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Small Business Trends and Economic Adaptation. Guest: Gene Marks. Business expert Gene Marks discusses the current economic trends affecting small businesses, including inflation and labor shortages. He provides practical advice for entrepreneurs on leveraging new technologies like AI and navigating complex tax regulations to maintain growth and competitiveness in an increasingly challenging and rapidly evolving global marketplace. 111900 LA

My co-host Ken Suzan and I are welcoming you the episode 176 of the IP Fridays Podcast. Today's interview guest is returning guest Franklin Graves, who is a senior counsel at Linkedin and teaching IP law at Emerson College. With my co-host Ken Suzan he is discussing how the law for creators has dramatically changed in the past years. Franklin Graves is expressing his personal views and not the views of Linkedin or Microsoft. He is talking about the paper “Upload Complete” before he joined Linkedin. Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franklingraves/ Paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5271442 Website: https://creatoreconomylaw.com/ But before we jump into this interview, I have news for you! Richard Meade, a judge on the UK High Court and one of the most prominent figures in European patent law, was appointed Lord Justice of Appeal at the British Court of Appeal on June 12, 2026. Meade played a key role in numerous landmark British patent decisions, particularly in the area of standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND licenses. In Insulet Corp. v. EOFlow Co., No. 2025-1807, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit completely overturned the original $452 million judgment (which had already been reduced by the District Court to $59.4 million) in favor of Insulet. In its decision of June 2, 2026, in the case of Fujifilm v. Kodak, the UPC Board of Appeal provided comprehensive clarifications regarding so-called “long-arm jurisdiction”—that is, the question of whether the UPC can also rule on national patent claims outside the UPC territory (such as in the United Kingdom). In 14 guiding principles, the judges established specific procedural rules for various categories of cases. There is no automatic UPC jurisdiction over national patent claims outside the UPC territory. The Munich Regional Court has issued an arrest warrant against the managing director of Polytech Health & Aesthetics GmbH because he is alleged to have continued to exploit the Brazilian company Silimed's patent for breast implants despite a preliminary injunction. A number of IT and automotive industry associations—which are among the most frequent users of Inter Partes Reviews (IPR) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office—have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, urging the Court to grant Google's certiorari petition. An attorney for a Las Vegas performer has asked a California federal judge to temporarily prohibit Taylor Swift from using “The Life of a Showgirl” as a trademark while the trademark lawsuit is pending. Swift's attorney called the lawsuit baseless. And now let's hear Ken discuss creator law with Franklin! AI, Platform Law, and the Creator Economy: What Businesses Need to Know Now Franklin Graves has spent his entire career watching digital content move through systems that most people never see. He started in marketing at a major music label right out of law school, then represented individual creators on YouTube in a pro bono capacity, then moved to the platform side at Eventbrite, and today works as Senior Product Counsel at LinkedIn, where he focuses on AI, data, and the regulatory questions that come with both. His recently published law review article, Upload Complete: An Introduction to Creator Economy Law, is the first academic paper to address the creator economy as a distinct legal field. In a recent episode of the IP Fridays podcast, he spoke with host Kenneth Suzan about responsible AI development, platform regulation, and what it actually means to own your audience in a world where the rules keep changing overnight. From Content Creator to Platform Lawyer The through-line in Graves’ career is a genuine understanding of how content moves from an idea in someone’s head to an audience on a screen. That experience, he argues, is precisely what in-house counsel needs right now. Lawyers working on AI and product development cannot afford to sit at a distance from the technology they are advising on. They need to use the tools, experience them as a creator or end user would, and understand the nuances of how a product actually operates before it reaches the public. Understanding the product first is the precondition for everything else. That philosophy translates directly into how he approaches responsible AI implementation. The landscape of AI standards is crowded: NIST frameworks, the EU AI Act, sector-specific guidance, and a growing body of industry-adopted best practices. The challenge for in-house counsel is not knowing that these standards exist. It is making them actionable for the engineering and product teams they support. Abstract principles need to become concrete controls and workflows. Graves offers one practical shortcut: most companies already have open source software review processes that involve the right stakeholders, the right sign-off levels, and the right security checks. Layering the specifics of generative AI or large language models onto those existing processes is far more efficient than building something new from scratch. A Fragmented Regulatory World The geopolitical dimension of AI regulation is something Graves thinks about constantly in his role at LinkedIn. The EU AI Act, shifting US executive orders, and country-specific approaches to data privacy have created a regulatory environment that can change the rules of the game without warning. His analogy is instructive: creators have long understood what it means to build a community on a platform they do not own. An algorithm change, a policy update, or a government ban can wipe out years of audience-building overnight. Businesses deploying AI tools globally now face a structurally similar problem. The response, for creators and for platforms alike, is to build resilience rather than rely on stability that may not last. TikTok is the clearest recent example. When the platform faced the prospect of being shut down in the United States on national security grounds, it triggered a broader conversation about platform dependence that had been building for years. Creators who had invested their entire business in one platform suddenly confronted the possibility that their audience could simply disappear. The lesson is not that platforms are bad. It is that concentration of any kind, whether it is your audience, your data pipeline, or your regulatory compliance strategy, creates fragility. What Is a Creator, Legally Speaking? One of the central contributions of Graves’ law review article is definitional. The terminology matters more than it might seem. When courts and regulators talk about creators without a shared understanding of what that word means, the resulting legal analysis tends to miss the mark. Graves draws a distinction between users who post content, creators who post with the intent to build an audience and eventually monetize it, and influencers, a subset of creators who are actively running a small business through their content. The difference is intent. A parent posting family photos on Facebook is a user. Someone building a subscription community around their professional expertise is running a business, and the legal framework that applies to them should reflect that. That distinction matters practically when it comes to liability. As more creators build their own platforms, whether through custom membership sites, open source tools like Ghost, or federated social networks, they take on obligations that previously fell to large platforms: content moderation policies, privacy notices, terms of service, and compliance with data regulations across multiple jurisdictions. A creator in Tennessee running a membership platform with subscribers in Germany is operating a global business, whether they think of themselves that way or not. Protecting Children Online: A Question Without a Clean Answer The tension between age verification and privacy is one of the more difficult problems in platform law right now. Australia, several European countries, and a growing number of US states have introduced or passed minimum age requirements for social media accounts. The technical challenge is real: verifying age online requires collecting identifying information, and collecting identifying information creates privacy risk, particularly for the young people the laws are designed to protect. Who should bear the responsibility for that verification is also unresolved. Is it the platform? The app store? The mobile operating system? Graves does not pretend there is a clean answer, but he points to the mobile layer as an underexplored option. The Apple App Store and Google Play Store already have significant leverage over which apps reach users on their devices. Whether that leverage should extend to age verification is a question that deserves more attention than it currently receives. The Right of Publicity in the Age of AI Voice cloning, digital replicas, and AI-generated synthetic media have pushed the right of publicity into territory that traditional IP law was not designed to cover. Trademark law, copyright law, and existing publicity rights each capture part of the problem but none of them covers it completely. The result, as Graves describes it, is a period of experimentation: lawyers filing trademarks on vocal sounds and phrases, states updating their publicity statutes to explicitly mention artificial intelligence, and entertainment unions negotiating over who controls a performance and any AI-generated iterations of it. Tennessee’s Elvis Act is a concrete example of the legislative response: the state updated its right of publicity law to include voice and to reference AI directly. Similar efforts are underway elsewhere. The underlying challenge is calibrating protection so that it gives creators and performers meaningful control over their likeness and voice without foreclosing the development of generative AI systems that depend on broad rights to process and learn from content. Somewhere between those two interests, a workable legal framework needs to emerge. The brand deal context may be where the issue becomes most immediately practical. When a brand partners with an influencer and the campaign involves generative AI in any form, the contract needs to address control explicitly. Who has final approval over how the influencer’s likeness or voice is used in AI-generated deliverables? What happens to those assets after the campaign ends? These are not hypothetical questions. They are contract drafting problems that any brand counsel or creator attorney should be addressing today. What Comes Next Graves is cautious about predictions, but his sense of direction is clear. The regulatory environment will continue to fragment before it converges. The right of publicity will be updated, imperfectly, in more jurisdictions. Creators will continue to move toward owning more of their infrastructure. And the lawyers who do this work best will be the ones who understand the technology well enough to translate it into practical, defensible decisions for the people they advise. Full Transcript: Ken Suzan: Thank you, Rolf. Our returning guest today is Franklin Graves. Franklin is the founder and editor of Creator Economy Law, a website and newsletter that educates creator economy professionals on the intersection of law and policy with the world of creators, brands, and platforms. Franklin also published the first law review article focused on the creator economy, Upload Complete, an introduction to creator economy law. He regularly appears across news and media outlets as a commentator and contributor with a focus on educating creators and raising awareness of all legal aspects of the creator economy. Franklin is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Ken Suzan: Franklin was invited to participate as one of the creators and creator economy professionals in the first ever White House creator economy conference. Franklin works full time as a product counsel at LinkedIn Corporation. As a member of the product and data team, he focuses on emerging issues in AI and data. Franklin previously held roles on the technology law group at HCA Healthcare, the commercial legal team at Eventbrite, and the business and legal affairs team at Naxos Music Group. Welcome back Franklin to the IP Fridays podcast. Franklin Graves: Thank you so much for having me. It is exciting to be back and reflecting over the last decade since I last joined and also the paper that I wrote that dives into this in more detail. So I really appreciate it. And yes, full disclosure, I currently work for LinkedIn, which is a subsidiary of Microsoft. I’m here in my personal capacity to talk about this, the paper I wrote before joining LinkedIn and all of that. So thank you so much for having me back. Ken Suzan: Excellent. So Franklin, since your last appearance on IP Fridays in 2017, your career has evolved significantly. You are now senior product counsel at LinkedIn focusing on AI and data. How has working inside a major tech platform changed your perspective on the legal frameworks governing digital content compared to when you were viewing it purely from the creator side? Franklin Graves: I appreciate that question because when I wrote the article, I did not work for LinkedIn. And I had been coming from a history in my career where I, right out of law school, worked for a record label like we talked about almost 10 years ago. And I was on the content creation side. I’ve represented a major distributor of classical music digitally at the time. And that was my first exposure to understanding how content was taken from the initial inception stage from creators and routed through all the various digital platforms that were at the time still evolving and even arguably still today continue to evolve. The early days of YouTube Music launching and then Apple Music launching, and then going through all the phases of high-res audio and everything that came after that. So that was an interesting perspective to start my career with. And then I went to Eventbrite, which is a ticketing platform, but was also focused on elevating event creators. They kind of took on that moniker of “Hey, we are event creators that we support.” And that was arguably my first exposure to the platform side, the tech platform side of it, because Eventbrite is a platform. And so then I evolved from there in my personal capacity, in a pro bono capacity representing individual creators across the YouTube space. And that’s what we talked about a little bit back when I first came on the podcast. Franklin Graves: Over the last decade, it’s been a chance to grow my own understanding of the creator economy. The terminology “creator economy” came around. And then now on the other side of it, having written the article and all that, and now being fully in-house at LinkedIn, I truly am experiencing a social media platform. LinkedIn is of course arguably way more than just the platform itself. There are so many different avenues to it, but it is a chance for me to understand what it is like working for a company that is operating the platform that people are distributing content on. There’s a user journey to content and all of that. So it’s definitely enhanced and given me a different perspective from a major tech platform side. And part of my role at LinkedIn is really heavily focused on understanding regulation and how that from an AI and data perspective impacts the company. And so I’ve been really leveling up my game over the last year and a half that I’ve been here, understanding mostly EU regulations, but also US regulations that are still in their infancy when it comes to AI. But really when it comes to privacy and data, those are pretty well established across the board. It’s been kind of a combination of what I learned at Eventbrite, because I went to Eventbrite when GDPR was going into effect. And so that was an eyes-wide-open moment of getting in the weeds with negotiating data processing agreements, understanding data transfers and cross-border data transfers and the like. So it’s been kind of an evolution as the laws and regulations have evolved. So has my career, so has my own understanding, so have the platforms’ responses to those laws and regulations. And I’m sure that probably resonates with a lot of your listeners who have also been growing their practice and their understanding as the laws and regulations in this realm have been evolving too. Ken Suzan: Yes, indeed. Now let’s switch gears and talk about AI. You advise on AI and data daily. As platforms integrate generative AI tools into their tech stacks, what are the most critical best practices in-house counsel should be adopting right now to embed responsible AI principles into product development? Franklin Graves: So as an attorney, one of my key roles is to understand the technology. Even representing creators and working for creator platforms, that’s something I’m constantly trying to do: put myself in the shoes of being a creator. And I think I talked about this last time I was on, but I come from a background where I was working for a major label doing marketing, video editing, social media work. And I was creating content. I understood the whole life cycle from the inception point of an idea to execution and then to the final delivery and distribution of that content to an audience within a major music label. And so part of that is the same thing