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Some advertisers say ad reviews are taking more than seven days — far beyond normal timelines. What’s happening. Matthew Skelton, a senior PPC specialist, has flagged a pattern many advertisers are now recognizing: Demand Gen campaigns stuck in “in review” status for days at a time. The delays are showing up across multiple accounts and industries, with no obvious policy violations or warnings to explain the holdup. Notably, the issue doesn’t appear to be affecting other campaign types. Search and Performance Max campaigns are still moving through review as expected, pointing to a problem specific to Demand Gen. Why we care. For advertisers using Demand Gen to test creatives and drive upper-funnel performance, speed is part of the strategy. Long review times slow down iteration, delay launches, and make it harder to respond to seasonal or time-sensitive opportunities. A week-long delay can throw off pacing and reduce the effectiveness of campaigns that depend on rapid optimization. The response. Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, has acknowledged the issue, confirming that some Demand Gen image ads are taking longer than expected to complete review. According to Marvin, Google’s teams are actively working on a fix, though no timeline has been shared. Bottom line. If your Demand Gen ads are stuck in review, it’s likely not just you — and for now, it’s a known issue on Google’s side rather than something advertisers can directly fix. First seen. This update was spotted by Matthew Skelton who shared his experience on LinkedIn. View the full article

Delinquencies also showed signs of overall improvement in March, despite an increase in foreclosure numbers, ICE Mortgage Technology said. View the full article

If you’ve had a Capital One savings account in recent years, the bank may soon send some money your way after a U.S. judge approved a $425 million settlement this week. Better yet? You don’t have to do anything to claim your stake in the class action lawsuit that was initially filed against the McLean, Virginia-based bank in 2024. To be eligible for settlement funds, you must have had a Capital One 360 Savings account at any time from mid-September 2019 through mid-June 2025. WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A PAYMENT The case stems from allegations that Capital One “acted deceptively regarding the marketing and payment of interest on its 360 Savings account product,” according to a settlement notification sent to customers. During the nearly six-year period in question, Capital One offered two very similarly-named savings accounts that offered very different interest rates—with the 360 Performance Savings account paying a higher rate than the 360 Savings account. That difference grew substantially as the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates in 2022. By December 2023, 360 Performance Savings accountholders were paid an APR of 4 35% compared to only 0.30% for 360 Savings account holders, according to information from Wolf Popper, the law firm that represented the plaintiffs in the case. “Since Capital One did nothing to advise its legacy accountholders that they would have to switch to the new account to earn a competitive interest rate, 360 Savings accountholders across the country have lost out on interest payments Capital One should have paid them,” the firm said in a summary of the case on its website. The firm didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the settlement from Fast Company. HOW MUCH CUSTOMERS WILL RECEIVE But don’t count your dollars quite yet. The above dynamics also make the case a bit trickier for customers to know how much money you can expect to receive. Affected 360 Savings customers will receive an individualized payment that’s based on the amount of interest you would have earned if the account were receiving the same rate as the 360 Performance account. Payments will be issued to customers beginning around July 21. CASE RENEGOTIATED The settlement was dragged out a bit as it had to be renegotiated after a U.S. judge initially rejected the same amount—albeit with different terms—in November. Investors, too, seem to be renegotiating what they think shares of Capital One are worth lately. The stock has tumbled nearly 22% this year while the broader S&P 500 is up about 4% during the same period. View the full article

The job search is exhausting: an application, several rounds of interviews, skills assessments, and, increasingly, even a work trial. Work trials are when an interviewee is asked to complete job-related tasks over a short period of time—often a few days or up to a week—so an employer can evaluate how they perform in a real working environment before making a hiring decision. As recruiters and hiring managers sift through a flood of applications that can sound increasingly similar—especially in the age of AI—these trials have emerged as a way to evaluate candidates in real time. This shift raises important questions: Are work trials a better predictor of success than an interview? Do they risk exploiting candidates’ time and labor? Do both sides benefit? And are longer, more immersive hiring processes here to stay? When applications start to look the same “The job market in general is undergoing a larger upheaval—the largest upheaval in modern history—because of the advent of AI,” said Jennifer Dulski, CEO and founder of leadership training platform Rising Team. AI, she explained, has made it far easier to apply to roles at scale, flooding employers with applicants and complicating how hiring managers assess who is qualified—or even a real person versus a bot helping an applicant apply to jobs. Enter: work trials. They aren’t new, but a 2025 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that nearly two-thirds of employers now use skill-based hiring for entry-level roles. The shift reflects a broader move away from resume-based screening, and more towards real-world skill. “For hiring managers, the question is: ‘how do you even determine who’s real and who isn’t?’” Dulski asked. On top of that, does the applicant really have the skills to do the job? As a result, “Work trials have become one of the only real ways to tell what someone will be like in a work setting,” she said. Pros for the candidate According to Dulski, one of the clearest benefits of work trials is that they give candidates a real opportunity to show what they can do. “It gives them a chance to really show what they’re capable of,” she said. She also explained the experience can benefit candidates by offering a clearer view inside a company’s day-to-day environment. Depending on the scope of the trial, participants may interact with teammates, join Slack channels, or sit in meetings—giving them a better sense of whether the role and culture feel like a fit for them. Pros for the employer On the company side, Dulski said work trials are largely about reducing the risk of a bad hire. “It’s very expensive to make a bad hire,” she said, pointing to estimates from consulting firm GH Smart, which has suggested the cost of a C-level mis-hire can cost up to 15 times compensation when broader organizational impacts are included. She also noted that the Society of Human Resource Management has put the cost of a bad hire at roughly 50 to 200% of an employee’s salary. So even a weeklong or extended work trial can help employers make more informed decisions. The goal, she explained, is to avoid hiring based on too little data, and instead observe how someone actually performs before extending an offer. According to Lucas Botzen, an HR manager and CEO of payroll and HR platform Rivermate, work trials can be beneficial for both parties. “They provide an actual experience of what working together would really feel like for both the employee and the applicant,” he said. Cons for the employer For employers, they have “to create a project, have someone manage the project, to have someone there answering a lot of questions, to be doing all the back and forth,” Dulski said. That level of involvement can quickly add up, especially when multiple candidates are going through the process. “It’s almost like a full-time job,” managing them all. She also pointed to a practical constraint: the process is difficult for employers to automate. “It’s one of the things that can’t really be managed as effectively with AI… this probably needs a human to manage their work projects.” As a result, she said, companies that use work trials effectively tend to reserve them for later-stage candidates. To save time, “put people through a pretty rigorous vetting process before they get to this stage.” Cons for the candidate Work trials can also be difficult for candidates who are already employed. A week-long assignment often requires taking time off work, or a vacation from their current job. “If there is no pay associated with the assessment, this could cause problems related to fairness and ethics,” Botzen said. “The potential exists for candidates to view themselves as being taken advantage of, particularly if they are providing real value but receiving neither payment nor compensation, or if they are asked by several different organizations to perform a similar type of assessment.” At Botzen’s company, “We favor using short, structured assessments, or paid project-based assessments where the expectations are clear and reasonable in terms of respect for the applicant’s time,” he explained. “I don’t think you can ask someone to do a week of work and not pay them,” Dulski said. While not a full week-long work trial, one jobseeker told Fast Company she recently completed an extensive interview assignment that required roughly eight hours of work, followed by an additional hour presenting to a panel. The job seeker who asked to remain anonymous while navigating a tough job market, where online reputation matters, said the work trial wasn’t an easy feat. “The work wasn’t theoretical,” she said. “It included building workflows, organizing a complex travel itinerary, and thinking through operational scenarios including AI implementation. It felt very close to real work.” She said she ultimately agreed to the assignment because of the realities of today’s job market. “It doesn’t feel like you have much of a choice. It’s highly competitive.” she explained. She “was told I performed exceptionally well, only to be rejected the next day with no feedback,” she said. “Evaluation is fair. Unpaid, high-effort assignments without transparency or feedback are not.” Another anonymous jobseeker described a multi-day hiring assignment that ultimately left him frustrated by the process and expectations. He said he was asked to prepare a 40-minute presentation after a series of interviews, a task that required roughly three days of work. “I took three days to do this, and you know that was three days that I wasn’t working,” he said. After what he described as strong feedback, he was still rejected shortly after. “Your presentation was excellent,” he recalled being told—before receiving a rejection the following Monday. He said the process felt like a “bait and switch,” especially given the amount of unpaid time involved. “Three full days, no compensation,” he said. What makes work trials work For candidates, they tend to work best when expectations are clearly defined, they are compensated, scope is time-bound, and the exercise reflects real but reasonable job conditions rather than extended production-level work. For employers, effectiveness comes down to design and discipline: using trials at the right stage of the hiring process, ensuring consistent evaluation standards, and keeping the process efficient enough to manage without overwhelming internal teams. When those conditions are met, work trials function less like open-ended assignments and more like structured snapshots of how someone thinks, works—and if they’ll make a strong fit on a team. View the full article

But in its earnings release, parent company Hilltop Holdings warned its full year 2026 results are going to be impacted by things outside of its control. View the full article

Access to the database has been paused after data breach under pressure from ministersView the full article

Search giant increases its financial backing to help the AI lab add computing power to run its modelsView the full article

