Getting Started

Startups often face a unique set of legal challenges when developing new products, from intellectual property protection to regulatory compliance. Navigating these issues early on is crucial to avoid costly setbacks and ensure long-term success. In this article, entrepreneurs weigh in on the legal challenges their startups have faced so that you can prepare your product for development. “What are the key legal challenges faced by startups during product development?” Here’s what YEC community members had to say: 1. Patent Infringement “One is to infringe unknowingly on an existing IP/patent. You can do a patent search to see if there are similar ideas to yours, but be …

Small and medium-sized businesses are often vulnerable to cyber attacks owing to limited infrastructure. For instance, they use free cybersecurity solutions due to financial constraints or are less prepared to respond to a cyber incident. This often leaves them prone to several attacks that advanced solutions may catch. No wonder, nearly half of the cyber incidents impact small businesses. And companies with 100 employees or less receive 350% more social engineering attacks than large enterprises. The financial repercussions of such attacks is huge with 60% of SMEs going out of business within six months of a cyber attack. Threats like phishing, ransomware, and malware …

Factors like increasing urbanization and a rise in disposable income have contributed to phenomenal growth in the laundromat industry. The market is highly competitive and demands efficient operations. One of the significant challenges faced by dry cleaning businesses is the effective management of operational expenses that directly impact their profitability. Here, a robust point-of-sale (POS) system can play a huge role in streamlining processes, thus reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks and boosting efficiency. Whether you are starting a laundry business or managing a large-scale laundromat, investing in POS technology is essential. The software leverages ad…

In the franchise industry, 7-11 has truly humble beginnings. An owner in Dallas, Texas, ran 16 icehouse companies in 1927. All were thriving. There was no reason to make any changes. However, one of the managers had an inspiration for a business franchise. He asked the owner for permission to start selling bread, milk, and eggs. This idea proved to be extremely successful, and soon, all the stores began adopting it. They named these stores “Tote’m” stores. In 1964, the company acquired 126 SpeeDee Marts in California. Every year, there were more and more franchises. Currently, there are 78,029 7-11s in 19 countries, with 135,000 employees. There’s even a 7-Eleven in Jap…

Key Takeaways Lucrative Opportunity: Buying a FedEx route presents a viable business prospect thanks to the surge in e-commerce and package delivery demand.Types of Routes: Understand the different FedEx routes—Line Haul, Delivery, and Home Delivery—to align your investment strategy with market demands.Consistent Revenue: Owning a FedEx route offers a proven revenue stream, with potential annual earnings ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, depending on various factors.Established Customer Base: Purchasing a route typically includes an existing customer base, reducing acquisition time and ensuring immediate cash flow from day one.Critical Evaluation: Assess route performa…

The wedding venue business is constantly evolving. To attract customers – and make money – the wedding venue business owner has to keep tabs on what people want, provide excellent customer service and be ready to adapt. To accomplish this in the ultra-competitive wedding venue industry, you’ll need a business plan that includes options for pivoting as the market demands. Understanding the Wedding Venue Business We’ll start with an overview of trends and challenges in the wedding venue business: Trends Eco-friendly Venues: With a rising emphasis on sustainability and environmental consciousness, many couples are seeking out eco-friendly venues. This includes places tha…

Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) has launched Photoshop for iPhone, bringing its widely used image editing and design application to mobile devices. The new app, available starting today, delivers Photoshop’s core tools, including layering, masking, and Firefly-powered Generative Fill, in a mobile-friendly interface. An Android version is set to launch later this year. The mobile expansion is part of Adobe’s broader initiative to make Photoshop more accessible, with the new mobile app and an enhanced web experience now included in all current Photoshop plans. According to Adobe, these additions provide flexibility for established Photoshop users while also welcoming a new generation…

Adobe has officially launched a suite of new AI-powered tools across its flagship video editing products, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io. Headlining the announcement is Generative Extend, now generally available and powered by Adobe’s Firefly Video Model, which enables editors to instantly generate and extend the length of video and audio clips in 4K and vertical formats. The launch also includes Media Intelligence in Premiere Pro, an AI feature that allows editors to search through terabytes of footage in seconds, and Caption Translation, which instantly localizes captions in 27 languages. These advancements are now available to video professionals …