that I think attorneys, especially in-house, should be doing: using the tools that the product and engineering teams are either developing in-house or partnering with third parties to develop, or a combination of the two. Using them, understanding them, using them as a creator would, using them as an end user or a client or customer would. And making sure that if you understand the product and understand the nuances of how it operates, and being a part of the iterations of that internally before it fully ramps, that really gives you a chance to understand: okay, we have a lot of responsible AI principles and standards and protocols that are in existence right now, whether it’s NIST, whether it’s based on the EU AI Act or anything and everything in between. It’s understanding how to apply those and bring those into a product and an engineering environment in a way that is practical and actionable for the people that you’re supporting, the stakeholders you’re supporting. So I think one of the critical best practices is, number one, understand the product or features that you’re supporting. Franklin Graves: And then understand how you as an attorney can use your expertise and understanding of responsible AI practices, whether it’s a regulatory standard or an industry-adopted standard or a hybrid of the two, to leverage those and implement those, break those down and make them into actionable controls and processes and flows that work within your existing infrastructure. That’s a lot of high-level talk, but that’s the general idea. One concrete example we talk about frequently is with open source AI. If you’re working with a product team or an engineering team that is taking an off-the-shelf open source model and bringing that in-house, a lot of times companies have pre-existing open source processes that cover the use of open source software or code. Piggyback on that. That’s the easiest quick win for attorneys: leveraging your existing open source processes to just build on top of that the AI flavor and layering. It’s not very much that you have to do, but the underlying process of the key stakeholders that need to be involved in the review, whether it’s security, whether it’s executive sign-off if it gets to that point, even export control considerations should already be part of your existing open source software process. So layering in on those existing processes the specifics of generative AI or large language models that you’re trying to bring in is a great way to put this into practice. Ken Suzan: Now looking at the geopolitical landscape that we currently have, we have the EU AI Act setting strict standards and shifting US executive orders. How should platforms and brands prepare for this fragmented regulatory environment when deploying AI tools to a global user base? Franklin Graves: It’s a great question. It’s something that is still evolving, I think is fair to say. I would equate it, as I do in the paper that I wrote, to how creators and arguably brands don’t own the platforms that they’re building their communities on. That spawned this concept of de-platforming or going into building your own platform, a decentralized platform of sorts, and owning your community. That gives you that control and takes away the level of instability that can come for creators trying to build a business on a platform they don’t own, they don’t control when certain updates happen, when algorithms change, when tools and functionalities either become available or go away completely. So it’s very similar to what we’ve been experiencing in a regulatory environment where we have geopolitical complexities, for lack of a better term, that can overnight seemingly disrupt the way in which a platform or even a multinational brand is able to connect and reach an audience or continue to leverage the user base that they’ve built. I think TikTok is a great example of that, where it became a national security concern and suddenly it was facing an executive order that required it to be effectively disabled in the US or completely owned and operated by a US entity. All the mechanics and technicalities of whether it’s actually possible and still have a global platform with a global user base is a whole different discussion. But that’s an example of very similar considerations that are now not just a discussion point at the creator level or the individual brand level, but also in a much broader context at a platform level as well. Ken Suzan: Franklin, let’s now shift gears and talk about your article. In your recently published journal article, Upload Complete, which we will have linked in our show notes, you advocate for a shift in terminology from internet creator law, a term used during our first podcast almost a decade ago, to creator economy law. Why is this distinction important and how does it change the way legal practitioners should view the ecosystem of creators, brands, and platforms? Franklin Graves: Oh yes, this is part of the reason why I wanted to write the article: to lay this foundation of understanding. Because at the time I’d written the article, the term creator economy and creator had really not appeared but for maybe once in an actual court decision. And it was kind of focused on influencers and this concept, and it was just not getting it right. And so it was also, as you mentioned, when we first spoke I was even using the term internet creators. And I think that was something that was common at the time. The “internet” portion as a qualifier has since dropped off. And now for purposes of the creator economy, the term creators refers to individuals, it can be small businesses, which is what we’ve seen from a regulatory standpoint, how these small businesses are being impacted by regulations. But essentially creators in the article I pin in the context of intent. What is the intent behind the person or the small business that is posting content, trying to build a community and form a community in a virtual environment? And then that can even spill over into real physical world environments. And so the intent is kind of what I look at. Franklin Graves: And I have a chart in the article that has a diagram showcasing the overlap of what I refer to as “users generating content.” It’s a play on the concept of user-generated content, UGC. Users generating content is that large bucket of anyone posting on a platform of some kind. And within that large bucket, that large circle, are smaller subsets. You have creators, you have brands. Those are really the two buckets you can put people into. Otherwise it’s like your grandmother or your parents posting content on Facebook or Instagram, and those are everyday users of a platform. The distinction to get into that subcategory of being a creator more so has been analyzing the intent behind the posting. Are you posting content to build an audience, to build a community, to eventually have a chance to monetize the following that you’re bringing in or sell services or something like that? Brands are posting for that reason. Creators are maybe posting for that same reason. But even within the creator category, there’s a subcategory of influencers that are trying to sell something, that are trying to build more than just an awareness of who they are, their influence. They are trying to do brand deals, partnership deals, upsells and all that, and start an actual small business aside from just the content itself that they’re creating. So that’s kind of the distinctions that I make in the paper. And that’s why it’s important to understand and lay that foundation, that anyone can post content online, but the intent, the why behind their posting that content, really does ultimately matter, especially when you’re looking at it from a court case or from a regulatory standpoint. Ken Suzan: Now, Franklin, we’re seeing unprecedented geopolitical activity around platform ownership. For example, the US legislation targeting TikTok and Brazil’s recent temporary ban of X. How do these macro-level battles impact the day-to-day livelihood of creators? And how can they legally and operationally protect themselves? Franklin Graves: So the shift that we’re seeing, and I alluded to this earlier in our conversation, is this concept of Web 3. And that term may or may not be really popular anymore, but that’s essentially what we’re looking at: a shift into a federated, decentralized operation of a platform. So instead of one owner, one company, one entity owning and operating the platform, it’s decentralized. Anyone can start up a server, and it’s interoperable, meaning anyone can plug and play and connect to that larger network. And it creates this unified social network experience. Within each operating node of that network, there can be your own decisions around content moderation, your own decisions around the hosting providers you use, where you’re operating out of, the terms and conditions that apply to that. But the flip side is that instead of creators posting and sharing in a closed environment run and controlled by a singular entity, you’re now experiencing a peer-to-peer type operation where your experience can change based on which server, which node, which user you’re engaging with. You might have content that’s acceptable in one area but not acceptable in another, and maybe it just doesn’t even show up in that other area. Franklin Graves: But from a liability standpoint, as creators start to build their own networks and communities, even outside of a concept like the fediverse, it’s even down to creators building their own communities through online courses, subscription membership-based platforms that they run on their own website. There’s open source software out there, even something called Ghost, where you have memberships. And that is a creator or a small business in the creator economy that is now taking on the obligations that would typically fall upon a platform. They need to take into consideration terms and conditions, privacy policies, legal aspects, and regulatory considerations for running a platform, especially in a global world. So it’s a lot of liability that then shifts over to those small businesses and even brands sometimes that are doing the same thing. Whether it is something as simple or complex as content moderation or all the way up to monetizing an audience, this new world where creators can spin up and run a platform all dovetails back to the concept of creators not feeling like they have control in reaching the audience and the community that they’re building on an individual platform. And so this really became more mainstream conversation with TikTok and the issues around it potentially being shut down in the US. That was kind of the mindset shift and eyes opening for many creators, especially within the influencer subset, of realizing: we need to make sure that we have a way to reach the audience we’ve built if the individual platform that we’ve committed to over the last year or three years or so is no longer available. We need a way to continue that relationship outside of that one platform controlling it. Ken Suzan: Franklin, we have a few minutes left and a number of topics. So I’m going to switch gears and talk about a few issues. First, a major emerging topic in your paper is the evolution of protecting kids online. With state-level age-gating laws like the CAADCA and the recent FTC updates to COPPA, how should platforms navigate the significant tension between strict age verification mandates and the privacy and First Amendment rights of their users? Franklin Graves: Man, that is a whole discussion to unravel. It is a consideration that we’re seeing happen again, going back to the geopolitical nature of everything. Countries like Australia and certain countries in Europe and now even individual states in the US are trying to look at ways, and some of them have already put into place minimum age requirements before you can even sign up for an account with a social media platform. One of the things I’d just highlight quickly here is that one of the tensions is around how you verify someone’s age online and still maintain the ability to be at least pseudonymous. How do you still have a level of privacy, autonomy, and protection when it comes to having to provide something like a driver’s license or have parental consent tied and connected to an account managed by a parent in a situation where maybe it’s not appropriate or not beneficial to the child in that manner? But then maybe there are counterbalancing factors that outweigh that. All of that comes down to the technicalities of how it’s actually implemented and maintaining the sense of openness and freedom that we’ve had on the internet to date. And then the other element there is, since a lot of the internet that we think of today is more so through mobile applications, is it something that the mobile operating system providers and app store providers should be thinking about? So whether that’s the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, where does that initial age verification need to fall? Is it at the platform level? Is it the app store or mobile device management level or something else? Yeah, there’s a lot to discuss there. And a lot of the issues we’re seeing with how the internet is changing in terms of being able to browse a website without disclosing personal information that might not have been required before is largely stemming from a focus on protecting children online. Ken Suzan: It sounds like, Franklin, we could have another episode covering lots of issues connected with that one topic alone. Franklin Graves: I would absolutely agree with that. There’s a lot going on there. And again, it’s different across the world. And so I know you all have a global listener base. And so there’s a lot of nuances to that whole discussion too, that are worth exploring. Ken Suzan: Last question for today’s episode is regarding the right of publicity. With the explosion of AI-generated synthetic media, digital replicas, and voice cloning, the right of publicity is taking center stage. What are the biggest legal risks for brands partnering with influencers right now? And how can creators protect their most valuable asset, their likeness? Franklin Graves: That’s a great question. I think we’re seeing kind of a throwing-spaghetti-against-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks approach right now by a lot of different parties, whether it’s trademark attorneys, whether it’s general entertainment attorneys or whoever. For example, we’ve seen Taylor Swift filing trademarks to protect certain sounds of her voice and phrasing that she uses. It’s a difficult area because in the realm of generative AI with deep fakes and virtual avatars, that is where it gets tricky, because traditional IP laws are just not able to fully cover that spectrum. It’s a piecemeal approach, but even then it doesn’t fully cover it. So for example, I’m based in Tennessee and a couple of years ago we had the Elvis Act that updated our right of publicity law to add voice and to explicitly reference artificial intelligence. And so that’s the kind of effort we’re probably going to continue to see: efforts to develop some framework around protecting what is essentially a privacy right, in a manner that doesn’t restrict generative AI systems from continuing to develop and operate the way they’re operating now, while layering in those protections so that in the US at least a First Amendment right doesn’t necessarily get squashed, and those traditional well-recognized efforts to not overregulate a technology in its early stages are respected. Franklin Graves: And so I think a lot of what we’re seeing is just a need to update laws. The SAG-AFTRA debate and the strikes that happened around maintaining control of your performance and any iterations of that, or building upon that by a media company that might come later, it’s all on the table right now and still being discussed, still being worked out. I think in the short run, a lot of times if it’s in a brand deal, the key question is: if you are using generative AI to enhance in some way the final deliverable for the campaign, who has control over that? Who has final say and sign-off on how that likeness or that digital replica or that person’s voice is represented? And even outside of the brand space, we’ve seen actors like James Earl Jones signing over certain aspects like their voice and allowing it to continue to be used in these manners powered by generative AI as Darth Vader. And I think I saw something that Boy George was even starting up an AI company that allows musicians, the original recording artist, to rerecord new versions of their masters so that they don’t miss out on that revenue. It’s powered by generative AI, by taking their voice now, which is significantly different than it was back in the 80s, and using generative AI to make it sound closer to the original, but all based on their current performance. So I think it’s still an evolving area. And what’s interesting too is on the platform side, we’re seeing the early stages of platforms like Google starting to acknowledge and rely on the license grant contained in their terms of service for YouTube, which grants them broad rights to use the content to run their platform. So all that to be said, it’s still early stages. I’m very interested to see where we go from here in the future, especially from a global perspective as well. Ken Suzan: Franklin, I could spend hours talking to you about this. You’re such a knowledgeable person on these topics. Maybe in a few years, will we connect again and talk further on AI and all the things that are yet to be developed? Franklin Graves: Thank you. Yeah, it doesn’t have to be another decade. Maybe we can cut it to half a decade, given the pace at which technology is going now. Ken Suzan: Sounds good, Franklin. Thanks again for being on the IP Fridays podcast.

