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Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles because an instrument panel can fail, increasing the risk of a crash. Federal auto safety regulators said that the instrument panel may not display at startup, leaving the driver without critical safety information. The recall includes 128,607 Ford Bronco Sports, model years 2025-2026 and 101,002 Ford Broncos, also model years 2025-2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Ford is not aware of any injuries caused by the instrument panel failure. Owners will be notified by mail beginning Dec. 8 and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the software updated. The NHTSA recall number is 25V540. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran argues that banks holding excess reserves are keeping the central bank's balance sheet bigger than it should be, and suggested that regulatory changes could help bring those reserves down. View the full article

TikTok's algorithm is infamously addicting. The app picks up on your interests quickly, and before you know it, you're falling down an hours-deep rabbit hole every time you launch it. But the algorithm doesn't always get it right: Sometimes, you end up seeing too much of one type of content, no matter how many times you hit "Not Interested." With the rise of AI-generated content, this problem only gets more frustrating. AI video generators like Sora are empowering people to produce more hyperrealistic AI slop than ever, which means you've likely encountered it on your feeds—whether you know it or not. I've certainly laughed at some AI clips here and there, but for the most part, I can't stand coming across them in the wild. And they aren't just a nuisance, they can be legitimately dangerous—some have even tricked users into installing malware on their smartphones. As this content become more normalized, I worry for our collective ability to spot misinformation across our social media platforms, so whenever you can take a step to reducing or removing this content from your feeds, I encourage you to do so. And as it happens, TikTok is now experimenting with a tool to help you control the AI slop on your For You Page. Per a Wednesday press release, the company says it will roll out the new option in the existing "Manage topics" menu of the app's settings page. Manage topics already lets you finely tune parts of your individual TikTok algorithm to show you more of one subject or less of another—you can manage things like creative arts, current affairs, dance, fashion and beauty, food and drinks, health and fitness, humor, lifestyle, nature, pets, sports, travel. Soon, the section will add a slider for AI-generated content as well, if the option isn't live for you already. How to limit AI slop in TikTokTikTok says this new option is rolling out "in the coming weeks," which is unfortunately vague. I don't have the option, even after installing the latest version of TikTok. However, that also means it could hit your app at any time. When it does, here's how to use it: Open TikTok, then tap "Profile" in the bottom right. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top right, then choose "Settings and privacy." Under "Content & Display," choose "Content preferences," then choose "Manage topics." When the option is available on your app, adjust the "AI-generated content" slider. Move it left to see less AI-generated content, or move it right to see more of this content. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to completely remove AI content from your TikTok feed. Hopefully with this slider in place, however, you'll greatly reduce the amount of AI content you see, to the point where it's effectively gone entirely. View the full article

Sweeping 28-point proposal would include territorial concessions and rollback of American military assistanceView the full article

Travis Hill's nomination to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was recommended favorably by the Senate Banking Committee to the full Senate Wednesday morning in a 13-11 party-line vote. View the full article

The path to scalable computers is paved with high-tech equipment not just high-impact academic papersView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As someone who's still rocking an M1 MacBook Air, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, the Apple Watch SE (Gen 1), and the AirPods Pro (Gen 1), I can proudly say that using older devices is a great lifestyle decision. It saves me a lot of money and I still get access to premium products with almost all of the features I need. And now that the AirPods Pro 3 are out, it's a great time to start looking for deals on the older AirPods Pro 2 before stocks are cleared. This Walmart deal brings the AirPods Pro 2 to an all-time low price of $139 (which is $100 off the list price), and they're an absolutely fantastic piece technology for that price. AirPods Pro 2 early Black Friday deal AirPods Pro 2 $139.00 at Walmart $239.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $139.00 at Walmart $239.00 Save $100.00 Although the AirPods Pro 2 launched a few years ago, they've received enough software updates to make them far more capable than they were at launch. Now, the AirPods Pro 2 are also approved for use as a hearing aid in the US, and still offer excellent noise isolation with great sound quality. I live in a really noisy city and I cannot roam around without wearing my AirPods for fear of triggering my migraines. My AirPods Pro (Gen 1) do a good job at cutting out the noise, but the AirPods Pro 2 take the cancellation to another level. I've used and compared all three generations of AirPods, and the noise cancellation on the Pro 2 is solid. It's not as good as that on the Pro 3, but it's better than on the Pro 1, and the difference isn't big enough to spend nearly twice the price for the latest product. The AirPods Pro 2 are everything I need to keep migraines away. They block out the worst of the loud noises around me while being light and comfortable enough to wear all day. My city has extremely humid weather, which makes it near impossible to wear over-ear headphones outdoors. However, I feel quite comfortable with my AirPods, and I've been waiting for nearly four years to upgrade mine. While I was saving up for the AirPods Pro 3, this deal is too good to resist, and I may just get the Pro 2 instead and save the rest of my cash to upgrade my Apple Watch. View the full article

Boss sets out in memo need for luxury group to reduce ‘over-dependency’ on Italian brandView the full article

Facebook’s Marketplace is set to transform the online shopping experience for small businesses, offering enhanced features designed to cultivate community engagement and facilitate easier transactions. The recent updates focus on empowering users to interact with listings more effectively, making it a prime time for small business owners to reassess their digital sales strategies. Every day, approximately 25% of young adult users in the U.S. and Canada utilize Facebook Marketplace, showing its potential as a bustling platform for buying and selling. These updates aim to streamline that experience, particularly for items like home decor, clothing, and vehicles—categories that resonate strongly with younger demographics. One of the standout features introduced is the ability to create collections. This allows users to curate groups of Marketplace listings and invite friends to join in the conversation. Small business owners can leverage this feature to showcase their products in a more visually appealing way. By enabling customers to share their collections through platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp, businesses can create a sense of community around their offerings. “Start a new collection, choose whether to make it public or private, and share updates easily,” the announcement states, emphasizing the collaborative aspect. Additionally, Facebook now allows reactions and comments directly on listings, providing more transparency about product quality. This can be crucial for small businesses as real-time feedback can drive engagement. A potential customer may learn more about your product just through a few comments and reactions from other users. The platform will learn from user interactions, showing individuals more items aligned with their interests. This personalization could translate into higher conversion rates for small business owners, as their products will be paired with users who are genuinely interested. A significant enhancement comes from AI integration. Marketplace now offers suggested questions when buyers start a conversation with sellers. This feature facilitates smoother negotiations and can empower buyers to make informed decisions. For small business owners, anticipating these questions can help prepare them better for customer interactions and improve buyer satisfaction. Particularly noteworthy for automotive small businesses, there are advancements in vehicle listings. Users will see AI-curated insights offering crucial details like engine options, safety ratings, and reviews—all in one view. This feature aims to simplify the car-buying journey, but it also requires small automotive sellers to ensure their inventory is updated and accurately represented on the platform. For those focusing on fashion, Facebook has integrated inventory from eBay and Poshmark to expand the selection on Marketplace. This partnership marks a strategic move for small businesses offering unique or vintage items. With over 200 million fashion items already listed, being part of this growing marketplace can significantly elevate visibility. Partner listings will clearly incorporate an icon, ensuring customers know they are browsing expanded options, enhancing credibility and variety. Another essential update is the improved shipping experience. Sellers and buyers can expect a more transparent process with clearer shipping costs and automatic notifications about order status changes. For small business owners, this provides an opportunity to offer seamless transactions and potentially attract customers who may have hesitated in the past due to unclear costs. However, while these updates enhance the buying experience, small business owners should be prepared for potential challenges. With a more crowded marketplace due to expanded inventories and increased options, they may need to navigate more competition. Engaging effectively with customers—be it through collections or in conversation—will be crucial. As Facebook Marketplace continues to evolve, small business owners should consider how these features can be integrated into their sales strategies. From leveraging collections to optimizing listings for AI insights, these changes hold the potential to elevate local businesses into community favorites. For more details on these updates, you can view the original announcement here. As these features roll out into 2026, businesses can capitalize on the increasing trend toward social shopping and community engagement. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Facebook Marketplace Revamps Shopping Experience with AI and Social Features" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Facebook’s Marketplace is set to transform the online shopping experience for small businesses, offering enhanced features designed to cultivate community engagement and facilitate easier transactions. The recent updates focus on empowering users to interact with listings more effectively, making it a prime time for small business owners to reassess their digital sales strategies. Every day, approximately 25% of young adult users in the U.S. and Canada utilize Facebook Marketplace, showing its potential as a bustling platform for buying and selling. These updates aim to streamline that experience, particularly for items like home decor, clothing, and vehicles—categories that resonate strongly with younger demographics. One of the standout features introduced is the ability to create collections. This allows users to curate groups of Marketplace listings and invite friends to join in the conversation. Small business owners can leverage this feature to showcase their products in a more visually appealing way. By enabling customers to share their collections through platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp, businesses can create a sense of community around their offerings. “Start a new collection, choose whether to make it public or private, and share updates easily,” the announcement states, emphasizing the collaborative aspect. Additionally, Facebook now allows reactions and comments directly on listings, providing more transparency about product quality. This can be crucial for small businesses as real-time feedback can drive engagement. A potential customer may learn more about your product just through a few comments and reactions from other users. The platform will learn from user interactions, showing individuals more items aligned with their interests. This personalization could translate into higher conversion rates for small business owners, as their products will be paired with users who are genuinely interested. A significant enhancement comes from AI integration. Marketplace now offers suggested questions when buyers start a conversation with sellers. This feature facilitates smoother negotiations and can empower buyers to make informed decisions. For small business owners, anticipating these questions can help prepare them better for customer interactions and improve buyer satisfaction. Particularly noteworthy for automotive small businesses, there are advancements in vehicle listings. Users will see AI-curated insights offering crucial details like engine options, safety ratings, and reviews—all in one view. This feature aims to simplify the car-buying journey, but it also requires small automotive sellers to ensure their inventory is updated and accurately represented on the platform. For those focusing on fashion, Facebook has integrated inventory from eBay and Poshmark to expand the selection on Marketplace. This partnership marks a strategic move for small businesses offering unique or vintage items. With over 200 million fashion items already listed, being part of this growing marketplace can significantly elevate visibility. Partner listings will clearly incorporate an icon, ensuring customers know they are browsing expanded options, enhancing credibility and variety. Another essential update is the improved shipping experience. Sellers and buyers can expect a more transparent process with clearer shipping costs and automatic notifications about order status changes. For small business owners, this provides an opportunity to offer seamless transactions and potentially attract customers who may have hesitated in the past due to unclear costs. However, while these updates enhance the buying experience, small business owners should be prepared for potential challenges. With a more crowded marketplace due to expanded inventories and increased options, they may need to navigate more competition. Engaging effectively with customers—be it through collections or in conversation—will be crucial. As Facebook Marketplace continues to evolve, small business owners should consider how these features can be integrated into their sales strategies. From leveraging collections to optimizing listings for AI insights, these changes hold the potential to elevate local businesses into community favorites. For more details on these updates, you can view the original announcement here. As these features roll out into 2026, businesses can capitalize on the increasing trend toward social shopping and community engagement. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Facebook Marketplace Revamps Shopping Experience with AI and Social Features" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

US sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil companies have added to fears of shortages from refinery shutdownsView the full article

Consecutive weeks of mortgage rate increases resulted in a 5.2% decrease in mortgage loan application volume, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

