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Gold has been having a very good year. That sentiment couldn’t have been clearer on Tuesday, October 7, as the precious metal hit a new milestone: $4,000 an ounce. As of early Wednesday, gold was up over 53% year to date. That’s significantly higher than the growth seen by major stock indexes over the same period The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 9.93% this year, the S&P 500 is up 14.42%, and the Nasdaq Composite is up 18.19% as of the market close on Tuesday. As a so-called safe-haven asset, gold has benefited from a few things this year, including a weakened dollar and an unpredictable economy. The latter has been especially true since the U.S. government shutdown on October 1. That Wednesday morning saw gold reach new all-time highs, with spot gold and U.S. gold futures reaching $3,894 and $3,922, respectively. Gold has continued to trend upward over the last week, reaching a high of $4,050 today. Yes, but will it last? Clearly the U.S. government shutdown has, at least so far, been a coup for gold, but for how much longer? Of course, there’s no guarantee either way, especially with no end in sight for the shutdown. Financial experts have found themselves split on their predictions. Goldman Sachs has taken a bullish approach, raising its estimated gold forecast from $4,300 to $4,900 per ounce for December 2026. “We see the risks to our upgraded gold price forecast as still skewed to the upside on net, because private sector diversification into the relatively small gold market may boost ETF holdings above our rates-implied estimate,” Goldman stated during the Monday announcement, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Monday saw Bank of America take a much more bearish stance, Fortune reports. Bank of America’s technical strategist, Paul Ciana, warned of an elevated “risk of correction.” Ciana posited that factors like buying based on momentum and overbought signals mean that gold’s speedy rise could be coming to an end. View the full article

Hollywood agent raises almost $3bn from investors including Apollo and QIA for venture spanning tennis to car auctionsView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. We're right in the heart of October Prime Day again, and together with the rest of the Lifehacker team I'm hunting through Amazon to find the best details for you—and the $315 reduction on the Netgear Orbi 970 Wi-Fi 7 mesh series has definitely grabbed my attention. This is a system I've tested in the past for review purposes, alongside many others, and it's the most powerful Wi-Fi 7 system I've used yet. The price drop here is 16 percent, so you're going to be paying $1,684.99 instead of $1,999.99. I know that's a lot of money for a mesh system, but this three-pack is wifi networking for power users—and if you weigh just how important home wifi is, and how much use you get out of it, then it's a worthwhile investment if you've got the budget. According to price trackers, it's also the lowest this system has ever been. Netgear Orbi 970 $1,684.99 $1,999.99 Save $315.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,684.99 $1,999.99 Save $315.00 This beast of a Wi-Fi 7 system will completely eliminate dead spots across 10,000 square feet of space, and you can connect up to 200 devices to it without issue—enough to handle even the busiest of households. You've got blazing fast wired Gigabit ports here too, and quad-band support to ensure a rock solid connection every time. Though the theoretical maximum wifi speed is an astonishing 27 Gbps, this won't actually upgrade the broadband speed coming into your home—but it will make sure that wifi speeds are maximized in every corner of your property. In the time I spent testing out the Orbi 970 I was seriously impressed with the upload and download rates, and the connection stability across dozens of phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don't have Amazon Prime. Walmart's Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It's an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy's Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It's an especially good option if you're a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target's Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. Studying alone and in a quiet space is the way to go most of the time—but there are instances when studying with someone else is unavoidable, like when you're assigned a group project. I'm a group project hater myself, but I admit it can be nice to split up the work on a more overwhelming workload. In fact, there are times studying together can be even more beneficial than studying alone, provided you do it right. For instance, dividing work among the members of a group can help you tackle a huge amount of text and new information. It’s called the jigsaw method. What is the jigsaw reading method?The jigsaw reading method is a way to break up large amounts of text and make it easier to understand. It was actually conceptualized in the 1970s, when social psychologist Elliot Aronson sought to combat racial bias among elementary-aged kids in a classroom where students had recently been integrated. He figured out how to make the environment less competitive and more cooperative among groups of children. It was originally used for young kids, but per guidance from the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, it’s appropriate for learners of all ages. It’s designed to turn individuals into experts in unique topics, then empower them to help their peers better understand those topics. Similar to the practice of Think, Pair, Share, this method forces you to master a specific part of the content block, then bring everyone else up to speed. It's useful for when someone in a group is shy, when the volume of material is massive, or when you have a ton of other assignments due at the same time. How jigsaw learning worksThere are actually two ways to do jigsaw learning: If you have a smaller group of people to work with, break the reading into chunks of one or two paragraphs and assign everyone a chunk. Each person reads their assigned chunk and works on it until they know it extremely well, then everyone takes turns teaching the group about their mini topic. At the end of the discussion, all members of the group should understand everything the text went over—but didn’t have to read it all. If you have a bigger group of people to work with, smaller groups can tackle individual chunks of text. In classroom settings, once a smaller group masters a concept, one learner leaves to sit with a different group and learn about their concept from them and the cycle goes around until everyone has had a chance to go learn from the other groups. In a college or workplace setting, this can be more easily and usefully accomplished with a collaborative document: Each group can summarize their reading in a Google Doc or something similar, ultimately creating a cheat sheet that condenses the full text into a few paragraphs. Some ideas: If you're assigned a chunk of text to read and understand on your own, use a guided reading technique like KWL or SQ3R to go through it. With these, you jot down what you think you know before you start reading, as well as what you want to learn, which guides you to reading closely and finding the answers. You can use the questions and answers you wrote down to guide your discussion when it's time, making all of this pretty seamless. If you’re working on a group project at school or work or are friendly enough with colleagues or classmates to suggest studying together, you can play with different methods here, as long as the main practice involves chunking the work up and giving everyone something to become an expert in. This works like the Feynman method from there: Whoever becomes the expert in a given topic is responsible for understanding it and then distilling it until it’s possible for everyone else to grasp it easily, which means that person has to truly get it first. Everyone else benefits from getting a simple explanation of a complex topic and, ultimately, everybody learns the main messages of the text, both through teaching it to group members and having it taught to them. View the full article