When The Las Vegas Raiders announced Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft yesterday, it kicked off what might just be the most special time of year for any football fan. This three day draft period—April 23-25—is unquestionably the moment in the year when the highest number of fans are at their most optimistic. No wins, no losses, just new beginnings, new players, new possibilities. It’s also a marquee event for the league. About 600,000 people attended last year’s draft in Green Bay over its three days, across seven rounds, 32 teams, and 257 picks. On TV and streaming, the draft drew massive audiences, with the first round averaging 13.6 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, making it the second most-watched in history. But that is dwarfed by the draft’s presence on social media, as the league, all the teams, many of the draftee players, fan creators and influencers, all combined to make reams of content that weave together the entire story. It’s a scale and scope of mass concentrated content creation rare in any other pro sport. Draft week on just the NFL’s own social channels now drives more than 500 million views, which has doubled in the last five years. According to the league, on TikTok during the draft last year, 30% of the reached audience was female, and 44% were 18-24, significantly younger and more female than the league’s reach during the NFL regular season. “The draft is consistently one of the top five to 10 social moments of the year,” says Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s senior vice president of global social and influencer marketing. “Obviously we’re in a World Cup year, so there’s going to be some nuance there, but in a normal year the draft lands inside the top five.” The NFL’s social and influencer team operates a real-time content command center to help harness the power of the occasion. On-site in Pittsburgh, and in the league offices in New York and Los Angeles, its team of 10 people produces about 1,000 social posts a day during the draft, from the moment a prospect’s name is called and introduced to their new city, to last-minute trades. It’s live action social media at scale. Last year, the league’s team averaged 33 pieces of content per hour during the draft on each of its three days. Tucked inside Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium, the league’s social team overlooked all the fans cheering their picks, chronicling all the action. On Day 1, on top of all the picks, there were seven trades, keeping the social team incredibly busy. Not just online, but after every trade, the whole team did push-ups to keep the energy up. For this draft, not only is the league hoping to build on the audience it had last year, but also be the ultimate conduit and connector between all the various stakeholders across social media. Here’s how they’ll do it. Monitor When Mendoza’s name gets called—or any draftee for that matter—social media jumps, with not only fans of the QB and the Raiders, but also his sponsors (which include Adidas, Taco Bell, Pfizer, LinkedIn, JLab, Epic Games, Keurig, and Dr. Pepper), creators, NFL influencers and more. One of the primary functions of the NFL’s social command center is to keep track of all of this, which then informs how it reacts (or doesn’t). “It’s not just what’s happening on broadcast on the stage, but obviously it’s what the teams are doing, what players are doing to react to these moments, and what broader culture, whether it’s celebrities, creators, influencers, are saying about their favorite teams,” says Bryce Gustafson, NFL senior director, social programming & initiative integration. “Those are all things we’re monitoring in real time.” There’s an hourly report that we send across the organization that looks and analyzes all the social conversation, as well as breaking news more broadly. “That sort of real-time monitoring is really important for us so that we’re not out of step from a tone perspective, or would inform if we hold off on some of the content from a creator or otherwise that just would seem inappropriate for that moment,” says Trombetta. Create and collaborate The role of monitoring is also to see what creators or influencers the league can collaborate or engage with during the draft. Gustafson says the goal is to push the envelope in terms of who they’re engaging with, whether in an official capacity or not. This year for example, the league will be working with popular creators from The Diamond Gym and Peters Pasta. But Trombetta says that with their freedom across all of these stakeholders on social, comes a massive responsibility. “The league is seen as the source of truth,” says Trombetta. “There are so many rumors and speculation as to who’s getting traded or this guy might get drafted here or he might slip to there, that fans look to the NFL—especially now in this AI driven environment—to say what is accurate.” While it’s using its own content to counter fake AI slop online, the league is also utilizing AI tools in order to be able to produce so much social content as quickly as possible. Trombetta and Gustafson’s teams will use it for everything from social listening, to tagging NFL content to creating art that shows traded players in new uniforms. “It really cuts across so many areas at this point and we see it as a real accelerant to so many of the different aspects that we’re trying to get after,” says Trombetta. Setting the tone The new NFL season doesn’t start until September, but for Trombetta and Gustafson, it starts just a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl, at the NFL Combine, where college players run through a series of physical tests for NFL teams. This is where the league’s social team starts to get a sense of how the draft may start to shake out. “That’s really our first touch point with many of these athletes in terms of whether it’s creating content directly with them, or even just simply celebrating them via our social channels through incredible athletic performances,” says Trombetta. At the draft, once they know where the league’s newest players are headed, the league’s social content team begins to think about how they can build content around these rookies all season long. “The draft not only gives us an opportunity to get to know the players, which is really helpful to understand what they’re like as people and how they might fit into certain campaigns, it also gives us an indication of what the true level of fan interest is in certain players,” says Trombetta. As the draft continues, the content blitz has begun. View the full article

Hello again, and welcome back to Fast Company’s Plugged In. Last weekend, I stopped by a gadget kiosk at my local mall—but not to buy a phone case or get a cracked screen replaced. Instead, I was there to get my irises and face scanned by a device called the Orb so I could receive a credential known as a World ID. Its purpose: to provide verifiable proof I’m a human being. Like everyone on the internet, I have grudgingly accepted the need to complete CAPTCHA tests, a truly irritating form of personhood verification that has been with us for almost 30 years. But until fairly recently, it hadn’t dawned on me that more conclusive evidence might be necessary. It did, however, occur to the founders of Tools for Humanity (TFH), the outfit behind the World ID. They—OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Alex Blania, and Max Novendstern—founded it back in 2019, which is eons ago in AI years. Now it’s become easier to understand why “proof of human,” as TFH calls it, might be a pressing issue. Deepfaked imposters have become so convincing that they’ve already been used in impersonation scams that have netted millions of dollars for cybercriminals. Moreover, the rise of agentic AI has us hurtling toward an era when agents will jostle for resources across the internet—not always for sinister purposes, but certainly in ways that will complicate life for those of us made of flesh and blood. By next year, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince recently predicted, the bots online will outnumber the humans. Consequently, a reliable means of validating one’s humanity—CAPTCHAs are notoriously easy to fool—could become essential infrastructure. “At the limit, every single app and website on the internet will have to use something like World ID to protect itself and its users,” says TFH chief product officer Tiago Sada. Last week, Altman (TFH’s chairman) and Sada were among the presenters at an event the company held in San Francisco to unveil version 4.0 of the World ID platform. (CEO Blania, recovering from emergency hand surgery, Zoomed in.) The launch was dense with news, including partnerships with Zoom, DocuSign, and Tinder—three familiar brands that will build World ID-based verification into their apps—and a system for preventing bots from buying up concert tickets en masse. A selfie-based option will supplement the Orb’s face-and-iris scan for situations in which absolute certitude of humanity is less critical. And a new feature will assist users who want to delegate tasks to their personal agents, helping to distinguish the good bots from the bad. TFH’s event amounted to a reboot of sorts. The company has issued 18 million World ID verifications to date, but has struggled to frame its service in a consistent, broadly appealing way. In its early days, it called itself “a technology company built to ensure a more just economic system,” a mission that led to it creating its own cryptocurrency. New World ID members still receive Worldcoin as a benefit—mine is currently worth $10.59—and the World app feels as much like a crypto wallet as an ID verification tool. Inevitably, scanning people’s irises and offering cryptocurrency as a signup inducement has struck many observers as creepy. That might help explain why I didn’t catch a single mention of Worldcoin at the launch event, and why TFH is beta-testing an app focused entirely on World ID—”a much simpler and streamlined experience,” says Sada. The design of the Orb—which gives off the vibe of an enormous, possibly omniscient robotic eyeball—remains foreboding, but the company is working on a much smaller version in a smartphone-like shell. As TFH has rolled out World IDs globally, it’s faced sprawling pushback, with regulators in Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain impeding its efforts based on concerns over its stewardship of biometric data. That said, its approach to privacy is far from a worst-case scenario. Signing up does not require you to disclose information such as your name, email address, or gender. Rather than TFH holding onto your iris and face scans, they get transferred to your own device, then deleted from its servers. The means of verification is abstracted into single-use codes; companies that receive them learn nothing about you based on the transaction except that TFH vouches for your humanity. (The company will collect a fee from such companies for each user it verifies: “Even though the technology is very new, the business model is very old,” says Sada.) I was comfortable enough with these measures to get my own World ID, a self-serve process that involved downloading the World app and briefly staring into the Orb with my eyeglasses off. It took less than five minutes at the kiosk I visited, and then I ambled off to see what was new at the Apple Store. What I’m still wrestling with is TFH’s current messaging about what it’s trying to do. Instead of saying it’s striving for a more just economic system, TFH now calls itself “a technology company building for humans in the age of AI.” That’s accurate enough. But surveys show that the AI industry has not yet convinced most people that AI will benefit them personally. And yet they’re increasingly being asked to adjust themselves to the technology’s impact on daily life, and World ID is one of those accommodations. It’s not obvious that anyone will get much out of having proven they’re human, other than clawing back a shred of pre-AI normalcy. Maybe it’s not TFH’s job to make the case that AI will be worth the hassle. (In his brief introductory remarks at last week’s event, Altman—whose association with the company lashes it to the controversy he generates in his day job-mentioned “a lot of wonderful things” the technology is doing, but didn’t specify what they were.) It’s clear, however, that it’s working hard to make getting verified seem cool rather than a utilitarian necessary evil, like dental insurance or a sump pump. For example, the company’s flagship stores in cities such as Lisbon, Rome, San Francisco, and Seoul, which are among the nearly 400 locations where you can get scanned, look like quirky art galleries. Its event included a sneaker drop and a concert by rapper Anderson .Paak. In a strange mini-scandal, after TFH announced at the event that it was “joining” Bruno Mars’ upcoming tour with “VIP experiences for verified humans,” Wired’s Maxwell Zeff and Lauren Goode reported that Mars’ team and concert producer Live Nation denied such a partnership existed or had even been broached. A TFH spokesperson attributed the on-stage claim to “a miscommunication.” (The anti-concert-bot technology will be used for an upcoming European tour by Jared Leto’s band, however.) In the end, I think Sada is likely correct that something akin to World ID will need to become pervasive. Whether it’ll be World ID itself is a classic chicken-or-egg puzzle. Unless way more than 18 million consumers sign up—TFH has said its goal is a billion—companies won’t see it as the de facto method of human verification. And until it’s widely adopted by apps and sites, most people won’t need it. Neither cryptocurrency nor sneaker drops will change that basic fact. Still, the addition of Zoom, Docusign, and Tinder as partners speaks to three activities humans undertake at scale: holding meetings, signing paperwork, and finding dates. People will continue performing them in the AI era, regardless of any new complications. If TFH gains enough support in other popular domains, from additional major players, it might yet make the transition from slightly unsettling curiosity to mainstream necessity. You’ve been reading Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly tech newsletter from me, global technology editor Harry McCracken. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or if you’re reading it on fastcompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Friday morning. I love hearing from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com with your feedback and ideas for future newsletters. I’m also on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, and you can follow Plugged Inon Flipboard. More top tech stories from Fast Company Apple’s new CEO is a hardware guy, but software is his biggest challenge John Ternus’s leadership has already given us some of Apple’s best devices ever. But the company could use a reboot when it comes to software. Read More → Sorry, Reese Witherspoon is correct about AI Celebrities are learning the hard way that the AI discourse is toxic. Read More → NASA’s awe-inducing iPhone moon video is a free ad for Apple, but there’s a catch Who owns the moon (video)? Read More → OpenAI releases GPT-5.5, a more powerful engine for coding, science, and general work The company is positioning its newest system as its strongest agentic coding model yet, as it faces pressure to keep pace with its rival Anthropic. Read More → Plug-in solar is coming. Here’s how much you could save on electric bills A new calculator from the nonprofit Bright Saver estimates potential savings from plug-in solar panels. Read More → Brace yourself for a flood of patches in all of your tech gadgets Anthropic’s Mythos is surfacing hidden vulnerabilities across operating systems and browsers, prompting urgent fixes. Read More → View the full article