When I talk with small business owners about their tech stack, I hear the same frustrations over and over: too many apps, too many logins, and not enough time to make sense of all the data scattered across them. Instead of technology simplifying their day, it often feels like they’re spending half their week just stitching tools together, chasing down information, and trying to keep everything secure with limited IT support. At the same time, the pressure to “do more with less” keeps rising—especially as AI, remote work, and customer expectations all move faster than most small teams can reasonably keep up with. That’s why I wanted to sit down with someone who lives at the intersection of product strategy and real-world business needs. In this conversation, I talk with Ali Shabdar, Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho, about a major new update to Zoho One, the company’s all-in-one operating system for business. Over the course of our discussion, we dive into how Zoho is trying to move from a bundle of apps to a true unified platform, what that means for day-to-day workflows, and how features like Spaces, Unified Dashboards, Vani, native integrations, smarter security, and Zia AI aim to cut complexity instead of adding to it. If you run a small business or lead a lean team, the details matter: how your calendar connects to your projects, how you off-board a departing employee without leaving security gaps, and how you get a meaningful snapshot of customers or sales without becoming a data analyst. Ali and I explore those very practical pain points through the lens of Zoho One’s latest changes. In the transcript below, you’ll see how Zoho is positioning these updates—not just as “new features,” but as steps toward making technology more invisible, so you can spend more time serving customers and growing your business, and less time wrestling with software. Leland McFarland: All right, I am here with Ali from Zoho. We have some brand-new news coming out of Zoho, involving Zoho One, and we’re going to talk with Ali about all of this and see what he has to say about it. All right, Ali, great to have you on. Why don’t you start off by introducing yourself and telling what you do at Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great to be here, Leland, and with your audience. My name is Ali Shabdar, I’m the Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho. Leland McFarland: All right, thank you. So from a small business perspective, what problems is Zoho trying to solve with this new major update to Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great question, and let me go back a little bit. It’s been almost eight years, full eight years, since we launched Zoho One. We had a number of products that each served parts or entire parts of the funnel, a function, or an activity like sales, marketing, etc., etc.. And we decided at some point to bundle these up for a number of reasons. Number one was to reduce complexity. One of the main issues of any business of any size—could be a solopreneur to even an enterprise—is that we end up dealing with a lot of products, with a lot of software, to solve our day-to-day problems or our long-term problems. The promise of technology was to make our lives easier, but in the past quarter century, I can remember, that technology actually made things more complex in a lot of cases. Which means we have to throw more technology at the existing technology to make it less complex. So Zoho One’s promise was to remove that complexity by starting with bundling products together. And this bundle allows the user to have a singular view toward multiple functions that they might be dealing with. At the executive level, you’re looking at your entire business, almost live, and being able to connect the dots from your sales pipeline, to your cash flow, to your marketing activities, etc., etc., depending on what you’re doing. In the eight years, one of the key tenets of our progress with Zoho One was to remove that complexity even more. So, moving from a bundle of products, bundle of apps, to a unified platform. That unification where the products talk to each other better and better, they’re tightly integrated out of the box. So you don’t need to worry about connecting sales to the finance function; it just works. And then that means that your data gets tighter and tighter, clearer and clearer. Data hygiene and data governance also gets better. These are scary, scary labels, as SMBs might not worry about data governance, but what I mean is that you have all your data in the same place. We all know what single source of truth is. We want to open one cupboard, one wardrobe, and have everything there, and that’s what Zoho One is doing with your data: putting it all next to each other and giving it a context based on the lens you want to be looking at that entire system that is helping you to run your business. So it’s been an evolution, again, from bundle to a unified platform where everything is connected, and a small business goes back to what they need to do: working on their products and services, making their customers happy, rather than dealing with connecting technology together and having what we call the spaghetti solution—multiple vendors, multiple products, multiple invoices, so many support teams. You just deal with Zoho, and that’s about it. Leland McFarland: Great. So, I mean, yeah, that’s going to hopefully save small businesses a whole bunch of time, a whole bunch of money, and a lot of whole bunch of effort. So diving into some of the changes that you’ve done, one aspect was in user experience and productivity. How many small businesses struggle with many small businesses struggle with app overload. How does this new Spaces concept simplify daily workflows for a small team? Ali Shabdar: Great question. So, again, moving toward the same direction, it is all about context and simplification, as you said. Now, I’ll give you an example, a calendar. As any knowledge worker, regardless of who you are, you’re the business owner, you’re the CEO, or you’re one of the knowledge-working team, you’re doing sales, you’re answering emails, calendar is an inseparable part of our lives. Without a calendar, I can’t live an organized life at all. Now, if if I’m a user working for again, any company of any size, imagine I have my Zoho Calendar where my meetings are, where Zoho meeting links are going. Then there might be a calendar that comes from Zoho Projects if I’m working on certain projects with a number of other team members, internal or external. If I’m collaborating with my own close team, I might have some Kanban lists, which are again with deadlines and all, as another calendar on Zoho Connect. But all I care about is a calendar. I just want a view to my all my tasks, all my deadlines in one singular place. So Spaces allows you to basically bring all of those together and see everything from through one lens: the lens of the calendar. Now, another part of Spaces, which I personally appreciate and I could see on my day-to-day it added to my productivity, is the idea of having your personal space and your organizational space. Like the way I live in my house, we have the living room, we have the kitchen, where this is more of a place of gathering, the rest of the family and friends there, we converse, we do things, we cook together. And then there’s the bedroom for, it’s a personal space, or there’s my office. And then there’s the bathroom, more, of course, more personal. So, the division here into two major spaces or the context or areas, if you will, of personal and organizational, allows me to quickly switch between Click, Connect, Email, and my Vault where I keep my passwords, versus a Connect versus Projects or our expense management, which is more of an organizational thing. So, again, same products, different lenses, which allows my subconscious mind to work faster and connect the dots better. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, moving on to Action Panels and Quick Navigation features. What practical gains might a small business owner see from these new features? Ali Shabdar: I think the the most visible improvement is the fact that they are more accessible, more visible, and organized in a more intuitive way. So, you can, of course, make modifications, but everything boils down into better access to what you already have in a more logical way. It’s more organized. Leland McFarland: Awesome. So, dashboards can be overwhelming for a non-technical user. How does the new Unified Dashboard help a small business owner get actionable insights without needing a data analyst? Ali Shabdar: I hope no small business owner needs a dedicated data analyst, but that could be good news for expansion and scaling. But again, I’ll go back to the point that I mentioned: it’s again about context. By having, by providing you, the user, with a clear context that is divided into concepts and ideas that that our brain is more familiar with—tasks and deadlines, calendar, data that is coming from different places—the context helps beyond just I won’t I don’t want to say beyond our imagination, but it’s surprising how putting things in different contexts helps you just see the data faster and make decisions quicker. So, clarity is a result of that contextual look into the same data, and by clarity means that your your errors are are are less, you’ll make less mistakes, and and you will be able to make better decisions. Of course, we can get carried away and still make those dashboards really complicated, but those are best practices that I would say we should start simple, small, seeing our messages, again, the tasks, and and the data that is coming from, uh, if if you’re using CRM, if you’re using finance information, to put them in one dashboard where the data is is kind of gelled into each other. Leland McFarland: Perfect. So, Vani is a new tool. It was just announced last month, and we we actually got to sit down with Arthi to to be able to do an interview with that, and it seems like a really great tool. And it’s been announced that it’s been incorporated into Zoho One. So, for small businesses with a distributed or hybrid team, what does Vani enable that they didn’t have before? What does it bring to the table for a small business? Ali Shabdar: I’m very glad that we added Vani to Zoho One. It’s one of my favorite apps, I used it since pre-beta when it was still not quite stable. But now it has grown into a full-on product. I’ll I’ll tell you about our idea and why we added it, and also I’ll share you my own experience as a user, not a user that works for a large company, this the scenario also applies for smaller setups. We did not have any tool in our Zoho One platform that allowed teams and even individuals to create content that was about ideate on content and collaborate. We use Writer, drafting things, you know, collaborating live, probably use some we got on Meetings and and all. But Vani allows you to create ideas, put them on digital paper. If you’re doing a brainstorming session with your with your team or with yourself, putting a diagram, a mind map. If you’re working on a draft of your next invitation to your next event or or a flyer, you don’t need fancy graphic design software, especially if you’re not a designer or you do not have designers because you have a small business. You can ideate on Vani, have as many collaborators as you want, and and then do whatever you want with with the output. We did not have such thing in Zoho One, so I I think we the addition makes Zoho One more complete in terms of helping teams work better with each other. And some of the practical examples: we have our internal magazine, Zoho Business Pulse, and I saw the team actually putting the draft design on Vani and sharing it with respective team members. We could have done this in some other expensive software, which we have access to, but out of the box, because everybody is on Zoho One, and this could be a company of 10,000, 20,000, or a company of five, because everybody has access to the same platform, you just share the document. You you open a space on Vani, you ideate, you put your magazine ideas, and then me, as one of the members, I can go in and share a comment about, can we move this a bit to the right, without even touching the the content, actually, leave a comment and get out. And whoever is in charge of that content, they can take my feedback, use it or not, it’s their decision, of course. So, long story short, probably we added the best collaborative ideation tool that we have till date to Zoho One. Now, somebody might use Canva, somebody might use Miro, Visio, all of those are available, they have their own capabilities, some of them are cool, really cool packages. But you’re getting this product as a part of Zoho One. All you need to do is use it. You already are familiar with with the interface, you’re not paying anything extra, and it integrates with everything else as well. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so let’s move on to Native Integrations and Security. Small businesses often mix many tools together, leading to disjointed workflows. How does Zoho One’s new approach to native integration help reduce that fragmentation? Ali Shabdar: This is an excellent point and and often overlooked point, because security, first of all, is not in the back of our mind. Secondly, we usually are not skilled enough, so we can just forget about it until something bad happens. We want to solve that challenge as much as possible for the user, for the customer, without getting them involved in the technicalities. So bringing native integrations to Zoho One is in line with that with that strategy. I’m sure you’ve seen the demo in previous sessions of how Zoho Directory actually took everything to the next level. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. We are using it in the background as users. However, I saw all these features where you can integrate, of course, Zoho to Zoho products, no problem. Zoho to third-party product, still not a problem. But there’s a much tighter grip on the security and how things work. And then third-party to third-party integrations. So, you can bring both of your third-party products within Zoho Directory, which is the underlying layer of of Zoho One, and the entire platform, and then make sure that you’re on top of that integration and nothing bad happens there. Of course, there’s a bit of Zoho admin knowledge needed, but you don’t need to be an IT person, you don’t need to be a data scientist for that matter. It’s really intuitive, just a quick look will logically explain everything to you and and you’ll be able to do those things. I think Directory has grown leaps and bounds compared to how it was for the users even a week ago. The team has been working really hard on on adding those features, one of them is is what you mentioned, and that’s integration and security. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so the the press release that you guys put out mentioned Unified Portals. How is this different from traditional integration or dashboards, and what pain points does it solve for small teams? Ali Shabdar: I think again, it’s about context. Until now, portals were there again, it looked to me as a user as a bundle of apps present together in an environment. Now, I can easily find myself forgetting about those barriers between certain apps and just look at them as concepts. I want to do X, I want to check my day, I want to work on my projects, I want to work on my finance. So, we move from product-focused workflows into context-focused workflows. And and the portals and the interface is trying to communicate that and drive that behavior for the users. Now, mind you, this is the best version we can come up with so far, but I’m sure that our users, starting today, we’ve officially launched it, are going to come back to us with a lot of comments and and and tell us how it can be improved. We can’t wait to hear from our users and our partners how we can take this to the next level. Leland McFarland: All right, perfect. All right, and final question in the native integration and security. So we have Smart Off-boarding, which sounds particularly useful to SMBs that lack a robust IT department. How would this feature protect small businesses during employee transitions? Ali Shabdar: Not a favorite feature of mine. I remember probably five or six years ago, talking with a customer who had multiple different products. They were using a couple of Zoho products, but most of their stack was outside Zoho, and they did not use Zoho One. And they realized, one of their marketers, who departed, left the organization almost a year before. Of course, they removed their access from their email, the first, you know, obvious thing is, okay, remove the access to email and CRM. But they still had access to the entire marketing stack, including the Facebook accounts and other things. Thankfully, nothing bad happened, but you know, you don’t want to wake up one day and see that some somebody had access to your speakerphone, which is your marketing channel, or to your financial information. Now, Zoho One again tries to reduce that risk by allowing you to just disable one user account, and boom, boom, boom, their access is gone from all the products. This was existing. But now, if if you open the Zoho One, well, in the back end, in the admin space, you can see off-boarding. You start the off-boarding process, it takes you through a checklist of, of course, removing app access, software access, changing the reporting structure. Imagine if the person was a manager, and a couple of other people were reporting to the person. You can choose the new reporting structure, a bunch of other settings, and I need to remember how many, probably more than 10 different items in that checklist, where you slowly remove everything, terminating their accesses and all of that. And of course, all the legal considerations also happen in that space. So you make sure that the person is off-boarded in the best way possible, hopefully in good terms, so you can have a good conversation, log all the experience as well, and making sure that there is not a single gap left when the person is moved down from your organization. The admin space is is really great, really intuitive. Leland McFarland: All right, that sounds very useful and really good when it comes to security, especially when you know, if if an employee doesn’t leave on good terms, you want to make sure that they can’t cause any damage on their way out. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, moving on to Zia and your AI. Small teams typically work across multiple apps, email, CRM, documents. How does Zia help unify this data so they spend less time searching and more time acting? Ali Shabdar: Right out of the box, because you’re using Zoho One, which means all the apps, all the products are integrated. When you open, ask Zia textbox, and you ask any question, it’ll pull data from across your your entire stack. So if you’re checking, “tell me more about Ali”. The data is pulled from CRM if I’m your contact, if we had some ongoing deals in the past year or so, if there are notes about what kind of prospect I was. If I’m a customer, it pulls data from Desk where it can show you some of the recent tickets. If if I’m an employee or a contractor, it can pull data from HR, from Projects. So you get an almost immediate full picture about the question you have to the system. Of course, you can pull data the pull information that that rely on data about sales seasonalities and sales data and analytics and all of that. But to me, if I want to, let’s say, I’m about to get on a call with you, and I don’t remember much because the last time we spoke was three months or six months ago, or I’m somebody handed over your your your account to me, I’m just going to ask, “tell me more about Leland”. And it’s it’s going to give me whatever information we have about you. And the good thing is, not only it’s pretty accurate today, but also it’s learning more and more and more. So it’s not just one snapshot in in the history. So if I ask the same question two weeks from now, and if there’s a development in our relationship, from the point of data, then the information will be different. So, and and I think in the past couple of years, most of us have learned to talk to AI more or less. It is in English, but sometimes you have to be more specific to come up with the prompt. I I see Zia to be quite forgiving when it comes to writing a prompt. It understands you fairly easily. You don’t have to really get very regimented in formulating your sentence. Again, productivity. Leland McFarland: Nice. And that really does sound nice, not having to open up 50 different apps to get 50 different pieces of information and then bring them together manually or anything like that. Just having Zia pull it out automatically just sounds like a dream. