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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

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

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

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

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. “Zone 2” is the term the fitness world has (mostly) agreed upon to describe the low-intensity cardio most of us should be doing regularly. When you’re in zone 2, you’re working hard enough that you start breathing more heavily, but easy enough that you could hold a conversation while doing it. You stop a zone 2 session because your workout time is up, not because you’re too exhausted to continue. Zone 2 is defined in terms of heart rate, so what heart rate should you expect to see on your watch when you’re in zone 2? That’s where people disagree. What is zone 2 training?As I’ve explained before, the name “zone 2” comes from heart rate training. To train by heart rate, you use either a wristwatch with an optical heart rate sensor (that green light on the back) or a chest strap paired to your watch or just to a phone (chest straps are more accurate, and even a $30 one can do an excellent job). Coospo Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap, Bluetooth/ANT+ $25.40 at Amazon $32.99 Save $7.59 Shop Now Shop Now $25.40 at Amazon $32.99 Save $7.59 To train by heart rate, you aim to keep your heart rate in the "zone" that gives you your desired workout. In most of the popular systems, there are five zones. Zone 1 is your resting or recovery zone; zone 2 is low intensity cardio; zone 3 is more or less medium; and zones 4 and 5 are for harder efforts, usually done for only a few minutes with recoveries in zone 1 or 2 in between. (I have a more detailed guide to the zone system here.) While zone 2 is the trendiest at the moment, the other zones still have uses. Personally, I think zone 3 is underrated, and probably most of us would be better off getting a mix of zones 2 and 3 for our steady cardio rather than pure zone 2. But that's a story for another time. Heart rate zones are usually defined as percentages of your maximum heart rate. So when I set my Apple Watch to keep me in zone 2 during my runs, it wants my heart rate to be between 60% and 70% of maximum. Even at an easy effort, I found I was commonly exceeding that limit. On the other hand, when I hop on a Peloton bike, my heart rate is often still in zone 1 when I could swear I’m riding at a zone 2 effort. It turns out Peloton defines zone 2 as 65% to 75% of my max. Who is right? Well, everybody. “Zone 2” isn’t a term with scientifically designed boundaries. Anybody can split up heart rate zones any way they like. (Stay tuned for my patented eight-zone system, coming as soon as I can find a way to monetize it!) If you train with more than one gadget, or if you find yourself discussing heart rate training with a friend who uses a different system than you do, it’s worth knowing the differences. What heart rate percentage counts as zone 2?Let’s take a tour of some of the more popular wearables and fitness systems that measure heart rate in a five-zone system, or something like it. First, it’s important to know that most (not all) of these percentages are based on your max heart rate. To know your max heart rate, you need real-world numbers, and you shouldn't trust the default your app gives you. That default number is derived from a formula, and no formula will be accurate for everybody; max heart rate varies from person to person and can't be accurately predicted for individuals. You can do a field test, like getting your heart rate up by running more and more intense hill repeats. Or if you have plenty of experience with intense exercise, just take note of the highest heart rate number you've seen on your device; it will likely be close to your max. Most zone systems just use a percentage of your max (however that max is calculated). There are other systems to consider, too. “Heart rate reserve” (HRR) means that you take the difference between your max and your resting heart rate (instead of between your max and zero) and calculate from there. Some devices will estimate a different benchmark, like your lactate threshold, and use that as a basis for the zones. So, here are the zone 2 percentages from a variety of popular wearables, along with what they are percentages of: Apple Watch: Zone 2 is 60-70% of your heart rate reserve, with your “resting” heart rate set to either 72 or a number the watch has picked up automatically, and your maximum calculated with the 220-age formula. (You can choose to set the zones manually, instead.) Fitbit and Pixel: instead of “zone 2,” Fitbit devices have a "moderate" zone (formerly called “fat burn”) set at 40% to 59% of your heart rate reserve. To find your heart rate reserve, your max is calculated according to the 220-age formula, and your resting heart rate is measured by the device. You can set your max and your zones manually if you prefer. Garmin: Depends on your device and on how you've chosen to set up your zones. As a percentage of max heart rate, zone 2 is 73-81%. As a percentage of heart rate reserve, it's 65-75%. And as a percentage of your lactate threshold heart rate (which the watch can automatically detect for you, and which normally falls between zones 4 and 5), it's 79-88% of that heart rate. Note that these numbers won't necessarily line up with each other. A heart rate