Podcasts about shipping

In this weekend update episode we cover the latest announcements about our upcoming conference (TheProvenConference.com) as well as updates to THE Crown jewel software of Amazon reselling. 3Pmercury will very soon offer shipping functionality at no extra charge making it the only software for Amazon resellers that can handle everything from sourcing to shipping. The Amazon reselling game is getting simpler. We are also excited to offer scholarships for attendees to the TheProvenConference.com at TheProvenConference.com/scholarship For our newest listeners, stick around for the the second portion of today's weekend update episode for insights into all of the reasons why we are more excited than ever about the Amazon reselling opportunity!  Jim will show you exactly how to get started as well.   Watch this episode on our YouTube channel here:  https://youtu.be/0wkn1yXgh8c   Show note LINKS:   TheProvenConference.com/scholarship   3pmercury.com/friends - The best pricing on 3pMercury software!   ProvenAmazonCourse.com - The comprehensive course that contains ALL our Amazon training modules, recorded events and a steady stream of latest cutting edge training including of course the most popular starting point, the REPLENS selling model. The PAC is updated free for life!   SilentJim.com/kickstart - If you want a shortcut to learning all you need to get started, then get the Proven Amazon Course and go through Kickstart.   TheProvenConference.com  - Learn more about our upcoming August 2026 event! The longest running annual event for Amazon sellers in the world!   SilentSalesMachine.com - Text the word "free" to 507-800-0090 to get a free copy of Jim's latest book in audio about building multiple income streams online (US only) or visit SilentJim.com/free11   SilentJim.com/bookacall - Schedule a FREE, customized and insightful consultation with my team or me (Jim) to discuss your e-commerce goals and options.   My Silent Team Facebook group. 100% FREE! Facebook.com/groups/mysilentteam - Join 83,000 + Facebook members from around the world who are using the internet creatively every day to launch and grow multiple income streams through our exciting PROVEN strategies! There's no support community like this one anywhere else in the world!

Shipping blablabla with a fantasy story of hallucination

Today, we are breaking down Toast, a name we have covered before but are revisiting because the story has changed enough to be worth telling again. Most listeners will have tapped a Toast terminal without thinking much about the business behind it.  Our guest is Sean Barrett, founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of Counter Global, who holds Toast as one of his largest positions and walks us through how a restaurant point of sale company became the operating system that runs the restaurant. He argues that Toast is best understood as the operating system for the restaurant rather than a payments terminal with software attached, and that the business grows as fast and as profitably as it does because the company spent years building purpose-built hardware, a multi-tenant software platform, and a sales force on the ground before it moved into new markets across grocery, enterprise, hospitality, and international.  We also discuss why a business winning roughly half of new restaurant openings in the United States still trades at a multiple that looks closer to a mature company than a category killer. Please enjoy this Breakdown of Toast. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- Become a Colossus member to get our quarterly print magazine and private audio experience, including exclusive profiles and early access to select episodes. Subscribe at ⁠colossus.com/subscribe⁠. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Portrait Analytics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - your centralized resource for AI-powered idea generation, thesis monitoring, and personalized report building. Built by buy-side investors, for investment professionals. We work in the background, helping surface stock ideas and thesis signposts to help you monetize every insight. In short, we help you understand the story behind the stock chart, and get to "go, or no-go" 10x faster than before. Sign-up for a free trial today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠portraitresearch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Timestamps (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:03:19) Toast Business Overview & Financials (00:06:31) Recurring vs. Reoccurring Gross Profit (00:07:39) Nuance on Revenue Semantics (00:10:05) Transformation from 2020 to Today (00:11:51) Full Product Offering Overview (00:14:13) Revenue Model — Recurring vs. Transaction-Based (00:16:08) Net Take Rate (00:17:22) Software Side of Revenue (00:18:49) Hardware & SaaSpocalypse Connection (00:22:31) AI Offering & What They're Shipping (00:27:01) Impact of 8% Revenue Uplift for Restaurants (00:27:12) Competitive Landscape (00:32:44) Switching & Churn Dynamics (00:34:52) Competitive Advantage & Moat (00:37:43) Management Team & Culture (00:39:57) $10B Gross Profit TAM & Runway (00:44:01) Valuation Approach (00:45:53) Key Risks (00:48:32) Key Lessons

The discussion draws on insights from leading climate investors, including Voyager Ventures, Decarbonization Partners, MassMutual Ventures, SOSV, SJF Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Spring Lane Capital, Climate Insiders, and Tailwind.Examples of what we discussed:Clarity beats complexity – If a non-expert cannot explain your differentiation after one conversation, your positioning still needs workLead with the risks – Founders who proactively surface weaknesses build trust faster than those who hide themDesperation is visible – Targeted fundraising and calm execution outperform broad outreach and forced urgencyAnd also...The $1T Industrial Heat Problem Most Startups Underestimate | TempoIndustrial heat is one of the largest decarbonization opportunities in the world. This second portion explores how to commercialize hard-tech infrastructure without falling into the common traps that slow adoption.Pasquale Romano is the CEO of Tempo and a four-time CEO with multiple successful exits. He shares lessons from building and scaling industrial energy businesses.Examples of what we discussed:Avoid rip-and-replace projects – Technologies that integrate with existing infrastructure face dramatically lower adoption barriersDesign for logistics first – Shipping, installation, and transport constraints often determine scalability more than technology performanceStart with narrow deployments – One successful plant can become the proof point that unlocks broader adoption--Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs. See if you're a fit → entrepreneursforimpact.comJoin 40,000 professionals who get our newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read. → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a podcast review.If you got value, take 30 seconds and do the community a favor. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.

As electricity demand rises and renewable generation continues to expand, the same question keeps arising: how do we keep power systems reliable, affordable and resilient? This week, Michael Liebreich is joined by Håkan Agnevall, CEO of Wärtsilä, to discuss the changing role of flexible generation in modern electricity systems, the growing importance of grid stability, and why balancing technologies will be critical as renewables become an ever-larger share of the global energy mix. They explore how rapidly growing electricity demand, including from data centres, is reshaping investment decisions, why flexible gas generation may play an important transitional role, and how batteries, renewables and thermal assets can work together to build a more resilient power system. The conversation also examines the future of shipping decarbonisation following delays to the International Maritime Organisation's proposed global carbon-pricing mechanism, the importance of fuel flexibility for vessel owners, and how digital technologies and AI are improving efficiency across industry. Håkan and Michael cover a wide variety of topics, including: Why flexible generation remains essential in renewable-heavy grids How growing electricity demand is changing energy infrastructure planning The role of gas engines, batteries and storage in maintaining grid stability What data centres mean for future power systems Shipping decarbonisation and the IMO's delayed carbon-pricing vote Fuel flexibility and efficiency in maritime transport How industrial companies are using AI to improve performance and reliability Energy security, competitiveness and the changing geopolitical landscape Leadership Circle: Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, Ecopragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live Links: Wärtsilä's website: https://www.wartsila.com/ Episode 208 with Anders Lindberg, Wärtsilä's head of energy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtsCCJ4o1WA Episode 229 with Professor Tristan Smith of UCL, on the delayed IMO agreement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdUCidkeDto Episode 235 with Rob Dunn, inside the Start Campus data centre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juAyLAUmU3w

It is a packed Friday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? with your hosts, Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent! From vintage football gridiron history to heavy-hitting supply chain breakdowns, this episode dives deep beneath the surface of the industry. Here is what is on deck for this episode: The Forgotten LA Football Team: Malcolm rocks a rare 1947 Los Angeles Dons throwback jersey, sparking a trip down memory lane looking into the history of the AAFC. Global Container Conspiracy: The guys break down the massive Department of Justice indictment targeting four major Chinese shipping container manufacturers over a massive global price-fixing and output-restriction conspiracy. Beat the Burden: STG Logistics CEO Jeff Anderson is locked in for Monday to discuss the company emerging from its prepackaged Chapter 11 reorganization plan and slashing 90% of its debt load. Under the Hood of the Equipment Market: Steve Oliver, VP of Sales and Marketing at Taylor and Martin, joins the set to discuss how quickly owner-operators are jumping back into buying equipment, managing trust and fraud in a wild market, and what to expect for the rest of 2026. Leaving Money on the Table?: Lisa Bradford from UHY Consulting stops by to drop some major compliance knowledge regarding “Tariff Refund Day,” navigating the ACE portal, and how manufacturers are missing out on getting their cash back ⁠Watch on YouTube⁠ ⁠Visit our sponsor - TAYLOR AND MARTIN⁠ ⁠Subscribe to the WTT newsletter⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠More FreightWaves Podcasts⁠ #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Web funnels are like teenage hex.Everyone claims they are crushing it. Almost nobody really has a clue.Elise Zareie spent last year actually building them.She has been in UA since 2019. Last year she became a part-time product manager just to ship funnels herself. That meant learning Figma, coordinating designers, front-end developers, back-end developers, and analytics teams. Running QA. Shipping it. Then using AI to test faster than she ever could before.In this episode she talks through what the process actually involves, the three levers that move the needle in any funnel, the one benchmark she watches obsessively on landing pages, how she uses Claude to generate full funnel copy from screenshots of top-performing creatives, and why AI visuals are making consumers more suspicious, not less.Key topicsWhy web funnels are harder to build than most people think and what the process actually looks likeHow to identify the dominant funnel in a vertical before building anythingThe 40% page-one to page-two benchmark and what to do when you fall below itHow to match landing page copy to ad creative using UTM tagsHow Elise uses Claude to generate funnel copy and assessment questions from top-performing creativesHow AI helped her launch a male-specific funnel in two weeks for an app with 80% female usersWhy AI-generated visuals are creating consumer suspicion and what to do about it

For brewers looking to grow their market, the prospect of the direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping channel—and the potential to sell to consumers across the country that it brings—can be tantalizing. Indeed, a brewer with a successful DtC shipping program can reap benefits beyond simple remote sales, including eliciting distributor attention for three-tier sales. But as a complicated market, with numerous logistical and regulatory hurdles to overcome, DtC shipping is still not for everyone.Hear Alex Koral, regulatory general counsel at Sovos ShipCompliant, talk about the ins and outs of DtC shipping, including how to build your DtC presence, how to manage the compliance requirements, what logistics services you will need to ship, and how we can grow the DtC market further so that more consumers and breweries can benefit from this still limited but growing market.Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex Koral is Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, where he serves as lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation and has become a leading expert on interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at many industry events including Craft Beer Professionals Virtual Conferences, Craft Brewers Conference, American Craft Spirits Association Convention, as well as meetings for the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.Join us in person for CBP Connects ChicagoJune 15-17, 2026Come get inspired, leave with actionable strategies: https://cbpconnects.com/

Pre-order WINGMAN now on Apple TV, coming out May 26th! : https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/wingman/umc.cmc.nfzru25awp5jnendhudhjw9t This episode is sponsored by Cheers Health, Inc, Quince -Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/HARLAND for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. - Same night out — way better morning with Cheers. For a limited time our listeners are getting 20% off their entire order by using code [HARLAND] at CheersHealth.com. #Cheers #ad Thanks for watching the Harland Highway. More Harland Williams: Harland Highway Podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarlandHighwayPodcast Harland Highway Podcast Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-harland-highway/id321980603 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harlandwilliams Harbling Shirts: https://www.harbling.com Official Website: https://www.harlandwilliams.com Twitter :https://twitter.com/harlandhighway?lang=en #podcast #harlandwilliams More Brad Williams: X:https://x.com/funnybrad?lang=en Website:https://bradwilliamscomedy.com/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bradwilliamscomic/?hl=en 00:00 Intro 00:15 Williams Highway intro 06:13 23 and Me 10:00 Sending Brad Williams to Vancouver 15:00 Autoerotic Asphyxiation 20:00 Puppy Play 25:00 Brad's Darkest Fantasy 30:00 Committing to the Dwarf 35:00 Dog Sledding 40:00 Shooting Guns 45:00 Height Adjustment Surgery 50:00 Brad's Nutty Feet 55:00 Size Difference 1:06:00 Kids 1:10:00 Largest Animal 1:15:00 Wooden Shoe 1:22:00 Shipping off Brad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Noble, CIO of Noble Capital Advisors, returns to review his February predictions on bonds, energy, and the AI trade, warning that the margin of safety is particularly small right now as there's no room for error with stocks highly valued, companies over-earning, and policymakers unable to ease on either fiscal or monetary fronts. He explains bond vigilantes are awakening as yields hit 30-year highs in Japan and 20-year highs in Europe, predicts the Fed cutting rates against surging inflation will backfire spectacularly, and reveals forward oil contracts are finally rising as the market believes this situation won't pass quickly. Noble declares we're in the "golden age for stock picking" after active managers got killed by ETFs for years, warns the consumer is already in recession with stocks like Home Depot, Lowe's, McDonald's, and Lululemon making multi-year relative lows, and explains his long resources/short consumer-tech spread has generated 10% returns in six weeks. He argues many stocks are in a bubble not because of high PEs but because of unsustainable margins (using shipping stocks as an analogy), reveals consumer ETFs are actually 40% Mag 7, confirms his "death of financialization" thesis as bond markets discipline politicians, and explains why Kevin Warsh is stuck between a rock and hard place with limited policy tools as the buy-the-dip mentality dies.Links: George Noble's Best Income Ideas Online Summit: https://noble-capevents.com/X: https://x.com/gnoble79Substack: https://substack.com/@georgenobleTimestamps: 0:00 Introduction - Big picture macro update since February0:40 Reviewing previous predictions - Energy, bonds, AI trade3:32 Margin of safety particularly small right now5:30 Forward curve moving up - Market believing oil situation won't pass quickly6:02 Rising oil prices and bond yields - Not positive for risk assets8:40 Tech leadership unsustainable - Tremendous blow off top11:00 Buying semis on 8x book historically not a good idea12:26 Equal weight S&P underperforming - Broader market not doing well14:21 Long resources, short consumer and tech - 10% return spread17:03 Bond market move confirming death of financialization thesis19:52 Fed cutting rates against surging inflation and exploding deficits will backfire21:15 Bond market vigilantes being awakened23:38 Japan as canary in coal mine on debt problem25:33 Gold miners outstanding right now - Out of favor27:04 Regime shift happening - 60-40 model is dead29:36 Fed is not in control - They follow the market32:16 This is the golden age for stock picking34:21 AI trade - Biggest misallocation of capital in history of the world36:44 Many stocks in a bubble - Margins are the problem, not PEs38:37 Shipping stocks example - Bubble in earnings, not valuation40:20 Consumer is in recession42:06 Inflation permeating - Gold to energy to food43:28 Rates won't matter until they matter - Temperature analogy45:51 Kevin Warsh stuck between rock and hard place46:38 Margin of safety explained - Seth Klarman's wisdom50:11 Death of buy the dip mentality51:27 ETFs are not the answer - Do you know what's in your ETF?52:53 Golden age of stock picking - Active managers killing it now54:41 Shorting is a bad business - Just avoid garbage stocks56:50 Best Income Ideas Conference - May 20th59:05 Closing thoughts