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, so wrapping it up. With these updates, where do you see Zoho One heading in the next few years, especially in supporting small businesses growth? Ali Shabdar: Our focus is small businesses, multi-medium businesses, especially when it comes to, you know, development of Zoho One features. And we want to we want to make sure Zoho One gets out of the way of the customers, the users as much as possible. The best technology is invisible technology. So, if you can open the environment, if it’s a Spaces in five years, or it’s something else, or if it’s constantly, you know, on call to listen to you, to to be able to not only answer your questions, give your data in the best way possible, visually clear and all of that, but also become more and more proactive and, you know, kind of tap on your shoulder and remind you of things. The things you know that you don’t know, and the things that you didn’t know that you did not know. So I think again, simplification, more context. In the age of AI, the focus on human-computer interface is even more because the the lines are blurring. We are entering an age where we are literally talking to our computers, to our machines, and where where our workspace is becoming hybrid. By hybrid, I’m not talking about remote work. I’m talking about having digital colleagues, digital employees, where probably my my copywriter, my social media marketer, or a bunch of other people are actually agents. So we are moving towards that space with Zia Agents, with Ask Zia, with Zia as a whole empowering the entire platform. Today, if I want to use the overused iceberg cliché, you see the tip of Zoho, is Zia. A lot of it is is hidden with with the things it does in the background. It’s been doing for a long time before LLM advent. And we want to keep it that way. We want Zia to be there when you need it, but do a good bunch of things in the background and help you more and more to focus on what matters: doing your business and and scaling. Leland McFarland: Sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see what comes next. I I’ve got to dive into what you’ve got put out now a little bit more for myself, but it’s it’s very interesting to see where Zoho is going with Zoho One. And you’re just adding more and more to it, making it such a good value, especially at what was it, $37 per person, I think it is? Ali Shabdar: It is. Leland McFarland: Yeah, I got that right. It’s it’s insane. That’s less than like a dollar an app. But perfect. Thank you for coming on. That’s all I got for you. And and yeah, thank you for for sharing. Ali Shabdar: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Stepping back from this conversation with Ali, what stands out to me most is how much of Zoho One’s roadmap revolves around a simple, almost old-fashioned idea: get out of the user’s way. Small business owners don’t wake up excited about integrations, dashboards, or AI prompts. They care about finishing projects on time, serving customers well, protecting their data, and keeping costs predictable. The updates we discussed—Spaces for contextual work, more intuitive action panels and navigation, unified dashboards, Vani for collaborative ideation, stronger native integrations, and Smart Off-boarding—are all attempts to turn those goals into something the software quietly supports in the background. From my perspective, a few themes matter for small businesses. First, context is becoming just as important as features. Whether it’s viewing all your deadlines through a single calendar, or seeing customer information pulled together in one Zia query, the value lies in how quickly you can understand what’s going on and act on it. Second, security and governance can’t be “someday” topics anymore. Tools like Zoho Directory and Smart Off-boarding may not feel glamorous, but they directly address real risks around user access and fragmented stacks—problems that hit small teams hardest when something goes wrong. Finally, the way Zoho talks about Zia and “digital colleagues” hints at where small business software is heading: toward AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but anticipates needs, nudges you with timely insights, and handles more of the repetitive mental load. We’re still early in that journey, and there will be a learning curve for every team. But if Zoho One continues down the path Ali describes—more unification, more simplicity, more invisible intelligence—then the real opportunity for small businesses is not just saving a few hours a week. It’s being able to run a modern, data-driven operation without needing an enterprise-level IT department or a budget to match. As I continue to dig into these updates hands-on, that’s the lens I’ll use: does this help small business owners focus more on their business—and less on the spaghetti of software behind it? This article, "Interview with Ali Shabdar: Zoho One’s Big Update for Small Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When I talk with small business owners about their tech stack, I hear the same frustrations over and over: too many apps, too many logins, and not enough time to make sense of all the data scattered across them. Instead of technology simplifying their day, it often feels like they’re spending half their week just stitching tools together, chasing down information, and trying to keep everything secure with limited IT support. At the same time, the pressure to “do more with less” keeps rising—especially as AI, remote work, and customer expectations all move faster than most small teams can reasonably keep up with. That’s why I wanted to sit down with someone who lives at the intersection of product strategy and real-world business needs. In this conversation, I talk with Ali Shabdar, Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho, about a major new update to Zoho One, the company’s all-in-one operating system for business. Over the course of our discussion, we dive into how Zoho is trying to move from a bundle of apps to a true unified platform, what that means for day-to-day workflows, and how features like Spaces, Unified Dashboards, Vani, native integrations, smarter security, and Zia AI aim to cut complexity instead of adding to it. If you run a small business or lead a lean team, the details matter: how your calendar connects to your projects, how you off-board a departing employee without leaving security gaps, and how you get a meaningful snapshot of customers or sales without becoming a data analyst. Ali and I explore those very practical pain points through the lens of Zoho One’s latest changes. In the transcript below, you’ll see how Zoho is positioning these updates—not just as “new features,” but as steps toward making technology more invisible, so you can spend more time serving customers and growing your business, and less time wrestling with software. Leland McFarland: All right, I am here with Ali from Zoho. We have some brand-new news coming out of Zoho, involving Zoho One, and we’re going to talk with Ali about all of this and see what he has to say about it. All right, Ali, great to have you on. Why don’t you start off by introducing yourself and telling what you do at Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great to be here, Leland, and with your audience. My name is Ali Shabdar, I’m the Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho. Leland McFarland: All right, thank you. So from a small business perspective, what problems is Zoho trying to solve with this new major update to Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great question, and let me go back a little bit. It’s been almost eight years, full eight years, since we launched Zoho One. We had a number of products that each served parts or entire parts of the funnel, a function, or an activity like sales, marketing, etc., etc.. And we decided at some point to bundle these up for a number of reasons. Number one was to reduce complexity. One of the main issues of any business of any size—could be a solopreneur to even an enterprise—is that we end up dealing with a lot of products, with a lot of software, to solve our day-to-day problems or our long-term problems. The promise of technology was to make our lives easier, but in the past quarter century, I can remember, that technology actually made things more complex in a lot of cases. Which means we have to throw more technology at the existing technology to make it less complex. So Zoho One’s promise was to remove that complexity by starting with bundling products together. And this bundle allows the user to have a singular view toward multiple functions that they might be dealing with. At the executive level, you’re looking at your entire business, almost live, and being able to connect the dots from your sales pipeline, to your cash flow, to your marketing activities, etc., etc., depending on what you’re doing. In the eight years, one of the key tenets of our progress with Zoho One was to remove that complexity even more. So, moving from a bundle of products, bundle of apps, to a unified platform. That unification where the products talk to each other better and better, they’re tightly integrated out of the box. So you don’t need to worry about connecting sales to the finance function; it just works. And then that means that your data gets tighter and tighter, clearer and clearer. Data hygiene and data governance also gets better. These are scary, scary labels, as SMBs might not worry about data governance, but what I mean is that you have all your data in the same place. We all know what single source of truth is. We want to open one cupboard, one wardrobe, and have everything there, and that’s what Zoho One is doing with your data: putting it all next to each other and giving it a context based on the lens you want to be looking at that entire system that is helping you to run your business. So it’s been an evolution, again, from bundle to a unified platform where everything is connected, and a small business goes back to what they need to do: working on their products and services, making their customers happy, rather than dealing with connecting technology together and having what we call the spaghetti solution—multiple vendors, multiple products, multiple invoices, so many support teams. You just deal with Zoho, and that’s about it. Leland McFarland: Great. So, I mean, yeah, that’s going to hopefully save small businesses a whole bunch of time, a whole bunch of money, and a lot of whole bunch of effort. So diving into some of the changes that you’ve done, one aspect was in user experience and productivity. How many small businesses struggle with many small businesses struggle with app overload. How does this new Spaces concept simplify daily workflows for a small team? Ali Shabdar: Great question. So, again, moving toward the same direction, it is all about context and simplification, as you said. Now, I’ll give you an example, a calendar. As any knowledge worker, regardless of who you are, you’re the business owner, you’re the CEO, or you’re one of the knowledge-working team, you’re doing sales, you’re answering emails, calendar is an inseparable part of our lives. Without a calendar, I can’t live an organized life at all. Now, if if I’m a user working for again, any company of any size, imagine I have my Zoho Calendar where my meetings are, where Zoho meeting links are going. Then there might be a calendar that comes from Zoho Projects if I’m working on certain projects with a number of other team members, internal or external. If I’m collaborating with my own close team, I might have some Kanban lists, which are again with deadlines and all, as another calendar on Zoho Connect. But all I care about is a calendar. I just want a view to my all my tasks, all my deadlines in one singular place. So Spaces allows you to basically bring all of those together and see everything from through one lens: the lens of the calendar. Now, another part of Spaces, which I personally appreciate and I could see on my day-to-day it added to my productivity, is the idea of having your personal space and your organizational space. Like the way I live in my house, we have the living room, we have the kitchen, where this is more of a place of gathering, the rest of the family and friends there, we converse, we do things, we cook together. And then there’s the bedroom for, it’s a personal space, or there’s my office. And then there’s the bathroom, more, of course, more personal. So, the division here into two major spaces or the context or areas, if you will, of personal and organizational, allows me to quickly switch between Click, Connect, Email, and my Vault where I keep my passwords, versus a Connect versus Projects or our expense management, which is more of an organizational thing. So, again, same products, different lenses, which allows my subconscious mind to work faster and connect the dots better. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, moving on to Action Panels and Quick Navigation features. What practical gains might a small business owner see from these new features? Ali Shabdar: I think the the most visible improvement is the fact that they are more accessible, more visible, and organized in a more intuitive way. So, you can, of course, make modifications, but everything boils down into better access to what you already have in a more logical way. It’s more organized. Leland McFarland: Awesome. So, dashboards can be overwhelming for a non-technical user. How does the new Unified Dashboard help a small business owner get actionable insights without needing a data analyst? Ali Shabdar: I hope no small business owner needs a dedicated data analyst, but that could be good news for expansion and scaling. But again, I’ll go back to the point that I mentioned: it’s again about context. By having, by providing you, the user, with a clear context that is divided into concepts and ideas that that our brain is more familiar with—tasks and deadlines, calendar, data that is coming from different places—the context helps beyond just I won’t I don’t want to say beyond our imagination, but it’s surprising how putting things in different contexts helps you just see the data faster and make decisions quicker. So, clarity is a result of that contextual look into the same data, and by clarity means that your your errors are are are less, you’ll make less mistakes, and and you will be able to make better decisions. Of course, we can get carried away and still make those dashboards really complicated, but those are best practices that I would say we should start simple, small, seeing our messages, again, the tasks, and and the data that is coming from, uh, if if you’re using CRM, if you’re using finance information, to put them in one dashboard where the data is is kind of gelled into each other. Leland McFarland: Perfect. So, Vani is a new tool. It was just announced last month, and we we actually got to sit down with Arthi to to be able to do an interview with that, and it seems like a really great tool. And it’s been announced that it’s been incorporated into Zoho One. So, for small businesses with a distributed or hybrid team, what does Vani enable that they didn’t have before? What does it bring to the table for a small business? Ali Shabdar: I’m very glad that we added Vani to Zoho One. It’s one of my favorite apps, I used it since pre-beta when it was still not quite stable. But now it has grown into a full-on product. I’ll I’ll tell you about our idea and why we added it, and also I’ll share you my own experience as a user, not a user that works for a large company, this the scenario also applies for smaller setups. We did not have any tool in our Zoho One platform that allowed teams and even individuals to create content that was about ideate on content and collaborate. We use Writer, drafting things, you know, collaborating live, probably use some we got on Meetings and and all. But Vani allows you to create ideas, put them on digital paper. If you’re doing a brainstorming session with your with your team or with yourself, putting a diagram, a mind map. If you’re working on a draft of your next invitation to your next event or or a flyer, you don’t need fancy graphic design software, especially if you’re not a designer or you do not have designers because you have a small business. You can ideate on Vani, have as many collaborators as you want, and and then do whatever you want with with the output. We did not have such thing in Zoho One, so I I think we the addition makes Zoho One more complete in terms of helping teams work better with each other. And some of the practical examples: we have our internal magazine, Zoho Business Pulse, and I saw the team actually putting the draft design on Vani and sharing it with respective team members. We could have done this in some other expensive software, which we have access to, but out of the box, because everybody is on Zoho One, and this could be a company of 10,000, 20,000, or a company of five, because everybody has access to the same platform, you just share the document. You you open a space on Vani, you ideate, you put your magazine ideas, and then me, as one of the members, I can go in and share a comment about, can we move this a bit to the right, without even touching the the content, actually, leave a comment and get out. And whoever is in charge of that content, they can take my feedback, use it or not, it’s their decision, of course. So, long story short, probably we added the best collaborative ideation tool that we have till date to Zoho One. Now, somebody might use Canva, somebody might use Miro, Visio, all of those are available, they have their own capabilities, some of them are cool, really cool packages. But you’re getting this product as a part of Zoho One. All you need to do is use it. You already are familiar with with the interface, you’re not paying anything extra, and it integrates with everything else as well. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so let’s move on to Native Integrations and Security. Small businesses often mix many tools together, leading to disjointed workflows. How does Zoho One’s new approach to native integration help reduce that fragmentation? Ali Shabdar: This is an excellent point and and often overlooked point, because security, first of all, is not in the back of our mind. Secondly, we usually are not skilled enough, so we can just forget about it until something bad happens. We want to solve that challenge as much as possible for the user, for the customer, without getting them involved in the technicalities. So bringing native integrations to Zoho One is in line with that with that strategy. I’m sure you’ve seen the demo in previous sessions of how Zoho Directory actually took everything to the next level. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. We are using it in the background as users. However, I saw all these features where you can integrate, of course, Zoho to Zoho products, no problem. Zoho to third-party product, still not a problem. But there’s a much tighter grip on the security and how things work. And then third-party to third-party integrations. So, you can bring both of your third-party products within Zoho Directory, which is the underlying layer of of Zoho One, and the entire platform, and then make sure that you’re on top of that integration and nothing bad happens there. Of course, there’s a bit of Zoho admin knowledge needed, but you don’t need to be an IT person, you don’t need to be a data scientist for that matter. It’s really intuitive, just a quick look will logically explain everything to you and and you’ll be able to do those things. I think Directory has grown leaps and bounds compared to how it was for the users even a week ago. The team has been working really hard on on adding those features, one of them is is what you mentioned, and that’s integration and security. