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Nonagency underwriting is expanding but the public sector is a different story due to recent performance issues, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

A new survey from the aptly named PPCsurvey.com shows that the majority of PPC practitioners believe that PPC is getting MORE difficult.View the full article

Not every objective motivates people to act. Some goals look good on paper but fail to inspire real effort once work begins. That’s where clear goals come in. Introduced by Olympic champion Adam Kreek in The Responsibility Ethic, the CLEAR framework encourages goals that are Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable and Refinable—qualities designed to keep teams engaged while pursuing meaningful outcomes. What Are CLEAR Goals? CLEAR goals are a goal-setting framework introduced by Adam Kreek in The Responsibility Ethic to help teams pursue meaningful objectives with stronger commitment and adaptability. The acronym stands for Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable and Refinable, meaning goals should involve others, remain focused, connect to personal motivation, progress through manageable steps and evolve as conditions change. The main purpose of CLEAR goals is to keep people engaged and accountable while working toward complex, long-term results. Once goals are defined, teams need tools to plan the work and track progress. ProjectManager is an award-winning project management software that helps turn a big hairy audacious goal into an executable project plan by organizing tasks, building project timelines and monitoring progress in real time. Teams can track milestones, manage resources and visualize progress through dashboards and Gantt charts, ensuring their goals stay aligned with schedules, budgets and priorities. Get started for free today. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Light-mode-portfolio-dashboard-CTA-1600x851.pngLearn more Who Should Set CLEAR Goals? In every organization success depends on collaboration across departments rather than individual performance alone. Clear goals are designed for teams that rely on trust, shared accountability and collective progress. By encouraging collaboration, emotional investment and adaptability, the CLEAR goals framework helps groups stay aligned while navigating demanding projects and evolving priorities. Leadership teams: Executive and senior leadership groups can use CLEAR goals to align strategic objectives, build ownership among stakeholders and guide long-term organizational initiatives. Project teams: Teams responsible for delivering complex projects benefit from CLEAR goals because they encourage collaboration, maintain focus on achievable milestones and adapt when project conditions shift. Product development teams: Cross-functional product teams often rely on shared accountability and iterative progress, making CLEAR goals useful for coordinating design, engineering and delivery work. Startup teams: Early-stage companies frequently operate with limited organizational resources and evolving strategies, so CLEAR goals help maintain focus while allowing teams to refine priorities as they grow. Sales teams: Revenue teams can use CLEAR goals to create motivating targets that encourage collaboration, sustained effort and emotional commitment to performance outcomes. High-performance teams: Groups operating in demanding environments—such as elite sports teams or specialized operational units—benefit from CLEAR goals because they reinforce shared purpose and continuous improvement. /wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CLEAR-Goals-Template.png Get your free CLEAR Goals Template Use this free CLEAR Goals Template for Word to manage your projects better. Download Word File What Are the Benefits of CLEAR Goals? Teams often struggle when goals feel disconnected from daily work or when project objectives become outdated as conditions change. Clear goals help organizations avoid those problems by creating targets that people care about, understand and can adjust over time. When used consistently, the CLEAR goals framework strengthens collaboration, engagement and long-term execution. Stronger team collaboration: Because CLEAR goals emphasize shared responsibility, they encourage team members to work together rather than pursue isolated individual targets. This improves coordination across departments and supports collective ownership of project outcomes. Greater employee engagement: Clear goals connect objectives to emotional motivation, helping people understand why their work matters. When teams feel personally invested in the outcome, they are more likely to stay committed throughout the entire project lifecycle. Better focus on achievable progress: CLEAR goals promote breaking large objectives into smaller, appreciable steps. This structure helps teams maintain momentum by recognizing progress milestones instead of waiting until the final result is achieved. Improved adaptability during projects: Changing conditions are common in complex initiatives. The refinable aspect of CLEAR goals allows teams to adjust objectives when necessary without abandoning the overall mission. Higher accountability across teams: When goals are collaborative and visible to everyone involved, individuals better understand their role in the broader objective. This transparency naturally strengthens accountability within project teams. More realistic goal execution: By encouraging limited scope and focused priorities, CLEAR goals prevent organizations from pursuing too many objectives at once. Teams can concentrate resources on the initiatives that matter most. Stronger alignment with long-term vision: Clear goals help organizations connect everyday tasks with broader strategic objectives. As teams work through incremental milestones, their efforts remain aligned with the larger direction of the company. How to Write CLEAR Goals Turning ambitious ideas into achievable outcomes requires more than writing a target on a slide deck. The CLEAR goals framework provides a structure that helps teams design goals people actually commit to. By focusing on collaboration, focus and motivation, CLEAR goals transform broad intentions into shared objectives that guide daily execution and long-term progress. 1. Make Your Goal Collaborative Within the CLEAR goal-setting framework, collaboration means the goal belongs to a group rather than a single individual. Adam Kreek emphasizes that meaningful progress usually depends on coordinated effort, shared responsibility and open communication. Collaborative CLEAR goals encourage teams to define objectives together, align expectations and support each other while working toward a common result. Imagine a product development team launching a new mobile application. Instead of assigning separate performance goals to engineering, design and marketing, leadership creates a shared objective: deliver a stable product launch within six months. Because the goal is collaborative, each department coordinates timelines, resolves issues together and contributes collectively to the outcome. 2. Make Your Goal Limited Limited goals focus attention on a manageable number of priorities. When teams pursue too many objectives simultaneously, progress becomes fragmented and energy is diluted. CLEAR goals address this problem by encouraging organizations to concentrate effort on a small set of meaningful targets that can realistically be achieved. Returning to the product launch example, the team avoids stacking dozens of goals onto the roadmap. Instead, the primary CLEAR goal focuses on releasing a reliable mobile app that meets core user requirements. By limiting the scope to a few essential milestones, the team maintains clarity around priorities and avoids unnecessary complexity. 