that is in zone 2 on one of these systems may be in zone 3 on another. And, of course, you can set your max and/or your zones manually. Some other fitness platforms have defined heart rate zones to be used with your training. To name a few: Orangetheory gets its name from the “orange” zone it wants you to be in during workouts. Its equivalent of zone 2 would be the “blue” zone, at 61% to 70% of max heart rate. It uses an “industry standard formula” to determine your max, which Self reports is 208 minus 0.7 times your age. After you’ve taken 20 classes, an algorithm will pick out a new max heart rate for you. Peloton defines heart rate zone 2 (no relation to Power Zone 2) as 65% to 75% of your max heart rate. Max heart rate is 220 minus your age, unless you adjust it manually in your settings. The American College of Sports Medicine defines “light” training, arguably its version of zone 2, as 57% to 63% of maximum heart rate. “Moderate” is 64% to 76%. How do you know which benchmark to use?Rather than obsessing over numbers, think about the big picture and decide what training effect you are trying to achieve with your workouts. If you want to build your endurance with low-intensity cardio, or if you want to rack up minutes in zone 2 to help with weight loss, it doesn’t matter exactly what your heart rate works out to be. What matters is that you can do the exercise for a long time without fatiguing, but that you’re also not slacking off and barely doing any work at all. In other words, you can use your gadget’s heart rate numbers as a guide, but keep them honest with a reality check based on what fitness professionals call “perceived exertion.” If you want a number to focus on, you can rate your exertion on a scale of 1 to 10—called RPE for “rating of perceived exertion”—and aim for an RPE of about 3 to 4. Over time, you’ll start to notice what heart rate tends to show on your watch when you’re at that level. I know that if my heart rate is below 150, I’m doing a good job of keeping my jogging to a “zone 2" sort of effort. If it pokes up into the 160s at the beginning of a run, that’s probably harder than I’m going for—but if it hits 160 at the end of a long run on a hot day, that’s fine. (Heart rate changes with the temperature and the length of your workout, a phenomenon called cardiac drift.) These numbers are just examples, and my max is pretty high for my age, close to 200. Yours will be different. Ultimately, this is probably the most accurate way of using heart rate to determine exercise intensity: Figure out the intensity you want first, and use heart rate as a guide to be able to hit that same intensity on a consistent basis. After all, if there were one correct number that was easy to determine, the different gadgets and platforms would have all gotten on board with it by now. So trust your body more than your watch. View the full article

The The President administration is vowing to crack down on foreign tech companies’ exploitation of U.S. artificial intelligence models, singling out China at a time that country is narrowing the gap with the U.S. in the AI race. In a Thursday memo, Michael Kratsios, the president’s chief science and technology adviser, accused foreign entities “principally based in China” of engaging in deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns to “distill,” or extract capabilities from, leading AI systems made in the U.S. and “exploiting American expertise and innovation.” The administration, Kratsios wrote, will work with American AI companies to identify such activities, build defenses and find ways to punish offenders. The memo arrives at a time when China is challenging U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence, an area where the White House says the U.S. must prevail to set global standards and reap economic and military benefits. But the U.S.-China gap in performance of top AI models has “effectively closed,” according to a recent report from Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered AI. China’s embassy in Washington said it opposed “the unjustified suppression of Chinese companies by the U.S.” “China has always been committed to promoting scientific and technological progress through cooperation and healthy competition. China attaches great importance to the protection of intellectual property rights,” said Liu Pengyu, the embassy spokesperson. In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters Friday that the U.S. claims are groundless and were smearing the achievements of China’s artificial intelligence industry. “China firmly opposes this. We urge the U.S. to respect facts, discard prejudice, stop suppressing China’s technological development, and do more to promote scientific and technological exchange and cooperation between the two countries,” he said. Kratsios’ memo also came the same week that the House Foreign Affairs Committee offered unanimous, bipartisan support for a bill to set up a process to identify foreign actors that extract “key technical features” of closed-source, U.S.