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so the the press release that you guys put out mentioned Unified Portals. How is this different from traditional integration or dashboards, and what pain points does it solve for small teams? Ali Shabdar: I think again, it’s about context. Until now, portals were there again, it looked to me as a user as a bundle of apps present together in an environment. Now, I can easily find myself forgetting about those barriers between certain apps and just look at them as concepts. I want to do X, I want to check my day, I want to work on my projects, I want to work on my finance. So, we move from product-focused workflows into context-focused workflows. And and the portals and the interface is trying to communicate that and drive that behavior for the users. Now, mind you, this is the best version we can come up with so far, but I’m sure that our users, starting today, we’ve officially launched it, are going to come back to us with a lot of comments and and and tell us how it can be improved. We can’t wait to hear from our users and our partners how we can take this to the next level. Leland McFarland: All right, perfect. All right, and final question in the native integration and security. So we have Smart Off-boarding, which sounds particularly useful to SMBs that lack a robust IT department. How would this feature protect small businesses during employee transitions? Ali Shabdar: Not a favorite feature of mine. I remember probably five or six years ago, talking with a customer who had multiple different products. They were using a couple of Zoho products, but most of their stack was outside Zoho, and they did not use Zoho One. And they realized, one of their marketers, who departed, left the organization almost a year before. Of course, they removed their access from their email, the first, you know, obvious thing is, okay, remove the access to email and CRM. But they still had access to the entire marketing stack, including the Facebook accounts and other things. Thankfully, nothing bad happened, but you know, you don’t want to wake up one day and see that some somebody had access to your speakerphone, which is your marketing channel, or to your financial information. Now, Zoho One again tries to reduce that risk by allowing you to just disable one user account, and boom, boom, boom, their access is gone from all the products. This was existing. But now, if if you open the Zoho One, well, in the back end, in the admin space, you can see off-boarding. You start the off-boarding process, it takes you through a checklist of, of course, removing app access, software access, changing the reporting structure. Imagine if the person was a manager, and a couple of other people were reporting to the person. You can choose the new reporting structure, a bunch of other settings, and I need to remember how many, probably more than 10 different items in that checklist, where you slowly remove everything, terminating their accesses and all of that. And of course, all the legal considerations also happen in that space. So you make sure that the person is off-boarded in the best way possible, hopefully in good terms, so you can have a good conversation, log all the experience as well, and making sure that there is not a single gap left when the person is moved down from your organization. The admin space is is really great, really intuitive. Leland McFarland: All right, that sounds very useful and really good when it comes to security, especially when you know, if if an employee doesn’t leave on good terms, you want to make sure that they can’t cause any damage on their way out. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, moving on to Zia and your AI. Small teams typically work across multiple apps, email, CRM, documents. How does Zia help unify this data so they spend less time searching and more time acting? Ali Shabdar: Right out of the box, because you’re using Zoho One, which means all the apps, all the products are integrated. When you open, ask Zia textbox, and you ask any question, it’ll pull data from across your your entire stack. So if you’re checking, “tell me more about Ali”. The data is pulled from CRM if I’m your contact, if we had some ongoing deals in the past year or so, if there are notes about what kind of prospect I was. If I’m a customer, it pulls data from Desk where it can show you some of the recent tickets. If if I’m an employee or a contractor, it can pull data from HR, from Projects. So you get an almost immediate full picture about the question you have to the system. Of course, you can pull data the pull information that that rely on data about sales seasonalities and sales data and analytics and all of that. But to me, if I want to, let’s say, I’m about to get on a call with you, and I don’t remember much because the last time we spoke was three months or six months ago, or I’m somebody handed over your your your account to me, I’m just going to ask, “tell me more about Leland”. And it’s it’s going to give me whatever information we have about you. And the good thing is, not only it’s pretty accurate today, but also it’s learning more and more and more. So it’s not just one snapshot in in the history. So if I ask the same question two weeks from now, and if there’s a development in our relationship, from the point of data, then the information will be different. So, and and I think in the past couple of years, most of us have learned to talk to AI more or less. It is in English, but sometimes you have to be more specific to come up with the prompt. I I see Zia to be quite forgiving when it comes to writing a prompt. It understands you fairly easily. You don’t have to really get very regimented in formulating your sentence. Again, productivity. Leland McFarland: Nice. And that really does sound nice, not having to open up 50 different apps to get 50 different pieces of information and then bring them together manually or anything like that. Just having Zia pull it out automatically just sounds like a dream. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, so wrapping it up. With these updates, where do you see Zoho One heading in the next few years, especially in supporting small businesses growth? Ali Shabdar: Our focus is small businesses, multi-medium businesses, especially when it comes to, you know, development of Zoho One features. And we want to we want to make sure Zoho One gets out of the way of the customers, the users as much as possible. The best technology is invisible technology. So, if you can open the environment, if it’s a Spaces in five years, or it’s something else, or if it’s constantly, you know, on call to listen to you, to to be able to not only answer your questions, give your data in the best way possible, visually clear and all of that, but also become more and more proactive and, you know, kind of tap on your shoulder and remind you of things. The things you know that you don’t know, and the things that you didn’t know that you did not know. So I think again, simplification, more context. In the age of AI, the focus on human-computer interface is even more because the the lines are blurring. We are entering an age where we are literally talking to our computers, to our machines, and where where our workspace is becoming hybrid. By hybrid, I’m not talking about remote work. I’m talking about having digital colleagues, digital employees, where probably my my copywriter, my social media marketer, or a bunch of other people are actually agents. So we are moving towards that space with Zia Agents, with Ask Zia, with Zia as a whole empowering the entire platform. Today, if I want to use the overused iceberg cliché, you see the tip of Zoho, is Zia. A lot of it is is hidden with with the things it does in the background. It’s been doing for a long time before LLM advent. And we want to keep it that way. We want Zia to be there when you need it, but do a good bunch of things in the background and help you more and more to focus on what matters: doing your business and and scaling. Leland McFarland: Sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see what comes next. I I’ve got to dive into what you’ve got put out now a little bit more for myself, but it’s it’s very interesting to see where Zoho is going with Zoho One. And you’re just adding more and more to it, making it such a good value, especially at what was it, $37 per person, I think it is? Ali Shabdar: It is. Leland McFarland: Yeah, I got that right. It’s it’s insane. That’s less than like a dollar an app. But perfect. Thank you for coming on. That’s all I got for you. And and yeah, thank you for for sharing. Ali Shabdar: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Stepping back from this conversation with Ali, what stands out to me most is how much of Zoho One’s roadmap revolves around a simple, almost old-fashioned idea: get out of the user’s way. Small business owners don’t wake up excited about integrations, dashboards, or AI prompts. They care about finishing projects on time, serving customers well, protecting their data, and keeping costs predictable. The updates we discussed—Spaces for contextual work, more intuitive action panels and navigation, unified dashboards, Vani for collaborative ideation, stronger native integrations, and Smart Off-boarding—are all attempts to turn those goals into something the software quietly supports in the background. From my perspective, a few themes matter for small businesses. First, context is becoming just as important as features. Whether it’s viewing all your deadlines through a single calendar, or seeing customer information pulled together in one Zia query, the value lies in how quickly you can understand what’s going on and act on it. Second, security and governance can’t be “someday” topics anymore. Tools like Zoho Directory and Smart Off-boarding may not feel glamorous, but they directly address real risks around user access and fragmented stacks—problems that hit small teams hardest when something goes wrong. Finally, the way Zoho talks about Zia and “digital colleagues” hints at where small business software is heading: toward AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but anticipates needs, nudges you with timely insights, and handles more of the repetitive mental load. We’re still early in that journey, and there will be a learning curve for every team. But if Zoho One continues down the path Ali describes—more unification, more simplicity, more invisible intelligence—then the real opportunity for small businesses is not just saving a few hours a week. It’s being able to run a modern, data-driven operation without needing an enterprise-level IT department or a budget to match. As I continue to dig into these updates hands-on, that’s the lens I’ll use: does this help small business owners focus more on their business—and less on the spaghetti of software behind it? This article, "Interview with Ali Shabdar: Zoho One’s Big Update for Small Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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When Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier calmly sat down and told a group of assembled local media the WNBA is helmed by “the worst leadership in the world” on September 30, she likely did so with a full understanding of the potential impact of her words. Collier—who launched Unrivaled, the women’s professional three-on-three basketball league alongside the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart in 2023—is the granddaughter of Gershon Collier, who served as Sierra Leone’s representative in the United Nations in the 1960s. She understands the impact of the right words. And the words she chose forced the in-house negotiations between the WNBA and the players’ union, the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA), fully into the public eye. “I think it’s time that people know what’s happening—the way that the league is not valuing us the way that we need to be valued,” Collier said. WNBA players opted out of their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) last year, and since then the clock has been ticking: after missing the October deadline, the WNBA offered players a 30-day extension, they agreed; the new deadline is November 30. “[The players] are at the center of everything we do,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said speaking to reporters on October 3. “If the players in the W don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better, and I have to do better.” The WNBPA’s current fight is one that hails from a long lineage of women-led labor strikes and disputes. UC Santa Barbara’s Dr. Eileen Boris, who specializes in labor studies as well as gender, race, class, and women’s history in the university’s Feminist Studies department, told Fast Company that there is a “big history of women organizing” in the United States. “Women have never been passive in the workplace,” she says. We’re seeing that play out yet again—and in the case of the WNBA, on one of the biggest public stages possible. Echoes of the past The heart of the dispute is money: the WNBA has never been more popular, and more money than ever has been pouring into the league. At the same time, the players are not adequately compensated—a reality that is all the more confusing when one considers that the athletes in the WNBA are both the product and, effectively, the marketing team. Throughout the regular season, fans turn to social media more often than not to catch up on game scores, tunnel fits, and what teams are up to, and they form parasocial relationships with the stars of the game. It should be noted that the WNBA’s astronomical growth—staggering increases in viewership and game attendance, league expansion that has included adding a total of six new teams by 2030, improved resources for players such as chartered flights, and an influx of funds from media rights deals and partnerships—have all happened under Engelbert’s watch. She emphasized to the reporters that the “heart” of the league lies with “building a movement that not only showcases the best athletes in the world, but also inspires millions who dream of following in their footsteps.” At the top of the players’ list of demands is a more equitable share of overall revenue that’s coming into the league. The players have proposed a new system: one that allows that share to grow as the league’s revenue grows. That would benefit not only the athletes currently in the league, but for the athletes who will join in years to come. But in response, the league has suggested a system not too dissimilar from what is already in place, offering salary increases that include a cap that increases by a fixed rate over time. To complicate matters further, the WNBA and NBA have not yet shared the books that explain just how much revenue there is. This is hardly the first time the 29-year-old league’s athletes have entered into a legal dispute with the league’s leadership. In fact, the first-ever CBA nearly tore the league apart—but ultimately set the standard for women’s professional sports leagues in the United States (and even in the world). And yet, today, players remain embroiled in an extremely public, high-stakes fight; workers (in this case, players) are pushing back on a leadership they believe to be toxic. This reality is underscored by a host of women-led labor movements: From the striking female workers at textile factories in the 1800s in Lowell, Massachusetts, to the garment workers of New York City, to the 1881 Atlanta Washerwomen strike, which achieved racial solidarity as part of its movement. Historically, Boris says, “women who were considered the consumers of the goods supported the [striking] workers” in past U.S. disputes — a pattern that is also playing out as the WNBPA continues to receive broad support from female fans. Those past movements are not dissimilar to what the players of the WNBA face now, and one key to success will be garnering and retaining mass public support for the fight. ‘Contentious’ negotiations “The players are demanding what they feel is fair,” author and cohost of The Women’s Hoop Show podcast Jordan Robinson explained to Fast Company. “And I believe that the players feel like they maybe settled [for less than they deserved] in their last CBA negotiation with the hope of the league growing down the line.” Now? “That growth happened way faster and way sooner than a lot of the players probably were thinking.” That growth is owed in large part to Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, as well as Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, and “these new rookies coming in bringing a lot of fans from college, and a lot of eyes, attention, and dollars,” Robinson says. Under the current agreement, a rookie drafted in the top four spots in 2025 makes $78,831 this year. But Clark, who is responsible for 26.5% of WNBA revenue all by herself, signed a contract that began at $76,535 annually when she was drafted as the number-one overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. ESPN reported this week that the WNBA has proposed increasing the max salary as part of the current negotiations. But why are some of the league’s best players making less than $80,000 a year, especially in a league that landed a $2.2 billion media rights deal in July 2024? The answer might be hiding behind what increasingly appears to be a toxic storm brewing within the league itself. Collier hinted at league-wide dysfunction and unrest in her statement, and in an interview with Glamour published October 28, she took things a step further. “We are being so grossly almost taken advantage of, and it should be illegal,” she insisted. “The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she’s getting 0% of it because we have no rev share. She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she’s bringing in, like, hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s insane.” As Boris put it, “the general public does not look at these workers as workers.” “They don’t see the working conditions. They don’t see the kind of bullying that might be taking place” and “the hierarchies” behind the scenes. It’s “a big problem,” she says. Like generations of women who have spearheaded labor disputes in the past, from the New York shirt waist strike of 1909 (which fought for better pay and hours, safer, more humane conditions) to a 2022 strike against Kroger (around wages and COVID-era safety at work), the players have to prove their own humanity to garner support. Workers in other industries have been forced to take drastic measures to get their needs met, too: there were the dual SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) Hollywood strikes in 2023, or what may unfold in West Virginia if coal miners struggling with black lung disease aren’t adequately responded to. A WNBA spokesperson noted on October 28 that the league urges “the Players Association to spend less time disseminating public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement.” But when toxicity feels as if it’s baked into the culture of the job, what options do any workers have but to fight for what they believe they deserve? ‘Self-sabotage’ for the organization Like these labor disputes of the past, WNBA players are pushing for the same goals so many workers everywhere want: higher pay, increased benefits, and protection from occupational hazards, like injuries on the court. As Collier also said, “Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage.” As we should have learned by now, it doesn’t typically pay to devalue workers and continue with toxic conditions. Over time, that erodes an organization from the inside out, something that has been demonstrated throughout the history of work in the United States. When it comes to the WNBA, the concerns are a little more physical and personal. Injuries are part of the game, and perhaps no one knows this better than Collier herself. The 29-year-old forward suffered at least two at crucial moments this season alone: she missed several games due to a sprained ankle, a reality that could have cost her the coveted MVP crown this season. But players—workers—feel within their rights to challenge any circumstances in which they don’t feel safe. Many of the great labor advances in this country started exactly that way. “This is not only for us” Though it may feel obvious to those watching the WNBA and CBA negotiations closely that players are making demands that are reasonable when considering what they bring to the league, the path ahead of them is still “very hard,” Boris says. All workers “have to get as high of a salary as you can during your prime when you’re working,” she explains. The success of negotiations will depend in part on “how public they are. One strategy which is really useful is having workers give testimony about working conditions or being forced to play, and [being] forced to practice with injuries or lack of sick days or family accommodation.” To that end, it seems that’s what some players have had in mind: In addition to Collier, plenty of WNBA superstars, including four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, have made it clear where they stand on the issue and that they are willing to fight tooth and nail. That’s necessary because the stakes are just so high, Boris says. And like the historic, women-led labor movements in the past, the outcome won’t just affect the women currently playing in the league. When asked about the perception that WNBA leadership is not pro-player, Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown tells Fast Company: “I think it runs deep. I think it’s been this way for a long time, and I think it’s getting to the point where we just finally have the leverage.” WNBA players have other opportunities, she points out, like AU Pro Basketball, the women’s professional league that will kick off its fifth season in Nashville in February. The new Player B league in Europe and Asia also promises higher pay than the WNBA does. Such leagues afford players “the money to potentially not have a [WNBA] season,” she explains. “None of us want that to happen, but I think it’s just been a build up over years and years, and we have to stand on business when it comes to this.” The league’s players are fighting this fight for those who came before them: the players who “continued to show up to work, every single year, despite the conditions, despite not having facilities, despite flying commercial, sharing hotel rooms,” she says. They’re also fighting for “all the little girls out there that want to be in the WNBA.” “This is not only for us,” Brown added. “It’s for everybody in the future.” View the full article

