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A workplace email signature is normally the most forgettable part of a message — just a name, a title, a phone number, and maybe a logo dutifully appended by IT. It’s boilerplate by design, stripped of personality and meant to fade into the background. But when employers give workers more freedom to personalize email signatures, they can quickly get retaliatory, overly personal, or just downright weird. At Slate today, I wrote about some email signatures gone very wild. You can read it here. The post email signatures gone wild appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

As ad dollars begin shifting toward ChatGPT, ad tech firms have started working to make that transition as seamless as possible. What’s happening. Adthena launched a new tool, AdBridge, designed to convert existing Google Ads campaigns into formats ready for ChatGPT advertising. The pitch is simple: don’t rebuild from scratch — repurpose what already works. The tool analyzes advertisers’ search campaigns to generate keyword lists, negative keywords, and competitive insights that can be directly applied to ChatGPT campaigns. It also surfaces which brands are showing up in specific auctions, how often they appear, and which prompts are triggering those placements — giving marketers more than just a copy-paste approach. Why we care. Adthena’s Adbridge makes it much easier to shift budget from Google Ads into ChatGPT without rebuilding campaigns from scratch. By repurposing existing keywords, learnings, and competitive insights, brands can test and scale ChatGPT ads faster with less risk. As the platform opens up and inventory grows, tools like this lower the barrier to entry and could accelerate how quickly ChatGPT becomes a serious performance channel. As Adthena CMO Ashley Fletcher put it, the goal is to get campaigns “ready so they can go straight in,” mirroring the CSV-based workflows advertisers already use across major platforms. Early testing. The company already held multiple sessions with large enterprise brands testing the tool, signaling early demand from advertisers looking to scale activity in ChatGPT’s still-limited ad ecosystem. Between the lines. This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about momentum. Advertisers experimenting with ChatGPT ads have faced constraints like low inventory and limited scale. By making it easier to deploy campaigns quickly, Adthena is positioning itself to accelerate adoption as those constraints ease. Zoom in. AdBridge is part of a broader push from Adthena, including Arlo, an AI assistant that allows advertisers to query performance data and compare results between ChatGPT and search campaigns. Together, they point to a future where managing AI-driven ad channels looks increasingly similar to existing search workflows. The backdrop. OpenAI has been rapidly evolving its ads offering — quietly rolling out an ads manager, lowering minimum spend thresholds, and introducing more flexible pricing models. Partnerships with firms like Criteo and Smartly signal a growing ecosystem. Bottom line. If ChatGPT ads are going to compete for search budgets, the winners may be the tools that make switching feel effortless — and Adthena wants to be first in line. View the full article

For years, leaders have treated transformation as a question of strategy and technology. Do we have the right plan? The right tools? The right talent? Most leadership teams think they have a speed problem. They don’t. They have a friction problem. Not the obvious kinds, like failed systems or bad strategy. Friction is quieter, far more pervasive, and seems innocuous. But friction, the invisible drag embedded in how organizations structure work, make decisions, and align teams, is becoming a material leadership risk. And as organizations push harder for agility, that friction comes with serious costs. WHERE WORK SLOWS DOWN Friction rarely shows up as a dramatic failure. It’s a leaky pipe that causes major damage one drop at a time: well-intentioned people doing well-intentioned work that simply doesn’t add up. Consider these common scenarios: A sales team chasing deals in a market segment that leadership decided wasn’t a priority six months ago—but never clearly shut down or communicated. Marketing isn’t supporting it; product isn’t building it, but pipeline reports still reward it. A pricing decision that requires input from finance, product, and sales. Everyone weighs in. No one owns it. What should take two days takes two weeks. By then, the opportunity is gone. A project review that starts with five people and ends with 20 on the weekly call. More updates, more slides, more discussion, but less progress. No one is doing anything wrong, but the misalignment erodes win rates, wastes spend, and diffuses energy. Multiplied across functions and geographies, and the cumulative impact is enormous. This is what makes friction so dangerous. It hides in plain sight, embedded in everyday decisions and activities that seem reasonable in isolation but disconnected in aggregate. IT’S COORDINATION, NOT CAPABILITY When execution falls short, leaders often assume a talent gap. But more often, the issue is clarity and misalignment. Misalignment between product, sales, and finance can lead organizations to invest in initiatives that never meaningfully move the business. Even areas like training, typically seen as universally positive, can become sources of friction when content is mistimed, irrelevant to current priorities, or disconnected from real work. The problem isn’t always that organizations lack talent or effort. It’s that their systems for aligning that effort are breaking down under complexity. 3 REASONS DECISIONS STALL Decision-making sits at the center of organizational friction, and it’s where many companies struggle most. Three issues tend to surface repeatedly. 1. Unclear decision rights. When it’s not obvious what decisions should be made at which level, everything escalates. In the pursuit of zero risk, organizations create bottlenecks that grind progress to a halt. 2. Confusion between operational and financial decisions. Teams often get stuck optimizing financials for precision when speed and execution quality matter most. This delays action in the name of perfect information. 3. A lack of alignment between strategy and decision-making. When leaders aren’t aligned on core principles, every decision becomes a debate, and consistency breaks down. The result is predictable: slower execution, diluted accountability, and mounting frustration. THE REAL COST OF FRICTION While the financial cost of friction is significant, the more damaging impact is on organizational culture. Employees stop caring as much. Not because they’re unmotivated, but because they can’t see how their work actually moves anything forward. Over time, this erodes trust. People begin to question whether their efforts matter, whether leadership is aligned, and whether the organization can execute its ambitions. That’s when friction stops being an operational issue and becomes a leadership one. THE POWER OF SUBTRACTION The most effective leaders are ruthless about simplification. They don’t add clarity by adding more. They add clarity by removing things. They focus the organization on a defined set of critical priorities and ensure that every activity ladders back to them. They continuously challenge processes, cutting them back to their essentials. They resist the temptation to expand meetings, reports, and governance structures that create the illusion of control while obscuring accountability. Just as importantly, they stay close to the work. They listen to what’s happening on the ground to find out where projects stall, where decisions lag, and where effort is wasted. This helps leaders identify friction points quickly and address them directly. A reliable signal that an initiative is in trouble is when meetings grow, decks get longer, and no one can answer who owns the outcome. At senior levels, friction often comes down to trust. When leaders don’t trust others to deliver, they insert themselves into decisions. That slows everything down. MOVE FASTER BY DOING LESS In an era defined by constant transformation, the instinct is often to do more: launch more initiatives, adopt more tools, and pursue more opportunities. But the organizations that move fastest are often the ones that do less. They make clear choices about where to compete and where not to. They align relentlessly around a few priorities, and they design their operating models to reduce friction, not create it. In today’s environment, success doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from removing what’s in the way. Increasingly, those barriers aren’t visible on an org chart or a roadmap. They’re embedded in how work happens every day. Steve Holdridge is the president and COO at Dayforce. View the full article

If you’ve been avoiding giving feedback to someone on your team, you’re not alone. You’re in good company. Well . . . common company, at least. Most managers aren’t avoiding feedback because they don’t care. It’s because it feels awkward and uncomfortable, and they’re hoping things will somehow get better on their own. Spoiler alert: they almost never do. I’ve seen this from multiple angles—as an employee, a manager, an employment lawyer, and someone who spent years in HR—and the cost of avoiding feedback is almost always higher than the cost of the conversation you didn’t want to have. What Happens When You Keep Waiting On the legal side, this pattern shows up constantly. A manager is finally ready to address a performance issue, but the history tells a different story: it’s been going on far longer than it should have, it was never documented, and in many cases the employee has no idea, since their reviews painted a neutral (or even glowing) picture. Because no one wanted that awkward conversation. So now you’ve got a real problem, a paper trail that says there wasn’t one, and a situation that’s a lot harder—and riskier—to untangle. That’s the employment lawyer view. Then there’s the human view. You know what people write in Glassdoor reviews when they’ve been let go for performance? Not “my manager gave me too much feedback.” More like: No one ever told me where I stood until the day I was fired. I had no idea I wasn’t meeting expectations until it was too late. My manager was never honest with me. Avoiding feedback doesn’t protect your employees, nor your organization. It just keeps people in the dark so they can’t improve, and gets you frustrated. Why We Avoid It (Be Honest With Yourself) If you’ve been holding back feedback, there’s probably a reason. It’s worth understanding it—and owning it. This might sound familiar: “I haven’t said anything because I think they’d just get upset—and it wouldn’t change anything anyway. I like them as a person, and it’s hard to even describe exactly what’s wrong. It’s just . . . not good. I keep thinking it’ll improve. And every time I think about bringing it up, something more urgent comes along and I tell myself I’ll do it next week.” If this is indeed familiar, it’s not to guilt you. It’s a very human response to a situation you (like most managers) probably weren’t trained for. But keeping that script in your head doesn’t help you—or them. At some point, you need to have an actual conversation. Use Pause-Consider-Act to Rethink Avoiding Feedback The Pause-Consider-Act framework is especially helpful when it comes to feedback, because the default habit (avoid-delay-hope) might feel easier in the moment, but it costs you more over time. Pause. Before your next one-on-one, or before another week goes by, stop and ask yourself: What feedback have I been holding back giving? You can’t address what you haven’t acknowledged. Consider. Think about what’s actually holding you back. Is it the reaction? The relationship? Not knowing what to say? Those aren’t excuses, they’re useful signals. Also ask yourself: If your boss had feedback for you but avoided sharing it to protect your feelings, would you want that? Probably not. You’d want the conversation, just delivered in a way that invites your perspective and supports your growth. Act. Have the conversation. Share what you’ve observed, ask for their perspective, and work through next steps together. You can’t control exactly how it will go, but you can choose to start, and do it in a way that’s more likely to lead to a productive outcome. A Simple Way to Start the Conversation You don’t need a script. But if you’ve been avoiding this long enough that it feels awkward to bring up now, here’s a simple way to start: “I want to be more intentional about giving you real feedback—not just on individual projects, but also what will help you grow in your career. I’ve been thinking about [the specific issue], and I want to talk through it with you.” That’s it. You’ve opened the conversation. And if part of what’s holding you back is that it’s been going on way too long, you can (and should) own that too: “I should have said something sooner. I didn’t, and that’s on me. But I don’t want to keep going without talking about it.” That kind of honesty doesn’t make you look weak. It shows your team that you’re willing to be direct, take responsibility, and have the conversations that actually matter. The Real Cost of Staying Quiet Feedback isn’t just about telling someone how they’re doing. It’s about building trust. When employees don’t get clear, honest feedback, they start filling in the blanks themselves—and they don’t always get it right. Some team members assume everything’s great and feel blindsided when they find out it’s not. Others can tell something’s off, but don’t know what, and start to get in their head while you’re both stuck and unsure how to reset. Neither outcome is what you want as a leader. The managers I’ve seen struggle most with giving feedback aren’t bad leaders. They’re managers who care – but who confuse avoiding discomfort with avoiding harm. Being direct isn’t the opposite of being kind. You can hold someone accountable and still be fully in their corner. In fact, that’s what the best managers do. So, if you’ve been waiting for the “right” moment to have that feedback conversation, this is it—your nudge and a place to start. Not because it’ll be easy, but because choosing to do it anyway is what makes you the kind of manager your team actually needs. View the full article