-owned AI models and to punish them with measures including sanctions. “Model extraction attacks are the latest frontier of Chinese economic coercion and theft of U.S. intellectual property,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., who sponsored the bill. “American AI models are demonstrating transformative cyber capabilities, and it is critical we prevent China from stealing these technological advancements.” Last year, the Chinese startup DeepSeek rattled U.S. markets when it released a large language model that could compete with U.S. AI giants but at a fraction of the cost. David Sacks, then serving as President Donald The President’s AI and crypto adviser, suggested that DeepSeek copied U.S. models. “There’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models,” Sacks said then. In a February letter to U.S. lawmakers, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, made similar allegations and said China should not be allowed to advance “autocratic AI” by “appropriating and repackaging American innovation.” Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, in February accused DeepSeek and two other China-based AI laboratories of engaging in campaigns to “illicitly extract Claude’s capabilities to improve their own models” using the distillation technique that “involves training a less capable model on the outputs of a stronger one.” Anthropic said distillation can be a legitimate way to train AI systems but it’s a problem when competitors “use it to acquire powerful capabilities from other labs in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost, that it would take to develop them independently.” But it can go both ways. San Francisco-based startup Anysphere, maker of the popular coding tool Cursor, recently acknowledged that its latest product was based on an open-source model made by Chinese company Moonshot AI, maker of the chatbot Kimi. Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Washington-based think tank The Brookings Institution and an expert on China’s technology development, said it will be like “looking for needles in an enormous haystack” to separate unauthorized distillation from the vast volume of legitimate requests for data. But information sharing and coordination among U.S. AI labs could help, and the federal government can play an important role in facilitating anti-distillation efforts across labs, Chan said. It’s hard to assess how far the House bill can go, but Chan said The President may not want to rock the boat with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a planned mid-May state visit to Beijing. AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien contributed to this report. —Didi Tang, Associated Press View the full article

President Donald The President said he would look into the actions of banks in their response to last year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires following a meeting with that city's mayor, Karen Bass. View the full article

Take a look at your SEO to-do list. Most of it is probably the same rote, repetitive tasks. Turning everyday work into faster, easier outputs is easier than ever with AI. Besides obvious tasks like note-taking and team reminders, you can automate tasks such as content audits, page outlines, and keyword research. Start with simple strategies to save time on the repetitive work you do every day, then expand into using AI tools for automation. Always do a final check yourself, rather than trusting 100% of your work to LLMs, which rarely get things exactly right. Identify automation opportunities One simple way to decide what you can automate is to ask yourself: Would I assign this to an intern? The types of tasks you’d give a new employee are ideal for automation. Let the intern (or AI) do 70% of the work, like research and a rough draft. Then complete the final 30% by giving feedback (or improving your prompts), and finalizing and publishing the draft. Based on a typical SEO intern job description, these are some examples of tasks that could be automated: Analyze data and identify trends around traffic, engagement, and rank/visibility. Ensure SEO best practices are used when updating content. Create detailed reports for stakeholders about SEO performance, trends, and recommendations. Identify content gaps and duplicate content. Scale SEO-optimized templates across series or topics. Build an editorial calendar and share the strategy playbook. Document prompts, templates, and QA standards. Other ideas to find automation opportunities: Audit your existing workflows and tasks. Review your onboarding and documentation. Ask your team which tasks they hate most, and why (sometimes the issue is different, but still fixable). Ask AI what it can handle. Automation won’t fix these core challenges: Broken systems: You might miss some issues if you don’t know what to look for or how to fix them. Incomplete assets: You’re only as good as your data. If you don’t have all the tracking or performance numbers you need, it’s unlikely you’ll get complete results. Lack of resources: It’s great to run an audit, but do you need a ticket to make changes? How long will approval take? 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 8 opportunities for SEO automation 1. Content calendar One of the first things I automated was the team content calendar, or at least the first draft. I used UNIQUE, MAXIFS, IFERROR, and VLOOKUP formulas to paste different reports into a master sheet and generate a list of which pages were due for an update based on our update schedule. Some SEO experts suggest most content should be refreshed at least every 1-2 years, especially since LLMs favor freshness signals. Add a performance audit with some VLOOKUPs, and put it all in a custom GPT to complete your draft. Then tweak your draft based on your goals and strategy. Prompt example Based on the sitemap, performance report, and last quarter’s content plan, give me a table of the pages that are due for an update. Include columns for the URL, title, writer assigned, sessions, bounce, conversion rate, and notes. Now add to the table the list of pages from the performance report that have dropped more than 30% in sessions or conversion rate. For any pages that are also in the previous update list, add the performance data to the notes column, but don’t include it as a separate row. Format it like this: Sessions -XX% L90D, conversion rate -XX% L90D. Time saved: 8 hours per quarter. 