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha's top stories with editor Jessica Pothering. Up this week: How a new playbook for shared prosperity is being written in Zambia, where attempts are being made to redirect its mineral wealth toward local small and growing businesses; what SpaceX and other IPOs mean for Impact LPs and the field of impact investing; and this week's deal spotlight shines a light on investors designing nature-based investments around natural cycles.To try ImpactAlpha Edge, ⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠.This week's stories:"Zambia centers small businesses in its bid for a more inclusive economy," by Lucy Ngige"SpaceX, Anthropic IPOs set to unlock billions in liquidity for impact LPs," by Amy Cortese"Investors learn to design nature-based investments around natural cycles," by Erik Stein“Danone-backed Livelihoods lands €124 million for its fourth nature-based fund,” by Lucy Ngige

Leaders Founders behind Ouai, Good Girl Snacks, Heaven Mayhem, Hedley & Bennett, and more share the expensive, embarrassing, and clarifying mistakes that taught them how to build stronger businesses. For more from these leaders click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Girmay Zahilay apologizes for selfie with Brian Heywood in stunning display of cowardice. Businesses in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood say the World Cup hasn’t given them the economic boost they were expecting. Guest: First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd provides an update on the Belfair man that was arrested in connection with a terror plot at the White House UFC event. // Big Local: The Grand Cinema in Tacoma will reopen this week with extra security. A court has upheld a permit to demolish an old masonic home in Des Moines. A large tree fell at Lake Sammamish State Park smashing several cars. A teenage girl allegedly shot another teen on a Metro bus in Auburn. // You Pick the Topic: An appalling display of antisemitism against a Democrat congressman. Tucker Carlson officially leaves the GOP.

On this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different, we welcome back Ray Wang, Chairman and CEO of Constellation Research, and widely regarded as one of the most insightful technology analysts in the world. In a recent conversation with Christopher Lochhead, Ray Wang shared his unfiltered perspective on the biggest developments shaping the technology landscape today. From the historic SpaceX IPO to the transformative acquisition of Cursor, Ray Wang offered sharp analysis that cuts through the noise and gets to what actually matters for businesses and investors navigating an AI-driven world. The conversation covered topics that most analysts are still catching up on, including why knowledge workers need to rethink their value, what Data Inc companies actually are, and why the context layer above large language models may be the most important competitive battleground of the next decade. What makes Ray Wang’s perspective so valuable is not just his breadth of knowledge but his ability to synthesize experience into wisdom, which is precisely the distinction he draws when talking about why AI cannot replace truly seasoned professionals. You're listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let's go.   Ray Wang on AI, Knowledge Work, and the Commoditization of Expertise Ray Wang makes a clear and compelling distinction between knowledge and wisdom. He argues that knowledge has become a commodity, but wisdom, the ability to take insights and turn them into meaningful action, remains deeply human and increasingly valuable. As AI automates deterministic, repetitive tasks, what rises in importance is judgment, the capacity to learn from failure and connect dots in ways that no model trained exclusively on successful outcomes can replicate. This reframing is critical for anyone worried about AI displacing their career. Ray Wang points out that AI systems today learn only from success, with no real failure database informing their outputs. That gap is where experienced professionals earn their keep. Businesses are increasingly paying for people who have lived through cycles of failure and recovery, not simply those who can recite information retrieved from a search index.   The SpaceX IPO and What Ray Wang Says It Means for the Future of Markets Ray Wang describes the SpaceX IPO as a completely new playbook, one that flipped conventional wisdom about how public offerings should be structured. Rather than allocating the vast majority of shares to institutional investors through a traditional roadshow, SpaceX directed somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of the offering toward retail investors. Ray Wang sees this as Elon Musk rewarding the individual investors who stayed loyal through years of volatility, particularly the Tesla shareholders who held on despite relentless short-selling pressure. Beyond the allocation strategy, Ray Wang highlights how Musk essentially told the markets to take it or leave it at a fixed price, bypassing the typical price-discovery process. The Nasdaq inclusion guaranteed a floor without needing the traditional green shoe option to do the heavy lifting. Ray Wang believes this model could influence how future high-profile tech companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, approach their own public offerings, fundamentally shifting leverage away from Wall Street banks and toward founders and retail participants.   Ray Wang Explains Data Inc Companies and the Context Layer That Defines AI Competitive Advantage Ray Wang has been developing a framework he calls the Data Inc company, a concept centered on the idea that businesses that treat data as their primary asset, combined with strong distribution, will dominate the AI era. According to Ray Wang, unique data sets that no competitor can access or replicate are the foundation of next-generation competitive moats. Companies that fail to own their data and build derivative products from it will find themselves structurally disadvantaged as AI capabilities become more broadly available. Taking that framework one step further, Ray Wang agrees that the real battleground is not the large language model itself but the contextual layer that sits above it. This semantic and contextual wrapper, built from proprietary data and accumulated organizational knowledge, is what gives AI outputs meaning and reduces hallucinations. Swapping out one LLM for another becomes straightforward when this context layer is robust, much like swapping one database for another in a well-architected system. Ray Wang adds one more dimension that elevates the entire conversation: persistent memory. The ability for AI systems to retain learnings across interactions and pass that accumulated intelligence to downstream systems is, in his view, the true home run of enterprise AI. Decision velocity, powered by a rich contextual layer and persistent memory, is what separates companies that merely adopt AI from those that build genuine exponential advantage from it. To hear more from Ray Wang and his thoughts about the Future of Tech, download and listen to this episode.   Bio R “Ray” Wang (pronounced WAHNG) is the Founder, Chairman, and Principal Analyst of Silicon Valley based Constellation Research Inc. He co-hosts DisrupTV, a weekly enterprise tech and leadership webcast that averages 50,000 views per episode and authors a business strategy and technology blog that has received millions of page views per month.  Wang also serves as a non-resident Senior Fellow at The Atlantic Council's GeoTech Center. Since 2003, Ray has delivered thousands of live and virtual keynotes around the world that are inspiring and legendary. Wang has spoken at almost every major tech conference. His ground-breaking bestselling book on digital transformation, Disrupting Digital Business, was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2015.  Ray's new book about Digital Giants and the future of business titled, Everybody Wants to Rule the World will be released July 2021 by Harper Collins Leadership. Ray Wang is well quoted and frequently interviewed in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business News, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar, CGTN America, Bloomberg, Tech Crunch, ZDNet, Forbes, and Fortune.  He is one of the top technology analysts in the world.   Links Follow Ray Wang! Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Constellation Research | DisrupTV   We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and subscribe on Apple Podcast / Spotify!

Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MS breaks down website anatomy, emphasizing that a "pretty" site is useless if it doesn't function technically. He explains the psychology of website navigation, detailing three types of scrolling: eye paths, scroll paths, and decision zones. Guest speakers advocate for starting with a simple, high-converting one-page website on platforms like Wix, rather than getting overwhelmed by complex builds. The conversation also covers the importance of proper logo linking, customized social media icons, and integrating live chat to reduce friction and boost sales.>>

Krystal Popov is a serial entrepreneur, the founder of Futurepreneur, and a passionate advocate for empowering kids and teens to become entrepreneurs. A mother of three, she believes young people have immense potential to start businesses but often lack the guidance to do so. After climbing the corporate ladder in engineering, Krystal left the traditional workforce to build four businesses. Today, she runs a seven-figure coworking and flex retail space in Tucson, AZ, and has launched Futurepreneur to help kids turn their creativity and tech skills into successful ventures. Through Business Startup Challenges, Krystal teaches kids essential entrepreneurship skills, including creativity, financial planning, team leadership, marketing, and sales. She's committed to filling the gap in education and inspiring the next generation of business owners.

Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MS breaks down the anatomy of a business website. He explains that owning a domain, hosting, and a mailbox are just the starting points; maintaining a website is like maintaining a house. Favour details the risks of platform lock-in (like the migration challenges with Squarespace and Bluehost) and emphasizes the importance of a standalone FAQ page to boost search impressions. He provides a checklist for website owners, covering image compression, canonical tags, and critical integrations like Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.>>

As a kid struggling with ADHD and financial instability, David watched his family nearly lose their home before taking a door-to-door sales job as a broke college student. He was terrible at it at first, but instead of quitting, he became obsessed with learning sales, systems, and business psychology. That mindset helped him build and sell four companies, scale across 5,000 cities in 34 states, and turn one of the world's most overlooked industries into a $500 million empire. In this episode, David joins Ilana to share the sales lessons, leadership principles, and mindset shifts that helped him build through rejection, near-bankruptcy moments, and why some of the biggest opportunities today are hiding inside “boring” businesses. David Royce is the chairman of AP Environmental, one of North America's largest residential pest control companies. Starting from door-to-door sales as a college student, he built and sold four companies, reaching over 5,000 cities across 34 states and a $500M valuation at exit. In this episode, Ilana and David will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (04:58) The “Problem Kid” Who Built a $500M Business   (13:22) Sales Skills Every Entrepreneur Needs (17:06) Taking the Leap to Build His Own Business (21:17) Surviving the Early Business Chaos (29:02) Biggest Lessons from Tony Hsieh (33:52) How Scaling Exposes Every Weakness (37:45) The Failure That Forced David to Evolve (41:39) How Bankruptcy Changed His Definition of Success (45:34) “Boring” Businesses That Build Real Wealth (54:37) The Power of Risks in Creating Bigger Lives David Royce is a four-time exit founder and chairman of AP Environmental, one of North America's largest residential pest control companies. Starting from door-to-door sales, he built and sold four companies over the course of his career. His third company sold for a reported $135M, and his fourth, AP Environmental, reached a reported $500M valuation at exit, operating in over 5,000 cities across 34 states.  Connect with David: David's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-royce-22539425   Aptive Website: aptivepestcontrol.com/   Resources Mentioned: Delivering Happiness - A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh: https://www.amazon.in/dp/145550890X.  Leap Academy: Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW WAY for professionals to fast-track their careers and leap to bigger opportunities.  Check out our free training today at https://bit.ly/leap--free-training

If We Started Over Today, These Are the Businesses We'd BuyWhat's the best home service business to start in 2026?In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the industries they'd bet on if they had to start over from scratch today. From HVAC, plumbing, and electrical to restoration, landscaping, roofing, septic, and even trash collection, they debate which businesses offer the best combination of recurring revenue, profitability, scalability, and long-term enterprise value.The conversation dives into what actually makes a great business: recurring revenue vs. high-ticket projects, cash flow vs. enterprise value, ease of hiring vs. ease of selling, and which industries are positioned to win over the next decade. Along the way, John and Jack share lessons from building, acquiring, and investing in service businesses, and reveal which opportunities they're most excited about right now.If you're looking to buy a business, launch a company, or expand into a new trade, this episode offers a practical framework for evaluating where the best opportunities exist today.What You'll Learn:→ What makes a great home service business in 2026→ Why recurring revenue businesses are so attractive→ The tradeoffs between cash flow and enterprise value→ Why restoration may be one of the most underrated opportunities today→ The pros and cons of roofing, landscaping, septic, pest control, and more→ Which business John and Jack would personally choose if they had to start over tomorrow————————————————

Ep 127 - How Bryce Davis Built Businesses While Chasing Gold Buckles Crockett Carothers Bryce Davis is a rodeo cowboy and business owner. You might recognize his name from the steer roping but he's quietly built successful businesses in the background. We talk about the struggles of trying to rodeo, build a family, and building businesses all at the same time. Review Wizard:https://www.reviewwizard.io/io-demo486587?am_id=crockett9437Sponsorship:https://form.jotform.com/251243256767057Diversified Payments:https://www.diversifiedpayments.com/wealthycowboyhttps://form.jotform.com/260584054076054The Wealthy Cowboy VIP:https://www.skool.com/the-wealthy-cowboy-vip-6536/about?ref=d30cd83cb8824bc7885158a8ec9366a5

S6:E55 Markets shift. Policies change. Supply chains break. Yet businesses still need to serve customers, protect margins, and make decisions. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Abe Orgel, founder of Simple Forwarding, to discuss what entrepreneurs can learn from navigating global shipping during one of the most unpredictable periods in recent memory. If people don't trust your ability to adapt, they begin questioning your reliability. And when businesses appear unprepared or reactive, opportunities quietly move elsewhere. Guest Abe Orgel Founder, Simple Forwarding Global shipping and logistics strategist Core Problems Operating amid tariff uncertainty Managing risk without perfect information Building contingency plans that support growth Practical Takeaways Expect change and prepare for multiple outcomes Make decisions using scenarios instead of assumptions View resilience as a business capability, not merely a personality trait Timestamps 00:00 The reality of global shipping in 2026 02:00 What customers truly care about 11:30 Forecasting versus predicting 13:00 Why Plan B matters 15:20 Building resilience as a competitive advantage Who This Episode Is For Business owners managing inventory, economic uncertainty, or complex operations. At STEERus, we continue seeing a similar challenge: organizations often underestimate how uncertainty affects perception. Businesses that cannot communicate preparedness and adaptability are frequently misunderstood, overlooked, or perceived as higher risk. Subscribe and share if these conversations help you think differently about business.   ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship

Sarah is co‑founder, CEO, and portfolio manager at Causeway Capital Management, which she helped launch in 2001 and now manages approximately $68B in assets (as of 3/31/26). She explains how she invests in companies facing temporary setbacks, why underwriting earnings power two years out may matter more than near‑term results, and how thinking past the trough helps identify durable businesses before the recovery becomes obvious.-This podcast/webcast is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, tax, investment, or business advice. It is not a solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement. All opinions expressed by participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Evoke Advisors Division of MAI Capital Management, LLC ("Evoke”), its affiliates, or any companies mentioned. Information shared has not been independently verified by MAI or its affiliates. MAI Capital Management, LLC (“MAI”) is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which does not imply any particular level of skill or training.Certain information contained herein has been obtained from third party sources and such information has not been independently verified. No representation, warranty, or undertaking, expressed or implied, is given to the accuracy or completeness of such information by any person.While such sources are believed to be reliable, Evoke does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information. Evoke does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein as of any future date.The content is intended for a general audience and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell securities or adopt any investment strategy. Any examples or scenarios discussed are illustrative only, involve risks and uncertainties, and do not guarantee future results. Non-traditional assets carry significant risks and may not be suitable for all investors. Decisions should be based on individual objectives, risk tolerance, and circumstances.Statements herein are general and may not reflect an individual's or entity's specific circumstances or applicable laws, which vary by jurisdiction. Further, speakers' views are personal and may differ from Evoke and MAI recommendations and are not specific investment advice; and do not consider client objectives, risk tolerance, and diversification. Guests may have current or past relationships with Evoke and MAI, its affiliates, or the host, including as clients, service providers, or business partners. Participation does not constitute an endorsement or testimonial. No compensation has been paid or received for guest participation unless disclosed. MAI and its affiliates may have business relationships with entities mentioned in this podcast, which could create potential conflicts of interest. These relationships may include advisory services, investment management, or other arrangements. MAI seeks to manage such conflicts consistent with its fiduciary obligations and policies.(As of December 22, 2025)

S6:E55 Markets shift. Policies change. Supply chains break. Yet businesses still need to serve customers, protect margins, and make decisions. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Abe Orgel, founder of Simple Forwarding, to discuss what entrepreneurs can learn from navigating global shipping during one of the most unpredictable periods in recent memory. If people don't trust your ability to adapt, they begin questioning your reliability. And when businesses appear unprepared or reactive, opportunities quietly move elsewhere. Guest Abe Orgel Founder, Simple Forwarding Global shipping and logistics strategist Core Problems Operating amid tariff uncertainty Managing risk without perfect information Building contingency plans that support growth Practical Takeaways Expect change and prepare for multiple outcomes Make decisions using scenarios instead of assumptions View resilience as a business capability, not merely a personality trait Timestamps 00:00 The reality of global shipping in 2026 02:00 What customers truly care about 11:30 Forecasting versus predicting 13:00 Why Plan B matters 15:20 Building resilience as a competitive advantage Who This Episode Is For Business owners managing inventory, economic uncertainty, or complex operations. At STEERus, we continue seeing a similar challenge: organizations often underestimate how uncertainty affects perception. Businesses that cannot communicate preparedness and adaptability are frequently misunderstood, overlooked, or perceived as higher risk. Subscribe and share if these conversations help you think differently about business.   ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship

This week we're sharing stories from our past businesses, updates on our current ventures and dream business ideas we're still saving for the future.   Thank you to this week's sponsor: Get 57% Off and a Free Gift with code MESS at FirstDay.com Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.   Businesses we talk about: Emma's Cupcake / Bubble Tea Shop Elsie's Scrapbook Product Line Emma's Bar Querying The Golden Bakery   Book Report Emma: First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami Elsie: The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer   You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.  

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, host Gary McCreadie is joined by James Christian, Senior Director of Product at Podium, to discuss how artificial intelligence is helping HVAC and home service businesses operate more efficiently. James explains what large language models are, how AI employees can assist with customer communication, scheduling, dispatching, and lead management, and why AI should be viewed as a tool that supports people rather than replaces them. The conversation covers AI-powered CSRs, technician scheduling, route optimization, business automation, and the growing role of AI in daily operations. Gary and James also explore how AI can reduce workload, improve customer response times, and help business owners focus on growing their companies. In this conversation, James explains what large language models are and how artificial intelligence is being used to support HVAC and home service businesses. He discusses how AI employees can handle customer communication, scheduling, dispatching, and lead management, while helping office staff work more efficiently. James and Gary explore topics such as technician skill matching, route optimization, business automation, and the importance of using AI as a tool to support people rather than replace them. They also discuss how AI can improve response times, reduce workload, and help business owners focus on growth by automating routine tasks and improving daily operations. Expect to Learn: What large language models are and how AI is being used in HVAC and home service businesses. How AI employees can assist with customer communication, scheduling, dispatching, and lead management. Why AI works best as a tool that supports office staff and business owners rather than replacing them. How technician skill matching, GPS data, and scheduling systems can help improve job assignment and efficiency. How AI can reduce workload, improve response times, and help business owners focus on growing their business. Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Sponsor Ad: Factory Direct Filters [00:42] - Intro to James Christian in Part 1 [02:20] - Intro to AI in HVAC for techs & owners [03:54] - What is an LLM? (Large Language Model) [05:57] - AI as a virtual employee [08:54] - Podium's evolution: reviews → AI employees [11:35] - How AI matches techs to calls by skill level [14:02] - AI + GPS for real-time arrival estimates [16:11] - Gary's reaction: Terminator/Skynet joke This Episode is Kindly Sponsored by: Cintas: https://www.cintas.com/hvacknowitall Cool Air Products: https://www.coolairproducts.net/ Factory Direct Filters: https://www.factorydirectfilters.com/ SupplyHouse: https://www.supplyhouse.com/tm Use promo code HKIA5 to get 5% off your first order at Supplyhouse! Follow the Guest James Christian on: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-christian-977a28a/ LinkedIn - Podium: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podium/ Follow the Host on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/ Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/  Follow the Podcast on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HVACKnowItAll Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LCBJGw0EHG03rdWHxUMce Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hvac-know-it-all-podcast/id1359253455 

If you've ever read a sources sought notice and had no idea what to do with it, this episode is your roadmap. Eric Coffie breaks down exactly how 8(a) companies are supposed to "self-market," why most contractors never get the sole source work they were promised, and how a single email to your SBA Business Opportunity Specialist can put your name in front of a contracting officer. Whether you're already certified, working toward 8(a), or just starting to explore federal contracting as a business model, this conversation gives you a step-by-step playbook you can use this week. Key Discussion Points: Why the 8(a) Business Development Program requires self-marketing and how skipping this step is the #1 reason most 8(a) companies fail to win sole source work How to respond to sources sought notices and RFIs on SAM.gov before a solicitation is even published, including how to read the contracting timeline chart A real email example showing how to request an SBA search letter from your Business Opportunity Specialist after you've already responded to an RFI How the "rule of two" actually works for 8(a) set-asides versus sole source awards, and why sole source is the real end goal How to pick which agencies to target for 8(a) sole source contracts, using the Army Corps of Engineers and Hanscom Air Force Base as real-world examples Why 80% of 8(a) companies still fail even after certification, and what nobody tells them about using the program correctly EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Meeting Mindy your AI federal contracting research assistant 0:31 - Welcome to the Federal Help Center podcast intro 0:58 - Self marketing requirements inside the 8a program 2:34 - Sample SBA search letter request for an 8a company 5:04 - Sources sought timing before the solicitation phase begins 6:02 - Choosing agencies to target for 8a sole source awards 8:50 - SAM.gov stages from sources sought to active bids 12:04 - Planning your sole source attack with capability briefings Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts.

Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins looks at the “Rural Is Rad” collective of Colorado outdoor companies working together to promote their rural Colorado roots around the world while staying grounded in their smaller communities. https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/19/rural-is-rad-collective/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

- Join David's email list so you never miss any new videos or important information or insights, RECEIVE 7 FREE GIFTS!!- https://www.DavidCBarnettList.com **** Many entrepreneurs assume that a recurring revenue business guarantees steady cash flow, assuming it is the most secure entry into small business ownership. In this video, I break down 10 risks that can hide inside recurring revenue businesses, including customer concentration, client churn, contract issues, slow-paying customers, valuation mistakes, and hidden project revenue. If you're thinking about buying a business, evaluating a business for sale, or exploring entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA), understanding these risks could save you from making an expensive mistake. **** - Join David's email list so you never miss any new videos or important information or insights, RECEIVE 7 FREE GIFTS!!- https://www.DavidCBarnettList.com **** Special Xero offer: Get 90% off for 6 months using this link: https://referrals.xero.com/DavidCBarnett_xero. Terms & Conditions apply.* See why I chose Xero for my business here: https://youtu.be/LfaGUfwStqo Find more content that answers your questions with my new AI BOT: https://www.davidcbarnettbot.com/ Do Business with David using these incredible internet links... - David's Blog where you can find hundreds of free videos and articles, https://www.DavidCBarnett.com - Book a call with David and let him help you with your project, https://www.CallDavidCBarnett.com - Learn how to buy a successful and profitable business in a risk-controlled way https://www.BusinessBuyerAdvantage.com - Get help selling your business, https://www.HowToSellMyOwnBusiness.com - Get better organized in your business, https://www.EasySmallBizSystems.com - Learn to make better cash flow forecasts and write incredibly effective business plans from scratch!, https://www.BizPlanSchool.com - Learn to build an equity asset with insurance! visit https://www.NewBankingSolution.com #RecurringRevenue #BuyABusiness #BusinessAcquisition #ETA #BusinessValuation #DueDiligence #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessBuyer #Investing Youtube music licensing code: 5PJWQOE5ZZHTQSRY

Send us Fan MailSid looks past the celebrity and fame and identifies practical business lessons from Taylor Swift's strategic playbook: turn adversity into fuel, build customer loyalty that beats price, and grow with a team that elevates the work. Let's challenge ourselves to stop reacting, start learning faster, and create relationships that compound over time.The Trend Report is your inside look at the people, products and ideas shaping the future of workplace design.  We explore the evolving world of contract interiors, office furniture, and workplace design. From the interior design industry to commercial furniture and the future of work, we share insights, trends, and strategies that keep the office furniture industry and the interior design community informed and inspired.Connect with Sid:Home Page: www.sidmeadows.comPodcast Website:  https://www.sidmeadows.com/podcast Sid on LinkedInSid on InstagramSid on YouTubeThe Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Lee Smith is a UK-based, values-driven M&A operator with over 25 years of experience buying, fixing, and scaling businesses, and the founder of Verdani Capital. He's acquired 26 companies and now focuses on buy-and-build growth, ethical deal-making, and leading without ego.   Key Discussion Themes: - Why the leap from a small business to a large one is psychological, not financial - Buy-and-build M&A and structuring win-win deals that let owners keep equity - Removing yourself from operations to focus on strategy and acquisitions - The role of mentors and personal development in overcoming limiting beliefs - Preparing for AI disruption and volatility instead of becoming a victim of it   Listener Takeaway: Your biggest growth ceiling is usually your own belief about what you're capable of. Reframe that, surround yourself with the right people, and the bigger move is often easier than the small one you're grinding through.   Connect with Lee: Website: https://www.leeasmith.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeantonysmith/ Verdani Capital: https://verdanicapital.co.uk   About the Host: Entrepreneur Conundrum is hosted by Virginia Purnell — funnel & visibility specialist and founder of Distinct Digital Marketing. New episodes every Monday. Work with Virginia: https://www.distinctdigitalmarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiapurnell   Listen to the Full Episode: https://entrepreneurconundrum.com/leesmith

This is the noon All Local for Monday, June 22, 2026

Episode 230 with Soledad Sanchez Canamares, Family Friendly Workplace Policy Specialist at UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa, where she works with businesses, governments, and development partners to advance workplace policies that improve employee wellbeing, talent retention, workforce productivity, and long term business performance.As organisations across Africa and around the world face growing talent shortages, rising employee turnover, and changing workforce expectations, family friendly workplace policies are increasingly being recognised as a competitive advantage rather than simply an employee benefit. In this episode, Soledad explains why policies such as paid parental leave, childcare support, flexible working arrangements, and breastfeeding accommodations are becoming critical tools for attracting and retaining talent, improving workforce participation, and strengthening organisational resilience.Drawing on global evidence, business case studies, and UNICEF's Family Friendly Policies Toolkit, Soledad explores the relationship between workforce wellbeing and business performance. She discusses how employers can improve employee retention, productivity, engagement, and gender equality while building stronger and more resilient organisations. The conversation also examines the economic impact of care responsibilities, the role of workplace flexibility in the future of work, and why supporting working parents is increasingly being viewed as a business growth strategy.The discussion focuses on the African context, where informality remains high and many businesses operate with limited resources.What We Discuss With SolededWhy businesses may be losing money by failing to invest in family friendly workplace policies.Whether Africa is leaving billions in economic growth untapped because workplaces are not designed around how people actually live and care for their families.The hidden link between talent shortages, employee turnover, and the lack of support for working parents and caregivers.What family friendly workplace policies look like in Africa's informal economy, SMEs, and labour intensive industries where traditional models often fall short.Why investors, multinational companies, and global supply chains are increasingly treating family friendly policies as a competitiveness and business resilience issue.Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss The Grandmothers Helping Solve Africa's Mental Health Crisis? Make sure to check it out!Connect with Terser:LinkedIn - Terser AdamuInstagram - unlockingafricaTwitter (X) - @TerserAdamuConnect with SoledadLinkedIn - Soledad Sánchez-Cañamares RíosMany of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don't do it alone. If you'd like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:www.etkgroup.co.ukinfo@etkgroup.co.uk

"Send us a message!"Episode 250 feels like the perfect time to talk about something bigger than salons.As this episode releases alongside America's 250th birthday celebration, we found ourselves thinking about opportunity, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and why small businesses matter so much to the communities they serve.In this episode, we discuss how small businesses create opportunity, build stronger communities, support education, develop leaders, and give ordinary people the chance to build something meaningful.We also talk about profit, responsibility, community involvement, leadership, culture, growth, and why owning a business is about far more than simply making money.Whether you own a salon, run a business, or dream about starting one someday, this conversation is really about something bigger:The opportunity to build something that matters.Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others.And small businesses give people the opportunity to do exactly that.Key TakeawaysSmall businesses create opportunity.  Every dollar spent is a vote for what you value.  Profit is not greed—it's sustainability.  Ownership comes with responsibility.  Education and growth create long-term value.  Strong culture protects itself.  Opportunities can change the direction of a life.  Community involvement strengthens businesses and neighborhoods.  Being busy is not the same as building a business.  Small businesses create hope for a better future.Time Stamps00:00 — Episode 250 + America's 250th celebration 01:00 — Opening takes: leadership and Facebook advice 03:00 — Why awards and recognition often don't matter 06:00 — Opportunity, capitalism, and entrepreneurship 08:00 — Why small businesses matter 09:00 — Community impact and giving back 11:00 — Every dollar is a vote 13:00 — Supporting vendors and local relationships 14:00 — Education and investing in people 16:00 — Small businesses that changed our lives 20:00 — Why opportunities matter 21:00 — Why owners struggle with profit 23:00 — Profit, sustainability, and responsibility 25:00 — The difference between income and profit 27:00 — Why hope isn't a business strategy 29:00 — The responsibilities of ownership 32:00 — Growth opportunities for staff 34:00 — Difficult conversations and leadership 35:00 — Responsibility is the price of ownership 36:00 — The opportunities we're most proud of creating 38:00 — Culture, education, and apprenticeships 42:00 — What we'd lose without small businesses 45:00 — Being busy vs building a business 48:00 — Creating opportunities for others 49:00 — What we hope people take from this episode 50:00 — Why small businesses create hopeLinks and Stuff:Our Newsletter Mentoring InquiriesFind more of our things:InstagramHello Hair Pro Website

“Conversations Are Becoming the Operating System of the Enterprise,” 8×8 Podcast, “The real shift is that conversations are no longer just moments in time,” says says Dhwani Soni, Global Vice President of Product Management at 8×8. “They are where work is coordinated, decisions are made, risks are surfaced and customer relationships are understood.” @Doug Green 8×8 is moving beyond communications as simple connectivity and into a broader role for communications as a source of action, intelligence and accountability. In this podcast, we look at two recent 8×8 announcements posted on Technology Reseller News: 8×8 Resolve, a mobile-first critical communications and incident management solution for deskless and distributed workers, and 8×8 Pulse, a conversational intelligence solution that turns business conversations into insight. “The real shift is that conversations are no longer just moments in time,” says Dhwani Soni, Global Vice President of Product Management at 8×8. “They are where work is coordinated, decisions are made, risks are surfaced and customer relationships are understood.” 8×8 Resolve addresses a practical enterprise problem: when something goes wrong, the people most affected may be the hardest to reach. Frontline employees in healthcare, retail, logistics, utilities, manufacturing and field services often do not sit at a desk, may not have corporate email, and may not be connected to the same tools used by office-based teams. As outlined in the TR-posted announcement on 8×8 Resolve, the solution reaches workers through channels they actually use, including SMS, voice, WhatsApp and the 8×8 Work mobile app. Resolve can escalate until acknowledgment is confirmed and produce an exportable audit trail showing who was notified, when they responded and how the incident was handled. The conversation also explores 8×8 Pulse. Businesses already generate valuable intelligence in calls, meetings, chats, emails, support tickets and customer conversations. Too often, that information remains scattered across recordings, transcripts, inboxes and systems of record. “With Pulse, the conversation itself becomes a source of business memory,” says Soni. “That changes how leaders, account teams, customer success teams and frontline managers understand what is actually happening across the organization.” As described in the TR-posted announcement on 8×8 Pulse, the product is built around the idea that business decisions increasingly happen inside conversations — and that those conversations can become a source of insight, context and action. Taken together, Resolve and Pulse point to a larger platform strategy. Communications are becoming the place where organizations detect problems, coordinate responses, capture commitments, understand customers, manage risk and create a record of what happened. For service providers, MSPs, channel partners and enterprise IT leaders, the message is clear: the next wave of cloud communications value will come from helping customers act on communications data, not simply move it from one endpoint to another. 8×8 Resolve: https://telecomreseller.com/2026/06/03/8×8-announces-8×8-resolve-a-critical-communications-solution-built-for-the-deskless-workforce/ 8×8 Pulse: https://telecomreseller.com/2026/06/03/8×8-introduces-8×8-pulse-conversational-intelligence-built-for-where-decisions-are-made/ Learn more at www.8×8.com.