In the fast-paced world of consumer packaged goods (CPG), innovation has become one of the most overused—and misunderstood—terms in our vocabulary. Walking the halls of Expo West this year, the sheer scale of innovation on display is staggering. Every aisle promises a new solution to our food system’s woes—higher protein, added fiber, or the latest superfood infusion. Yet a troubling question persists: How much of this is actual food innovation, and how much is marketing dressed up as engineering? The modern CPG landscape excels at generating hype but often fails to create lasting value. Brands appear overnight, fueled by venture capital and massive marketing spends, only to disappear a few years later. In fact, research suggests that 70% to 85% of new food and beverage CPG products fail within their first few years. From my perspective, this volatility frequently stems from a lack of true technological and operational know-how. Many emerging brands rely almost entirely on co-manufacturing. While this approach lowers the barrier to entry, it also means these brands don’t own the underlying technology or research and development (R&D). Innovation in this context becomes cosmetic—tweaking formulas to chase trends—rather than structural: advancing the way we produce, consume, and think about food. Walking Expo West, I saw dozens of brands promising incremental health benefits, yet most relied on the same co-manufactured base formula with minor modifications. In contrast, a handful of purpose-driven brands stood out by demonstrating real control over their ingredients and supply chains, producing minimally processed foods with measurable environmental benefits. When marketing drives the engine more than science, brands remain trapped in a cycle of hype that prioritizes what’s viral over what’s vital. 3 PRINCIPLES TO MOVE THE INDUSTRY FORWARD If the food industry wants to move toward real, sustainable innovation, it must embrace three core principles: 1. Put R&D-led, sustainable innovation at the center: True innovation starts with R&D efforts grounded in sustainability—both environmental and economic. This means designing products and processes that reduce waste, protect biodiversity, and support the long-term resilience of the food system, while also creating durable business models. Owning key parts of the value chain can enable this, but the goal is not control for its own sake. It’s about building the technical and scientific expertise needed to create minimally processed, nutritionally sound foods that genuinely improve how people eat. 2. Purpose over pivot: U.S. retail and finance systems often reward novelty over endurance, leaving consumers confused, underserved, and pulled by headlines and politics toward options that aren’t always as healthy as the packaging suggests. Sustainable innovation requires brands to stay rooted in their core purpose rather than chasing fleeting trends or hot ingredients. It means tackling systemic challenges—food waste, biodiversity, circularity, and the protein transition—rather than simply adding the next “+1” ingredient. 3. Streamline the value chain: Heavy intermediation adds cost, complexity, and inefficiency, ultimately hurting both consumers and producers. By supporting brands that combine purpose with technological expertise, the industry can create more direct, efficient pathways from sustainable production to the grocery bag. This evolution prioritizes long-term value over short-term shelf appeal. FINAL THOUGHTS The food industry stands at a crossroads. It can continue manufacturing hype—or it can invest in the R&D, supply chain integration, and technological rigor required to deliver real, accessible, and sustainable food. For brands aiming to thrive in the next decade, the future is not in the next viral trend. It’s in the lab, in the field, in the kitchen, and in a commitment to genuine innovation. Carlo Stocco is the managing director of Andriani/Felicia North America. View the full article

Below, Amy Leneker shares five key insights from her new book, Cheers to Monday: The Surprisingly Simple Method to Lead and Live with Less Stress and More Joy. Amy is founder and CEO of the Center for Joyful Work. She has helped more than 100,000 leaders and teams, including those at Fortune 100 companies, lead with less stress and more joy. With more than 25 years of leadership experience, including a decade in the C-suite, she has studied leadership at Yale, neuroscience at the NeuroLeadership Institute, and stress resilience at Harvard Medical School. She leads the annual national workforce study, The State of Stress and Joy at Work, and hosts the Less Stress, More Joy with Amy Leneker podcast. What’s the big idea? Our jobs feel so overwhelming because stress is built into how work is designed. Once you learn to recognize and respond to different kinds of stress—and stop blaming yourself—you can feel better and perform better at the same time. Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Amy herself—in the Next Big Idea App, or buy the book. 1. Work isn’t working. If you’ve ever woken up on a Monday exhausted—or spent Sunday night bracing yourself for the week ahead—you are not the problem. The problem is work. And more specifically, the problem is how stress has been built into the structure of modern work. Workforce stress is rising, engagement is falling, and well-being is declining. The global cost is estimated at $8.9 trillion annually. But beyond the economic impact is something more personal: we are paying with our physical, mental, and emotional health. I burned out in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad way. Twice. That experience led me to conduct a national workforce study and more than 150 interviews and focus groups with leaders and teams across industries. I discovered that stress is systematically undermining success, and joy is part of the solution. Stress isn’t the price of success; it’s the thief that steals it. People are not broken. The way work is designed is broken. Yet many organizations still treat stress as a personal resilience problem instead of a work-design issue. No amount of time management training can compensate for a system that produces stress faster than people can recover. 2. Humans and organizations both have stress stories. If we want to change our relationship with stress, we have to take a real, honest look at the role it plays in our work and lives. We all carry beliefs about stress—what it means, why it shows up, and how we are supposed to respond to it. Some of these stories were handed down by families or workplaces. Others we wrote ourselves. “These stories operate quietly in the background, shaping our choices without our awareness.” Many of them are outdated. They tell us that stress is weakness, pushing through is strength, and everyone else is handling it better. These stories operate quietly in the background, shaping our choices without our awareness. Organizations carry stress stories, too. Cultural narratives determine what gets praised, what gets normalized, and what people feel safe saying out loud. If stress is treated as a badge of honor, people will hide their struggles. If it is treated as a signal, people can respond to it effectively. Changing our relationship with stress begins by examining the stories driving it. 3. Start using the Stress Ruler. When you’re not sure where to begin with stress, start with the Stress Ruler. It’s a simple Likert scale based on one question: On a scale of 0 to 10, how challenging has your stress been? I modeled it after one used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs because it gets three important things right that many other stress scales miss: It leaves the word challenging undefined because what’s challenging for one person may not be for another. Two people can experience the same organizational shake-up and have completely different internal responses. The scale makes room for that reality. It doesn’t impose a timeline. It doesn’t ask about the past week or month. Stress doesn’t arrive on a schedule, and it doesn’t always resolve on one either. By avoiding artificial time frames, the Stress Ruler captures what needs attention. It doesn’t separate work stress from life stress. It treats you as a whole human being. What’s happening at home affects your work, and what’s happening at work follows you home. The Stress Ruler honors that integration. Its power is in its simplicity. What is often left invisible becomes visible. Once stress is visible, it can be addressed. 4. There are five kinds of work stress. The majority of leaders and teams I work with make the mistake of believing that there is only one type of work stress. However, there are five primary sources of workplace stress: Schedule stress comes from too much to do and not enough time. Suspense stress builds while waiting for an uncertain decision, deadline, or difficult conversation. Social stress stems from tension and unresolved conflict in relationships. Sudden stress hits without warning in the form of urgent requests or last-minute changes. System stress is embedded in the structures, processes, and culture of the organization. When we fail to distinguish between these sources, we treat symptoms instead of causes. Naming the type of stress changes the solution. 5. The Un-Stressing Method™ is a simple way to reduce stress and restore joy. This is where my three-step Un-Stressing Method™ comes in. In my national workforce study, 96 percent of working Americans said using these three steps would help them manage work stress more effectively. See stress differently. Grab a pen, some sticky notes, and write down your stressors (one per sticky note). Then, for each stressor, ask yourself two questions: Is this important right now? Do I have control? Imagine a simple 2×2 matrix: important vs. not important, and within your control vs. outside your control. Place each stressor into the box where it belongs. Sort stress into actionable categories. When you can name the kind of stress you’re experiencing, you can start taking meaningful action. Using the five types of work stress, write the number(s) of the type(s) of stress on each sticky note. Solve stress without spinning. Now that you’ve identified and sorted your stressors, you can use the matrix to inform your next move: acknowledge the stressor and move on, accept it without fixing it, ask for help, or act on the next right thing. After you’ve gone through the three steps, celebrate the shift! Because reducing stress isn’t just a wellness strategy, it’s a joy strategy. In my research, 79 percent of working Americans say joy is essential to doing their best work, yet more than half report feeling far less joy than they want. That gap affects productivity, engagement, and retention. “Reducing stress isn’t just a wellness strategy, it’s a joy strategy.” Joy is not toxic positivity. It is not pretending everything is fine. In fact, pressure to “just stay positive” increases stress. Real joy tells the truth about what is hard and still creates the conditions for progress. At work, joy is grounded in three things: meaning in what we do, mattering in our relationships, and the momentum that comes from making progress. Think of it as a simple equation: less stress + more joy – toxic positivity = the joyful rebellion against stress and burnout. Enjoy our full library of Book Bites—read by the authors!—in the Next Big Idea app. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. View the full article

Three things it tells prospects. By Domenick J. Esposito 8 Steps to Great Go PRO for members-only access to more Dom Esposito. View the full article

Three things it tells prospects. By Domenick J. Esposito 8 Steps to Great Go PRO for members-only access to more Dom Esposito. View the full article

