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In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Google’s latest offering, Gemma 4, is making waves that small business owners should pay attention to. These new AI models promise to enhance efficiency and performance while remaining accessible across various devices. With their multimodal capabilities and innovative features, Gemma 4 might just be the tool that businesses need to streamline operations and foster growth. The Gemma 4 models, specifically designed to operate efficiently on a range of hardware, can run smoothly on everything from billions of Android devices to high-end developer workstations. This flexibility is critical for small businesses, which often face budget constraints and limited access to cutting-edge technology. One of the standout features of Gemma 4 is its advanced reasoning capability. This allows the model to execute multi-step planning and handle complex tasks, significantly enhancing operations in areas like customer service, data analysis, and financial forecasting. For instance, a small retailer could utilize this feature to improve inventory management by predicting sales trends, thus avoiding stock shortages or excess inventory. In addition to reasoning, Gemma 4 supports “agentic workflows” that enable the creation of autonomous agents. These agents can interact with various tools and APIs, automating many routine tasks that small business owners often juggle. As such, a restaurant might implement an autonomous agent to manage online bookings, sending confirmations and reminders, freeing up staff to focus on customer service. The models also support high-quality code generation, which can turn personal workstations into local AI code assistants. This functionality can be invaluable for small tech startups or businesses developing applications, as it allows developers to retrieve or generate code swiftly, thereby speeding up project timelines. Another practical application is the processing of visual and audio content. The new models excel at tasks such as optical character recognition (OCR) and chart understanding, which can simplify data extraction from documents and presentations, a valuable capability for reporting and analytics tasks. Furthermore, the native audio input feature for speech recognition opens doors for businesses engaged in customer interactions, enhancing voice-based applications or automating transcriptions. For small businesses operating in a global market, Gemma 4’s capability to process over 140 languages is a game-changer. This feature not only allows for the development of high-performance applications tailored to diverse customer bases but also positions small businesses as competitive players internationally. However, potential challenges accompany these innovations. Small business owners must consider the technical demands of implementing such advanced AI models. Understanding how to fine-tune models for specific use cases may require a learning curve. While Google provides resources to support this process, business owners must allocate time and possibly finances towards training their teams. Moreover, the release of Gemma 4 under an open-source Apache 2.0 license is a boon for many small businesses, providing them with flexibility and digital sovereignty. They gain control over their data and infrastructure, freeing them from restrictive frameworks. However, this autonomy comes with the responsibility to maintain systems and integrations effectively. Google’s focus on making these models versatile for different hardware is crucial. The 26B and 31B models are optimized to run on consumer GPUs, making them attainable for small businesses equipped with standard development setups. Additionally, the newer E2B and E4B models are engineered specifically for mobile and IoT devices, driving down RAM and battery consumption while ensuring near-zero latency. As many small businesses strive to find their footing in 2023, the introduction of Google’s Gemma 4 presents a compelling opportunity. It possesses the potential to transform operations, boost productivity, and ultimately drive business growth. Small business owners looking to leverage AI should think critically about how Gemma 4 can align with their unique needs. Whether optimizing workflows or enhancing customer engagement, the possibilities are considerable. Given that these models focus on practicality and integration rather than just raw performance, small businesses have much to gain by considering this advanced technology as part of their operational toolkit. To explore more about Google’s innovative Gemma 4 models and their potential applications, visit the original press release at Google Blog. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Google Unveils Gemma 4: Advanced AI Models for Every Device and Use Case" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Chancellor ‘very frustrated and angry’ with The President over conflict and its impact on UK economyView the full article

With the growing momentum of the “No Kings” protests, activists have increasingly turned to the 3.5% rule—Erica Chenoweth’s observation, based on over a century of historical data, that once a protest movement mobilizes 3.5% of the population, it achieves its goals within a year. As a result, many have begun to treat the 3.5% threshold as a primary objective. Not so fast. Even Chenoweth herself has cautioned that the rule is “a descriptive finding, not necessarily a prescriptive one.” Her subsequent research has shown that at least one uprising—in Bahrain—reached a 6% participation rate and still failed. In fact, most successful movements never reach the 3.5% level at all. So hitting the threshold doesn’t guarantee success, and failing to reach it doesn’t guarantee failure. The 3.5% rule is a great example of the Cobra Effect, also known as the Cobra Paradox, or Goodhart’s Law, which states that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. Metrics can be useful signals, but don’t substitute for a clear vision and a strategy to achieve it. The Cobra Effect explained The Cobra Effect gets its name from a campaign during the British Raj to reduce the cobra population in India. Authorities offered a bounty for dead cobras, paying anyone who could prove they had killed one by bringing in the carcass. Yet the policy failed. In fact, the incentives didn’t reduce the cobra population at all. What happened was that entrepreneurial Indians began breeding cobras in order to kill them and collect the bounty. After all, who in their right mind would risk their lives by going around hunting deadly snakes in the wild when it was much easier to raise them in captivity and kill them in a much safer environment. Something similar seems to have happened with respect to uprisings against authoritarian regimes. In his 2014 bestseller, The End of Power, political scientist Moisés Naím examined the success of uprisings like the color revolutions and theArab Spring, as well as how startups were upending major corporations and argued, “power is easier to get but harder to use or keep.” Yet in his 2023 book, The Revenge of Power, he shows how many of those same players adapted, using similar tools, such as the Internet and social media, to reconsolidate their power. Today, autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, as well as tech oligarchs like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, are enjoying a heyday. As soon as a system is established, players begin gaming it. How revolutions really happen Erica Chenoweth is a serious researcher, but very different from figures like Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum, and Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who feature much more prominently in the media. Those scholars study authoritarian regimes, while Chenoweth studies how they are overthrown. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, there is very little overlap between the two groups. Chenoweth’s field of interest was pioneered by Gene Sharp, whose key insight was that there are sources of power that support the status quo and that these have an institutional basis. It really doesn’t matter how many people you get to go into the streets. As long as that support remains in place, nothing will change. To understand why, consider the history of marches on Washington. The first one of major significance was the Woman Suffrage Procession in 1913. It was a disaster, quickly turned into a riot and greatly discredited the movement. Since then, there have been roughly 300 marches, almost all of which were either largely ineffective or total busts. The one major exception—the 1963 march where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech—proves the rule. In that case, President Johnson was trying to push major civil rights legislation through Congress. That march, which included not only activists but a broad coalition of religious and labor organizations, was designed to support those institutional efforts. We see the same dynamic in organizational change. When we work with clients, we map the sources of power—both internal and external—that can affect the outcome of the change initiative and design the change program based on that. Your institutional targets determine your tactics, not the other way around. Managing the cultural mechanisms of change One reason that institutions are so important is that they determine the norms and rituals that shape behaviors. For example, if employers adopt the norm that a college degree is required to get a good job, then that influences the behaviors of parents, students, and teachers. You can complain all you want, but unless employers change their minds, that won’t change. Rituals then develop—such as the college admissions process, on-campus interviews, and summer internships—that encode that norm into the culture of the professional class and the broader society as a whole. Once graduates enter the workforce and have kids of their own, they start college funds to perpetuate it further. Or consider how the giants of the PC industry struggled to adopt the Dell Direct model that bypassed the reseller channel and sold customized computers directly to customers. The model gave Dell a clear cost advantage by eliminating dealer markups—and even more importantly, it allowed the company to receive payment before paying suppliers. Still, none of the incumbent industry giants, such as Compaq and HP, managed to adopt it. It wasn’t for lack of trying. The advantages of Dell’s model were highly publicized and well known. Firms launched initiatives to emulate it. But the cultural norms and rituals that drove the behavior of stakeholders supported the existing model and nothing ever changed. Now you can see why Chenoweth warned that her research was “descriptive, not prescriptive.” Yes, historically the 3.5% threshold was significant, but without an institutional shift to reshape norms and rituals, the status quo will prevail. Manage for mission, not for metrics Humans don’t always react well to abstractions. We want our leaders to be specific and concrete about their expectations. That’s why we so often try to boil things down to a single metric that can be optimized. That metric then acts as a proxy for success, something everyone can understand and work toward. So activists adopt the goal of getting 3.5% of the population. Economists focus on GDP to evaluate prosperity. CEOs adopt shareholder value as the measure of their own performance. Yet people marching in the streets does not, by itself, create institutional change, just as GDP does not encapsulate the well-being of a society and a stock price does not tell you how well a company is serving its customers, employees, and other stakeholders. Yet those metrics often create perverse incentives that shape behavior. An activist focused solely on populating protests is unlikely to do the kind of institutional work needed to bring change to a society. A government consumed by GDP will likely miss important indicators of societal well-being, such as health and happiness. A CEO rewarded for increasing the stock price is likely to focus on quick fixes like layoffs and stock buybacks rather than doing the hard work of improving operations. That’s why it’s important to manage for mission, not for metrics. Or as the Polish activist and journalist Adam Michnik put it: “Do you believe in free speech? Then speak freely. Do you love the truth? Then tell it. Do you believe in an open society? Then act in the open. Do you believe in a decent and humane society? Then behave decently and humanely.” In other words, if you want to make an impact, think about the end state you want to achieve. There will never be a shortage of influencers, gurus, and other hucksters who try to sell you on a simpler answer in the form of a concrete metric supposedly backed by some form of pseudoscience. Don’t listen to them. Anybody can create a number and call it an achievement. To truly accomplish something worthwhile, you need to define a mission and attract others to it. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A regular fan works fine until you want to move it somewhere without an outlet, but the Shark FlexBreeze is built for that gap between indoor and outdoor use. It’s currently listed on sale for $79.99 on StackSocial in Grade-A refurbished condition. In practical terms, that means it’s pre-owned but tested to work like new, and shows little to no visible wear. This is the 2024 UH205 model with a weather-resistant build that can handle a patio, garage, or backyard setup. And, at 13.78 inches wide and just over 37 inches tall in pedestal mode, it’s compact enough for most spaces and weighs about 12.2 pounds, so moving it around isn’t a chore. The main appeal is that it can run cordless. On a full charge, its built-in lithium-ion battery can last up to 24 hours on low speed, about six hours on medium, and roughly two hours on max. Charging takes around six hours. You can also plug it into a standard 110-volt outlet with its roughly six-foot cord and run it continuously while charging. In real use, that means you can bring it outside for dinner, a small gathering, or even a power outage without hunting for an extension cord. Shark says airflow can reach up to 70 feet, which means it can push air across a large patio. The Shark FlexBreeze has five speeds, two natural breeze modes that automatically vary airflow, 180-degree oscillation, and a 55-degree tilt to aim it where you need it. Another practical feature is the convertible design. With a simple adjustment, it switches from a full-height pedestal fan to a tabletop fan. That means it can sit next to a couch one day and on a patio table the next. Of course, this isn't a replacement for air conditioning in extreme heat, but it can definitely make warm spaces more tolerable. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $299.00 (List Price $399.00) Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Streaming Player With Remote (2025 Model) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $99.99 (List Price $119.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