The winds of change are blowing through the world's maritime hubs…despite some national governments' efforts to the contrary. While the shipping industry carries 90% of global trade, it also leaves a heavy carbon trail in its wake. In this episode of Cities 1.5, we explore the high-stakes transformation of our global ports: once seen as industrial hotspots of pollution, these urban harbours are emerging as the front lines of the green transition. We dive into the groundbreaking "Green Shipping Corridors" that are linking sustainable cities, and the bold shift toward zero-emission fuels. From local air quality to global supply chains, discover how cities are turning the tide on emissions and steering the industry toward a 1.5°C future. It's time to rethink the horizon: clearer skies and smoother sailing ahead.Featured guests: Eric Garcetti, C40 Ambassador for Global Climate Diplomacy and former Mayor of Los AngelesAlisa Kreynes, Director of Ports and Shipping at C40Featured clips:The Shipping Forecast - BBC Radio 4Global shipping emissions vote on a knife edge at IMO - BBC Business TodayLinks:Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from global shipping, 2016–2023 - The International Council on Clean TransportationA guide to the IMO's Net-Zero Framework - Global Maritime ForumLandmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure - BBC NewsPorts and Shipping - C40 Knowledge HubGreen shipping corridors programme - C40 Cities websiteFrom Los Angeles to Shanghai, the port cities collaborating to cut shipping emissions - ReutersGreen Ports Forum - C40 Cities websiteWhy should we talk about a 'just and equitable' transition for shipping? - UN Trade and DevelopmentRescuing shipping's Net Zero Framework - Climate AnalyticsCities take the global stage to showcase climate action at the IMO for the first time - C40 Cities websiteIf you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeriesCities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Pippa Hudson speaks to maritime specialist, Brian Ingpen, about shipping accidents and significant maritime anniversaries. Lunch with Pippa Hudson is CapeTalk’s mid-afternoon show. This 2-hour respite from hard news encourages the audience to take the time to explore, taste, read and reflect. The show - presented by former journalist, baker and water sports enthusiast Pippa Hudson - is unashamedly lifestyle driven. Popular features include a daily profile interview #OnTheCouch at 1:10pm. Consumer issues are in the spotlight every Wednesday while the team also unpacks all things related to health, wealth & the environment. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Lunch with Pippa Hudson Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 13:00 and 15:00 (SA Time) to Lunch with Pippa Hudson broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/MdSlWEs or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/fDJWe69 Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/wam USE Code WAM to save 25% plus free shipping! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 EXCLUSIVE replays of hour plus long live shows are available here at $5 a month or more! BUY GOLD HERE: https://firstnationalbullion.com/schedule-consult/ Avoid CBDCs! GET 10% OFF ON SHILAJIT FROM DR. KAUFMAN WHEN YOU USE CODE WAM10 HERE: https://medauthentica.com/discount/WAM10?redirect=/products/authentica-shilajit%3Fsca_ref=10867124.wrNV3jkYSaMg9 HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-keep-wam-alive/# Josh Sigurdson reports on the massive supply chain crisis effecting essentially the entire world as shipping giants Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, CMA and CGM create a new shipping route by-passing the Strait of Hormuz by dropping off boat loads, driving across the country and then loading everything back on to other boats. Costs are about to skyrocket but it's far worse than just costs. The ability to obtain food, fertilizer and oil are about to collapse in a way never before seen in modern history. They are manufacturing a famine to force people into a ration-based digital ID system complete with social credit. Costs of potatoes alone went from 2.5 Euros to 18.5 Euros per 100kgs in a single month due to fertilizer shortages which farmers have been warning about for quite some time. Sulfuric acid is at a major deficit currently which leads to shortages of fertilizer as well as tools needed for mining and manufacturing across the board. This alone can cause a famine. On top of this however, we were already seeing an attack internationally on farmland as well as 73 year shortages of cattle head. Farm bankruptcies are up 46%. 70% of farmers cannot afford fertilizers. Diesel prices are up 60% in a year. President Trump recently said in an interview with Sean Hannity that high gas prices are the price we pay for Iran not having nuclear weapons. This is insanity. Meanwhile, engine oil is scarce and data centers are being built everywhere to complicate matters more. Water shortages will be a major problem in cities near data centers as people like Mike Adams has warned about on Natural News. This will hurt farms and industry while the data centers collect everyone's information in a massive surveillance database. They're creating a Hive Mind to help "solve" the very shortages they created in the first place. It just so happens that back in July of 2025, the DOE (Department of Energy) warned that we will see a 100x increase in blackout risks by 2030. That year isn't a coincidence. The United Nations planned for this years ago. It also just so happens that government run grocery stores are being established in New York and proposed in California and cities like Chicago. In the UK where they are pushing forward a digital ID mandate, they are attempting to police what foods you buy. This is one of the many steps towards the digital gulag system to come. From banks to energy and food, this system which the WEF has pushed for years is being adopted, quickly. It's up to you to actually take the warning and do something about it or sit there on your hands awaiting you dark fate. Stay tuned for more from WAM! GET YOUR WAV WATCH HERE: https://buy.wavwatch.com/WAM Use Code WAM to save $100 and purchase amazing healing frequency technology! Get Your SUPER-SUPPLIMENTS HERE: https://vni.life/wam Use Code WAM15 & Save 15%! Life changing formulas you can't find anywhere else! Get local, healthy, pasture raised meat delivered to your door here: https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=6&affid=321 USE THE LINK & get 20% off for life and $15 off your first box! DITCH YOUR DOCTOR! https://www.livelongerformula.com/wam Get a natural health practitioner and work with Christian Yordanov! Mention WAM and get a FREE masterclass! You will ALSO get a FREE metabolic function assessment! GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 Use code JOSH to save money! PayPal: ancientwonderstelevision@gmail.com FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson PURCHASE MERECHANDISE HERE: https://world-alternative-media.creator-spring.com/ JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media For subscriber only content! BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2026

In this episode of IPS Finance, we explain how Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) work and the process of trading them in the market. The discussion also explores the future outlook for shipping and cement stocks, analyzing the opportunities, challenges, and factors that could influence these sectors in the coming months. A clear and practical breakdown to help investors understand emerging investment themes and make informed decisions.

Most edible gifting businesses don't work at scale, the logistics are brutal, the margins get squeezed, and the moment quality slips, the whole experience breaks. Rachel Solomon Fascitelli built Boarderie anyway, and it worked.  Rose Hamilton, CEO of Compass Rose Ventures and co-host of The Story of a Brand Show, sits down with Rachel to unpack how a finance background, a COVID pivot, and an obsession with operational precision turned a 2,000 square foot commissary kitchen into one of the most impressive D2C food businesses in America. * A category nobody else wanted — and exactly why she chose it. Rachel saw what others missed: a $100+ year-old edible gifting category that had never been innovated on, wide open for a founder willing to do the hard operational work to get there. * Profitable from day one, on purpose. With a finance mind running the growth engine, Boarderie was never going to be a "grow now, profit later" story. Rachel treated the ad account like a trading account — efficient CAC, disciplined spend, and a relentless focus on the bottom line from the very beginning. * Premium execution is an operations story, not a branding story. Shipping 35,000 handmade boards a day during peak season, with FedEx turning planes around in Memphis to keep up — the wow moment customers experience starts hours before the box ever opens. * Bootstrap founders learn what funded founders often don't. When there's no safety net, you have no choice but to figure it out. Rachel's team did every job themselves — paid media, content, logistics, production — before hiring anyone to do it for them. * Don't build for the coastal bubble. Build for the country. Rachel's sharpest advice for founders: stop chasing what's trendy in New York and LA, and start asking what the rest of America actually needs. That's where the real white space lives. Join us in listening to this episode for one of the most practically useful founder conversations we've had in a while. Rachel doesn't just inspire — she gives you a framework.   From bootstrapping to Shark Tank to scaling dessert as a second category, this is a masterclass in what it really takes to build a profitable, operationally excellent consumer brand.  For more on Boarderie visit: https://boarderie.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this!

Sailing Season on Lake Superior is busy. Approximately 4,500 ships travel through the Soo Locks. One boat, the Blue Heron, docked in Duluth, Minnesota, spends the summer season as a Research Vessel for the University of Minnesota's Large Lakes Observatory. Captain Rual Lee has been at the helm of the 87' vessel since 2014. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with him about what it takes to operate a floating science lab on the Greatest of the Great Lakes.Quotes: “We're still working on the boat, trying to make it a better tool for science.” “The lake is humbling. It really doesn't matter what boat you're on. It will put you in your place as it were.” “One of the great parts of my job is that the crew and I get to hang around with some really smart people doing some really clever research, looking at different parts of the lake.” “The science comes and goes according to the individual projects. So we're the platform. We're a useful tool to get the science done.” “Out in the middle of Lake Superior, you can see the results of a policy change that showed up in the mid-70s. And that's really a great thing I think.”Helpful links: Learn more about the R/V Blue Heron: https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory/vessels/blue-heron Learn more about the Large Lakes Observatory: https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory Learn more about Science on Deck events: https://scse.d.umn.edu/large-lakes-observatory/news-events/science-deck Track Great Lakes vessels with BoatNerd AIS: https://ais.boatnerd.com/ Learn more about “The Freshwater Everest” / Superior Shoal livestream: https://inspiredplanet.ca/live/Connect With Us: Lake Superior Podcast Page – https://nplsf.org/podcast Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundationSponsors: Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior's five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

Countries around the world are beginning to feel the economic shockwaves from Donald Trump's war with Iran, as energy prices, shipping costs, and supply-chain fears rise around the Strait of Hormuz. The New York Times reports that nations were bracing Monday for prolonged economic pain after President Trump rejected Iran's latest offer to end the war and reopen Hormuz, calling it “garbage” and declaring the cease-fire to be “on massive life support.” What began as a military confrontation in the Middle East is now rapidly becoming a global economic event.“Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.” James 5:2 (KJB)On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, what began as a military and diplomatic confrontation is now becoming a global economic event. Shipping costs, fuel prices, insurance rates, supply chains, inflation, and political unrest are all being pulled into the vortex. Reports today point to fears of bunker fuel shortages in global shipping, with Singapore prices said to have jumped sharply as the war squeezes maritime fuel supply. Saudi Aramco's CEO has also warned that oil markets may not fully recover until 2027 if Hormuz disruptions continue, according to the New York Post. This is exactly how modern warfare works in the last days. It is not merely tanks, missiles, and aircraft. It's energy, currency, food, shipping lanes, digital controls, emergency powers, and the tightening of the global system. Every war, every crisis, every supply-chain panic, every oil shock, and every government “emergency response” moves the nations one step closer to the global order that will be handed to Antichrist after the Church is removed. It's looking more and more like US President Donald Trump is God's man for judgment in the end times, a modern-day Nebuchadnezzar set up in the most-powerful political office on Earth.