Scan the headlines and you couldn’t blame anyone for thinking AI portends the consulting profession’s imminent demise. Yes, artificial intelligence is automating large portions of knowledge work, but AI is only one of many forces creating the perfect storm currently bearing down on Big Consulting’s long-standing business model. Higher interest rates and macroeconomic volatility tightened professional services budgets, forcing executives to scrutinize consulting spend. And clients themselves are demanding something very different from the firms they hire. They now expect a return from every dollar. They don’t just want strategy, nor do they want PowerPoint decks, banks of data or the research that used to be a core value prop of legacy consulting firms. LLMs can get you that in a matter of seconds. Leaders need actionable solutions customized to their business and hands-on implementation from experienced professionals with specialization and relevant expertise. These converging pressures and transformative shifts are taking a wrecking ball to the legacy consulting firms’ pyramid model, and they’re struggling to adapt. The warning signs are clear. Major consulting firms have frozen starting salaries for new hires. The Wall Street Journal reported that McKinsey reduced its workforce by over 11%, citing AI’s influence on how projects are staffed and delivered. Some observers argue that the industry, and the legacy firms that have long dominated it, will simply evolve. A Harvard Business Review analysis suggested that consulting firms may move away from the traditional pyramid toward leaner structures built around smaller groups of experienced professionals. That prediction may be broadly correct. Major firms are already being forced to reevaluate how they operate. However, what the public commentary underestimates is how difficult that transformation will be, how long it will take, and what competitive opportunities it creates. Crumbling pyramid The pyramid is more than an org chart. It is the financial engine of the consulting business model. Partners sit at the top of the pyramid, primarily selling the work. Managers are in the middle overseeing engagements. And teams of junior consultants handle the research, analysis, and slide preparation. But why would a client pay $300-500 an hour for junior work that machines can generate instantly and at higher quality? According to a Harvard Business School study, AI can complete tasks 25% faster, and at 40% higher quality compared to human performance. Those productivity gains will only continue to grow. The pyramid structure works only when firms can continuously expand the base of junior consultants beneath it. When growth slows, or when technology reduces the need for that base, the model becomes much harder to sustain. Even the industry’s largest firms are still working out what this shift means in practice. McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels recently said the firm now operates with roughly 25,000 AI agents working alongside its consultants. But focusing on the number of agents may reveal more uncertainty than transformation. If AI were fundamentally improving consulting work, firms would likely emphasize gains in productivity, decision quality, or client outcomes—not simply how many digital workers they have deployed. The model cannot hold This is where the economic model starts to unravel. This is where executives begin to question the premium price tag of a Big Consulting partnership. Junior consultants generate the billable hours that support high margins while also forming the proving ground for future partners. As AI removes that layer, some large firms may evolve toward “diamond” structures, with fewer entry-level staff and a greater concentration of experienced professionals in the middle of the organization. More experienced means more expensive. And, more experienced consultants are hard to retain if their expertise isn’t being properly utilized—big firms reliant on the pyramid model don’t currently have the structure or culture to sustainably support some of their best people. For organizations employing tens of thousands of consultants globally, restructuring will require fundamental changes to hiring, pricing, and career development infrastructure. The cost of this shift is difficult to calculate, but it could require hundreds of millions of dollars of ongoing investment for each legacy firm. Even if large firms are able to successfully evolve into a diamond model, they still might not be able to meet the demands of today’s clients. Companies across industries are rethinking why they hire consultants in the first place. Largely due to the power of generative AI tools, companies increasingly bring early-stage strategy work in-house, work that used to represent the bulk of consultancy projects. Now, clients are shifting from advice to implementation and measurable outcomes. Companies expect “show me, don’t tell me” consulting. They want people who can execute solutions, not just recommend them. They also want specialists who have solved the exact problem before, rather than teams of junior generalists learning on the job. And, they want results faster. Speed to impact has become one of the most important factors in evaluating consulting engagements. For the largest strategy firms and the Big Four advisory practices, meeting these shifting client demands will mean fundamentally changing their talent model– a massive hill to climb. Their cradle-to-grave model, which involves recruiting young analysts and developing them internally over many years, has long made it difficult to integrate experienced operators from outside Big Consulting. And, the large firms do not give long-term employees the opportunity to implement solutions directly, but that’s what clients want now: people who can turn strategy into execution. Who will survive and how? As this perfect storm brews and transformative pressures push down on Big Consulting, the question becomes: what does the future of professional services firms look like? Which model can weather the storm? Boutique advisory firms are already experimenting with the “obelisk model”, where smaller teams of senior experts leverage AI tools to dramatically increase productivity and fully eliminate the need for junior consultants. Another model gaining traction is platform-based consulting networks that assemble specialized experts on demand. Instead of deploying large permanent teams, these organizations match companies with professionals who have direct experience and specialization needed to do the work, offering expertise, speed, and flexibility. The global consulting industry represents over $400 billion in annual spending. For much of its history, its advantage came from controlling access to expertise and analysis. But the market is evolving quickly. For legacy consulting firms, adapting to this environment will take not just money, but time. Transforming those institutions into flexible networks will involve years of change. In the meantime, quicker, more nimble organizations built outside of the pyramid model from the ground up may be able to seize the moment. Artificial intelligence may be reshaping how consulting firms work, but it’s the clients that will ultimately decide which firms survive the shift. The firms that succeed in the next decade won’t be the ones with the most AI tools. They’ll be the ones who prioritize delivering speed, expertise, and measurable value. View the full article

Project closure is a critical process of project management. Explore key steps and best practices to help ensure successful project closure. The post Project Management Closure Phase: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