US law firm’s revenues surpass $8bn for first time on the back of megamerger mandatesView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Kindles aren't the type of device you need to upgrade every couple of years. Because many of these e-readers are such simple devices, they can easily last more than a decade on their own. In fact, there are Kindles from the early 2010s still going strong. The problem with making your Kindles last isn't hardware; it's software controlled by Amazon. Amazon recently announced that starting May 20th, 2026, they are planning to stop supporting Kindle devices that were released in 2012 and earlier. It's not just software support that Amazon is dropping, either: These devices will no longer be able to access the Amazon store to download, purchase, or borrow books—effectively leaving them in limbo. Amazon wants you to buy a new Kindle, which you could consider if you want something that will run the way you're used to. But it's not your only choice. Instead, you can jailbreak your Kindle and get it out of Amazon's control. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) $159.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $159.99 at Amazon Why you should jailbreak your KindleJailbreaking your Kindle essentially means installing a custom operating system with extra features. One popular choice is KOReader, a simple yet feature-filled document reader that supports a number of formats. Once your device is jailbroken and loaded up with new software, it will feel like you're using a new device. Kindle's store will be gone, as will the ads, and you'll be left with a streamlined reading experience. Using KOReader, you'll also be able to read ePub ebooks natively on the Kindle, without the need to convert them to Kindle's Mobi format. You'll have to sideload the books, which means you'll get them from external sources, but you can do so wirelessly using a ebook management app like Calibre. This can put you in murky legal territory, but there are ways to purchase sideloaded books legally. A jailbroken Kindle also has a lot of customization options. You can load up custom fonts, customize the home screen, and add extra features like a book map, which shows you a visual representation of your journey through a book. Before you take these steps, you should be aware of the risks. For older devices, the first step to jailbreaking is a factory reset. Any data you haven't backed up will be lost in the process. When you jailbreak, there's also a risk that you will brick your device, which may leave it stuck at the booting screen, or without the ability to turn on. If this happens, it might be difficult to bring your Kindle back to life. Finally, jailbreaking your Kindle requires downloading unofficial software from forums, which puts you at risk of malware and other malicious intentions. The forums linked in the guides below are popular, and users don't typically report issues, but be warned: jailbreaking comes with risks to your device and your data. Jailbreak your Kindles with these resourcesIf you're using an older Kindle, and it's running anything below firmware 5.14.2, you will have to use the WatchThis jailbreak method. This includes all older Kindle models that Amazon isn't supporting anymore. This can be complex, so if you fall into this category, follow David Gewirtz's excellent guide on our sister site ZDNet. The thing is, jailbreaking isn't limited to older Kindle devices. If you have a relatively modern Kindle, you can still jailbreak it and get the benefits of running ad-free KOReader software. Given the fact that Amazon no longer lets you download the books you already own to your computer, there's an incentive to go the jailbreak route. That said, this will only work if you're running firmware 5.18.6 and below. As of writing, the latest Kindle firmware update is 5.19.2. If your Kindle auto-updated to this version, you are out of luck. Go to Settings > Device Options > Device Info to check your firmware version. If you're running the older version, you can use the WinterBreak jailbreak from Kindle Modding to jailbreak your Kindle. Kindle Modding has a detailed guide, with step-by-step instructions and screenshots for each step. Again, this comes with the same risks as above, but if you're jailbreaking a newer Kindle, you may void your warranty as well. Proceed with caution. Credit: KindleModding View the full article

Given the barrage of brands competing for your attention, some days it can feel as if the only time one can reliably expect to escape the desperate frenzy of consumerism is while asleep. However, as You Need This, the new documentary from Academy Award-winning producer Adam McKay’s Yellow Dot Studios reveals, a lot of corporations are hoping to break into that last safe haven as well. Weaving together several threads, the film, which debuted April 7 on Apple TV and Prime Video, traces Americans’ love of shopping back to our colonial past and connects it with the rise of fast fashion—all in service of a broader story about the current economic system and the catastrophic consequences the entire planet bears because of it. Even among a nearly 90-minute collection of vignettes about manufacturing needs and constant stimulation, though, the section about how brands are using recent research to incept ads within their target demo’s dreams stands out for its reckless goal of gaining entry into the most intimate of private spaces. It’s perhaps the most striking aspect of a stomach-churning tour through the excesses of unconstrained consumerism. “Publicly traded companies are by legal definition and requirement completely amoral,” McKay tells Fast Company. “They want only one thing, to raise their stock price, and the public good and common decency are just obstacles to be overcome or spun in that quest.” From dreams to capitalist nightmare Cognitive scientist Adam Haar Horowitz was doing research at MIT in 2020 when made an incredible breakthrough—Targeted Dream Incubation. By pairing a glove-like sleep-tracking device with software that allowed him to interact with a subject in the early phases of sleep, he found he could use audio cues to guide someone toward specific topics in their dreams. A follow-up study revealed that people who dreamed about a prompted topic through targeted incubation performed better at creative tasks related to that topic than those who didn’t. “Sleep touches every cognitive process we have,” Haar Horowitz says. “I wanted to know what happens when you touch it back.” Another result of the initial study, however, took Haar Horowitz by surprise. Brands immediately began clogging his inbox, seeking to use his team’s research toadvertise inside people’s dreams. Although the scientist turned down every offer that didn’t stop beer conglomerate Molson Coors from devising an experimental dream ad pegged to the 2021 Super Bowl. The company partnered with Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett to create a dream incubation stimulus about Coors beer. A group of 18 volunteers watched a film featuring shimmying beer cans before sleeping, three times in a row, then listened to an audio component throughout their eventual slumber. According to Coors’s social video about the experiment, five out of 18 subjects reported Coors-related dreams. (Later, the company made the video and audio materials publicly available for anyone interested in trying to replicate the results.) To further publicize the “Big Game Commercial of Your Dreams,” Coors persuaded pop idol Zayn Malik to try the experiment on Instagram Live. If Molson Coors’ data is accurate, their efforts to put an ad in these volunteers’ dreams had a success rate of roughly 28%. That data might be more compelling, however, if Coors had managed to make the same percentage of participants dream about Coors without undergoing the involved viewing and listening process. Still, the results gave Haar Horowitz pause, even before factoring in the role dreams play in relapse and substance disorder. “Sleep isn’t downtime. It’s processing time,” the scientist says. “If you seed the input, you shape the output. That’s beautiful for therapy and creativity; it’s dystopian for advertising.” See you in your dreams If the message of You Need This could be boiled down to a single point, it’s this: In consumer capitalism, enough is never enough. That inescapable focus on excess is part of why Haar Horowitz is convinced brands will build on his research in the near future to streamline the dream incubation process. “The Coors experiment needed willing participants in a lab. The next version won’t,” he says. “It’ll be a terms-of-service checkbox nobody reads.” The film’s director, Ryan Andrej Lough—himself a veteran of the advertising industry—sees the current dearth of regulation as making the idea of a more efficient dream-commercial practically inevitable. “There’s a ton of regulation against advertising and against digital use and AI in Scandinavian countries,” he says, “and within the U.S., there’s almost no regulation or pushback against any of it.” Haar Horowitz, for his part, has pushed back where he can. After Coors unveiled its dream ad, he teamed up with over 40 fellow sleep scientists to pen an open letter broadly urging policymakers to implement regulations on brands interfering with sleep. “The alternative,” he says, “is that your Alexa starts moonlighting as a dream advertiser and you find out when you wake up craving a product you’ve never bought.” View the full article

You’re scrolling Netflix at 10 pm, exhausted. You don’t read a single review or check Rotten Tomatoes. You pick the thumbnail that catches your eye: a face, a pose or gesture, a moment that sets the expected tone of the movie. Now contrast that with the last time you bought a car, or researched a medical diagnosis, or tried to understand a ballot measure you actually cared about. Different mental gears entirely. That difference has a name: the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Developed by Richard Petty and John Cacioppo in the 1980s, the ELM explains how people process persuasive information differently depending on their motivation and ability to think critically. “Elaboration” refers to the mental effort invested when considering a message. The model describes two routes that effort can take. The central route involves careful evaluation based on logic, evidence, and argument. The peripheral route relies on superficial cues — the attractiveness of the person talking, the length of the message, the right endorsements. Central route processing tends to produce more durable, resistant attitude change. Peripheral route processing tends to produce quicker, more temporary shifts. We all use both of these decision routes all the time. The key factors are motivation and ability. When a topic feels personally relevant and you have the time and knowledge to engage with it, you’re more likely to take the central route. When you’re pressed for time, emotionally overwhelmed, or the topic just doesn’t feel urgent, the peripheral route takes over. Choosing a mobile phone Central route: Researching specifications, reading reviews, comparing features against your actual needs. Peripheral route: Everyone in your circle uses this brand. Choosing a movie on Netflix Central route: Reading reviews, watching trailers, considering the director or genre, with extra calculations if you’re watching with kids or a partner. Peripheral route: That thumbnail is a winner. Choosing a political candidate Central route: Investigating policy positions, watching long-form discussions, reading their work, researching their financial backers and lobbyist connections. Peripheral route: This one has the correct party letter beside their name. Choosing a street design Central route: Analyzing surrounding land use, comparing traffic safety outcomes, studying how similar designs performed elsewhere. Peripheral route: This one has bike lanes. Two earlier figures cast a long shadow over how we think about persuasion. Walter Lippmann, the father of modern journalism wrote in the early 20th century that people are limited in their ability to engage with complex public issues. The sheer scale and complexity of modern society means most people rely on mental shortcuts (stereotypes, prior assumptions, secondhand impressions) to form opinions. Lippmann set the stage for… Edward Bernays, Freud’s nephew and the father of modern public relations, who took a harder-edged view. He argued that people are driven primarily by unconscious desires and emotions rather than reason, and that experts needed to manage public opinion. He openly acknowledged that public relations could be used for good or ill, depending on the values of whoever was wielding it. He mostly assumed those people would be his clients. Where Lippmann and Bernays tended to treat people as fixed in their cognitive tendencies, the ELM recognizes that the same person can engage deeply or superficially depending on context. Where Bernays saw persuasion as a one-way transmission from expert to audience, the ELM frames it as a dynamic interaction shaped by source, message, and audience together. What this means for urbanism The goal of community engagement isn’t always the same. Sometimes you’re trying to educate an audience. Sometimes you’re asking them to choose between two design options. Sometimes you’re trying to build lasting support for a long-term policy shift. The ELM central route will produce more lasting and consistent attitude change, but it requires an audience that’s motivated and equipped to engage. That means translating complex subject matter into digestible talking points, connecting new information to things people already care about, and being able to meet people at varying levels of knowledge. You’re the dot-connector. The burden of accessibility is on you, not them. The peripheral route gets faster results, but they’re more fragile. Credibility signals, visual design, trusted messengers, and social proof all matter, especially with audiences who don’t have the background or bandwidth to evaluate technical arguments on their merits. Both routes require storytelling. For the central route, storytelling makes information memorable, like vivid mental images, emotional resonance, and concrete examples that anchor abstract arguments. For the peripheral route, storytelling builds presence and credibility with people who are making fast judgments about whether to trust you at all. Our instinct is to judge anyone who relies on mental shortcuts. But it’s human nature and we all do it. The ELM isn’t a critique of how people think, it’s a candid description of it. Once you accept that, you can start communicating with people instead of talking past people. View the full article