Airbnb is making a substantial commitment to local communities in New York City and New Jersey, aiming to create lasting benefits associated with hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026. This initiative, part of the Airbnb Host City Impact Program, pledges over $1 million to develop community-driven projects, ensuring that the excitement and economic boost of the anticipated tournament extend far beyond the event itself. This investment will support the construction of five new soccer mini-pitches across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and New Jersey, in collaboration with the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Additionally, the initiative includes two major communal celebrations: the Queens Community Day and a Bronx fan day, both designed to foster community engagement and create shared experiences for locals and visitors alike. Airbnb’s partnership with FIFA goes beyond immediate tournament gains; it aims to strengthen host communities. “Good tourism leaves behind strong legacies for everyone,” emphasizes Airbnb’s Global Head of Policy and Communications, Jay Carney. Through initiatives like the Host City Impact Program, Airbnb seeks to forge pathways for youth development, promote sportsmanship, and enhance cultural connections. The potential economic ramifications of this initiative could significantly benefit small businesses in the area. As the tournament approaches, Airbnb hosts are expected to welcome approximately 25,000 guests, bringing an estimated $228 million into the tri-state area through short-term rentals alone. This influx promises to generate $288 million in GDP and support over 1,100 full-time equivalent jobs through 2026, with local hosts projected to see an average of nearly $6,000 in supplemental income. The soccer pitches aim to provide underserved communities access to safe places for play, nurturing the next generation of sports stars and community leaders. “Hosting the FIFA World Cup is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our region,” remarks Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee. This initiative not only addresses the immediate thrill of the tournament but also focuses on sustainable growth and development in local neighborhoods. Small business owners may find this development particularly advantageous, as the community celebrations and soccer initiatives will likely draw foot traffic to local enterprises. With increased visitors in the area, restaurants, shops, and service providers can leverage the event’s publicity to attract customers eager to engage with the local culture. However, there may be challenges associated with such large-scale events. Small business owners should be prepared for potential disruptions during the tournament and the surrounding celebrations. Increased traffic, heightened competition from short-term rentals, and heightened consumer expectations are all factors that local businesses will need to navigate. Community leaders are optimistic about the changes. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson emphasizes the role sports play in community building, stating, “Sports is more than entertainment; it can also be a powerful force for community building, youth development, and social change.” This perspective aligns with Airbnb’s commitment to ensuring that the impact of the World Cup fosters inclusion across all boroughs. Moreover, local leaders, including Council Member Francisco Moya, point to soccer as a unifying force among diverse communities. He states, “For communities across Queens, soccer is more than a game – it’s a shared language that connects us across cultures.” This sentiment reflects a broader vision for the tournament, one that integrates social equity and community pride into the heart of the event. As the region gears up for this monumental event, small businesses can consider engaging with community programs and tapping into local networks to maximize their exposure. Involvement in festivities can enhance brand visibility, foster customer loyalty, and potentially open new revenue streams. For more about Airbnb’s initiatives in New York and New Jersey, see the original press release here. As the countdown to the FIFA World Cup continues, the intersection of sports, tourism, and local businessoffers a unique landscape for careful strategy and planning, allowing small businesses to thrive in this exciting atmosphere. Image Via Envato This article, "Airbnb Invests Over $1 Million to Boost NYC-NJ Communities for World Cup" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Airbnb is making a substantial commitment to local communities in New York City and New Jersey, aiming to create lasting benefits associated with hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026. This initiative, part of the Airbnb Host City Impact Program, pledges over $1 million to develop community-driven projects, ensuring that the excitement and economic boost of the anticipated tournament extend far beyond the event itself. This investment will support the construction of five new soccer mini-pitches across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and New Jersey, in collaboration with the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Additionally, the initiative includes two major communal celebrations: the Queens Community Day and a Bronx fan day, both designed to foster community engagement and create shared experiences for locals and visitors alike. Airbnb’s partnership with FIFA goes beyond immediate tournament gains; it aims to strengthen host communities. “Good tourism leaves behind strong legacies for everyone,” emphasizes Airbnb’s Global Head of Policy and Communications, Jay Carney. Through initiatives like the Host City Impact Program, Airbnb seeks to forge pathways for youth development, promote sportsmanship, and enhance cultural connections. The potential economic ramifications of this initiative could significantly benefit small businesses in the area. As the tournament approaches, Airbnb hosts are expected to welcome approximately 25,000 guests, bringing an estimated $228 million into the tri-state area through short-term rentals alone. This influx promises to generate $288 million in GDP and support over 1,100 full-time equivalent jobs through 2026, with local hosts projected to see an average of nearly $6,000 in supplemental income. The soccer pitches aim to provide underserved communities access to safe places for play, nurturing the next generation of sports stars and community leaders. “Hosting the FIFA World Cup is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our region,” remarks Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee. This initiative not only addresses the immediate thrill of the tournament but also focuses on sustainable growth and development in local neighborhoods. Small business owners may find this development particularly advantageous, as the community celebrations and soccer initiatives will likely draw foot traffic to local enterprises. With increased visitors in the area, restaurants, shops, and service providers can leverage the event’s publicity to attract customers eager to engage with the local culture. However, there may be challenges associated with such large-scale events. Small business owners should be prepared for potential disruptions during the tournament and the surrounding celebrations. Increased traffic, heightened competition from short-term rentals, and heightened consumer expectations are all factors that local businesses will need to navigate. Community leaders are optimistic about the changes. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson emphasizes the role sports play in community building, stating, “Sports is more than entertainment; it can also be a powerful force for community building, youth development, and social change.” This perspective aligns with Airbnb’s commitment to ensuring that the impact of the World Cup fosters inclusion across all boroughs. Moreover, local leaders, including Council Member Francisco Moya, point to soccer as a unifying force among diverse communities. He states, “For communities across Queens, soccer is more than a game – it’s a shared language that connects us across cultures.” This sentiment reflects a broader vision for the tournament, one that integrates social equity and community pride into the heart of the event. As the region gears up for this monumental event, small businesses can consider engaging with community programs and tapping into local networks to maximize their exposure. Involvement in festivities can enhance brand visibility, foster customer loyalty, and potentially open new revenue streams. For more about Airbnb’s initiatives in New York and New Jersey, see the original press release here. As the countdown to the FIFA World Cup continues, the intersection of sports, tourism, and local businessoffers a unique landscape for careful strategy and planning, allowing small businesses to thrive in this exciting atmosphere. Image Via Envato This article, "Airbnb Invests Over $1 Million to Boost NYC-NJ Communities for World Cup" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. Whether you’re revising your notes right after class or condensing them later so you can study using the Feynman method, you’ll need a solid system for pulling out the most critical information and distilling everything down into something digestible and easy to retain. This is where the GIST method can prove extremely useful. The worst-case scenario when you're studying is that you read and read and read, but don't exactly retain much of it. That's even worse than if you don't study at all because you wasted all that time and it can be extremely demoralizing. GIST will help avoid that fate if you do it right. What is the GIST method?The GIST method is an aptly-named system for condensing your notes (or anything you’ve read, like a chapter in a book) so everything is as simple as possible to read through and review. The point is to help you get the gist of the content block. Get it? This approach requires you to resist the natural urge to pack your notes with too many details. The GIST method helps you break that habit. With it, you'll practice breaking each point down to 25 words or so. It might seem like that's just not enough to fully encapsulate everything you're learning—and it's not. It's enough to give you a solid, foundational understanding of the material that you can then build on once you get the basics down. Instead of reading thousands of words and retaining just a few of them because you have no real fundamental grasp of the ideas, you're creating a more concrete understanding of the most elemental parts. “GIST” is an acronym for “Generating Interactions between Schemata and Texts.” It's clunky because it was obviously retrofitted to match up with the word "GIST" itself, a perfect example of using the association technique to remember steps in a sequence. What this all means, in simpler terms, is creating a framework between the text you’re working from (whether that’s your full class notes or a textbook excerpt) and your condensed notes. Once you have identified the GIST of whatever you’re studying, it can serve as a roadmap to guide your review sessions, so you’re sure you’re focusing on the most critical details. You ask yourself a few questions: What is happening? Who is doing it? When is it happening? Where is it happening? Why is it happening (or why is it important that it's happening)? How is it happening? It can be helpful to think of the familiar “Five Ws and H.” Once you have collected all of that information, write it out simply in a short-form block. To clarify, the GIST itself isn’t what you’ll be studying. The goal is to help you identify the main message or idea of a text and hone in on it until you understand it at its most basic level. From there you can move on to the more complicated, weedy parts, too—and methods like mind mapping will help you get there. How to start using the GIST method to summarize your class notesThe GIST method starts with a close reading of your notes/chapter/assigned text. (Here’s a full guide on close reading.) It’s better to do this with shorter chunks of information than multiple chapters or lessons. Next, grab a sticky note or notebook paper and write, in a column, the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Answer the questions simply, taking the information straight from your notes or reading. Next, write a paragraph underneath, limiting yourself to approximately 25 words. The paragraph should summarize the answers to the questions above. Say you're studying the Boston Tea Party. Who was involved? It was colonialists and the Sons of Liberty. What did they do? They protested against the British Tax Act. When did they do it? They did it December 16, 1773. Where did they do it? They did it in Boston Harbor. Why did they do it? They opposed taxation without representation. How did they do it? They boarded British ships and dumped tea into the harbor. Once you have those basic answers written down, you'd write your paragraph like this: "In December 1773, American colonists protested British taxes by dumping tea into Boston Harbor, opposing the Tea Act and taxation without representation." That paragraph is now the jumping-off point for everything else you have to learn. Anything else you read or go over after that will make more sense after being mapped onto this simpler distillation. You can use a prepared GIST template to help you through the process, though some limit your GIST to 20 words. For condensing notes or studying at a higher level, 25 words is a good number to aim for, as it lets you expand complicated concepts with just a little more information—but not too much. View the full article

US president pressures Norwegian government and independent committee to select him on FridayView the full article