Comprehending what makes a successful franchise model is essential for aspiring entrepreneurs. It involves several key elements, such as a strong brand identity, a unique value proposition, and efficient operational systems. Furthermore, nurturing a solid relationship between franchisor and franchisee is critical. These components not merely improve profitability but also guarantee long-term sustainability. As you explore these factors, you’ll uncover specific strategies that can greatly impact success in the franchise industry. Key Takeaways A strong, recognizable brand name attracts both customers and potential franchisees, enhancing market presence and trust. A unique business model differentiates the franchise from competitors, ensuring a compelling value proposition. Extensive training programs maintain operational consistency and empower franchisees with essential skills and knowledge. Effective marketing strategies drive brand awareness, resonate with target audiences, and support franchisee growth. A partnership model between franchisor and franchisee fosters collaboration, shared risk, and mutual rewards for long-term success. Proven Franchise Business Model When considering a proven franchise business model, it’s vital to recognize how well-established systems contribute to overall success. The existence of over 759,236 franchise establishments in the U.S. as of 2018 highlights the widespread acceptance of these models. Effective franchise model examples demonstrate the importance of well-defined target audiences and buyer personas, allowing for focused marketing strategies. A strong value proposition sets a model franchise apart from competitors, attracting potential franchisees and customers. Moreover, proven business processes, refined over time, improve operational efficiency and consistency. Extensive training programs are critical, transforming new franchisees into specialists and maintaining high standards across locations. These factors collectively create a robust foundation for any successful franchise business model. Efficient Operational and Support Systems Efficient operational and support systems play a pivotal role in the success of any franchise, guaranteeing that each unit operates seamlessly in the direction of shared business objectives. To achieve this, focus on the following key areas: Training and Hiring: Develop extensive training programs to guarantee all staff are knowledgeable and aligned with franchise standards. Marketing Strategies: Implement consistent marketing efforts that resonate with the target audience and drive brand awareness. Inventory Management: Maintain efficient inventory systems to guarantee product availability during minimizing waste and costs. Feedback Mechanisms: Establish channels for franchise owners to provide feedback, helping identify areas for improvement in operational support. Long-Term Commitment and Relationship Building Establishing long-term commitment between franchisors and franchisees is vital for cultivating a relationship that thrives on trust and cooperation. This relationship is fundamental for managing challenges and guaranteeing mutual growth. Successful franchise systems prioritize relationship development, as seen in franchisees who excel through strong partnerships. Researching existing franchisee experiences can give you insights into the level of support and relationship quality within the franchise. Trust and information exchange play significant roles, enabling both parties to address concerns and seize opportunities effectively. For instance, the story of the first Groutsmith franchise owner illustrates the importance of nurturing long-term relationships for ongoing success. Factor Importance Example Trust Builds credibility Open communication Information Exchange Improves problem-solving Regular updates on market trends Support Cultivates franchisee success Training programs Relationship Development Encourages collaboration Joint marketing strategies Commitment Guarantees longevity Franchisee feedback mechanisms Market Saturation and Strategic Positioning Building a strong relationship with your franchisor is important, but grasping market saturation and strategic positioning can greatly impact your success as a franchisee. Comprehending these concepts will help you make informed decisions about your investment. Consider these key points: Market Saturation: Lower saturation usually indicates greater growth potential, making it a smart choice for new franchisees. Expansion Stages: Franchises in early stages often provide better opportunities than well-established brands. Demand Evaluation: Evaluating product and service demand is essential for selecting the right franchise, as seen with companies like Groutsmith. Competitive Markets: Targeting markets with less competition can lead to higher profitability and stability over time. Key Ingredients for Franchise Success Comprehending the key ingredients for franchise success is critical if you want to maximize your investment and operate effectively within the franchise model. A strong, recognizable brand name attracts both customers and franchisees, making it fundamental for your success. You should likewise focus on a unique business model that sets you apart from competitors, ensuring a compelling value proposition. An effective training system is indispensable, as it maintains consistency and quality across all locations, nurturing brand loyalty among customers. Furthermore, a partnership model between franchisor and franchisee encourages shared risk and reward, enhancing trust and cooperation. Finally, define a core product or service that appeals to a broad audience and has longevity, ensuring your franchise remains relevant and grows sustainably. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 4 P’s of Franchising? The 4 P’s of franchising—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—are crucial for any franchise’s success. You need a strong product that appeals to a wide audience, ensuring brand recognition. Setting the right price involves covering costs during a competitive landscape. For placement, consider franchise territories that maximize growth opportunities. Finally, your promotion should balance centralized marketing with local campaigns, giving franchisees effective tools to engage their communities and attract customers. What Is the 7 Day Rule for Franchise? The 7 Day Rule for franchising requires that franchisors give you the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) at least seven days before you sign any agreement or make a payment. This rule helps guarantee you have enough time to review essential information about the franchise system, including fees and obligations. Adhering to this rule is legally mandated in the U.S., and failing to comply can lead to serious legal consequences for franchisors. What Is a Good Franchise Model? A good franchise model includes a proven business concept that’s easy to replicate. You’ll want standardized operating procedures, extensive manuals, and clear guidelines to guarantee consistency across locations. The core product should have a strong value proposition appealing to a broad audience, promoting growth. Effective training and support are crucial for franchisees to achieve operational efficiency. Furthermore, a solid financial model balances initial investments with ongoing fees, securing profitability for everyone involved. Why Does It Only Cost $10k to Own a Chick-Fil-A Franchise? It only costs $10,000 to own a Chick-fil-A franchise since the company covers most of the startup costs, including the building and equipment, which can total up to $2 million. This model allows you to focus on operating the restaurant rather than worrying about significant financial investments. Although you don’t gain equity in the restaurant, your role as an owner-operator encourages commitment to customer service, benefiting both you and the brand. Conclusion In conclusion, a successful franchise model combines a proven business framework with efficient support systems, cultivating strong relationships between franchisors and franchisees. It’s vital to strategically position the brand in less saturated markets as well as ensuring consistent training and operational standards. By focusing on these key ingredients, franchise systems can achieve long-term growth and profitability. Comprehending these elements can guide potential franchisees in selecting the right opportunity and contribute to the overall success of the franchise. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Makes a Successful Franchise Model?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Comprehending what makes a successful franchise model is essential for aspiring entrepreneurs. It involves several key elements, such as a strong brand identity, a unique value proposition, and efficient operational systems. Furthermore, nurturing a solid relationship between franchisor and franchisee is critical. These components not merely improve profitability but also guarantee long-term sustainability. As you explore these factors, you’ll uncover specific strategies that can greatly impact success in the franchise industry. Key Takeaways A strong, recognizable brand name attracts both customers and potential franchisees, enhancing market presence and trust. A unique business model differentiates the franchise from competitors, ensuring a compelling value proposition. Extensive training programs maintain operational consistency and empower franchisees with essential skills and knowledge. Effective marketing strategies drive brand awareness, resonate with target audiences, and support franchisee growth. A partnership model between franchisor and franchisee fosters collaboration, shared risk, and mutual rewards for long-term success. Proven Franchise Business Model When considering a proven franchise business model, it’s vital to recognize how well-established systems contribute to overall success. The existence of over 759,236 franchise establishments in the U.S. as of 2018 highlights the widespread acceptance of these models. Effective franchise model examples demonstrate the importance of well-defined target audiences and buyer personas, allowing for focused marketing strategies. A strong value proposition sets a model franchise apart from competitors, attracting potential franchisees and customers. Moreover, proven business processes, refined over time, improve operational efficiency and consistency. Extensive training programs are critical, transforming new franchisees into specialists and maintaining high standards across locations. These factors collectively create a robust foundation for any successful franchise business model. Efficient Operational and Support Systems Efficient operational and support systems play a pivotal role in the success of any franchise, guaranteeing that each unit operates seamlessly in the direction of shared business objectives. To achieve this, focus on the following key areas: Training and Hiring: Develop extensive training programs to guarantee all staff are knowledgeable and aligned with franchise standards. Marketing Strategies: Implement consistent marketing efforts that resonate with the target audience and drive brand awareness. Inventory Management: Maintain efficient inventory systems to guarantee product availability during minimizing waste and costs. Feedback Mechanisms: Establish channels for franchise owners to provide feedback, helping identify areas for improvement in operational support. Long-Term Commitment and Relationship Building Establishing long-term commitment between franchisors and franchisees is vital for cultivating a relationship that thrives on trust and cooperation. This relationship is fundamental for managing challenges and guaranteeing mutual growth. Successful franchise systems prioritize relationship development, as seen in franchisees who excel through strong partnerships. Researching existing franchisee experiences can give you insights into the level of support and relationship quality within the franchise. Trust and information exchange play significant roles, enabling both parties to address concerns and seize opportunities effectively. For instance, the story of the first Groutsmith franchise owner illustrates the importance of nurturing long-term relationships for ongoing success. Factor Importance Example Trust Builds credibility Open communication Information Exchange Improves problem-solving Regular updates on market trends Support Cultivates franchisee success Training programs Relationship Development Encourages collaboration Joint marketing strategies Commitment Guarantees longevity Franchisee feedback mechanisms Market Saturation and Strategic Positioning Building a strong relationship with your franchisor is important, but grasping market saturation and strategic positioning can greatly impact your success as a franchisee. Comprehending these concepts will help you make informed decisions about your investment. Consider these key points: Market Saturation: Lower saturation usually indicates greater growth potential, making it a smart choice for new franchisees. Expansion Stages: Franchises in early stages often provide better opportunities than well-established brands. Demand Evaluation: Evaluating product and service demand is essential for selecting the right franchise, as seen with companies like Groutsmith. Competitive Markets: Targeting markets with less competition can lead to higher profitability and stability over time. Key Ingredients for Franchise Success Comprehending the key ingredients for franchise success is critical if you want to maximize your investment and operate effectively within the franchise model. A strong, recognizable brand name attracts both customers and franchisees, making it fundamental for your success. You should likewise focus on a unique business model that sets you apart from competitors, ensuring a compelling value proposition. An effective training system is indispensable, as it maintains consistency and quality across all locations, nurturing brand loyalty among customers. Furthermore, a partnership model between franchisor and franchisee encourages shared risk and reward, enhancing trust and cooperation. Finally, define a core product or service that appeals to a broad audience and has longevity, ensuring your franchise remains relevant and grows sustainably. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 4 P’s of Franchising? The 4 P’s of franchising—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—are crucial for any franchise’s success. You need a strong product that appeals to a wide audience, ensuring brand recognition. Setting the right price involves covering costs during a competitive landscape. For placement, consider franchise territories that maximize growth opportunities. Finally, your promotion should balance centralized marketing with local campaigns, giving franchisees effective tools to engage their communities and attract customers. What Is the 7 Day Rule for Franchise? The 7 Day Rule for franchising requires that franchisors give you the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) at least seven days before you sign any agreement or make a payment. This rule helps guarantee you have enough time to review essential information about the franchise system, including fees and obligations. Adhering to this rule is legally mandated in the U.S., and failing to comply can lead to serious legal consequences for franchisors. What Is a Good Franchise Model? A good franchise model includes a proven business concept that’s easy to replicate. You’ll want standardized operating procedures, extensive manuals, and clear guidelines to guarantee consistency across locations. The core product should have a strong value proposition appealing to a broad audience, promoting growth. Effective training and support are crucial for franchisees to achieve operational efficiency. Furthermore, a solid financial model balances initial investments with ongoing fees, securing profitability for everyone involved. Why Does It Only Cost $10k to Own a Chick-Fil-A Franchise? It only costs $10,000 to own a Chick-fil-A franchise since the company covers most of the startup costs, including the building and equipment, which can total up to $2 million. This model allows you to focus on operating the restaurant rather than worrying about significant financial investments. Although you don’t gain equity in the restaurant, your role as an owner-operator encourages commitment to customer service, benefiting both you and the brand. Conclusion In conclusion, a successful franchise model combines a proven business framework with efficient support systems, cultivating strong relationships between franchisors and franchisees. It’s vital to strategically position the brand in less saturated markets as well as ensuring consistent training and operational standards. By focusing on these key ingredients, franchise systems can achieve long-term growth and profitability. Comprehending these elements can guide potential franchisees in selecting the right opportunity and contribute to the overall success of the franchise. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Makes a Successful Franchise Model?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