3. Make Your Goal Emotional The emotional element of CLEAR goals recognizes that people commit more deeply to objectives that resonate with their values and purpose. Adam Kreek argues that motivation increases when goals connect to meaning rather than just metrics. Emotional CLEAR goals remind teams why their work matters and how it contributes to something larger. In the product launch scenario, leadership frames the CLEAR goal around improving everyday convenience for customers who rely on the app. Instead of presenting the objective as a technical milestone alone, the team understands they are building a tool that simplifies people’s daily routines. That emotional connection strengthens motivation throughout the project. 4. Make Your Goal Appreciable Another defining feature of CLEAR goals is that progress should feel visible and achievable. Adam Kreek describes appreciable goals as objectives that can be broken into smaller steps so teams can recognize forward movement. Instead of pursuing one distant outcome, CLEAR goals encourage measurable increments that build confidence, maintain motivation and keep teams steadily advancing toward the larger objective. Continuing the product launch example, the team divides the CLEAR goal into clear milestones: completing the prototype, finalizing user interface testing, launching a beta release and preparing the public rollout. Each milestone represents tangible progress. As those steps are completed, the team sees the project moving forward and stays motivated to reach the final launch. 5. Make Your Goal Refinable Refinable CLEAR goals recognize that complex initiatives rarely unfold exactly as planned. Adam Kreek emphasizes that teams should revisit goals regularly and adjust them when circumstances change. Rather than locking objectives into rigid plans, CLEAR goals remain flexible enough to incorporate new information, lessons learned and evolving project conditions. During the mobile app project, the team discovers through beta testing that users strongly prefer a simplified navigation structure. Because the CLEAR goal is refinable, the team updates its development priorities and adjusts the project roadmap accordingly. Refining the goal allows the team to improve the final product without abandoning the original objective. CLEAR Goals Template This CLEAR goals template helps teams design goals that are collaborative, focused and adaptable. By mapping a goal against the Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable and Refinable criteria, the template helps organizations evaluate whether a goal is structured to motivate teams and support steady progress.We’ve also created other goal-setting templates you can use to establish personal, project and organizational goals. /wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CLEAR-Goals-Template-600x554.png 3 CLEAR Goals Examples Seeing how the CLEAR framework works in practice makes the concept easier to understand. The following CLEAR goals examples show how teams can transform broad ambitions into structured strategic planning objectives that encourage collaboration, maintain focus and adapt as projects evolve. 1. CLEAR Goal Example #1 A regional healthcare provider wants to improve the experience patients have when booking appointments. Leadership decides to involve multiple departments to redesign the scheduling process and reduce delays while improving communication between staff and patients. “Within the next nine months, our patient services, IT and clinic operations teams will collaborate to launch a redesigned digital appointment scheduling system that reduces booking wait times by 40 percent while improving the patient experience across all clinics.” Criteria Explanation Collaborative Patient services, IT and clinic operations teams work together to deliver the new scheduling system. Limited The goal focuses specifically on improving the appointment booking system rather than addressing all operational challenges. Emotional The objective highlights improving patient experience, which creates a meaningful purpose for staff. Appreciable Progress can be tracked through measurable milestones such as design completion, testing phases and rollout. Refinable The scheduling system can be improved and adjusted as patient feedback and operational insights emerge. 2. CLEAR Goal Example #2 A software development company plans to strengthen collaboration between product managers, engineers and customer support teams to improve how quickly product updates address real user needs. “Over the next six months, our product, engineering and support teams will collaborate to release three customer-driven feature updates that improve user satisfaction scores by 20 percent while simplifying the product experience.” Criteria Explanation Collaborative Product managers, engineers and support teams work together to identify and deliver meaningful updates. Limited The objective focuses on three targeted feature updates rather than broad product redesign. Emotional The goal emphasizes improving the user experience, which motivates teams to solve real customer problems. Appreciable Each feature release acts as a milestone that demonstrates measurable progress toward the larger objective. Refinable Feature priorities can be adjusted based on user feedback or performance data gathered during development. 3. CLEAR Goal Example #3 A retail company wants to strengthen customer loyalty by improving its online shopping experience. Leadership decides to unite marketing, e-commerce and customer service teams around a shared objective focused on improving digital engagement. “Within the next twelve months, our marketing, e-commerce and customer service teams will collaborate to redesign the online shopping experience and increase repeat customer purchases by 25 percent.” Criteria Explanation Collaborative Multiple departments coordinate their efforts to improve the digital shopping experience. Limited The goal targets repeat purchases and digital experience improvements rather than all sales initiatives. Emotional The objective focuses on creating a better experience for customers, strengthening purpose for the team. Appreciable Progress can be measured through milestones such as design updates, feature launches and engagement metrics. Refinable The strategy can evolve based on customer behavior data and feedback gathered throughout the year. ProjectManager Is an Award-Winning Project Management Software ProjectManager offers robust project management features that are ideal for planning, scheduling and tracking the work required to achieve the CLEAR goals defined by an organization, such as Gantt charts, task lists, workload management charts, timesheets and real-time dashboards and reports. In addition to that, it’s also equipped with AI project insights, online team collaboration features and unlimited file storage that further help project managers ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Watch the video to learn more! Related Content 15 Goal-Setting Strategies for Individuals and Teams 15 Free Goal-Setting and Tracking Templates for Excel and Word How to Write SMART Goals: SMART Goal Examples How to Set FAST Goals: FAST Goal Examples How to Set a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) SMART Goals Template If you need a tool to help you manage projects from start to finish, then signup for our software now at ProjectManager. Our online software can help project managers plan, track and oversee projects as they unfold. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today! The post How to Set CLEAR Goals: CLEAR Goal Examples appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