Adobe has introduced new generative AI capabilities in Acrobat AI Assistant aimed at simplifying contract analysis for businesses and consumers. The enhancements allow users to quickly understand complex terms, compare multiple agreements, and verify contract details with greater efficiency. AI-Powered Contract Intelligence Contracts play a crucial role in daily business operations and consumer transactions, yet they often contain dense language that can be difficult to interpret. A survey conducted by Adobe Acrobat found that nearly 70% of consumers have signed contracts without fully understanding the terms, while 64% of small business owners have avoided signing agree…

Adobe has launched a major expansion of its Firefly generative AI platform, introducing a new Firefly Video Model in public beta and unveiling new Firefly plan offerings that integrate AI-powered video, image, and vector generation. The Firefly application, now a comprehensive creative AI hub, includes Generate Video (beta) and multi-modal workflows to help professionals transition seamlessly from ideation to production. The Firefly Video Model is the only commercially safe AI video generation tool, allowing brands, enterprises, and creators to use AI-generated content without IP concerns. Adobe states that Firefly-generated content is IP-friendly and production-ready, o…

Adobe has announced new enhancements to Adobe Firefly Services and Firefly Custom Models, aimed at helping businesses meet the rising demand for personalized content across multiple digital platforms. The announcement was made at Adobe Summit, the company’s flagship digital experience conference. Firefly Services, a suite of generative AI tools for enterprises, now supports video and 3D content, broadening its capabilities in multimedia production. The introduction of Firefly Creative Production provides a no-code interface that automates repetitive content production tasks, streamlining workflows for marketing and creative teams. Additionally, Custom Models now integrat…

Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) has announced new AI-driven capabilities in Adobe Experience Cloud aimed at helping businesses deliver highly personalized and seamless customer experiences across multiple channels. The announcement was made at Adobe Summit, the company’s flagship digital experience conference. The new AI-powered tools include an AI-first module in Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO) and enhancements to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), both designed to optimize omnichannel performance and improve web engagement. According to Adobe, these innovations leverage its AI Platform, which integrates AI agents from Adobe, third-party providers, and commercially safe Firefly models …

Adobe has released its 2025 Work-Life Balance Report, providing insights into how solopreneurs and small business owners manage their professional and personal lives. The report, based on a survey of 1,018 entrepreneurs, examines the challenges and benefits of entrepreneurship, work habits, and the increasing role of AI in business operations. The report highlights that nearly three in five entrepreneurs experience a better work-life balance than they did in traditional employment. However, many still struggle to fully disconnect from work, averaging only 11 days off per year, excluding national holidays. Among surveyed Gen Z entrepreneurs, the average number of days off…

The private sector added 77,000 jobs in February while annual pay increased by 4.7% year-over-year, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report released in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The report, based on payroll data from over 25 million U.S. employees, offers a high-frequency measure of employment trends in the private sector. The February report indicates a slowdown in hiring, marking the smallest job gain since July. “Policy uncertainty and a slowdown in consumer spending might have led to layoffs or a slowdown in hiring last month,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. “Our data, combined with other recent indicators, sug…

Private sector employment in the United States grew by 155,000 jobs in March, while annual pay increased 4.6% year-over-year, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report produced in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The report offers a high-frequency, independent view of the labor market using anonymized payroll data from more than 25 million U.S. employees. “Despite policy uncertainty and downbeat consumers, the bottom line is this: The March topline number was a good one for the economy and employers of all sizes, if not necessarily all sectors,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. Job Gains by Sector and Region March’s job grow…

Key Takeaways Affordable Franchise Options: There are numerous franchises available for under $10,000, making entrepreneurship accessible without a substantial financial burden.Service and Retail Franchises: Opportunities exist in both service-based and retail sectors, with low initial investment requirements that benefit from brand recognition and ongoing support.Lower Financial Risk: Investing less than $10,000 reduces financial risk, allowing for more manageable business operations and better cash flow management.Essential Documentation: Familiarize yourself with key documents such as the franchise agreement and franchise disclosure document (FDD) to understand your …

B2B Stars, an AI-powered business analytics and reputation platform, has officially launched in the United States to help small and midmarket businesses (SMBs) improve corporate visibility, identify trustworthy partners, and attract new clients. Originally launched in Europe in 2024, B2B Stars is now available to U.S. companies and includes data on more than three million firms across the U.S. and Western Europe. Part of the Expandi Group, a global adtech and martech firm, B2B Stars offers what it describes as a level playing field for smaller businesses long overshadowed by larger enterprises in general-purpose search engine rankings. “Traditionally, it has been hard f…