OpenAI is trying its best to turn ChatGPT into an app platform, so you can access apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Canva, and Apple Music right inside the AI chatbot interface—and now Tubi has arrived as the first video streaming app to be available in ChatGPT. You can't load up actual movies and TV shows from the ChatGPT prompt box, but you can search for titles that you might enjoy, and see what's available in the Tubi library. The idea is that you're never stuck for what to watch next: Tell ChatGPT and Tubi what you're looking for, and you'll get personalized results back. As a keen watcher of films and shows, I was eager to put it to the test as soon as it became available. What Tubi can do inside ChatGPTYou can find the Apps portal from the left-hand navigation pane inside ChatGPT on the desktop or on mobile: Search for the Tubi app, click Connect on its listing page, and from then on it'll be available through the + (plus) menu in the ChatGPT prompt box. You can also access it with a "@tubi" mention in any of your prompts. First up I asked what to watch next if I'm a fan of classic action thrillers like The Fugitive and Crimson Tide, and Tubi delivered: Its selection of titles like Enemy of the State, No Way Out, and US Marshalls (the lesser-known sequel to The Fugitive) were pretty much spot-on, and covered a lot of other similar films I've already seen and enjoyed. The Tubi app inside ChatGPT. Credit: Lifehacker Tubi can tap into user ratings, too. I asked about the highest-rated TV shows of the 2020s, and it served up pretty obvious picks like Severance, Succession, and Andor. None of those, however, are available on Tubi—I got several Tubi catalog "access errors" when using the ChatGPT integration, and when they occurred, the service would just fall back on more general recommendations. I wanted to see if I could get Tubi to recommend Drive (which is available on the platform), so asked for a "cool, 2011 thriller based on a book and set in Los Angeles." Maybe that was too many clues, but it did indeed get the film I was looking for—showing that ChatGPT and Tubi do have access to enough accurate metadata to find picks like this. Tubi's recommendations were generally good ones. Credit: Lifehacker I also asked for "classic TV period dramas" to see if Tubi would come back with anything I hadn't heard of before. The recommendations were rather limited, and I didn't discover anything new that I particularly wanted to watch, but given that the AI is working within the confines of the Tubi library, the results were all acceptable. You don't only have to use Tubi inside ChatGPT for recommendations. You can also ask to see what's trending on the platform at any given time, or test your knowledge of TV shows and movies by playing the Tubi trivia game: Just ask to "test my movie knowledge" (or something along those lines) to launch it. The pros and cons of an AI searchThere's something appealing about being able to search for "a dreamy 2000s movie suitable for adults and teenagers with a reflective, wistful vibe" rather than just scrolling through a thousand titles in the "drama" category. That's the kind of nuance and natural conversation that AI bots now offer, with or without Tubi (and it came back with Lost in Translation, which is a pretty good fit). You can run these searches in standard ChatGPT, though the Tubi integration lets you narrow down the focus to titles you'll actually be able to stream on the free platform—and if you specifically want to see something on Tubi, then it's a handy way of filtering your selection right away, without any additional steps. You can also ask about what's trending on Tubi. Credit: Lifehacker I could see myself turning to a recommendation tool like this again in the future, but I'm still not completely convinced. Sure, ChatGPT and the other AI bots always sound convincing, but that's by design: They're not going to admit they haven't got any relevant picks, and will always serve up something, no matter how closely (or not) it matches what you're looking for. Ultimately, the AI models ChatGPT and Tubi are relying on haven't seen any movies or TV shows, or sat in a movie theater, or felt emotion of any kind. Whether you're plugging your requests into this new Tubi tool or scrolling through the "recommended" bar on any streaming service, you're relying on algorithms and metadata. Some results will be limited by what's available on Tubi. Credit: Lifehacker It's not the same as asking a trusted friend or relative for a recommendation—or indeed reading a recommendation from a human, who has actually lived through some of the experiences they're seeing on screen. I worry that AI might be making our movie and TV show watching more flattened and generic with its recommendations—in the same way that it generates flattened, generic text and artwork—so while I'll probably fire up Tubi inside ChatGPT again in the future, I'll always keep human recommendations in the mix. And I'll still scroll for 20 minutes for hidden gems—inefficient as it may be, serendipity is how I've found some of my favorite movies. View the full article

Last spring, when employees from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency arrived at the National Endowment for the Humanities, they used ChatGPT to decide which federally funded grants to eliminate. They typed one, simplistic prompt: “Does the following relate at all to D.E.I.? Respond factually in less than 120 characters. Begin with ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” A documentary about Jewish women forced into slave labor during the Holocaust? DEI. A 40-volume scholarly series on the history of American music? DEI. Within two weeks, DOGE staff had flagged nearly every active award from the Biden administration and cut the National Endowment for the Humanities budget by half. This search-and-destroy approach uses artificial intelligence as an ideological wrecking ball. But we can use artificial intelligence differently. Instead of stripping communities of federal funding, we can use AI to help them access the money Congress appropriated, fulfilling congressional intent and strengthening our democratic institutions. A free platform called GrantWell does exactly that, and shows the way we should be building AI with communities in the public interest. What are federal grants? To understand what’s at stake, it helps to understand what federal grants actually include. Every year, Congress appropriates more than $1 trillion in tax dollars in the form of grants and directs them back to states, cities, towns, and communities across the country to invest in replacing lead pipes before more children are poisoned, repairing bridges before they fail, expanding broadband to rural areas the market has never reached, putting clean school buses on the road, and modernizing an electrical grid that is decades behind. The challenge of obtaining those grants often results from a lack of staff knowledgeable about how to apply. Massachusetts alone estimates that their communities are eligible for approximately $17.5 billion in federal grants, yet less than 30% of that money is successfully accessed by local governments, according to a state study. The money is technically available. Congress specifically reserved it for this exact purpose of ensuring that local governments can improve services for its constituents. But finding it, understanding it, and applying for it has become so complex that smaller communities are effectively locked out. AI for Impact: Community-centered AI in action I run a program called AI for Impact, where graduate, undergrad, and community college students are paid to take time off—think of it like a semester abroad, only in Boston and in New Jersey—to build AI-enabled products for and with government partners. Anjith Prakash and Jai Surya Kode took time out of their graduate studies in AI at Northeastern University to create the first version of GrantWell, working in partnership with Massachusetts’ Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office. We built GrantWell by listening to the communities most in need of these grants. Anjith and Jai joined the team from the Massachusetts Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office and traveled across the state, meeting with local officials, tribal representatives, and community organizations. Anjith Prakash They heard the same story from Haverhill to Barnstable: officials spending hours reading 100-page grant announcements only to discover that their town wasn’t even eligible. Deadlines missed. The applications never started. Not because communities didn’t need the money, but because they lacked the capacity to pursue it. Wealthy municipalities had consultants and dedicated grant writers. In smaller towns, one person did five jobs. When we started the project, we assumed that people would want to use AI to help with drafting. But the challenges, the team learned, started much earlier: Which grants exist? Am I even eligible? What does this requirement mean? For many smaller communities, answering those questions alone was enough to stop an application before it began. Community-centered AI means building with people, not just for them. It treats communities as co-creators, drawing on the expertise of families, caregivers, residents, and frontline workers. Those people are closest to the problems these tools aim to solve, whether the product is a grant-writing app or one that helps navigate government benefits. It starts by asking what people actually need, not what AI can do, a shift that often reveals different problems than designers initially assumed and, in our case, led to entirely new features for GrantWell. What GrantWell does So we designed GrantWell around their needs. GrantWell now aggregates federal and state funding opportunities into a single searchable database, generates plain-language summaries of dense government documents, and includes a chatbot that answers questions directly from the source text to reduce the risk of confabulation. A structured drafting workflow produces a first draft that human grant writers can refine and own. The tool is deliberately modest about what AI should do. It doesn’t submit applications. It gets people to the starting line, supporting them to do the work better for themselves. In March, the Governor of Massachusetts launched GrantWell as a free AI-powered platform on mass.gov here. To help towns and civic groups trust the tool is free, secure, and will not misuse their information, we’ve integrated it into state infrastructure and made it freely available to all, thanks to this collaboration between a state and one of its leading universities. From one to many Building on our collaboration around AI and innovation training, California, Colorado, and Rhode Island are exploring adopting the tool next, with several other states waiting in the wings. In considering GrantWell, leadership from the Colorado Governor’s Office emphasized the value of reducing barriers to entry for communities seeking grant funding to meet local needs, which will help their Federal Funds office better scale its impact across the state. There is no reason taxpayers in these states should start over, procuring and rebuilding the same capabilities that all states need, wasting limited funding, leading to wildly uneven quality and widening the gap between well-resourced governments and under-resourced ones. As we expand the GrantWell model to other states, AI for Impact Fellows are not simply replicating the Massachusetts version. We’re building collaboratively, convening states regularly to share what’s working and what isn’t, and going directly to the communities we’re trying to serve with questions like: What tools do you already use? What challenges do you face when applying for grants? What do you need the tool to do? AI for Impact is also working with multiple states to share, refine, and deploy a procurement drafting tool, a contract review tool and partnering with cities to roll out the tool we built with the City of Boston to help residents explore and use open municipal data. AI is increasingly embedded in everyday life, especially in public systems like education, benefits, housing, and healthcare. Yet most AI tools are still designed far from the lived realities of the people who depend on these systems. The result is predictable: systems that fail to reflect real needs, tools that are technically impressive but practically unusable, and communities treated as subjects of technology rather than participants in shaping it. Trust erodes, particularly among groups historically excluded from decision-making. Federal grants are taxpayer dollars that Congress directed back into our communities for lead pipe removal or clean school buses. We can use AI to help those dollars reach the people they were meant for. When we build AI with those who will use it, we also create better tools, stronger institutions, and more capable, resilient communities. View the full article