2. Keyword and prompt research While Ahrefs and Semrush content gap analysis reports are helpful, they can also include a ton of data to wade through. There’s often irrelevant info, such as branded keywords you don’t want to target. AI can help generate keywords and prompts for you to track or target. To get LLM prompt ideas, start with some of your longest-tail keywords, which you can find in Google Search Console by exporting all keywords to a page and sorting by length. Then ask AI tools to refine your list and generate similar ones. One watchout: AI tools often struggle to understand user intent, short- vs. long-tail queries, and when to target specific keywords tied to intent. For example, it may suggest targeting the word “cats” on a local vet website homepage. While that word may appear often across pages, it’s not necessarily one you want to target. You’re unlikely to rank for the “cats” SERP or AIO for a small local site, but you could rank for “cat vet” or “cat care.” Prompt example You’re an SEO analyst working on an update for this page. Using this Ahrefs report with competitor page analysis and keywords, identify the 20 most important keywords our page should target, ranked by MSV and relevance, and include those numbers with each keyword in a table. Don’t suggest targeting any branded keywords. Then give me a list of 10 ways you’d improve this page to better target the keyword, and why, with exact quotes from the copy you’d change. Time saved: 15 minutes per page. 3. Internal linking Internal links to your top pages are important for site crawling. The simplest way to automate internal linking is to export an Ahrefs backlink report that shows pages with few internal links, then input that with your sitemap into a GPT. Don’t select “Group Similar Links” so all URLs appear in the same report. Ahrefs also has a feature for internal link ideas. It’s not great at suggesting pages with slightly different intent, but it can be a useful starting point for simple sites. Encourage your editorial team to use this workflow when working on drafts. Prompt example Using this internal link report, sitemap link, and linking best practices documentation, suggest 5-10 pages I could link to. Only include pages with fewer than 10 internal links. Include only highly relevant pages. Don’t include any pages with “author” or “about” in the URL. Time saved: 10 minutes per page. 4. Outlines and briefs If your team works from outlines, briefs, or tickets, start by documenting a basic template for different tasks. Then set up a GPT to create stronger outlines and even add alerting. For example, input a template or content brief example into an AI tool, along with an example page, then add specifics based on the draft your writer or freelancer is working on. You can save additional time by linking your keyword research or internal linking GPT to fill in intent gaps. A good rule of thumb: Each custom GPT should have one major focus, then link to supporting GPTs. This avoids creating bloated tools that aren’t effective across multiple requests. Automation example: Create a Jira survey that automatically generates a ticket. Use a custom ticket GPT to refine it before backlog grooming. Set up a Slack channel with the Jira app to send notifications when tickets open or close. Time saved: 20 minutes per ticket. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 5. Brand standards and compliance If you deal with strict compliance or frequent legal reviews, work with those teams to create a custom business GPT. Let writers run high-risk drafts through it to catch simple issues before final review. Prompt example Does this page use the correct terminology for the client? Highlight passages that go against editorial, compliance, and brand standards. Include a one-sentence explanation, a citation, and page number from the standards, and three better alternatives. Time saved: 10 minutes per page. 6. Data validation and reports Manual data validation is time-consuming. There are simpler ways to analyze and flag anomalies automatically. For example, use conditional formatting in Sheets to highlight rows with more than a 10% deviation, or apply a color scale. You can also use a GPT to diagnose why data doesn’t match across reports or align with your test hypothesis. Prompt example Review this page performance report and data troubleshooting guidelines. Identify rows that skew the average the most. Export a table with those rows, and include a column explaining why each may cause issues and how to investigate further. Time saved: 1 hour per 100 rows. 7. Metadata and schema When creating or optimizing content, write or edit title tags and meta descriptions from scratch. Even if Google rewrites metadata in the SERP, it still helps signal what the page is about. To optimize metadata, review top-performing combinations on similar pages. CTR is useful, though higher-ranking pages often get higher CTR regardless. For schema, such as review or FAQ, manual creation increases the risk of errors. Even if schema isn’t automated, you can use formulas to generate it, then validate after publishing. Prompt example You’re a website writer updating a page. Turn these FAQs into a valid FAQ schema using the sample provided. Remove unnecessary formatting, keep links, and convert bullets into paragraphs. Time saved: 10 minutes. 