Adobe will acquire software platform Semrush for $1.9 billion, the companies said on Wednesday, as the Photoshop maker looks to strengthen its marketing tools and attract brands with generative artificial intelligence products. The company will pay $12 per share for Semrush, representing a premium of around 77.5% to its stock’s last closing price. Semrush shares jumped 75% to $11.83 in premarket trading. Semrush designs and develops AI software that helps companies with search engine optimization, social media, and digital advertising. The acquisition, expected to close in the first half of next year, would allow Adobe to help marketers better understand how their brands are viewed by online consumers through searches on websites and generative AI bots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The Wall Street Journal first reported the deal earlier in the day. Adobe’s tools, which also include InDesign, Acrobat, and Illustrator, have become household names in design software, widely used by enterprises, students, and creative professionals to edit, create websites, brochures, and graphics. The company also provides “Adobe Experience Cloud” to help companies with data and analytics. But investor pressure to ramp up monetization of AI products and features amid intensifying competition in the digital design industry has weighed on its shares, which have fallen more than 27% so far this year. Adobe had said in October its video and image editing tools could be controlled by chatting with them. The company also said it was working with OpenAI to let users directly control one of its apps through ChatGPT. —Zaheer Kachwala, Reuters View the full article

A jovial President Donald The President held a warm and friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House, packed with plenty of handshakes and back pats. He brushed aside questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, praised the prince for his statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the United States. The White House rolled out plenty of pomp for the Saudi royal on Tuesday, dispatching fighter jets that the two leaders watched from a red carpet, parading out an honor guard on horseback and giving a lavish dinner in the East Room. In a sitdown in the Oval Office that took place just seven years after Prince Mohammad was implicated by U.S. intelligence agencies in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The President and the prince took numerous questions from reporters — one of whom was repeatedly insulted by The President — on everything from commerce to the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh. Here is a look at some of the takeaways from the visit: Movement on military cooperation The President had previewed his decision to sell F-35s on Sunday but formalized it before the prince on Tuesday when he said the approval was complete and that Israel’s fears about maintaining its qualitative military edge in the Middle East would be addressed. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but some in the Pentagon and other agencies have opposed the sale because of the potential for advanced technology being shared with China, which also has close ties with Saudi Arabia. “As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line,” The President said of Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already has F-35s. “Israel’s aware and they’re going to be very happy.” Israeli officials have suggested that they would not be opposed to Saudi Arabia getting F-35s as long as Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. The Saudis have said they would join the Abraham Accords but only after there is a credible and guaranteed path to Palestinian statehood, a position Prince Mohammad repeated in the meeting. “We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” he said. “We’re going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that.” The President also said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would complete a broader agreement on military and security issues during the visit and that the U.S. would proceed with a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, about which Israel also has raised concerns. The two nations also signed a deal that calls for the Saudis to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the U.S. At the dinner Tuesday night, The President announced he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic move that gives foreign partners some defense, trade and security cooperation benefits. Khashoggi’s killing gets swept aside Tuesday’s meeting was the first White House visit for the crown prince since Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. U.S. intelligence said Prince Mohammad likely approved the slaying. In a remarkable scene in the Oval Office, the prince, nicknamed MBS, faced questions from reporters, something not typical for the de facto head of the absolute monarchy where dissent is criminalized. He was asked about Khashoggi’s slaying along with the role that Saudi citizens played in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. The President, however, lashed out at the reporter for the line of questioning. The President called Khashoggi, a Saudi pro-democracy activist, “extremely controversial” and said “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.” Prince Mohammad, who has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing, replied that his government had taken action. “It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We did all the right steps of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again. And it’s painful, and it was a huge mistake.” The President also commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail but presumably referring to reforms relating to women’s rights. “What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else,” The President said. Lots of pomp and circumstance The President greeted Prince Mohammed at the White House’s South Lawn entrance with a handshake and arm slung over the prince’s shoulder. The President literally rolled out the red carpet for the Saudi leader, with a military band on hand and a flyover by U.S. military planes, before showing the crown prince his decorations along the White House Colonnade. “We have a extremely respected man in the Oval Office today,” The President said at the top of meeting, calling the prince “a friend of mine for a very long time.” The President also castigated his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for greeting Prince Mohammed with a fist bump during his 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia. “When you get out of the plane and you get the future king — and a man who is one of the most respected people in the world — you shake his hand, you don’t give him a fist bump, right?” The President said. “The President doesn’t give a fist bump. I grab that hand” — and he did just that. At the dinner Tuesday night, the tuxedo-clad president and first lady Melania The President welcomed the crown prince back on the red carpet again, before feting him at a dinner attended by tech titans such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. They dined on a pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by a couverture mousse pear for dessert. Vast but vague commercial and economic deals Prince Mohammad told The President that his country would be increasing its financial commitments to the U.S. from $600 billion, which was announced during the president’s trip to Riyadh in May, to $1 trillion. Details of those deals were not immediately clear but are expected to include investments in a variety of American businesses, including artificial Intelligence, as well as the purchase of jet engines and other equipment. —Matthew Lee, AP diplomatic writer Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report. View the full article