If you’re looking to strengthen your comprehension of small business accounting, consider exploring these seven fundamental books. Each title offers unique insights, from Mike Piper’s straightforward “Accounting Made Simple,” which lays a solid foundation, to Mike Michalowicz‘s “Profit First,” which challenges traditional cash management approaches. These resources can improve your financial literacy and decision-making skills. Grasping these concepts is vital for your business’s success, and each book provides valuable takeaways that can greatly influence your operations. Key Takeaways “Accounting Made Simple” offers a clear and concise introduction to essential accounting principles for beginners and small business owners. “The Accounting Game” engages readers through interactive learning, using a lemonade stand metaphor to simplify complex concepts. “Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs” provides practical insights on financial statements, empowering entrepreneurs to make informed business decisions. “Profit First” introduces a unique cash management approach that prioritizes profit, offering actionable tips for financial discipline. “Bookkeeping for Small Business” simplifies bookkeeping and tax preparation processes, making accounting accessible for small business owners. Accounting Made Simple” by Mike Piper “Accounting Made Simple” by Mike Piper is an important resource for anyone looking to navigate the domain of accounting without feeling overwhelmed. This book stands out among the best accounting books for its straightforward approach, especially designed for beginners and small business owners. It breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-understand language, covering vital topics such as financial statements, the accounting equation, and GAAP principles. You’ll appreciate how it simplifies debits and credits as it introduces key financial reports and budgeting techniques. With its concise 100-page format, it serves as an effective quick reference guide. Positive reviews highlight its clarity and practicality, making it valuable for anyone wanting to grasp fundamental accounting principles quickly and efficiently. The Accounting Game” by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff “The Accounting Game” by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff presents a unique approach to learning fundamental accounting principles through the engaging metaphor of a lemonade stand. This book is an excellent choice among accounting books for beginners, as it covers crucial topics like assets, liabilities, and income statements using interactive exercises. The lemonade stand framework helps you visualize these concepts in a practical context, making it easier to grasp complex ideas. With a Goodreads rating of 4.2/5, it’s praised for its approachable style and effectiveness. The interactive approach not just aids retention but also encourages active engagement with the material, catering to various learning styles. Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs” by Karen Berman and Joe Knight Grasping financial statements can feel overwhelming, especially for entrepreneurs who aren’t trained in accounting. “Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs” by Karen Berman and Joe Knight addresses this challenge by breaking down fundamental financial concepts into manageable parts. This book offers practical guidance on maneuvering balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements, which are crucial for evaluating your business’s financial health. It emphasizes the significance of financial intelligence for entrepreneurs, enabling you to interpret data effectively for better decision-making. By demystifying financial concepts, Berman and Knight empower you to improve operational efficiency and drive growth. If you’re looking for valuable accounting business books, this one is a must-read for entrepreneurs aiming to enhance their strategic planning and profitability. Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz Comprehending how to manage finances is crucial for any entrepreneur looking to build a successful business. “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz offers a transformative approach that shifts the traditional mindset about profit in business operations. This book introduces a revolutionary cash management system that prioritizes profit, urging you to allocate funds into profit accounts first. By following Michalowicz’s method, you can convert your business from a “cash-eating monster” into a “money-making machine.” The book outlines a straightforward method with separate accounts for income, profit, owner’s pay, taxes, and operating expenses, promoting financial discipline. With practical tips and real-world examples, “Profit First” is one of the best books for small business owners seeking sustainable financial growth. Bookkeeping for Small Business” by Martin J. Kallman Effective bookkeeping is fundamental for small business success, and “Bookkeeping for Small Business” by Martin J. Kallman serves as a key resource. This thorough guide is customized for small business owners like you, offering practical tips for tracking income and expenses effectively. Kallman emphasizes preparing for taxes, as he simplifies bookkeeping intricacies that are crucial for financial management. The book covers key topics, including double-entry bookkeeping, financial reports, and cash flow management, equipping you with the tools needed to make informed financial decisions. With real-world examples and actionable advice, it makes complex accounting concepts accessible, empowering you to take control of your financial health, which contributes to the sustainability and growth of your business. Accounting All-in-One For Dummies” by Michael Taillard, Joseph Kraynak, and Kenneth W. Boyd “Accounting All-in-One For Dummies” serves as a thorough resource that covers vital accounting topics, making it ideal for both newcomers and those revitalizing their skills. With sections on financial and managerial accounting, along with business planning, this book provides a well-rounded grasp of the field. Its practical examples and clear explanations make complex concepts more accessible, especially for small business owners who may lack extensive accounting experience. Comprehensive Resource Overview Steering through the intricacies of small business accounting can be intimidating, but Accounting All-in-One For Dummies by Michael Taillard, Joseph Kraynak, and Kenneth W. Boyd serves as a valuable resource. This book is one of the good accounting books for beginners, covering fundamental topics like financial accounting, managerial accounting, and business planning. You’ll find clear explanations and practical examples that simplify complex concepts, making it easier for you to grasp the material. The guide’s structure allows you to read it cover-to-cover or focus on specific sections that meet your immediate needs. Published in 2022, this updated edition incorporates the latest accounting standards, ensuring you’re well-equipped with current knowledge in today’s evolving financial environment. Beginner-Friendly Learning Approach Grasping accounting can seem intimidating, especially for those just starting out in business. “Accounting All-in-One For Dummies” offers a beginner-friendly learning approach that simplifies complex financial concepts. This resource stands out as one of the best books for small business owners by covering a wide range of topics, including financial accounting, managerial accounting, and business planning. It provides practical examples and clear explanations of crucial topics like financial statements and budgeting, ensuring you build a solid foundation in accounting. With its structured format, the book encourages you to make informed business decisions confidently. Topic Description Benefits Financial Accounting Basics of financial statements Learn to track business finances Managerial Accounting Internal decision-making processes Improve operational efficiency Business Planning Creating effective business strategies Improve long-term success The Lean CFO” by Nicholas S. Katko In the domain of financial management, The Lean CFO by Nicholas S. Katko stands out as one of the best accounting textbooks for those seeking efficiency in finance. This book explores how lean management principles can improve financial processes, allowing you to reduce waste and optimize operations. Katko provides practical strategies that CFOs and finance professionals can implement to align financial activities with overall business goals. Through case studies and real-world examples, you’ll see how applying lean principles can lead to significant cost savings and enhanced financial performance. It’s particularly valuable for entrepreneurs and CFOs aiming to streamline financial processes and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement within their organizations, making it a must-read for your financial toolkit. Frequently Asked Questions What Accounting Books Focus on Small Businesses? If you’re searching for accounting books focused on small businesses, consider Accounting Made Simple by Mike Piper, which simplifies key concepts. *Bookkeeping for Small Business* by Martin J. Kallman offers practical tips on income tracking. For comprehension of financial statements, try Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs by Karen Berman and Joe Knight. Furthermore, Profit First by Mike Michalowicz provides cash management strategies, whereas The Accounting Game by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff makes learning fun through engaging metaphors. What Books Should Accountants Read? As an accountant, you should consider reading “Accounting Made Simple” by Mike Piper for a solid foundation in accounting principles. “Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs” by Berman and Knight offers insights into financial statements, vital for decision-making. Furthermore, Profit First by Mike Michalowicz introduces a unique cash management system focused on profitability. Finally, “Accounting All-in-One For Dummies” provides a thorough overview, covering fundamental topics that every accountant should understand for effective practice. How Do I Learn Bookkeeping for My Small Business? To learn bookkeeping for your small business, start with Accounting Made Simple by Mike Piper for foundational concepts. Consider *The Accounting Game* by Darrell Mullis for hands-on practice. *Bookkeeping for Small Business* by Martin Kallman offers practical tips customized to entrepreneurs. Furthermore, Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs helps you grasp balance sheets and cash flow. Online courses can further improve your skills, making bookkeeping more interactive and applicable to your business needs. What Accounting Is Required for a Small Business? For your small business, you’ll need to maintain accurate financial records, tracking income, expenses, and cash flow. Crucial accounting includes preparing profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. You should adopt a reliable bookkeeping system to streamline financial management. Familiarizing yourself with accounting principles, like double-entry bookkeeping, helps prevent errors. Furthermore, utilizing accounting software can improve efficiency and guarantee compliance with legal and tax obligations, allowing you to focus on growth. Conclusion By exploring these seven crucial accounting books, you’ll gain valuable insights that can greatly improve your financial management skills. Each title offers unique approaches, from foundational principles in Accounting Made Simple to innovative cash flow strategies in Profit First. Whether you’re looking to understand financial statements or enhance your bookkeeping practices, these resources equip you with the knowledge needed for informed decision-making. Investing time in these books can lead to sustainable growth for your small business. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Small Business Accounting Books to Read" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Oracle recently launched its Fusion Agentic Applications, a suite designed to enhance finance and supply chain operations through advanced AI capabilities. These innovative tools enable small business owners to automate decision-making and streamline operations within their existing workflows, promising improved efficiency and notable cost savings. Small business owners often face the daunting task of managing multiple processes with limited resources. According to Oracle’s Executive Vice President of Applications Development, Steve Miranda, “Finance and supply chain teams are under constant pressure to close faster, respond to disruptions sooner, and deliver more with the same resources.” Traditional manual follow-ups and handoffs can occupy valuable time, making it difficult to adapt promptly to changing business conditions. The newly introduced Fusion Agentic Applications aim to address these challenges by transitioning from reactive productivity to a proactive operational model. Each application operates under a secure framework, leveraging unified enterprise data and workflows to autonomously progress routine tasks while flagging exceptions that require human intervention. This reduces the need for manual oversight, allowing teams to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives. Key Takeaways Improved Efficiency: Small businesses can expect faster cash collection and fewer operational delays, as the applications are designed to automate routine tasks and enhance data-driven decisions. Enhanced Financial Accuracy: Features such as the Claims Settlement Workspace help finance teams improve cash accuracy and expedite claim processes, crucial for businesses that rely heavily on timely payments. Streamlined Operations: The Logistics Execution Command Center, for instance, minimizes fulfillment disruptions by consolidating functions within a single interface, promoting quicker problem resolution. Practical Applications Among the twelve new applications now available, several stand out for their practical relevance to small businesses: Claims Settlement Workspace: This application allows finance teams to accelerate the claims process, improving working capital and reducing cash cycle times. By automating these efforts, small businesses can achieve greater financial accuracy. Collectors Workspace: Intended to enhance cash flow management, this tool automates collections, helping firms lower their days sales outstanding (DSO) and convert more promises to pay into actual payments. Sales Order Command Center: A centralized hub that empowers customer service teams to manage sales order exceptions, respond quickly to queries, and streamline cancellations and returns, transforming what was once a labor-intensive process into a more efficient one. Even operations teams can benefit. For example, the Warehouse Operations Workspace offers warehouse personnel critical insights into stock levels and order status, allowing for faster decision-making and improved operational efficiency. Potential Challenges While the advantages are compelling, small business owners should also consider potential challenges. Transitioning to AI-driven applications requires some level of technological investment and staff training. The initial setup may demand time to integrate into current systems. There may also be a learning curve as employees adapt to new workflows established by the automated applications. As Miranda notes, these tools help teams operate with “greater confidence,” but effective implementation is essential for realizing these benefits. In addition, small businesses must evaluate how these applications fit into their unique operational landscape. They will need to consider factors such as existing technology, workforce capabilities, and the impact on customer interaction. It’s crucial for small business owners to weigh these factors before deciding to adopt new technologies fully. Conclusion Oracle’s Fusion Agentic Applications represent a substantial leap forward in automating finance and supply chain processes for small businesses. The tools promise to reduce operational friction and enhance efficiency, tackling the everyday challenges that small firms often face. If small business owners can navigate the initial adjustments and training, the potential for improved workflows, reduced costs, and increased cash flow could be transformative. For more information, you can read the original press release here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Oracle Launches AI-Driven Applications to Transform Finance and Supply Chain" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Oracle recently launched its Fusion Agentic Applications, a suite designed to enhance finance and supply chain operations through advanced AI capabilities. These innovative tools enable small business owners to automate decision-making and streamline operations within their existing workflows, promising improved efficiency and notable cost savings. Small business owners often face the daunting task of managing multiple processes with limited resources. According to Oracle’s Executive Vice President of Applications Development, Steve Miranda, “Finance and supply chain teams are under constant pressure to close faster, respond to disruptions sooner, and deliver more with the same resources.” Traditional manual follow-ups and handoffs can occupy valuable time, making it difficult to adapt promptly to changing business conditions. The newly introduced Fusion Agentic Applications aim to address these challenges by transitioning from reactive productivity to a proactive operational model. Each application operates under a secure framework, leveraging unified enterprise data and workflows to autonomously progress routine tasks while flagging exceptions that require human intervention. This reduces the need for manual oversight, allowing teams to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives. Key Takeaways Improved Efficiency: Small businesses can expect faster cash collection and fewer operational delays, as the applications are designed to automate routine tasks and enhance data-driven decisions. Enhanced Financial Accuracy: Features such as the Claims Settlement Workspace help finance teams improve cash accuracy and expedite claim processes, crucial for businesses that rely heavily on timely payments. Streamlined Operations: The Logistics Execution Command Center, for instance, minimizes fulfillment disruptions by consolidating functions within a single interface, promoting quicker problem resolution. Practical Applications Among the twelve new applications now available, several stand out for their practical relevance to small businesses: Claims Settlement Workspace: This application allows finance teams to accelerate the claims process, improving working capital and reducing cash cycle times. By automating these efforts, small businesses can achieve greater financial accuracy. Collectors Workspace: Intended to enhance cash flow management, this tool automates collections, helping firms lower their days sales outstanding (DSO) and convert more promises to pay into actual payments. Sales Order Command Center: A centralized hub that empowers customer service teams to manage sales order exceptions, respond quickly to queries, and streamline cancellations and returns, transforming what was once a labor-intensive process into a more efficient one. Even operations teams can benefit. For example, the Warehouse Operations Workspace offers warehouse personnel critical insights into stock levels and order status, allowing for faster decision-making and improved operational efficiency. Potential Challenges While the advantages are compelling, small business owners should also consider potential challenges. Transitioning to AI-driven applications requires some level of technological investment and staff training. The initial setup may demand time to integrate into current systems. There may also be a learning curve as employees adapt to new workflows established by the automated applications. As Miranda notes, these tools help teams operate with “greater confidence,” but effective implementation is essential for realizing these benefits. In addition, small businesses must evaluate how these applications fit into their unique operational landscape. They will need to consider factors such as existing technology, workforce capabilities, and the impact on customer interaction. It’s crucial for small business owners to weigh these factors before deciding to adopt new technologies fully. Conclusion Oracle’s Fusion Agentic Applications represent a substantial leap forward in automating finance and supply chain processes for small businesses. The tools promise to reduce operational friction and enhance efficiency, tackling the everyday challenges that small firms often face. If small business owners can navigate the initial adjustments and training, the potential for improved workflows, reduced costs, and increased cash flow could be transformative. For more information, you can read the original press release here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Oracle Launches AI-Driven Applications to Transform Finance and Supply Chain" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The market for buying and selling small businesses appears to be settling into a new rhythm in 2026, but stability has not made the process easier. If anything, competition for quality businesses has intensified, financing has grown more complicated, and buyers are becoming far more selective. That is one of the clearest takeaways from BizBuySell’s latest Insight Report, which paints a picture of a business acquisition market where quality matters more than quantity. For small business owners thinking about eventually selling, acquiring a competitor, or simply understanding how their company may be valued in today’s environment, the report offers signals worth watching. Small Business Deals Hold Steady, But Buyers Want Stronger Companies In the first quarter of 2026, 2,345 businesses changed hands with a combined enterprise value of $2 billion. Transaction volume slipped 1% year over year, though it rose 3% from the previous quarter, helped in part by deals delayed during the federal government shutdown that closed in early 2026. What stands out is not a booming surge in deal count, but where buyers are placing their money. Strong businesses with reliable cash flow, resilient margins, and scalable models are commanding attention and premium valuations. Meanwhile, companies with flat or declining performance face heavier scrutiny, longer sales cycles, and more negotiation pressure. “It is a bifurcated market. Strong, cash-flowing businesses are in high demand, and the current environment clearly favors sellers. At the same time, businesses with flat or declining performance tend to face more scrutiny and longer timelines, creating a more favorable environment for buyers in those situations,” said Jason Ward of TruView Business Advisors in Texas. For small business owners, that split carries major implications. Buyers may still be active, but they are no longer paying broadly rising prices across the board. They are rewarding performance. Median sale price held flat at $350,000 compared with a year ago, but fundamentals improved beneath the surface. Median cash flow climbed 3% to $165,256. Median revenue rose 2% to $713,404. Average cash flow multiples also edged higher to 2.7x. That suggests buyers are still willing to pay up—but primarily for businesses they see as low-risk, efficient, and positioned for growth. “There are more buyers looking for quality deals and doing more research and asking tougher questions before submitting an offer. I see less demand for businesses valued at less than $1 million,” said Justin W. Sandridge of Murphy Business Sales – Charlotte. Financing Changes Add Friction to Business Sales That tougher diligence process may feel familiar to many owners, even outside M&A. Investors, lenders, customers, and even vendors have become more demanding in an uncertain economy. The same caution is now showing up in business sales. For owners preparing an exit, this could mean focusing less on revenue growth alone and more on improving transferable value—clean books, recurring revenue, documented systems, strong margins, and defensible market positions. Those fundamentals may matter even more as financing grows harder to secure. New SBA Rules Are Reshaping Deal Structures One of the report’s more significant themes centers on stricter Small Business Administration 7(a) lending standards, which are reshaping transactions. Nearly half of brokers surveyed said lending conditions are making deals harder to complete. “The 5% seller down payment maximum, with full stand-by, is causing buyers to reconsider financing options and become a bit more cautious,” said Michael Finley of Infinity Business Brokers in Florida. “It is also making sellers nervous about offering 5%.” That matters because many acquisitions at the lower middle-market level rely heavily on SBA-backed financing. When lending tightens, deal structures often have to evolve. Seller financing, for example, is becoming increasingly important. Sixty-one percent of buyers surveyed hope seller financing will be included in deals, not simply as a convenience but often as a practical necessity. “Seller financing shows belief in the business,” said Patrick Murray, a buyer planning to purchase in Oklahoma. For sellers, that may require a mindset shift. Financing support is increasingly becoming part of how deals get done, not just a negotiating concession. Another lending change could also affect who can buy businesses. Since March, updated citizenship requirements for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans have narrowed access for green card holders and foreign nationals. “The SBA new rules not to loan to green card holders limited the number of buyers,” said Wen Karkhanis, Los Angeles-based business broker at BTI. For owners hoping to maximize exit options, a smaller buyer pool could affect timelines or deal structures, especially in markets where international buyers were previously active. Corporate Refugees and Private Equity Enter the Market Yet even as traditional financing tightens, the buyer pool itself is evolving. The report notes rising participation from private equity firms, former corporate professionals, and what some brokers call “corporate refugees”—buyers leaving or pushed out of traditional employment and seeking ownership. Nearly half of buyers surveyed identified as corporate refugees, up from 44% in the previous quarter. “More buyers are coming from corporate backgrounds, often driven by burnout or job concerns, and they’re focused on stable, cash flow businesses,” Ward said. That trend could be especially relevant for service businesses, which appear to be attracting intense demand. Service Businesses Remain Especially Attractive Service businesses represented 42% of all transactions in the quarter. While deal volume grew only modestly, valuations and financial performance rose much more sharply. Median service business sale prices jumped 13% to $350,000. Cash flow rose 7%. Revenue climbed 8%. Much of that demand is centered on businesses with recurring revenue and resilience. “We’re seeing the strongest buyer demand in service-based businesses and technology-driven platforms, particularly those with recurring revenue and strong cash flow,” said Carson Bomar of Exit Game Plan. “Buyers are prioritizing businesses with predictable income, lower exposure to tariffs, and the ability to adjust pricing to offset inflation. In addition, niche B2B services, especially in areas like healthcare support services and specialized SaaS, are attracting significant attention from both strategic buyers and private equity groups.” That could offer encouragement to many small business owners operating in home services, business services, health support, and software-enabled niches. AI Is Becoming Part of the Business Valuation Conversation Those sectors may be benefiting from another growing factor in valuations: AI readiness. Artificial intelligence emerged as a notable theme in the report, not simply as an operational tool but increasingly as a factor in how businesses are evaluated. Sixty-three percent of small business owners surveyed say they actively use AI. Among adopters, 83% say it has improved performance. Most cite productivity, automation, and cost reduction as major drivers. For owners preparing for eventual sale, that matters. Technology adoption—once a secondary consideration—may increasingly influence perceived scalability and efficiency. Buyers appear to be paying attention. “We’re seeing a meaningful uptick in inquiries from corporate professionals who’ve been laid off and are exploring business ownership,” said Caleb Seegers of Exceptional Business Advisors. “Buyers are also actively thinking about how AI tools can reduce operating costs post acquisition, and it’s changing how they evaluate deals and project proformas.” For smaller businesses, this could mean investments in automation, AI-enabled workflows, and operational efficiency may contribute not only to current profitability but future exit value. And AI isn’t only influencing acquisitions from the seller side. Concerns about job displacement are reportedly pushing some professionals toward business ownership. Thirty-seven percent of buyers cited AI replacing jobs as a motivator. That may add more demand pressure for acquisition targets seen as durable, cash-generating businesses. Inflation, Energy Costs and Global Uncertainty Weigh on Owners Still, the market is hardly operating in a vacuum. Geopolitical uncertainty and inflation continue weighing on small businesses and transactions alike. More than 70% of surveyed owners reported effects tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict, particularly through fuel and supply costs. “Fuel and energy costs keep climbing, but customers aren’t spending more,” said David McDougall, owner of Countertop World in Arkansas. Many owners report squeezed margins but limited pricing power. “We raised prices slightly, but we’re careful – being affordable is part of who we are,” said Arthur Littlefield, owner of White Oak Boutique in Colorado. “Any cost increase gets passed on to the customer. There’s no fat left,” added Joe Prescia, owner of American Joe Handyman in Colorado. Those pressures are influencing buyer behavior too. “There is some reluctance to buy due to the war and tariffs,” said one business broker. “However, sellers are also more open to selling due to the same issues, and they have more reasonable expectations around value.” That dynamic may create opportunities for acquisition-minded entrepreneurs, especially those with capital and patience. Manufacturing, Retail and Restaurants Show Sector-Specific Strength Certain sectors also appear showing resilience despite broader uncertainty. Manufacturing Deals Rebound Manufacturing transactions rose 16% year over year, though much of that growth occurred in smaller deals. Quarter-over-quarter figures pointed to stronger momentum, with sale prices and financial performance rebounding sharply. “We see dramatic growth in buyer responses to manufacturing listings. SBA lenders are also giving better terms and quick approvals on deals in manufacturing and technology,” said Karkhanis. Retail Buyers Focus on Profitability Retail also showed surprising strength. Even with acquisition volume down slightly, median sale prices rose 9%, and cash flow improved 6%. Buyers appear rewarding profitability over raw sales volume. Restaurants With Strong Cash Flow Still Draw Buyers Restaurants presented a similar pattern. Though transaction volume dipped 6%, businesses that sold fetched higher prices and stronger multiples, suggesting fewer but better-quality offerings reaching market. For independent operators in these industries, that may be a reminder that well-run businesses continue attracting demand, even in sectors often viewed as challenged. What Small Business Owners Should Take From the Report One broader lesson emerging from the report is that operational discipline increasingly drives valuation. That has practical implications even for owners not considering a sale. Improving margins. Documenting processes. Reducing owner dependence. Adding recurring revenue. Using AI or automation to boost efficiency. Strengthening pricing discipline. These are not just “exit prep” exercises anymore. They are increasingly core competitive advantages. The report also highlights how sophisticated competition for acquisitions has become. Private equity activity remains active. “We’re seeing a significant increase in private equity activity, particularly in service-based and recurring revenue businesses. PE groups remain active, but they are being more selective and disciplined in underwriting compared to prior years. There is a continued focus on platform opportunities and add-on acquisitions, with an emphasis on businesses that demonstrate stable cash flow, strong margins, and scalability,” Bomar said. That may raise the bar for smaller strategic buyers competing for attractive businesses. But it could also increase opportunities for sellers positioned well. Outlook for the Rest of 2026 According to the report, nearly two-thirds of brokers expect deal volume to rise over the next six months. “The market is currently characterized by strong buyer demand and limited supply, particularly for high-quality, cash flowing businesses,” said Jason Ward of TruView Business Advisors. “Well performing companies can command premium valuations, while inconsistent businesses face much more scrutiny.” That “limited supply” factor may be especially important. High-quality businesses remain scarce. When demand chases scarce assets, valuations can stay supported even amid uncertainty. Still, brokers repeatedly stress preparation. Deals are taking longer. Financing delays remain common. Due diligence is tougher. “We’re seeing solid buyer demand and a healthy pipeline of sellers, but banks have tightened lending and are taking longer, which adds friction to deals,” said Seegers. Similarly, Shep Campbell of M&A Specialists noted, “Buyer interest and inquiry volume stayed strong, but longer diligence timelines and financing delays offset what could have been a much stronger quarter.” That may push both buyers and sellers to prepare earlier than in prior cycles. For would-be buyers, that could mean lining up lenders early, understanding industry eligibility rules, and building realistic deal structures. For sellers, it may mean getting financials ready long before listing a business. “The market is balanced. Buyers are disciplined, and sellers who are properly advised and positioned are still achieving strong outcomes,” said Bomar. “The key is aligning expectations with market realities early in the process.” Quality Is Driving the Small Business Acquisition Market Perhaps the clearest message from the quarter is that small business acquisitions have become less about chasing deals and more about chasing quality. That shift may benefit disciplined operators. Owners who build durable, profitable companies may find stronger buyer interest. Buyers who understand value—not just price—may still uncover opportunities. And entrepreneurs considering acquisition as a growth strategy may find this environment rewards preparation more than speed. As Vipin Singh of Murphy Business Sales – Edison, NJ observed, “The small business M&A market has entered a high confidence phase. Buyers and sellers are no longer waiting for perfect conditions – they’re moving forward based on a stabilized backdrop and clearer expectations.” For small business owners, whether they plan to buy, build, or eventually sell, that may be the bigger takeaway. Markets may remain volatile. Financing may stay tight. Competition may intensify. But businesses with strong fundamentals still appear commanding attention. More detailed data and sector breakdowns from the report are available through the original BizBuySell Insight Report. And for owners wondering how today’s buyers might view their own businesses, that may be one of the more practical places to start. Images via BizBuySell This article, "Buyer Competition Intensifies for High-Quality Small Businesses, New Report Finds" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The market for buying and selling small businesses appears to be settling into a new rhythm in 2026, but stability has not made the process easier. If anything, competition for quality businesses has intensified, financing has grown more complicated, and buyers are becoming far more selective. That is one of the clearest takeaways from BizBuySell’s latest Insight Report, which paints a picture of a business acquisition market where quality matters more than quantity. For small business owners thinking about eventually selling, acquiring a competitor, or simply understanding how their company may be valued in today’s environment, the report offers signals worth watching. Small Business Deals Hold Steady, But Buyers Want Stronger Companies In the first quarter of 2026, 2,345 businesses changed hands with a combined enterprise value of $2 billion. Transaction volume slipped 1% year over year, though it rose 3% from the previous quarter, helped in part by deals delayed during the federal government shutdown that closed in early 2026. What stands out is not a booming surge in deal count, but where buyers are placing their money. Strong businesses with reliable cash flow, resilient margins, and scalable models are commanding attention and premium valuations. Meanwhile, companies with flat or declining performance face heavier scrutiny, longer sales cycles, and more negotiation pressure. “It is a bifurcated market. Strong, cash-flowing businesses are in high demand, and the current environment clearly favors sellers. At the same time, businesses with flat or declining performance tend to face more scrutiny and longer timelines, creating a more favorable environment for buyers in those situations,” said Jason Ward of TruView Business Advisors in Texas. For small business owners, that split carries major implications. Buyers may still be active, but they are no longer paying broadly rising prices across the board. They are rewarding performance. Median sale price held flat at $350,000 compared with a year ago, but fundamentals improved beneath the surface. Median cash flow climbed 3% to $165,256. Median revenue rose 2% to $713,404. Average cash flow multiples also edged higher to 2.7x. That suggests buyers are still willing to pay up—but primarily for businesses they see as low-risk, efficient, and positioned for growth. “There are more buyers looking for quality deals and doing more research and asking tougher questions before submitting an offer. I see less demand for businesses valued at less than $1 million,” said Justin W. Sandridge of Murphy Business Sales – Charlotte. Financing Changes Add Friction to Business Sales That tougher diligence process may feel familiar to many owners, even outside M&A. Investors, lenders, customers, and even vendors have become more demanding in an uncertain economy. The same caution is now showing up in business sales. For owners preparing an exit, this could mean focusing less on revenue growth alone and more on improving transferable value—clean books, recurring revenue, documented systems, strong margins, and defensible market positions. Those fundamentals may matter even more as financing grows harder to secure. New SBA Rules Are Reshaping Deal Structures One of the report’s more significant themes centers on stricter Small Business Administration 7(a) lending standards, which are reshaping transactions. Nearly half of brokers surveyed said lending conditions are making deals harder to complete. “The 5% seller down payment maximum, with full stand-by, is causing buyers to reconsider financing options and become a bit more cautious,” said Michael Finley of Infinity Business Brokers in Florida. “It is also making sellers nervous about offering 5%.” That matters because many acquisitions at the lower middle-market level rely heavily on SBA-backed financing. When lending tightens, deal structures often have to evolve. Seller financing, for example, is becoming increasingly important. Sixty-one percent of buyers surveyed hope seller financing will be included in deals, not simply as a convenience but often as a practical necessity. “Seller financing shows belief in the business,” said Patrick Murray, a buyer planning to purchase in Oklahoma. For sellers, that may require a mindset shift. Financing support is increasingly becoming part of how deals get done, not just a negotiating concession. Another lending change could also affect who can buy businesses. Since March, updated citizenship requirements for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans have narrowed access for green card holders and foreign nationals. “The SBA new rules not to loan to green card holders limited the number of buyers,” said Wen Karkhanis, Los Angeles-based business broker at BTI. For owners hoping to maximize exit options, a smaller buyer pool could affect timelines or deal structures, especially in markets where international buyers were previously active. Corporate Refugees and Private Equity Enter the Market Yet even as traditional financing tightens, the buyer pool itself is evolving. The report notes rising participation from private equity firms, former corporate professionals, and what some brokers call “corporate refugees”—buyers leaving or pushed out of traditional employment and seeking ownership. Nearly half of buyers surveyed identified as corporate refugees, up from 44% in the previous quarter. “More buyers are coming from corporate backgrounds, often driven by burnout or job concerns, and they’re focused on stable, cash flow businesses,” Ward said. That trend could be especially relevant for service businesses, which appear to be attracting intense demand. Service Businesses Remain Especially Attractive Service businesses represented 42% of all transactions in the quarter. While deal volume grew only modestly, valuations and financial performance rose much more sharply. Median service business sale prices jumped 13% to $350,000. Cash flow rose 7%. Revenue climbed 8%. Much of that demand is centered on businesses with recurring revenue and resilience. “We’re seeing the strongest buyer demand in service-based businesses and technology-driven platforms, particularly those with recurring revenue and strong cash flow,” said Carson Bomar of Exit Game Plan. “Buyers are prioritizing businesses with predictable income, lower exposure to tariffs, and the ability to adjust pricing to offset inflation. In addition, niche B2B services, especially in areas like healthcare support services and specialized SaaS, are attracting significant attention from both strategic buyers and private equity groups.” That could offer encouragement to many small business owners operating in home services, business services, health support, and software-enabled niches. AI Is Becoming Part of the Business Valuation Conversation Those sectors may be benefiting from another growing factor in valuations: AI readiness. Artificial intelligence emerged as a notable theme in the report, not simply as an operational tool but increasingly as a factor in how businesses are evaluated. Sixty-three percent of small business owners surveyed say they actively use AI. Among adopters, 83% say it has improved performance. Most cite productivity, automation, and cost reduction as major drivers. For owners preparing for eventual sale, that matters. Technology adoption—once a secondary consideration—may increasingly influence perceived scalability and efficiency. Buyers appear to be paying attention. “We’re seeing a meaningful uptick in inquiries from corporate professionals who’ve been laid off and are exploring business ownership,” said Caleb Seegers of Exceptional Business Advisors. “Buyers are also actively thinking about how AI tools can reduce operating costs post acquisition, and it’s changing how they evaluate deals and project proformas.” For smaller businesses, this could mean investments in automation, AI-enabled workflows, and operational efficiency may contribute not only to current profitability but future exit value. And AI isn’t only influencing acquisitions from the seller side. Concerns about job displacement are reportedly pushing some professionals toward business ownership. Thirty-seven percent of buyers cited AI replacing jobs as a motivator. That may add more demand pressure for acquisition targets seen as durable, cash-generating businesses. Inflation, Energy Costs and Global Uncertainty Weigh on Owners Still, the market is hardly operating in a vacuum. Geopolitical uncertainty and inflation continue weighing on small businesses and transactions alike. More than 70% of surveyed owners reported effects tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict, particularly through fuel and supply costs. “Fuel and energy costs keep climbing, but customers aren’t spending more,” said David McDougall, owner of Countertop World in Arkansas. Many owners report squeezed margins but limited pricing power. “We raised prices slightly, but we’re careful – being affordable is part of who we are,” said Arthur Littlefield, owner of White Oak Boutique in Colorado. “Any cost increase gets passed on to the customer. There’s no fat left,” added Joe Prescia, owner of American Joe Handyman in Colorado. Those pressures are influencing buyer behavior too. “There is some reluctance to buy due to the war and tariffs,” said one business broker. “However, sellers are also more open to selling due to the same issues, and they have more reasonable expectations around value.” That dynamic may create opportunities for acquisition-minded entrepreneurs, especially those with capital and patience. Manufacturing, Retail and Restaurants Show Sector-Specific Strength Certain sectors also appear showing resilience despite broader uncertainty. Manufacturing Deals Rebound Manufacturing transactions rose 16% year over year, though much of that growth occurred in smaller deals. Quarter-over-quarter figures pointed to stronger momentum, with sale prices and financial performance rebounding sharply. “We see dramatic growth in buyer responses to manufacturing listings. SBA lenders are also giving better terms and quick approvals on deals in manufacturing and technology,” said Karkhanis. Retail Buyers Focus on Profitability Retail also showed surprising strength. Even with acquisition volume down slightly, median sale prices rose 9%, and cash flow improved 6%. Buyers appear rewarding profitability over raw sales volume. Restaurants With Strong Cash Flow Still Draw Buyers Restaurants presented a similar pattern. Though transaction volume dipped 6%, businesses that sold fetched higher prices and stronger multiples, suggesting fewer but better-quality offerings reaching market. For independent operators in these industries, that may be a reminder that well-run businesses continue attracting demand, even in sectors often viewed as challenged. What Small Business Owners Should Take From the Report One broader lesson emerging from the report is that operational discipline increasingly drives valuation. That has practical implications even for owners not considering a sale. Improving margins. Documenting processes. Reducing owner dependence. Adding recurring revenue. Using AI or automation to boost efficiency. Strengthening pricing discipline. These are not just “exit prep” exercises anymore. They are increasingly core competitive advantages. The report also highlights how sophisticated competition for acquisitions has become. Private equity activity remains active. “We’re seeing a significant increase in private equity activity, particularly in service-based and recurring revenue businesses. PE groups remain active, but they are being more selective and disciplined in underwriting compared to prior years. There is a continued focus on platform opportunities and add-on acquisitions, with an emphasis on businesses that demonstrate stable cash flow, strong margins, and scalability,” Bomar said. That may raise the bar for smaller strategic buyers competing for attractive businesses. But it could also increase opportunities for sellers positioned well. Outlook for the Rest of 2026 According to the report, nearly two-thirds of brokers expect deal volume to rise over the next six months. “The market is currently characterized by strong buyer demand and limited supply, particularly for high-quality, cash flowing businesses,” said Jason Ward of TruView Business Advisors. “Well performing companies can command premium valuations, while inconsistent businesses face much more scrutiny.” That “limited supply” factor may be especially important. High-quality businesses remain scarce. When demand chases scarce assets, valuations can stay supported even amid uncertainty. Still, brokers repeatedly stress preparation. Deals are taking longer. Financing delays remain common. Due diligence is tougher. “We’re seeing solid buyer demand and a healthy pipeline of sellers, but banks have tightened lending and are taking longer, which adds friction to deals,” said Seegers. Similarly, Shep Campbell of M&A Specialists noted, “Buyer interest and inquiry volume stayed strong, but longer diligence timelines and financing delays offset what could have been a much stronger quarter.” That may push both buyers and sellers to prepare earlier than in prior cycles. For would-be buyers, that could mean lining up lenders early, understanding industry eligibility rules, and building realistic deal structures. For sellers, it may mean getting financials ready long before listing a business. “The market is balanced. Buyers are disciplined, and sellers who are properly advised and positioned are still achieving strong outcomes,” said Bomar. “The key is aligning expectations with market realities early in the process.” Quality Is Driving the Small Business Acquisition Market Perhaps the clearest message from the quarter is that small business acquisitions have become less about chasing deals and more about chasing quality. That shift may benefit disciplined operators. Owners who build durable, profitable companies may find stronger buyer interest. Buyers who understand value—not just price—may still uncover opportunities. And entrepreneurs considering acquisition as a growth strategy may find this environment rewards preparation more than speed. As Vipin Singh of Murphy Business Sales – Edison, NJ observed, “The small business M&A market has entered a high confidence phase. Buyers and sellers are no longer waiting for perfect conditions – they’re moving forward based on a stabilized backdrop and clearer expectations.” For small business owners, whether they plan to buy, build, or eventually sell, that may be the bigger takeaway. Markets may remain volatile. Financing may stay tight. Competition may intensify. But businesses with strong fundamentals still appear commanding attention. More detailed data and sector breakdowns from the report are available through the original BizBuySell Insight Report. And for owners wondering how today’s buyers might view their own businesses, that may be one of the more practical places to start. Images via BizBuySell This article, "Buyer Competition Intensifies for High-Quality Small Businesses, New Report Finds" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Fintech firm IntraFi's most recent quarterly survey of bank executives showed rising pessimism among bankers related to "instability in Washington," as well as growing concerns about technology-enabled fraud. View the full article