At Zoho’s SMZ 2025 event, collaboration was the word of the day — but Zoho is giving that idea a whole new meaning with Vani, its intelligent visual collaboration platform. I sat down with Aarthi Elizabeth Anbu, Product Marketing Manager at Zoho, to learn how Vani reimagines teamwork for small businesses that juggle multiple tools, tasks, and time zones. Where Knowledge Begins When asked about the name, Aarthi smiled. “There is an Indian goddess called Saraswati, who is the goddess of knowledge and learning,” she explained. “So Vani is another name for her. Because this is where knowledge begins, where brainstorming starts, so that’s why Vani.” That origin fits the platform’s purpose perfectly. Vani is designed as an intelligent, visual collaboration space — a kind of shared digital whiteboard where teams can brainstorm, draw mind maps, plan projects, and even host video meetings without switching between multiple apps. Why Visual Collaboration Matters Aarthi described Vani with a vivid analogy: “Imagine a football coach trying to plan a game without a formation board,” she said. “Everyone’s going to have to imagine it in their head. And that’s complex.” The same is true for teams, especially small ones, trying to plan projects or manage workflows across tools like Slack, Zoom, and email. “Imagine a team trying to plan an entire project from start to finish without a Kanban board, without a Gantt chart,” she continued. “It’s going to increase the cognitive load on your head and slow the entire process.” That’s where Vani comes in. It gives small and midsize teams a shared visual space to brainstorm, plan, and execute — keeping everyone on the same page, literally. “Smaller companies, younger teams, they work well visually,” Aarthi said. “Teams move forward when ideas are visual.” One Infinite Canvas for Everything For small businesses that rely on multiple apps for meetings, email, and planning, Vani aims to become the one-stop visual workspace. “With Vani, you don’t have to have five different applications,” Aarthi explained. “You bring everything onto an infinite canvas. Whether you’re putting together a product roadmap, planning a social media campaign, or diagramming network architecture — you can do it all in one place.” Vani’s built-in video feature eliminates the need for third-party meeting tools. “You don’t need to integrate with Zoom or go out of the application,” Aarthi said. “You simply start a meeting, and everyone’s notified. They can decide if they want to jump on, and you can select exactly where you want them to join.” The canvas also supports asynchronous communication — a major benefit for distributed or flexible teams. “You can leave comments for your team, add voice notes, and react to different elements,” she said. “It’s a fun way to work, and you can get things done faster.” Templates and Kits: Ready-to-Use and Customizable One of Vani’s most practical features for small businesses is its library of templates and kits — pre-built setups for common workflows like project planning, sales follow-ups, and marketing strategy. “Vani has two things,” Aarthi said. “One is ready-to-use templates, and my favorite is being able to put together a social media post or brainstorming template where you can create a mind map and have different members of your team start working on it.” AI also plays a role. “You can simply say, ‘Vani, create a flowchart with this, this, and this for me,’ and it’s going to create one for you,” she said. For more specialized needs, kits help tailor the workspace. “Let’s say you’re a designer and you’re going to diagram a network architecture,” she explained. “You can add the AWS kit, and it’s going to have all these tools there. You just drag and drop and start building.” This approach gives small teams both flexibility and structure — ready-made templates for quick starts, and customization for unique business processes. Integrations for a Seamless Day No modern tool stands alone, and Zoho knows small businesses live in multi-app worlds. Vani integrates with key Zoho products like WorkDrive, Mail, Projects, and Show, as well as external platforms such as Microsoft Teams. “I think most small teams use Microsoft Teams,” Aarthi said. “You’re going to be able to pull up Vani from within Teams without leaving it and start having a discussion or draw a mind map. Having a centralized space for everyone to work on the same thing — that’s a big advantage.” And that’s just the beginning. “This is first of many,” she added. “We’re going to be integrating with Google and all your communication apps because we want to be able to pull in the visual part of collaboration — across apps, across regions, across languages.” Making Collaboration More Human Beyond its technical capabilities, Vani brings personality to collaboration. The platform includes voice notes, comments, pins, mentions, live cursors, and reactions, making teamwork more interactive — even fun. “With Vani, everyone looks at what everyone else is doing,” Aarthi said. “Of course, you have complete control — admins can set roles and permissions, deciding who can view, edit, or organize spaces.” That balance of openness and control helps small teams stay transparent without chaos. “If you do want to monitor and have control, you can,” she explained. “But if you don’t and you want everyone to have equal space, you can too.” These real-time reactions and live cursors give teams instant visual feedback. “Just before today, we tested out Vani with about 35 team members back in India,” Aarthi recalled. “Everyone was saying something or the other, and it was so much fun. No one was really moderating it. It was a good experience.” For small businesses without a dedicated project manager, this kind of built-in visibility acts as a lightweight audit trail — showing who did what, when, and where — all within the same workspace. Rethinking Meetings with Catchups Vani also introduces a new type of meeting — or, more accurately, anti-meeting — called “Catchups.” Designed to reduce context switching and meeting overload, Catchups are short, flexible, and spontaneous. “They’re not like your regular meetings,” Aarthi explained. “You don’t have to create an invite or a meeting link and have everyone come at a certain time. If you’re working on something and want someone’s opinion, you start a Catchup.” Anyone can jump in or out as needed. “There’s no set meeting approach,” she added. “If you want to discuss something, you hop in; if you don’t, you hop out. It helps with asynchronous communication because not everyone has to be available at the same time.” Catchups fit naturally into the way small businesses operate — fluid, fast-moving, and focused on results. “We are working on chat as part of Vani too,” Aarthi shared. “It’s in our roadmap.” Designed for How Small Businesses Work Today For many small teams, the biggest challenge isn’t the lack of tools — it’s too many tools. Between video calls, project trackers, email threads, and shared drives, information often ends up scattered. Vani tackles that by offering one centralized visual hub where everything connects: brainstorming, task planning, documentation, and real-time conversation. That holistic approach is what Aarthi calls “shared visual intelligence” — the idea that when teams think and see together, they work smarter. “We thought we should have a product like Vani,” she said. “We should use this concept of shared visual intelligence and put it in everything we do.” For small business owners, that translates to fewer meetings, faster decisions, and a stronger sense of team alignment — all without needing to invest in complex or expensive project management tools. From Early Access to Everyday Use Vani is currently available in early access at vaniHQ.com. Small business owners can sign up to explore its infinite canvas, ready-to-use templates, and AI-powered tools firsthand. “Vani is, we’re opening out early access,” Aarthi said. “You can simply sign up and start using the product and giving it a shot.” As Zoho continues to expand its suite of AI-driven business applications, Vani adds a fresh, human-centered layer to the ecosystem — one focused not just on data or automation, but on how people actually work together. Why Vani Matters for Small Businesses In an age where small teams are spread across locations, devices, and schedules, the need for clear, connected collaboration has never been greater. Tools like Vani help bridge that gap by blending the visual flexibility of a whiteboard, the structure of a project planner, and the communication power of video and chat — all in one unified space. For entrepreneurs and small business owners who want their teams to stay organized without getting bogged down in endless emails or meetings, Vani offers a refreshing, practical alternative. As Aarthi put it: “It’s a fun way to work, and you can get things done faster.” Key Takeaway: For small business teams looking to streamline communication, brainstorming, and project management, Zoho’s Vani delivers an all-in-one visual collaboration platform that simplifies work — from the first idea to final handoff — and brings knowledge, creativity, and teamwork together on one infinite canvas. This article, "Zoho’s New Collaboration Tool “Vani” Aims to Simplify Small Business Teamwork" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