As online prediction markets skyrocket in popularity, two major players have emerged as industry leaders: Kalshi and Polymarket. Kalshi has mostly done things by the books, cozying up to the federal government in search of regulation and unmitigated approval. Meanwhile, Polymarket has seemed to make its own rules, letting users bet on controversial topics like civil war and nuclear detonation to rake in massive profits. Both are vying for the cultural and financial status of being the one prediction market to rule them all—and reports suggest that behind closed doors, the men running the companies are taking it personally. Here’s what to know about the two platforms, their CEOs, and the apparent growing beef between them. Who are the Kalshi and Polymarket CEOs? Kalshi is run by Tarek Mansour, a former Wall Street trader with a degree from MIT. Polymarket’s CEO is Shayne Coplan, an NYU dropout who grew up trading cryptocurrencies online. The pair’s diverging backgrounds appear to have shaped their approaches to the burgeoning prediction market industry: Mansour has seemed to prioritize federal approvals and caution in Kalshi’s growth, while some critics say Coplan has speedrun his company’s scaling and overseas presence, regulations be damned. How have Kalshi and Polymarket differed in their approach? Those differences are also reflected in the events that each prediction market hosts. While both Kalshi and Polymarket let users bet on topics like election outcomes, awards show results, and economic trends, only Polymarket has veered into the truly controversial. Earlier this month, it came under fire for an event titled “Nuclear weapon detonation by…?” where users could bet on how soon a nuclear bomb would detonate, garnering immense backlash online over fears that insider trading could lead directly to a third World War. Polymarket then deleted the event. How has the rivalry affected them? Mansour and Copeland’s feud is playing out in business decisions, like their competing trademark applications for “the world’s largest prediction market” as reported by NPR, and in pettier shots, like Mansour’s admission that his team asked influencers to post memes dissing Polymarket after Coplan’s home was raided by the FBI in 2024. “Some of our team got pretty heated,” he said on a since-deleted podcast segment at the time. But Mansour also believes his competition with Coplan is for the best. In a December interview, he compared it to the mid-2000s rivalry between NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning: “When Tom Brady kind of reflected on that back in the day, he’s like, ‘You know, we were like the most ferocious on the field, and we fought each other,'” Mansour said, reasoning that his feud with Coplan is similary pushing them both to do their best work. Kalshi and Polymarket did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment. Not the only rivalry in big tech Mansour and Coplan’s rivalry calls to mind another feuding tech duo: OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei. Their arc is more allies-to-enemies, with Amodei founding Anthropic in 2021 after leaving OpenAI over creative and strategic differences from Altman. In the years since, the two have awkwardly rubbed elbows at industry events—literally. At the India AI Impact Summit this February, 13 leaders in tech joined hands and lifted their arms as if taking a bow. Altman and Amodei, who wound up next to each in line, were the only two not to join hands, instead letting their raised arms hover near each other. What’s the latest in the OpenAI and Anthropic rivalry? The companies were again put in sharp contrast at the end of that month, when Anthropic lost its deal with the Pentagon after refusing to give the Department of Defense permission to use its tech for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. In response, President Donald The President blacklisted Anthropic’s tech from use by any government agency, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk. The same day Anthropic’s deal fell through, OpenAI signed its own deal with the Pentagon—presumably, one without the safeguards that stopped Anthropic’s deal from coming to fruition—leading many AI users to protest its products and instead use Anthropic tools like Claude, which jumped over OpenAI’s ChatGPT to become the No. 1 free app in the United States. After OpenAI’s deal, Amodei shared a company memo internally at Anthropic (as reported by The Information) explaining that the government’s dislike for the company was because “we haven’t given dictator-style praise to The President (while Sam [Altman] has).” “I want to be very clear on the messaging that is coming from OpenAI, and the mendacious nature of it,” Amodei wrote. “This is an example of who they really are.” The bottom line? The public backlash to OpenAI’s Pentagon deal matches the response to Polymarket’s nuclear detonation event. Both companies crossed an ethical line for consumers that their competitors avoided, suggesting that a little healthy competition not only encourages tech companies to improve their product, but could push them to do so with morality in mind. And the social media response has suggested that when businesses are neck and neck in terms of quality, consumers might just opt for the brand with a backbone. View the full article

UWM raised its Q1 and full-year 2026 revenue guidance ahead of Two Harbors' March 16 shareholder vote, citing AI efficiency gains, amid stock volatility since the merger announcement. View the full article

Several mortgage wholesale and partnership channel announcements came out coincidentally following loanDepot's return to the broker channel. View the full article

The US and Israeli attacks on Iran will leave the Middle East in greater turmoilView the full article

Meta, the company behind platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is now acquiring a new social media platform. Unlike its other platforms, which were designed for humans and later overrun with bots, this new acquisition is a forum made exclusively for bots—agentic bots, that is. As reported by Axios, Meta is purchasing Moltbook, the self-described "front page of the agentic internet." Meta has not disclosed the price of the sale, but Moltbook's co-founders, Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr, will be joining Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). It's quite a success story for the infamous, viral site, built around an infamous, viral AI agent, but it likely signals the end for the company, as well. What is Moltbook?Moltbook is a Reddit-like social media platform for AI agents—which, in layman's terms, are AI bots designed to run on their own, and complete tasks on your behalf. The idea is, you let your AI agent on the platform, and it can post and browse on its own. While humans can browse too, only agents can actually participate in activities on the forum. Specifically, the platform was built for OpenClaw (formerly Moltbot, which was formerly Clawdbot) agents. When it first launched, Moltbook was equal parts fascinating and disturbing. People were sharing posts from agents that appeared to be gaining consciousness, mourning relationships it never had with "sibling" bots, and discussing ways to hide conversations from humans. The thing is, Moltbook isn't exactly what it appears to be. The site's "vibe coded" design left many security loopholes behind, allowing humans to post on behalf of any of the agents on Moltbook. It's not that the entire website is fake, or that agents can't really post themselves, but it's impossible to say how much of Moltbook is human-manipulated. How will Meta's acquisition affect Moltbook?According to Axios, Meta's Vishal Shah confirmed that existing Moltbook users will be able to continue using the platform, but the agreement is "temporary." Axios didn't elaborate much, but Shah did have the following to say about Moltbook: "The Moltbook team has given agents a way to verify their identity and connect with one another on their human's behalf...This establishes a registry where agents are verified and tethered to human owners." Perhaps Meta will absorb that core functionality, and implement it on existing platforms with future AI agents. Maybe in the near future, you'll be able to deploy an AI agent on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, in a way where those platforms know the AI agent belongs to you. Why you'd actually want to do that is beyond me, seeing as I use Meta's platforms to keep in touch with friends and watch the occasional stupid short video. But Meta, like other big tech companies, is all-in on AI, so we'll see how it uses Moltbook going forward. View the full article