The man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home had written about AI’s purported risk to humanity and traveled from Texas to San Francisco intending to kill Altman, authorities said Monday. Authorities allege 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama threw the incendiary device about 4 a.m. Friday, setting an exterior gate at Altman’s home alight before fleeing on foot, police said. Less than an hour later, Moreno-Gama allegedly went to OpenAI’s headquarters about 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) away and threatened to burn down the building. Moreno-Gama is opposed to artificial intelligence, writing about AI’s purported risk to humanity and “our impending extinction,” according to a federal criminal complaint. “This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted and extremely serious,” said FBI San Francisco Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo during a press conference. No one was injured at Altman’s home or the company offices, authorities said. Moreno-Gama faces state and federal charges Moreno-Gama faces charges including two counts of attempted murder and attempted arson in California state court, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. He tried to kill both Altman and a security guard at Altman’s residence, she alleged. He is set to appear in court Tuesday, and online state court records do not yet show if he has an attorney. Jenkins said the state charges carry penalties ranging from 19 years to life in prison. On Monday morning, FBI agents went to Moreno-Gama’s home in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, where they spent several hours before leaving. He has been charged by federal prosecutors with possession of an unregistered firearm and damage and destruction of property by means of explosives. Those charges carry respective penalties of up to 10 years and 20 years in prison. The federal court documents do not list an attorney for Moreno-Gama, and he has not yet had his first appearance in federal court. Authorities allege Moreno-Gama traveled from his home in Texas to San Francisco and visited Altman’s home early Friday morning. Authorities say Moreno-Gama was opposed to artificial intelligence When Moreno-Gama was arrested Friday, officials found a document on him in which he “identified views opposed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the executives of various AI companies,” court documents say. The document discussed AI’s purported risk to humanity and “our impending extinction,” according to the criminal complaint. Surveillance video images included in the criminal complaint show a person dressed in a dark hoodie and pants that the FBI alleges is Moreno-Gama approaching the driveway of Altman’s home. In various images, the person can be seen tossing the Molotov cocktail, which landed at the top of a metal gate and started a small fire. Surveillance video images from outside OpenAI’s headquarters allegedly show Moreno-Gama grabbing a chair and using it to hit a set of glass doors. Authorities said Moreno-Gama was approached by the building’s security personnel, who told investigators he “stated in sum and substance” that he came to the headquarters “to burn it down and kill anyone inside,” according to the complaint. San Francisco police arrested Moreno-Gama and recovered “incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, a blue lighter, and a document.” Moreno-Gama was being held Monday in the San Francisco County Jail on the state charges, and was expected to appear in court on Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said authorities “will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism, and together with our partners, prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.” Authorities say Moreno-Gama’s anti-AI document contained threats against Altman The document in which Moreno-Gama discussed his opposition to AI also made threats against Altman, officials said. “Also if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message,” Moreno-Gama is alleged by authorities to have written in the document. Advocacy groups that have issued grave warnings about AI’s risks to society condemned the violence. Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, said in a written statement Friday that “violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI.” Another group, PauseAI, said in a statement that the suspect had no role in the group but joined its forum on the social media platform Discord about two years ago and posted about 34 messages there, none containing explicit calls to violence but one that was flagged as “ambiguous.” Discord said Monday that it has banned Moreno-Gama for “off-platform behavior.” Altman addressed the threats in a blog post Hours after the attack on his house, Altman posted a photo of his husband and their toddler in a blog post addressing the threats against him. “Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,” Altman wrote. He added that “fear and anxiety about AI is justified” but it was important to “de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.” Altman has become a preeminent voice in Silicon Valley on the promise and potential dangers of artificial intelligence. The attack comes days after The New Yorker published an in-depth investigation that touched on concerns some people have about him and the company. Debate about the impact of AI is growing The attack came at a time of growing debate about the societal effects of AI assistants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT that millions of people are turning to for information, advice, writing help and to do work on their behalf. An annual report published Monday by Stanford University called the AI index found that most people believe AI’s benefits outweigh its drawbacks, “but nervousness is growing and trust in institutions to manage the technology remains uneven.” Associated Press journalists Matt O’Brien and Rebecca Boone contributed. —Olga R. Rodriguez, Juan Lozano and Lekan Oyekanmi, Associated Press View the full article

The President’s pick to succeed Jay Powell reports $10mn in consulting fees from Stanley Druckenmiller’s family officeView the full article

Cross-selling is a strategic approach that can greatly enhance your sales across various customer interactions. For instance, implementing targeted suggestions on your checkout page can boost the average order value, whereas personalized recommendations on product pages can drive further purchases. Furthermore, leveraging post-purchase offers can effectively tap into customer satisfaction. Comprehending these techniques is vital for optimizing your sales strategy, and there are several key examples worth exploring further. Key Takeaways Checkout Page Cross-Sells: Suggest complementary products during checkout to increase average order value and capitalize on high purchase intent. Post-Purchase Cross-Sell Funnel: Offer discounted complementary items immediately after purchase to leverage customers’ positive buying experiences and boost repeat sales. Thank You Page Cross-Sells: Engage customers right after purchase with targeted suggestions, potentially capturing up to 15% for second purchases through strategic messaging. Product Page Suggestions: Use customer behavior data for personalized recommendations, which can lead to a potential 20% increase in sales through visually appealing product displays. Email Marketing Cross-Sells: Send customized emails based on purchase history to increase engagement, with potential conversion boosts of up to 25% through timely delivery. Checkout Page Cross-Sells When you reach the checkout page, you’re often in a focused buying mindset, which is why this stage presents a prime opportunity for cross-selling. Checkout page cross-sells leverage your high purchase intent, often leading to a significant increase in Average Order Value (AOV). For example, retailers like Amazon effectively suggest complementary products, such as accessories for electronics, enhancing conversion rates. Incorporating urgency, like limited-time offers or discounts, can further incentivize you to add these additional items to your cart before completing your purchase. A study found that effective checkout page cross-sells can boost revenue by up to 10% when relevant products are displayed alongside your primary purchase. Using non-intrusive formats, such as subtle pop-ups or sticky bars, allows these cross-selling strategies to maintain your focus on the checkout process whilst promoting additional products you might find useful. Post-Purchase Cross-Sell Funnel After completing a purchase, customers often experience a sense of satisfaction, making this a prime opportunity for brands to introduce extra products through a post-purchase cross-sell funnel. Implementing this funnel can greatly capitalize on that positive buying experience. Studies show that customers are more receptive to further offers immediately after a purchase. By offering complementary products, particularly at a discount, brands can increase the likelihood of repeat sales, with some capturing up to 15% of customers for second purchases. Tools like ReConvert can automate personalized cross-sell options based on previous purchases, enhancing the customer experience. In addition, time-sensitive deals, such as limited-time discounts on related items, create urgency and encourage quick action. The benefits of cross selling in this phase not only boost revenue but improve customer satisfaction by delivering relevant product recommendations that align with their recent purchase. Thank You Page Cross-Sells Thank you pages present an excellent opportunity for brands to engage customers immediately after a purchase, as shoppers are typically satisfied and more open to exploring further offers. By implementing targeted cross-sells on these pages, you can capture up to 15% of customers for second purchases, greatly boosting your average order value (AOV). Product Category Example Product Incentive Eco-Friendly Reusable Bags 10% off for 24 hours Home Improvement Smart Thermostat Free shipping on next order Beauty Products Organic Skincare Buy one, get one 50% off Tech Accessories Wireless Earbuds Limited-time discount Strategic messaging can highlight complementary products, enhancing customers’ overall experience. Moreover, offering time-sensitive discounts creates urgency, encouraging immediate action. This approach in cross selling marketing can greatly increase customer satisfaction and sales revenue. Product Page Suggestions Product page suggestions play a crucial role in enhancing the shopping experience by leveraging customer behavior data to display complementary items. By effectively utilizing these suggestions, you can greatly boost your sales through cross selling voorbeeld. Here are some key strategies to implement: Personalized Recommendations: Tailor suggestions based on individual customer preferences, leading to a potential 20% sales increase. Visually Appealing Pop-ups: Use pop-ups to recommend related products, similar to Native‘s approach with body wash and shampoo. “Complete the Look” Feature: Engage customers by suggesting matching accessories, as Nike does, to increase average order value. Strategic Placement: Position cross-sell suggestions in high-visibility areas, such as under the “Frequently Bought Together” section, to capture interest effectively. These tactics create a more engaging shopping experience, enhancing your chances of converting visits into sales. Email Marketing Cross-Sells When you leverage email marketing for cross-selling, you tap into a potent tool that can greatly improve your sales efforts. Email marketing cross-sells capitalize on customer purchase history, allowing you to recommend related products that can boost conversion rates by up to 25% when customized effectively. By implementing automated sequences for cross-sell emails, you guarantee timely delivery, maximizing engagement right after a purchase or during key customer lifecycle moments. Personalization is key; including the customer’s name and specific product recommendations can amplify open rates by 26% and click-through rates by 14%. Successful cross-sell emails feature compelling subject lines and visually appealing layouts, driving customers to take action. Utilize data-driven insights to measure the performance of these emails, refining your strategies based on open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This approach not just increases sales but also deepens customer relationships, making it a critical component of your marketing strategy. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Some Examples of Cross-Selling? Cross-selling involves suggesting additional products to improve the customer’s primary purchase. For instance, when you buy a laptop, you might see recommendations for accessories like a mouse or a carrying case. Retailers often use techniques like pop-ups during the checkout process or special offers on thank you pages to encourage these additional purchases. This strategy not only boosts customer satisfaction but furthermore increases overall sales by providing relevant options customized to your needs. What Is the 3 3 3 Rule in Sales? The 3 3 3 rule in sales is a structured approach to effectively engage potential customers. It involves making three attempts to connect with the customer, presenting three specific benefits of your product, and asking for the sale three times. This method emphasizes persistence, recognizing that most sales occur after multiple follow-ups. What Is the 25% Rule of Thumb for Cross-Selling? The 25% rule of thumb for cross-selling suggests you should aim for at least 25% of your total sales to come from cross-sell opportunities. This approach helps you establish measurable targets for your sales strategies, driving focus on maximizing average order value. How Does Cross-Selling Increase Sales? Cross-selling increases sales by encouraging customers to purchase additional items that complement their initial choices. By suggesting relevant products during the buying process, you can improve the average order value and elevate conversion rates. This strategy leverages customer data to personalize recommendations, promoting satisfaction and loyalty. Implemented effectively, cross-selling can boost overall revenue markedly, making it an essential tactic in maximizing sales without needing to acquire new customers. Conclusion Implementing effective cross-selling strategies can substantially improve your sales performance across various customer touchpoints. By utilizing methods like checkout page suggestions, post-purchase funnels, thank you page offers, product page recommendations, and targeted email marketing, you can effectively increase average order value and boost repeat purchases. Each of these tactics leverages customer satisfaction and engagement to maximize revenue. By focusing on personalized and strategic cross-selling, you can create a more profitable sales environment for your business. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "5 Powerful Cross Selling Examples That Boost Sales" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Cross-selling is a strategic approach that can greatly enhance your sales across various customer interactions. For instance, implementing targeted suggestions on your checkout page can boost the average order value, whereas personalized recommendations on product pages can drive further purchases. Furthermore, leveraging post-purchase offers can effectively tap into customer satisfaction. Comprehending these techniques is vital for optimizing your sales strategy, and there are several key examples worth exploring further. Key Takeaways Checkout Page Cross-Sells: Suggest complementary products during checkout to increase average order value and capitalize on high purchase intent. Post-Purchase Cross-Sell Funnel: Offer discounted complementary items immediately after purchase to leverage customers’ positive buying experiences and boost repeat sales. Thank You Page Cross-Sells: Engage customers right after purchase with targeted suggestions, potentially capturing up to 15% for second purchases through strategic messaging. Product Page Suggestions: Use customer behavior data for personalized recommendations, which can lead to a potential 20% increase in sales through visually appealing product displays. Email Marketing Cross-Sells: Send customized emails based on purchase history to increase engagement, with potential conversion boosts of up to 25% through timely delivery. Checkout Page Cross-Sells When you reach the checkout page, you’re often in a focused buying mindset, which is why this stage presents a prime opportunity for cross-selling. Checkout page cross-sells leverage your high purchase intent, often leading to a significant increase in Average Order Value (AOV). For example, retailers like Amazon effectively suggest complementary products, such as accessories for electronics, enhancing conversion rates. Incorporating urgency, like limited-time offers or discounts, can further incentivize you to add these additional items to your cart before completing your purchase. A study found that effective checkout page cross-sells can boost revenue by up to 10% when relevant products are displayed alongside your primary purchase. Using non-intrusive formats, such as subtle pop-ups or sticky bars, allows these cross-selling strategies to maintain your focus on the checkout process whilst promoting additional products you might find useful. Post-Purchase Cross-Sell Funnel After completing a purchase, customers often experience a sense of satisfaction, making this a prime opportunity for brands to introduce extra products through a post-purchase cross-sell funnel. Implementing this funnel can greatly capitalize on that positive buying experience. Studies show that customers are more receptive to further offers immediately after a purchase. By offering complementary products, particularly at a discount, brands can increase the likelihood of repeat sales, with some capturing up to 15% of customers for second purchases. Tools like ReConvert can automate personalized cross-sell options based on previous purchases, enhancing the customer experience. In addition, time-sensitive deals, such as limited-time discounts on related items, create urgency and encourage quick action. The benefits of cross selling in this phase not only boost revenue but improve customer satisfaction by delivering relevant product recommendations that align with their recent purchase. Thank You Page Cross-Sells Thank you pages present an excellent opportunity for brands to engage customers immediately after a purchase, as shoppers are typically satisfied and more open to exploring further offers. By implementing targeted cross-sells on these pages, you can capture up to 15% of customers for second purchases, greatly boosting your average order value (AOV). Product Category Example Product Incentive Eco-Friendly Reusable Bags 10% off for 24 hours Home Improvement Smart Thermostat Free shipping on next order Beauty Products Organic Skincare Buy one, get one 50% off Tech Accessories Wireless Earbuds Limited-time discount Strategic messaging can highlight complementary products, enhancing customers’ overall experience. Moreover, offering time-sensitive discounts creates urgency, encouraging immediate action. This approach in cross selling marketing can greatly increase customer satisfaction and sales revenue. Product Page Suggestions Product page suggestions play a crucial role in enhancing the shopping experience by leveraging customer behavior data to display complementary items. By effectively utilizing these suggestions, you can greatly boost your sales through cross selling voorbeeld. Here are some key strategies to implement: Personalized Recommendations: Tailor suggestions based on individual customer preferences, leading to a potential 20% sales increase. Visually Appealing Pop-ups: Use pop-ups to recommend related products, similar to Native‘s approach with body wash and shampoo. “Complete the Look” Feature: Engage customers by suggesting matching accessories, as Nike does, to increase average order value. Strategic Placement: Position cross-sell suggestions in high-visibility areas, such as under the “Frequently Bought Together” section, to capture interest effectively. These tactics create a more engaging shopping experience, enhancing your chances of converting visits into sales. Email Marketing Cross-Sells When you leverage email marketing for cross-selling, you tap into a potent tool that can greatly improve your sales efforts. Email marketing cross-sells capitalize on customer purchase history, allowing you to recommend related products that can boost conversion rates by up to 25% when customized effectively. By implementing automated sequences for cross-sell emails, you guarantee timely delivery, maximizing engagement right after a purchase or during key customer lifecycle moments. Personalization is key; including the customer’s name and specific product recommendations can amplify open rates by 26% and click-through rates by 14%. Successful cross-sell emails feature compelling subject lines and visually appealing layouts, driving customers to take action. Utilize data-driven insights to measure the performance of these emails, refining your strategies based on open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This approach not just increases sales but also deepens customer relationships, making it a critical component of your marketing strategy. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Some Examples of Cross-Selling? Cross-selling involves suggesting additional products to improve the customer’s primary purchase. For instance, when you buy a laptop, you might see recommendations for accessories like a mouse or a carrying case. Retailers often use techniques like pop-ups during the checkout process or special offers on thank you pages to encourage these additional purchases. This strategy not only boosts customer satisfaction but furthermore increases overall sales by providing relevant options customized to your needs. What Is the 3 3 3 Rule in Sales? The 3 3 3 rule in sales is a structured approach to effectively engage potential customers. It involves making three attempts to connect with the customer, presenting three specific benefits of your product, and asking for the sale three times. This method emphasizes persistence, recognizing that most sales occur after multiple follow-ups. What Is the 25% Rule of Thumb for Cross-Selling? The 25% rule of thumb for cross-selling suggests you should aim for at least 25% of your total sales to come from cross-sell opportunities. This approach helps you establish measurable targets for your sales strategies, driving focus on maximizing average order value. How Does Cross-Selling Increase Sales? Cross-selling increases sales by encouraging customers to purchase additional items that complement their initial choices. By suggesting relevant products during the buying process, you can improve the average order value and elevate conversion rates. This strategy leverages customer data to personalize recommendations, promoting satisfaction and loyalty. Implemented effectively, cross-selling can boost overall revenue markedly, making it an essential tactic in maximizing sales without needing to acquire new customers. Conclusion Implementing effective cross-selling strategies can substantially improve your sales performance across various customer touchpoints. By utilizing methods like checkout page suggestions, post-purchase funnels, thank you page offers, product page recommendations, and targeted email marketing, you can effectively increase average order value and boost repeat purchases. Each of these tactics leverages customer satisfaction and engagement to maximize revenue. By focusing on personalized and strategic cross-selling, you can create a more profitable sales environment for your business. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "5 Powerful Cross Selling Examples That Boost Sales" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A like-new unit of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is down to $109.99 (originally $249.99) on Woot, and using the code FIRE20—valid through April 14, 2026—drops the price another 20 percent to $88. For comparison, a brand-new unit is currently listed at $189.99 on Amazon, and most past discounts haven’t gone much lower than $149.99, according to price trackers. Shipping is free if you have Prime; otherwise, expect to pay about $6. It is also worth noting that shipping is limited to the contiguous U.S. Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus Extra 20% off with code $88.00 at Woot $250.02 Save $162.02 Get Deal Get Deal $88.00 at Woot $250.02 Save $162.02 This is a 3.1-channel soundbar with an integrated center channel, designed to make dialogue clearer and give movies a fuller sound than standard TV speakers. It is a straightforward setup that connects over HDMI eARC or optical, so it works with most TVs without extra configuration. There’s also Bluetooth if you want to stream music from your phone. Despite the name, it does not run Fire TV software. You control everything with a basic remote that lets you switch inputs, tweak bass and treble, and cycle through modes like Movie or Night. There is no on-screen interface, so you rely on voice prompts and small LED indicators to confirm changes. Sound-wise, it’s a noticeable improvement over built-in TV speakers, notes this PCMag review. Dialogue is easier to follow, and overall audio has more presence. The limitation shows up in the low end. The built-in bass is present but not strong, so action scenes and music can feel a bit flat. Amazon sells bundles with a separate subwoofer or rear speakers, and those add noticeable depth, but they also cost significantly more. This bar also supports Dolby Atmos in a basic way, though it lacks height channels, so you will not get the full overhead effect. For under $100 after the code, this works as a straightforward upgrade for smaller rooms or casual viewing. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $299.00 (List Price $399.00) Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Streaming Player With Remote (2025 Model) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $99.99 (List Price $119.