According to recent statistics, Airbnb hosts add 14,000 new additions to their numbers every month. Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky became the first host when it started. Currently, there are over 7 million listings across the globe and 100,000 cities with active listings. Unfortunately, that means a number of fraudulent hosts, fake accounts, and other scams. Some people point out the loosely written rules and even looser enforcement. READ MORE: How to Start an Airbnb Business Don’t Fall For These Scams on the Airbnb App Following is a list of the most common Airbnb scams. Fake Listings This kind of fake listing can have photos that have been stolen or doctored. If the …

The Aluminium Association of Canada has strongly criticized the 25% tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration on Canadian aluminium, warning of significant economic repercussions for American workers and consumers. The tariffs will immediately increase the cost of aluminium, affecting industries that rely on the metal for manufacturing. The U.S. consumes six times the amount of primary aluminium it produces, and Canada plays a critical role in supplying the shortfall. “This situation will unfortunately impact workers and consumers in America with the immediate increase on the price of aluminium,” said Jean Simard, President and CEO of the Aluminium Association of Canad…

From aerial photography to agricultural monitoring, drones offer myriad opportunities for entrepreneurs. Embracing these drone business ideas can lead to innovative services and products in the burgeoning drone market. Drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), come in various shapes and sizes to cater to different needs. The diversity of drones includes: Quadcopters: Four-rotor drones are popular for their stability and ease of use. Fixed-Wing Drones: Resemble traditional airplanes and are ideal for long-range flights. Hexacopters and Octocopters: Equipped with six or eight rotors, they offer increased payload capacity. Mini and Nano Drones: Small, lightwe…

Event organizers are in high demand as more and more people want to celebrate life’s special moments. The planning process for an event can be a challenge, but with careful organization, a good event planning checklist, and a few key event planning tips, you can pull off a spectacular event that your guests will never forget. Amazing Event Planning Tips There’s a lot that goes into event planning. Anything from choosing the right space to arranging food and beverages needs to be considered. Additionally, everything needs to go off without a hitch if your event is to be a success. That being said, you can get caught up in the fine details and stress yourself out if you’r…

American Express has announced new limited-time offers for eligible new and existing Business Platinum Card® Members, aiming to support small business owners as business travel regains importance in 2025. The promotions offer statement credits and Membership Rewards® points for qualifying purchases related to airfare and general spending. Offers for New Business Platinum Card Members Eligible new Business Platinum Card Members can earn one or both of the following: A one-time $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on airfare booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel within the first three months of Card Membership. 150,000 Membership Rewards…

A new study from American Express reveals that the majority of businesses are looking to improve their payments processes in 2025, with automation emerging as a key focus. The Amex Trendex: B2B Payments Edition survey, which polled 1,000 U.S. business decision-makers, highlights the role of streamlined payments in business growth, supplier relationships, and operational efficiency. Key Findings According to the study, 91% of business decision-makers recognize that “easy, streamlined and secure payments drive business growth.” However, despite this acknowledgment, only 17% of businesses surveyed have fully automated their payments processes, while 15% have not automated a…

Creating animated videos is a powerful way to engage your audience and communicate complex ideas. Fortunately, there are many animated video maker tools available to help you bring your ideas to life, regardless of your budget or skill level. In this article, we’ll take a look at the best animated video maker tools that can transform your content and help you create professional-quality videos quickly and easily. Let’s dive in! What is an Animated Video Maker? An animated video maker is indeed a software tool designed to help users create animated videos, but it does more than just that. This tool eliminates the need for extensive video editing skills by providing user-f…

Apple has unveiled its most powerful Mac to date, introducing the new Mac Studio, powered by the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. The latest iteration of Apple’s high-performance desktop features Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, up to 512GB of unified memory, and up to 16TB of SSD storage, all within a compact design. The new Mac Studio is now available for pre-order, with official availability beginning March 12. “The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we’ve ever made,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “A complete game-changer for pros around the world — powering both home and pro studios — Mac Studio sits in a class of its own, offerin…