When planning your next craft project, consider utilizing low-cost supplies that can improve your creativity. Start by repurposing items you already have at home, such as toilet paper rolls or egg cartons. Explore thrift stores for affordable fabric scraps and old magazines suitable for decoupage. Furthermore, check community platforms like Facebook Marketplace for free or cheap materials. With dollar stores stocking crucial craft items, you can find everything you need without overspending. Exploring these options will reveal even more possibilities. Key Takeaways Repurpose materials like toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and glass containers from your recycling box for unique craft projects. Visit thrift stores for affordable supplies, including fabric scraps, old jewelry, and magazines perfect for decoupage. Check community platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle for low-cost or free crafting materials from local residents. Explore dollar stores for budget-friendly essentials like wooden craft sticks, decorative tape, and tissue paper to enhance your projects. Take advantage of sales at craft stores and online retailers, often offering discounts up to 70% on a wide range of supplies. Your Own Home When you look around your home, you may be surprised to find a wealth of crafting materials readily available in your recycling box. Common items like toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and glass containers can be easily repurposed into unique projects. Cardboard from cereal boxes and shipping packages offers a sturdy base for various crafts, as water bottles and milk cartons encourage creativity through upcycling. Furthermore, old newspapers and magazines serve as excellent resources for decoupage and collage, making them both economical and eco-friendly. Don’t forget to explore kids’ rooms and offices for markers and crayons, which can improve your crafting experience. With these low-cost craft supplies at hand, you might find inspiration that rivals any craft catalogs by mail. Yard Sales Exploring yard sales can be a rewarding way to expand your crafting supplies without breaking the bank. These sales often feature a variety of craft items at considerably reduced prices, perfect for budget-conscious crafters. You might find: Fabric scraps – Ideal for quilting or small projects. Yarn skeins – Great for knitting or crocheting unique pieces. Art supplies – Such as paints and brushes, often sold in bulk. Vintage craft books – Offering unique techniques and inspiration. Additionally, many yard sales have leftover supplies from previous projects, allowing you to discover unexpected treasures. Searching online platforms like Craigslist can help you locate specific sales in your area, making it easier to score unique materials for your next project. Your Neighborhood When you’re looking for craft supplies, your neighborhood can be a goldmine of resources. Check out platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Freecycle, where you can find low-cost or even free materials offered by local residents. Furthermore, keep an eye on community events like garage sales and fairs, as they often feature unique items that can inspire your next project. Local Community Resources Local community resources offer a wealth of opportunities for sourcing craft supplies at little to no cost. By tapping into these local avenues, you can easily find materials for your next project. Here are some options to contemplate: Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp: These platforms often feature neighbors giving away or selling craft supplies at low prices. Freecycle: Join this network to receive free items, including unused craft materials from locals. Community Events: Attend seasonal fairs or garage sales where people sell or donate crafting supplies. Thrift Stores: Check your nearby thrift shops for both used and new items perfect for crafting. Utilizing these resources can greatly reduce your crafting expenses during nurturing community connections. Online Marketplace Options Online marketplaces provide a convenient and efficient way to find craft supplies right in your neighborhood. Platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, and OfferUp let you search for affordable or even free materials from local sellers. You’ll often find listings from neighbors who are selling or giving away surplus items, which can help you discover unique supplies at low costs. Moreover, many neighborhood groups facilitate the sharing and trading of craft materials, allowing you to acquire what you need without spending money. Seasonal events and community clean-ups often result in people listing unwanted craft supplies, providing a chance to stock up at minimal or no cost. Utilizing these resources can keep your projects budget-friendly and locally inspired. Thrift Stores Thrift stores are excellent resources for crafters seeking affordable supplies, often featuring a wide variety of both new and gently used items. These stores can be a treasure trove for budget-conscious individuals like you. Here are four items you should look for: Fabric: Large pieces like old blankets or tablecloths can be repurposed for various fabric crafts, saving you money on retail prices. Magazines: You’ll find a range of magazines perfect for decoupage or scrapbooking, enhancing your creative projects without breaking the bank. Jewelry: Old jewelry provides valuable beads and hardware, allowing you to create unique pieces as you reduce waste. Seasonal Supplies: Check seasonal sections for items customized to upcoming holidays, giving your crafts a festive touch. Dollar Stores In terms of affordable craft materials, dollar stores are a treasure trove for budget-conscious crafters. You can find a variety of crucial supplies, like wooden craft sticks, clothespins, and decorative tape, all priced at just a dollar each. Affordable Craft Materials If you’re looking for budget-friendly craft materials, dollar stores are a treasure trove of affordable options. You can find a wide variety of supplies for just a dollar, making these stores ideal for budget-conscious crafters. Here are four crucial items you should consider picking up: Wooden craft sticks – perfect for building and creating various projects. Clothespins – great for holding items together or as decorative accents. Tissue paper – ideal for gift wrapping or adding color to crafts. Decorative craft tape – useful for embellishing and personalizing your creations. Additionally, don’t overlook office and party supply sections for more materials. Regular visits can reveal new arrivals and seasonal items that inspire your next creative endeavor without breaking the bank. Diverse Crafting Options Exploring diverse crafting options at dollar stores opens up a world of creativity without straining your budget. You’ll find an impressive selection of craft supplies, such as wooden craft sticks, tissue paper, and decorative tape, all priced at just a dollar each. Seasonal items and party supplies make these stores ideal for themed crafts and events. Common supplies like glues, foam brushes, beads, and floral foam allow for a variety of projects without overspending. Furthermore, you can discover vases, candle holders, and other decorative items that can be creatively repurposed. Regular visits to dollar stores can likewise reveal new and unique materials, as inventory constantly changes, offering both fresh finds and clearance items perfect for your next DIY project. Craft Reuse Centers Craft reuse centers serve as valuable resources for crafters looking to acquire materials during the promotion of sustainability. These centers accept donations of crafting supplies and resell them at low prices, helping to keep materials out of landfills. You’ll find a wide variety of supplies catering to different crafting needs, perfect for both children and adults. Shopping at these centers not just saves money but also offers unique finds that can inspire your projects. Here are four benefits of visiting a craft reuse center: Affordability: Prices are considerably lower than traditional retail. Variety: A diverse range of materials for various types of crafts. Community Engagement: Encourages local collaboration and support. Unexpected Treasures: Unique and vintage items that spark creativity. Discount Stores When you’re looking for affordable craft options, discount stores can be a valuable resource. Places like Big Lots and Five Below offer a range of materials, from decorative craft tape to floral foam, all at budget-friendly prices. Plus, with seasonal discounts and unique finds arriving regularly, you’re likely to discover fresh supplies that can inspire your next project. Affordable Craft Options If you’re on the lookout for budget-friendly craft supplies, discount stores like Big Lots, Five Below, and Dollar General can be excellent resources. These stores often have dedicated craft sections, making it easy to find materials for various projects at low prices. Here are some popular items you can typically find: Glassware – perfect for DIY home decor or candle holders. Fake flowers – great for floral arrangements without the maintenance. Wooden craft sticks – useful for a variety of projects, from models to frames. Decorative craft tape – ideal for adding flair to cards or scrapbooks. Regular visits can yield unique finds, especially with seasonal items, allowing you to experiment creatively while sticking to your budget. Unique Finds Available Have you ever considered the hidden gems waiting for you in discount stores? Places like Big Lots, Five Below, Wal-Mart, and Dollar General often have dedicated craft supply sections filled with low-cost materials. You can find raw materials such as glassware, fake flowers, and frames at markedly reduced prices, making it easy to stock up on necessities without breaking the bank. Regular visits can reveal new arrivals and discounts, allowing you to discover unique supplies that you mightn’t find elsewhere. Furthermore, these stores offer unconventional crafting items, encouraging you to get creative with everyday objects. Seasonal Discounts Offered Seasonal discounts at discount stores present an excellent opportunity for crafters looking to save on materials for holiday-themed projects. Stores like Dollar General and Big Lots frequently offer markdowns on a variety of craft supplies. You can find unique items that rotate with the seasons, making it easier to celebrate any occasion without overspending. Here are four types of supplies you might find on sale: Decorative paints and brushes for seasonal crafts. Holiday-themed decorations like ornaments and garlands. Crafting tools, such as scissors and glue guns. Wrapping paper and gift-making materials during clearance events. Unconventional Stores Though many crafters typically turn to traditional craft stores for their supplies, unconventional stores can offer a treasure trove of materials that mightn’t be found elsewhere. Specialty shops like hardware stores provide discounted storage containers, magnets, and tools perfect for various projects. Office supply stores often carry paper, adhesives, and scissors at competitive prices, making them excellent resources for DIY enthusiasts. Pharmacies frequently have seasonal items and party supplies at reduced rates, ideal for those last-minute crafting needs. Antique stores present unique old and new supplies that can be creatively repurposed. Finally, regular visits to discount chains like Big Lots, Five Below, and Dollar General can yield cheap materials such as glassware and fake flowers, perfect for budget-friendly crafting. Craft Stores Craft stores serve as a go-to resource for crafters seeking an extensive range of supplies customized to various projects. They cater to all budget ranges by offering both cheap and expensive items, making it easy to find what you need. To help you save even more, many stores have frequent sales and coupons, often providing discounts up to 70% off original prices. Seasonal items are likewise typically discounted, allowing access to themed supplies for holidays at lower prices. You’ll find dedicated sections for specific crafts, such as: Yarn for knitting and crocheting Scrapbooking materials for creative layouts Painting supplies like canvases and brushes Beading kits for jewelry-making These features guarantee that you can find everything you need in one convenient location. Online Stores When you’re looking for craft supplies, online stores offer a convenient and often cost-effective alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar locations. Retailers like Amazon and eBay frequently provide competitive prices on a vast array of items, making it simple to find budget-friendly options. Websites such as Oriental Trading and Fabric.com grant discounts on bulk purchases, letting you stock up without overspending. Plus, online shopping expands your access to specialty supplies that local stores may not carry. Seasonal sales and promotions further improve savings throughout the year. The table below highlights some popular online craft supply retailers and their primary advantages. Store Advantages Amazon Wide selection, competitive prices eBay Auctions, unique finds Oriental Trading Bulk discounts, party supplies Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Best Crafting Supplies for Beginners? For beginners, vital crafting supplies include versatile acrylic paints, brushes, and canvases, which are affordable and support various projects. You should furthermore have basic tools like scissors, glue, and tape, important for crafting tasks. Colored paper and cardstock are cost-effective choices for numerous projects, encouraging creativity. In addition, consider beginner craft kits that provide structured guidance and required materials. Basic fabric supplies like felt and yarn are budget-friendly options for textile crafts, promoting hands-on learning. Does Dollar General Have Craft Supplies? Yes, Dollar General offers a variety of craft supplies. You can find items like wooden craft sticks, tissue paper, and foam paint brushes, often priced around one dollar each. The store likewise stocks decorative craft tape, glues, and floral foam. In addition, seasonal items can be repurposed for crafts, providing more options. Regular visits can help you discover new arrivals and seasonal discounts, enhancing your crafting experience at affordable prices. How to Declutter Your Craft Supplies? To declutter your craft supplies, start by sorting everything into clear categories like paint, fabric, and tools. Use labeled storage bins for easy access and organization. Set a schedule to review your supplies every six months, donating or discarding items you don’t use or that are damaged. Implement a “one in, one out” rule to maintain balance, and consider repurposing materials from your collection to inspire new projects during reducing clutter effectively. Does Family Dollar Have Craft Stuff? Yes, Family Dollar carries a variety of craft supplies. You’ll find crucial items like glue, scissors, construction paper, and markers, which are perfect for various projects. They likewise stock seasonal craft supplies, ideal for holiday-themed creations. Furthermore, you can discover DIY kits and basic tools suitable for both kids and adults. With prices typically ranging from $1 to $5, it’s a budget-friendly option for anyone looking to craft without overspending. Conclusion By exploring various sources for low-cost craft supplies, you can maximize your creativity as you stay within budget. Look around your home for items like toilet paper rolls and egg cartons, visit yard sales for hidden treasures, and check thrift stores for unique fabric scraps. Furthermore, dollar stores and online platforms can provide affordable necessities. With these strategies, you can gather the materials you need for your next project without overspending, ensuring you have fun during crafting. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Low Cost Craft Supplies for Your Next Project" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When planning your next craft project, consider utilizing low-cost supplies that can improve your creativity. Start by repurposing items you already have at home, such as toilet paper rolls or egg cartons. Explore thrift stores for affordable fabric scraps and old magazines suitable for decoupage. Furthermore, check community platforms like Facebook Marketplace for free or cheap materials. With dollar stores stocking crucial craft items, you can find everything you need without overspending. Exploring these options will reveal even more possibilities. Key Takeaways Repurpose materials like toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and glass containers from your recycling box for unique craft projects. Visit thrift stores for affordable supplies, including fabric scraps, old jewelry, and magazines perfect for decoupage. Check community platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle for low-cost or free crafting materials from local residents. Explore dollar stores for budget-friendly essentials like wooden craft sticks, decorative tape, and tissue paper to enhance your projects. Take advantage of sales at craft stores and online retailers, often offering discounts up to 70% on a wide range of supplies. Your Own Home When you look around your home, you may be surprised to find a wealth of crafting materials readily available in your recycling box. Common items like toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and glass containers can be easily repurposed into unique projects. Cardboard from cereal boxes and shipping packages offers a sturdy base for various crafts, as water bottles and milk cartons encourage creativity through upcycling. Furthermore, old newspapers and magazines serve as excellent resources for decoupage and collage, making them both economical and eco-friendly. Don’t forget to explore kids’ rooms and offices for markers and crayons, which can improve your crafting experience. With these low-cost craft supplies at hand, you might find inspiration that rivals any craft catalogs by mail. Yard Sales Exploring yard sales can be a rewarding way to expand your crafting supplies without breaking the bank. These sales often feature a variety of craft items at considerably reduced prices, perfect for budget-conscious crafters. You might find: Fabric scraps – Ideal for quilting or small projects. Yarn skeins – Great for knitting or crocheting unique pieces. Art supplies – Such as paints and brushes, often sold in bulk. Vintage craft books – Offering unique techniques and inspiration. Additionally, many yard sales have leftover supplies from previous projects, allowing you to discover unexpected treasures. Searching online platforms like Craigslist can help you locate specific sales in your area, making it easier to score unique materials for your next project. Your Neighborhood When you’re looking for craft supplies, your neighborhood can be a goldmine of resources. Check out platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Freecycle, where you can find low-cost or even free materials offered by local residents. Furthermore, keep an eye on community events like garage sales and fairs, as they often feature unique items that can inspire your next project. Local Community Resources Local community resources offer a wealth of opportunities for sourcing craft supplies at little to no cost. By tapping into these local avenues, you can easily find materials for your next project. Here are some options to contemplate: Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp: These platforms often feature neighbors giving away or selling craft supplies at low prices. Freecycle: Join this network to receive free items, including unused craft materials from locals. Community Events: Attend seasonal fairs or garage sales where people sell or donate crafting supplies. Thrift Stores: Check your nearby thrift shops for both used and new items perfect for crafting. Utilizing these resources can greatly reduce your crafting expenses during nurturing community connections. Online Marketplace Options Online marketplaces provide a convenient and efficient way to find craft supplies right in your neighborhood. Platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, and OfferUp let you search for affordable or even free materials from local sellers. You’ll often find listings from neighbors who are selling or giving away surplus items, which can help you discover unique supplies at low costs. Moreover, many neighborhood groups facilitate the sharing and trading of craft materials, allowing you to acquire what you need without spending money. Seasonal events and community clean-ups often result in people listing unwanted craft supplies, providing a chance to stock up at minimal or no cost. Utilizing these resources can keep your projects budget-friendly and locally inspired. Thrift Stores Thrift stores are excellent resources for crafters seeking affordable supplies, often featuring a wide variety of both new and gently used items. These stores can be a treasure trove for budget-conscious individuals like you. Here are four items you should look for: Fabric: Large pieces like old blankets or tablecloths can be repurposed for various fabric crafts, saving you money on retail prices. Magazines: You’ll find a range of magazines perfect for decoupage or scrapbooking, enhancing your creative projects without breaking the bank. Jewelry: Old jewelry provides valuable beads and hardware, allowing you to create unique pieces as you reduce waste. Seasonal Supplies: Check seasonal sections for items customized to upcoming holidays, giving your crafts a festive touch. Dollar Stores In terms of affordable craft materials, dollar stores are a treasure trove for budget-conscious crafters. You can find a variety of crucial supplies, like wooden craft sticks, clothespins, and decorative tape, all priced at just a dollar each. Affordable Craft Materials If you’re looking for budget-friendly craft materials, dollar stores are a treasure trove of affordable options. You can find a wide variety of supplies for just a dollar, making these stores ideal for budget-conscious crafters. Here are four crucial items you should consider picking up: Wooden craft sticks – perfect for building and creating various projects. Clothespins – great for holding items together or as decorative accents. Tissue paper – ideal for gift wrapping or adding color to crafts. Decorative craft tape – useful for embellishing and personalizing your creations. Additionally, don’t overlook office and party supply sections for more materials. Regular visits can reveal new arrivals and seasonal items that inspire your next creative endeavor without breaking the bank. Diverse Crafting Options Exploring diverse crafting options at dollar stores opens up a world of creativity without straining your budget. You’ll find an impressive selection of craft supplies, such as wooden craft sticks, tissue paper, and decorative tape, all priced at just a dollar each. Seasonal items and party supplies make these stores ideal for themed crafts and events. Common supplies like glues, foam brushes, beads, and floral foam allow for a variety of projects without overspending. Furthermore, you can discover vases, candle holders, and other decorative items that can be creatively repurposed. Regular visits to dollar stores can likewise reveal new and unique materials, as inventory constantly changes, offering both fresh finds and clearance items perfect for your next DIY project. Craft Reuse Centers Craft reuse centers serve as valuable resources for crafters looking to acquire materials during the promotion of sustainability. These centers accept donations of crafting supplies and resell them at low prices, helping to keep materials out of landfills. You’ll find a wide variety of supplies catering to different crafting needs, perfect for both children and adults. Shopping at these centers not just saves money but also offers unique finds that can inspire your projects. Here are four benefits of visiting a craft reuse center: Affordability: Prices are considerably lower than traditional retail. Variety: A diverse range of materials for various types of crafts. Community Engagement: Encourages local collaboration and support. Unexpected Treasures: Unique and vintage items that spark creativity. Discount Stores When you’re looking for affordable craft options, discount stores can be a valuable resource. Places like Big Lots and Five Below offer a range of materials, from decorative craft tape to floral foam, all at budget-friendly prices. Plus, with seasonal discounts and unique finds arriving regularly, you’re likely to discover fresh supplies that can inspire your next project. Affordable Craft Options If you’re on the lookout for budget-friendly craft supplies, discount stores like Big Lots, Five Below, and Dollar General can be excellent resources. These stores often have dedicated craft sections, making it easy to find materials for various projects at low prices. Here are some popular items you can typically find: Glassware – perfect for DIY home decor or candle holders. Fake flowers – great for floral arrangements without the maintenance. Wooden craft sticks – useful for a variety of projects, from models to frames. Decorative craft tape – ideal for adding flair to cards or scrapbooks. Regular visits can yield unique finds, especially with seasonal items, allowing you to experiment creatively while sticking to your budget. Unique Finds Available Have you ever considered the hidden gems waiting for you in discount stores? Places like Big Lots, Five Below, Wal-Mart, and Dollar General often have dedicated craft supply sections filled with low-cost materials. You can find raw materials such as glassware, fake flowers, and frames at markedly reduced prices, making it easy to stock up on necessities without breaking the bank. Regular visits can reveal new arrivals and discounts, allowing you to discover unique supplies that you mightn’t find elsewhere. Furthermore, these stores offer unconventional crafting items, encouraging you to get creative with everyday objects. Seasonal Discounts Offered Seasonal discounts at discount stores present an excellent opportunity for crafters looking to save on materials for holiday-themed projects. Stores like Dollar General and Big Lots frequently offer markdowns on a variety of craft supplies. You can find unique items that rotate with the seasons, making it easier to celebrate any occasion without overspending. Here are four types of supplies you might find on sale: Decorative paints and brushes for seasonal crafts. Holiday-themed decorations like ornaments and garlands. Crafting tools, such as scissors and glue guns. Wrapping paper and gift-making materials during clearance events. Unconventional Stores Though many crafters typically turn to traditional craft stores for their supplies, unconventional stores can offer a treasure trove of materials that mightn’t be found elsewhere. Specialty shops like hardware stores provide discounted storage containers, magnets, and tools perfect for various projects. Office supply stores often carry paper, adhesives, and scissors at competitive prices, making them excellent resources for DIY enthusiasts. Pharmacies frequently have seasonal items and party supplies at reduced rates, ideal for those last-minute crafting needs. Antique stores present unique old and new supplies that can be creatively repurposed. Finally, regular visits to discount chains like Big Lots, Five Below, and Dollar General can yield cheap materials such as glassware and fake flowers, perfect for budget-friendly crafting. Craft Stores Craft stores serve as a go-to resource for crafters seeking an extensive range of supplies customized to various projects. They cater to all budget ranges by offering both cheap and expensive items, making it easy to find what you need. To help you save even more, many stores have frequent sales and coupons, often providing discounts up to 70% off original prices. Seasonal items are likewise typically discounted, allowing access to themed supplies for holidays at lower prices. You’ll find dedicated sections for specific crafts, such as: Yarn for knitting and crocheting Scrapbooking materials for creative layouts Painting supplies like canvases and brushes Beading kits for jewelry-making These features guarantee that you can find everything you need in one convenient location. Online Stores When you’re looking for craft supplies, online stores offer a convenient and often cost-effective alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar locations. Retailers like Amazon and eBay frequently provide competitive prices on a vast array of items, making it simple to find budget-friendly options. Websites such as Oriental Trading and Fabric.com grant discounts on bulk purchases, letting you stock up without overspending. Plus, online shopping expands your access to specialty supplies that local stores may not carry. Seasonal sales and promotions further improve savings throughout the year. The table below highlights some popular online craft supply retailers and their primary advantages. Store Advantages Amazon Wide selection, competitive prices eBay Auctions, unique finds Oriental Trading Bulk discounts, party supplies Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Best Crafting Supplies for Beginners? For beginners, vital crafting supplies include versatile acrylic paints, brushes, and canvases, which are affordable and support various projects. You should furthermore have basic tools like scissors, glue, and tape, important for crafting tasks. Colored paper and cardstock are cost-effective choices for numerous projects, encouraging creativity. In addition, consider beginner craft kits that provide structured guidance and required materials. Basic fabric supplies like felt and yarn are budget-friendly options for textile crafts, promoting hands-on learning. Does Dollar General Have Craft Supplies? Yes, Dollar General offers a variety of craft supplies. You can find items like wooden craft sticks, tissue paper, and foam paint brushes, often priced around one dollar each. The store likewise stocks decorative craft tape, glues, and floral foam. In addition, seasonal items can be repurposed for crafts, providing more options. Regular visits can help you discover new arrivals and seasonal discounts, enhancing your crafting experience at affordable prices. How to Declutter Your Craft Supplies? To declutter your craft supplies, start by sorting everything into clear categories like paint, fabric, and tools. Use labeled storage bins for easy access and organization. Set a schedule to review your supplies every six months, donating or discarding items you don’t use or that are damaged. Implement a “one in, one out” rule to maintain balance, and consider repurposing materials from your collection to inspire new projects during reducing clutter effectively. Does Family Dollar Have Craft Stuff? Yes, Family Dollar carries a variety of craft supplies. You’ll find crucial items like glue, scissors, construction paper, and markers, which are perfect for various projects. They likewise stock seasonal craft supplies, ideal for holiday-themed creations. Furthermore, you can discover DIY kits and basic tools suitable for both kids and adults. With prices typically ranging from $1 to $5, it’s a budget-friendly option for anyone looking to craft without overspending. Conclusion By exploring various sources for low-cost craft supplies, you can maximize your creativity as you stay within budget. Look around your home for items like toilet paper rolls and egg cartons, visit yard sales for hidden treasures, and check thrift stores for unique fabric scraps. Furthermore, dollar stores and online platforms can provide affordable necessities. With these strategies, you can gather the materials you need for your next project without overspending, ensuring you have fun during crafting. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Low Cost Craft Supplies for Your Next Project" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Time slows. The mind chatter quietens. Outside distractions dial down to a hum. You are at one with the task at hand. Congratulations, you’ve reached flow state. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi coined the term to describe a state of complete immersion in an activity, one in which focus comes naturally and you’re “in the zone.” Think of the hours flying by as a painter gets lost in their art. Or when you’re juggling three browser tabs, the caffeine hits, and suddenly, your fingers start flying across the keyboard. Well, over on TikTok, a new trend has the internet sharing the hyper-specific ways they “genuinely” enter their “flow state”—the more chaotic, the better. One example: “When the iced latte, Zyn & Adderall hit at the same time and I genuinely reach flow state,” a TikTok user wrote, blinking and looking around the room with full alertness, punctuated by slurping coffee through a straw. “When I have a drink for hydration, a drink for caffeine, and a drink for fun & genuinely reach a flow state,” another wrote, triple-fisting beverages while standing in front of a laptop. Another added, “When you’re matching socks and genuinely reach flow state.” Boom. While the trend takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the psychological phenomenon, it is a real, if elusive, feeling. Csíkszentmihályi explains that flow happens when our abilities line up just right with the task in front of us. Too easy, and we get bored. Too hard, and we get stressed. Flow occurs in the “sweet spot” where we’re both completely absorbed and able to enjoy the process. “There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” Csikszentmihalyi said in a 2004 TED Talk. “You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult, and sense of time disappears, you forget yourself, you feel part of something larger.” Research shows that entering the flow state can boost performance in activities such as sports or music, and also improve both creativity and well-being. Csíkszentmihályi went as far as to call it “the secret to happiness,” with research showing those who regularly experience flow appear to be less susceptible to depression. With Gen Z “locking in” from now until the end of the year, now is as good a time as ever to practice getting in the zone, blocking out all distractions, and checking off some goals before 2026. Or, as one TikTok user suggested: “When I’m eating the wings and fries at the same time while also getting water and I genuinely reach flow state.” View the full article