Google's Gemini AI has recently become more agentic and capable inside Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides—and now Microsoft is pushing out a similar upgrade for Copilot. These features have been in testing for a while, but they're now more widely available to individuals and companies who pay for any of the Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Essentially, Copilot in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint can now do more on its own—not just offering advice and help, but actually taking over the business of creating and editing itself. There are a host of ways to use this, but here are just a few examples I tested to give you an idea of what's possible. If this kind of AI interference isn't for you, you can hide Copilot from view inside the Microsoft Office apps. On Windows, Choose File > Options > Copilot and uncheck Enable Copilot; on macOS, open the app menu (e.g. Word), then Preferences > Copilot. Copilot can draft and edit documents in Word Copilot in Word will do most of the writing for you, if you let it. Credit: Lifehacker Create a new document in Word, and via a prompt bar at the top, Copilot asks you to "Describe what you'd like to draft with Copilot"—so I asked for a 200-word introduction suitable for the foreword of a book on AI chatbots, written in a tone that's friendly, engaging, and accessible to anyone no matter what their technical level. You can also, via the + (plus) button, give it an existing file to work from. In seconds, I had a generic and stilted intro, processed from the mixing together of millions of human-crafted words and sentences. I then got a second prompt box for refining the text. I asked for my intro to be made more formal and verbose, and Copilot got to work, looking up longer and fancier words in its internal thesaurus. Click the Copilot button in the ribbon menu, and you get a side panel for requesting all kinds of edits and tweaks—whatever you can put in a prompt, Copilot can respond to. If your boss has said your report needs to be focused more on client benefits and real-world examples, Copilot can take care of it. You then get chance to review all of the edits that have been made, and accept or reject them. It's maybe worth saying at this point that I would never get AI to write anything for me, or even suggest edits or come up with alternative headlines or article ideas—not just because I think I can do these tasks better, but also because I'd like to engage my brain as much as possible for as long as possible. If you're happy with your work containing machine-written text, however, Copilot is certainly capable of it (and will absolutely make fewer typos than a flesh-and-blood human). Copilot can build and edit charts in Excel Copilot in Excel can create entire spreadsheets or make tiny edits. Credit: Lifehacker I'm much less familiar with spreadsheets than I am with articles, so I was interested to see how Copilot could help me out in Excel. There's no prompt box at the top of a blank sheet, like you get with Word documents, but you can call for AI assistance by clicking the Copilot button on the ribbon toolbar. Here I asked Copilot to create a demo spreadsheet showing 10 kids and their running times in a school sports day, putting the data in a simple table and in a chart. If you're a more serious Excel user than I am, you can get Copilot to combine data from existing spreadsheets and reports, as well as putting together spreadsheets from scratch. Copilot carried out my instructions with a reasonable amount of precision, though the chart was rather hit-or-miss and could've done with some neatening up (Copilot tried and failed to do some tidying on this). Follow-up edits were carried out well, and if you're exact about the changes you want, Copilot takes care of them for you. I'm not sure I'd trust Copilot with company financials, for example, but as far as spreadsheets-via-prompts goes, I was mostly impressed. Instead of manually tallying up rows and columns, tweaking formatting, or trying to figure out the exact formula you need for the job, you can get Copilot to take over. Copilot can create slideshows in PowerPoint Copilot in PowerPoint creating and editing slides. Credit: Lifehacker Finally, I took a look at what Microsoft's AI could do for me with a PowerPoint slideshow. Again, the Copilot button on the ribbon toolbar is the way into the AI editing capabilities, and this time I asked it to make a slide deck promoting Lifehacker. I wanted to test its ability to pull up information from the web and to put together an entire slideshow from scratch (something I've previously tried with Claude Design). I answered some questions about the length and tone of my slideshow, and then Copilot got to work. Overall, the AI was up to the challenge, albeit in that generic, template-like way that we're all now familiar with when it comes to these synthetic creations. Producing an accurate series of slides out of nothing in seconds is impressive, though, even if I think I could've done the job better given an hour or two. Prompt-based edits work fine. Want to change the color of a background? Just say so—it's quicker and easier than messing around with menus and toolbars, though perhaps not as satisfying. Whether you want to change the entire tone of a presentation or tack on an extra two slides of summaries, Copilot will do it. I can see these tools being useful, whether to get the basics done with the minimum of fuss, or to automate advanced edits and processes that would otherwise take up a substantial amount of time. I can also imagine many users just sticking with their current workflows. For me, I think I'll carry on doing my own Word, Excel, and PowerPoint tasks for now. View the full article