At Zoho’s SMZ 2025 event, collaboration was the word of the day — but Zoho is giving that idea a whole new meaning with Vani, its intelligent visual collaboration platform. I sat down with Aarthi Elizabeth Anbu, Product Marketing Manager at Zoho, to learn how Vani reimagines teamwork for small businesses that juggle multiple tools, tasks, and time zones. Where Knowledge Begins When asked about the name, Aarthi smiled. “There is an Indian goddess called Saraswati, who is the goddess of knowledge and learning,” she explained. “So Vani is another name for her. Because this is where knowledge begins, where brainstorming starts, so that’s why Vani.” That origin fits the platform’s purpose perfectly. Vani is designed as an intelligent, visual collaboration space — a kind of shared digital whiteboard where teams can brainstorm, draw mind maps, plan projects, and even host video meetings without switching between multiple apps. Why Visual Collaboration Matters Aarthi described Vani with a vivid analogy: “Imagine a football coach trying to plan a game without a formation board,” she said. “Everyone’s going to have to imagine it in their head. And that’s complex.” The same is true for teams, especially small ones, trying to plan projects or manage workflows across tools like Slack, Zoom, and email. “Imagine a team trying to plan an entire project from start to finish without a Kanban board, without a Gantt chart,” she continued. “It’s going to increase the cognitive load on your head and slow the entire process.” That’s where Vani comes in. It gives small and midsize teams a shared visual space to brainstorm, plan, and execute — keeping everyone on the same page, literally. “Smaller companies, younger teams, they work well visually,” Aarthi said. “Teams move forward when ideas are visual.” One Infinite Canvas for Everything For small businesses that rely on multiple apps for meetings, email, and planning, Vani aims to become the one-stop visual workspace. “With Vani, you don’t have to have five different applications,” Aarthi explained. “You bring everything onto an infinite canvas. Whether you’re putting together a product roadmap, planning a social media campaign, or diagramming network architecture — you can do it all in one place.” Vani’s built-in video feature eliminates the need for third-party meeting tools. “You don’t need to integrate with Zoom or go out of the application,” Aarthi said. “You simply start a meeting, and everyone’s notified. They can decide if they want to jump on, and you can select exactly where you want them to join.” The canvas also supports asynchronous communication — a major benefit for distributed or flexible teams. “You can leave comments for your team, add voice notes, and react to different elements,” she said. “It’s a fun way to work, and you can get things done faster.” Templates and Kits: Ready-to-Use and Customizable One of Vani’s most practical features for small businesses is its library of templates and kits — pre-built setups for common workflows like project planning, sales follow-ups, and marketing strategy. “Vani has two things,” Aarthi said. “One is ready-to-use templates, and my favorite is being able to put together a social media post or brainstorming template where you can create a mind map and have different members of your team start working on it.” AI also plays a role. “You can simply say, ‘Vani, create a flowchart with this, this, and this for me,’ and it’s going to create one for you,” she said. For more specialized needs, kits help tailor the workspace. “Let’s say you’re a designer and you’re going to diagram a network architecture,” she explained. “You can add the AWS kit, and it’s going to have all these tools there. You just drag and drop and start building.” This approach gives small teams both flexibility and structure — ready-made templates for quick starts, and customization for unique business processes. Integrations for a Seamless Day No modern tool stands alone, and Zoho knows small businesses live in multi-app worlds. Vani integrates with key Zoho products like WorkDrive, Mail, Projects, and Show, as well as external platforms such as Microsoft Teams. “I think most small teams use Microsoft Teams,” Aarthi said. “You’re going to be able to pull up Vani from within Teams without leaving it and start having a discussion or draw a mind map. Having a centralized space for everyone to work on the same thing — that’s a big advantage.” And that’s just the beginning. “This is first of many,” she added. “We’re going to be integrating with Google and all your communication apps because we want to be able to pull in the visual part of collaboration — across apps, across regions, across languages.” Making Collaboration More Human Beyond its technical capabilities, Vani brings personality to collaboration. The platform includes voice notes, comments, pins, mentions, live cursors, and reactions, making teamwork more interactive — even fun. “With Vani, everyone looks at what everyone else is doing,” Aarthi said. “Of course, you have complete control — admins can set roles and permissions, deciding who can view, edit, or organize spaces.” That balance of openness and control helps small teams stay transparent without chaos. “If you do want to monitor and have control, you can,” she explained. “But if you don’t and you want everyone to have equal space, you can too.” These real-time reactions and live cursors give teams instant visual feedback. “Just before today, we tested out Vani with about 35 team members back in India,” Aarthi recalled. “Everyone was saying something or the other, and it was so much fun. No one was really moderating it. It was a good experience.” For small businesses without a dedicated project manager, this kind of built-in visibility acts as a lightweight audit trail — showing who did what, when, and where — all within the same workspace. Rethinking Meetings with Catchups Vani also introduces a new type of meeting — or, more accurately, anti-meeting — called “Catchups.” Designed to reduce context switching and meeting overload, Catchups are short, flexible, and spontaneous. “They’re not like your regular meetings,” Aarthi explained. “You don’t have to create an invite or a meeting link and have everyone come at a certain time. If you’re working on something and want someone’s opinion, you start a Catchup.” Anyone can jump in or out as needed. “There’s no set meeting approach,” she added. “If you want to discuss something, you hop in; if you don’t, you hop out. It helps with asynchronous communication because not everyone has to be available at the same time.” Catchups fit naturally into the way small businesses operate — fluid, fast-moving, and focused on results. “We are working on chat as part of Vani too,” Aarthi shared. “It’s in our roadmap.” Designed for How Small Businesses Work Today For many small teams, the biggest challenge isn’t the lack of tools — it’s too many tools. Between video calls, project trackers, email threads, and shared drives, information often ends up scattered. Vani tackles that by offering one centralized visual hub where everything connects: brainstorming, task planning, documentation, and real-time conversation. That holistic approach is what Aarthi calls “shared visual intelligence” — the idea that when teams think and see together, they work smarter. “We thought we should have a product like Vani,” she said. “We should use this concept of shared visual intelligence and put it in everything we do.” For small business owners, that translates to fewer meetings, faster decisions, and a stronger sense of team alignment — all without needing to invest in complex or expensive project management tools. From Early Access to Everyday Use Vani is currently available in early access at vaniHQ.com. Small business owners can sign up to explore its infinite canvas, ready-to-use templates, and AI-powered tools firsthand. “Vani is, we’re opening out early access,” Aarthi said. “You can simply sign up and start using the product and giving it a shot.” As Zoho continues to expand its suite of AI-driven business applications, Vani adds a fresh, human-centered layer to the ecosystem — one focused not just on data or automation, but on how people actually work together. Why Vani Matters for Small Businesses In an age where small teams are spread across locations, devices, and schedules, the need for clear, connected collaboration has never been greater. Tools like Vani help bridge that gap by blending the visual flexibility of a whiteboard, the structure of a project planner, and the communication power of video and chat — all in one unified space. For entrepreneurs and small business owners who want their teams to stay organized without getting bogged down in endless emails or meetings, Vani offers a refreshing, practical alternative. As Aarthi put it: “It’s a fun way to work, and you can get things done faster.” Key Takeaway: For small business teams looking to streamline communication, brainstorming, and project management, Zoho’s Vani delivers an all-in-one visual collaboration platform that simplifies work — from the first idea to final handoff — and brings knowledge, creativity, and teamwork together on one infinite canvas. This article, "Zoho’s New Collaboration Tool “Vani” Aims to Simplify Small Business Teamwork" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

US investment bank is one of the largest-known creditors to the bankrupt auto parts firm View the full article