Netflix's December lineup has a little something for everyone, from familiar original series to live sports. Emily in Paris returns for a fifth season (Dec. 18), this time set in Rome. The final installment of Stranger Things is coming at the end of the month—the first half of season five premiered in November—with volume two releasing at 5 p.m. PT on Christmas Day and the finale at 5 p.m. PT on New Year's Eve. There's also Love Is Blind: Italy (Dec. 1) and My Next Guest with David Letterman and Adam Sandler (Dec. 1), in which Letterman joins Adam Sandler backstage on his comedy tour, and What's In The Box? (Dec. 17), a new game show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. On the film side, Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc in a new Knives Out mystery called Wake Up, Dead Man (Dec. 12). The standalone sequel to Glass Onion also stars Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Scott. Goodbye June (Dec. 24) also has a stacked cast, including Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, and Kate Winslet—the film is her directorial debut. Four siblings are dealing with their mother's nearing death over the holiday season. Finally, the live events lineup in December includes Jake vs. Joshua: Judgment Day (Dec. 19) and two Christmas Day NFL match-ups: Cowboys vs. Commanders and Lions vs. Vikings. Here's everything else coming to Netflix in December, and everything that's leaving. What's coming to Netflix in December 2025Coming soonCashero—Netflix Series Pro Bono—Netflix Series Robby Hoffman: Wake U—Netflix Comedy Special Available December 1All The Empty Rooms—Netflix Documentary CoComelon Lane: Season 6—Netflix Family Love is Blind: Italy—Netflix Series My Next Guest with David Letterman and Adam Sandler—Netflix Series Playing Gracie Darling—Netflix Series Troll 2—Netflix Film A League of Their Own As Good as It Gets Bad Teacher Big Momma's House Big Momma's House 2 Brightburn Burlesque Cheaper by the Dozen Cheaper by the Dozen 2 Christmas Break-In Downton Abbey Godzilla Hollow Man Joy for Christmas Kung Fu Panda Kung Fu Panda 2 Kung Fu Panda 3 Little Women Pulp Fiction Stripes The Ugly Truth Victoria: Seasons 1-3 What Lies Beneath The Wolf of Wall Street Zero Dark Thirty Available December 2Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches: Season 2 Matt Rife: Unwrapped - A Christmas Crowd Work Special—Netflix Comedy Special Available December 3My Secret Santa—Netflix Film The Northman Stranded with my Mother-in-Law: Season 3—Netflix Series With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration—Netflix Series Available December 4A Lot Like Christmas The Abandons—Netflix Series The Believers: Season 2—Netflix Series Forrest Gump Fugue State 1986—Netflix Series I Wish You Had Told Me—Netflix Film Lali: Time to Step Up—Netflix Documentary Mean Girls (2004) Available December 5Jay Kelly—Netflix Film Love and Wine—Netflix Film The Making of Jay Kelly—Netflix Documentary The New Yorker at 100—Netflix Documentary The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2—Netflix Film The Price of Confession—Netflix Series Owning Manhattan: Season 2—Netflix Series Available December 7Babylon Cast Away Available December 8Elmo and Mark Rober's Merry Giftmas—Netflix Family Available December 9Badly in Love—Netflix Series Blood Coast: Season 2—Netflix Series Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within—Netflix Documentary The West Wing: Seasons 1-7 Available December 10The Accident: Season 2—Netflix Series Record of Ragnarok: Season 3—Netflix Series Simon Cowell: The Next Act—Netflix Documentary Available December 11The Fakenapping—Netflix Film Had I Not Seen the Sun: Part 2—Netflix Series Lost in the Spotlight—Netflix Film Man Vs Baby—Netflix Series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft: Season 2—Netflix Series The Town—Netflix Series Available December 12The Amazing Digital Circus: Season 1: episodes 5-7 City of Shadows—Netflix Series Home for Christmas: Season 3—Netflix Series Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery—Netflix Film Available December 13The Talented Mr. Ripley Available December 14PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie Available December 15A Cowboy Christmas Romance Christmas at the Chalet The Christmas Classic Christmas on the Alpaca Farm The Creature Cases: Chapter 6—Netflix Family Available December 16Castle Rock: Seasons 1-2 Culinary Class Wars: Season 2—Netflix Series Available December 17The Manny: Season 3—Netflix Series Murder in Monaco—Netflix Documentary What's In The Box?—Netflix Series Available December 1810DANCE—Netflix Film Emily in Paris: Season 5—Netflix Series Available December 19A Time For Bravery—Netflix Film Breakdown: 1975—Netflix Documentary The Great Flood—Netflix Film Jake vs. Joshua: Judgment Day—Netflix Live Event Available December 22The Closer: Seasons 1-7 Elway—Netflix Documentary Sicily Express—Netflix Series Available December 23Eden King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch: Season 3—Netflix Series Available December 24Downton Abbey: A New Era Goodbye June—Netflix Film Tom Segura: Teacher—Netflix Comedy Special Available December 25Christmas Gameday: Cowboys vs. Commanders—Netflix Live Event Christmas Gameday: Lions vs. Vikings—Netflix Live Event Stranger Things 5: Volume 2—Netflix Series Available December 26Cover-Up—Netflix Documentary Available December 29Members Only: Palm Beach—Netflix Series Available December 30Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story—Netflix Documentary Ricky Gervais: Mortality—Netflix Comedy Special Available December 31Sleeping with Other People Stranger Things 5: The Finale—Netflix Series What's leaving Netflix in December 2025Leaving December 1Austin Powers in Goldmember Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Back to the Future Back to the Future Part II Back to the Future Part III Beverly Hills Cop Beverly Hills Cop II Beverly Hills Cop III Billy Madison Clueless Cold Pursuit The Dark Tower Downton Abbey E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Edge of Tomorrow Escape Room Game Night The Goonies The Happytime Murders Inglourious Basterds Kicking and Screaming The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Paddington Wonka Leaving December 3How I Met Your Mother: Seasons 1-9 Leaving December 5Compliance Leaving December 7Gods of Egypt Leaving December 9Daddy's Home Daddy's Home 2 Leaving December 17Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 Leaving December 18The 100: Seasons 1-7 Arrow: Seasons 1-8 Supernatural: Seasons 1-15 Leaving December 25Transformers Transformers: Age of Extinction Transformers: Dark of the Moon Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Leaving December 2910 Things I Hate About You Idiocracy Sweet Home Alabama Leaving December 30Ready Player One Leaving December 31Evil: Seasons 1-3 View the full article