8. Formatting and shortcoding If you use HTML, inline CSS, or shortcodes, automate as much as possible to reduce errors and inconsistency. The simplest approach is using Excel or Sheets functions to concatenate code and content or format tables for your CMS. For more advanced needs, create a formatting GPT that applies best practices and suggests improvements. One watchout: If your AI tool can’t read live pages, you’ll need to paste the code first. Prompt example Using the formatting reference and brand guidelines, format this page using best practices. Include links, tables, CTAs, and engagement elements. Then check for issues like incorrect wording, missing closing tags, or stray brackets. Time saved: 15 minutes per page Make automation work for you, not the other way around Automation doesn’t need to be complex or take time away from other work. The time savings compound with repeated use, freeing your team to focus on strategic work that requires human judgment. Encourage your team to identify ways to reduce manual effort and experiment with custom GPTs to streamline repetitive tasks. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. Google now won't use spam reports with personal identifiable information. Google's head of search...View the full article

Purchase of Lake District club collapsed this week after government officials and the FT raised questions over strategic locationView the full article

Amid a merger with SpaceX, a $60 billion option to acquire the AI company Cursor, and an upcoming public offering, Elon Musk’s xAI firm is still losing employees. Every xAI cofounder, other than Elon Musk, has now exited the company. Dozens of people who served on xAI’s engineering and program staff have also departed, a Fast Company review shows. This overlaps with a significant share of the people meant to direct the startup under a new organizational structure that was only announced in February. While it’s natural for employees to come and go from any company, the string of xAI departures—and these are only the publicly searchable ones—is notable because they come as Musk continues to reorient xAI’s overall direction and contend with criticism of the company’s flagship chatbot, Grok. Fast Company ultimately identified about 80 people, including cofounders, technical staff, and legal advisors, who have departed xAI within the past year or so. It’s not publicly known how many people currently work at xAI in total, though Business Insider reported that about 1,200 people were employed at the company as of last March. (xAI and SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.) Founded in 2023, xAI is supposed to be focused on building “maximally curious” and “pro-humanity” AI systems that compete with models under development at companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. xAI’s founding members included a range of employees who previously worked at firms like Google’s DeepMind and OpenAI, including Igor Babuschkin, Kyle Kosic, and Christian Szegedy. But the company has continued to face a crowded field of AI labs offering large language models to consumers, enterprise businesses, and even the U.S. government. It’s also faced a notable surge in staff exits amid an AI talent war that’s seen top engineers shuffle between some of the world’s most valuable tech companies. This month alone, another cluster of staff at Elon Musk’s LLM venture indicated they’re leaving xAI. The most notable example is Anthony Armstrong, who, according to The Information, is resigning his post as chief financial officer after only a few months. Heinrich “Heiner” Kuttler—who Musk earlier this year said would be involved in directing the company’s compute and infrastructure team—said on X earlier this month that he was leaving, too. Other notable recent exits include Jack Schwaiger, who resigned after more than a year on the STEM and Medicine tutor teams, and Jeffrey Weischel, who worked on the company’s program staff. Scott Fitzgerald, a member of the technical staff, is also leaving; Jesik Min, another member of the technical staff, updated their LinkedIn to note their time at xAI ended this month. xAI’s evolving focus These departures have come amid transformative changes in xAI’s organizational structure—in particular, its deepening relationship with other Elon Musk-led companies. Last spring, xAI merged with X, Musk’s social media company, into one venture. Another major shift came this past fall, when xAI shifted its approach and scaled back a plan to improve Grok using generalist human AI trainers, called “AI Tutors”, that were meant to teach Grok. xAI subsequently laid off hundreds of people as part of the “strategic pivot” to focusing on tutors with more specialized expertise. Then, in early February, xAI initiated a merger with SpaceX as part of a new plan that partially involves building orbital data centers. Amid these changes, xAI cofounders had already begun leaving the company. By February 11, cofounders Tony Wu and Jimmy Ba had resigned, leaving xAI with just half of its