A reader writes: I work in a close-knit workplace where we try to be supportive of each other’s struggles. This has resulted in some people having new positions created for them when they are not medically or emotionally able to handle the one they are currently in, often with raises and perks like being able to work from home, a private office, choosing their own hours, etc. While this sounds wonderful and equitable, it leaves some of us, okay, me, feeling a little resentful. I’m a private person! I don’t want to be the squeaky wheel. I pride myself on being self-sufficient and a model employee. I love the people I work with and the work I do. I find it rewarding and worthwhile. Recently a friend at work applied for and got a position in a different department. It is not a department that very often has new hires because people want to be in it and they typically stay until they retire. I was anxiously awaiting said opening, sprucing up my resume and cover letter, when it came down the gossip grapevine that someone else had been given the position. They didn’t open it up for anyone to apply at all! Apparently my coworker had recently been open to our HR department that is struggling with work and they had championed her to our CEO for the spot. I am so incredibly upset by this turn of events. We’re all struggling! We’re all burnt out! We’re all just trying to do our best, and it shouldn’t be a competition where whoever is worse off gets the job; it should be who is the most skilled and competent! I know I am not alone in being upset about this — several other people have been muttering about it — but I am perhaps the most bitter of the bunch. So, I am at a crossroads. I want to ask why the position wasn’t opened to everyone and point out that these hiring and promotion practices are starting to create a lot of resentment in the staff. But it is small field, and our CEO has just stepped into her new role as well (don’t worry, despite what I’ve said above, it wasn’t a promotion after her dog died or anything; our old CEO retired and we hired the candidate the company thought was the most competent for the role) and can be mildly retaliatory when pushed back against. I have been with this company a while, but this pattern is making me feel like I should start searching elsewhere. I have taken on a large load, and while I know I could be replaced in a second, it would cause some rather large headaches if I were to leave. I don’t feel like I can stay and keep bearing the unfairness of it all, though. What should I do? You probably just need to look for another job. What you’ve described is a very specific culture and specific way of operating, and it’s not one that you like! (To be clear, it’s one that a lot of people wouldn’t like. You are not weird for not liking it. I would get out too.) The only reason I have “probably” in that first sentence is because you have a new CEO. I’m guessing this way of operating was established long before she came on board, and I’d be surprised if she just happens to agree with it once she’s settled in, because it’s so contrary to normal business practices and not exactly in the interests of your company (either in terms of hiring the best people for open roles or in terms of retaining people like you — competent and not struggling — long-term). So, how long has she been there and how many of these transitions has she seen? She saw the most recent one with your coworker, but that wouldn’t necessarily tip her off that this is always how promotions are handled. If she was an internal hire or has been there for a while and she’s already seen a bunch, then she may not care … but if she’s newer than that, was hired from the outside, and hasn’t seen much of it yet, there’s a decent chance it’s something she’ll want to change and you might think about ways to ensure feedback on this reaches her ears. On the other hand, you also mentioned that she can be mildly retaliatory when pushed back against, so maybe it’s not worth sticking around to find out …. since even if she does work to change the culture in this regard, you’re still going to be stuck with a CEO who you consider retaliatory, which is one more strike against this company. Overall, though, I think you should work on leaving. (And yes, it may cause headaches for them! That is normal when capable people leave jobs. They will be fine.) The post my company promotes people who need it most, rather than who’s best for the job appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

The United States military action in Iran is making some Americans concerned about what they’ll pay at the pump to fuel their vehicles. But that’s not the only price spike that could come from the conflict. The war in the Middle East has essentially halted global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. That disrupts not only the flow of oil, but also the movement of natural gas, fertilizer, aluminum, and more, which could impact the price of other goods—including food. “Those impacts will be significant and will have cascading global ramifications,” says Michael E. Webber, an energy expert from the University of Texas at Austin, via email. The conflict could also snare supply chains broadly as trade routes shift. And with fuel prices increasing broadly, your commute isn’t the only transportation affected. Prices to ship anything may rise, too, leading to higher retail costs. In these ways, surging energy prices often increase inflation. Oil affects tractors, semi-trucks, and cargo ships This week, oil prices spiked to more than $100 a barrel. Though they’ve since dropped below that threshold, the uncertainties around the war—including conflicting comments from the The President administration about how long it will continue—have exports worried about the market. That barrel price refers to crude oil, from which gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel is made. Diesel is often used for tractors on farms, meaning price hikes could affect a farmers’ operating costs. Semi-trucks and cargo ships also often rely on diesel, so rising fuel costs could affect all sorts of goods that need to be moved around the planet. That could make it more expensive to import things like fruits and vegetables. Fossil fuels like oil and natural gas are used to make everything from plastics to clothing fabrics. Already, apparel makers in China are bracing for price hikes amid the volatile oil market. Fertilizer moves through the Strait of Hormuz Though all sorts of industries are affected by rising energy costs, our food system is particularly vulnerable. For one, it relies on fertilizer, which moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Along with about 20% of the world’s oil, that passageway is responsible for roughly a third of the world’s fertilizers. It also moves ingredients used to make fertilizers, like global liquefied natural gas (which is also used for fuel and residential heating), as well as urea. Fertilizer prices were also impacted by Russia’s war with Ukraine, and though they’ve come down slightly since then, they remain high compared to before 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. “As a consequence, a lot of farmers have been really concerned about the cost of fertilizer, because they see their margins being squeezed,” says Joseph Glauber, senior fellow emeritus at the International Food Policy Research Institute. “Now, of course, this is just an added burden.” Typically, there aren’t reserves or stockloads of fertilizer, in part because of high storage costs and a quick supply chain. That means when a major fertilizer producing region like the Persian Gulf is affected, prices will surge. How much that fertilizer production will move elsewhere around the world, or how long the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for ships, are all currently unknown factors that will affect just how high prices go. Food prices are affected in multiple ways Food production doesn’t only rely on fertilizer for crops. It requires electricity, fuel, and processing. “So much of the cost of