A reader writes: I work at a university managing the production aspects of the theater. I manage five staff members and one of them, Jane, can be hard to work with. She can be quite abrasive and abrupt, and I have already had several meetings with her to address the harsh tone she uses. She started this year and comes from a professional background where she needed to be very assertive in her role or she would not have been able to get anything done. Her job now requires lots of student interaction and direction and she is speaking to them like she would these professional crew members she encountered in the past and some of the students feel like she is disrespecting and talking down to them. On top of this, she manages two other staff members who have stated to me privately that they are finding it extremely hard to work for her because of the way she speaks to them. The chair of the department has even mentioned once or twice how he was taken aback by how she spoke to him. She does not single anyone out, and does take my feedback and is improving, but she has a long way to go before she is where I think she needs to be. Other than her tone, I am happy with the quality of the work she does. Her department has tackled some major projects this year with flying colors but she just rubs people the wrong way. I am worried she will drive students away because she will get (and is already getting) a reputation as being disrespectful and unpleasant to work for. How much can I push her to change what seems to be a genuine personality trait? It does not feel fair to me to expect her to change so much and not also expect her subordinates and the students to meet her halfway. Am I wrong to think this is a two-way street and should counsel people to be patient with her as we work on improving? We have our reviews coming up and I plan to discuss this with her and her subordinate separately, I am just not sure how much to push her to change. This is the first time I’ve had to manage a subordinate with the combination of great work but bad personality and I would appreciate any guidance. First things first: I’m assuming that you’ve witnessed what people are talking about and Jane truly is being excessively abrupt or harsh, and this isn’t just people bristling at a woman being no-nonsense in a way they wouldn’t if she were a man. If the latter is what’s happening, you have a different problem to deal with, but based on what you’ve described, I’m guessing that’s not the case. So with that caveat in place… The fact that something is a genuine personality trait doesn’t make it inherently okay to indulge it at work or mean that managers and colleagues are obligated to overlook it. After all, some people’s personalities include extreme grumpiness or impatience, or unwillingness to make decisions, or dismissiveness, or a mocking sense of humor, or quickness to anger. “That’s just who she is” doesn’t make those behaviors okay at work; they’re still things that an employee needs to rein in and a manager needs to address, because they’re disruptive and will impact other people’s quality of life and make them not want to work with the person. Jane being curt and abrasive to the point that people don’t want to work with her is a work problem, not just a personality trait. It’s absolutely your business — and really, your job — to address it with her and to hold her accountable for changing it. That would be true regardless, but there’s additional urgency here because Jane works with students — and presumably your team can’t be successful if it’s driving off students or quenching their love of theater. Nor should you ask students and colleagues to “meet her halfway,” just as you (hopefully) wouldn’t ask them to meet a yeller or a harasser halfway. When someone is engaged in behavior that should be off-limits at work, asking others to meet them halfway out of a sense of fairness is actually profoundly unfair and would be an awfully demoralizing thing to do to people with less power than her (like students or any employees who are junior to her) … and for everyone else, it’s highly likely to make them question your judgment. The message to Jane needs to be: “We’ve talked about this previously but it’s continuing and I need to see real change. You cannot speak to students or other staff members with the tone you’ve been using. In order to remain in this role, you need people to want to work with you and if they leave interactions with you feeling disrespected or dismissed, they won’t want to approach you again.” Ideally you’d ground this in specific examples to the extent that you can (like, “When you Michael asked you for X, you rolled your eyes and used a dismissive tone” or whatever specifics you can give). If Jane isn’t able to incorporate this feedback and make significant changes very soon, you should start considering the reality that she may not be well-suited for this particular role. “Students and colleagues feel supported when working with you and aren’t afraid to approach you” is as much a reasonable requirement of the job as anything else about her work is. More on this here: my employee identifies proudly as a grump The post my employee is abrasive — can I ask others to be patient while I coach her? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Learn how to write a project proposal that earns stakeholder buy-in using a step-by-step guide, use case examples, and a free downloadable template. The post How to Write a Project Proposal (+ Free Examples) appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