In my old banking job, where I worked for 12 years, I found myself frustrated with the slow pace of the work, the layers of red tape and approvals to get anything done. After all, banking was a highly regulated industry, and while there were many rules to follow, they were just simply being a good bank by following them. I felt tired, drained, and lacked energy—similar symptoms to burnout. While the organization was frequently voted a “best place to work,” I couldn’t figure out why my “great job” felt so bad. I wasn’t overworking or spending endless evenings logging in, so the typical paths to burnout didn’t make sense. What I was actually experiencing was rust out. A COSTLY CONDITION The literal definition of rust out is to decay and become unusable through the action of rust. Rust out is a type of burnout that comes from not using your unique skills and talents at work, lacking learning opportunities, and ultimately, dreading the repetitive tasks at work that sap your creativity. Not only is this costly to an employee’s peace and mental health, but it’s costly to employers, too. According to Gallup’s 2025 engagement report, the global percentage of engaged employees was 21% in 2024. It’s even worse for leadership. For young managers (under 35), engagement dropped by 5%, and female manager engagement dropped by 7%. Here’s what to do if you suspect you may be experiencing rust out: CONDUCT AN ENERGY AUDIT One of the biggest contributors to rust out is spending your energy in places that don’t align with your unique talents and skills. In my own experience, and in working with my clients, a simple way to uncover your unique talents is to notice your energy. I believe every work activity falls into one of three categories: energy suckers, energy stallers, and energy surgers. Energy suckers feel like they take heroic effort, even though the task wasn’t all that large or difficult. Energy stallers are tricky because they throw your energy into neutral. You don’t feel drained while doing them, but they don’t ignite your energy either. Energy surgers are the sweet spot you’re looking for. These projects bring a paradox—they are challenging, but they make you feel amazing, in flow, and like your most creative self. When conducting an energy audit, assess what percentage of your time is spent on energy suckers, energy stallers, and energy surgers. DUMP, DELEGATE, OR OUTSOURCE After you conduct your energy audit, the next step is to ask yourself: “What can I dump, delegate or outsource?” You want to dump the things that drain your energy the most. They are likely tasks or projects that we said yes to months or years ago that we keep doing because we’re on autopilot. In my own experience, these were old reports I would review that no one was paying attention to. If you don’t want or need to be there, and it doesn’t align with your values and priorities, it may be time to dump it. If you can’t dump it, can you delegate it? In a day of back-to-back meetings, I noticed that two of my team members were in there with me. They could handle the meeting and make the decisions, but because I was in the meeting as their leader, people would defer to me anyway. I decided to delegate that meeting. And by asking myself, “Where does my presence subtract value for fellow team members?” I found more meetings I could delegate. And finally, if you can’t dump it or delegate it, can you outsource it? In my years of working at technology and consulting firms, I discovered the power of outsourcing: from office snack delivery to marketing activities to contractors. ADVOCATE FOR YOUR TALENTS Once you are clear on what your energy surgers are, it is up to you to communicate clearly to your boss and peers what your strongest talents are and what type of work you’d most like to take on. Leaders can’t read minds, so the more you communicate the work you value and ask them to think of you when opportunities come up, the more likely they are to share your name and talents when you are not in the room. This may not happen overnight but through consistent conversations it can work. The good news is that several of my clients have stayed at a company they loved and redesigned their roles into something more enjoyable simply by having this energy and talents conversation with their leader. DECIDE IF A CAREER CHANGE IS NEEDED Sometimes, all of this reflection, advocacy, and self-awareness can bring us to an unexpected place: wondering if we are in the right career and if a change is needed to overcome rust out. While I always encourage folks to advocate and change their current environment so we don’t bring the same issues into a new role, there are some questions you can ask to help you determine if it’s time to stay or go, such as: Does this organization align with my values? Do I agree with the way leadership makes decisions? How have I advocated for the changes I want? Have I set and communicated necessary boundaries for how I spend my time and energy? If you determine that there isn’t values alignment and no changes have been made despite your advocacy, it might be time to look elsewhere. The results of beating rust out can boost an employee’s—and their employer’s — peace, potential, and paychecks and profits through improved productivity, well-being, and engagement. View the full article

Industry body says policy is based ‘on outdated premises and optimistic assumptions’View the full article

US Big Tech groups in final stages of agreeing deal with Brussels to avoid series of escalating finesView the full article

Washington wants American companies to be exempted from rules such as having to draw up climate transition plansView the full article

Libbie Bischoff didn’t set out to reinvent the signature. Really, she was just flipping through a vintage knitting magazine from the 1950s. The Minneapolis-based type designer collects the mags, partly because her grandmother taught her to knit, and partly because she finds incredible typography hidden within their pages. It was in one of these magazines that she found the casual, flowing script that would become one of Docusign’s new signature styles. Together with Lynne Yun—a New York-based type designer, calligrapher, and founder of the studio Space Type—Bischoff is responsible for the first major update to the platform’s signature options in more than 20 years. For Docusign, a company that has processed a billion-plus digital signatures, changing the look of a digital John Hancock is no small decision. It’s a move that reflects a quiet but significant cultural shift: Cursive is fading, as is the traditional idea of what a signature should be. [insert paywall] Reviving history A Docusign survey found that only 51% of Gen Zers sign their name in cursive, compared to 80% of boomers. As a lover of cursive and calligraphy, I feel depressed when I read that, but facts are hard to dispute. As our most important life moments move online, it’s logical to expect that the digital signature would become a new form of self-expression. Bischoff and Yun were tasked with injecting personality into a digital interaction that can often feel sterile. Their work explores how a signature can be authentically digital by moving beyond traditional cursive to reflect a user’s personality in an era when fewer people write by hand. For Bischoff, the process of creating the new signatures was an act of revival. She wanted to breathe digital life into historical handwriting. The script from the knitting magazine became “The Vintage Enthusiast,” a friendly, flowing cursive with printed, upright capital letters. “The capitals are all printed, but then the cursive lowercase element of it is very fast and kind of casual and more similar to . . . how [somebody] would write their signature,” she tells me. The style carries a sentimental weight for her, evoking the era when her grandmother would have been knitting. Her other creation, “The Letter Writer,” came from an even older source: a beautifully inscribed book from 1916 she spotted in an antique store. Bischoff was so struck by the penmanship that she snapped a picture. From there, she built the complete typeface—a clean, upright script with a professional feel, featuring bold caps and quirky lowercase letters. “The writing is very beautiful and just very professional,” she says. “That level of care going into a gift as simple as a book is, I don’t know, I just thought that was so nice.” “Calligraphy” for a digital age While Bischoff looked for inspiration in found artifacts, Yun got deep into the craft of calligraphy itself, exploring how the human hand could be felt in a digital format. Her four typefaces for the Docusign project push the boundaries of what a signature can be. “The Overachiever” is a sharp, confident script born from Yun’s study of 20th-century Czech calligrapher Oldřich Menhart. Menhart’s work is characterized by earthy, bold, and expressive calligraphic forms. For Yun, his work was the inspiration she needed to craft a modern digital typeface that would bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary design. As a calligrapher herself, she believes Menhart provided a foundation for a new style that feels personal and expressive without falling into the common traps of being either too gimmicky or overly formal. “I wanted to embody that era of calligraphy where it’s about personal expression, but you want to express yourself, like not in a way where it’s full-on goofy or full-on like ‘Here is my crown,’” she tells me. For “The Renaissance Soul,” she took a more experimental approach. “If ‘The Overachiever’ is like, Ooh, I cross my Ts . . . I think ‘The Renaissance Soul’ is the other way, where I do what I want,” Yun says with a laugh. She started by writing letters over and over with a calligraphy marker, then moved to a square brush and ink to explore how expressive the forms could get without losing legibility. The result is a bold, dramatic typeface with voluptuous curves and expressive, sculptural forms designed to command attention. Not all of Yun’s new typefaces are based on traditional script, though. For “The Curator,” a slanted, geometric sans serif, Yun says she wanted to create a hybrid that feels modern yet personal. The challenge was to infuse warmth into a typically clean and cool style. “I purposely wanted it to feel like a very modern version of handwriting, although it is nothing like handwriting at all because it is a very sans-serif feeling,” she explains. The creative process was about playing with perception. She started with “the structure of a modernist sans serif” and then worked to give it “warm, handwritten . . . vibes.” The key to this, she says, was creating the illusion of a connected script without actually connecting the letters. “It has that notion of like, ‘Oh, it would connect if it was like a handwritten scribble,’ but it’s not,” she tells me. Indeed, it’s clean-cut but still representative of a digital-native style rooted in a personal, human feeling. Finally, “The Party Starter” is a bold, high-contrast typeface with a playful attitude, as Yun describes it, noting the inspiration for it began with a French specimen from Constantine in 1834 that she wanted to combine with the spirit of 19th-century American woodcut type. “I think that in mid-century America we had a lot of big personalities. No matter what they look like, that was the vibe I wanted to capture,” she says. Yun made initial sketches that were faithful to the historical source but then intentionally deviated for a more refined, modern feel. She says she identified the “inconsistencies and quirks” in the original that worked against a harmonious texture and updated them for a modern aesthetic. The goal was to create something with a “slightly wilder, playful appearance” that wouldn’t look out of place at a formal function. The result is a typeface defined by what Yun calls “huge contrast, like big, bold, bulk terminals”—a visual representation of packing the biggest personality possible into a small space, which feels appropriate given how small signature spaces can be in so many documents. Beyond cursive I still question whether people are really ready to sign a legal document with something that doesn’t look like, well, a signature. Bischoff believes the reaction will be positive, if generational. “I think younger people don’t care about cursive-style things. I think older people will gravitate maybe towards those,” she suggests. Which is why Docusign wanted this new generation of typefaces, of course. Yun sees it as a natural evolution. For years, the digital world was stuck between the “super formal” and gimmicky Comic-sansy “marker writing.” This project, she feels, allows signatures to be “authentically digital” rather than just mimicking analog tools. “I think we’ve evolved past the point of wanting to fake pens in the digital space,” she says. “And now we’re just like, ‘Hey, this is a typeface and it has a personality.’” Docusign claims this is all about acknowledging that in a 99.9% digital world, your digital signature should still feel like you. Yun and Bischoff tell me that it was a chance to expand the definition of digital identity. To me, being neither a boomer nor a millennial or a Z but a Gen Xer, the answer to my rhetorical question is really much simpler: Sorry, Docusign, but your previous signatures really sucked. These new ones? They are pretty cool, even if I still hate the end of calligraphy and the actual bloody pen. View the full article

