement changes to help them remain effective moving forward. While there are several leadership styles, your business culture will determine what works best.

Related: 4 Things the New Leader of an Organization Should Do Right Away

From trying to fly solo and leaping without looking, there are numerous mistakes that new tech leaders should avoid. They should understand that authentic and effective leadership goes beyond giving orders and expecting things to go their way. Technology leadership is about setting clear, attainable goals, being open to challenges and new ideas, investing in training, providing enough tools and resources and encouraging teamwork.

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Steve Taplin

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November 11, 2022
Protect Your Privacy with a Custom Second Phone Number

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Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Every year, up to 10 percent of people are affected by identity theft. A common first step is seeing that your phone is no longer secure, indicated by a significant influx of spam calls and texts. However, keeping your phone number safe isn’t exactly easy considering you have to use your phone number for everything from work calls to social events and online purchases.

StackCommerce

However, instead of using your real number, you may be able to create a false number using Hushed Private Phone Line. This subscription gives you access to a false number you can use to make calls, send texts, and more, and a lifetime subscription is on sale for 83 percent off.

Protect your phone number and your anonymity.

Before cell phones, phone numbers weren’t as connected to your identity. Now, phone numbers are inextricably tied to a multitude of accounts, creating vulnerabilities that hackers and scammers can exploit.

Hushed gives you a fully functional second phone number that you can use for calls or texts that won’t reveal your real number. Choose from hundreds of area codes and set up voicemail on your fake number and protect your privacy.

Arrange a purchase on Craigslist without worrying about getting strange texts weeks after. Sign up for social media without putting your personal number in the hands of a company that may end up selling it. Communicate with co-workers on your time without giving them unlimited means to contact you in your off hours.

This plan gives you 6,000 SMS and 1,000 phone minutes that renew every year. If you run out of minutes or texts before your year is up, you can add more at any time. The only requirement is that you use your fake number at least once every six months to keep it active.

Make calls and send texts from a second phone number.

Protect your privacy without limiting your ability to use your phone. Get a lifetime subscription to Hushed Private Phone Line for $24.99 (reg. $150).

Prices subject to change.

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Entrepreneur Store

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November 10, 2022
The Top Technology Challenges Businesses Are Facing Today (and Solutions for Each)

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The technology, software and innovations industries will have some of the most booming businesses going into 2023. Many financial advisors will direct you toward the software and technology industries if you are looking to invest in shares or a startup. But does this mean there are minimal risks and struggles in this market? Far from it. Like any other growing market, the tech industry comes with its challenges.

Some might argue that such companies require a more hands-on approach due to consistent changes and improvements. The tech world does not take a break! And while a software company might be flourishing at one point, it can quickly plummet to the bottom of the charts in no time. Therefore, staying with the times, keeping a close eye on the competition and incorporating all relevant measures to deal with the developing challenges is essential. Here are the top technology challenges businesses have been facing this year, along with some advice for overcoming each challenge:

Related: 4 Common Challenges Faced By Tech Entrepreneurs and How To Get Around Them

The continuous advancement of technology

The rate of change is quickening, and fresh chances to upend industries are continually appearing. Companies must start thinking about adjusting to ongoing social and technical developments and how such developments will influence how consumers use tech.

Take 5G for example, which is widely available and offers the chance to develop novel commercial applications. With 5G, companies that depend on transmission or outdoor services might be entirely impacted. Before the end of 2022, 5G connectivity for internet and mobile networks will reach half of Singapore and cover the entire island by the end of 2025.

Digital transformation

Businesses don’t frequently target digitalization or technology implementation in almost every area of an organization. Instead, expanding technology across business processes often results in a chaotic, accidental kind of innovation that gives consumers of the firm’s apps an unpredictable interaction.

It may be very important to ensure a seamless transition by taking a more conscious digital growth strategy that considers how each element of technology is incorporated into the overall company processes.

Virtual working

Since IT and telecommunications have become more sophisticated, professionals have started working from home more frequently. This trend has been rising for years. Imposed remote work has demonstrated numerous benefits during the pandemic, and several organizations will probably remain on this path, maybe utilizing a hybrid approach.

New technologies will be required if these approaches operate efficiently and securely. According to the Forbes executive panel, a company that adopts working from home should, at the very least, be utilizing cloud-based services like SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. Thanks to these, your personnel will be able to operate more effectively and conveniently from various places.