Companies redraw $135bn alliance as ChatGPT maker seeks greater independence to increase revenuesView the full article

Eponymous firm launched by Bobby Jain will instead manage money exclusively for his alma mater Millennium View the full article

Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires’ once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence. The trial, which is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection, centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion. The trial’s outcome could sway the balance of power in AI — breakthrough technology that is increasingly being feared as a potential job killer and an existential threat to humanity’s survival. Those perceived risks are among the reasons that Musk, the world’s richest person, cites for filing an August 2024 lawsuit that will now be decided by a jury and U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California. The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind his back. OpenAI has brushed off Musk’s allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that’s aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk’s own xAI, which he launched in 2023 as a competitor. Trial promises clashing testimony from two tech titans Musk, who invested about $38 million in OpenAI from December 2015 through May 2017, initially was seeking more than $100 billion in damages. But any damages now are likely to be much smaller after a series of pre-trial rulings that went against Musk. Musk has since abandoned a bid for damages for himself and instead is seeking an unspecified amount of money to be paid to fund the altruistic efforts of OpenAI’s charitable arm. The money would be paid primarily by OpenAI’s for-profit operations, and Microsoft, which became the company’s biggest investor after Musk cut off his funding. Musk’s lawsuit also seeks Altman’s ouster from OpenAI’s board. Musk’s decision to stop funding the company contributed to a bitter falling out between the former allies. Musk says he was responding to deceptive conduct that OpenAI’s board picked up on when it fired Altman as CEO in 2023 before he got his job back days later. But the trial also carries risks for Musk, who last month was held liable by another jury for defrauding investors during his $44 billion takeover of Twitter in 2022. Any damaging details about Musk and his business tactics could be particularly hurtful now because his rocket ship maker, SpaceX, plans to go public this summer in an initial public offering that could make him the world’s first trillionaire. However it turns out, the trial is expected to provide riveting theater, with contrasting testimony from two of technology’s most influential and polarizing figures in the 54-year-old Musk and the 41-year-old Altman. “Part of this is about whether a jury believes the people who will testify and whether they are credible,” Gonzalez Rogers said during a court hearing earlier this year while explaining why she believe the case merited a trial. The judge will make the final decision on the case, with the jury serving in an advisory role. Evidence has included glimpses of the AI race’s early days Musk, whose estimated fortune stands at about $780 billion, has long been hailed as a visionary for his roles creating digital payment pioneer PayPal, electric automaker Tesla and rocket ship maker SpaceX. But he has also provoked backlashes with his social media commentary, unfulfilled promises about Tesla’s self-driving technology and his cost-cutting role last year in President Donald The President’s administration. Some of Musk’s erratic behavior has been tied to allegations of taking hallucinogenic drugs, but Gonzalez Rogers ruled that he can’t be asked during the trial about his suspected use of ketamine. But the judge is allowing Musk to be questioned about his attendance at the 2017 Burning Man festival in Nevada, a free-wheeling celebration known for widespread drug use. The judge is also allowing Musk to be questioned about his relationship with former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, the mother of several of his children. Altman, currently sitting on a roughly $3 billion fortune, didn’t emerge in the public consciousness until the late 2022 release of ChatGPT. The tech boom triggered by that conversational chatbot has led some to liken Altman to a 21st-century version of the nuclear bomb inventor, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Although Altman was initially hailed as trailblazer he is now facing blowback amid worries about AI’s potential dangers. Earlier this month, the New Yorker magazine published a profile that painted him as an unscrupulous executive. Days later, a 20-year-old man worried about AI’s effect on humanity was arrested on attempted murder charges after throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s San Francisco home. The dueling testimonies of Altman and Musk are expected to open a window into some of the thinking that helped trigger the AI race, as well as the unraveling of their friendship. The kinship was forged in 2015 when they agreed to build AI in a more responsible and safer way than the profit-driven companies controlled by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, according to evidence submitted ahead of the trial. Details of the bitter break between the two men were captured in a February 2023 email exchange that surfaced as part of the evidence leading up to the trial. After letting Musk know “you’re my hero,” Altman tells him: “I am tremendously thankful for everything you’ve done to help —I don’t think OpenAI would have happened without you — and it really (expletive) hurts when you publicly attack OpenAI.” Musk’s response: “I hear you and it is certainly not my intention to be hurtful, for which I apologize, but the fate of civilization is at stake.” —Barbara Ortutay and Michael Liedtke AP Technology Writers View the full article