For small businesses constantly juggling communication across tools, documents, and meetings, Zoho’s newest product aims to simplify how teams work together. The company has launched Vani — an intelligent visual collaboration platform that turns brainstorming, planning, and execution into one seamless, shared experience. Vani introduces a visual-first workspace designed to replace the patchwork of apps that small businesses often rely on for project management, whiteboarding, and communication. Instead of hopping between spreadsheets, slides, and chat threads, teams can collaborate on what Zoho calls an “infinite canvas” — a digital space where ideas, data, and discussions coexist. Karthikeyan Jambulingam, Head of Product for Vani, says the platform was built to eliminate friction in everyday teamwork. “For small and medium-sized businesses, the ability to increase ease of collaboration, even a small percentage, can lead to extraordinary gains in productivity,” he explains. “Vani provides a comprehensive set of tools for all departments within one canvas, eliminating the need for app-switching, process building, or complicated onboarding.” The tool’s Space and Zone model structures collaboration in a way that supports both focus and visibility. A Space serves as the overall project canvas, while Zones let different contributors or teams work independently within that project — for example, marketing might refine campaign visuals while operations finalize logistics, all without stepping on each other’s work. It’s a model that mirrors how small teams collaborate in the real world, where different departments or individuals tackle connected parts of a project simultaneously. Beyond structure, Vani offers a library of templates and kits to help small teams start faster. Templates cover essentials like brainstorming sessions, strategic planning, or product roadmaps. The kits go deeper, providing ready-made frameworks for visuals such as design diagrams, network plans, or social media layouts. These elements are designed to help businesses that may not have dedicated design or planning staff execute more professional deliverables quickly. For idea generation, mind mapping tools help teams visually connect thoughts and turn concepts into actionable plans. And for those who often struggle to turn scattered meeting notes into results, Vani integrates AI-powered features throughout its interface. These include auto-generating flowcharts and mind maps from text, summarizing complex visuals, or providing quick insights from a project’s overall view down to individual shapes or notes. Video meetings are built directly into the canvas, making collaboration more immediate. Teams can launch calls, share updates, or brainstorm on the same page without toggling to another app. Every meeting can be recorded, allowing for asynchronous review — particularly useful for remote or hybrid teams managing flexible schedules. Industry analysts see potential in how Vani merges creativity and communication. “For distributed teams, whiteboarding has always been a challenge,” says Shashi Bellamkonda, Principal Research Director at Info-Tech Research Group. “Vani will help teams brainstorm together, no matter where they are. I am especially intrigued by the video catchup feature for brainstorming—it’s a great step toward replacing traditional meetings by mimicking the spontaneous ‘office walk over’ to discuss ideas with colleagues or a team.” For small business owners, these capabilities can translate into fewer meetings, faster project alignment, and less time spent stitching together tools that don’t integrate. Vani’s deep ties within the Zoho ecosystem — along with compatibility for third-party apps — make it a potential central hub for visual collaboration, no matter what software stack a business uses. Pricing may also appeal to small businesses watching their budgets. Vani offers a free plan with unlimited user onboarding, while its Team plan starts at $5 per user per month, one of the lowest rates among comparable collaboration platforms. The service is available globally, and its pay-as-you-scale model allows startups and growing teams to expand usage without committing to high upfront costs. Vani’s introduction underscores Zoho’s push into intelligent, AI-driven productivity tools built for flexibility and affordability — two priorities for small businesses navigating hybrid work. By combining brainstorming, communication, and project management into a single visual environment, the platform could help teams turn ideas into outcomes more efficiently. Small business owners can explore or sign up for Vani at www.vanihq.com. This article, "Zoho Launches Vani, a Visual Collaboration Platform for Teams" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

For small businesses constantly juggling communication across tools, documents, and meetings, Zoho’s newest product aims to simplify how teams work together. The company has launched Vani — an intelligent visual collaboration platform that turns brainstorming, planning, and execution into one seamless, shared experience. Vani introduces a visual-first workspace designed to replace the patchwork of apps that small businesses often rely on for project management, whiteboarding, and communication. Instead of hopping between spreadsheets, slides, and chat threads, teams can collaborate on what Zoho calls an “infinite canvas” — a digital space where ideas, data, and discussions coexist. Karthikeyan Jambulingam, Head of Product for Vani, says the platform was built to eliminate friction in everyday teamwork. “For small and medium-sized businesses, the ability to increase ease of collaboration, even a small percentage, can lead to extraordinary gains in productivity,” he explains. “Vani provides a comprehensive set of tools for all departments within one canvas, eliminating the need for app-switching, process building, or complicated onboarding.” The tool’s Space and Zone model structures collaboration in a way that supports both focus and visibility. A Space serves as the overall project canvas, while Zones let different contributors or teams work independently within that project — for example, marketing might refine campaign visuals while operations finalize logistics, all without stepping on each other’s work. It’s a model that mirrors how small teams collaborate in the real world, where different departments or individuals tackle connected parts of a project simultaneously. Beyond structure, Vani offers a library of templates and kits to help small teams start faster. Templates cover essentials like brainstorming sessions, strategic planning, or product roadmaps. The kits go deeper, providing ready-made frameworks for visuals such as design diagrams, network plans, or social media layouts. These elements are designed to help businesses that may not have dedicated design or planning staff execute more professional deliverables quickly. For idea generation, mind mapping tools help teams visually connect thoughts and turn concepts into actionable plans. And for those who often struggle to turn scattered meeting notes into results, Vani integrates AI-powered features throughout its interface. These include auto-generating flowcharts and mind maps from text, summarizing complex visuals, or providing quick insights from a project’s overall view down to individual shapes or notes. Video meetings are built directly into the canvas, making collaboration more immediate. Teams can launch calls, share updates, or brainstorm on the same page without toggling to another app. Every meeting can be recorded, allowing for asynchronous review — particularly useful for remote or hybrid teams managing flexible schedules. Industry analysts see potential in how Vani merges creativity and communication. “For distributed teams, whiteboarding has always been a challenge,” says Shashi Bellamkonda, Principal Research Director at Info-Tech Research Group. “Vani will help teams brainstorm together, no matter where they are. I am especially intrigued by the video catchup feature for brainstorming—it’s a great step toward replacing traditional meetings by mimicking the spontaneous ‘office walk over’ to discuss ideas with colleagues or a team.” For small business owners, these capabilities can translate into fewer meetings, faster project alignment, and less time spent stitching together tools that don’t integrate. Vani’s deep ties within the Zoho ecosystem — along with compatibility for third-party apps — make it a potential central hub for visual collaboration, no matter what software stack a business uses. Pricing may also appeal to small businesses watching their budgets. Vani offers a free plan with unlimited user onboarding, while its Team plan starts at $5 per user per month, one of the lowest rates among comparable collaboration platforms. The service is available globally, and its pay-as-you-scale model allows startups and growing teams to expand usage without committing to high upfront costs. Vani’s introduction underscores Zoho’s push into intelligent, AI-driven productivity tools built for flexibility and affordability — two priorities for small businesses navigating hybrid work. By combining brainstorming, communication, and project management into a single visual environment, the platform could help teams turn ideas into outcomes more efficiently. Small business owners can explore or sign up for Vani at www.vanihq.com. This article, "Zoho Launches Vani, a Visual Collaboration Platform for Teams" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