Increased skills disparities

Only when appropriately qualified individuals are hired to exploit their skills can software applications significantly impact a company’s performance. Across the sector, there is already a sizable disparity among IT workers. Finding the expertise needed to take advantage of the newest technological solutions requires assistance from all IT executives, including the CIO.

Technology businesses also have to look for workers who can simultaneously spur on the next wave of inventions. Teams may have access to a broader variety of skills due to the increase in remote and blended working, but effective management strategies must be in place for these professionals to succeed.

Phasing out legacy systems as they get older

You could still use outdated technology in your organization, regardless of the industry you are in. The industry refers to these outdated systems as legacy systems. Process improvement needs to replace such components with the newest models as technology advances. Working with legacy systems leaves your company open to liabilities like delays and decreased operational effectiveness.

However, phasing legacies out is a complicated process. Because it could have unanticipated implications on your business and client satisfaction, it must be handled carefully and deliberately. This calls for a systematic approach that must benefit all parties, especially the client base.

Related: 5 Digital Trends That Are Here to Stay. Time to Embrace Them.

Project management services

IT project management — or organizing, preparing and carrying out IT efforts — can be tricky. Critical IT efforts can easily experience significant delays, unexpected costs and scope creep due to poor project planning, which can negatively influence IT ROI. To prevent overpaying, squandering money on initiatives with little ROI and maximizing future projects, tracking IT project expenditure and ROI for each venture is essential.

Strengthening cybersecurity

Security and hacking have conflicted since the beginning of IT, and the threat has grown along with technological complexity. Although external threats pose the majority of the risk, human error still poses a severe challenge. The number of cyberattacks grew in 2021 and continued to get worse in 2022 due to vulnerabilities created by remote working. Ransomware, extortion and distributed denial-of-service assaults will be the most frequent attack types, but firms must also adhere to legally binding IT compliance standards. Every organization needs to invest in utterly reliable end-to-end protection.

Mary Pratt of CIO talks about security breaches in IT systems primarily resulting from employee errors. These can include weak passwords to carelessly accessing documents, and the issue will only become messier as more employees use their own home technology. It’s crucial that all employees in an organization are made entirely aware of the appropriate measures to secure your systems from intrusions rather than considering setting up separate security teams. Your employees should get frequent security awareness education from professionals.

Related: Putting Off Cybersecurity Is Putting You at Much Bigger Risk Than You Realize

While the industry is growing relatively fast, it also has challenges that must be addressed to remain relevant. With the number of upcoming companies in the industry, one cannot afford to ignore or downplay any issues. With the right team and tactics to deal with emerging issues, the company will remain a force to reckon with.

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Steve Taplin

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November 9, 2022
How Crypto Can Be Used to Attract and Retain Top Talent

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In April 2020, unemployment in the U.S. was at “the highest level on record,” followed by nearly record-low unemployment in 2022. There’s also a record high of two open jobs for every unemployed person, which is driving fierce competition for talent. Some firms are turning to cryptocurrencies to sweeten the pot.

Offering salaries in cryptocurrency isn’t new, but it’s becoming more common as companies attempt to lure top talent. In 2017, Japanese internet company, GMO, announced that it would pay part of its employees’ salaries in bitcoin, and it is joined by the likes of SC5, Fairlay and io.

Related: 3 Ways to Stay Competitive in the War for Talent

Why offering crypto payroll is a meaningful perk

A tremendous 56% of American adults (around 145 million people) own or have previously owned crypto. To offer salaries denominated in cryptocurrency is to appeal to a much wider swath of the population. What’s more, young people are particularly bullish on crypto. A recent survey found that buyers in the Gen Z and millennials buckets make up nearly 94% of all crypto buyers.

Offering cryptocurrency as a payroll option is a way for companies to tap into this enthusiasm and signal that they’re forward-thinking when it comes to new technologies. It’s also a way to attract employees who might be interested in working for a company that is comfortable with and supportive of cryptocurrency.

Paying salaries in cryptocurrency comes with some risks, of course. The value of digital assets can be volatile, and so a worker who is paid in crypto could see his or her earnings fluctuate wildly from month to month. For this reason, it’s important for companies to consider whether they’re prepared to offer salary protection in the form of cash top-ups or other benefits if the value of crypto falls.

Employees may want to get paid in crypto for a number of reasons, from the potential for appreciation to the simple fact that it’s a more convenient way to hold and use digital assets. But regardless of the reasons, companies that want to stay ahead of the curve would do well to consider offering crypto payroll options. It could be the key to attracting and retaining top talent in today’s competitive landscape.