original cofounders. That week, Musk also called a company all-hands, where he acknowledged that people were leaving and subsequently announced a new internal structure, per video of the meeting that xAI released online. At that all-hands meeting, several presenters, including Musk, encouraged employees to recruit their friends to join xAI, and Musk touted the company’s progress launching Grokipedia and its training centers, as well as success with products like Imagine and Grok. “When you first have a startup, you might have just a few dozen people, and they will just chat amongst themselves. As you grow to several hundred people, you have to, then, add more structure, just like an organism that grows from a single cell[…]Then you get organ differentiation, limbs. You grow a tail[…]The tail disappears, and then you become a baby,” said Musk in his opening remarks. “We’re organizing the company to be more effective at this scale. Naturally, when this happens, there are some people who are better suited for the early stages of a company and less suited for the later stages,” Musk added, before thanking the people who had left. As part of this new plan, xAI was divided into infrastructure layers, and then four main areas: Grok Main and Voice (its main AI product), Coding (its coding-specific model), Imagine (for video and images), and Macrohard (digital simulations of entire companies). Several longtime employees and cofounders were also appointed to steer those efforts. Now, only a few weeks later, it appears—at least based on the first names and nicknames listed on the organizational chart displayed on a presentation screen during that all-hands—that many of the leaders involved in the February restructuring have since left, including several additional original co-founders. These employees include Haotian Liu and Guodong Zhang, who were both supposed to be leading Grok Imagine, an image generator and AI assistant for code. Liu said he was “burnt out” and taking a break, and Zhang said he was excited about his next chapter. Toby Pohlen, a founding member of the company who was supposed to be leading Macrohard, has left the company, as well as Manuel Kroiss, who is sometimes called “Makro” internally. It’s not immediately clear what either is or will be doing next. Lianmin Zheng, who, it seems, was supposed to be working on machine learning and data infrastructure, has left the company for Meta. Amid transition and scandal, the departures continue In the midst of all this turnover, xAI has continued to evolve its approach to the AI business. In March, Musk said that the company was going to be rebuilt. xAI also announced a collaboration: a joint project with Tesla that would apparently involve integrating Grok and Tesla’s hardware and software. “Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions,” Musk explained in an X post in March. “Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software. “ Now, and ahead of the upcoming IPO, the company is reorganizing xAI’s engineering team yet again. This week, Elon Musk’s composite venture forged a new $60 billion deal with Cursor AI, a coding startup that SpaceX now has the rights to acquire. Notably, departures from xAI also follow several concerning incidents involving Grok. These include the chatbot declaring itself “MechaHitler” and posting antisemitic content online last year. Earlier this year, the chatbot was observed, by researchers, producing millions of nonconsensual pornographic materials, including sexual images of children (As a result, xAI is now under investigation in several countries). The company announced changes in response to both scandals. xAI has also faced serious criticism, and even a lawsuit, about air pollution in Memphis, where the company has established data center operations. Below is a Fast Company tracker of notable departures from xAI: View the full article

Experts have a lot of ideas about persuasion. Some suggest leveraging social proof to show that people have adopted the idea and had a positive experience. Others emphasize the importance of building trust and appealing to emotional, rather than analytical arguments. Still others insist on creating a unified value proposition. The problem is that change is not about persuasion. The best indicator of what we think and do is what the people around us think and do, and that effect extends out to three degrees of separation. It is not only those we trust, but even the friends of our friends’ friends—people we don’t even know—that affect our opinions and actions. So even if we are successful in convincing someone to adopt our way of thinking, chances are that once they re-embed in their usual social networks, they’ll be pulled right back. That’s why genuine transformation is never about crafting slogans or even training new skills. You need a strategy designed to shift the network itself and overcome resistance at its source. 1. Define the grievance and vision Every change effort starts with a grievance. There’s something that people don’t like, and they want it to be different. In a social or political movement, that may be a corrupt leader or a glaring injustice. In an organizational context, the problem is usually something like falling sales, unhappy customers, low employee morale, or technological disruption. When we work with organizations in our ChangeOS workshops, we always start by getting the team focused on the initial grievance—or the problem to be solved. Often, we find that the team has a fully fleshed out solution, but never really defined the problem and that makes it difficult to scale. Nobody wants to invest in a solution without understanding why the problem is important. From there, we move on to the vision. The best place to start is by asking yourself, “If I had the power to change anything, what would it look like?” Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for civil rights was for a Beloved Community. Bill Gates’s vision for Microsoft was for a “computer on every desk and in every home.” A good vision should be aspirational. It should inspire. One of the things I found in my research is that successful change leaders don’t try to move from grievance to vision in one step, but rather identify a Keystone Change, which focuses on a clear and tangible goal, includes multiple stakeholders and paves the way for future change, to bridge the gap. For King, the Keystone Change was voting rights. For Gates, it was an easy-to-use operating system. For you, it will undoubtedly be something different. The salient point is that every successful transformation I have come across started out with a Keystone Change. That’s where you should start as well. 2. A resistance inventory In Rules for Radicals, the legendary activist Saul Alinsky observed that every revolution inspires its own counterrevolution. That is the physics of change. Every action provokes a reaction because, if an idea is important, it threatens the status quo, which never yields its power gracefully. Clearly, if you intend to influence an entire organization, you have to assume the deck is stacked against you and anticipate resistance. A simple truth is that humans form attachments to people, ideas and other things and, when those attachments are threatened we tend to lash out in ways that don’t reflect our best selves. As much as we may hate to admit it, we all do it from time to time. Anyone who has ever been married or part of a family knows that. That’s why anytime you ask people to change what they think or what they do, there will always be those who will work to undermine what you are trying to achieve in ways that are dishonest, underhanded and deceptive. Once you are able to internalize that, you can begin to move forward. The key thing about overcoming resistance is to anticipate it, which is why one of the first things that we do when we start working with an organization is to do a resistance inventory, laying out the categories of resistance and discussing how they can be expected to show up, and what strategies can mitigate them. 3. Targets for action Organizational change consultants often recommend that changemakers prepare a stakeholder map. This isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but it is inadequate because it fails to distinguish between different kinds of stakeholders. Some stakeholders are targets for mobilization and others are targets for influence. For example, both parents and school boards are important stakeholders in education, but for very different reasons. School boards wield institutional power that can affect change, parents do not. So we mobilize parents to influence school boards, not the other way around. We need to approach constituencies and institutions in very different ways. One of the things we’ve consistently found in our work helping organizations to drive transformational change is that leaders construe stakeholders far too narrowly. Fortunately, decades of non-violent activism have given us powerful tools for both: the Spectrum of Allies for constituencies and the Pillars of Support for institutions. In both cases the same basic principle is at work: You start by identifying targets and adopting tactics to them. That’s easier said than done, because tactics can seem more concrete. We’ve seen successful actions, like hackathons and social media campaigns, so we want to jump right in. But the truth is that until you are able to identify, analyze and understand exactly what your actions are targeted at, you’re just wasting your time. We need to redefine the terms of our struggle in ways that bring relative strength to bear against relative weakness and tilt the playing field to our advantage. Applying strength to weakness In the final analysis, most would-be changemakers fail because they assume the righteousness of their cause will save them. It will not. Injustice, inequity and ineffectiveness can thrive for decades and even centuries, far surpassing a human lifespan. If you think that your idea will prevail simply because you believe in it, you will be sorely disappointed. Tough, important battles are won with good strategy and tactics, which is why successful change agents learn to adopt the principle of Schwerpunkt. The idea is that instead of trying to defeat your opponent everywhere, you want to deliver overwhelming force and win a decisive victory at a particular point of attack. Yet Schwerpunkt is a dynamic, not a static concept. You have to constantly innovate your approach as your opposition adapts to whatever success you achieve. For example, the civil rights movement had its first successes with boycotts, but moved on to sit-ins, “Freedom Rides,” community actions and eventually, mass marches. Defining the grievance and the vision, creating a resistance inventory and identifying viable institutional targets will help you apply strength to weakness. The key to success isn’t any particular tactic, leader or slogan, but strategic flexibility. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what most change efforts lack. All too often they get caught up in a strategy and double down, because it feels good to believe in something, even if it’s failing. Change, like many things, largely boils down to strategy and execution. It’s not a simple matter of belief or passion. You need to learn how to operate effectively, by studying those who succeeded and those who failed, building on your successes, dusting yourself off after the inevitable setbacks, correcting mistakes and returning to fight with renewed vigor. View the full article