Microsoft teased new AI reporting features within Bing Webmaster Tools that enhance the AI performance reports and other reports around AI. The new features that were showcased include citation share, grounding query intent, GEO-focused recommendations. More details. Several shared screenshots of this presentation that was given by Krishna Madhavan from Microsoft at SEO Week today in New York City. Here are some of those slides: Bing Webmaster Tools just dropped some VERY COOL stuff at #SEOWeek 2026 Citation Share, Grounding Query Intent (15 pre-defined intents), and GEO-focused recommendations. The gap between Bing's transparency and Google's is getting harder to ignore. Cc @rustybrick @glenngabe pic.twitter.com/kOMhVyQvpQ— Azeem Ahmad (@AzeemDigital) April 27, 2026 Bing webmaster tools owning SEO & GEO @kmadhavan77 Citarion share Intent Topics Geo recomendaciones Exclusive for #seoweek pic.twitter.com/H2arlFtS8R— MJ Cachón (@mjcachon) April 27, 2026 Not live yet. These new features and reporting do not seem live yet but Microsoft still showed them off. Why we care. More transparency into how your content is performing within the AI search results is useful. So we all welcome additional reporting from Bing Webmaster Tools. It is not clear exactly how these reports will work and when they may be live for you and me, but you can read those posts for more details. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...View the full article

If you’re reading this, you’re likely an SEO aficionado like me. I’m a seasoned SEO with 10+ years of agency experience. Being on the agency side gave me deep SEO expertise, exposure to top industry talent, and experience working with some of the world’s most well-known brands. I did a bit of everything on the agency side — from technical SEO to content marketing to new business. Working at an agency is nothing like working in-house. After a long run on the agency side, I moved in-house for the first time. Here are seven things I’ve learned since making the switch. 1. Owning performance changes how SEO is evaluated On the agency side, when performance drops, you know the drill: a frantic message hits your inbox — traffic is down — and the client needs a report on what’s happening by yesterday. You then spend the next few hours in the SEO trenches analyzing search trends, tracking ranking changes, and digging through Google Search Console to find your answers. You cross your T’s. Dot your I’s. You beautify that report a bit. And — finally — you fire it off to your client. After sending the report, you may get a few questions from the client. A little back and forth, but for the most part, your job is done. The fire drill is over. You’ve done everything you can from the agency perspective. On to the next client on your roster. This situation looks a lot different on the in-house side. From my new perspective, receiving that agency report is just the beginning. Now, I’m the one on the hook for translating that analysis, figuring out how to socialize it, and turning it into a concrete action plan to turn performance around. I always knew my clients were under a lot of stress. I figured their bosses were the ones catching the dips and asking difficult questions, leading to that inevitable frantic message in my inbox. But, boy, it hits differently when you’re the one getting asked those difficult questions. When you’re in-house, you aren’t just reporting on a dip in performance — it feels like you’re defending your entire SEO strategy. The way you frame that data can make or break the projects or the direction you’re taking the program. It’s a lot of pressure — and it’s different when you’re responsible for the results. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with 2. Execution matters more than deliverables On the agency side, the deliverable is the destination. You spend hours researching, analyzing, and refining a beautiful slide deck. Each slide flows, tells a story, and looks pristine. I mastered this — and did it fast. Now that I’m in-house, I’ve realized the deliverable isn’t the destination anymore. It’s all about the execution. I was lucky enough during my agency days to have one engagement where I was deeply embedded in day-to-day operations. I was doing things like building dev tickets, reviewing Figma designs, and actually pushing CMS updates. I thought I knew exactly what execution looked like. But executing while in-house is way more challenging than I expected. In order to execute on an SEO strategy, you have to work through the entire org to bring your vision to life. You need to coordinate with the design team to review Figma designs. You need to align messaging and copy with PMMs. You need to work with project managers to make sure deadlines are being met. You need to work with devs to make sure the technical implementation is correct. It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s messy. And — quite often — it’s pretty frustrating. But here’s the truth: once you move from polished decks to pushing changes live, you become 10x the SEO you were before. Dig deeper: Why branding matters for in-house SEO teams 3. The shift from agency partner to internal stakeholder One of the more interesting parts of making the switch to in house, was that suddenly, I became the client. I’m the one on the other end of the video call. I’m the one receiving the strategy docs. I’m the one calling all the shots. And honestly? It’s been a huge (and super exciting) opportunity to take everything that I’ve learned on the agency side and put it into action. And I’ve gotten to decide what type of client I want to be. I had a wide range of clients on the agency side. Some disappeared. Some were demanding and made every call tense. Some pushed impossible deadlines. Some didn’t trust my judgment. Some couldn’t execute the strategy. You name it — I’ve probably experienced that type of challenging client. Then I had dream clients — kind, collaborative, and treated me like an equal. Calls felt like catching up with a friend before getting into SEO. They could take a strategy and execute without being demanding or difficult. That was the client I wanted to be. And that’s the client I strive to be, too. 4. Storytelling matters more than strategy I’m a technical SEO at heart. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the indexing rate improve after an XML sitemap refresh. Or seeing a massive improvement to Largest Contentful Paint after implementing Core Web Vitals optimizations. Or even a perfectly executed hreflang optimization to target your key international markets. Chef’s kiss — it warms my technical SEO heart to see all this work get executed. The problem? Your execs don’t understand that technical jargon. That’s where storytelling becomes your best friend. And I’d say it’s almost as important as the execution itself. Because it doesn’t matter if you do all this SEO work if your bosses can’t understand it. You need to tell a story about what you did, why you did it, and the results. All in a simple, easy-to-understand format — ideally with a pretty visual right next to it. Let’s take, for example, hreflang optimizations. You realize that hreflang is important. But how do you make it seem important for an exec so that they can understand it? What I do is pretty simple. I explain the background behind why I’m doing what I’m doing and frame it in simple terms. Instead of saying that we updated hreflang to target France correctly, I would frame it as improving the search experience for France searchers. I’d then show a SERP screenshot of before the optimizations to show incorrect targeting, and follow it up with an updated screenshot with correct targeting. Lastly, I’d share results — ideally, an increase in CTR, traffic, or conversions. (Side note: If you’re one of my agency partners reading this, you know I ask for an insane amount of screenshots — but this is exactly why I do it.) Following this formula allows you to: Explain why we implemented the optimization (in this case, incorrect targeting in France). Show what users are seeing in the market. Demonstrate that this optimization achieved business results. It’s a simple blueprint that makes it easy for execs to understand the importance of your optimizations. I know it may seem small, but storytelling is one of the secrets to success in in-house life. Dig deeper: How to use the three-act structure for data storytelling Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 5. SEO depends on cross-functional collaboration In a massive organization, it’s so easy to live on an SEO island. If you’re not collaborating, you can easily find yourself on a beach hanging out with a volleyball named Wilson — just optimizing <title> tags, writing meta descriptions, and optimizing on-page copy for keywords. But there’s absolutely no way you’re going to get anything meaningful done without the support and assistance from others within your organization. You need to be a team player. And cross-functional collaboration is important for success. After years on the agency side, I learned to move fast — really fast. When I went in-house, I tried to keep that pace. I wanted to make changes, test, and see results immediately. I saw documentation as a hurdle, and large cross-functional meetings without progress as a waste of time. Quickly, I found out that’s not the case. You need the support of those partners in cross-functional meetings to get things done. It takes time to get to know your cross-functional teams and understand what they’re good at, what their goals are, and — crucially — where they need support. I’ve learned that once you understand the developer’s sprint capacity or a product marketing manager’s roadmap, you can stop just requesting things from them and start partnering with them to get things done. When you align your SEO goals with their existing priorities, you stop being a line item in their backlog and start becoming a teammate. In-house, having a teammate in engineering or product is the difference between a strategy that sits in a slide deck and one that actually ships. 6. Taking initiative and trusting your judgment OK, fine, I added a cliché to the list. But in the in-house world, it might be the most important one. I’ve been given this advice several times throughout my career. If you want to get something done, go get it done. Don’t wait around for permission from your bosses to do something that will have a significant impact. If you wait for permission, you may never get anything done. That’s why I ask for forgiveness — not permission. When I started in-house, I knew the team was lean. I knew my bosses had a million things on their plates. And, most importantly, I knew they hired me for a reason: to drive organic growth. During my first few weeks, I remember asking myself, “Can I launch this content?” “Can I expand into this market?” “Am I allowed to test this tactic?” And then it hit me: This is exactly why I’m here. They hired me to make these decisions and move the needle, not to add more approval meetings to their calendars. And if I asked for permission for everything, I would never be able to get anything done. This is why I trust my instincts when it comes to SEO strategy and execution. I rely on my 10+ years of experience in the SEO game. If I think something is going to drive growth for the business, I don’t just sit around and wait for permission to do something. I execute. And if something doesn’t turn out exactly how I had planned? That’s when I take the forgiveness route. Dig deeper: 5 lessons from delivering bad SEO news to executives 7. Seeing SEO work translate into business impact I did a lot of high-impact, business-changing work during my agency life. I’ve built the strategies, seen them come to life on a site, and watched them drive results. Driving results and building case studies have always been my favorite part of the job. However, when you’re sitting agency-side, you’re often the silent partner in those results, not the owner. Now that I’m in-house, I get to see my projects come to life on the site — and it’s pretty cool. During my first few months in-house, I knew I wanted to make an impact quickly. I implemented a few of my high-impact, low-effort optimizations — the ones I would typically implement for a new client I had just onboarded. After reviewing monthly reports, I saw an insane spike in performance that lined up exactly with a significant site update we implemented. I remember thinking, “Wait, was that us?” The answer: It sure was. I then created my first case study and shared the results throughout our organization. And, shockingly (to me, anyway), people were really interested. Within my first three months, I found myself sharing those results at our entire company’s all-hands meeting — something I never expected to happen. I used to think a massive organization wouldn’t be interested in SEO, but I was wrong. When it comes to moving the needle for the business, everyone cares. So, yeah, it’s always fun to get SEO results. But it’s a lot cooler when you’re in-house. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with Is making the switch worth it? That’s for you to decide Making the switch from agency to in-house life has been a lot of adjectives for me. Exhausting, challenging, and exciting are some of the first that come to mind. But the biggest takeaway after one year in-house? I’ve learned a lot. I hope you can take these seven lessons and apply them to your own journey — whether you’re at an agency or leading an in-house team right now. The transition isn’t always easy, but for me, seeing the strategy finally turn into reality has made every cross-functional meeting and performance fire drill worth it. View the full article