Africa burns off enough energy every day to power entire cities. Bitcoin miners figured out how to profit from it, and almost no one is paying attention yet.Jesse Pielke, founder of HashrateUp, joins Alex Perny on the Alternative Investing Advantage podcast to break down one of the most overlooked plays in alternative investing: using stranded energy in Africa to mine Bitcoin at near-zero cost.Jesse has spent years on the ground in Cape Town building pilot projects across Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa. He explains why electricity has nowhere to go.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:1) Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill on Tuesday, with oil rising after President Trump rejected Iran’s latest offer. Trump called Iran’s response to his proposal a “piece of garbage” and said the ceasefire was on “life support” as he prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The US sanctioned a dozen entities and individuals over the sale of Iranian oil to China, stepping up economic pressure ahead of Trump's visit to meet Xi.2) President Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will meet Thursday morning in Beijing for a high-stakes summit dominated by discussions on trade and the war in Iran. Trump is expected to press Xi on China's approach to Iran, including revenue for Tehran and potential weapons exports, and will also discuss US arms sales to Taiwan.3) A defiant Keir Starmer pushed back against widespread calls for him to quit as Britain’s prime minister, telling his Cabinet that he plans to stay on. More than 80 of Labour’s 403 MPs have called on the prime minister to step aside in the wake of last week’s local elections, in which the party lost control of the Welsh parliament and almost three of every five English council seats it was defending. Starmer said the past 48 hours had been “destabilizing” for the UK.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pippa Hudson speaks to maritime specialist, Brian Ingpen, about the vessels coming through our ports. Lunch with Pippa Hudson is CapeTalk’s mid-afternoon show. This 2-hour respite from hard news encourages the audience to take the time to explore, taste, read and reflect. The show - presented by former journalist, baker and water sports enthusiast Pippa Hudson - is unashamedly lifestyle driven. Popular features include a daily profile interview #OnTheCouch at 1:10pm. Consumer issues are in the spotlight every Wednesday while the team also unpacks all things related to health, wealth & the environment. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Lunch with Pippa Hudson Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 13:00 and 15:00 (SA Time) to Lunch with Pippa Hudson broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/MdSlWEs or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/fDJWe69 Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A heated breakdown of escalating tensions in the Middle East, contested U.S. strategy pauses, and growing fears over global shipping, energy prices, and military escalation.

In this episode, I'm joined by David Barnard — indie app developer, RevenueCat Developer Advocate, and host of the Sub Club podcast — to talk about what happens when someone with 18 years of App Store experience picks up vibe coding for the first time.David has launched 30+ apps, sold four, and seen every major shift in the App Store since day one. Now he's building a new app entirely on his own — no contractors, no coding partners — just Claude Code, Codex, and decades of product intuition.This conversation goes deep on what's actually changed, what still requires human judgment, and why distribution matters more than ever in a world where anyone can ship an app.What we cover in this episode:- Why vibe coding finally clicked for David — and what changed in the last 12–18 months- How 18 years of App Store experience shapes what you can build with AI- Claude Code vs. Codex — how David uses both and plays them off each other- Why product intuition is still the hardest thing to replicate with AI- The real cost of building an app in 2025 vs. 2020- Why distribution is the new moat — and how David is thinking about it- RevenueCat's Rico: talking to your business, not just your data- Why "if you build it, they will come" has never been true on the App StoreWhether you're an indie developer, founder, or operator, this episode will reshape how you think about building and shipping in the AI era.Content Update: Rico is no longer just in beta! You can now access these insights directly in your RevenueCat dashboard.Learn more: — Podcast hub

(May 08, 2026) Californians were on Hantavirus-stricken boat… is there a risk? USPS mulls allowing handguns to be shipped through mail. US added 115,000 jobs in April, fueling cautious optimism about hiring. When you’re ‘fired from retirement.’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest on this week's episode is Omar Qari, CEO of Logicbroker. Every industry has had to adjust to the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty – the Iran war, high fuel prices, volatile tariff policy – the list goes on. So, how are retailers and brands making the needed adjustments to deal with these shifting trade conditions and uncertain supply availability? Our guest offers his insights with Senior News Editor Ben Ames.Most warehouses have packages of some kind that they need to sort - either inbound cases that have to go to storage or processing areas or goods in outbound packages that have to be sorted to dock doors. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham wrote for this month's DC Velocity about how the wide diversity of these cartons is driving changes in automated sortation system design.Ben Ames reports that it's no surprise  that robotics technology is taking on a larger role in how supply chains operate. We've also seen for some years now that many of the Asia-Pacific nations are leaders in that category, both in building robots and in using them for applications like manufacturing. But we saw a report this week about exactly how China sees that sector developing in coming years. This comes from China's latest Five-Year Plan, which is China's blueprint for operating its economy. And sure enough, the country said it will continue to place robotics at the heart of its industrial system, along with artificial intelligence. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:LogicbrokerSortation Report: Pushing the limitsChina places AI-powered robots at the center of its five-year planVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comThis podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

HEADLINES:• UAE Retains Global Lead in AI Adoption With 70% Usage Rate, Microsoft Report Finds • Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Restore U.S. Military Access After Hormuz Tensions, WSJ Reports • Iran Creates New Strait of Hormuz Transit Authority, Tightens Control Over Key Shipping Lane

Decades in the Soil at Mountain Flower Farm Walt Krukowski didn't set out to become a flower grower for life — he just wanted to grow something, make a little money, and have the winters free to ski in Vermont. Nearly three decades later, Mountain Flower Farm has become a thriving operation across 10 acres, known for its organic peonies, hydrangeas, and the idea that growers and floral designers succeed best when they're genuinely connected to each other. In this conversation (Ep. 148), Walt shares the honest, unhurried story of how the farm evolved, what he's learned about building something that lasts, and why the relationship between farmers and florists matters more now than ever. Join us as we chat with Walt about: Why Mountain Flower Farm shifted away from annuals and now grows more hydrangea by volume than any other crop The ecological balance that comes with decades of organic farming — and why the first five years are the hardest What it's really like to farm with a family: the postcard moments, the missed dinners, and the real sacrifices How he keeps the farm manageable year-round Growing peony roots as a secondary business and the ripple effect of helping new farms get established Consulting services Walt offers for aspiring flower farmers, and the free Peony Blueprint resource on the Mountain Flower Farm website How to order from Mountain Flower Farm — and what floral designers can expect from the process Shipping logistics: why Walt only ships Mondays and Tuesdays, and the case for air shipping as an alternative to FedEx Why floral designers who build direct relationships with growers tend to see their businesses grow The most popular peony varieties right now for wedding florists, including a surprising answer about what outsells everything else Tips for conditioning peonies after arrival This episode of the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast is brought to you by: Madrid Flower School You can find show notes and more episodes of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast at botanicalbrouhaha.com, and you can find Amy on IG at either @botanicalbrouhaha or @bloomtrustco and Natalie at @hey.nataliegill or @native_poppy This episode of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast was produced by Joel McGee. Original music by Landon McGee.    

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I'm Marty and I've received a couple of different questions about forklift attachments over the last couple of months, so I thought we'd find a few answers for them. So today let's talk about a few different tools we can see in warehousing, manufacturing, food distribution, and the paper, beverage, chemical, recycling, and even import/export operations. We are talking about the clamp, the barrel clamp, the roll clamp, and the slip sheet or push-pull attachment. I think it's important to state that a forklift by itself is already a powerful piece of equipment. Add an attachment to it, and we have changed the whole game. We have changed what that forklift can do, the way the load moves, and the operator's responsibilities. And we have changed the risks. Some facilities love attachments, while other facilities discourage their use or only allow a very small group of trained operators to use them. They can certainly, in the right environments, increase productivity, however, in the wrong environment you'll find it's easy to damage product, slow down the productivity, and even present safety concerns as well. Forklift attachments came about because freight does not always come to us on a perfect 48 by 40 pallet. Warehousing, Manufacturing and Shipping had to evolve. Companies wanted to move more product, reduce damage, save money, use less packaging, and handle odd-shaped freight more efficiently. Companies have been building forklift attachments for decades, tracing their beginnings back to the late 1940's as a way to let a conventional lift truck push, pull, clamp, lift, and rotate different types of loads for a host of reasons. They were created to solve problems. A clamp attachment allows us to handle loads without forks going under a pallet. You may see carton clamps in appliance warehouses, paper goods, electronics, wine, packaged food, chemicals, and plastics. Think about big boxes of paper towels, refrigerators, washers, dryers, or cartons that are stacked and shipped without pallets. The clamp applies pressure from both sides and allows the operator to lift and move the product. My first experience with a clamp was unloading, stacking and storing washers and dryers. A unique experience to say the least. A paper roll clamp is common in paper mills, printing operations, and packaging plants. These clamps are made to handle large rolls of paper without damaging them. That takes skill. Too much pressure can crush or deform the roll. Too little pressure and the roll can slip. That operator has to understand the equipment, the product, the weight, the diameter, and the clamp pressure. One of my accounts used these, although I've never picked up one of those big, heavy rolls, I enjoyed watching them. The skill and focus were mesmerizing to me! A barrel clamp or drum clamp is used where drums, barrels, or round containers are moved. You may see these in chemical operations, food ingredient facilities, beverage plants, oil and lubricant operations, recycling, waste handling, and manufacturing. The goal is simple, safely grab and move a round container that does not sit on our forks the same way a pallet does. This is an amazing tool. Then we have the slip sheet attachment, often called a push-pull attachment. This one is interesting. This is a pretty common tool in distribution and storage environments. A lot of times product will be shipped on slip sheats. Instead of using a wooden pallet, the product sits on a thin sheet, often cardboard, fiberboard or plastic. The attachment grips the lip of that sheet, pulls the load onto wide platens, and then pushes it off at the destination. Manufacturers describe slip sheet handling as a way to ship, receive, and warehouse on inexpensive slip sheets rather than pallets, especially for bagged products, canned products and bottled items. I've seen all kinds of product shipped on slip sheets. So, why would a company use the slip sheet or push pull? Money, space, weight, sanitation, less pallet cost, less room needed for pallet storage, and overall, less wood in the facility. In some operations, especially export, grocery, beverage, and manufacturing, slip sheets can make sense. But, and this is an important point. Just because an attachment can do something does not mean every operator should be using it. Our training makes it clear that attachments change the forklift. The capacity, its operation, and maintenance plates or decals must be changed when a forklift is equipped with an attachment, and an unloaded forklift with an attachment must be treated as partially loaded. And we need to remember that modifications or additions affecting capacity or safe operation require prior written approval from the forklift manufacturer. That is a big deal. When we hang a clamp, push-pull, rotator, or barrel clamp on the front of a forklift, we are adding weight. We are changing the load center. We are changing visibility. We may be changing the way the forklift turns, stops, tilts, and reacts. And we are definitely changing the responsibility of the operator. A standard forklift operator already needs to know their data plate, load capacity, load center, travel speed, dock safety programs, pedestrians, horn use, ramps, trailers, and stability triangle. Add an attachment, and now that operator also needs to know clamp pressure, product damage points, hydraulic functions, attachment inspections, load shape, grip points, and how that attachment affects the capacity. Ok, the question of pay comes up. Having these experiences may bring more pay to the table. Not always, but it can. In many operations, an operator who can run a sit-down forklift is valuable. An operator who can run a sit-down forklift with a clamp, a slip sheet attachment, a roll clamp, or a drum clamp may be even more valuable. Why? Because fewer people can do it well. It requires more training, more patience, and more judgment. But more pay should also mean more accountability. We cannot say, I want the extra wages, but then not accept the extra responsibility. Attachments are specialty tools. Specialty tools require specialty habits. Let's talk about some of the dangers. With a carton clamp, the big risks are product damage, dropped loads, crushing, poor visibility, and over-clamping. If the operator clamps too hard, they can crush the freight. If they do not clamp hard enough, the load can slide out. If the load is not square, stable, or properly positioned, it can shift during travel. With a paper roll clamp, the risks include roll damage, dropped rolls, unstable travel, and poor positioning. A paper roll can be heavy, round, and unforgiving. Once it starts moving, it can keep moving. That means the operator must think ahead. With a barrel or drum clamp, we add the risk of round containers, liquid movement, chemical exposure, spills, and environmental concerns. A dropped drum is not just damaged freight. It may be a hazmat situation. It may become a slip hazard. It may require evacuation, cleanup, reporting, and investigation. With a slip sheet attachment, the danger is often in the technique. Push-pull work is not the same as sliding forks under a pallet. The operator has to grab the lip of the sheet, pull the load correctly, keep the product stable, and push it off without tipping, tearing, or shifting the load. Industry sources note that push-pull attachments require specific training, as do all attachments, and can reduce forklift capacity because of the attachment weight, and add complexity compared with normal pallet handling.  And that is why some companies discourage their use. It may not be because the attachment is a bad thing. It may be because the facility does not have enough properly trained operators or maybe because the product damage is too high. It may be because the loads are just so inconsistent. To be honest, these tools, especially the slip sheet, just don't make sense in all situations. I know of a lot of produce houses that discourage their use because of so much product damage. They don't save a lot of unloading time if you spend any saved time picking up damaged product! And in our world, as we've learned speed can get us in trouble. A clamp operator cannot be rushed, a slip sheet operator cannot be careless, and a barrel clamp operator cannot assume every drum is stable. These jobs require focus. So where do we see these attachments? You may see clamps in receiving, shipping, production staging, appliance warehouses, paper product warehouses, grocery distribution, consumer goods, and retail distribution. I've seen roll clamps in paper mills, printing plants, packaging plants, and ports. You may see barrel clamps in chemical plants, food manufacturing, beverage, oil, recycling, and sanitation-related operations. And you may find slip sheet attachments in export loading, food and beverage distribution, manufacturing, agricultural products, electronics, cosmetics, and operations trying to reduce pallet cost. If you are an associate, forklift attachments can be an opportunity. They can make you more marketable and make you more useful to your facility. They can help you move from basic forklift operation into a specialty equipment role. But do not just jump on one. And we all know never to get on or even touch a machine or piece of powered industrial equipment that we have not been trained on and certified to operate right. Ask our managers for training. Ask to have the data plate explained to us. Ask how the attachment changes the machine's capacity. Ask what the inspection checklist looks like. Ask what products are approved to be handled. Ask what clamp pressure should be used. Ask what damage has happened before. Ask what near misses have occurred. Another words, communicate, ask questions, and learn. Be a professional. Be THAT employee. And if you are a lead, supervisor, or manager, do not assume a certified forklift operator is automatically qualified to use every attachment in the building. That operator needs equipment specific and workplace specific training. And the attachment needs to be part of the inspection program. The data plate needs to match the truck and attachment. The operator needs to know the limitations. OSHA's or your countries powered industrial truck guidance reminds us that the data plate gives the operator critical information such as forklift weight and capacity, and operators should read it to understand the truck's capabilities and limits. I think it's important to note here that a forklift attachment is not just an add-on. It is a new responsibility bolted to the front of the truck. Yes, it can help us move freight better and it can reduce pallet use, and it can protect product, and in certain environments It can improve efficiency, even open doors for operators who want to learn more and earn more. But it can also reduce capacity, block visibility, damage freight, create spills, drop loads, and hurt people when used incorrectly. So the message for today is simple. You don't need to fear forklift attachments, but we have to respect them, learn them, and inspect them, and understand what they change. And never forget that the more specialized the tool, the more professional that we, the operator needs to be. Well, I hope I answered a few of the questions on attachments.  Until next time, keep learning, keep asking questions, and keep building your career one safe move at a time. And please keep in mind that the safety of ourselves and our team is our first responsibility.