Related: The Complete Guide to Crypto, Bitcoin, ApeCoin and Blockchain Technology

Crypto payroll is beneficial for employers, too

In addition to the ability to attract top talent, there are a number of reasons why paying salaries in cryptocurrency could be beneficial for employers.

For one, it can help companies save on costs. Cryptocurrency transaction fees are generally lower than those associated with traditional payment methods like wire transfers or credit cards, particularly for cross-border payments.

In addition, crypto payroll can help firms hedge against currency risk. If a company pays its employees in a foreign currency, it is exposed to the risk that the value of that currency will decline relative to the company’s home currency. By paying salaries in cryptocurrency or stablecoins like USDT, companies can hedge against this risk. For example, the value of the Japanese Yen dropped over 20% against the U.S. dollar (or the stablecoin equivalent, USDT) this year.

Last but not least, crypto payroll can give companies a competitive edge when it comes to speed and efficiency. Cryptocurrency transactions are generally much faster than traditional payments, which means employees can get access to their earnings more quickly. And because digital assets can be stored and used electronically, there’s no need for paper records or checks (which can often get lost or delayed in the mail) — everything is stored securely on the blockchain.

Related: The Future Of Banking: How Blockchain Technology Can Merge Crypto and Traditional Banking

How to offer crypto payroll

If you’re interested in offering crypto payroll to your employees, there are a few things you need to consider.

First, you’ll need to decide which cryptocurrency or cryptocurrencies you want to use. There are thousands of different digital assets in existence, so it’s important to do your research and consider what makes the most sense for your company.

For example, if you want to offer employees the ability to hold and use their earnings easily, you might want to consider a major cryptocurrency like bitcoin or Ethereum. If you’re more interested in hedging against currency risk, a stablecoin like USDT could be a good choice.

Once you’ve selected a cryptocurrency, you’ll need to set up a way to pay salaries in that currency. The naive approach would be to simply ask employees to provide you with their cryptocurrency wallet address and manually transfer the appropriate amount each month. But this is time-consuming and exposes you to the risk of human error.

Another option is to use a crypto payroll service. This not only saves you time and reduces the risk of error, but it also makes it easy for employees to receive their earnings directly into their own wallets or exchange them for other currencies if they so choose.

Ultimately, offering crypto payroll is a way to stay ahead of the curve and attract top talent. If you’re interested in doing so, there are a number of things you need to consider. But with the right preparation, it could be a major competitive advantage for your business.

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Frederik Bussler

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November 8, 2022
Miso Robotics’ Global Expansion Aims to Provide a 17x Bigger Opportunity for Investors

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Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Companies love robots working alongside humans. They don’t take days off and are incredibly reliable. That’s why, in a restaurant industry plagued by labor shortages, kitchen automation solutions from Miso Robotics have been gaining a ton of traction.

Miso
Miso Robotics

After successfully automating kitchen operations for major U.S. fast food brands, Miso is sending its robotic assistants to the international market and allowing investors a chance to join them.

Here’s why Miso may truly hold the key to the future of fast food.

Miso helps make restaurants more efficient.

From low wages to hot grease, people have found plenty of reasons not to work in fast-food kitchens. As a result, 500,000 new fast-food jobs go unfilled each month, leaving many brands in desperate need of automation solutions.

That’s why Miso designed robots to cook food, pour drinks, and perform other repetitive tasks that humans prefer to avoid. For example, Miso’s Flippy 2 robot can fry, its Sippy robot pours drinks, and its Flippy Lite robot can fry and season items, most recently used by partners to make tortilla chips.

All of these robots improve efficiency over time thanks to machine learning. And as a result, restaurant staff have more time to focus on customer-oriented service, knowing Miso’s bots deliver consistent quality.

What’s more, Miso’s tech also addresses the fast-food industry’s longstanding tradition of low profit (average 5% margin) and rapid labor turnover, which have contributed to many restaurants’ lack of consistency and quality.

With Miso, these are problems of the past. Its robots provide restaurants with a low-cost, user-friendly way to boost efficiency and have shown the potential to increase restaurant profit margins threefold.

And thanks to the Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, restaurants only pay a monthly fee for Miso’s tech, allowing them to see a positive return on the first day of operations.

It’s no surprise that so many restaurants have already partnered with Miso, but this is just the beginning.