You can find Google reviews by searching your business on Google or Maps. Follow these steps. View the full article

Last year, Canada was one of the most reliable international buyers of American whiskey. Now it’s become one of the industry’s biggest losses. U.S. spirits exports to Canada have plunged by nearly 70 percent, collapsing from what had been a roughly $250 million annual market for American distillers to just $89 million, according to data compiled by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). The sharp downturn followed a trade clash sparked by President Donald The President’s tariffs, which prompted several Canadian provinces to remove American alcohol from store shelves. The owners of iconic American whiskey brands, like Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam, have responded with layoffs and pausing production. Even after some tariffs were lifted, many provincial liquor systems have continued to keep U.S. spirits out of their retail stores, delivering a devastating blow to one of the industry’s most important foreign markets, according to Fox News. From second to sixth: canada’s rapid market exit Canada, once the second-largest destination for American spirits exports, has now fallen to sixth place, Fox News reported. The collapse, notably, came quickly. From March through December, U.S. spirits exports to Canada dropped from $203 million in 2024 to just $60 million in 2025, a loss of roughly $143 million, Fox News reported. The President has repeatedly used tariffs as economic leverage, arguing that the strategy helps strengthen American manufacturing and correct trade imbalances. But the spirits industry says retaliatory actions by Canada have wiped out one of its most lucrative export markets. “Our industry thrives in a zero-for-zero tariff environment,” says Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS. While Swonger said distillers recognize the administration’s efforts to address trade imbalances, he added that the provincial bans have been especially damaging. “Since Liberation Day, it’s unfortunate to report that our industry has lost over 70 percent of our exports to Canada because many provinces have decided not to carry American spirits,” he said. Few places have felt the impact more than Kentucky, the epicenter of America’s bourbon industry. The state produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon supply, supports more than 23,000 jobs, and generates about $9 billion annually, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. The export collapse is landing at a moment when the bourbon industry is already under mounting financial pressure. Several distillers have scaled back production, struggled with slowing demand, or faced mounting debt over the past year. Major producers are beginning to feel the strain. Japanese beverage giant Suntory—which owns Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and the House of Suntory portfolio—reported weaker whiskey sales last year. Brown-Forman, the parent company behind Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, has also warned of declining sales and profits as global demand softens. Why small brands are breaking first Smaller and midsize players are under even greater stress. Premium whiskey brand Uncle Nearest is insolvent and owes millions of dollars to vendors, including WhistlePig and American Spirits, creditors say. Meanwhile, MGP Ingredients, one of the largest contract distillers in the United States and a key supplier for many whiskey brands, has reported a sharp drop in whiskey sales as the broader market cools. The trade tensions are affecting more than just export numbers. Owen Martin, master distiller at Angel’s Envy, said the fallout from tariffs reaches deep into the bourbon-making process itself, according to Fox News. “There are the tariffs on finished goods and on us shipping abroad, but I’m even thinking a step below that,” Martin said. One example involves barrels. By law, bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels, which can only be used once in bourbon production. But finishing casks—such as the port barrels Angel’s Envy uses to finish its bourbon—can be reused multiple times, creating a different set of logistical considerations when global trade conditions shift. “Those are the sorts of things, as a maker, that I have to be aware of in any given year,” Martin said. “You have different opportunities and different challenges.” For decades, the U.S. and Canada have been among each other’s most enthusiastic whiskey consumers. That mutual demand is what makes the current standoff particularly striking. “American consumers love Canadian whisky, and Canadians love Kentucky bourbon,” Swonger said. “We’re hoping this gets resolved.” —Leila Sheridan This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. View the full article