Think delivery is just the boring part after the sale? That's where a lot of businesses screw it up. In this episode, Matthew R. Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca sit down with Randy Vlasic, founder of LIWMI Logistics, to talk about what really happens between "it shipped" and "it showed up."  They get into why trucking gets hit first when the economy gets weird, why chasing the cheapest option can blow up in your face, and why delivery is part of your brand whether you like it or not.  Randy also breaks down how smaller trucking operations survive, what strong logistics support actually looks like, and why service still beats price when the stakes are high.  

Jackie Fox, RTE Washington Correspondent, brings us the latest as the US announce the offensive stage of Iran war is 'over'.

Shipping companies are being "whipsawed" when it comes to navigating the Strait of Hormuz and that's costing big dollars. We start there tonight and welcome to the Business News Headlines for Wednesday the 6th day of May. Thanks for listening. .  In other news, lower income Americans are being hard hit with the high gas prices says a study. Disney may have fewer international park visitors but the company is booming in other ways. China is helping its citizens adopt AI at a brisk pace. Door Dash to help out with gas money for drivers. The IRS may owe you some money due to fines imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. We'll check the numbers in The Wall Street Report and ADP says private firms added a respectful number of new jobs.  Let's go! Thanks for listening! The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday business news podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and some local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on  PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday Noon Central on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour...and on Threads @Insight_On_Business.

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First up—the United States begins to make headway in the Strait of Hormuz, successfully opening a narrow, protected corridor for commercial ships despite Iranian attacks. But with Tehran continuing to test the limits, the question is how long that fragile pathway can remain open. Later in the show—Russia and Ukraine both signal a temporary ceasefire ahead of Victory Day, but conflicting timelines and mixed messaging are already casting doubt on whether any pause in the fighting will actually take hold. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Acre Gold: Turn your pocket change into physical 24-karat gold and enter to win a limited-edition Hot Wheels gold bar at https://GetAcreGold.com/PDB Tax Relief Advocates: End your tax nightmare today by visiting us online at https://TRA.com or call 800-583-6515 Chapter: Compare every medicare plan call 915-671-5252 today! Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan's contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don't directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact https://Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says the ceasefire in the Gulf is 'not over' despite attacks in Strait of HormuzAlso in the programme: Son of last and only Lebanese leader to meet an Israeli premier, says current Lebanese President Joseph Aoun should meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the risks; and Chinese Wu Yize becomes second youngest winner of snooker's world championship.(Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth holds briefing on the Iran war, at the Pentagon in Washington. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

The US President Donald Trump has launched what he's calling ‘Project Freedom', promising to rescue commercial ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.Already Iran has resumed firing on the UAE and the US says it's destroyed Iranian military boats in the Strait.Today, Jennifer Parker, a former Royal Australian Navy warfare officer, on the new phase of the Iran war. Featured: Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Professor at the Defence and Security Institute at The University of Western Australia 

Prices at fuel pumps have surged since the United States went to war with Iran. But the Middle East conflict is also having major impacts on international shipping and supply chains. Those issues are taking a major toll on Appalachian corn farmers. The post How The War In Iran Is Affecting Shipping, Supply Chains In Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

The US military says two US flagged ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz but it's unclear what that means for commercial shipping companies. A new intelligence reports suggests Russia's president is tightening security amid assassination and coup concerns. Authorities are investigating two separate mass shootings in Texas and Oklahoma. A former mayor for New York City remains in critical but stable condition. Plus, we explain this year's Met Gala controversy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. is adding pressure in the standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports.

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2. Headline: China's Economic Coercion and the Struggle for Panama's Ports Guest: Professor Evan EllisSummary: China is applying significant economic pressure on Panama after a Chinese shipping giant was removed from port operations. The US and regional allies have issued a joint statement opposing this coercion, highlighting the broader geopolitical struggle over control of the Panama Canal and international shipping lanes. 21880 WIEN

Host: Cindy Allen Published: May 2026 Length: ~12 minutes Presented by: Global Training Center Trade Complexity, CAPE Rejections, and Why “Happiness” Fits the Moment In this episode of Simply Trade: Cindy's Version, Cindy Allen steps back from the usual CAPE-only focus to look at the broader trade landscape, from AGOA comments and EU sanctions to OFAC changes, DOJ enforcement, and shipping developments at the FMC. She also discusses the latest CAPE refund updates, including rejection rates, sequencing issues, and the practical steps importers need to take if their entries were filed before guidance was finalized. Using Taylor Swift's “Happiness” as her theme, Cindy reflects on the complexity of the current trade environment and why both frustration and optimism can exist at the same time. What You'll Learn in This Episode AGOA and global policy updates Cindy highlights the USTR's request for comments on AGOA and notes the upcoming expiration deadline at the end of the year. She also touches on revised EU sanctions against Russia and changes in OFAC contracting for sanctioned entities in oil and gas. DOJ enforcement and supply chain risk The conversation covers the DOJ's plywood fraud case and the importance of supply chain diligence, willful blindness, and origin tracing. Cindy emphasizes that buyers need to know who they are dealing with and where goods actually come from. Shipping and market pressure Cindy discusses the FMC's record award involving OOCL and Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as the continuing Strait of Hormuz blockage and its impact on oil, gas, and jet fuel availability. These developments show how trade, shipping, and geopolitics are all connected. CAPE refund complexity The biggest portion of the episode focuses on CAPE refund rejections, especially “unable to calculate duty” and sequencing errors. Cindy explains why importers should work closely with their brokers, review PSCs where necessary, and understand how ACE reports and tariff timing affect eligibility. The meaning of “Happiness” Cindy uses Taylor Swift's “Happiness” to reflect the emotional complexity of trade right now. She notes that the industry is experiencing both frustration and opportunity, and that there may be happiness after this difficult season as trade professionals continue to play a bigger role. Credits Host: Cindy Allen Presented by: Global Training Center   Subscribe & Follow Stay up to date with the latest in global trade:

Most new Amazon sellers as well as those investigating the Amazon FBA reselling business model have a handful of misconceptions and false premises about the opportunity. Today we discuss the facts and evidence regarding the most common mistaken assumptions that we see.   Saturation Needs sales and discounts Shipping and Shopping inconvenience Suspensions and lost accounts Is it a sophisticated model?   "Try 2D Workflow for free and see how much you could save every time you send in an FBA shipment to Amazon!" Check it out at SilentJim.com/2d   Watch this episode on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/qLbXE9aBfuk   Show note LINKS: 3pmercury.com/friends - The best pricing on 3pMercury software!   ProvenAmazonCourse.com - The comprehensive course that contains ALL our Amazon training modules, recorded events and a steady stream of latest cutting edge training including of course the most popular starting point, the REPLENS selling model. The PAC is updated free for life!   SilentJim.com/kickstart - If you want a shortcut to learning all you need to get started, then get the Proven Amazon Course and go through Kickstart.   TheProvenConference.com - Learn more about our upcoming August 2026 event! The longest running annual event for Amazon sellers in the world!   SilentSalesMachine.com - Text the word "free" to 507-800-0090 to get a free copy of Jim's latest book in audio about building multiple income streams online (US only) or visit SilentJim.com/free11   SilentJim.com/bookacall - Schedule a FREE, customized and insightful consultation with my team or me (Jim) to discuss your e-commerce goals and options.   My Silent Team Facebook group. 100% FREE! Facebook.com/groups/mysilentteam - Join 83,000 + Facebook members from around the world who are using the internet creatively every day to launch and grow multiple income streams through our exciting PROVEN strategies! There's no support community like this one anywhere else in the world!  

Send us Fan MailI sat down with Renaud Laplanche, Co-Founder and CEO of Upgrade, a consumer fintech valued at $7.3 billion. Since 2017, Upgrade has originated over $45 billion in credit to 7.5 million customers, crossed $1 billion in annualized revenue, and has been cash flow positive for years. Renaud also founded Lending Club and took it public in what was the largest US tech IPO of 2014. He is one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in fintech and someone I personally admire. We discussed building a multi-product platform from day one, how a company acquisition became their best customer generation engine, the first AI-native product Upgrade is shipping soon, and much more. Outside fintech, Renaud is an avid Sailor holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest Newport to Bermuda sailing crossing. Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today's global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~85,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Now saving when you shop for your favorite gear at B&H Photo is even easier with the B&H Payboo Credit Card which lets you Save the Tax — you pay the tax, and B&H pays you back instantly! (Save the Tax on eligible purchases shipped to eligible states.) OR you can pay over time with our 6 & 12 month financing (on minimum purchases of $199 for 6 months, and $599 for 12 months). Terms apply, learn more at http://bhphoto.com/payboo. Credit card offers are subject to credit approval.Payboo Credit Card Accounts are issued by Comenity Capital BankThis week on the PetaPixel Podcast, we're giving away a new Canon G7X Mark III 30th Anniversary Limited Edition camera thanks to our friends at B&H Photo! GIVEAWAY RULES: Entrants must post a comment on YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, or the PetaPixel comments section below. The comment must have two parts:Comment must include a link to your portfolio (Instagram, YouTube, website, etc). If, for example, your comment is on Instagram and your portfolio is Instagram, just make that clear in your comments. The same goes for YouTubeComment must include a sentence about what you want to photograph with the Canon G7X Mark III. The winner will be chosen at random. The winner will be contacted directly by PetaPixel through the platform on which they entered and will be given three days to respond. If no response is received, PetaPixel will move on to another winner. NOTES:Beware of scammers impersonating PetaPixel or its employees and never provide any payment information to anyone. PetaPixel will never ask any winner to pay for anything. Shipping and all other fees will be handled by PetaPixel and B&H Photo.Giveaway entries will be accepted until May 5 @ 9 AM Pacific Time. Due to shipping restrictions, the contest is only open to those living in the United States (sorry!). You may enter up to four times by commenting on each platform. In This Episode:00:00 - Intro06:42 - WIN a Canon G7X III 30th Anniversary Limited Edition camera thanks to B&H Photo! 11:45 - I'm Back raised $850K for an APS-C sensor insert for film cameras21:44 - Jeff Bridges' WideluxX Revival Costs $4,400 and Ships By the End of 202628:27 - Some Sigma lenses got some great usability upgrades34:38 - Viltrox listened to Chris38:31 - Samyang 14-24mm f/2.8 is finally arriving on L-mount this week43:15 - Canon's limited edition Powershot G7X III hits store shelves this week44:20 - Point and shoot cameras we'd like to see come back1:02:26 - Chris forgot to review this1:03:32 - What have you been up to?1:07:38 - Tech Support1:12:19 - Check out our MacBook benchmarks1:15:56 - What happened to the detailed camera reviews, like Pop Photo's Nikon F4 review?