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Managing multiple businesses requires effective bookkeeping software to guarantee accuracy and efficiency in your financial operations. The right tool can streamline processes, support collaboration, and provide insights crucial for decision-making. You’ll find options like QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and Xero, each with unique features customized for various needs. Comprehending what each software offers is vital, especially when considering aspects like automated billing and multi-currency support. Let’s explore these top choices further to see which might fit your requirements best. Key Takeaways QuickBooks Online offers a centralized dashboard and unlimited invoicing for managing multiple businesses efficiently. FreshBooks provides automated billing features and real-time financial insights from a single platform. Xero supports multi-entity functionality with a user-friendly interface and unlimited users at no extra cost. Sage Intacct delivers real-time reporting and automated inter-company transactions for multi-entity organizations. NetSuite features robust multi-entity accounting and strong security measures for data protection. QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Online is a robust tool for managing finances across multiple businesses. This accounting software for multiple businesses allows you to create separate company files for each entity while providing a centralized dashboard, making financial oversight straightforward. You can enjoy unlimited invoicing, detailed expense tracking, and customized financial reports that improve decision-making for each business. With pricing plans ranging from $35 to $235 per month, QuickBooks Online scales to fit different business sizes and intricacies. Moreover, features such as automated bank reconciliation, multi-currency support, and a customizable chart of accounts streamline your bookkeeping processes. This bookkeeping software for multiple businesses also integrates seamlessly with various third-party applications, enhancing its functionality. FreshBooks For those managing multiple businesses, FreshBooks offers a thorough bookkeeping solution that simplifies financial management from a single platform. You can handle invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting seamlessly across various entities. With automated billing features, such as recurring invoices and late payment reminders, managing cash flow becomes easier, reducing late payments. FreshBooks provides real-time financial insights, mobile receipt scanning, and bank account imports, automating expense categorization for each business. Tax filing is simplified with consolidated financial reports, making it easier to prepare tax-ready documents. Here’s a quick overview of FreshBooks’ features: Feature Benefits Rating Automated Billing Improves cash flow 4.8/5.0 Expense Management Streamlines expense tracking Over 120,000 reviews Financial Reporting Simplifies tax preparation High user satisfaction Mobile Access Manage finances on-the-go User-friendly This platform is particularly effective for freelancers and small businesses managing multiple accounts. Xero Xero stands out for its multi-entity functionality, allowing you to manage several businesses from one platform without extra user fees. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for you and your team to navigate through features like bank reconciliation and expense tracking. With the ability to customize your chart of accounts and support for multi-currency transactions, Xero caters to the specific financial needs of each entity efficiently. Multi-Entity Functionality Managing multiple businesses can be challenging, especially with regard to bookkeeping; nonetheless, software that offers robust multi-entity functionality can make this task considerably easier. Xero allows you to manage unlimited organizations from a single account, providing seamless access through one dashboard. This is particularly beneficial if you operate in various countries, as Xero supports multi-currency transactions, ensuring accurate financial reporting across currencies. You can customize your chart of accounts for each entity, aligning financial management with the specific needs of each business. Furthermore, Xero’s real-time financial reporting provides consolidated views of performance, enhancing oversight. With features like automated bank feeds and expense tracking, Xero greatly simplifies bookkeeping, reducing manual data entry and improving efficiency across your multi-entity operations. User-Friendly Interface Steering bookkeeping across multiple businesses doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you have a user-friendly interface at your disposal. Xero features an intuitive design that makes navigation seamless, even for those without accounting expertise. The dashboard presents a clear overview of key financial metrics, such as bank balances and outstanding invoices, all in one place. You can invite unlimited users at no extra cost, allowing your team to collaborate effortlessly across various business accounts. Xero likewise offers customizable invoice templates, helping you maintain brand consistency. Plus, with the mobile app, you can access real-time financial data from anywhere, ensuring you stay on top of your finances no matter where you are. Sage Intacct When you’re looking to streamline financial management across multiple businesses, Sage Intacct stands out as a robust solution. This cloud-based software is particularly designed for multi-entity organizations, providing advanced capabilities to manage various businesses under one platform. With Sage Intacct, you can enjoy real-time financial reporting and analytics, allowing you to consolidate financial data effortlessly across different entities and currencies. The software simplifies complex accounting processes with features for automated inter-company transactions and eliminations, making it easier to manage subsidiaries. Its multi-currency functionality supports accurate financial management for global operations, accommodating various accounting standards and fiscal periods. Users often report a significant productivity boost, with a 79% reduction in close time and an impressive average ROI of 250% within just six months of implementation. NetSuite For businesses managing multiple entities, NetSuite offers a potent ERP solution that surpasses in multi-entity accounting through its OneWorld Suite. This all-encompassing software is customized for complex business needs, excelling in global operations and multi-currency management. You’ll appreciate the real-time financial reporting and dashboards, which provide a consolidated view of financial data across all your entities and subsidiaries, enhancing oversight. NetSuite further simplifies accounting processes with features like automated inter-company transactions and eliminations, greatly reducing the manual workload. Its customizable chart of accounts allows you to modify financial management to fit the unique structures and transaction behaviors of each entity. Moreover, the platform’s robust security measures and compliance capabilities guarantee your data is protected during adherence to financial regulations, no matter the jurisdictions in which you operate. Zoho Books Zoho Books stands out as a versatile bookkeeping solution, especially for businesses managing multiple entities under a single account. Its user-friendly interface allows you to create and manage several organizations easily, making it ideal for your diverse business needs. The software offers vital features like expense tracking, invoicing, and thorough financial reporting, all designed to streamline your financial management across different entities. With built-in multi-currency support, you can handle international transactions effortlessly, which is important for businesses with a global presence. Moreover, Zoho Books integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products and various third-party applications, enhancing its overall functionality. The flexible pricing structure is another advantage, offering a free plan for very small businesses and scalable paid plans starting at $0 for one organization, making it accessible for companies at various growth stages. Tipalti Tipalti offers a robust set of features customized for businesses managing multiple entities, focusing on accounts payable automation and global payments. With its self-service supplier onboarding, paperless invoice processing, and extensive payment rules, you can streamline your financial operations effectively. As we explore Tipalti’s integration capabilities and pricing, you’ll see how it can improve your bookkeeping across various business units. Key Features Overview When managing multiple businesses, having a robust bookkeeping software like Tipalti can greatly improve operational efficiency. Its key features are designed to streamline processes and strengthen security. Feature Description Supplier Onboarding Self-service onboarding and blacklist validation guarantee security. Paperless Invoice Processing OCR scanning reduces manual data entry errors and boosts efficiency. Global Payments Supports payments in over 200 countries and 120 currencies, ideal for international operations. Additionally, with over 26,000 payment rules and 3-way matching, Tipalti improves error detection. The integration of AI-driven insights via Tipalti Pi offers actionable data analytics, empowering you to make informed decisions across your business units. Integration Capabilities For businesses managing multiple entities, integration capabilities play a vital role in enhancing financial operations. Tipalti offers seamless integration with over 200 third-party applications, allowing you to streamline your financial processes efficiently. With automated data synchronization across platforms, you can reduce manual entry errors as you save time on financial management tasks. The software’s API supports custom integrations customized to your specific needs, guaranteeing connectivity with existing ERP systems and enhancing data flow. Being cloud-based means these integrations are accessible from anywhere, promoting collaboration among teams situated in different locations. Moreover, Tipalti focuses on supplier management by integrating onboarding processes and validation checks, which guarantees compliance and minimizes risk in financial transactions. Cost and Pricing Comprehending the cost and pricing model of Tipalti is crucial for businesses looking to optimize their financial operations across multiple entities. Tipalti offers a flexible pricing structure customized to your specific needs, allowing you to personalize based on the scale of your operations and desired features. By utilizing their all-encompassing suite of accounts payable automation tools, you can achieve significant cost savings through decreased manual processing and improved payment efficiency. Furthermore, Tipalti supports global payments in over 120 currencies, minimizing international transaction fees. Many organizations report an impressive ROI, with some users experiencing up to 250% returns owing to improved financial controls. You can inquire about custom pricing plans to guarantee you only pay for the features that matter to your business. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Accounting Software for Multiple Small Businesses? When choosing accounting software for multiple small businesses, consider factors like user-friendliness, pricing, and crucial features. FreshBooks stands out in invoicing and expense tracking, whereas QuickBooks Online offers flexible pricing and separate bookkeeping for each entity. Xero supports unlimited users and multi-currency transactions, ideal for international operations. If budget is a concern, Wave Accounting allows management of up to 15 business profiles for free. Evaluate these options based on your specific needs to find the best fit. Can I Use Freshbooks for Multiple Businesses? Yes, you can use FreshBooks for multiple businesses. It allows you to manage different business accounts from a single login, streamlining your financial oversight. You can customize invoicing and expense tracking for each entity, ensuring everything stays organized. FreshBooks likewise generates consolidated financial reports, making tax filing simpler. Plus, it automates processes and reduces manual bookkeeping errors, providing real-time insights that help you maintain efficient financial management across all your businesses. Which Quickbooks Is Best for Multiple Businesses? For managing multiple businesses, QuickBooks Online offers several plans customized to your needs. The Fundamental plan, at $65/month, supports up to three users and includes invoicing and expense tracking. If you need advanced features like project tracking, consider the Plus plan for $99/month. For larger operations, the Advanced plan at $235/month allows up to 25 users and provides improved reporting. You can easily switch between company files using a centralized dashboard, streamlining management. What Is the Best Way to Legally Structure Multiple Businesses? To legally structure multiple businesses, consider forming separate entities like LLCs or corporations for each one. This approach protects your personal assets by limiting liability. A parent company structure can streamline management and financial reporting as well as allowing each subsidiary to maintain its legal identity. Moreover, a holding company can provide tax benefits and facilitate asset transfers. Always check state regulations and tax laws, as they vary and can greatly impact your choice. Conclusion Choosing the right bookkeeping software for managing multiple businesses is crucial for streamlining your financial processes. Each option, from QuickBooks Online to Tipalti, offers distinct features customized to various business needs, such as automated billing and real-time reporting. By selecting the software that aligns best with your operations, you can improve efficiency and gain valuable insights into your finances. Assess your specific requirements carefully to make an informed decision that supports your organization’s growth and success. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Best Bookkeeping Software for Managing Multiple Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Managing multiple businesses requires effective bookkeeping software to guarantee accuracy and efficiency in your financial operations. The right tool can streamline processes, support collaboration, and provide insights crucial for decision-making. You’ll find options like QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and Xero, each with unique features customized for various needs. Comprehending what each software offers is vital, especially when considering aspects like automated billing and multi-currency support. Let’s explore these top choices further to see which might fit your requirements best. Key Takeaways QuickBooks Online offers a centralized dashboard and unlimited invoicing for managing multiple businesses efficiently. FreshBooks provides automated billing features and real-time financial insights from a single platform. Xero supports multi-entity functionality with a user-friendly interface and unlimited users at no extra cost. Sage Intacct delivers real-time reporting and automated inter-company transactions for multi-entity organizations. NetSuite features robust multi-entity accounting and strong security measures for data protection. QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Online is a robust tool for managing finances across multiple businesses. This accounting software for multiple businesses allows you to create separate company files for each entity while providing a centralized dashboard, making financial oversight straightforward. You can enjoy unlimited invoicing, detailed expense tracking, and customized financial reports that improve decision-making for each business. With pricing plans ranging from $35 to $235 per month, QuickBooks Online scales to fit different business sizes and intricacies. Moreover, features such as automated bank reconciliation, multi-currency support, and a customizable chart of accounts streamline your bookkeeping processes. This bookkeeping software for multiple businesses also integrates seamlessly with various third-party applications, enhancing its functionality. FreshBooks For those managing multiple businesses, FreshBooks offers a thorough bookkeeping solution that simplifies financial management from a single platform. You can handle invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting seamlessly across various entities. With automated billing features, such as recurring invoices and late payment reminders, managing cash flow becomes easier, reducing late payments. FreshBooks provides real-time financial insights, mobile receipt scanning, and bank account imports, automating expense categorization for each business. Tax filing is simplified with consolidated financial reports, making it easier to prepare tax-ready documents. Here’s a quick overview of FreshBooks’ features: Feature Benefits Rating Automated Billing Improves cash flow 4.8/5.0 Expense Management Streamlines expense tracking Over 120,000 reviews Financial Reporting Simplifies tax preparation High user satisfaction Mobile Access Manage finances on-the-go User-friendly This platform is particularly effective for freelancers and small businesses managing multiple accounts. Xero Xero stands out for its multi-entity functionality, allowing you to manage several businesses from one platform without extra user fees. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for you and your team to navigate through features like bank reconciliation and expense tracking. With the ability to customize your chart of accounts and support for multi-currency transactions, Xero caters to the specific financial needs of each entity efficiently. Multi-Entity Functionality Managing multiple businesses can be challenging, especially with regard to bookkeeping; nonetheless, software that offers robust multi-entity functionality can make this task considerably easier. Xero allows you to manage unlimited organizations from a single account, providing seamless access through one dashboard. This is particularly beneficial if you operate in various countries, as Xero supports multi-currency transactions, ensuring accurate financial reporting across currencies. You can customize your chart of accounts for each entity, aligning financial management with the specific needs of each business. Furthermore, Xero’s real-time financial reporting provides consolidated views of performance, enhancing oversight. With features like automated bank feeds and expense tracking, Xero greatly simplifies bookkeeping, reducing manual data entry and improving efficiency across your multi-entity operations. User-Friendly Interface Steering bookkeeping across multiple businesses doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you have a user-friendly interface at your disposal. Xero features an intuitive design that makes navigation seamless, even for those without accounting expertise. The dashboard presents a clear overview of key financial metrics, such as bank balances and outstanding invoices, all in one place. You can invite unlimited users at no extra cost, allowing your team to collaborate effortlessly across various business accounts. Xero likewise offers customizable invoice templates, helping you maintain brand consistency. Plus, with the mobile app, you can access real-time financial data from anywhere, ensuring you stay on top of your finances no matter where you are. Sage Intacct When you’re looking to streamline financial management across multiple businesses, Sage Intacct stands out as a robust solution. This cloud-based software is particularly designed for multi-entity organizations, providing advanced capabilities to manage various businesses under one platform. With Sage Intacct, you can enjoy real-time financial reporting and analytics, allowing you to consolidate financial data effortlessly across different entities and currencies. The software simplifies complex accounting processes with features for automated inter-company transactions and eliminations, making it easier to manage subsidiaries. Its multi-currency functionality supports accurate financial management for global operations, accommodating various accounting standards and fiscal periods. Users often report a significant productivity boost, with a 79% reduction in close time and an impressive average ROI of 250% within just six months of implementation. NetSuite For businesses managing multiple entities, NetSuite offers a potent ERP solution that surpasses in multi-entity accounting through its OneWorld Suite. This all-encompassing software is customized for complex business needs, excelling in global operations and multi-currency management. You’ll appreciate the real-time financial reporting and dashboards, which provide a consolidated view of financial data across all your entities and subsidiaries, enhancing oversight. NetSuite further simplifies accounting processes with features like automated inter-company transactions and eliminations, greatly reducing the manual workload. Its customizable chart of accounts allows you to modify financial management to fit the unique structures and transaction behaviors of each entity. Moreover, the platform’s robust security measures and compliance capabilities guarantee your data is protected during adherence to financial regulations, no matter the jurisdictions in which you operate. Zoho Books Zoho Books stands out as a versatile bookkeeping solution, especially for businesses managing multiple entities under a single account. Its user-friendly interface allows you to create and manage several organizations easily, making it ideal for your diverse business needs. The software offers vital features like expense tracking, invoicing, and thorough financial reporting, all designed to streamline your financial management across different entities. With built-in multi-currency support, you can handle international transactions effortlessly, which is important for businesses with a global presence. Moreover, Zoho Books integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products and various third-party applications, enhancing its overall functionality. The flexible pricing structure is another advantage, offering a free plan for very small businesses and scalable paid plans starting at $0 for one organization, making it accessible for companies at various growth stages. Tipalti Tipalti offers a robust set of features customized for businesses managing multiple entities, focusing on accounts payable automation and global payments. With its self-service supplier onboarding, paperless invoice processing, and extensive payment rules, you can streamline your financial operations effectively. As we explore Tipalti’s integration capabilities and pricing, you’ll see how it can improve your bookkeeping across various business units. Key Features Overview When managing multiple businesses, having a robust bookkeeping software like Tipalti can greatly improve operational efficiency. Its key features are designed to streamline processes and strengthen security. Feature Description Supplier Onboarding Self-service onboarding and blacklist validation guarantee security. Paperless Invoice Processing OCR scanning reduces manual data entry errors and boosts efficiency. Global Payments Supports payments in over 200 countries and 120 currencies, ideal for international operations. Additionally, with over 26,000 payment rules and 3-way matching, Tipalti improves error detection. The integration of AI-driven insights via Tipalti Pi offers actionable data analytics, empowering you to make informed decisions across your business units. Integration Capabilities For businesses managing multiple entities, integration capabilities play a vital role in enhancing financial operations. Tipalti offers seamless integration with over 200 third-party applications, allowing you to streamline your financial processes efficiently. With automated data synchronization across platforms, you can reduce manual entry errors as you save time on financial management tasks. The software’s API supports custom integrations customized to your specific needs, guaranteeing connectivity with existing ERP systems and enhancing data flow. Being cloud-based means these integrations are accessible from anywhere, promoting collaboration among teams situated in different locations. Moreover, Tipalti focuses on supplier management by integrating onboarding processes and validation checks, which guarantees compliance and minimizes risk in financial transactions. Cost and Pricing Comprehending the cost and pricing model of Tipalti is crucial for businesses looking to optimize their financial operations across multiple entities. Tipalti offers a flexible pricing structure customized to your specific needs, allowing you to personalize based on the scale of your operations and desired features. By utilizing their all-encompassing suite of accounts payable automation tools, you can achieve significant cost savings through decreased manual processing and improved payment efficiency. Furthermore, Tipalti supports global payments in over 120 currencies, minimizing international transaction fees. Many organizations report an impressive ROI, with some users experiencing up to 250% returns owing to improved financial controls. You can inquire about custom pricing plans to guarantee you only pay for the features that matter to your business. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Accounting Software for Multiple Small Businesses? When choosing accounting software for multiple small businesses, consider factors like user-friendliness, pricing, and crucial features. FreshBooks stands out in invoicing and expense tracking, whereas QuickBooks Online offers flexible pricing and separate bookkeeping for each entity. Xero supports unlimited users and multi-currency transactions, ideal for international operations. If budget is a concern, Wave Accounting allows management of up to 15 business profiles for free. Evaluate these options based on your specific needs to find the best fit. Can I Use Freshbooks for Multiple Businesses? Yes, you can use FreshBooks for multiple businesses. It allows you to manage different business accounts from a single login, streamlining your financial oversight. You can customize invoicing and expense tracking for each entity, ensuring everything stays organized. FreshBooks likewise generates consolidated financial reports, making tax filing simpler. Plus, it automates processes and reduces manual bookkeeping errors, providing real-time insights that help you maintain efficient financial management across all your businesses. Which Quickbooks Is Best for Multiple Businesses? For managing multiple businesses, QuickBooks Online offers several plans customized to your needs. The Fundamental plan, at $65/month, supports up to three users and includes invoicing and expense tracking. If you need advanced features like project tracking, consider the Plus plan for $99/month. For larger operations, the Advanced plan at $235/month allows up to 25 users and provides improved reporting. You can easily switch between company files using a centralized dashboard, streamlining management. What Is the Best Way to Legally Structure Multiple Businesses? To legally structure multiple businesses, consider forming separate entities like LLCs or corporations for each one. This approach protects your personal assets by limiting liability. A parent company structure can streamline management and financial reporting as well as allowing each subsidiary to maintain its legal identity. Moreover, a holding company can provide tax benefits and facilitate asset transfers. Always check state regulations and tax laws, as they vary and can greatly impact your choice. Conclusion Choosing the right bookkeeping software for managing multiple businesses is crucial for streamlining your financial processes. Each option, from QuickBooks Online to Tipalti, offers distinct features customized to various business needs, such as automated billing and real-time reporting. By selecting the software that aligns best with your operations, you can improve efficiency and gain valuable insights into your finances. Assess your specific requirements carefully to make an informed decision that supports your organization’s growth and success. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Best Bookkeeping Software for Managing Multiple Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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Expansion of global economy would fall to 2.5% in an ‘adverse scenario’ of persistent $100-per-barrel oil View the full article