iPhones and Macs work together seamlessly in all kinds of ways, whether you want to control your Apple phone from your Mac or use it as a webcam. Apple calls this suite of features Continuity, and it extends to iPads and Apple Watches too—so if you stay inside the Apple ecosystem you're guaranteed to get devices that play nicely together. Features like those offered by Apple Continuity aren't quite as easy for Google, Samsung, and Microsoft to implement, but everyone who isn't Apple is busy trying to improve the cross-device experience. Pixels and Chromebooks now offer several useful integrations, as do Samsung Galaxy phones and Galaxy Book laptops. Those Samsung features, managed by the Galaxy Connect app, have just been expanded to non-Samsung Windows 11 computers, so far more people can now take advantage of them. As long as you've got a PC running Windows 11 and fitted with an Intel or AMD chip, this is now available to you (ARM-based PCs aren't yet supported). The expansion was quietly announced in the release notes of version 2.1.6.0 of the Galaxy Connect app available on the Microsoft Store. Once you've got the app installed, here's what you can do with it. Getting started with Galaxy ConnectAfter downloading and running Galaxy Connect, you'll see a prompt to sign in with a Samsung account. You're going to need one of these to use Galaxy Connect, and presumably you've already got one you use with your Galaxy phone. Once that's done, you'll get to the front page of Galaxy Connect, which has four main sections. The first is Continue on other devices. This primarily means copy and paste, so if you copy something on your PC you can then switch to your Galaxy phone and then paste it there (or vice versa). Like all Galaxy Connect features, both devices need to have Bluetooth turned on, and to be on the same wifi network. The Galaxy Connect app. Credit: Lifehacker Enabling this feature via the toggle switch also means wifi network information gets synced. If you've previously connected to a wifi network with your Windows 11 laptop, for example, then when your Samsung phone comes across it, it'll already know the password—you just need to tap to connect. Camera continuity is another included feature: Samsung says it lets you "take pictures or scan documents on your phone or tablet, then continue working on them in apps like Samsung Notes on your computer." However, it's not clear how this works, and I couldn't figure it out—something for Samsung to work on, perhaps. Enabling cross-device communication. Credit: Lifehacker The next item in the Galaxy Connect menu is easier to understand, and called Storage Share. Go into this section, turn on the toggle switch, and you'll get an extra Storage Share entry in File Explorer in Windows 11. (If your phone doesn't appear, check that Connected devices > Storage Share is enabled in Settings on your Galaxy phone). This gives you easy access to everything on your phone, and means you can transfer files between both devices without messing around with syncing apps or cables. This is exactly how straightforward it should be to swap files between computers and phones, in fact—it took us a few years, but we got there in the end. How "multi control" and "second screen" work in Galaxy ConnectThe other two sections in Galaxy Connect are a little more complex, and require extra downloads. They're not just on/off toggle switches, and have some additional configuration required. As soon as you select them, you'll be directed to the relevant download from the Microsoft Store. First is Multi control, which essentially lets you operate your phone from your laptop or desktop: You get to arrange your phone and PC, as you would a secondary display, and then you can send your Windows 11 cursor to and from the Galaxy phone just by moving it off screen in the appropriate direction. When the cursor leaves your computer screen and arrives on your phone screen, you can use your mouse and keyboard to control the Galaxy handset. It makes typing and selecting much easier, and if you need to bring any text, links, or images back to your PC you can simply drag them across the edge of the screen back to the desktop interface. The Multi control window. Credit: Lifehacker The final Galaxy Connect feature is Second screen, and as you might be able to guess from the name, this lets you use a Galaxy device as a secondary display for your computer—though it only works with tablets, not smartphones, so I haven't tested it out directly. Again, you have the ability to position your two screens in relation to each other. You get all the benefits that usually come with having a second screen, like more room to put apps and windows away from your main desktop until you need them. It's also handy for having something on in the background, like a video or a social media feed, without it taking up room on your main display. The second screen requires an extra download. Credit: Lifehacker Microsoft Phone LinkIf you're familiar with Windows-and-phone synchronicity, you might be wondering where Microsoft's own Phone Link app fits in here. You can use it as well as or instead of Galaxy Connect (if you can't get the Samsung app to work for whatever reason). This duplicates some of the features you'll find in Galaxy Connect, including the quick swapping of files, and the clipboard syncing. There are extra features in Phone Link as well, such as the ability to mirror your phone's screen on the Windows desktop, and to manage notifications, texts, and calls from your computer. (saving you from constantly switching between devices). Search for Phone Link from the taskbar or Start menu to find it, then follow the instructions to connect your handset. View the full article