For many stars, writing a children’s book is a fun side project they do to capitalize on their fame. Kate McKinnon—a Saturday Night Live alum who has starred in recent movies like Barbie and The Roses—is certainly famous. But the truth is that she had dreamed of writing a novel for middle schoolers since her mid-twenties, years before she even auditioned for SNL. As a child, McKinnon had loved books about slightly oddball characters, like those found in Roald Dahl books. Her favorite heroine was Pippi Longstocking, whom she played in a kindergarten performance. She loved the character so much that she would show up at school for years in a full-on Pippi costume, complete with pipe cleaners in her hair to mimic the heroine’s iconic protruding red pigtails. After graduating from Columbia University, between auditioning for sketch comedy roles, McKinnon sat down to write a middle-grade novel of her own. Holed up in her apartment, she plotted out a story about a trio of sisters in the Victorian era who don’t fit in in their stuffy town, where girls are meant to be prim and proper. The problem was that she could not get past the first chapter; she just wrote and rewrote it, frustrated that it wasn’t quite hitting the right notes. Then, in 2012, at the age of 28, McKinnon snagged a spot on SNL and quickly became one of the show’s biggest stars, leaving very little room for her novel. “It was very much at the back—and the middle—of my mind,” McKinnon recalls. “Every time I had a week off, I would work on it.” In 2022, McKinnon departed SNL and finally had time to devote to the novel. After marinating on it for more than a decade, it came together, and she landed a book deal with Hachette. Her book, The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, debuted in 2024 and became an instant New York Times bestseller. She’s just released the second book, called Secrets of the Purple Pearl, in what will eventually become a series. I sat down to speak with her about her creative process, and why we should feel free to pursue several dreams at the same time. Here are three things I learned. She Didn’t Let A Lack of Expertise Stop Her McKinnon studied theater in college and had spent years training as an actress and comedian. She had never studied creative writing, but she didn’t let that stop her from taking a stab at writing a novel. “I didn’t know anything about writing,” she recalls. “I didn’t know you’re supposed to write a whole draft before going back and fixing the first chapter. So I just fixed the first chapter, probably 500 times.” Many writing instructors urge their students not to get hung up on the details so early on. But McKinnon’s approach was actually helpful because it allowed her to figure out many aspects of the plot and the characters. It was an unconventional approach to character development, but it helped her create her first three characters, the sisters Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee. But after writing several drafts of the first chapter, she felt like something was missing. “My big problem was that I was writing about three oddball girls who had no adults in their life validating them,” she says. “It ended up being sad every time I wrote it. Then I felt there needed to be a mentor figure who recognized the good in these girls.” This figure ended up being Millicent Quibb, the title character of the series. McKinnon was also noodling through the broader themes of the book she wanted to communicate. While she was very interested in painting these quirky characters, she also wanted to say something more profound about identity, and how hard it can feel not to fit in. “The themes eluded me for the longest time,” she says. “I needed to know what I am actually trying to say here.” Ultimately, McKinnon didn’t let her lack of formal training prevent her from throwing herself into novel writing. In fact, it’s the process of trial and error that has allowed her to hone her craft. Now, McKinnon has novel writing down to a science. It took her more than 12 years to write the first Millicent Quibb book, but she wrote the second one in a matter of months. “Left to my own devices, I would never complete anything because I am so hard on myself,” she says. “But being under a deadline is what allowed me to complete this.” She Wove Her Other Passions Into This Project While McKinnon hadn’t trained as a writer, she did have other skills that most writers don’t have: an ability to build quirky, complex characters from the ground up. To create the characters in her book, McKinnon would pace around her room speaking in funny voices, which is something she’s enjoyed doing her whole life (and that eventually became her full-time job on SNL). “In my mid-twenties, before getting on SNL, writing this book was almost like doing sketch comedy, without anybody there to watch you,” she says. “I was just doing it alone in my room.” It’s been a very effective strategy. All of her characters are memorable and hilarious. Eventually, she was able to bring all of these characters to life in the audiobook of the series, which she voices along with her sister, Emily Lynne. It’s Important For Her To Speak To Children Most of McKinnon’s career has targeted adult audiences. Her first acting jobs were in comedy, starting with The Big Gay Sketch Comedy Show and then SNL. And much of her acting has been in movies targeting adults, like The Roses, Bombshell, and the TV series Joe vs. Carole on Peacock. But McKinnon is also eager to reach children, particularly at this moment when the world feels so volatile. Writing the Millicent Squibb books has been meaningful to her because it has allowed her to connect with children and give them hope. Indeed, the Squibb character is inspired by the many mentors in her own life who believed in her and helped her find her path. But looking back, her childhood seems idyllic compared with what children are dealing with today. “Young people today are up against a whole host of problems I could not even conceive of when I was in middle school in the ’90s,” she says. Her hope is that her voice gives children some joy in a stressful time, but also empowers them to act to make things better for themselves and others. “I think this genre is not just fun, but hopeful, because it focuses on questions of identity and moral engagement in society,” McKinnon says. “It’s about figuring out who you are so that you can help other people. That’s something young people today can’t ignore the way I could.” View the full article

Today’s labor market may be stagnating, but it’s also uncertain. Candidates aren’t behaving as many leaders would expect. The dynamic is trending towards an employer’s market. As a result, employers expect that candidates will increase their job searches, accept lower pay increases, and accept new roles more eagerly. But in reality, job searching has actually declined, pay expectations remain high, and candidates are reluctant to move. And this has resulted in a critical talent supply shortage. According to research from Gartner, 29% of candidates spent more than five hours per week on active job searches in the second quarter of 2025. That’s down from 49% in the first quarter of 2023. Additionally, in a 2025 Gartner survey of nearly 3,000 candidates, 53% identified higher compensation as their top reason for accepting a job offer. Acceptances are also significantly down with 51% of candidates reporting they accepted their most recent offer in the second quarter of 2025, down from 75% in the first quarter of 2025. Candidates might expect more from jobs today, or they might be responding more to uncertainty than market stagnation. Whatever the reason may be, they’re willing to wait for jobs that meet their higher expectations. As a result, recruiters are feeling greater pressure to understand candidates’ wants and how to deliver on them. To compete successfully for critical talent today, organizations need to adopt an approach that’s more consistent with a fluid labor market. Below are the things that leaders need to focus on if they want to hire the best and brightest. Engaging talent selectively Many leaders expect candidates to put more effort into their job search today. The reality is that job searching has sharply declined. To bridge the job search expectation gap, organizations need to focus on building deeper relationships with the right talent, just like they would in a more fluid market. HR can guide business leaders to narrow their hiring focus to roles with the greatest business impact or complexity. This is especially important in today’s cost-constrained environment. HR should prioritize deploying recruiters who excel at building long-term candidate relationships. Automating hiring processes for less critical roles can also help free up resources. This allows recruiters to concentrate on attracting talent for the capabilities that matter most. Managing attribute mix Labor market observers may expect candidates to settle for modest pay increases. But many are holding out for the full employment deal they want. To close this expectation gap, it’s up to the organization to amplify the right mix of attributes for the talent they’re targeting. HR can help business leaders pinpoint the critical skills and experience levels that they need, then identify current employees who match those profiles. Running focus groups with those employees can uncover the attributes that differentiate the organization from the perspective of those specific employees. Enlisting current employees from target talent segments can also help craft powerful messaging. They can help shape the tone, emphasis, and content that will resonate most with the candidates that the organization wants to attract Mitigating career risks Seasoned HR leaders might expect candidates to be eager to accept offers in today’s climate. In reality, candidates are hesitant to accept. Gartner research finds that candidate willingness to accept job offers peaked in the last quarter of 2023, at 87%. This fell significantly by mid-2024. By the second quarter of 2025, only 51% of candidates reported they had accepted a new job offer. To resolve this offer-acceptance expectation gap, organizations need to focus less on convincing candidates to move jobs and more on the risk of not moving in the first place. HR needs to equip recruiters to help candidates think through their options, weigh risks, and make confident decisions. When candidates feel supported by the organization, they’re more likely to move forward. That’s why it’s important to train recruiters to be able to have these types of conversations, so that they’re in a better position to build relationships Following this path, HR is not simply reapplying the playbook from a fluid market. In today’s climate, if the primary hesitation among talent is a fear of being “Last In, First Out,” then recruiters need to shift the conversation from the risk of making the move to not making it. HR leaders today can’t rely on traditional assumptions about candidate behavior in a stagnating market. Today’s market may be stagnant, but it’s also uncertain. Candidates are responding less to stagnation and more to that uncertainty. Until that changes, organizations should adopt a candidate playbook that reflects a more fluid market. And that’s a market that demands tighter positioning and greater assertiveness. View the full article