Miso’s world tour.

Many of fast food’s top brands have already adopted Miso’s AI-powered automation solutions. White Castle, Jack in the Box, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Caliburger are among many beloved restaurants that already have Flippys and Sippys lowering costs and boosting efficiency.

But the opportunity for Miso to expand its footprint is even bigger abroad. Take Europe, for example, where brands spend up to 50 percent more trying to fill the labor gaps.

That’s exactly why Miso’s landed a new international partnership that they expect will play a huge role in the company’s expansion to the 20-million-restaurant global marketplace — a 17 times larger opportunity than in the U.S. alone.

With several top fast-food restaurants stateside and a global house of brands on the horizon, Miso’s believes it has proven that there’s a universal need for its automation solutions.

Get in on Miso’s as it plans a global expansion.

More than 20,000 investors have already realized Miso’s status as an early mover, giving Miso the chance to build a solid foundation and partner with America’s most formidable fast-food brands. Now, they are going global and raising additional funds to further innovation in a market where demand is even stronger than when they started.

With a mission for global dominance up next, there will never be a better time to become a Miso shareholder than today. Learn more about Miso Robotics and how you can benefit as an investor.

^{The opportunity to invest ends 11/18/2022.}

^{Miso Robotics is offering securities through the use of an Offering Statement that has been qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Tier II of Regulation A. A copy of the Final Offering Circular that forms a part of the Offering Statement may be obtained from: Miso Robotics}

^{Entrepreneur may receive monetary compensation by the issuer, or its agency, for publicizing the offering of the issuer’s securities. Entrepreneur and the issuer of this offering make no promises, representations, warranties, or guarantees that any of the services will result in a profit or will not result in a loss.}

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StackCommerce

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November 7, 2022
Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster shows higher immune response, but new COVID cases climb back above 40,000 a day

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First the good news: Pfizer Inc. and Germany-based partner BioNTech SE said updated trial data for their omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent booster showed a “substantially higher” immune response in adults than the original COVID-19 vaccine.

The companies said the Phase 2/3 clinical-trial data, collected one month after the boosters were given, also demonstrated that safety and tolerability profiles were similar to those of the original vaccine.

The news sent Pfizer’s stock
PFE,
+0.51%
rallying 1.7% and BioNTech’s U.S.-listed shares
BNTX,
+4.97%

22UA,
+4.11%
surging 7.2% in morning trading.

“As we head into the holiday season, we hope these updated data will encourage people to seek out a COVID-19 bivalent booster as soon as they are eligible in order to maintain high levels of protection against the widely circulating Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages,” said Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla.

Only 8.4% of eligible Americans have received updated COVID booster shots, while 68.5% of the total population have completed the original primary series of vaccinations, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bivalent booster has been authorized for emergency use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration for people age 5 and older and has also been granted marketing authorization in the European Union for those age 12 and older.

In another piece of good news, Pfizer and BioNTech shares were also lifted by a report in The Wall Street Journal that the Chinese government has agreed to approve the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines for foreign residents in China and has also held talks to approve those vaccines for the broader population.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that China was working on a plan to end the practice of penalizing airlines that bring COVID-infected people into the country.

Both reports boost hopes that China is slowly moving toward ending its zero-COVID policy, which has crimped China’s economy and acted as a drag on global growth.

Now for the bad news.

The seven-day average of new COVID cases topped 40,000 for the first time in a month and hospitalizations have also ticked higher, with more than half of U.S. states showing increases over the past two weeks.

According to a New York Times tracker, the daily average of new cases rose to 40,101 on Thursday from 38,208 on Wednesday, and was up 6% from 14 days ago.

The New York Times

Nevada has seen a 96% jump in daily cases, followed by Tennessee with a 69% increase and Louisiana with a 68% rise, leading the 28 states that saw cases increase over the past two weeks.

Still, daily cases were less than one-third of the summer high of more than 130,000 reached during the surge of the BA.5 variant, the data show.

Coronavirus Update: MarketWatch’s daily roundup has been curating and reporting all the latest developments every weekday since the coronavirus pandemic began

The daily average of COVID-related hospitalizations rose 2% to 27,252, while the number of people with COVID in intensive-care units (ICUs) fell 2% to 3,110.

The daily average of COVID-related deaths fell 6% to a four-month low of 339.