In terms of the LLC corporate tax rate, it’s essential to understand how tax classifications impact your financial obligations. By default, LLCs function as pass-through entities, avoiding corporate-level taxes. Nevertheless, if you choose to be taxed as a C Corporation, you could face a flat 21% tax rate and possible double taxation on dividends. Exploring your options can greatly influence your tax strategy and overall financial health. What factors should you consider in this decision? Key Takeaways LLCs are generally pass-through entities, meaning they typically do not pay federal income tax at the entity level. Single-member LLCs report income on personal tax returns, while multi-member LLCs file Form 1065. If elected, S Corporation status allows LLCs to avoid double taxation on income and reduce self-employment taxes. C Corporations face a flat federal tax rate of 21%, which includes double taxation on profits and dividends. State tax obligations vary, with some states imposing franchise taxes or other specific taxes on LLCs. Understanding LLCs and Their Tax Classifications Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) offer a flexible business structure that can greatly impact how you manage taxes. By default, LLCs are classified as pass-through entities, meaning their income is reported on your personal tax return, thereby avoiding double taxation. If you have a single-member LLC, it’s treated like a sole proprietorship for tax purposes, whereas multi-member LLCs are seen as partnerships. This distinction affects how the llc tax rate applies to your situation. You additionally have the option to elect taxation as an S corporation or C corporation, which can influence your overall tax burden. The llc corporate tax rate for C corporations is a flat 21%, whereas S corporations pass income to shareholders, allowing them to report it on personal returns. Keep in mind that state tax treatment varies, with some states imposing income taxes and others having none, impacting your total tax obligations. Default Tax Treatment of LLCs When you form an LLC, it typically defaults to a specific tax treatment that can greatly influence your financial obligations. For single-member LLCs, the default is to be treated as a sole proprietorship, meaning you report business income on your personal tax return and pay taxes at your individual rate. Multi-member LLCs, conversely, are taxed as partnerships, necessitating the filing of Form 1065 and providing each member with a Schedule K-1. Here’s a quick overview: LLC Type Default Tax Treatment Tax Filing Requirements Single-Member LLC Sole Proprietorship Personal tax return Multi-Member LLC Partnership Form 1065, Schedule K-1 Pass-Through Entity Profits/Losses pass to members N/A S Corporation Option Reasonable salary + dividends N/A C Corporation Option 21% corporate tax rate Separate corporate tax return In essence, LLCs are considered pass-through entities, avoiding corporate income tax at the entity level. Electing S Corporation or C Corporation Tax Status Electing to be taxed as an S Corporation or a C Corporation can greatly alter your S Corporation‘s tax environment, impacting both your financial obligations and how you distribute profits. If you choose S Corporation status by filing IRS Form 2553, your LLC can benefit from pass-through taxation, avoiding double taxation on corporate income. You can take a reasonable salary, and any remaining profits can be distributed as dividends, which may help reduce your self-employment tax liabilities. On the other hand, if you opt for C Corporation status by filing IRS Form 8832, your LLC will face a flat federal corporate tax rate of 21% on profits, along with potential state taxes. Nevertheless, be aware that C Corporations experience double taxation, as the corporation pays taxes on profits, and shareholders are taxed again on dividends received. Consequently, it’s essential to consult tax professionals to navigate this decision wisely. Additional Taxes for LLC Owners As an LLC owner, you need to understand the various additional taxes that can impact your bottom line. You’ll face self-employment tax, which totals 15.3% on your business profits, along with payroll taxes that include contributions for Social Security and Medicare. Furthermore, depending on where your business operates, you might likewise encounter state taxes, franchise taxes, or sales taxes, all of which require careful planning to guarantee compliance. Self-Employment Tax Overview Self-employment tax is a crucial consideration for LLC owners, particularly those operating as sole proprietors or partners. This tax rate is currently 15.3%, which covers both Social Security and Medicare contributions on your business profits. You’ll need to pay this tax on your net earnings, reported on your personal tax return. Here are some key points to remember: Single-member LLCs report income using Schedule C (Form 1040). Multi-member LLCs file Form 1065, with individual members paying self-employment tax based on their share. Self-employment tax is in addition to federal income tax. Electing S Corporation status can help reduce your self-employment tax liability by allowing you to split income into salary and dividends. Payroll Tax Responsibilities Comprehending payroll tax responsibilities is vital for LLC owners, especially if you have employees or are considering electing S Corporation status. As an LLC owner, you’re liable for self-employment tax at 15.3% on your profits, covering both employee and employer contributions for Social Security and Medicare. For employees, you must pay a 6.2% Social Security contribution and a 1.45% Medicare contribution, which you’ll need to match. If you opt for S Corporation taxation, make sure your salary aligns with IRS guidelines to avoid payroll tax issues. To prevent penalties, make estimated tax payments quarterly. Finally, maintain accurate payroll records, as they’re important for complying with tax obligations and guaranteeing proper reporting on your tax returns. Sales Tax Considerations Have you considered how sales tax affects your LLC? Sales taxes are levied on goods and services, and your LLC may need to collect and remit these taxes based on your activities and state regulations. Here are some key points to keep in mind: Sales tax rates vary considerably by state and local jurisdiction. Some states have no sales tax, whereas others may exceed 10%. You should regularly check your state tax website or consult a tax expert for compliance. Certain goods and services may be exempt from sales tax, so familiarize yourself with applicable exemptions. Neglecting to collect or remit sales taxes can lead to penalties and interest, making accurate sales records vital for your LLC’s financial health. State-Level Tax Considerations for LLCs In relation to state-level tax considerations for your LLC, you’ll find that obligations can vary considerably from one state to another. Some states, like Texas and Wyoming, don’t impose any income tax, whereas others, such as California, require an annual minimum franchise tax of $800. Comprehending these differences, along with potential additional taxes like gross-receipts or use taxes, is crucial for optimizing your tax strategy and ensuring compliance. State-Specific Tax Obligations Comprehending state-specific tax obligations is vital for LLC owners, as these requirements can differ widely across the United States. Each state has its own rules, and failing to comply can lead to penalties. Here are some key considerations: Some states, like California, impose a minimum franchise tax of $800 on LLCs, regardless of income. States such as Texas and Wyoming don’t have a state income tax, simplifying tax obligations. If your LLC operates in multiple states, you may create “nexus,” requiring compliance with tax regulations in those states. Economic nexus thresholds, based on revenue or physical presence, can trigger additional tax obligations. Consulting state tax websites or experts is fundamental to guarantee compliance and avoid any issues. No Income Tax States Many business owners are drawn to states with no income tax, as these locations offer significant financial advantages for Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming allow LLCs to operate without state income tax, simplifying tax obligations and potentially boosting profitability. Although this absence of state income tax can reduce overall business expenses, it’s important to keep in mind that LLCs may still face other taxes, such as franchise taxes, sales taxes, or employment taxes, depending on their activities and location. To stay compliant, you should regularly check state tax websites or consult tax experts, ensuring you navigate the varying regulations effectively, even in no income tax states. Franchise and Use Taxes Comprehending franchise and use taxes is crucial for LLC owners, especially since these state-level taxes can greatly influence your business’s financial health. Many states impose a franchise tax, which is a fee for the privilege of doing business. Here are some key points to reflect upon: Franchise tax rates vary, from California’s minimum of $800 to Wyoming’s $50. Some states, like Texas, use a margin tax based on revenue. Operating in multiple states can create a “nexus,” requiring compliance with each state’s tax obligations. Non-compliance may lead to penalties and interest charges. Understanding these aspects of state taxes will help you manage your LLC’s finances and avoid unexpected costs. Make sure to research your specific state’s requirements to stay compliant. Strategies to Optimize Your LLC Tax Rate To optimize your LLC’s tax rate effectively, consider various strategies that can greatly reduce your tax liability. One effective approach is electing to be taxed as an S Corporation. This allows you to pay yourself a reasonable salary during distributing remaining profits as dividends, thereby avoiding self-employment tax on those distributions. Typically, the break-even point for this election occurs at annual net earnings between $60,000 and $80,000, making it advantageous for higher-earning LLCs. Furthermore, maintaining accurate bookkeeping and leveraging available deductions can considerably lower your taxable income. Regular consultations with tax professionals can likewise help you manage estimated tax payments and adjust your strategy based on income changes or shifts in business structure. If your LLC operates in multiple states, it’s essential to evaluate the tax implications of each jurisdiction, as differing state income, franchise, or gross-receipts taxes can greatly impact your overall tax obligations. Frequently Asked Questions Can LLCS Qualify for Tax Deductions on Business Expenses? Yes, LLCs can qualify for tax deductions on business expenses. You’re allowed to deduct costs like office supplies, travel expenses, and employee salaries, provided they’re ordinary and necessary for your business operations. Keep detailed records of these expenses to support your deductions. Moreover, you can deduct home office expenses if you use part of your home exclusively for business. Comprehending these deductions can considerably reduce your taxable income, ultimately benefiting your LLC’s bottom line. How Does Self-Employment Tax Affect LLC Owners? Self-employment tax notably impacts LLC owners who are treated as sole proprietors or partners. You’re responsible for paying both Social Security and Medicare taxes, which total 15.3% on your net earnings. Unlike traditional employees, you don’t have an employer covering part of these taxes, so it’s essential to budget for this expense. Furthermore, you can deduct half of your self-employment tax when calculating your adjusted gross income, which can provide some relief. Are There Penalties for Late Tax Filings for LLCS? Yes, there are penalties for late tax filings for LLCs. If you miss the deadline, the IRS can impose a failure-to-file penalty, which starts at $210 per month, per member, and can accumulate quickly. Moreover, if you owe taxes and don’t pay on time, interest and late payment penalties can further increase your total liability. It’s essential to file on time to avoid these financial consequences and maintain your business’s good standing. Can LLCS Carry Forward Tax Losses to Future Years? Yes, LLCs can carry forward tax losses to future years, allowing you to offset taxable income in those years. This is beneficial if your business experiences a downturn or unusual expenses, as it helps reduce future tax liabilities. You’ll need to report these losses on your tax returns, following IRS guidelines. Make sure to keep accurate records, as the ability to carry forward losses is subject to specific rules regarding time limits and amounts. Do LLCS Need to File Federal Tax Returns Annually? Yes, LLCs need to file federal tax returns annually, but the specifics depend on how you’ve chosen to classify your LLC. If you’re a single-member LLC, you might report income on your personal tax return using Schedule C. For multi-member LLCs, you’ll likely file Form 1065. Remember, regardless of whether your IRS doesn’t earn income, you must file to maintain compliance with IRS regulations and avoid penalties. Always consult a tax professional for customized advice. Conclusion In summary, comprehending the LLC corporate tax rate is vital for effective financial planning. By default, LLCs enjoy pass-through taxation, avoiding corporate-level taxes except an election is made to be taxed as a C Corporation, which incurs a flat 21% rate. Furthermore, owners may face self-employment taxes and state-level taxes that vary by jurisdiction. By considering these factors and potential tax strategies, you can optimize your LLC’s tax obligations and improve its financial health. Image via Google Gemini This article, "LLC Corporate Tax Rate: What Is It?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In terms of the LLC corporate tax rate, it’s essential to understand how tax classifications impact your financial obligations. By default, LLCs function as pass-through entities, avoiding corporate-level taxes. Nevertheless, if you choose to be taxed as a C Corporation, you could face a flat 21% tax rate and possible double taxation on dividends. Exploring your options can greatly influence your tax strategy and overall financial health. What factors should you consider in this decision? Key Takeaways LLCs are generally pass-through entities, meaning they typically do not pay federal income tax at the entity level. Single-member LLCs report income on personal tax returns, while multi-member LLCs file Form 1065. If elected, S Corporation status allows LLCs to avoid double taxation on income and reduce self-employment taxes. C Corporations face a flat federal tax rate of 21%, which includes double taxation on profits and dividends. State tax obligations vary, with some states imposing franchise taxes or other specific taxes on LLCs. Understanding LLCs and Their Tax Classifications Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) offer a flexible business structure that can greatly impact how you manage taxes. By default, LLCs are classified as pass-through entities, meaning their income is reported on your personal tax return, thereby avoiding double taxation. If you have a single-member LLC, it’s treated like a sole proprietorship for tax purposes, whereas multi-member LLCs are seen as partnerships. This distinction affects how the llc tax rate applies to your situation. You additionally have the option to elect taxation as an S corporation or C corporation, which can influence your overall tax burden. The llc corporate tax rate for C corporations is a flat 21%, whereas S corporations pass income to shareholders, allowing them to report it on personal returns. Keep in mind that state tax treatment varies, with some states imposing income taxes and others having none, impacting your total tax obligations. Default Tax Treatment of LLCs When you form an LLC, it typically defaults to a specific tax treatment that can greatly influence your financial obligations. For single-member LLCs, the default is to be treated as a sole proprietorship, meaning you report business income on your personal tax return and pay taxes at your individual rate. Multi-member LLCs, conversely, are taxed as partnerships, necessitating the filing of Form 1065 and providing each member with a Schedule K-1. Here’s a quick overview: LLC Type Default Tax Treatment Tax Filing Requirements Single-Member LLC Sole Proprietorship Personal tax return Multi-Member LLC Partnership Form 1065, Schedule K-1 Pass-Through Entity Profits/Losses pass to members N/A S Corporation Option Reasonable salary + dividends N/A C Corporation Option 21% corporate tax rate Separate corporate tax return In essence, LLCs are considered pass-through entities, avoiding corporate income tax at the entity level. Electing S Corporation or C Corporation Tax Status Electing to be taxed as an S Corporation or a C Corporation can greatly alter your S Corporation‘s tax environment, impacting both your financial obligations and how you distribute profits. If you choose S Corporation status by filing IRS Form 2553, your LLC can benefit from pass-through taxation, avoiding double taxation on corporate income. You can take a reasonable salary, and any remaining profits can be distributed as dividends, which may help reduce your self-employment tax liabilities. On the other hand, if you opt for C Corporation status by filing IRS Form 8832, your LLC will face a flat federal corporate tax rate of 21% on profits, along with potential state taxes. Nevertheless, be aware that C Corporations experience double taxation, as the corporation pays taxes on profits, and shareholders are taxed again on dividends received. Consequently, it’s essential to consult tax professionals to navigate this decision wisely. Additional Taxes for LLC Owners As an LLC owner, you need to understand the various additional taxes that can impact your bottom line. You’ll face self-employment tax, which totals 15.3% on your business profits, along with payroll taxes that include contributions for Social Security and Medicare. Furthermore, depending on where your business operates, you might likewise encounter state taxes, franchise taxes, or sales taxes, all of which require careful planning to guarantee compliance. Self-Employment Tax Overview Self-employment tax is a crucial consideration for LLC owners, particularly those operating as sole proprietors or partners. This tax rate is currently 15.3%, which covers both Social Security and Medicare contributions on your business profits. You’ll need to pay this tax on your net earnings, reported on your personal tax return. Here are some key points to remember: Single-member LLCs report income using Schedule C (Form 1040). Multi-member LLCs file Form 1065, with individual members paying self-employment tax based on their share. Self-employment tax is in addition to federal income tax. Electing S Corporation status can help reduce your self-employment tax liability by allowing you to split income into salary and dividends. Payroll Tax Responsibilities Comprehending payroll tax responsibilities is vital for LLC owners, especially if you have employees or are considering electing S Corporation status. As an LLC owner, you’re liable for self-employment tax at 15.3% on your profits, covering both employee and employer contributions for Social Security and Medicare. For employees, you must pay a 6.2% Social Security contribution and a 1.45% Medicare contribution, which you’ll need to match. If you opt for S Corporation taxation, make sure your salary aligns with IRS guidelines to avoid payroll tax issues. To prevent penalties, make estimated tax payments quarterly. Finally, maintain accurate payroll records, as they’re important for complying with tax obligations and guaranteeing proper reporting on your tax returns. Sales Tax Considerations Have you considered how sales tax affects your LLC? Sales taxes are levied on goods and services, and your LLC may need to collect and remit these taxes based on your activities and state regulations. Here are some key points to keep in mind: Sales tax rates vary considerably by state and local jurisdiction. Some states have no sales tax, whereas others may exceed 10%. You should regularly check your state tax website or consult a tax expert for compliance. Certain goods and services may be exempt from sales tax, so familiarize yourself with applicable exemptions. Neglecting to collect or remit sales taxes can lead to penalties and interest, making accurate sales records vital for your LLC’s financial health. State-Level Tax Considerations for LLCs In relation to state-level tax considerations for your LLC, you’ll find that obligations can vary considerably from one state to another. Some states, like Texas and Wyoming, don’t impose any income tax, whereas others, such as California, require an annual minimum franchise tax of $800. Comprehending these differences, along with potential additional taxes like gross-receipts or use taxes, is crucial for optimizing your tax strategy and ensuring compliance. State-Specific Tax Obligations Comprehending state-specific tax obligations is vital for LLC owners, as these requirements can differ widely across the United States. Each state has its own rules, and failing to comply can lead to penalties. Here are some key considerations: Some states, like California, impose a minimum franchise tax of $800 on LLCs, regardless of income. States such as Texas and Wyoming don’t have a state income tax, simplifying tax obligations. If your LLC operates in multiple states, you may create “nexus,” requiring compliance with tax regulations in those states. Economic nexus thresholds, based on revenue or physical presence, can trigger additional tax obligations. Consulting state tax websites or experts is fundamental to guarantee compliance and avoid any issues. No Income Tax States Many business owners are drawn to states with no income tax, as these locations offer significant financial advantages for Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming allow LLCs to operate without state income tax, simplifying tax obligations and potentially boosting profitability. Although this absence of state income tax can reduce overall business expenses, it’s important to keep in mind that LLCs may still face other taxes, such as franchise taxes, sales taxes, or employment taxes, depending on their activities and location. To stay compliant, you should regularly check state tax websites or consult tax experts, ensuring you navigate the varying regulations effectively, even in no income tax states. Franchise and Use Taxes Comprehending franchise and use taxes is crucial for LLC owners, especially since these state-level taxes can greatly influence your business’s financial health. Many states impose a franchise tax, which is a fee for the privilege of doing business. Here are some key points to reflect upon: Franchise tax rates vary, from California’s minimum of $800 to Wyoming’s $50. Some states, like Texas, use a margin tax based on revenue. Operating in multiple states can create a “nexus,” requiring compliance with each state’s tax obligations. Non-compliance may lead to penalties and interest charges. Understanding these aspects of state taxes will help you manage your LLC’s finances and avoid unexpected costs. Make sure to research your specific state’s requirements to stay compliant. Strategies to Optimize Your LLC Tax Rate To optimize your LLC’s tax rate effectively, consider various strategies that can greatly reduce your tax liability. One effective approach is electing to be taxed as an S Corporation. This allows you to pay yourself a reasonable salary during distributing remaining profits as dividends, thereby avoiding self-employment tax on those distributions. Typically, the break-even point for this election occurs at annual net earnings between $60,000 and $80,000, making it advantageous for higher-earning LLCs. Furthermore, maintaining accurate bookkeeping and leveraging available deductions can considerably lower your taxable income. Regular consultations with tax professionals can likewise help you manage estimated tax payments and adjust your strategy based on income changes or shifts in business structure. If your LLC operates in multiple states, it’s essential to evaluate the tax implications of each jurisdiction, as differing state income, franchise, or gross-receipts taxes can greatly impact your overall tax obligations. Frequently Asked Questions Can LLCS Qualify for Tax Deductions on Business Expenses? Yes, LLCs can qualify for tax deductions on business expenses. You’re allowed to deduct costs like office supplies, travel expenses, and employee salaries, provided they’re ordinary and necessary for your business operations. Keep detailed records of these expenses to support your deductions. Moreover, you can deduct home office expenses if you use part of your home exclusively for business. Comprehending these deductions can considerably reduce your taxable income, ultimately benefiting your LLC’s bottom line. How Does Self-Employment Tax Affect LLC Owners? Self-employment tax notably impacts LLC owners who are treated as sole proprietors or partners. You’re responsible for paying both Social Security and Medicare taxes, which total 15.3% on your net earnings. Unlike traditional employees, you don’t have an employer covering part of these taxes, so it’s essential to budget for this expense. Furthermore, you can deduct half of your self-employment tax when calculating your adjusted gross income, which can provide some relief. Are There Penalties for Late Tax Filings for LLCS? Yes, there are penalties for late tax filings for LLCs. If you miss the deadline, the IRS can impose a failure-to-file penalty, which starts at $210 per month, per member, and can accumulate quickly. Moreover, if you owe taxes and don’t pay on time, interest and late payment penalties can further increase your total liability. It’s essential to file on time to avoid these financial consequences and maintain your business’s good standing. Can LLCS Carry Forward Tax Losses to Future Years? Yes, LLCs can carry forward tax losses to future years, allowing you to offset taxable income in those years. This is beneficial if your business experiences a downturn or unusual expenses, as it helps reduce future tax liabilities. You’ll need to report these losses on your tax returns, following IRS guidelines. Make sure to keep accurate records, as the ability to carry forward losses is subject to specific rules regarding time limits and amounts. Do LLCS Need to File Federal Tax Returns Annually? Yes, LLCs need to file federal tax returns annually, but the specifics depend on how you’ve chosen to classify your LLC. If you’re a single-member LLC, you might report income on your personal tax return using Schedule C. For multi-member LLCs, you’ll likely file Form 1065. Remember, regardless of whether your IRS doesn’t earn income, you must file to maintain compliance with IRS regulations and avoid penalties. Always consult a tax professional for customized advice. Conclusion In summary, comprehending the LLC corporate tax rate is vital for effective financial planning. By default, LLCs enjoy pass-through taxation, avoiding corporate-level taxes except an election is made to be taxed as a C Corporation, which incurs a flat 21% rate. Furthermore, owners may face self-employment taxes and state-level taxes that vary by jurisdiction. By considering these factors and potential tax strategies, you can optimize your LLC’s tax obligations and improve its financial health. Image via Google Gemini This article, "LLC Corporate Tax Rate: What Is It?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Some employers will cover costs of returning to Gulf for lawyers who relocated after outbreak of Iran warView the full article

Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) has long played second fiddle to the more established giants in the AI race. For much of that race, the technology powering the hardware AI needs to run on has been GPUs, like the kind Nvidia excels in making. But as industry focus shifts towards how CPUs can accelerate AI tasks, Intel’s recent earnings report shows the company is starting to benefit significantly, sending its stock price surging today. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? Yesterday, Intel reported its first-quarter 2026 financial results for the period that ended on March 28. Those results were much better than analysts had been expecting. The most salient numbers from Intel’s Q1 include: Total revenue of $13.6 billion (up 7% year-over-year) Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 29 cents Client Computing Group (CCG) revenue of $7.7 billion (up 1% year-over-year) Data Center and AI (DCAI) revenue of $5.1 billion (up 22% year-over-year) To put those top two figures into context, they easily exceeded investors’ expectations. As noted by CNBC, LSEG analysts had expected Intel to post an EPS of 1 cent and revenue of $12.4 billion. The AI data center boom boosts Intel’s revenue Diving into Intel’s Q1 earnings more, you notice something interesting. While the majority of Intel’s revenue—$7.7 billion of it—comes from its Client Computing Group (CCG), the division that designs and sells its hardware solutions (ie: CPU and other chips) for consumer PCs and workstations, that division only grew 1% in Q1. But the company’s Data Center and AI (DCAI)—its second-biggest revenue source—saw its sales surge 22% during the quarter, reaching $5.1 billion. It’s this haul that seems to have most excited investors. The DCAI’s revenue is directly driven by the massive demand for AI data centers. Those data centers need servers not just with GPUs, but with as powerful CPUs as possible to help process AI tasks. Intel’s DCAI provides such CPUs, which include the company’s high-end Xeon processors. And the need for high-end processors in the explosion of AI data centers being built doesn’t look likely to abate anytime soon. That’s great news for Intel. “The CPU is reinserting itself as the indispensable foundation of the AI era,” the company’s CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, commented on the company’s earnings call. “This isn’t just our wishful thinking, it’s what we hear from our customers.” Intel’s forecast also helps boost INTC stock It’s not just a better-than-expected Q1 that is cheering investors today, however. Wall Street is also reacting well to the company’s Q2 forecast. For its current Q2, Intel expects revenue between $13.8 billion and $14.8 billion. The company is also expecting adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 20 cents. As noted by CNBC, those figures are well above the $13.07 billion and 9-cent EPS analysts were expecting. As a result of the company’s earnings report, Intel shares have surged. As of the time of this writing, INTC shares are currently up more than 22% in early morning trading to $81.74. That massive single-day boost means INTC shares have now surged more than 80% year-to-date. Over the past 12 months, INTC shares are now up more than 224%. Those are gains investors are clearly hoping are just beginning as Intel’s data center business continues to pick up steam. View the full article