Most brands expand into the US and treat it like the same business with a different shipping label. Outway learned it is not.Taylor Fraser is the Chief Growth Officer at Outway, the Canadian performance sock brand. In this episode he breaks down why Outway now runs Canada and the US as two distinct businesses, why he dropped retargeting on Meta entirely, and why a sub eight-figure brand cannot optimize its website to growth.What you'll learn:Why Outway swapped the CMO role for a Chief Growth Officer and split growth into performance, retention, and e-commerceWhy Canadian and US customers buy so differently, and how Outway split the two businesses on the backend and frontendWhy the team runs no retargeting and lets the algorithm handle itWhy simple store-wide discounts beat clever BOGO offers, and why the mystery pair became a "golden handcuffs" attachWhy you cannot CRO your way to growth under a certain revenue line, and what to do insteadWhy Outway rides external moments like Mother's Day and Prime Day instead of manufacturing its own salesHow the team uses AI daily for reporting, data pulls, and custom dashboardsWho this is for: DTC operators, growth and performance marketers, and founders selling across more than one country.What to steal: the two-businesses framework for cross-border selling, and the decision to stop manufacturing fake sales and ride moments customers already care about.Timestamps:00:00 Meta Doesn't Need Retargeting Campaigns13:06 How Andromeda Changed Meta Ads18:11 The Creative Volume Debate21:08 Why Scaling in the U.S. Is Harder Than Canada35:20 Why More Ads Beat CRO for GrowthSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Jon Hansen, host and executive producer of the Block Club Chicago Podcast, joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Jon has details on: World Cup Events: Where To Watch And How To Celebrate In Chicago: Local bars, restaurants and other businesses are trying to meet an intense demand […]

This week's episode topics include the boycott of Asian owed businesses because of a shooting of a teen , justified or not ? Also our Corner question of the week…Why do everyone assume all Baby Daddy's and Baby Mama's creep and still mess around? Along with rapper Mystical getting 20 years for rape , we will be discussing that also !

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Cedric Walker. Interview Purpose The purpose of this interview is to highlight visionary entrepreneurship, cultural ownership, and perseverance, using Cedric Walker’s founding of Universoul Circus as a case study in building a purpose‑driven business that uplifts community while achieving long‑term success. The conversation emphasizes how research, resilience, cultural authenticity, and belief in a vision can overcome skepticism and systemic barriers. It also positions Universoul Circus as more than entertainment—it is a multigenerational cultural institution rooted in Black excellence, inclusion, and family unity. Major Themes & Key Takeaways 1. Vision Comes Before Validation Cedric Walker shares that the vision for Universoul Circus came in the early 1990s, long before there was widespread belief that a Black‑owned circus centered on performers of color could succeed. Despite strong skepticism from both Black and white investors, Walker trusted the research, the cultural need, and his instinct. Key takeaway: Vision must lead—even when validation comes much later. 2. Research Turns Ideas Into Reality Walker did not rely on inspiration alone. He immersed himself in research, studying Black entertainment history, circus traditions, and global performance art. This foundation allowed him to confidently build a unique, sustainable model rather than copying existing formats. Key takeaway: Preparation and research are critical when challenging industry norms. 3. Cultural Authenticity Is a Competitive Advantage Universoul Circus was created to be authentically Black, not as a niche product, but as a universal experience rooted in joy, music, athleticism, and storytelling. Walker emphasizes that authenticity—not adaptation—is what attracts diverse audiences. Key takeaway: When you are fully yourself, your work transcends culture and geography. 4. Family‑Centered Entertainment Fills a Real Need A defining goal of Universoul Circus is to create an experience where multiple generations can sit together and all feel seen, engaged, and celebrated. Walker intentionally designed the show so grandparents, parents, and children could enjoy the same experience simultaneously. Key takeaway: Businesses that bring families together create lasting emotional value. 5. Evolution Without Losing Identity Over time, Universoul Circus evolved—from including animals to becoming a modern, high‑energy, animal‑free production—adapting to changing laws, audience preferences, and cultural shifts. However, Walker notes that the soul of the circus never changed. Key takeaway: Successful brands evolve operationally without abandoning their purpose. 6. Global Talent, Long‑Term Investment Walker details how Universoul Circus sources talent from around the world, including Ethiopia, Cuba, China, and the Caribbean. Performers often undergo years of training and development before appearing in the show, reinforcing Universoul’s commitment to excellence and safety. Key takeaway: Excellence requires patience, investment, and a long‑term mindset. 7. Representation Changes Perception Universoul Circus intentionally showcases elite Black performers in spaces where they were historically unseen or undervalued. Walker explains that representation is not symbolic—it reshapes belief and possibility for both audiences and performers. Key takeaway: Representation is not aesthetic; it is transformative. 8. Perseverance Creates Legacy Celebrating over 30 years of operation, Universoul Circus stands as proof that staying committed to purpose through adversity leads to longevity. Walker sees the circus as a living legacy and a foundation for future cultural innovation. Key takeaway: Longevity is built by staying the course when others doubt the destination. Notable Quotes “Vision comes to you like that—you have to trust it.” “Nobody believed it would work, but I felt it in my gut and in my research.” “Our goal was to stay authentically Black—that’s what transcends culture.” “We wanted something where a grandmother, a father, and a child could all enjoy the same show.” “Nothing you see is by chance. Everything has meaning.” “We invested years into these performers before they ever hit our stage.” “This is more than a circus—it’s a family reunion under the big top.” Overall Message Cedric Walker’s interview is a masterclass in cultural entrepreneurship. It demonstrates how creativity, courage, and conviction can transform an idea into an enduring institution. His journey with Universoul Circus reinforces that purpose, preparation, and persistence are the true drivers of success—especially when building something that challenges expectations. The conversation ultimately affirms that when a business is rooted in authenticity and community, it can achieve both economic sustainability and cultural impact. #SHMS #BEST #STRAW #AMISee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was sponsored by Cardiff  LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/ Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/ Today's Dropping Bombs episode delivers a masterclass in tax warfare with Mark Lewis — a federally-licensed Enrolled Agent who spent 15 years battling the IRS before cracking the code on strategies the ultra-wealthy and big corporations have quietly used for decades. Now he helps small and mid-size business owners slash their taxes below 25%, protect assets from lawsuits, and build generational wealth using the same corporate structures as 9-figure companies. Mark breaks down why your S-Corp is a trap, how Amazon-level corporate structuring is legally available to small business owners, and the six financial lies keeping most entrepreneurs overpaying by thousands every year. From the "earn vs. control" mindset shift, to the Augusta Rule, offshore trust myths, and why your CPA's silence is costing you more than their fee — this episode covers it all. If you're making money and handing more of it to the IRS than Fortune 500 companies do, that's not a tax problem — it's a structure problem. And this episode tells you exactly what to do about it.

From Sign Shops to Digital Marketing: An Entrepreneur's Journey with John De Jong In this episode, John De Jong shares his inspiring story of pivoting from traditional signage business to digital marketing success, emphasizing the importance of reputation management, content, and smart use of AI. Whether you're a local business owner or an entrepreneur looking to expand your reach, John's insights offer practical strategies for building a resilient brand. Main Topics Covered: The value of reputation and online reviews in local SEO How small businesses can leverage content marketing instead of paid ads Lessons learned from buying and transforming a signage business The impact of AI on marketing and business operations Practical tips for branding, signage, and communication The importance of community and local expertise in business growth Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: John De Jong's international entrepreneurship journey 00:47 - Launching a sports podcast with his son and leaning into family passions 01:48 - Transition from traditional signage to digital marketing 02:33 - Family history, Dutch roots, and early business ventures 03:25 - Challenges and lessons from running a signage business through COVID-19 04:36 - Buying an existing business versus starting from scratch 05:34 - Mistakes with logo design and branding on signage 07:15 - How reputation influences local and national business opportunities 08:36 - Strategies for optimizing Google Business Profile without paid ads 09:52 - The importance of active reviews and content for SEO ranking 11:26 - Buying opportunities and the advantages of existing businesses 12:40 - The significance of focusing on sales versus service delivery 13:55 - How to improve digital signage and avoid visual illusions 16:23 - Using real-life examples and lessons to refine your branding efforts 17:16 - The power of community presence and local knowledge 18:33 - The risks of relying solely on paid advertising and importance of organic search 19:36 - The role of content marketing and social proof in reputation building 21:02 - The shifting landscape of advertising from yellow pages to Google 22:29 - The high lifetime value of customers and ROI of online visibility 24:17 - When and how to use AI tools for marketing and signage 26:17 - The importance of communication, follow-up, and consistency 27:15 - Personal stories about persistence, relationships, and business growth 29:36 - Optimizing email and review requests for maximum engagement 32:43 - Leveraging SMS and automation for timely feedback and reviews 36:27 - Responding to negative reviews professionally and strategically 39:07 - How AI complements human expertise rather than replacing it 43:24 - The future of small business marketing with AI-driven content creation 44:32 - Embracing change and seizing opportunities in evolving markets 45:16 - Building community leadership and expertise over competing on price 47:00 - Business pricing strategy and value-based offerings 49:44 - Technical insights: avoiding design illusions in signage 52:11 - Strategies for increasing website and local search engagement 53:56 - The importance of face-to-face and video communication 54:27 - Final thoughts and connecting with John for marketing support Resources & Links: Get You Found Playbook — Free resource for local search optimization Google My Business Profile Tips The Referral of a Lifetime by Tim Templeton — Book on building referral relationships Alley Cat Signs — John's signage and branding business LinkedIn - John De Jong TikTok & Instagram Accounts — Managed by John's VA for marketing updates Connect with John: LinkedIn Email - getyoufound@domain.com

Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email support@mapitforward.org to learn more.Episode DescriptionThis is episode 5 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest in this series is Freddy Rivard, Co-Founder of Honduran Coffee Alliance and Insula Coffee. Throughout this series, we explore how financing works in coffee and why understanding liquidity, risk, and value chain relationships is critical to building a more resilient coffee industry.The coffee industry faces enormous challenges, but it also presents opportunities for innovation. If producers, importers, exporters, roasters, financial institutions, and educators are willing to think differently, new financing models may help strengthen the entire value chain.In this final episode of the series, Freddy shares examples of innovative financing approaches that are already being tested. These include microfinance platforms such as Kiva, university-backed impact funds, relationship-based lending, producer prepayment programs, and alternative ways of improving liquidity throughout the coffee supply chain.Lee and Freddy discuss how access to capital remains one of the greatest barriers facing coffee producers and small coffee businesses. They explore why interest rates matter, how financing costs affect every participant in the supply chain, and why access to affordable capital is often unevenly distributed throughout the industry.The conversation also examines the role that universities, investors, entrepreneurs, and coffee businesses can play in creating new pathways for financing coffee. Freddy shares practical examples from his own work and discusses how curiosity, experimentation, and relationship-building can help unlock solutions that benefit everyone involved in coffee.In this episode, we referenced https://www.kiva.org/Why this mattersThe future of coffee will require more than higher prices and better quality. It will require new ways of thinking about risk, capital, and prosperity. Businesses that understand financing and actively participate in strengthening their supply chains will be better positioned to navigate the challenges ahead.Connect with Freddy Rivard and his businesses here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredericrivard/https://www.instagram.com/hondurancoffeealliance/https://www.hondurancoffeealliance.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/insulacafe/If you found this episode valuable, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.***************************************About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.Website: https://mapitforward.coffeeMailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglistPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforwardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/Contact: support@mapitforward.org

Send us Fan MailWhether you have kids, don't have kids, or are still figuring it out, the life you choose deserves a real financial plan behind it.This week we are sitting down with Erika and Kristen, the best-friend duo behind the DINKY Podcast. DINK stands for Dual Income, No Kids. These two have built a thriving community around what it actually looks like to choose this life on purpose. Erika comes from a background in social media and comedy and now runs her own freelance business while co-hosting the podcast full time. Kristen spent years in tech before making the bold move to relocate to Dublin, Ireland, where she is in business school part time, building a side business, and working on an invention she is genuinely excited about. The DINKY Podcast launched about four years ago, right as Roe v. Wade was overturned, and it has grown into a bold, funny, and politically engaged conversation about reproductive rights, financial freedom, chosen family, and the real cost of the life society tells us we should want.Erika and Kristen bring live poll data from thousands of women, real talk about what financial freedom actually feels like when you are building it on your own terms, and some of the most refreshingly honest takes on money, marriage, and end-of-life planning we have ever had on this show. From the $6,000 a month Seattle daycare reality check that started it all to why 77% of women said they still would not want kids even with more money, this one is packed. We also get into retiring as you go, bodily autonomy in a post-Roe world, chosen family, and why having a written end-of-life plan is not optional regardless of whether you have children.Erika and Kristen's reminder is this: the women who came before us did not get to choose. We do, and that is worth respecting with intentional decision making. Join us for next week's Money Talks “You Don't Have to Have Kids to Build a Legacy”. Click here to register for FREE and bring your questions!  Follow & connect with Kristen Myers and Erika Abdelatif:Dinky Podcast - YouTubeAbout DinkyInstagramWant to take this conversation one step further? Join us for our next Money Talks, a free 30 minute live session where we'll dig into a question we hear all the time from women business owners: Budgeting for Businesses to Offer Benefits. Click here to register for FREE and bring your questions! Follow & connect with us!Website Facebook PageFacebook groupInstagramTikTokLinkedInYouTubeReddit ResourcesHave questions? Click this to check out our expert Q&A for tips from industry experts, tailored to help women address their most common financial concerns. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive financial tips delivered weekly here!...

Mike gets a tutorial on The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.Inside California's Gay-Certification ProgramThe state is pressuring utilities to award $633 million in contracts to “LGBT” businesses.The scheme operates through the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulates privately owned utility companies. California utilities spent more than $43 billion in 2024 on contractors—fuel suppliers, surveyors, engineers, and others—whose work helps deliver water, gas, electricity, and internet service to California's 39 million residents.In 1986, Governor George Deukmejian signed Assembly Bill 3678, which required certain CPUC-regulated utilities to submit annual “plans” for buying goods and services from woman- and minority-owned companies. Two years later, CPUC created its “Supplier Diversity Program,” which would enforce the law and set contracting “goals” for large utilities.After hours of public comment and sometimes heated debate at the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board meeting on Wednesday, board members voted to begin decommissioning the Minnehaha off-leash recreation area. All but one board member supported the decision, which is part of the Minnehaha Regional Park long-term plan.The board heard from dozens of people, including many dog owners who said they have been using the park for more than 30 years. Members of the Indigenous community argued the land is a sacred Dakota site with thousands of years of history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, James A. Field, Partner at Field and Goldberg, LLC, and Joseph James Calvanico, MAI, FRICS – President, J2C Valuation, discuss commercial property tax appeals, the critical role of valuations in reducing tax burdens, and key developments shaping the real estate market.

Knowing what kind of seller you are turns out to be one of the most important things you can figure out before you ever take a meeting with a potential acquirer. There are three: the transactional seller who wants the money and the door, the transitional seller who wants to land the plane, and the transformational seller who sells to go bigger.  Cameron Passmore built one of the largest independent wealth management firms in Canada, roughly 3,000 families and about $8 billion under management, and owned half of it. Most founders in that seat cash out and leave. Cameron sold to OneDigital at 60, and has no intention of going anywhere. He rolled 40% of the deal into equity, and now uses OneDigital's capital, deal expertise, and acquisition currency to buy other firms. He has acquired five and roughly doubled the business in under two years.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2087: Courtney Luke shares practical ways for small business owners to reduce expenses without sacrificing growth, from automating repetitive tasks to making smarter hiring and marketing decisions. These strategies show how thoughtful cost management can improve efficiency, protect profit margins, and help a business stay financially strong over the long term. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://arrestyourdebt.com/save-money-as-a-small-business-owner/ Quotes to ponder: "One way to reduce costs without cutting staff is through task automation." "If you have specific processes that can be automated, you can save time and money while increasing company efficiency." "Businesses should always be looking for ways to save money while maintaining profitability." Episode references: IRS Form 1099-NEC Information: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-nec IRS Form 1099 Information: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-misc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking the Owner Dependency: Operational Execution and System Architecture with Thomas RechtienIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Thomas Rechtien, the founder of Rechtien Consult, to deconstruct the operational bottlenecks that frequently trap owner-led manufacturing, contracting, and trades businesses in overwhelming 80-hour workweeks. As a premier business execution coach and strategic execution architect, Thomas details how a reliance on localized, tribal knowledge and centralized decision-making quietly devalues an enterprise and triggers executive burnout. This conversation delivers an intentional operational roadmap for founders ready to eliminate process friction, implement rigid delegation filters, and transform an exhausting daily job into a highly scalable, self-sustaining corporate asset.The Execution Architecture: Standardizing Workflows and Scaling Owner-Independent Operational EnginesThe single greatest impediment stalling the long-term capitalization of an owner-led enterprise is the founder's tendency to act as the primary operational bottleneck. When every critical decision, customer approval, and daily frontline problem must route directly through the CEO, organizational momentum grinds to a halt and leadership exhaustion becomes inevitable. Many business owners attempt to correct this strain by prematurely throwing capital at additional headcount or high-level fractional support, assuming an expanded payroll will naturally dissolve the back-office chaos. Real scalability demands the exact opposite approach: establishing a structured operational foundation first by standardizing core processes, defining clear documentation parameters, and solidifying internal workflows before attempting to inject new talent into a broken system.Transitioning an enterprise away from founder-dependency relies on a disciplined, non-negotiable commitment to communication efficiency and systematic delegation. Ineffective, unfocused corporate meetings that drag on without direction or repeat identical operational complaints week after week serve as an immediate indicator of underlying system deficiencies. True operational optimization requires strict meeting governance—anchored by predefined agendas, strict time limits, and absolute accountability tracking—paired with an intentional framework for shifting risk down the management line. Founders must overcome the psychological barrier of authority bias by delegating low-risk operational choices first, providing the training, support, and documented guidelines necessary for frontline teams to assume genuine psychological ownership over their specific outcomes.Ultimately, building a company that operates independently of its owner is a strict asset-engineering exercise, regardless of whether a clear exit strategy or liquidation event is on the immediate horizon. Businesses that rely completely on the daily physical intervention of the founder carry massive risk profiles and inherently command much lower enterprise valuations in the open market. Cultivating a calm, analytical leadership presence—often referred to as maintaining absolute composure under high-stress industry conditions—allows an executive to cut through operational noise and project clear, predictable 90-day execution metrics. By leveraging external, objective capability audits and diagnostics, forward-thinking business owners can bridge the gaps in organizational momentum, ensuring the company continuously scales its market share and functions as a highly valuable, predictable entity.About Thomas RechtienThomas Rechtien is the Founder and Owner-Led Business Execution Coach at Rechtien Consult, specializing in turning chaotic, founder-dependent operations into scalable, sellable corporate assets. Drawing from an extensive background beginning in master carpentry and expanding into decades of high-level industrial manufacturing leadership, Thomas blends practical craftsmanship with advanced execution architecture. He is widely recognized for his analytical, composed leadership style, helping trades and manufacturing leaders eliminate operational bottlenecks.About Rechtien ConsultRechtien Consult is an elite business consulting and operational engineering firm dedicated to helping owner-led contracting, manufacturing, and construction businesses scale sustainably. The consultancy specializes in executing comprehensive operational health diagnostics, meeting optimization frameworks, and custom delegation pipelines to reduce administrative strain on leadership teams. Through structured blueprints and resources like the Growth at Rechtien assessment, the firm enables small-to-mid-sized enterprises to build independent, high-valuation structures.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeRechtien Consult Official Website: rechtienconsult.comThomas Rechtien on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomas-rechtienKey Episode HighlightsThe Founder Bottleneck Audit: Tracking direct operational dependencies to isolate which everyday approvals can be systematically offloaded to management tiers.Structure-First Talent Stacking: Why implementing software or hiring personnel before documenting workflows multiplies administrative chaos instead of resolving it.Meeting Governance Protocols: Standardizing company communication through strict time limits, advance agendas, and dedicated action-item tracking loops.The Asset Valuation Mindset: Constructing internal operations so the entire business functions autonomously, maximizing value for future investors or successors.Calm-Under-Pressure Leadership: Leveraging a composed executive mindset to cut through operational noise and establish clear 90-day corporate priorities.ConclusionThe conversation with Thomas Rechtien highlights that achieving true business autonomy is a predictable, structured exercise rather than an unreachable goal. By stepping out of the operational bottleneck, engineering rigid process guardrails, and mastering executive delegation, founders can successfully convert an exhausting, hands-on company into a highly streamlined, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Mike gets a tutorial on The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.Inside California's Gay-Certification ProgramThe state is pressuring utilities to award $633 million in contracts to “LGBT” businesses.The scheme operates through the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulates privately owned utility companies. California utilities spent more than $43 billion in 2024 on contractors—fuel suppliers, surveyors, engineers, and others—whose work helps deliver water, gas, electricity, and internet service to California's 39 million residents.In 1986, Governor George Deukmejian signed Assembly Bill 3678, which required certain CPUC-regulated utilities to submit annual “plans” for buying goods and services from woman- and minority-owned companies. Two years later, CPUC created its “Supplier Diversity Program,” which would enforce the law and set contracting “goals” for large utilities.After hours of public comment and sometimes heated debate at the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board meeting on Wednesday, board members voted to begin decommissioning the Minnehaha off-leash recreation area. All but one board member supported the decision, which is part of the Minnehaha Regional Park long-term plan.The board heard from dozens of people, including many dog owners who said they have been using the park for more than 30 years. Members of the Indigenous community argued the land is a sacred Dakota site with thousands of years of history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What drives someone to rebuild their life from a refugee camp—and then rethink everything we believe about entrepreneurship? In this episode of Remarkable People, Neri Karra Sillaman joins Guy Kawasaki to unpack the hidden strengths behind immigrant entrepreneurship, resilience, and long-term business success. Drawing from her new book Pioneers, Neri explains why the world's most enduring companies often grow slowly, stay deeply connected to community, and “fry in their own oil.” From refugee camps to Oxford to building a global leather goods company, her story challenges the Silicon Valley obsession with speed and scale. This conversation will change the way you think about ambition, leadership, and what really makes businesses last.--Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable.With his decades of experience in Silicon Valley as a Venture Capitalist and advisor to the top entrepreneurs in the world, Guy's questions come from a place of curiosity and passion for technology, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. If you love society and culture, documentaries, and business podcasts, take a second to follow Remarkable People.Listeners of the Remarkable People podcast will learn from some of the most successful people in the world with practical tips and inspiring stories that will help you be more remarkable.Episodes of Remarkable People organized by topic: https://bit.ly/rptopologyListen to Remarkable People here: **https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guy-kawasakis-remarkable-people/id1483081827**