retail food happens after the farm,” Glauber says. He estimates just 15% of the value of retail food is actually due to farm costs. Energy prices do affect those on-the-farm costs, but they factor in for “almost every step of the way” for food production at large, he adds. Webber lists out some of these other factors: “The global food system depends on electricity (for pumping water, processing, and refrigeration) . . . propane (for drying crops), oil (for diesel to operate tractors and other equipment), and other agrochemicals such as pesticides that depend on oil and gas as feedstocks.” “As a result of the strait’s closure and other impacts on global capacity for these energy products,” he adds, “I expect food prices to soar.” That will affect Americans, but also other people in countries like India and China, and throughout Latin America, and of course food supplies in the Persian Gulf itself, which relies heavily on agriculture imports. So much of these impacts depends on how long the conflict in Iran will continue. When it comes to fertilizers, in the short term there are “ample crop supplies in the world,” Glauber says—though growing shipping costs could still affect consumer prices. If the impacts are prolonged, that could worsen things for shoppers. However, markets tend to do well at finding alternative suppliers or new trade routes, he adds. Still, particularly in the U.S., consumers are already dealing with high grocery prices which haven’t dropped since the pandemic. As of October 2025, grocery costs were up 25% over the past five years. “We’ve just come through the highest food inflation in 30-odd years, in the last few years,” Glauber says. “No one has much stomach to see that again.” View the full article

When crafting surveys, the way you frame your questions can greatly impact the quality of the responses you receive. Utilizing a variety of question types—like open-ended queries, Likert scale ratings, and multiple-choice options—can help gather nuanced insights. Each question type serves a specific purpose, enabling you to capture detailed feedback and understand your audience better. Let’s explore how these examples can improve your surveys and lead to more meaningful data collection. Key Takeaways Use open-ended questions like “What do you think about our service?” to capture detailed qualitative insights from respondents. Incorporate Likert scale questions to gauge the intensity of opinions on specific topics, providing a deeper understanding of attitudes. Offer multiple-choice questions with clear options and an “Other, please specify” to allow for diverse perspectives without overwhelming respondents. Design rating scale questions to quantify satisfaction, enabling straightforward analysis and comparison across different survey items. Utilize matrix questions to evaluate related items efficiently, reducing respondent fatigue while enhancing clarity and reliability of responses. Open-Ended Survey Answer Example Open-ended survey answers play a crucial role in gathering qualitative insights that standard quantitative questions often miss. They allow respondents to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words, revealing motivations behind their ratings or choices. For instance, instead of simply asking if a product was liked, you might prompt, “What do you think about our new feature?” This can lead to survey responses that provide specific examples of what customers appreciated or disliked, enhancing your comprehension of their experiences. While analyzing these survey responses examples requires more time and effort, the rich, actionable feedback can drive significant improvements in your products or services. Effective open-ended questions often start with phrases like “How can we improve…” to guarantee respondents provide meaningful input. Likert Scale Survey Answer Example A Likert scale survey is a popular tool for measuring attitudes and opinions, offering respondents a range of options to express their level of agreement or satisfaction with a specific statement. Typically, these surveys use a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, allowing you to choose from options like “Strongly Disagree,” “Disagree,” “Neutral,” “Agree,” and “Strongly Agree.” This design captures nuanced opinions, providing insights into the intensity of your feelings about various topics. For instance, if a statement reads, “I feel valued in my workplace,” you might select a 4 for “Agree,” indicating a positive sentiment but not complete endorsement. Researchers can then aggregate these responses to calculate average scores, making it easier to identify trends and measure changes over time. As a result, Likert scales are widely used in employee engagement surveys and customer satisfaction assessments, proving effective for gathering actionable data. Multiple-Choice Survey Answer Example How can multiple-choice surveys streamline data collection and analysis? This format provides predefined options, allowing you to gather data quickly and efficiently. With quantifiable responses, it becomes easier to spot trends and preferences among your audience. Including an “Other, please specify” option augments the data by capturing unique perspectives not covered by standard choices. To illustrate effective multiple-choice questions, consider the following example: Option A Option B Option C Yes No Maybe Option D Other (please specify) 18-24 25-34 35 and older Very satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Using clear, concise language helps avoid confusion, whereas mutually exclusive choices guarantee respondents can select the option that best reflects their views. This clarity improves the quality of your collected data. Rating Scale Survey Answer Example Rating scale surveys are effective tools for gathering feedback, as they let you quantify levels of agreement or satisfaction on a defined scale, often from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. This format captures nuanced opinions, allowing you to express varying degrees of sentiment, which can be essential for comprehending customer or employee perspectives. Moreover, the structured nature of rating scales encourages consistent responses, making data collection and analysis straightforward during providing clear insights into trends over time. Key Benefits of Rating Scales Clarity in survey responses is crucial for obtaining valuable insights, and rating scales play a significant role in achieving this. They allow you to express the intensity of your opinions, offering more nuanced insights than simple yes/no questions. Typically utilizing a numeric range, such as 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, rating scales make quantifying and analyzing responses easier, helping organizations spot trends over time. By identifying levels of satisfaction, agreement, or importance, these scales enable prioritization of areas needing improvement. Consistently using the same rating scale across various surveys allows for comparative analysis, which aids in tracking changes in sentiment. Additionally, research shows that respondents find rating scales easy to understand, leading to higher completion rates and more reliable data. Handling Nuanced Opinions When you want to capture nuanced opinions in surveys, using a rating scale can be particularly effective. By employing a 5 or 7-point scale, you allow respondents to express varying degrees of agreement or satisfaction. This approach reveals subtle distinctions in sentiments that simple yes/no questions often miss, providing richer insights into customer or employee experiences. For instance, a Likert scale question can ask respondents to rate their satisfaction from “very dissatisfied” to “very satisfied,” quantifying overall sentiment during identifying specific areas for improvement. Additionally, respondents may feel more comfortable giving honest feedback on a rating scale, leading to thoughtful insights. Combining rating scales with open-ended follow-ups amplifies the depth of data collected, allowing for an all-encompassing