Eighty to ninety percent of global commerce moves by sea - including 75% of the world's oil and almost all liquefied natural gas (LNG). So when the Strait of Hormuz shuts down, the shockwaves reach every corner of the Indo-Pacific and beyond.In this episode, Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome back maritime historian Dr. Sal Mercogliano - Campbell University professor, former merchant mariner, and host of the popular YouTube channel What's Going on with Shipping? - to unpack the two-month-old crisis that has bottled up 800 ships inside the Persian Gulf and pushed the U.S. Navy to seize tankers thousands of miles away in the Indian Ocean.Sal lays out what he calls a “tale of two blockades”: Iran rerouting traffic into its own territorial waters, shaking down shipping companies for multimillion-dollar transit payments on an international waterway and seizing Mediterranean Shipping Company vessels, while the United States mounts a blockade from the Northern Arabian Sea, firing inert shells at the Iranian container ship Touska and boarding stateless tankers in the Indian Ocean under U.S. Department of Justice warrants.We dig into the Venezuela vessel seizure precedent, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the return of mine warfare, and why ship owners aren't budging even with insurance on offer. Sal explains how ship-to-ship transfers off East Johor, Malaysia launder sanctioned Iranian crude, and why that anchorage could be the next target of U.S. enforcement.He also walks through the pressure building inside Iran: storage tanks filling, old supertankers towed out of retirement at Kharg Island, and the looming prospect of permanently damaging Iran's aging low-pressure oil wells. We close on the ripple effects reaching Pakistan, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia - refineries shutting down, fertilizer supplies choked, and bunker fuel prices doubling - plus the quiet winner: Russia.Join us for a masterclass on why a regional war has become a global economic crisis and what the breakdown of freedom of the seas means for the Indo-Pacific.