On a global basis, the total number of COVID cases has increased to 631.91 million, while deaths have reached 6,598,197, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has seen a total of 97.69 million cases and 1,072,245 deaths.

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November 4, 2022
Elon Musk’s New Private Jet Is Something to Behold

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Turns out that jet setter Elon Musk is quite the jet collector.

The billionaire (or billion air?) owner of Tesla, Space X, and recently Twitter, has a small fleet of four private aircrafts— three Gulstreams and one Dassault.

According to a report by news website Austonio, Musk plans to add a new baby to the family. He recently ordered a Gulfstream G700, the latest model from the business jet giant. The plane is expected to be delivered to him in early 2023.

The Gulfstream G700 has an estimated price of $75 million. That sounds like a lot until you compare it to Saudi Prince Al Waleed’s Airbus A380, which goes for a breezy $500 million.

Still, the G700 is something to behold. Gulfstream calls it “the most spacious, innovative, and flexible cabin in the industry.” The galley boasts four living areas, seats up to 19 people, and sleeps up to 13.

The jet’s Rolls-Royce Pearl engines launch it to speeds of 690 mph and can fly 27.5 hours without refueling.

Not to be left out, the pilots also enjoy a first-class travel experience. The state-of-the-art flight deck boasts ten touchscreen monitors, heads-up displays like you’d find on a fighter jet, and sidestick controls.

Musk is sure to put plenty of miles on his new plaything. According to flight records obtained by The Washington Post, he took 250 trips in 2018 across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Total miles traveled: 150,000.

Nice wings, bad air

But not everyone is celebrating Musk’s recent purchase. Scientists and environmentalists say the climate impact of these private jets is enormous.

A 2021 study by Transport & Environment found that just 1% of people cause 50% of global aviation emissions. The math is not difficult to figure out.

Fewer people flying in bigger, carbon-emitting planes disproportionately impact the environment.

Data shows that the wealthiest 10% in the world are responsible for the same amount of carbon dioxide in a year as the poorest 10% are over in more than two decades.

Hopefully, the jet collector’s next purchase will be an electric- or hydrogen-powered jet.

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Jonathan Small

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November 2, 2022
How Data Analytics Can Help Your Startup Achieve Success
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Data analytics is one of the most important tools that startups can use to help them succeed. In this article, we will provide a practical guide to using data analytics to help your startup achieve its goals. We’ll cover topics like identifying key data points, analyzing data and making informed decisions. By the end of this article, you will have everything you need to start using data analytics to help your startup achieve success. So, let’s get started!

What are the benefits of using data analytics for startups?

There are many benefits to using data analytics for startups, and here are just a few:
- Data analytics can help you identify patterns and trends in your data that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. This can help you improve your product or service in ways that you never thought possible.
- Data analytics can also help you identify which areas of your business are most profitable and which ones need more attention. This can help you prioritize your resources accordingly, making sure that you’re investing in the areas that are most likely to succeed.
- Data analytics can also help you track user behavior and determine what kind of feedback they give you. This helps you create better products and services that meet their needs and expectations.
- Finally, data analytics can help you measure the success of your company both short-term (in terms of revenue) and long-term (in terms of customer retention).
Related: Data Analytics Are Invaluable to Your Business. Here’s Why.

How to get started with data analytics

If you’re looking to increase your startup’s success, then data analytics is a key tool you need to have in your arsenal. As stated above, data analytics can help you understand and optimize your business processes, identify and correct any issues early on and improve customer retention rates. It can also help you create better marketing campaigns and track the progress of your products and services.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when using data analytics for startups:
- Start by identifying your data projects and their respective business goals. What are you trying to achieve? What kind of data will help you achieve those goals?
- Make sure all the data you use is accurate and up-to-date. If it’s not, then it’ll be useless in helping you reach your objectives.
- Work with a data analyst who understands startup processes and can guide you through the analytical process step by step.
How to identify key data points

In order to increase startup success using data analytics, you need to identify key data points that will help you improve your business. There are a number of ways to do this:
- Use surveys or interviews to gather feedback from users and customers about their experience with your product or service. This will help you measure how well it meets their needs and what areas you need to focus on in order to improve it.
- Monitor social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to see what people are saying about your product or service. This will give you an idea of whether people are happy with it or not and which areas might need improvement.
- Analyze the financial data of your company in order to understand how well it’s performing financially. This will give you an idea of whether there’s potential for growth or if there’s a more pressing issue that needs addressing first.
- Collect sales data from retail outlets where your product is sold in order to get an idea of how much demand there is for it. This will help you decide whether marketing efforts are effective or if there are other strategies that would be more successful in reaching more people.
Related: Why Data Analytics Can Help Drive Sales For Your Business