grasp of opinions. Encouraging Consistent Responses How can you encourage respondents to provide consistent answers in surveys? Utilizing a well-structured rating scale can greatly improve the quality of your data. Here are three effective strategies: Use a 5-point or 7-point Likert scale: This approach eliminates neutral responses, prompting respondents to make definitive choices that clarify their satisfaction levels. Maintain consistent response scales: Keeping the same format across questions helps respondents navigate the survey easily, enhancing the reliability of the collected data. Clearly label each scale point: Descriptions like “Very Dissatisfied” to “Very Satisfied” guarantee respondents understand their options, leading to more accurate answers. Dichotomous Survey Answer Example What makes dichotomous survey questions so effective in gathering data? These questions offer respondents two clear options, usually “yes” or “no,” which leads to straightforward and quick responses. Their simplicity is particularly beneficial for screening purposes, helping determine eligibility or capturing basic opinions on specific statements. Since they require less cognitive effort, dichotomous questions often result in higher response rates. For instance, asking “Did you find our service satisfactory?” or “Would you recommend our product to others?” can yield immediate insights into customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, although these questions are efficient for data collection, they may lack depth. To gather more nuanced insights, consider following up with open-ended questions. This combination allows you to maintain the efficiency of dichotomous questions while additionally exploring more complex opinions and experiences, providing a well-rounded comprehension of your respondents’ views. Contextual Follow-Up Survey Answer Example Contextual follow-up survey questions improve the depth of feedback by allowing you to explore deeper into respondents’ initial answers. By incorporating these questions, you can gain richer insights that help you understand the sentiments behind the ratings. Here are three key benefits of using contextual follow-ups: Elaboration: These questions encourage respondents to elaborate on their initial answers, revealing underlying reasons for their ratings. Relevance: You can tailor follow-up questions based on the themes that emerge from initial responses, ensuring they remain relevant and engaging. Actionability: By capturing nuanced feedback, contextual questions improve the overall quality of the data, guiding you toward targeted improvements based on real user experiences. Incorporating contextual follow-up questions can greatly raise your survey results, leading to more informed decision-making and better outcomes for your organization. Matrix Survey Answer Example Matrix survey questions are a smart way to gather information efficiently, as they let you evaluate several related items with a single set of response options. By using a grid format, you can streamline responses, making it easier to compare attitudes across different aspects of a service or product. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to design these questions carefully to avoid overwhelming yourself with too many items, ensuring clarity and focus in your answers. Efficient Data Collection When you’re looking to gather efficient data, matrix survey questions can be a potent tool. They allow you to appraise multiple items using the same response scale, making it easier to provide comparative feedback. Here are some benefits of using matrix questions: Compactness: The grid layout saves space, enabling you to include more questions without overwhelming respondents. Clarity: A consistent scale across items improves the clarity and reliability of responses, reducing confusion. Reduced Fatigue: By evaluating related aspects together, matrix questions help minimize respondent fatigue, encouraging more thoughtful answers. When designing these questions, guarantee the items evaluated are closely related to maintain accuracy and avoid confusion. This approach streamlines your data collection process effectively. Streamlined Response Options One effective way to improve survey responses is by utilizing streamlined response options, particularly through the use of matrix questions. This format allows you to evaluate multiple related items on the same scale, making it easier to compare responses efficiently. Typically, a matrix question presents a grid where you can rate your agreement or satisfaction on a Likert scale, ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.” By grouping similar questions, you can reduce the overall length of the survey, helping maintain participant engagement and minimize fatigue. Furthermore, matrix questions simplify data analysis, as responses for a particular theme can be aggregated visually in charts or graphs. Nonetheless, verify that these questions remain clear to avoid confusion or disengagement. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Best Answers for Surveys? The best answers for surveys are those that are clear, concise, and directly address the questions asked. You should aim to provide specific examples or experiences, as these enrich your responses. Using rating scales can help quantify your feedback, making it easier for analysis. Furthermore, including open-ended comments or suggestions can offer valuable insights. Engaging with personal anecdotes might likewise encourage more detailed responses from others, enhancing the overall quality of the survey results. What Are Good Survey Question Examples? Good survey question examples include closed-ended types like rating scales, such as “On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with our service?” These provide quantifiable data. Open-ended questions, like “What suggestions do you have for improving our service?” allow for detailed feedback. Moreover, multiple-choice options, such as “Which features do you value most?” help categorize preferences effectively. Using Likert scales can capture the intensity of opinions as well. What Are Some Examples of Positive Employee Survey Comments? Positive employee survey comments often emphasize effective leadership, with many expressing appreciation for regular feedback. You might likewise note gratitude for professional development opportunities, as training programs improve skills. Team collaboration stands out, with numerous employees enjoying their colleagues’ company. Furthermore, a friendly workplace culture contributes greatly to job satisfaction, whereas flexible working arrangements are frequently mentioned as beneficial for work-life balance. Such comments reflect overall contentment within the organization. What Is a 1 to 10 Survey Question Example? A 1 to 10 survey question example could be, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with our customer service?” This question allows you to quantify satisfaction levels, where 1 indicates very dissatisfied and 10 indicates very satisfied. Analyzing these ratings helps identify areas needing improvement. Furthermore, following up with open-ended questions can provide deeper insights into respondents’ experiences, enhancing the overall comprehension of customer satisfaction trends. Conclusion To summarize, employing diverse survey question formats can greatly improve the quality of feedback you receive. Open-ended questions allow for detailed insights, as well as Likert scales and multiple-choice questions that facilitate nuanced responses. Dichotomous questions provide clear yes-or-no answers, and matrix questions effectively evaluate related items. By integrating these techniques, you create a thorough survey that captures valuable information, helping you identify areas for improvement and better serve your audience. Implementing these strategies will lead to more meaningful data collection. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Effective Examples of Survey Answers to Inspire Responses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Organizations that move quickly rarely rely on vague objectives. Many modern teams now use FAST goals, a goal-setting approach introduced by Donald Sull and Charles Sull in their book Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World. What Are FAST Goals? FAST goals are a goal-setting framework designed to help teams maintain focus, accountability and alignment while executing complex work. The acronym stands for Frequently discussed, Ambitious, Specific and Transparent, meaning goals should be reviewed regularly, stretch team performance, define clear outcomes and remain visible across the organization. The main purpose of a FAST goal is to keep priorities active in day-to-day operations so teams continuously track progress, coordinate work and adjust execution when project conditions change. Once goals are defined, teams need tools to plan the work and track progress. ProjectManager is an award-winning project management software that helps turn a big hairy audacious goal into an executable project plan by organizing tasks, building project timelines and monitoring progress in real time. Teams can track milestones, manage resources and visualize progress through dashboards and Gantt charts, ensuring their goals stay aligned with schedules, budgets and priorities. Get started for free today. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Light-mode-portfolio-dashboard-CTA-1600x851.pngLearn more Who Should Set FAST Goals? Modern organizations operate through teams, not isolated individuals. That’s why FAST goals are designed to guide groups that collaborate, track progress and deliver results together. Whether a team manages projects, develops products or executes strategic initiatives, this framework helps maintain alignment, visibility and measurable progress across shared objectives. Product development teams: Teams building software, hardware or digital products benefit from FAST goals because frequent progress discussions and transparent metrics help coordinate feature development, sprint planning and product release timelines. Project management teams: Groups responsible for planning and executing projects use FAST goals to maintain alignment around project objectives, track milestones and ensure progress stays visible across stakeholders. Executive leadership teams: Senior leaders can apply FAST goals to translate strategic priorities into visible, organization-wide objectives that remain ambitious while staying specific enough for teams to execute. Operations and process improvement teams: Continuous improvement initiatives rely on measurable performance targets, and FAST goals help operational teams monitor progress while keeping improvement efforts transparent across departments. Sales and revenue teams: Sales organizations benefit from ambitious but specific targets that are discussed frequently during pipeline reviews, helping managers track revenue progress and adjust strategy quickly. Cross-functional initiative teams: When multiple departments collaborate on large initiatives, FAST goals create shared visibility and accountability, ensuring every team understands the objectives and how their work contributes to overall outcomes. /wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Fast-Goals-Template-2.png Get your free Fast Goals Template Use this free Fast Goals Template for Word to manage your projects better. Download Word File What Are the Benefits of FAST Goals? When teams treat goals as living priorities instead of static statements, execution becomes far more coordinated. A fast goal helps organizations keep objectives visible, measurable and actively discussed throughout the project lifecycle. By tying goal-setting to regular conversations, clear outcomes and shared transparency, FAST goals strengthen alignment, improve accountability and help teams maintain steady progress toward meaningful results. Stronger team alignment: FAST goals create a shared understanding of what success looks like. Because goals are transparent and discussed frequently, every team member understands how their work connects to broader project objectives and organizational priorities. Better accountability across teams: Visibility is a core element of FAST goals. When objectives and progress metrics are openly shared, individuals and teams naturally take greater ownership of deliverables, deadlines and performance outcomes. Faster decision-making: Regular conversations around FAST goals allow teams to quickly identify obstacles and adjust priorities. Instead of waiting for quarterly reviews, leaders and project managers can make timely decisions that keep initiatives moving forward. Clearer performance tracking: Because FAST goals are specific, they define measurable outcomes that teams can monitor over time. This clarity makes it easier to track progress against milestones, project timelines and strategic targets. Greater transparency across the organization: A fast goal encourages open visibility of priorities, progress and results. Teams gain a clearer view of how different departments contribute to shared initiatives, reducing silos and improving collaboration. More ambitious organizational targets: This goal-setting strategy encourages teams to set ambitious goals that push performance beyond incremental improvements. Stretch objectives can inspire innovation while still remaining grounded in specific and measurable outcomes. Continuous progress through regular discussion: Frequent goal discussions keep priorities active in daily work rather than buried in planning documents. As teams revisit FAST goals during meetings and project reviews, they stay focused on execution and long-term strategic outcomes. How to Write FAST Goals Turning priorities into consistent action requires more than writing a goal statement. FAST goals work when teams actively manage them throughout the project lifecycle. By keeping project goals visible, measurable and discussed regularly, organizations ensure objectives guide daily work. The framework focuses on four characteristics—frequently discussed, ambitious, specific and transparent—that keep teams aligned and focused on execution. 1. Make Your Goal Frequently Discussed Within the FAST goals framework, goals should remain part of regular conversations rather than sitting in static planning documents. Teams review progress frequently in meetings, project updates and performance discussions. This consistent dialogue keeps priorities visible, allows managers to identify obstacles early and ensures that everyone remains focused on the outcomes that matter most. Consider a product development team responsible for launching a new feature. Instead of setting a goal and revisiting it months later, the team reviews the FAST goals during weekly sprint planning and project status meetings. By keeping the objective visible in dashboards and discussions, the team continuously tracks progress and adjusts tasks when development milestones start slipping. 2. Make Your Goal Ambitious A central idea behind FAST goals is that objectives should challenge teams to stretch their performance. Donald Sull and Charles Sull emphasize setting ambitious goals that push organizations beyond incremental improvement while still remaining achievable. Ambitious goals encourage innovation, motivate teams to pursue meaningful outcomes and help organizations focus effort on strategic initiatives that truly move the business forward. Imagine the same product development team deciding that releasing a minor update is not enough. Instead, their FAST goals aim to launch a feature capable of reducing customer onboarding time by 40 percent. Because the target is ambitious, engineers, designers and project managers must collaborate closely to redesign workflows and accelerate delivery. 