President Trump says he is prepared to wait for the best deal to end the war with Iran, even as he orders the Navy to shoot any boat caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.The Justice Department is moving marijuana out of its most dangerous drug classification for the first time, a major shift that could open up banking and tax relief for the legal cannabis industry, with a broader review of recreational marijuana expected by June. And wildfires are tearing through South Georgia and Northern Florida with little warning, destroying nearly 90 homes.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by James Hider, Ruth Sherlock, Alfredo Carbajal, Rachel Waldholtz, Mohamad ElBardicy and HJ MaiIt was produced by Kaity Kline and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor(0:00) Introduction(01:57) Strait of Hormuz Shipping Crisis(06:15) Marijuana Reclassification(10:04) Georgia WildfiresSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska, en route to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, was seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on April 19, 2026, after ignoring repeated warnings over six hours. The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fired rounds into the ship's engine room to disable propulsion, allowing U.S. Marines to board and take control without resistance as part of Operation Epic Fury and the naval blockade on Iranian ports. Shipping data shows the Touska made multiple recent stops in Zhuhai, a major port in southern China, before transiting through Southeast Asia with its last stop in Port Klang, Malaysia, on April 12. The vessel is suspected of carrying dual-use cargo that could serve both civilian and military purposes, raising questions about the China-Iran maritime route. The ship remains in U.S. custody for further inspection, while China has criticized the interception. What do you think this reveals about ongoing China-Iran trade ties during the blockade? We also cover: Glenn Beck explains how to deal with Iran's power plant FAA grounds Blue Origin New Glenn rocket The Onion controls Infowars Jeffy has a stalker? Cory Booker goes full Antichrist during speech 00:00 Pat Gray UNLEASHED! 00:21 Pat's House Renovation Blues 04:25 Jesse Watters on U.S. Boarding Iranian Ship 06:49 60 Minutes on Highly-Enriched Uranium 08:40 Meeting with Iran (maybe) 10:56 Glenn Beck Joins the Show! 32:00 Fat Five 48:14 Jeffy has a Stalker 54:57 Kamala Harris on Trump Administration 55:38 Wells Fargo CEO on Trump Administration 57:04 Doug Burgum on NGO Grants 59:33 Cory Booker's Raging Rant 1:05:06 More on Jeffy's Stalker & Pat's House 1:08:26 Discussing Cory Booker's Rant 1:12:10 Kris Cruz was ON TIME!!! 1:14:21 UCC Bishop on 'Changing the Word of God' 1:16:37 Tim Burchett Update on FISA 1:20:12 John Thune & SAVE America Act 1:23:32 Israeli Soldier Destroys Jesus Statue 1:25:44 Racist Chinese Laundry Commercial 1:30:11 Laura Ingraham Football Throw 1:31:58 WNBA Player Amazed by Mountain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kickstarter has become a key part of the author business for those who want to make more money per book, connect directly with readers, and produce beautiful editions they're proud of. In this episode, I share excerpts from interviews with Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, Russell Nohelty, and Sacha Black, alongside my own hard-won lessons from six campaigns that have now made over $140K combined. Whether you're considering your first campaign or looking to refine your process, we cover everything from overcoming your fears to rewards, fulfilment, shipping, marketing, and why I keep coming back for more. In the intro, Writing StoryBundle; Spotify Expands Audiobook Features and Printed Books; Draft2Digital Activation and Maintenance Fees; comment by Kevin McLaughlin; and Barnes & Noble Press change to Minimum Retail Price for Printed Books; AI-Assisted Artisan Author webinars. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn  Joanna Penn is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, short stories and travel memoir under J.F. Penn and also writes non-fiction for authors and hosts The Creative Penn Podcast. What Kickstarter is and why it works differently from a normal book launch The fears that held me back for almost a decade — and whether they were justified Starting small: Why you don't need sprayed edges and special hardbacks to run a successful campaign. Creative reward ideas beyond merch: digital rewards, experiential rewards, naming rights, and bundling your backlist Common mistakes that sink campaigns: overestimating your reach, getting shipping costs wrong, and not allowing enough time Fulfilment realities, printing timelines, and reinvesting profit into future stock Marketing your campaign: pre-launch signups, content marketing, email lists, social media scheduling, and Facebook/Meta ads My update for campaign #7, Bones of the Deep: what's changed, what I'm doing differently, and how AI tools are part of my process now Why I now love Kickstarter campaigns and how the spike income model fits a sustainable creative career You can find my Kickstarter campaign for Bones of the Deep here (until 5 May, 2026) and all my previous campaigns here. Introduction Jo: In this episode, I've included excerpts from my own previous solo show about Kickstarter, as well as excerpts from interviews with Oriana Leckert, the Head of Publishing at Kickstarter; Russell Nohelty, who has done lots of successful Kickstarter campaigns and teaches direct sales; and Sacha Black, who did a six-figure campaign last year. I've also added my updates to the end of the episode filling in any last thoughts. You can listen to the full episodes here: Kickstarter for Authors with Oriana Leckert The Mindset and Business of Selling Direct with Russell Nohelty Lessons Learned and Tips from Pilgrimage, My First Kickstarter Campaign Two Different Approaches to Selling Direct with Sacha Black and Joanna Penn What is Kickstarter, and why use it instead of a normal book launch? Here's Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter — and the numbers she shares will be higher now, as the episode is from February 2025. Oriana: Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform. We are unique in the crowdfunding landscape for a few reasons. We are only for creative projects, so you can't use Kickstarter for medical bills, investment funding, or charitable donations. Every project has to create something new to share with the world. Jo: Have you got any numbers on how big the Kickstarter industry is now with publishing, or anything you can share around that? Oriana: Yeah, I would love to. First I'll tell you Kickstarter overall by the numbers. Since our inception, there have been 273,000 projects funded, eight and a half billion — with a “b” — billion dollars pledged, from more than 24 million backers. In publishing specifically, we've had 69,000 projects launched, 3.2 million unique backers, and over $380 million pledged to campaigns. I have lots of other stats, but a few things I'll share. The publishing category keeps growing The publishing category has grown year over year, every year since 2017, in terms of number of projects launched, number of projects successful, and the overall success rate. There has never been a dip since 2017. Another stat I really love about the publishing category: if you look at campaigns that have at least 25 backers, the overall success rate is 84%. I think that's really telling, because 25 backers is a little bit more than your mum, your best friend, the folks who are essentially obligated to support anything you do. So if you can get a little bit beyond that inner circle, your chances of succeeding on the platform are tremendously high. Backers are paying more — and waiting longer Another thing I wanted to call out — I just got some new numbers around this. The average backing amount per backer across the whole category has nearly doubled since 2020. We used to see an average backing around $40, and it's currently at $72 per backer. I think this is clearly around the trend of special and deluxe editions, but it's a great indication that backer behaviour on Kickstarter is just very different from your general book-buying public. People don't come here looking for 99-cent ebooks — the lowest bargain-basement prices. Folks are really willing to pay more because they understand this is a different kind of thing. It's not exactly a purchase. It really is supporting, bringing a strange and wonderful new thing into the world that wouldn't exist before. People are also much more forgiving about timelines. If you buy something from most online booksellers, you're expecting to have it in your hands within a couple of days. People wait months and sometimes years to get their Kickstarter rewards, and they don't mind if the creator is clear and transparent. You're also doing the work of demystifying the publishing process. Why does it take so long? Where are books printed? How long does it take them to ship via freight over the ocean? What do all these things really look like? So it's really interesting just figuring out what your backers want and will bear versus the general book-buying public out in the world. Kickstarter is not just for “desperate” authors anymore Oriana: People used to think Kickstarter was just for desperate folks who couldn't get a book deal through the traditional systems. The change has been so dramatic — people now understand that Kickstarter can be transformative for an author's career, and that it can work for traditional publishing, indie publishing, hybrid publishing, all kinds of authors. Kickstarter is really about collapsing the boundaries between a writer and their readers, a publisher and their fan base, any creative person and their audience. And there are so many benefits to doing that. You get to really thrill your backers with new and exciting rewards. You get to turn what can be a standard book release into a moment. You get to build your brand, your profile, get press, test out ambitious projects. You get to understand so much more about your audience and what they want and how you can give it to them. It's been really marvellous seeing the great success that people can have on our platform and outside of it. Why do a Kickstarter campaign? Jo: Why Kickstarter and not a usual book launch? Benefits for backers If you back a Kickstarter, you get special editions, bonus content, interesting merchandise, bundles, digital specials, print specials, early access. All of them pretty much are really cool books from creators you either already love or those you've never heard of, because you just want to see their cool stuff. I've started buying books from people I have never heard of because I think their books are really cool. Once you start supporting campaigns on Kickstarter, the algorithm will recommend campaigns for you. It's essentially a different way of shopping for great books and other products, and it's just another part of my ecosystem for how I shop. It's a form of direct sales, so you also have a closer connection with the creator. You can message them, for example, and they get it — rather than buying through an online retailer or bookstore. Benefits for creators In terms of benefits for creators, you get to know people in a more personal way through the campaign, messaging with people and connecting more than you would when selling through a retailer, when you don't know who is buying your books. As an author, you can make more money more quickly and retain a higher percentage of the royalties, rather than wait months or years to get paid and have a large percentage taken out by everyone down the chain — publishers, platforms, distributors, and retailers. Brandon Sanderson's $41 million Kickstarter was clearly the pinnacle of what can be achieved, but many authors are happy making a few thousand for their book project upfront and use campaigns multiple times during the year. Kickstarter takes 5% for their fee, although of course you have to factor in the cost of production and marketing. But even then, I make more profit on my book sales through selling ebooks and audiobooks direct, and also printing with BookVault, than I do with KDP Print or IngramSpark print on demand. Higher average order and faster payment Another way you make more money is that the average order per customer is higher with Kickstarter than sales on the usual stores. The average order on my campaign was £37.24 — that's around $45 US — which is at least four times higher than I might have made selling Pilgrimage in the usual way on the major retailers. You get paid two weeks after the campaign finishes, so the money is in your bank account much faster than if you sell on retailers. In terms of cash flow, make sure you time your campaign so you get the money before you have to pay for printing, shipping, and other significant bills. Spike income vs monthly income There are many creators who now make Kickstarter the core of their business. It's a spike income model rather than a monthly income, which most indie authors are used to. The monthly income model is fantastic — I love getting money every month — but it also has the effect of making indie authors behave as if this is a normal job: work every month, get paid every month, put out another book so you get paid in another few months' time. With the Kickstarter model, you can get a bigger chunk of money in one go, so you could potentially move to a big launch and then take more time off before ramping up to the next launch months later. And amusingly, this sounds a bit more like traditional publishing. It's just that as an indie author, when you get that amount of money, it's much bigger. So that kind of launch tempo is an attractive prospect if you think about it: if I just get this big spike of money even once a year, that's really cool. And then of course you can sell it later. What are some of the fears that might stop you? Jo: I held back from doing a Kickstarter for years — almost a decade, in fact — where I backed campaigns and resisted doing a campaign for my own books. Here are some of my fears. Prepare to face your fears Jo: This entire experience thrust me out of my comfort zone and into a new way of creating, launching, and connecting with readers. Pilgrimage is my first memoir, my first special hardback with colour photos, and my first Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. So I had a lot to learn. The book is very personal and I bare my soul about some dark times, so that was terrifying in itself, let alone trying a new product edition and publishing platform. On the evening I clicked the launch button — and yes, you have to actually click an actual launch button — my heart was hammering out of my chest. I have not felt that nervous since probably the first time publishing on Amazon. I was afraid of failure. I was afraid of being embarrassed if my campaign didn't fund. I wrote a book on marketing — how to market a book — so I would be mortified if I had not funded. In fact, I even changed my target from £5,000 to £1,000 the night before, as I was so terrified it wouldn't fund. I was afraid of getting something terribly wrong and ending up out of pocket through issues with printing and shipping. I was afraid of letting backers down by promising something I might not be able to deliver. I was afraid I had overcommitted myself to a whole load of work I might even resent doing. I am a one-person business, and although I work with freelancers, I still do pretty much everything myself. I am a control freak — you might have noticed. So yes, there was a lot of apprehension and fear. You don't have to go huge Another fear might be the fear of failure — that you'll put up a campaign and no one will buy from you. But one answer is just to do a modest campaign. You don't have to do special hardbacks or merchandise. As Russell says: Russell: Somehow all of the teaching that we have given over the last two years has been executed in a way that makes it seem like you have to do this enormous campaign with sprayed edges and big, beautiful hardcovers and interior illustrations and vellum and all of that stuff. And I want to say first: that is absolutely not true. You don't have to do any of those things. If you look at two of the last three campaigns I've done, all I was offering was paperback books and ebooks, and then audio commentary for one of the campaigns. You can do a Kickstarter — and I often will tell people, especially if they're not an already successful author — do a campaign that is small and easy to get data on before you do something big. The direct connection is actually the point Jo: One of my resistances to this was a sort of, “Oh, I'm actually going to have to do a more higher-touch thing.” But as you say, the reframe is: oh my goodness, this is amazing, because I actually do get to connect with people. Just yesterday I sent a signed book — Pilgrimage, which I did my last Kickstarter on — and this guy was like, “I bought it for myself. Can you sign it to me, because I'm going to do the Camino in a wheelchair?” And I was just so touched. Emailing him back, I just felt, oh my goodness, I'm having a connection with this person that if they'd just bought a book on Amazon, I would not have had. So now it's almost like — it's this totally different view of my business, which is that direct-first means a much more personal way. It really is like we're in that thousand true fans moment that we first talked about 20 years ago. Were my fears realised? Jo: Just to recap, I was afraid of failure and embarrassment if I failed to fund, of getting something wrong and being out of pocket, of letting backers down, and of overcommitting myself and resenting the workload. Really, the only thing that happened was overcommitment and a lot more work than I expected. But the time I put in was also likely the reason for the campaign's success and the reason that the other things didn't happen. I had to learn a new platform and a new approach to publishing and book marketing, so it was kind of a mini degree at the same time. So yes, I will do another Kickstarter — but only for special projects that are suited to this kind of intensive campaign. Tips for campaigns In this section, Oriana shares her thoughts on rewards, and then I'll go into some more of my tips. Thinking beyond merch Oriana: The rewards are really at the heart of the Kickstarter proposition and what makes this kind of fundraising so interesting and thrilling. Basically, your process is you're inviting people on a creative journey. You're saying, “I'm going to make this cool thing. I want your support, and in exchange, you're going to get stuff, you're going to get to be part of my process.” Obviously your main reward is going to be your book, or your series, or if you're a publishing company, your season — whatever it is. That's your main tier. Then you're going to build everything else out above and below that. A lot of people think rewards means swag and merch. Which is fine, but merch can add a lot to your production costs. It's causing you to learn how to produce all kinds of things that maybe you've never done before. So that's not the only way to do it. If you're going to do some merch, I think it's nice to come up with some custom items that feel really related to the work that you're doing. If you've got a romance novel with a pivotal scene on the beach, maybe you'd make some candles that smell like the ocean. Maybe you do some kind of handkerchief that's printed with the pattern of the dress your heroine is wearing. Digital and experiential rewards Oriana: But you can really think beyond merch into digital rewards and experiential rewards. There are a lot of parts of the writing process that can be pulled out and packaged as rewards — things like notes from the field, outtakes, deleted scenes. I've had people write bloopers, as if it were a comedy movie, added new scenes or novellas, other pieces from different works that you've done. Certainly your backlist and other books you've written can all be included. We've seen people do tours of the writer's studio, things like that. Also think about what skills you have in addition to your writing. Perhaps you're excellent at marketing or social media or poetry — you can offer webinars on those sorts of things. Other kinds of ways that people can experience your creative practice. High-end and naming rewards Oriana: Then you can get into high-end, one-off, crazy rewards. One whole section of rewards I love is naming rights. We've seen all kinds — “We'll name the dragon after your dog, or after your mother-in-law. We'll name the hero after your son.” There's a LitRPG novelist named Matt Dinniman who does this really well. He writes these big-cast novels — there are dungeons, and you're in an intergalactic reality TV show with hundreds of characters. In his last campaign, for $666 he would kill you off in his next book, and for $777 he'd let you live and write a whole scene around you personally. You can also do book release parties. You can do book clubs. If you're writing children's books, you can do colouring pages or supplemental material for teachers or other educators. The sky is really the limit, and it is based on your creativity and the things that both you can make and that your audience wants. This is another opportunity — talk to them. Ask them: if I'm going to do a piece of swag, would you rather have an enamel pin or a makeup bag? If I'm going to do alternate covers, would you like the blue cover or the red cover? See what your people are interested in, and then figure out whether it's possible for you to deliver it to them. Learn about