Move over quiet quitting, bare minimum Mondays, and career cushioning. A new workplace behavior is on the rise: the self-aware underperformer. Contrary to hustle culture, these workers are knowingly underperforming and not doing anything about it. It used to be the delusional underperformer—the employee who thought they were doing a great job—that gave HR headaches. The self-aware underperformer, on the other hand, is aware that they’re underperforming and not taking any actions to rectify it. As leaders, this isn’t something you can afford to ignore. After all, underperformance doesn’t just materialize. The culture has been brewing and cultivating on our watch. Unfortunately, far too many companies prioritize optics over results, turn to placating instead of coaching, and compensate instead of addressing. In some cases, they’ve repurposed authenticity and transparency (both of which are positive attributes) to serve as convenient excuses. This dynamic leads to the self-aware underperformer. Many have hailed self-awareness as the holy grail of performance. It’s often tied to superior decision-making, enhanced team dynamics, and thriving leadership behavior. Despite the admissions, true self-awareness appears to be in short supply. According to a 2018 article by Harvard Business Review, 95% of people think they’re self-aware, yet only 10% to 15% actually are. This is the confronting dilemma. The perceived claim of awareness without the change is a disguise for the underperformer’s illusion of responsibility. It feels like accountability. Yet when employees repeatedly demonstrate awareness, apologies, and empathy but fail to change, it’s no longer just their performance that suffers. Here are five signs you are working with a self-aware underperformer 1. Underperformance as an identity These employees wear their underperformance like a badge. They deliver the bare minimum. Previously, people would have seen their behavior as complacent. Now, they’ve reframed it as a kind of delusional authenticity. “I know I might not be the best, but I’m steady.” By leaning into this identity, they transform underperformance into their personal brand. As a leader, you need to separate awareness from accountability. Remember, awareness isn’t a deliverable. A useful response is, “Thanks for raising that. What’s your plan to fix it this week?” This keeps the conversation future-focused and signals that it’s not enough for them to recognize they’re underperforming. 2. Self-deprecation Some employees deflect by making light of their shortcomings. They might say the following statement with a smile or a joke. “You know I’m hopeless at numbers.” They disarm criticism. Managers might even laugh along. But six months later, the reports continue to be late. What feels like humility in the moment is a shield that protects a lackluster effort to improve. To address this, anchor evaluations to progress, not personality. Self-aware underperformers often rely on charm, humility, or likability. That means grounding assessments to measurable outcomes. What matters is not how self-aware they appear, but whether their output improves quarter to quarter. 3. Passively reframing underperformance as a moral issue They position self-awareness as a conscious decision to reject the hustle culture. They might make excuses like “why should I extend myself?” or “we’re not saving lives.” They might champion underperformance as a moral cause. Tackling this attitude requires managers to raise the bar on that employee’s comfort zone. If someone openly settles for less, it’s on you as a leader to decide whether that’s an acceptable plateau. In high-expectation roles and cultures, make clear that comfort is not a contract. Performance standards exist for a reason, and you can’t suspend them simply because someone is candid about not aspiring higher. 4. Your narrative becomes theirs You want to be “that supportive manager.” In the beginning, you might be patient and give them the benefit of the doubt. “They are still coming up to speed,” or “they need more training, resources, and help.” But there comes a point when it becomes over-accommodating. You might find yourself allocating their work to others, extending deadlines, and making continual allowances. Before you know it, their performance is no longer their responsibility, but yours. You need to interrupt the rationalization loop. Shift the discussion from causes to choices. Ask, “Given these constraints, what can you still control and improve?” This reframes the narrative from circumstance to agency, which puts responsibility back in the employee’s hands. 5. An abundance of excuses Self-aware underperformers rarely run out of explanations: outdated systems, shifting market trends, and unclear mandates. These rationalizations are often factually correct, but function as shields. Rather than moving from problem to solution, employees stay stuck in the narrative of why things couldn’t be done. When they appear to show empathy, it becomes harder to confront. “I know this must be frustrating for the team, and I really appreciate everyone’s patience.” It’s a clever move because it’s a neat redirect away from the issue. Instead, redefine empathy as action. Empathy is valuable only when it translates into behavioural change. Encourage employees to pair recognition with repair. “You’ve named the impact on the team, now let’s agree on what you’ll do differently.” The real leadership test isn’t spotting underperformance. As leaders, you need to see through the packaging of awareness without improvement. Awareness without change is simply underperformance in more eloquent clothing. The best leaders know how to thank people for their honesty, and then hold them to the change that honesty demands. View the full article

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Camping. Why anyone would put themselves through an odyssey of gross insects and pooping in holes is beyond me, but you do you, Steve. I’ll do me. However, if I were forced to go sleep in the woods, I would like to use this new camping mattress by Chinese sleep startup Mazzu created in collaboration with London-based design studio Layer. It looks like the closest thing to a Four Seasons bed this side of the Rio Grande. Or any río (just don’t get me close to a river). The Mazzu Camping Mattress isn’t your typical inflatable pad that promises comfort on-the-go but delivers back pain for a week. It’s built around 72 precision-engineered elastic spring units—pre-compressed coils encased in durable jackets that adapt independently to your body’s contours. Each unit flexes on its own, providing ergonomic support whether you’re lying flat or curled up on your side (you know, like in an actual bed). Layer tells me via email that people want “the comfort of home when they’re outdoors, and traditional inflatable or foam mats just don’t deliver that.” Which, yes, that’s exactly my point. The company says conventional options are bulky, unreliable, or simply uncomfortable. And many are unsustainable. Layer and Mazzu saw a clear gap to create a sustainable, portable system that offers bed-like comfort without compromise, bringing “a real sense of restfulness to the camping experience.” Come together, right now The collaboration between Layer and Mazzu wasn’t just about slapping springs into a camping format. Mazzu’s engineers have been developing elastic spring technology since they started their sleep company in Fujian, China, in 2024. Layer worked closely with Mazzu to translate that into a modular outdoor system. The design studio says there were many rounds of prototyping—exploring different spring densities, connection systems, and layouts—until they arrived at something simple and robust that’s also intuitive to use. The pieces click together like Lego bricks and are secured with a strong cord. When the mattress base is assembled, you add a thin, 100% cotton cushion on top to smooth everything out. Layer tells me it gets assembled “in just a matter of minutes,” and you can be set up and ready to rest almost as quickly as rolling out a standard mat, “but with a completely different sleep experience.” The other advantage of this design, the company points out, is that it’s not harmful to the planet. Layer says the portable coils structure is built without foam or glue (Mazzu, however, points out that the pad on top uses polyester fiber and high-resilience polyurethane). Layer says the mattress is built to last: “Every component can be replaced, repaired, or upgraded individually, which extends its lifespan and reduces waste—something that’s very rare in camping gear.” Packed in a cooler The complete mattress—including foldable base, spring modules, and topper—packs into a wheeled case no larger than a cooler. Once emptied, Layer says, that case doubles as a nightstand or storage box at the campsite. So it’s not just about better sleep, the company says, it’s about circularity and smart use of space. The color palette takes cues from outdoor gear: foliage tones and bright accents for visibility. The open structure showcases the engineering inside, which I appreciate (if I’m paying for 72 independent spring units, I want to see them). The Mazzu Camping Mattress launches this month. Pricing in China is about 2,259 yuan (about $320), but no official price has been announced internationally.​​ If it actually delivers on the promise of bringing regular mattress comfort into the wilderness, it might be worth whatever they’re charging. Maybe then I’ll consider camping. (LOL! No.) View the full article

Senior officials from Qatar and Turkey also expected to attend in push for breakthrough over Donald The President’s peace planView the full article