The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened Tuesday as the U.S. declared it had blockaded Iran’s ports, Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, and Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for more talks. Though last week’s ceasefire appeared to hold, the showdown over the Strait of Hormuz risked reigniting hostilities and deepening the region-wide war’s economic fallout. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict — which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — failed to produce an agreement last weekend, though Pakistan has proposed hosting a second round in the coming days. Two Pakistani officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter with the media, said that the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort. Two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic negotiations, said on Monday that discussions were still underway about a new round of talks. They said that the venue, timing and composition of the delegations hadn’t been decided, but that talks could happen Thursday. The war, now in its seventh week, has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as a great deal of shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have torn through military and civilian infrastructure across the region. The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,000 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed. Tanker reported rounding the corner The blockade is intended to pressure Iran, which has exported millions of barrels of oil, mostly to Asia, since the war began. Much of it has likely been carried by so-called dark transits that evade sanctions and oversight, providing cash flow that’s been vital to keeping Iran running. Both the nature of enforcement and the extent to which ships will comply remained unclear during its first full day in effect on Tuesday. Tankers approaching the strait on Monday turned around shortly after it took effect, though one turned around and transited the waterway early Tuesday. The tanker Rich Starry had been waiting off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to shipping data firm Lloyd’s List, which cited data from the energy cargo-tracking firm Vortexa. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Rich Starry had earlier docked in Iran. Yet it is listed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as linked to Iranian shipping. Lloyd’s List, citing ship registry and tracking data, reported that it’s owned by a Chinese shipping company and ultimately bound for China. U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately respond to questions about the vessel after it cleared the 21-mile-wide (nearly 34-kilometer) waterway. A day earlier, it said that the blockade applied to vessels going to and from Iranian ports. Since the start of the war, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic, with most commercial vessels avoiding the waterway. Iran’s effective closure of the strait, through which a fifth of global oil transits in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East. U.S. President Donald The President on Monday said that Iran’s control of the strait amounted to blackmail and extortion as the U.S. blockade took effect. He said in a social media post that Iran’s navy had been “completely obliterated,” but still had “fast attack ships.” He warned that “if any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.” Iran threatened to retaliate against Persian Gulf ports if attacked. “If you fight, we will fight,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a statement addressed to The President. French President Emmanuel Macron and British prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-chair a conference Friday for nations willing to deploy warships to escort oil tankers and container ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The deployment will happen “when security conditions allow,” Macron’s office said Tuesday. Israel and Lebanon scheduled for talks Meanwhile, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were set to begin in Washington on Tuesday, the first such negotiations in decades. Israel has pressed ahead with its air and ground campaign since last week’s ceasefire in Iran, insisting that it doesn’t apply to fighting in Lebanon. It has, however, halted strikes in the country’s capital since April 8, after a deadly bombardment that hit several crowded commercial and residential areas in central Beirut. It sparked an international outcry and threats by Iran that it would end the ceasefire. After more than a year of near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, Israel escalated its offensive in the early days of the war following Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel. The fighting has carved a path of destruction from agricultural towns near the border to Beirut, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing in excess of 1 million others, according to Lebanese authorities. The talks are expected to be preliminary, focused on setting parameters rather than resolving core issues. Lebanese officials have pushed for a ceasefire, while Israel has framed the negotiations around Hezbollah’s disarmament and a potential peace deal, without publicly committing to halting hostilities or withdrawing its forces. Israel wants Lebanon’s government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, much like was envisaged in a November 2024 ceasefire. But the militant group has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades and said on Monday that it won’t abide by any agreements that may result from the talks. Aamer Madhani, Matthew Lee and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. —Munir Ahmed and Sam Metz, Associated Press View the full article

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Seven & i Holdings, the Japan-based owner of 7-Eleven, has announced that it plans to close hundreds of stores in North America over the next year. The store closures are an attempt to reduce costs and increase profitability for the chain of convenience stores ahead of a U.S. initial public offering for its North American unit, which was recently delayed. Here’s what you need to know. 645 store closures in North America Tucked away in Seven & i Holdings’ brief summary for its fiscal year 2025 last week was news that the company plans to close more than 1,000 locations in its fiscal year 2026, which runs from March 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027. According ot the document, Seven & i Holdings plans to shutter 645 locations in North America. During the same period, 205 new 7-Eleven locations are set to open, meaning a net loss of 440 of the beloved convenience stores is expected. For context, 645 closures represent about a 5% reduction in the company’s current footprint of 12,272 North American locations. However, it should be noted that Seven & i Holdings says some of the closing locations won’t be shuttered entirely. Many 7-Eleven locations in North America sell both gas at the pump and food inside the convenience store. Locations that don’t have an operating convenience store and only sell gas are known as wholesale fuel stores. Seven & i Holdings says that the “645 store closures in the full-year FY2026 forecast include the conversion to wholesale fuel stores.” This means some locations will close their convenience store segment, but continue to operate as gas stations. However, the locations that undergo a transition to wholesale fuel stores only will no longer count as part of the chain’s total footprint, hence a wholesale fuel stores conversion counts as a closure. Which 7-Eleven locations are closing? It’s unknown which of the company’s 12,272 North American locations are closing. Fast Company has reached out to Seven & i Holdings for comment. However, the 645 North American locations aren’t the only 7-Eleven locations that Seven & i Holdings is shuttering over the next year. The company says it will close additional stores internationally, including: 350 in Japan 18 in Australia 30 in Beijing, China 25 in Tianjin, China 10 in Chengdu, China How has 7-Eleven’s delayed IPO impacted closures? While Seven & i Holdings is a publicly traded company in Japan, the 7-Eleven owner has long intended to list its North American operations separately on a U.S. stock exchange. This initial public offering for 7-Eleven was expected to take place this year, but has now been delayed until at least 2027. As the Financial Times reported last week, Seven & i Holdings has announced that the U.S. IPO would be delayed until the company’s 2027 financial year “at the earliest.” That financial year runs from March 1, 2027, until the end of February 2028. The delayed IPO is being driven by the company’s desire to turn around profits at its North American locations ahead of the listing. The company’s North American locations have been hit by declining sales as cash-strapped consumers cut back on spending. The ongoing U.S. war with Iran is also not helping the company’s bottom line, as it is raising fuel prices, thereby eating into profits. Companies also tend to cut costs wherever they can before an IPO to help present a better bottom line to potential investors. So the upcoming IPO is also likely having an impact on Seven & i Holdings’ decision to close hundreds of North American locations. When will 7-Eleven close its stores? That is unknown. But it is unlikely that the 645 stores marked for closure will all close at once. Instead, locations will likely close individually throughout Seven & i Holdings’s 2026 fiscal year. That fiscal year runs until February 28, 2027, so expect the 645 North American locations to be closed by that date. View the full article

UK carmaker tests limits of the market with its personalised vehicles for the super-richView the full article

Saying “my back hurts” is a bit like saying “my car is making a noise.” It may be serious, or it may be nothing, and only a professional will know for sure. But if you have back pain, especially in your lower back, you’re not alone: By some estimates, 75% of us will have an achy lower back at some point in our lives, often without any obvious cause. I cannot diagnose your back pain over the internet. That said, I can tell you about common reasons for back pain, and provide general strategies that can help you feel less achy. Back pain doesn’t always mean you’re injuredWe tend to assume that pain is a sign that some part of our body is damaged and needs fixing. But that’s not always true. When it comes to back pain, around 90% of the time there is no detectable injury. That doesn’t mean that the pain is imaginary—there can be physical causes that don’t show up on x-rays or MRIs, and other factors also contribute to us feeling a sensation of pain. Doctors and scientists used to think of pain as a simple signal sent from damaged body parts to the brain. It’s now considered more accurate to say that pain is a perception created in the brain in response to a variety of things we experience. Tissue damage can be one of them, but our experience of pain is also shaped by our expectations, our fears, and other things going on in our brain and body. You might feel pain more acutely if you’re stressed or worried about it. This increases your stress, and things snowball from there. Or maybe you’ve been to the doctor about something that was worrying you, only to find out that the issue is actually very minor, and you’ll be fine. It’s not unusual to experience less pain from that point onward, even though nothing has physically changed. Obviously, there are back problems that are physical and fixable, so it’s definitely worth getting checked out to rule out serious issues. But if you just have an achy back sometimes and your doctor says nothing is seriously wrong, what can you do? A strong back tends to be a healthier backExercise tends to help people with low back pain feel better, according to a 2021 meta-analysis of trials that included everything from strength training to Zumba. If you’re dealing with pain on a daily basis, the first step doesn’t have to be finding the “best” exercises to deal with it. Instead, focus your efforts on finding something you can do without experiencing pain, or at least without increasing your pain. A physical therapist can help guide you through this process, especially one who specializes in sports medicine or who has experience working with active people. (Some physical therapists prescribe exercises that are too easy to be effective, especially to older adults; this is a recognized problem in the industry.) There is still disagreement on exactly what kind of exercise is best to prevent or treat back pain. Some PTs focus on core work, believing that it’s crucial for your deep core muscles, such as the transverse abdominis, to be strong to protect your back. Using this approach, you may find yourself doing a lot of dead bugs and bird dogs, and get a lot of practice drawing your belly button in toward your spine. Another school of thought holds that core muscles are only a small part of the picture, and that strengthening your back muscles themselves should be the focus of training. This approach is more likely to favor work with free weights, like deadlifts, dumbbell rows, and lunges. Done correctly, these moves also work your core; you need to brace your core to stabilize your spine for a deadlift or squat, and that’s as legitimate a type of core work as anything you do on a yoga mat. Sore muscles are okay, actuallyIt’s normal to be concerned about protecting your back. After all, if you’ve heard a million times not to “lift with your back,” you might worry that any soreness after lifting or bending means you injured something. But there are muscles in your back, and they can get fatigued or sore when you use them a lot—just like the muscles in your arms or legs. You wouldn’t be surprised or worried if you had sore thighs after a heavy squat day or after running a race. The muscles in your lower back can feel sore after your deadlift day at the gym, or even after a long day of standing and walking more than you’re used to. Sometimes people confuse this normal soreness with injury, and worry that those deadlifts did something terrible to their back. But before you panic, consider treating your back the same way you would any other sore muscle: Use gentle heat, walk around a bit, and consider foam rolling or massage. The pain from sore muscles tends to feel a bit better with activity, and will usually fade within a few days. Stretches and exercises that are good for people with back painWhat exercises can you do to potentially prevent back pain and possibly manage back pain you already have? Again, it’s best to check with a professional to be sure of what makes the most sense for you, but here are some strengthening and stretching exercises that are often recommended: Core exercisesBird dogs Dead bugs Planks Side planks Back-strengthening exercises (with barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells)Deadlifts or Romanian deadlifts Rack pulls or block pulls Bent-over rows Split squats or your favorite regular squat Reverse hypers StretchesCat/cow Jefferson curls Figure 4 stretch Spinal twist Lying hamstring stretch View the full article