the platform from experts Jo: I've been publishing and selling books through online retailers, as well as my own store, since 2008. I know what I'm doing, but I still had a lot to learn. With Kickstarter, it's essentially a completely different ecosystem, with different rules and a different audience, so you have to learn the ropes. Even if you're super successful in other places, you might crash and burn on Kickstarter unless you understand how it works and change your approach accordingly. Start backing campaigns Jo: See how it feels to back Kickstarter campaigns and discover what draws you in as a reader and a fan of specific things. You might find projects you love outside of books — there's plenty of other projects outside of books. You can browse the publishing category to find new books, and also use the search to find things you might like. In this way, you can support fellow creators and learn how the Kickstarter site works for discoverability and marketing. Make sure you go through the Kickstarter.com resources — they have a creator pack which will give you direction on the campaign. Also, their terms of use are really important to read, as there are some assumptions you'll have because you've published on another platform that are incorrect. So do not assume you know what you're doing if this is your first campaign. Ask for feedback before launch Jo: Once you have a draft of your campaign, ask specific people to review it before it launches. You can share a preview prior to launch and get feedback on your page. This helps you refine your story and the rewards, answer any questions before the campaign goes live, and it can also help pique the interest of your audience. I asked specific people who had done Kickstarter campaigns for help at different stages of the process, and this was really useful too. Review common mistakes from other campaigns Jo: If you examine how others made mistakes, you can learn from them. The most common seem to be: Not finishing the book before the campaign Getting the financials wrong for production, shipping, and any other rewards. I know some authors who have ended up breaking even, or sometimes even out of pocket from campaigns. Don't do that. Not making the most of the story sales page and not including everything necessary, so backers don't understand and don't want to support the campaign — essentially, not being clear enough Setting unrealistic goals, like expecting to make six figures on a first campaign Not allowing enough time for everything Not seeking feedback from people who have done it before Not marketing the campaign enough Overpromising and under-delivering Poor communication with backers about the status of rewards Set aside more time than you think you need Jo: The campaign ended up being far more significant than I expected in terms of workload and time to complete. Everyone told me that beforehand, but it was still a surprise. It took time to prepare the multiple editions for the rewards. I usually produce an ebook, paperback, and a large print edition, and I narrate my own nonfiction audiobooks. But for this Kickstarter, I also wanted to do this special hardback with colour photos, a flyleaf cover and silver foil. I wanted to create a special print product I could be proud of. I'm proud of all my books in terms of the content, but the usual paperback print-on-demand books are more about the content than the true beauty of the product. For Pilgrimage: A Book of My Heart, I wanted a special edition, so I worked with Jane on the design, going through my photos from the various pilgrimages to find those that resonated with the content — for example, the cadaver tomb at Canterbury, and my Compostela from the Camino de Santiago. Once we finished, I had that proof copy rushed so we could turn around everything. And I love, love, love the hardback. It has a silken-finish cover and it feels lovely and weighty. The pictures came out well, as the paper is of a higher quality and weight to allow for colour printing. Overall, I am incredibly proud of the finished product. I even sent a copy to my mother-in-law, which I have never done before. And yes, she thinks it's good. I definitely should have allowed more time, as I spent most of the Christmas and New Year period working on the book, recording and editing the audiobook, and preparing for the campaign. I also didn't have time to prepare, record, edit, and produce the Writing Setting and Sense of Place course until after the campaign, and it was really hard to find the energy to do this afterwards. Building the campaign page Jo: It took time to build the Kickstarter campaign page, create the video, and incorporate feedback. Most authors don't write sales pages anymore. Sure, we write a sales description for the book page on the retailers, but we don't often do a whole page for multiple editions. On Kickstarter, you are basically writing a sales page for your campaign, which they call a “story.” Some of your existing audience might just click through and back the campaign without reading it, but most backers will check out the details to find answers to any questions they have. It is a very long page, and you also need a video — or you don't need one, but it's highly recommended. It's best to record the video at the last stage when everything else is done. You can still see my Kickstarter video on my campaign page, so I won't go through everything in detail. But the key aspects are: Who the campaign is aimed at Why the campaign is important to me and the book What products are available Pictures of everything — the page should be really visual — and I included the images in the video as well Sample chapters and sample audio Specifications, with weight, pages, listening time, table of contents About me, the author Stretch goals Add-ons Any questions, risks, and challenges So it's pretty long. Then the reward levels have to be set up carefully for each pledge level with shipping costs, and specific details about what's included. Eventually, I felt like my page had way too much information, but since I didn't really get many backer questions, I guess it did what it was supposed to do. I rewrote and edited that page so many times — adding and changing the order of things, responding to feedback, switching things around. But hopefully I can use that as a template for other campaigns. Marketing takes time too Jo: It took time to prepare the marketing for the campaign. I'm pretty low-key for most launches these days — I publish a book, send a few emails to my lists, announce it on the podcast, do a little social media, update my websites, and move on to the next book. So this was probably my biggest effort in terms of a launch since my first novel back in 2011. I only had a two-week campaign, so I needed to make the most of that window. I'm going to detail the marketing in a separate section, but it took a lot of time to prepare the various things and execute them, as well as keep the energy up for promotion during the campaign. Two weeks was definitely the longest I would want to do — I was really over it by the end. Delivering stretch rewards Jo: It took more time to create and deliver the extra stretch rewards I promised. Since I had pretty low expectations of funding, I set my first stretch goal at £10,000 for “Lessons Learned from Writing a Travel Memoir.” When I promised it, I thought it might be a few pages of tips, and I didn't even think we would get there. But I'm incapable of delivering something that is half done. So when we did hit £10,000, I wrote essentially a short book on the topic, which I then formatted as an ebook and recorded as an audiobook. I'm actually going to turn that into a proper book at some point, so the content will get reused. But that definitely took more time than I expected, because I hadn't prepared it in advance. The backer spreadsheet and fulfilment Jo: It took time to figure out the backer spreadsheet and check all the fulfilment details. Once you finish your campaign, you send out surveys for mailing addresses and to fulfil rewards. I also needed to turn the backer report into a printing order for BookVault, and that was nerve-wracking. The spreadsheets were different formats, and then we spot-checked the orders to make sure people got the right books based on their orders. I was petrified that some people might get the wrong book, and I checked and checked and checked — both on the spreadsheet, and then once the orders were loaded, I checked BookVault as well. I was worried I'd have to resend the right book, which would end up with me out of pocket because they'd have to do double printing and shipping. But thankfully, all the checking made everything good, and I haven't heard from anyone who got the wrong book. Following up with backers Jo: It took time to follow up on failed payments and address issues. Most backers were easy to deal with — they received the updates and Kickstarter emails, they filled in the surveys, and I didn't have any problems. But there were problems with about 5% of backers, most of which were not their fault. There were failed payments when banks thought Kickstarter might be fraud. There were missed emails because of issues with deliverability, so backers didn't receive the rewards, or they didn't fill in the survey and return their address, which meant I couldn't do the order with BookVault — I had to do it later or manually. I had to follow up with every single one of these, some of them multiple times, and I slowly reduced my list of outstanding backers. A tip: If you back a Kickstarter campaign, please log on to Kickstarter a few weeks after the campaign has finished and check for updates. It's possible that you're not receiving the emails from Kickstarter, and the creator may need details from you in order to fulfil your pledge. Tax implications Jo: It took time to figure out the tax implications. This is not legal or financial advice, and your taxes will vary by jurisdiction. Please ask your accountant how you need to treat Kickstarter or any other book-related income. Wherever you are in the world, you will need to pay tax on the income, because we all have income tax, but the complicating factor is whether you also need to consider sales tax. And this definitely differs by jurisdiction. I went to my accountant, who said we should handle it as per any other book sales. I followed my accountant's advice, which treats backers the same way as my customers who buy on Shopify. Ask a professional in your jurisdiction about taxes and finances, even if you are in the UK. I cannot answer any questions. I'm not an accountant. Closing the loop Jo: I haven't had much time to do anything else, as I felt like I couldn't start anything new until everything in the campaign was finished. As soon as the campaign window closed, I felt like I had an open loop in my brain. I desperately wanted to close it in order to say the project was done. I have now delivered all the book and course rewards, and these lessons learned are really the last part of it. I've talked before about the different kinds of energy you need as an author — starting energy, pushing-through energy, and finishing energy. Once the campaign was funded, my finishing energy kicked in and I was driven to get everything finished as soon as possible. I sent the digital rewards out within a few days of the campaign closing, and also shipped the unsigned books, ordered the print books, then went and signed them, and then recorded the course. It has been my primary focus for the last few months, and I haven't been able to do much else except the podcast, which is my weekly commitment to you. Once again, I should have blocked out the time. Bonus tip: Don't plan an international speaking and book research trip during the campaign. International shipping and fulfilment Jo: Be careful with international shipping and fulfilment of signed books or products. Shipping costs can sink your campaign if you get them wrong, so be very careful with this area. I have sold books in 175 countries, and this podcast has a listenership in 228 countries, so I really wanted to have a completely international campaign. I wanted to ship Pilgrimage in any format to any country. Originally I thought I would just charge a bit extra for the book and include shipping. But once I set the book editions up at BookVault and I had the weight and dimensions sorted, I started checking the shipping costs to different countries. For example, we lived in New Zealand for seven years — my husband is a New Zealander, so we go back — so I definitely had to sell in New Zealand. And of course the shipping to New Zealand is very, very different to the US, for example. It is crazy how much shipping costs vary. I discovered I couldn't just assume it would all wash out and I'd end up making a profit somehow. I had to be a lot more careful with the calculations. So I focused on my biggest markets, which in terms of my book sales are the US, UK, European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. I added a note on the campaign to say I would add any other country for print shipping if people contacted me. As it turned out, no one asked for any other countries, so that was the best way to go in the end. If you're in a country where the shipping is outrageous — if you're willing to pay for the shipping, then that's absolutely fine. It's just that for the campaign, I had to focus. When the unexpected happens Jo: Of course, you can try to prepare for everything and then something unexpected and out of your control happens. A big spanner in the works for my campaign was the Russian hack, which took down the UK Royal Mail just before my launch. If you're not in the UK, you wouldn't have heard about this, because in some ways it's a very small issue — but it basically took down Royal Mail and a lot of shipping went into flux. It specifically hit the international side, and other shipping firms ramped up to take the slack. But it made planning for the launch difficult, as the prices were shifting and I didn't know how delivery was going to work. Even for posting in the UK it was hard, because the mail offices were getting backed up. Once again, I'm grateful for BookVault's adaptability, because I could check different addresses and shipping prices even as things changed, and they added new providers for shipping. About 95% of my shipping ended up being within an acceptable range of what I charged. So do your research, weigh and measure your items so you can get exact quotes for each. Check what kind of packaging you need. If you're doing your own shipping, you have to actually type in the shipping costs per reward and per country — it's a lot of manual setup to get it right. But this is critical, so check and double-check — and in fact, I triple- and quadruple-checked, then went to sleep, and then the next day checked again. Having spent 13 years as an IT consultant prior to this career as an author, I will always remember and have learned from the fact that something just might not be working, and then literally if you just go away, go to bed, come back the next day, it'll probably just be working. Sometimes it actually works. So yes, I did that, and every time I checked, pretty much I found something I'd typed in that didn't quite match, because you also have to retype — if you include all the books in the add-ons, you have to type it again. I didn't stop checking until the day before the launch, and then it was right. I was happy, and everything seemed to be fine. Shipping is always a moving target Jo: Revisiting this section made me laugh, because as I record this, in the week before I launch Bones of the Deep, international shipping is disrupted again — by the war in Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz being closed, which is affecting fuel prices. This underscores yet again how important it is to check your shipping. Of course, you can add shipping on later — Kickstarter allows this, as does BackerKit and other services. But as a backer, a customer of people on the platform, I hate being asked to pay shipping later. And since I hate that myself, I don't want other people to feel the same way. So just add a little buffer in, as asking people to pay an extra dollar in their pledge is not that big a deal, but you being out of pocket for every book shipped may well be. Sacha Black on pre-launch and fulfilment In an interview I did with Sacha Black, who writes as Ruby Roe, in December 2025, we talked about her issues with fulfilment. Sacha does a lot of complex printing, shipping, and custom book boxes and more. Her last campaign made over six figures, but of course it had its challenges. Here's Sacha with some of her tips, and then Oriana to close out this section with some other mistakes. Sacha: The first thing is — even before you start your Kickstarter — the pre-launch followers are critical. A lot of people think, “Well…” I guess there's a lot of loud noise about all these big numbers about how much people can make on Kickstarter, but actually a lot of it is driven by you, the author, pushing your audience to Kickstarter. You need more pre-launch followers than you think you do. Lots of people don't put enough impetus on the marketing beforehand. Almost all of our Kickstarter marketing is beforehand, because we drive so many people to that follow button. The other thing we do is early-bird pricing. We get the majority of our income on a campaign on day one. I think it was something wild, like 80% this time was on day one, so that's really important. Fulfilment takes longer than you think Sacha: The second thing is, it takes so, so very much longer than you think it does to fulfil a campaign, and you must factor in that cost. Because if it's not you fulfilling, you're paying somebody else to fulfil it. And if it is you fulfilling it, you must account for your own time in the pricing of your campaign. The other thing is that the amount of time it takes to fulfil is directly proportionate to the size of the campaign. So you do have to think about that. The other lesson we have learned is that overseas printing will drag your timelines out far longer than you think. So whatever you think it's going to take you to fulfil — add several months more onto that, and put that information in your campaign. Reinvesting profit and exclusive rewards Sacha: The last thing — if you have some profit in the Kickstarter, because not all Kickstarters are actually massively profitable. They either don't account enough for shipping, or they don't account enough in the pricing. Thankfully, ours have been profitable, but we've actually reinvested that profit back into buying more stock and more merchandise, which not everybody would want to do if they don't have a warehouse. However, we do have one. We are stockpiling merchandise and books so that we can do mystery boxes later on down the line. It's probably a year away, but we are buying extra of everything so that we have that in the warehouse. So it depends on what you want to do with your profit. For us, it was all about buying more books, basically. The other thing to think about is: what is it that you're doing that's exclusive to Kickstarter? Because you will get backers on Kickstarter who want that quirky, unique thing that they're not going to be able to get anywhere else. But what about you? You've done more Kickstarters than me — what do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned? Tiers, bundles, and AI for planning rewards Jo: Well, I think all of mine together add up to the one you just did. Although I will comment — you said something like £75 per pre-launch backer. That is obviously dependent on your tiers for the rewards, so most authors won't have that amount. My average order value, which I know is slightly different, but I don't offer things like book boxes as you have — so a lot of it will depend on the tiers. Some people will do a Kickstarter just with an ebook — just with one ebook and maybe a bundle of ebooks — so you're never going to make it up to that kind of value. So this is important too: have a look at what people offer on their different levels of Kickstarter. In fact, here's my AI tip for the day. What you can do — what I did with my Buried and the Drowned campaign recently — is, you know, I'm happy uploading my book. I uploaded it to ChatGPT and said, “Tell me, what are some ideas for the different reward tiers that I can do on Kickstarter?” And it will give you some ideas for what you can do, what kind of bundles you might want to do. So bundling your backlist is another thing you can do — as upsells, or you can just do it like I did for Blood Vintage, where I did a horror bundle of four standalone horror books in one of the upper tiers. Bundling is a good way to do it, and also upselling your backlist is a really good way to up things. And also, if you do it digitally — for ebooks and audiobooks — there's a lot less time in fulfilment. Oriana on the biggest mistakes Jo: What are some of the top mistakes you see that mean the campaign doesn't fund, or there are other issues? Oriana: Totally. I mean, the biggest mistake I think authors make — or any creator — is overestimating their ability to reach their crowd. Making sure that your ambition matches your reach is the number one most important thing to come close to guaranteeing that you will be successful. If you're an emerging writer and you're still building your audience and you don't have that many followers or subscribers out in the world, you should not try to fund a multi-volume leather-bound omnibus. Do a real honest assessment of who's in your crowd, how to find them, what percentage of them are likely to support what you're doing, and then find a project that