Visa has taken a significant step in the blockchain realm by launching a validator node on the Tempo blockchain, aiming to enhance the capabilities of digital payments. This initiative marks an important evolution in Visa’s strategy, emphasizing the importance of onchain payments, especially related to stablecoins. Small business owners should pay close attention, as this development could reshape how they handle transactions and engage with their customers. The recent announcement, which came from Visa on April 14, highlights the company’s commitment to advancing its blockchain operations. As Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s Head of Crypto, stated, “We’ve spent years building our expertise in blockchain, and now we’re expanding that work by running critical blockchain infrastructure ourselves.” This reinforces Visa’s intent to maintain a secure and reliable payment ecosystem, benefiting businesses of all sizes. One critical role played by Visa’s validator node is to validate transactions on the Tempo network, a purpose-built blockchain designed for real-time and machine-to-machine payments. Joining the Tempo network as an anchor validator alongside prominent partners like Stripe and Zodia Custody reflects Visa’s robust strategy to create a decentralized payment network. For small business owners, the implications are clear. By embracing stablecoin payments facilitated through blockchain technology, merchants could benefit from faster transaction processing, reduced transaction fees, and increased security. With Visa validating transactions on the Tempo network, small business owners can anticipate a dependable system that mitigates risks often associated with digital payments. “That kind of operational rigor is exactly what we look for in validators on Tempo,” says Nischay Upadhyayula from Tempo, underscoring the reliability and enterprise-level capabilities Visa is bringing to the ecosystem. However, while the advantages are promising, small business owners may also face challenges. Engaging with blockchain technology requires understanding new forms of currency and payment processing methods. Additionally, businesses will need to evaluate their readiness to adopt these digital transactions. Furthermore, transitioning to stablecoin payments might necessitate updating current accounting practices or investing in new technology solutions, which can be daunting for smaller enterprises with limited resources. Despite potential hurdles, Visa aims to guide businesses through this transition. The Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) team offers services to help clients develop stablecoin strategies aligned with their business goals. Small businesses can directly benefit from VCA’s expertise, enabling them to understand how to integrate stablecoin payments efficiently. The launch of Visa’s validator node is part of a broader agenda to enhance resilience, interoperability, and security within the payment ecosystem. This aligns with Visa’s mission of connecting the world through innovative payments, which is increasingly crucial for small businesses looking to stay competitive in an evolving marketplace. As blockchain technology continues to gain traction, businesses should be proactive about understanding these developments. Continued education about the benefits and structuring of digital payments will be vital. Embracing these changes now could help small businesses remain agile and ready for the next wave of payment innovations. In an ever-transforming digital landscape, Visa’s move into blockchain validates the importance of secure, scalable payment systems. With ongoing support from industry leaders and advancements in digital payment infrastructure, small businesses have the potential to thrive in this new environment. For further details, small business owners can explore Visa’s announcement on businesswire.com. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Visa Strengthens Blockchain Future with New Validator Node on Tempo Network" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Visa has taken a significant step in the blockchain realm by launching a validator node on the Tempo blockchain, aiming to enhance the capabilities of digital payments. This initiative marks an important evolution in Visa’s strategy, emphasizing the importance of onchain payments, especially related to stablecoins. Small business owners should pay close attention, as this development could reshape how they handle transactions and engage with their customers. The recent announcement, which came from Visa on April 14, highlights the company’s commitment to advancing its blockchain operations. As Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s Head of Crypto, stated, “We’ve spent years building our expertise in blockchain, and now we’re expanding that work by running critical blockchain infrastructure ourselves.” This reinforces Visa’s intent to maintain a secure and reliable payment ecosystem, benefiting businesses of all sizes. One critical role played by Visa’s validator node is to validate transactions on the Tempo network, a purpose-built blockchain designed for real-time and machine-to-machine payments. Joining the Tempo network as an anchor validator alongside prominent partners like Stripe and Zodia Custody reflects Visa’s robust strategy to create a decentralized payment network. For small business owners, the implications are clear. By embracing stablecoin payments facilitated through blockchain technology, merchants could benefit from faster transaction processing, reduced transaction fees, and increased security. With Visa validating transactions on the Tempo network, small business owners can anticipate a dependable system that mitigates risks often associated with digital payments. “That kind of operational rigor is exactly what we look for in validators on Tempo,” says Nischay Upadhyayula from Tempo, underscoring the reliability and enterprise-level capabilities Visa is bringing to the ecosystem. However, while the advantages are promising, small business owners may also face challenges. Engaging with blockchain technology requires understanding new forms of currency and payment processing methods. Additionally, businesses will need to evaluate their readiness to adopt these digital transactions. Furthermore, transitioning to stablecoin payments might necessitate updating current accounting practices or investing in new technology solutions, which can be daunting for smaller enterprises with limited resources. Despite potential hurdles, Visa aims to guide businesses through this transition. The Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) team offers services to help clients develop stablecoin strategies aligned with their business goals. Small businesses can directly benefit from VCA’s expertise, enabling them to understand how to integrate stablecoin payments efficiently. The launch of Visa’s validator node is part of a broader agenda to enhance resilience, interoperability, and security within the payment ecosystem. This aligns with Visa’s mission of connecting the world through innovative payments, which is increasingly crucial for small businesses looking to stay competitive in an evolving marketplace. As blockchain technology continues to gain traction, businesses should be proactive about understanding these developments. Continued education about the benefits and structuring of digital payments will be vital. Embracing these changes now could help small businesses remain agile and ready for the next wave of payment innovations. In an ever-transforming digital landscape, Visa’s move into blockchain validates the importance of secure, scalable payment systems. With ongoing support from industry leaders and advancements in digital payment infrastructure, small businesses have the potential to thrive in this new environment. For further details, small business owners can explore Visa’s announcement on businesswire.com. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Visa Strengthens Blockchain Future with New Validator Node on Tempo Network" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. The post open thread – April 24, 2026 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

For the past several years, multiview has been one of YouTube TV's best features, especially for sports fans like myself. Multiview allows you to watch up to four livestreams at once and toggle between them (and their audio) when something exciting happens. At its initial launch for March Madness in 2023, multiview was restricted to certain preselected channel combinations, but YouTube confirmed in January of this year that a fully customizable multiview was on the way. It's now available to some subscribers—myself included. Trying out YouTube TV's multiview With customizable multiview, you can select up to four channels across content categories, so you're not limited to just sports, news, or a preset view. As Reddit users have pointed out, this update allows you to mix sports networks that previously couldn't be watched side-by-side or weren't available in all combinations—something I'm particularly excited about. Plus, because you can choose anywhere from two to four streams, you don't have to keep additional channels included in preset views for things you don't want to watch or after programming ends (like when a sports broadcast transitions to local news). I tried it out and was able to create a variety of random views. First, I combined ESPN with CNN, NFL Live, and TNT; then, the Golf Channel plus AMC, Fox Sports, and the SEC Network. The only snag I hit was with a local news channel: When I tried to add it to my multiview, I got a "video unavailable" error, even though it was available for selection. I'm still most likely to use custom multiview for sports, especially during seasons like college basketball and college football when lots of games are being played at once and often across channels owned by different networks and to select just the two or three things I want to see rather than a full four-stream view. How to use YouTube TV's multiviewTo build a custom multiview, open a livestream in full screen, then press the down button on your remote—on mobile, tap the player—and select Multiview. If your account has the option, tap Your multiview to choose up to four live programs from different content categories, including sports, news, movies, shows, and "other." YouTube TV will also show you recommended streams. To remove and/or replace channels, press the down button again and tap Change multiview > Your multiview. The current streams will be at the top of the Recommended section. From here, you can click to remove them. As Android Authority reports, this feature may not be available to all YouTube TV users yet. Make sure your app is up to date, but know that the rollout could take time. View the full article

As Madonna promotes her new album, she’s going where only one pop diva has gone before: Grindr. Ahead of the July launch of Confessions II, Grindr will feature an evolving takeover with exclusive content and limited-edition drops. The partnership debuted Thursday with Madonna’s profile nestled in Grindr’s grid of nearby users. Tapping the profile opens an ad with a voice memo from the singer, and a link to preorder a limited picture disc vinyl of Confessions II as a nonstop mix that blends each track into the next. “Hi Grindr, it’s mother,” the voice memo says. “I wanted to go where the hottest action was, so I got on the grid.” The partnership—which the company says is its largest commercial activation and will add new content over the coming weeks—isn’t Grindr’s first foray into music promotion. Last year, the app collaborated with Christina Aguilera to promote her headline performance at the Portola Music Festival in September 2025. For CEO George Arison, himself a gay man, working with Madonna was an obvious choice, both because of her stature in the LGBT community, and the amount of engagement the app gets from that demo (he says users spend roughly an hour in the app each day on average). “I don’t know of a gay guy who doesn’t love Madonna,” he says. “We have a global audience, and we play a really big part in shaping culture for that audience.” Grindr users are on the app for an hour each day, on average, engaging with their local community. Arison calls it the “gay town square,” and says the identity as the global gayborhood goes beyond just branding. It’s the reality of how users engage with the app. Arison, who took over the publicly traded app in 2022, sees the partnership as an opportunity for Grindr to push further on his strategy of turning the app into “the global gayborhood in your pocket” by expanding its role in users’ lives. The activation joins other recent efforts to expand Grindr’s scope beyond meeting people, including offering erectile dysfunction and weight loss drugs via its telehealth arm Woodwork. He also frames it as an opportunity for Grindr to show possible brand partners what it can do for them, showing its capabilities to marry in-app content with physical merchandising. He says technical infrastructure built for the rollout creates a pipeline for future partnerships, Arison says. Last year, Arison told Fast Company that he sees his role as CEO as partly requiring him to win over the broader business community, who might be hesitant to work with an app explicitly targeted to LGBTQ users (often with a cheeky emphasis on explicit). The Madonna partnership offers an example of a big name leaning into Grindr’s positioning. “For us as a business, this is a really huge opportunity for being at a bigger stage and then being taken seriously by other partners that we want to work with at scale,” he says. View the full article