While Redfin argues the housing market is stuck and First American was cautious, Remax and Zillow had positive observations about the month's sales activity. View the full article

Tyson Foods has agreed to stop making claims about reaching “net zero” or selling “climate-smart” beef for at least five years, part of a settlement from a lawsuit brought against it by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG). EWG sued Tyson in 2024 over “false or misleading” marketing claims. The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court, alleged that Tyson misled customers through materials that said the company’s industrial meat production operations will reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and also claims that it produces “climate-smart” beef. Beef is one of the worst climate offenders when it comes to proteins. It is responsible for eight to 10 times the carbon emissions as chicken and up to 50 times those of beans. Climate experts highlight beef’s immense land and water use, deforestation, and the methane emissions from cattle as top environmental impacts. In the United States, agriculture at large accounts for about 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. About half of that comes from livestock, with cattle specifically making up 35% of agriculture emissions. “No plan” to achieve net zero goals In 2023, Tyson launched a “Climate-Smart Beef Program.” It advertised that its “Brazen Beef” products were part of that program, and that they came from animals raised “with emissions reduction practices in mind,” per the lawsuit. On its Brazen Beef website, Tyson had said that its emissions were already down 10% (the website is no longer available). But EWG says that Tyson never defined “what exactly ‘climate-smart beef’ is, what baseline it is using for comparison, or how it is measuring any alleged [greenhouse gass] reductions,” the lawsuit reads. The lawsuit also alleged that Tyson “has no plan” to achieve its net zero goals. In the settlement, announced this week, Tyson agreed to no longer make those environmental claims for five years. Tyson also cannot introduce new environmental claims “unless they are supported by expert analysis and verified facts,” per the nonprofit. “The five-year restriction is meaningful because it prevents Tyson from turning around and re-introducing these claims without doing the hard work to substantiate them,” Caroline Leary, general counsel and chief operating officer at EWG, says via email. “Five years is a substantial window for a company of Tyson’s size to either make real, measurable progress on reducing its emissions, or for it to reconsider the accuracy of the claims it makes to consumers,” she adds. In a statement, a Tyson spokesperson says the settlement does not represent any admission of wrongdoing by the company. “Tyson Foods has a long-held core value to serve as stewards of the land, animals and resources entrusted to our care,” the spokesperson added. Spin and bones The Tyson settlement comes in the same month as a separate settlement between the New York attorney general’s office and JBS USA, part of the world’s largest meat company. In that settlement, JBS also agreed to stop making unsubstantiated claims about reaching net-zero emissions. JBS USA will also pay $1.1 million for agriculture programs to help New York farmers reduce emissions and become more climate resilient. The settlements highlight both the environmental impact of meat companies and also their intense marketing practices. A 2024 report found that meat and dairy companies are failing to address these impacts, and none have net-zero targets that meet UN standards. The industries spend more on advertising than on climate solutions, the report found. EWG, which was represented by  the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Earthjustice, Edelson PC, and FarmSTAND in the suit, called the settlement a “significant victory” and says it will continue to review climate claims across the meat industry. “Our hope is that this settlement raises the bar for the entire industry, and that companies like Tyson will take a fresh look at what substantiation actually requires,” Leary says. “If Tyson or any other company chooses to resume climate claims without the evidence to back them up, we will be prepared to take appropriate action. Consumers deserve truth in advertising, now and in the future.” View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe Though it’s become something of a cliche, it’s probably not too often that we’re actually posed the question “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Some among us will have that five-year plan mapped out and memorized – they’d be able to answer without missing a beat. But for many more of us, even if we’re happy at work, there’s a distinct lack of ownership over our professional paths. A whopping nine in 10 workers say they feel stuck in their jobs. Rapid changes in the workplace — from shifting priorities to new AI-powered tools – can make it feel like your career is happening to you instead of with you. One sure-fire antidote is setting professional development goals. Read more for the how and the why. What are professional development goals (and why do they matter)? Related Article Don’t underestimate the outsized impact of short-term goals By Kat Boogaard In Productivity Professional development goals are objectives you set that benefit or improve your career in some way. While that might immediately make you think of landing a promotion, job growth is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s plenty of variety in the professional development goals you can set for yourself, including: Developing a look-forward plan focusing on advancing or growing in your career Improving your skills and knowledge, whether in a current strength area or an aspirational one Building your digital and AI literacy, so you can confidently use new tools to support your work rather than be overwhelmed by them Building a network of people who have the knowledge and/or skills you aspire to own Boosting your productivity and efficiency, so you have more time for what you like to do most Enhancing your well-being While our focus here is on the professional goals you set for yourself, managers and employees can also work collaboratively to determine these objectives as part of a career development plan. Rich Hurley, former Senior Program Manager for Team Anywhere at Atlassian, was part of the core team that rolled out our employee growth profiles. Each profile includes a list of career competencies – the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that are specifically valued in a particular profession – and are connected to future career growth. They’re used in quarterly check-ins and the assessment process, meaning that managers and employees are each held accountable for assessing, reflecting on, and discussing each employee’s career. “To me,” Rich says, “the most impactful managers are the ones who take it one step further and focus beyond the role you currently hold and rather explore together where you want to be one, three, five years from now.” But regardless of how heavily your manager is involved, setting these goals is more than a formality or a feel-good exercise. They significantly impact your motivation, commitment, and career satisfaction. Goals trigger dopamine, the neurotransmitter frequently associated with feelings of pleasure and gratification. And you don’t just get a dopamine spike when you achieve a goal — simply setting a goal triggers that neurotransmitter and pushes you toward that potential reward (hence the boost in motivation). How to set professional development goals: 4 tips for meaningful missions You likely have a few targets lingering in your mind, but bringing some structure to those loose objectives can help you transform them from ideas to action plans. Here are four tips to set meaningful professional development goals. 1. Consider your values Your professional development goals shouldn’t just be meaningful — they should be meaningful to you. Achieving a goal isn’t satisfying if the outcome doesn’t align with your priorities, principles, and ambitions. Rich says, “Too many times, we wait for the organization we work for to decide a topic or skill is important. I’d urge people to spend the time, effort, and resources on skill development that matters to them. Disentangling learning and development from your workplace is freeing; it puts you in the driver’s seat.” Sure, that promotion might look good on paper. But if you’re ultimately seeking a better work-life balance or a fresh start down an exciting path, then greater responsibility at work may eventually feel more like a detour from that five-year plan than a success. Not sure how to identify your core values? Print these cards and then sort them into three piles: Very important to me Important to me Not important to me Once you have a stack of cards that are very important to you, narrow it down to only 10 must-haves. Just like that, you have your core values. Rich shares an experience from his own career: “During an interview for my grad school internship, a team member asked me three questions: ‘Who are you? Where are you going? Why?’ They’re incredibly hard to answer, but give you a lens into how someone views themselves, what aspirations they have, and why those aspirations matter to them. I would recommend that everyone be ready to answer these questions for themselves. They’re an introspective vehicle for discovering what truly matters to you.” 2. Use the SMART goal framework Related Article How to write SMART goals By Kat Boogaard In Productivity SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Using this framework pushes you beyond vague objectives to ones that are detailed enough to motivate you (and they make it easier to monitor your progress too). For example, maybe your goal is to improve your public speaking skills. Applying the SMART goal framework, your final goal could look like this: Improve my public speaking skills and my visibility within the company by taking a public speaking course, using an AI-powered presentation coach to practice talks twice a month, and volunteering as a speaker for at least three company-wide events this year. 3. Identify relevant action items Take another look at the example goal above and you’ll see that it doesn’t just state an objective, but also specific steps to get there: Professional development goal: Improve public speaking skills Related action items: Take a public speaking course Volunteer as a speaker for at least three company events You can set long-term goals or short-term goals. Breaking your bigger objectives into smaller tasks or milestones makes the objective feel more achievable and the process more enjoyable — as you can celebrate those small wins along the way. 4. Use the buddy system Rich is a big believer in the power of having a partner to keep us company on our professional development journey. “Learning and developing is a team sport,” he says. “You can take in knowledge, listen to a workshop, and reflect on its relevance to your life – but processing alone will only take you so far. It’s uncanny how having a partner can open your eyes to what you missed.” A like-minded co-worker or friend can offer a frame of reference beyond your own, allowing you to see how your journey might look different from another person’s perspective. 6 examples of professional development goals to inspire you Related Article Better together: 8 essential teamwork skills to master By Kat Boogaard In Teamwork One of the best parts about professional development goals is that you have the flexibility to identify and create the ones that are the most meaningful and best fit for you. But if you need a little inspiration to get started, take a peek at these examples. 1. Learn a new skill or improve an existing one Professional development goal: Expand my proficiency in SQL programming by the end of 2025. Related action items: Complete the Microsoft SQL Server Certification during Q4 of 2024. Complete a CRM database using SQL by May 2025. 2. Achieve better work-life balance Professional development goal: Improve my work-life balance and reduce my work-related stress levels over the next six months. Related action items: Commit to a firm sign-off time of 5pm three days per week. Schedule and stick to a weekly hobby or self-care activity (such as a book club or workout class). 3. Land a promotion Professional development goal: Move up to a manager position within the next two years. Related action items: Draft a detailed career pathway or development plan with my supervisor by the end of this month. Volunteer to lead three large team projects over the next six months. Schedule a coffee chat with a team member (even better if it’s a manager) from another department every three months to gain exposure and understand different parts of the company. 4. Build your professional network Professional development goal: Expand my professional network this year to stay connected to industry trends and career opportunities. Related action items: Attend one industry networking event each quarter. Join one professional organization or association by the end of the year. 5. Increase your industry knowledge Professional development goal: Build more expertise, credibility, and name recognition within my industry. Related action items: Register for and attend one industry webinar each month. Read at least one industry-relevant book every quarter. 6. Build AI literacy relevant to your role Professional development goal: Become confident and competent in using AI tools that support my day-to-day work by the end of this year. Related action items: Complete one introductory course on AI fundamentals for non-technical professionals by the end of Q1. Choose one AI-powered tool that’s relevant to my role (for writing, coding, analysis, or project management) and use it at least once a week for three months, documenting what works and what doesn’t. Feeling overwhelmed? Your professional goals should be inspiring — not intimidating. If you just need an easy win to gain some momentum, try out some of these low-pressure, quick-win professional development goals: Dust off your LinkedIn profile and update it with recent skills, achievements, and experiences. Dedicate 30 minutes this week to learning and development, such as reading relevant articles, listening to podcasts, or watching webinars. Test out one new time management strategy this week. Reach out to one existing colleague or networking contact to check in or share a helpful resource. Know what you want – and go for it If you’re tired of feeling stuck or stagnant in your career – especially as new technologies like AI reshape many roles – setting and working toward professional development goals can help. Put the above tips and examples to work and you’ll get out of the daily drudgery and start making meaningful progress on goals that matter most to you. “Taking ownership of our path and how we get there is not only liberating, but necessary,” Rich says. “And the best time to start is always now.” Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post How to harness the power of professional development goals appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article