feels realistic based on those numbers. That's really the biggest thing, conceptually. Building a strong project page Oriana: As far as tips for a project page — again, back campaigns and look at what other people are doing. A project page can be either as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. You definitely want to talk about the book: what is in it, what you're writing. Do a trope card if you want — we're seeing those all over the site. Say what kind of book it is, and the specs: page count, trim size, cover design. Obviously if you're doing a special edition, exactly what sorts of bells and whistles, with a prototype if you can. But you can be really expansive from there. What are your inspirations? Who are your collaborators? What brought you to this work? What are some of the things that make you excited about your writing practice, your timeline, your budget? What made you choose these rewards and how you're going to produce them? All those sorts of things will make backers feel both more trusting that you will do the things you're promising, and just more excited to be part of your journey. Marketing your Kickstarter campaign Let's talk about marketing. First, a snippet from Oriana, and then I'll share specifics around marketing tips — many of which are useful if you're launching in any other way. Kickstarter's algorithm rewards attention Oriana: Being on Kickstarter will help you grow your audience, but it's definitely not everything. You really do need to bring your people first. Our algorithm works on attention, so any project that's getting clicks, getting backings, getting comments — our algorithm says, “Oh, people want to look at this. We will expose it to more and more people.” That means raising it up in search results, slotting it into various of the macros and carousels around the site. Our recommendation engine powers recommended projects on the top of campaigns and at the bottom of emails. We are doing a lot to make sure that projects are being surfaced to folks who want to see them. Talk about the book while you're writing it Jo: Talk and share about the book while you're writing it, even though you might not know what it will turn into. I always share my book research and projects in progress, so this was nothing new. But Pilgrimage was years in the making, so I had years of sharing aspects of it. I've shared pictures from every pilgrimage walk on Instagram at @jfpennauthor and Facebook at J.F. Penn Author, and sometimes Facebook The Creative Penn. I've talked on this podcast about each walk, and I've done solo episodes and blog posts about each on my Books and Travel podcast and blog. I also did a poll and shared my book cover design process, and then I did an article on why I ignored target-reader feedback in the end. All this meant that many in my community — including you listening — became aware of my solo walking and also my ecclesiastical interest, my architecture interest, and you enjoyed my photos along the way if you follow me on social media. So when I announced the launch, it was the culmination of years of build-up. Use the pre-launch page early Jo: Set up the Kickstarter pre-launch page as early as possible, and keep promoting it. You can launch a pre-launch page once Kickstarter has approved your project, and you don't have to have finished everything to make it available — just complete the personal and business setup, and fill in enough detail so they can verify your identity and judge the campaign to be real and within the guidelines, and not a scam or spam campaign. I started to promote my pre-launch page, and by the time we went live, I had people signed up on launch. Those people get an email from Kickstarter. Those people were responsible for my campaign funding within the first few minutes, and then taking it to 5x the target within the first 24 hours. Then I started to email my lists, and all of this type of thing. But it was those pre-launch signups that really kick-started — see what I did there? — the whole thing. The benefit of using Kickstarter for multiple projects is that previous backers are notified of your new project. This compounds the effect over time, and is why those who use Kickstarter successfully do multiple campaigns. Kickstarter SEO and on-platform marketing Jo: Kickstarter has its own ecosystem. There's a discovery algorithm that can help you find projects you might like as a backer, and there are different ways to search, but only certain aspects appear in the search. So your title, subtitle, and your header image need to be optimised so people can find you. Your story sales page needs to be clear, with a compelling pitch. People also have to want your rewards, so marketing has to be baked into the products you're offering and who you're trying to attract. Your video doesn't need to be a professional-level product, but it does need to connect with potential backers, so take the time to make a good one. If you've never made a video before, you will need time to upskill. Kickstarter also has social media. Use #KickstarterReads and tag @KickstarterReads. If your project funds quickly and has a good trajectory, you might get picked for the “Projects We Love” badge, which also gives you better discoverability. I got that pretty fast. You can also tag Kickstarter on social media and inform them of your campaign. Content marketing Jo: Content marketing is offering something useful or interesting or inspiring or funny or entertaining for free, in order to attract your target market so they buy your book. This might be an article or blog post, video, audio, podcast, social media, whatever. For fiction, it's usually a free book or a short story or other free examples of your writing that draw people in. Content marketing is my favourite form of marketing, as it is about attraction, not interruption. It also involves creating something in the world that lasts over time, as opposed to an ephemeral spike ad or a social media post that quickly disappears. Each has its place, of course, and I use them all. This podcast is content marketing, although it now also provides direct revenue in the form of corporate advertising and Patreon support. Thank you, patrons and advertisers — and I consider this to be part of my creative body of work. My Books and Travel podcast is also content marketing. Guest appearances for the launch Jo: For this launch, I did content marketing on my own sites and shows, as well as other people's, which I arranged and recorded in advance. I've also mentioned the campaign in the introduction to every one of these shows leading up to the launch and during the launch. I was on some podcasts: Sacred Steps with Kevin Donahue, Wish I'd Known Then… For Writers with Sara Rosett and Jami Albright, Travel Writing World with Jeremy Bassetti, and Into the Woods with Holly Worton. I also did several of my own. I did one on this feed. I did another on the Books and Travel feed. I also included two chapters from the audiobook on the Books and Travel podcast. All of these took time to prepare and produce, but each is a chance for another person to hear about the book. Plus, they're evergreen, and Pilgrimage is available for everyone to buy now, so I can point people at Pilgrimage on other stores. Use a redirection URL Jo: For all my marketing, I used JFPenn.com/pilgrimage, which I can redirect using the Pretty Links plugin on WordPress and point to wherever I want it to go. Before the launch, it went to the pre-launch page; then the campaign itself; and now it goes to the book page. Once I build a special landing page, it will go there. Depending on where you're listening will depend on where it goes, but that's JFPenn.com/pilgrimage. The URL needs to be easy to say out loud for use in podcast interviews and audio-first media. Email your list multiple times Jo: Some things change in book marketing — like the emergence of new platforms like TikTok — but one thing has stayed the same for decades: if you have an email list, you can always sell books. Your email list consists of people who have opted in to hear from you, so you can email them about normal launches as well as your Kickstarter campaign. I have two email lists: one for The Creative Penn around writing, and the other around J.F. Penn for my fiction. I emailed both lists multiple times at different times in the campaign. I use ConvertKit for my email, but there are other options for authors. Use referral links for tracking Jo: Use specific referral links for different aspects of the campaign for tracking returns. Kickstarter allows you to create different tracking links so you can link revenue to specific marketing events. For example, I used one link for my Creative Penn email list, another for my J.F. Penn email list, and yet another for my Facebook advertising. You can also add the Meta pixel and Google Analytics code to the campaign, which can also help with figuring out advertising. And if you don't know what those are, don't worry — you don't have to use them. Book images and social media Jo: I initially mocked up the book using cover images on MockupShots.com, and then resized them in Canva in order to create social media images. I later did a book photo shoot with the hardback in different places to give me more marketing assets to play with — all of which I will use over time as part of ongoing marketing. I prepared and scheduled social media posts to go out every day, and I did that in advance, primarily for Twitter at @thecreativepenn, my Instagram and Facebook at J.F. Penn Author, and also Facebook at The Creative Penn. It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it — weirdly — and I need to do more of this for my other books, especially as with Shopify, Facebook, and Instagram link directly into my store, so I can tag books. These days social commerce is a lot smoother through mobile, so someone can see an image on social, click through, and buy immediately. I also did some quotes from the book — so I did pictures, I also did quotes — and I blatantly used our cute British Shorthair cats, Cashew and Ramen, for marketing reasons. I use Buffer to schedule my social media, but there are other tools. I also asked some friends who are travel influencers to share the book, and I sent them the hardback in advance so they could review if they liked. Thanks to Sarah Baxter and Alastair Humphreys for sharing the book, and especially a big thank you to Anna McNuff, who gave birth to twins that week and still managed to share about Pilgrimage. Backer engagement and stretch goals Jo: Let's be clear — it was not natural for me to push a book every day for two weeks. I also felt awkward about engaging with backers multiple times, let alone the wider community who I was sure was sick of my book, but I did it anyway, as it was only a short campaign of two weeks. I sent four updates during the campaign to backers, some of which are visible to the public on my Kickstarter, and then I sent updates afterwards with delivery of the rewards. Although I did resist the stretch goals, as I mentioned earlier, I went with “Notes on Writing a Travel Memoir” and the backer live Q&A. I did scramble to decide on and deliver those, as I really didn't think I would need them — which is crazy. I had such low expectations of what I might achieve. But next time I would definitely plan stretch goals in advance and in more detail. Facebook advertising Jo: I did some Facebook ads for the campaign — although I should call them Meta ads, because they're also on Instagram. I primarily aimed them at my email lists and people who follow my pages, but also some wider reach using lookalike lists and walking interests. I used a tracking link, so I know that the revenue that came in through people backing it more than paid for the ads. So I would do more of this next time. Marketing things I didn't do Jo: I didn't try to get any press or traditional media attention, mainly because I would have had to approach outlets much earlier in the process. I didn't have the hardback finished until a few weeks before the campaign, rather than a few months before, which is when pitching for press is a better idea. I also didn't collaborate with other creators on Kickstarter, even though I knew other authors doing campaigns at the same time. A couple of people asked me about cross-promotion, but their campaigns were not at all related to Pilgrimage. As with all book marketing, there is only a point to cross-promotion if you target the same readers. I had intended to do some Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Live videos, but I struggle with live videos in general — and especially when I'm tired — so I didn't go ahead with those. I might consider more of those next time. Do a survey for everyone Jo: My tip is — do a survey for everyone. As part of a campaign I previously backed, I noticed that I didn't actually need to do a survey for the digital backers, because they could just get the rewards if I emailed through Kickstarter. And sure enough, you can just email the BookFunnel links, the course discount code, etc., through the campaign. But this was a mistake. I should have done a survey for everyone. If you do a survey, you can get the real email, as some people use a cloaked email. You can also include a checkbox asking people if they want to sign up for your email list. Respecting backer data Jo: So while you do get the email addresses of everyone who backs your campaign in your backer report, you cannot just upload them to your email provider and start emailing them about your other books. Kickstarter's terms of use include the following: When you use Kickstarter, and especially if you create a successful project, you may receive information about other users, including things like their names, email addresses, and postal addresses. This information is provided for the purpose of participating in a Kickstarter project. Don't use it for other purposes and don't abuse it. This is about data protection and privacy laws. Basically, Kickstarter is the platform in this instance, and people have signed up to receive emails from Kickstarter, but not from you. All emails about the campaign go through Kickstarter, and you don't have permission to just upload that list to your own email system and start sending more emails. They have not specifically said they want that, unless they have in a survey with opt-in — which I didn't do. Of course, there are indirect ways to attract people to sign up for your list. My book Pilgrimage includes ways to hear from me further, so some backers will go on and sign up for my free thriller ebook at JFPenn.com/free, or my Author Blueprint at TheCreativePenn.com/blueprint. You can also do updates later, for example when you have a new campaign, and in this way Kickstarter acts as a different ecosystem for email. Should you consider a Kickstarter campaign for your book? Jo: To be honest — only if you consider this to be a career you want to invest in, and a platform you want to do more than one campaign with. If you just have one book or a couple of books, or you're just starting out, or you don't want to do marketing and connect with readers, then definitely don't do a Kickstarter. It is not some magic button that will make you money — like uploading to Amazon is not a magic button that will make you money. It takes time and effort to have a successful campaign. But if you do want to build a long-term author business, then selling direct should have some part to play, and Kickstarter is a great way to make more money per book and connect with readers. It's really only the beginning of the trend of authors selling direct, so don't worry — you can learn how to do this over time. Update for Bones of the Deep, my 7th campaign in April 2026 Jo: It was interesting to revisit my lessons learned and other people's tips, and really, there are only a few things that have changed. I love doing Kickstarter campaigns now Firstly, I absolutely love doing Kickstarter campaigns. I am not nervous at all anymore, and I am just so thrilled to produce gorgeous hardback editions of my books this way. I love delivering beautiful books and new stories or nonfiction to my readers. I love doing the discovery writing webinars and the coaching, and just in general, I appreciate the opportunity to publish this way. I feel like a “real author” — with beautiful hardbacks, doing a signing, getting photos and emails from readers who receive the books. Custom printing keeps expanding In terms of other changes, over the last few years since Pilgrimage, BookVault has expanded their custom printing, so now I have custom endpapers, sprayed edges, different kinds of foil, as well as the silken paper and the ribbon and photos inside. These gorgeous editions are my personal creative reason to keep doing campaigns. I love saying “I made this!” And over time, I would love to get all my backlist into special editions. A repeatable process I'm still doing similar kinds of rewards — the book in all editions — and it's all finished so it's lower stress. Even the audiobook narration is done, so I can fulfil immediately. There's just the live discovery writing webinar to do, and stretch goal Q&A and consulting sessions. I'm also doing bundles, and all my backlist gets bundled in the add-ons, so I have a repeatable process, which makes things easier. Using AI in production I'm using more AI, specifically in the images and video. I love making book images with ChatGPT and Gemini's Nano Banana, and story images with Midjourney, and I use ElevenLabs with my voice clone for audiobooks. I fill in all the details in the AI section of the Kickstarter page, so you can go have a look at that and model it as you like. Spike income, realistic expectations I still like the spike income — but to be clear, my campaigns have varied in terms of financial success, as would be expected given they are all so different. My highest was Writing the Shadow at over £36,000 ($48,000), and my lowest was The Buried and the Drowned, a short story collection, at just under £8,000 ($10,700) — not a surprise at how different they are, given the audiences. Together my campaigns have now made £105,868 (just over $140,000), which I am very happy with. And of course, that's just the beginning, as then I put the books on my stores — JFPennBooks.com and CreativePennBooks.com — and on the usual platforms. A sustainable launch rhythm I still like the project approach — the short-term campaign focus — as I am good at sustaining marketing energy for a short period, and then I can drop off again. As I discussed with Sara Rosett last week as well, it feels sustainable for my career, unlike constant social media or ads. Lower-key marketing this time around I'm putting a lot less energy into marketing in general, relying on pre-launch signups over months of build-up as I talk about my writing process on the podcast, then emailing my lists, announcing it here, and scheduling some social media. It's pretty low-key these days, and that is a happy thing. However, for this campaign, I am planning to run some Meta ads direct to the campaign page, since I have Claude Code/Cowork to help me set them up and run them and crunch the data — and that takes the strain off considerably. More campaigns to come I will definitely be doing more Kickstarter campaigns, most likely a nonfiction one next. I am so glad I was able to get over my fears and do that first one, and I hope that encourages you to consider what might be possible for you and your book. So, if you'd like to check out my campaign for Bones of the Deep — even if you don't want the book, you can always model the sales page, or check out the book trailer — it's at JFPenn.com/bones. That link will go to the Kickstarter campaign from 20 April until early May 2026, and will then redirect. The post Kickstarter Tips for Authors: Rewards, Shipping, Marketing, and Lessons Learned first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, which it calls a "breach of the ceasefire". We'll hear from inside Iran from Lyse Doucet.Also on the programme, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat to his leadership; and, amid our modern technology, people rush to independent record stores to celebrate vinyl records. (Photo:The Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arrives in Iraq's territorial waters off Basra,Iraq April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mohammed Aty)

To discuss the status of the Strait of Hormuz and if it's really open to all ships, Amna Nawaz spoke with Ian Ralby. He is president of Auxilium Worldwide, a non-profit organization that focuses on ocean governance and maritime law and security. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is pretty slow right now. A once steady stream of global oil has been severed, and oil prices have shot into the stratosphere. Countries across the world are trying to stop the bleeding. One is counting down the days until it runs out of oil. Another is … just fine.On today's show, we take stock of how three countries, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, and China, are navigating the oil crisis.The Indicator is launching a newsletter! The very first email goes out this Friday. Be among the first and sign-up now: npr.org/newsletter/indicator Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com/#tourRelated episodes: How are drivers riding out the gas crisis?Will Trump's shipping insurance plan work?For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Preview for Later TodaySimon Constable examines the surging price of urea fertilizer, which has climbed twenty percent in a month. This spike, caused by shipping blockades, forces farmers to shift to planting more soybean crops.