How to use data analytics effectively

There are a number of different ways to use data analytics to improve your startup’s performance. Some common techniques include:
- Data mining: This involves extracting valuable information from large data sets by using special algorithms. This can help you find patterns and insights that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise.
- Forecasting: This is the process of predicting future events based on past data. It can help you make informed decisions about marketing campaigns, pricing strategies or other strategic decisions.
- Performance monitoring: This allows you to track key performance indicators (KPIs) over time to identify areas in which your company is performing well or not well. This can help you make necessary changes to your strategy in order to improve results.
- Insights reports: These provide a detailed analysis of specific aspects of your data that can help you make better decisions.
5 tips for making data analytics work for your startup
1. Make a data-driven culture part of your startup from the beginning.
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different data analysis tools and techniques.
3. Be sure to collect and track the right data for your startup’s needs.
4. Keep your data analyst team small and nimble for maximum agility.
5. Use data analytics to inform every decision made in your startup, from product development to marketing to sales.
Related: Data Analytics Should Become Part Of A Company’s Culture

To sum up, data analytics is a powerful tool that can help your startup understand its market better and get you to the top. However, it is important to invest in the right tools that can take your analysis process further. In case you are running low on funds or time, we have curated a list of data analytics tools to equip your startup with everything it needs.

If you’re ready to take the next step, all you need is a few months of hard work and dedication. You can then start tracking your every move with data analytics in order to find trends that will help you achieve stellar results!
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Piyanka Jain

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November 2, 2022
3 Simple Reasons to Add Technology to Your Non-Tech Business

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You are a business owner but aren’t in the tech industry, so why would you need to focus heavily on adapting technology in your daily workflow? Some people may say you don’t need to. However, I’m here to put a bug in your head and prove how technology is critical to any business across any vertical. And that includes you!

We know technology can be intimidating. It also can be complex, and there are seemingly endless options. So, is it worth the cost, integration headaches and question if you are picking the right ones? Yes! Here are my top three reasons to focus on technology, and I’ll explain how to integrate it into your business:

1. Not applying technology means you could face a technology deficit

Let’s face it, not having a line item in your books for technology and software subscriptions means your company will hit a point where you can’t grow any further. Whether your marketing team will be missing major data points for essential customer acquisition or your efficiencies will eventually put you behind, your competition could pass you by (we’ll get to this one more in the next point). No matter the roadblock you will hit, the point is your growth will have to slow down or halt. You don’t want to wait until that point to use technology once the train has left the station without you!

Related: 5 Types of Technology All Entrepreneurs Need Access to in the Digital Age

2. Results are everything

No matter your business or vertical, your most valuable resource is your team. How can you empower your team to work smarter, not harder, and ultimately produce the best results? The answer is with the right technology! Even if your staff has been set in their ways and doesn’t want to learn a new program, you must pick the right operational systems and offer proper training. A minor setback in the learning curve will mean a huge uptick in productivity.

I once ran into a mid-sized company that was technologically behind due to not prioritizing this aspect of its business. This inadequacy caused marketing and sales to lag compared to its competitors. I likened their technological powers and abilities to taking a knife to a gunfight.

If a company can increase its operational automation in the marketing space, that would allow it to understand its target customer and truly understand how to sell to its market in an efficient and results-driven way.

A data warehouse and congruent CRM would allow this business to properly segment and hit goals for its best marketing demographic more accurately. Identifying, understanding and addressing low-hanging fruit, such as abandoned shopping cart funnels, is crucial.

When you are focused on results, technology almost always needs to be integrated to increase efficiencies and drive sales in the long run. And it’s always easier and cheaper to integrate the right technology early to ensure your team is trained and using it along the way!

Related: How Technology Is Shortening the Road to Fame

3. You’re increasing your footprint of liabilities without the right technology

I’ve seen every range of technology integration, from the tech-savvy millennial CEO who relies on data and analytics for every business decision to the companies that don’t integrate it at all and still use a pen and paper within every significant department. However, if you are closer to the latter, you are potentially putting your team at a huge safety risk. If you have only minimal or wrong technology, you could be putting your customers, reputation and finances at risk too!