In this episode of the Play Bigger Podcast, I'm sharing a hard truth that I believe many ambitious entrepreneurs need to hear right now: AI is not fixing broken businesses. It's exposing them faster.Over the past few years, I've tested countless tools, platforms, automations, and AI solutions. Like many business owners, I believed that adding more technology would create more leverage. Instead, I found myself dealing with more dashboards, more subscriptions, more confusion, and more operational complexity.What I realized is that most businesses don't have an automation problem. They have a clarity problem.Before you automate anything, you need a clear foundation. Otherwise, you're simply automating confusion.In this episode, I break down the exact framework I use to simplify operations, create scalable systems, and build a business that generates freedom instead of exhaustion.Things I Cover In This Episode:Why AI can amplify business problems instead of solving themThe hidden cost of stacking too many tools and systemsHow operational complexity creates decision fatigueThe difference between reactive businesses and intentional businessesWhy clarity must come before automationMy Five C Framework for creating scalable systems:ClarityHow to identify which tools are creating leverage and which are creating noiseWhy simplifying your business can increase both your energy and your incomeThe key to building a business that creates more freedom, not more overwhelmIf you've been feeling buried under systems, software, automation, or operational chaos, this episode will help you step back, simplify, and focus on what actually moves the needle.---

In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, Keith Kalfas sits down with Joe Cunningham, a longtime HVAC expert, business consultant, and co-founder of Home Service Checklist. Joe explains why systems alone are not enough to grow a business—the real key is getting employees to follow them consistently. They discuss using checklists, photos, training, and AI to improve service quality, reduce callbacks, increase average tickets, and help contractors scale more profitably.   "Systems are great. Implementation and the discipline to do it is the biggest key you'll ever find." – Joe Cunningham   What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why systems fail without consistent implementation   How checklists improve technician accountability and service quality   Why employees often stop following processes during busy seasons   How photos and documentation can reduce callbacks and missed opportunities   How Home Service Checklist uses AI to guide technicians   Why fewer, more profitable jobs can be better than rushing through more calls   How contractors can increase average tickets without being pushy   Why training average employees can create future rock stars   How better systems can improve reviews and customer satisfaction   Why business owners should manage exceptions instead of planning around worst-case scenarios   Key Takeaways: Systems only work when employees consistently implement them. A checklist, training program, or service process has little value if employees stop using it when the company gets busy. Business owners need accountability systems that make the correct process easier to follow and harder to ignore. The goal is not to turn every employee into the business owner. Joe explains that entrepreneurs are often unusually driven, so expecting every employee to perform exactly like the owner is unrealistic. A better goal is to take average employees and help them become 25% to 30% more effective through training, structure, and repetition. More jobs do not always mean more profit. Running fewer, more profitable calls can reduce drive time, lower overhead, and give technicians more time to identify customer needs. Increasing the value of each job can eventually allow a company to add another crew without sacrificing service quality.   Connect with Keith Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas   Connect with Joe Home Service Checklist: homeservicechecklist.com Technical Arts Center: technicalartscenter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-cunningham-82746217/   Resources and Websites:  Build Your Site: https://www.keithkalfas.com/ReBolt Call Tracking Software: https://www.keithkalfas.com/CallRail Start Getting Leads Now https://www.footbridgemedia.com/keith The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance Resources You Need To Build A Successful Business https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources

Ryan Pineda and cohost Brian Davila sit down with entrepreneur Brian Luebben to discuss transitioning from a W2 career into business ownership, scaling through acquisitions, building wealth through focused entrepreneurship, and why relationships, family, and time freedom ultimately matter more than chasing money alone.⁣⁣Connect with Brian - ⁣https://www.instagram.com/brianluebben/⁣https://www.actionacademypod.com⁣__________⁣If you'd like my team to run your marketing & sales department to scale your business apply here https://www.pinedapartners.com⁣⁣Join our private mastermind for elite business leaders who golf. https://www.mastermind19.com⁣⁣Want to be featured on the Wealthy Way Podcast? Apply here https://www.wealthyway.com⁣⁣If you want to start your real estate investing business, we'll give you 1:1 coaching, seller leads, software, & everything you need. https://www.wealthyinvestor.com⁣⁣Tired of paying so much in taxes every year? We'll give you strategy, tax prep, and accounting all in one place. https://www.taylor-tax.com⁣⁣Join free Bible studies and workshops for Christian business leaders. https://www.tentmakers.us⁣⁣Dad Built is all about helping fathers lead their families with purpose while looking great doing it. Whether you're at the gym, on the golf course, or spending time with your kids, they've got premium hats and apparel built for dads. Check out the latest collection and current offers at https://www.dadbuilt.co⁣__________⁣Chapters: ⁣00:00 - From W2 To Entrepreneur⁣02:03 - Finding Love While Building⁣04:21 - Focus Beats Diversification⁣06:03 - Buying Boring Businesses⁣07:28 - Multiple Arbitrage Explained⁣10:49 - Passive Income Is A Myth⁣16:25 - Build Vs Buy Businesses⁣18:39 - Navigation Vs Acceleration⁣22:00 - Why Bigger Businesses Win⁣30:57 - Finding Businesses To Buy⁣36:44 - Choosing Your Hard⁣53:50 - Defining Your Enough Number⁣01:00:55 - The Freedom Paradox⁣01:04:03 - Experiences Have Expiration Dates⁣01:06:17 - The 18 Summers Lesson⁣01:11:16 - How Brian Met Natalia⁣01:16:08 - The Five Fs Of Marriage⁣01:23:13 - Building A Strong Foundation

(Disclaimer: Click 'more' to see ad disclosure) Geobreeze Travel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.  ➤ Free points 101 course (includes hotel upgrade email template)https://geobreezetravel.com/freecourse  ➤ Free credit card consultations https://airtable.com/apparEqFGYkas0LHl/shrYFpUr2zutt5515 ➤ Seats.Aero: https://geobreezetravel.com/seatsaero ➤ Request a free personalized award search tutorial: https://go.geobreezetravel.com/ast-form If you are interested in supporting this show when you apply for your next card, check out https://geobreezetravel.com/cards and if you're not sure what card is right for you, I offer free credit card consultations athttps://geobreezetravel.com/consultations!Timestamps:00:00 Earn Points on Bills00:17 Intro and Offers01:16 Meet Matt Baker03:01 What Is PayRewards06:28 How Payments Work08:19 Fees and Point Stacking11:03 Allowed Payments Rules13:47 Contractors and Payroll15:24 International Payments Roadmap16:31 More High Spend Use Cases19:40 Why B2B Card Acceptance Is Low23:44 Transfer Partners and Redemptions27:30 Custom Concierge Redemptions29:53 How to Get Started30:55 EIN Requirement and Wrap UpYou can find Julia at: ➤ Free course: https://julia-s-school-9209.thinkific.com/courses/your-first-points-redemption➤ Website: https://geobreezetravel.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geobreezetravel/➤ Credit card links: https://www.geobreezetravel.com/cards➤ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geobreezetravelYou can find Matt Baker / PayRewards at:➤ Website: https://payrewards.com/➤ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/payrewards➤ Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-baker-1325914Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. The content of this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.

In this lighthearted episode, Travis Chappell and producer Eric dive into a viral TikTok controversy surrounding Applebee's popular all-you-can-eat promotion. What starts as a discussion about endless wings and dollar margaritas quickly turns into a broader conversation about customer expectations, value perception, gratitude, consumer behavior, and even childhood memories around eating out. Along the way, Travis and Eric share personal stories, business insights, and plenty of laughs about buffets, family dinners, and knowing when enough is enough. On this episode we talk about: The viral Applebee's all-you-can-eat complaint that sparked online debate Why customer expectations often shape satisfaction more than reality The business challenges of offering unlimited food promotions Childhood experiences with restaurants, buffets, and family dining traditions How overeating habits can carry into adulthood and affect long-term health Top 3 Takeaways Customer dissatisfaction often comes from unmet expectations, not necessarily from receiving poor value. Businesses need to carefully consider which types of customers their promotions attract and how those promotions impact profitability. Gratitude and perspective matter—sometimes it's worth appreciating a great deal rather than focusing on what could be slightly better. Notable Quotes "It's wild to complain about getting multiple plates of wings for fifteen dollars." "Don't put out specials or deals that attract the wrong customer type into your store." "If you're gonna go to an all-you-can-eat place, stop whining." Connect with Travis Chappell: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell Website: https://travischappell.com A Word from Our Sponsors: - Are you ready to start your own creatorjourney and make it big? Visitwww.fanvue.com today and launch yourcareer! - To learn more about Mode Mobile and its investor community, go to https://invest.modemobile.com/travismakesmoney -Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the GaryVee Audio Experience, I talk about the massive shift coming to business through AI and why you need to stop making excuses and start putting in the 50 hours of homework to understand it. I discuss the underestimated potential of live shopping and how one TikTok post can sell out a product nationally. I also share personal stories about my biggest career regrets regarding candor and how my immigrant upbringing shaped my perspective on gratitude.You'll learn about:Why AI is a tool, not a job-killerThe definition of "Kind Candor" and why your team needs itHow to build a personal brand by providing value to othersThe impact of "Agentic Agents" and OpenClaw on your daily lifeLessons on accountability and keeping your word

You've seen those “most profitable business” lists before and they all start to blur together. Same ideas, same plays, and by the time you act on them, it already feels crowded. If you're tired of chasing what's already working and missing what's coming next, that frustration is real. In this episode, Omar lays out six business opportunities that are flying under the radar right now. These are the kinds of ideas most lists ignore, but they are sitting in plain sight, lightly served, and open for anyone willing to see the gap before everyone else rushes in. It is a fresh way to think about what makes a business truly profitable in today's landscape and why timing matters just as much as the idea itself. If you're ready to stop following the crowd and start spotting what others are missing, click play at the top of the page and discover where the real money making opportunities for 2026 are quietly waiting. MBA2794 The 6 Most Profitable Businesses To Start In 2026 (That No-One Is Talking About) Recommended episodes to explore: Are Online Courses Dying? How To Save Your Online Course Business The Million-Dollar Mindset: How David Royce Got Rich Ditching Passion for Problems Five Lazy Ways To Start A Business On The Side This Weekend Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://lm.fm/GgRPPHi SUBSCRIBE YouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.