About a year ago, I came out of a meeting with engineers about improving automations for content briefs. A few days later, someone on the analytics team — unrelated to those conversations — pinged me that they’d built a content brief generator using various data pipelines and APIs. That’s when I realized “getting people to use AI” isn’t the hard part. Implementation and integration are. Most SEO teams don’t struggle with access to tools; they struggle to prioritize efforts with outsized impact and align across the organization. One team is experimenting with prompts, another is auto-generating briefs, and a third is building dashboards no one asked for, often stepping on each other’s toes. Each has something valuable to contribute, but much of it gets diluted by duplication and a race to execution. Leadership wants speed. Legal wants caution. Developers want clarity. The result is fragmentation, not the AI marketing transformation teams need. If AI is going to meaningfully change SEO performance, it has to be structured before it’s scaled. Otherwise, fragmentation only accelerates. After working with large, complex organizations navigating this shift, I’ve found three frameworks that consistently prevent chaos and create momentum. Used together, they align vision, clarify what to automate, and turn prioritization into execution. 1. The AI SEO City: Alignment before acceleration The biggest obstacle in AI adoption is coordination. SEO already sits at the intersection of engineering, content, analytics, product, and brand. Now, with AI search and the rise of social search, add organic social, conversion rate optimization, affiliates, and creative to the mix. AI touches all of these surfaces, but it’s too much for any one person or team. Without a shared mental model, groups move independently, duplication creeps in, and accountability blurs — turning AI into an arms race instead of a productivity driver. Leading large teams and working with many Fortune 100 executives, I’ve seen how analogies help teams quickly grasp complex ideas. Research supports this: analogies improve understanding and the transfer of ideas across domains. When teams map new concepts onto familiar structures, alignment accelerates. Enter: the AI SEO City. Instead of explaining AI as a series of tools and experiments, imagine your SEO ecosystem as a city. Your website (also known as SEO house) no longer exists in a silo. Technical SEO is the foundation. Content hubs frame the rooms. Off-site SEO is the curb appeal. User experience is the staging. With AI search, that house now interacts with a broader city in a more integrated way. Platforms like TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and Amazon influence the answers AI systems produce. To succeed in AI search, this city needs a strong planner to advocate for budgets, plan what’s next, and maintain what works. The SEO team is the planner, while other teams build and manage their own “buildings.” The shift from analogy to action is ownership. Every major platform becomes a building. YouTube strategy lives in the Discovery District and the YouTube building. App store optimization lives in Solution Square, spanning the Apple, Google, and Creative buildings. AI infrastructure and API connections sit in the Engineering Grid. Analytics runs the Control Tower. Each building has a lead, KPIs tied to business outcomes, AI-enhanced workflows, and a roadmap — making AI implementation tangible, accountable, and coordinated. 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. SOAR: Deciding what to automate without breaking what works Once vision is clear, most teams make the same mistake: they try to automate everything. Automation without discernment and process creates fragility. If the sole person who built that automation leaves, you’re leaving the business and your work at risk. SOAR provides a filter for intelligent adoption. SOAR stands for: Streamline the basics. Orchestrate your team. Automate monotony. Reposition focus. Streamline the basics Before layering AI on top of chaos, it’s important to have standardized processes (e.g., repeatable briefs, aligned reporting to business KPIs, etc.). Organizations capturing the most value from AI had already digitized and standardized core workflows, McKinsey’s 2023 State of AI report. This has been my experience firsthand. The best and easiest automations to stand up are ones that speed up a defined manual process. So much so that we’ve made a rule as a team to never attempt automating something without doing it manually first. Orchestrate your team AI adoption is cross-functional. To manage it successfully, it’s crucial for SEOs to orchestrate teams across the organization. Take the ownership defined in the AI SEO City to clarify review processes, QA ownership, publishing governance, etc. Get stakeholder buy-in on establishing consistent cadences: weekly SEO syncs with rotating teams and purpose, monthly performance reviews, and quarterly roadmap alignment. Predictability reduces resistance. Automate monotony AI is helping people save about 4 hours per week. That’s about 200 hours per year — the equivalent of 5 weeks. This means using AI for metadata drafting, monthly reporting insights, FAQ expansion, internal link suggestions, keyword clustering, and SERP analysis, so you can spend more time executing high-impact tasks. Don’t automate strategic judgment, brand nuance, or prioritization. If the task is repetitive, rule-based, and can be mapped as a decision tree, automate it. If it requires business context and trade-offs, augment it. Reposition focus AI implementation should free strategists to coordinate across teams, build bridges between strategy and business impact, map enhanced customer search journeys, and anticipate AI search shifts. Google has reported billions of monthly AI Overview users, fundamentally changing how queries surface. Now isn’t the time to be manually writing metadata. Now is the time to be building your AI SEO City. The SOAR framework allows you to create repeatable and winning steps for your org, while also determining what could be automated in the long run. This allows you to reposition your focus on higher-impact items that will drive business results, and secure your team firmly, no matter the “AI efficiencies” that are bound to happen at some point. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 3. RISE: Strategic prioritization before execution Even with alignment and intelligent automation, chaos returns the moment prioritization gets sloppy. Deliverables, audits, and meetings aren’t strategy. Strategy requires intention, trade-offs, and sequencing. Without that discipline, AI doesn’t create leverage. It accelerates randomness. RISE stands for: Reach. Intent. Scale. Execution. It’s the framework I use to pressure-test whether an initiative deserves resources. Reach: Size the prize with intellectual honesty Reach forces you to quantify the upside before you build anything. Move beyond “this feels big” or “AI is trending” and focus on an actual modeled opportunity, grounded in questions such as: How many users does this impact? How much nonbrand demand exists on that platform or within that product category? What percentage of that demand are we realistically positioned to win? What revenue and margin sit behind it? If a team wants to build an AI-powered content expansion engine, reach means modeling the following: Total addressable search demand by journey stage. Current visibility share versus competitors. Incremental traffic potential at realistic ranking assumptions. Downstream conversion or assisted revenue impact. If you can’t articulate the business upside in numbers, it doesn’t move forward. This filter alone eliminates most vanity AI projects labeled as innovation. Most importantly, it shows your leadership and strategic decision-making, not just tinkering. Reach answers a simple question: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Intent: Solve the right problem Strategies focused on search volume without intent alignment are noise. AI search systems are increasingly compressing generic content and rewarding depth, clarity, multimedia and multimodal formats, and problem-solving. Intent forces you to slow down and ask: What is the user actually trying to accomplish, and what is their process for accomplishing it? Are they: Exploring a concept? Comparing solutions? Looking for implementation guidance? Trying to justify a purchase? What tools and platforms are they using in their search? Operationally, this means mapping initiatives to customer search journeys before generating a single asset. Speak to customers or prospects. Analyze AI Overviews. Study People Also Ask clusters. Review how competitors structure content depth. Identify whether the opportunity lives in discovery, consideration, or conversion. If you misunderstand the moment in the journey, no amount of automation saves you. Intent is where strategy shifts from keyword targeting to experience design. AI doesn’t reward content volume. It rewards clarity of purpose. Scale: Will this compound or phase out? A strong initiative shouldn’t win once. It should win repeatedly. Scale asks whether the idea can become part of the operating system or if it depends on major effort each time. In AI-driven SEO, scale is structural. Think: modular content frameworks, reusable schema logic, repeatable internal linking patterns, automated QA checkpoints, and integrated dashboards tied to business KPIs. If an initiative can’t be repeated predictably, it’s a tactic rather than a strategy. Compounding visibility doesn’t come from one brilliant campaign. It comes from systems that run weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Execution: Embed it where work actually happens This is where most organizations stumble. A well-prioritized initiative that never enters a workflow is just a well-articulated idea. Ideas alone don’t drive results. Execution means translating strategy into tickets inside the systems where work already happens (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, Asana, or whatever your team uses). It means defining acceptance criteria before development starts, assigning accountable owners, estimating effort, setting QA checkpoints, and predefining how success will be measured. Execution also means integrating AI outputs into existing governance: Who reviews AI-generated drafts? Who signs off on schema? Who owns rollback procedures if something breaks? Automation without accountability is operational risk. The most sophisticated AI model in the world won’t save a poorly operationalized strategy. But a well-prioritized initiative, embedded into existing workflows, creates momentum that compounds quarter after quarter. When RISE is applied rigorously, something interesting happens. The number of AI ideas decreases, but the quality increases. Teams stop chasing novelty and start building durable systems. Instead of debating which tool is best, the organization debates which opportunity is worth pursuing. The shift from experimentation to intentional prioritization is where AI stops being chaotic and starts being transformative. 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 Structure matters more than speed for AI in SEO The AI SEO City creates shared vision and ownership. SOAR determines what to automate and how to redeploy attention. RISE ensures prioritization aligns with opportunity and scales operationally. AI is an accelerant. Without structure, it accelerates confusion. With structure, it accelerates compounding visibility. The teams that win won’t be the ones producing the most AI content. They’ll be the ones building the strongest systems. View the full article

Breakthrough removes potential hurdle to Kevin Warsh’s confirmation as next US central bank chiefView the full article

CEO says US chipmaker has made ‘fundamental’ changes after year-long turnaround View the full article

The bank denied Black, Latino and Asian mortgage applicants roughly twice as frequently as white applicants in North Carolina, according to a study from the Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund. View the full article