I’ve even seen clients using only a single source for major bookkeeping and documentation, like Excel. One wrong move or fat-fingered mistake can change your calculations completely. Or worse, delete everything! If that isn’t risky, I don’t know what is.

Technology can feel overwhelming, which is often why we hear people stay away from adding it to their daily workflow. However, there are simple ways to make that change. Start with finding a company to give you a technical audit — which is often cheaper than you might expect. Take their advice and then apply it in chunks.

You may not need to go from 0 to 100 in the first week. You can slowly add, integrate and manage critical technology into various departments as you feel comfortable. And as I mentioned earlier, a key to tech success is training! Empower your team to take the tech leap with you and work on this together. Everyone can learn a new trick, and it could even be fun! Finally, ensure that you have a base infrastructure to make the ideal environment for success. This includes having the basic technology hardware and compatible systems in place.

Take this article as your sign to take the first step and better your business with tech!

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Craig Ceccanti

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November 2, 2022
How to Hire a Tech Team When You Don’t Know Much About Tech

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

For many leaders at many organizations, it’s tough to hire a tech team. After all, while you have a deep understanding of your own business, if you’re not a software engineer or IT specialist, it can be difficult to tell if the person you’re talking with can actually do all that wonderful stuff he or she is promising. (That’s why you need help in the first place!)

A lot of business owners and executives without technical expertise often select their engineering hires or partners based on the things they are more confident assessing – how well a person presents and the cost of hiring that person or team. And while those metrics are certainly helpful, they are often not the best metrics to figure out if the person or the firm you’re interviewing can actually do the job well.

Related: 5 Ways Businesses Benefit From Having a Tech-Savvy CEO

That leaves many executives hoping for the best and crossing their fingers. Given that IT budgets are often some of the biggest costs for an organization, given how critical these systems are, and given the increase in cyber attacks, choosing incorrectly can have dire consequences.

I’ve led three different technology companies over the last 15 years and have seen a lot go wrong. Today, as Chairman of a software development company called Plan A Technologies, one of the most common requests I hear comes from leaders who have chosen incorrectly…and need us to help bail them out of a bad situation.

So what are some of the pointers we share with our clients about how to avoid such situations in the future? Here’s a quick list of what you should be listening for and what you should be saying.

Cover the basics

Make sure the person or the firm you’re talking to is friendly, easy to communicate with, follows up quickly, and behaves professionally in all your interactions. Make sure to ask for (and check!) references, and make sure those references are from legitimate companies and not friends and family.

Are they asking multiple relevant questions?

The external firm you hire or the individual you hire should have a lot of questions for you about your vision, the problems you may be facing, and your current tech stack. They should be asking about how everything has been designed, where everything is hosted, the front-end and back-end technologies that were used to create or integrate your applications, and more. In addition to technical questions, external firms should ask at least a few big-picture business questions as well: about your timelines, budget, how you’d like to differentiate yourself from your competitors, etc.

Related: Pros and Cons of Hiring a Consultant for Business

But are they only asking questions?

Yes, questions are good. But at a certain point, they should also be making suggestions off the cuff. There’s an old saying in writing: show, don’t tell. The same is true for a good engineer or software engineering firm. During your conversation, they should be showing you how much they know about the issues by speaking about potential solutions, potential pitfalls, and more.

Are they condescending?

Mediocre engineers often throw around a lot of technical words and try to intimidate a non-technical audience by showing how much more terminology they know. But great engineers are usually also great teachers and have no problem explaining complex concepts to a non-technical audience.

Do they seem to know your industry?

Ahead of time, check their history to see if they’ve worked in your field before. And when talking, ask yourself: Do I believe they’re capable of handling my business? This is something you can question them about with confidence—after all, you know your business. Ask specific questions about how they’ll handle your specific needs. If you’re unsatisfied with a response, ask follow-ups.

Related: Don’t Know Much About Tech? Don’t Panic.

Can they talk details?

Let’s say they show you a case study about building a mobile app for a hospital. Even if you’re not experienced in health care, you can still dig in: Walk me through how you built it. What was your biggest concern going in? How did you handle privacy information? Did you find a way to show ER wait times? Etc.

Can they spot the trick?

Do some research ahead of time about a technology that’s pretty new (say, 4 or 5 years old). Then ask: “Do you have at least ten years of experience with X?”

If they proudly say they do, it’s time for the next candidate.

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Aron Ezra

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November 2, 2022