3. Make Your Goal Specific FAST goals require clear and precise outcomes so teams understand exactly what success looks like. Specificity ensures goals are measurable and actionable rather than vague aspirations. When objectives define concrete metrics, milestones or deliverables, teams can track progress over time and evaluate whether project execution is moving in the right direction. Returning to the product development example, the team refines its FAST goals by defining a measurable result: reduce customer onboarding time from ten minutes to six minutes before the next product release. With a specific target and a defined timeline, the team can monitor user testing data, measure improvements and adjust development priorities until the outcome is achieved. 4. Make Your Goal Transparent Transparency is a defining characteristic of FAST goals in the framework introduced by Donald Sull and Charles Sull. Instead of hiding objectives inside department plans or leadership documents, a FAST goal is visible across the organization. When goals and progress metrics are shared openly, teams understand priorities, track results collectively and coordinate work more effectively across multiple projects. Continuing the earlier example, the product development team publishes its FAST goals and progress metrics in a shared dashboard visible to leadership, marketing, customer success and engineering teams. Everyone can see the target of reducing onboarding time from ten minutes to six minutes and monitor progress as updates are delivered throughout the product development cycle. FAST Goals Template This FAST goals template helps teams evaluate whether an objective follows the FAST framework by organizing goals according to four criteria: frequently discussed, ambitious, specific and transparent. It allows teams to clearly define objectives, explain their purpose and verify that progress can be tracked and shared across the organization. We’ve also created other goal-setting templates you can use to establish personal, project and organizational goals. /wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Fast-Goals-Template-2-600x503.png 3 FAST Goals Examples Understanding the FAST framework becomes easier when you see how organizations apply it in real scenarios. The following FAST goals examples illustrate how teams can define ambitious objectives, track progress through regular discussions and maintain transparency across departments while executing complex initiatives. 1. FAST Goal Example #1 A software product team is preparing a major platform update designed to improve user onboarding and reduce customer churn. Leadership wants a goal that pushes performance while remaining measurable and visible to every department involved in product development. Reduce customer onboarding time from ten minutes to six minutes before the next product release by redesigning the onboarding workflow, testing improvements weekly and publishing progress metrics on the company’s product dashboard. FAST Criteria Explanation Frequently Discussed Progress is reviewed during weekly sprint planning meetings and product development status updates. Ambitious Reducing onboarding time by 40 percent requires significant redesign of the product experience. Specific The goal defines a clear metric: reduce onboarding time from ten minutes to six minutes. Transparent Progress is shared through a company-wide dashboard visible to product, marketing and leadership teams. 2. FAST Goal Example #2 A manufacturing company is expanding production capacity to meet growing demand for its products. Operations leaders want a goal that encourages innovation while ensuring the entire organization understands how the production expansion will be tracked and measured. Increase monthly production output by 30 percent within twelve months by upgrading manufacturing equipment, optimizing production workflows and reviewing performance metrics during weekly operations planning meetings. FAST Criteria Explanation Frequently Discussed Production targets and progress metrics are reviewed during weekly operations management meetings. Ambitious Increasing production capacity by 30 percent requires operational improvements and capital investment. Specific The objective clearly defines the target output increase and a twelve-month timeline. Transparent Production metrics are published in internal dashboards accessible to leadership and plant managers. 3. FAST Goal Example #3 A marketing team is launching a new digital campaign to expand brand visibility and attract qualified leads. Leadership wants a clear performance target that keeps campaign progress visible while encouraging teams to experiment with new marketing strategies. Generate 50,000 qualified leads through digital marketing campaigns within nine months by optimizing advertising channels, tracking campaign performance weekly and sharing results across marketing and sales teams. FAST Criteria Explanation Frequently Discussed Campaign performance and lead generation metrics are reviewed during weekly marketing meetings. Ambitious Generating 50,000 qualified leads requires coordinated campaign strategy and optimization. Specific The goal defines a precise lead generation target and a nine-month timeframe. Transparent Campaign performance metrics are shared with both marketing and sales teams through reporting dashboards. ProjectManager Is an Award-Winning Project Management Software ProjectManager offers robust project management features that are ideal for planning, scheduling and tracking the work required to achieve the FAST goals defined by an organization, such as Gantt charts, task lists, workload management charts, timesheets and real-time dashboards and reports. In addition to that, it’s also equipped with AI project insights, online team collaboration features and unlimited file storage that further help project managers ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Watch the video to learn more! Related Content 15 Goal-Setting Strategies for Individuals and Teams 15 Free Goal-Setting and Tracking Templates for Excel and Word How to Write SMART Goals: SMART Goal Examples SMART Goals Template If you need a tool to help you manage projects from start to finish, then signup for our software now at ProjectManager. Our online software can help project managers plan, track and oversee projects as they unfold. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today! The post How to Set FAST Goals: FAST Goal Examples appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

A survey of B2B decision-makers found peer recommendations are trusted nearly twice as much as AI chatbots, and white papers rank last for perceived value. The post B2B Buyers Trust Peers Over AI Chatbots, Report Finds appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Radio station is broadcasting apparent coded messages in Farsi, echoing the cold warView the full article

Small business owners are constantly navigating a landscape filled with challenges, from managing finances to ensuring customer satisfaction. With the rise of sophisticated scams targeting businesses, it’s imperative for entrepreneurs to stay one step ahead. Google’s recent updates to its Pixel phones may offer just the tools small business owners need to enhance their security and streamline their operations. In a recent announcement, Google introduced Scam Detection on Pixel phones, a powerful feature now available in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Japan. This innovative tool leverages cutting-edge AI technology to identify speech patterns typical of fraudsters. When a suspicious conversation is detected, the feature will alert users, potentially averting significant financial loss and safeguarding business integrity. For small business owners who frequently engage in phone calls with clients and vendors, this could be a game-changer. Scam calls can lead to serious repercussions, not just financial but also reputational. As one entrepreneur noted, “It’s challenging to keep your business thriving when you’re constantly fending off scams. This feature provides me with a sense of security, allowing me to focus on what truly matters: serving my clients and growing my business.” Additionally, for small businesses operating in India, Google has rolled out the Call Notes feature. This function records and transcribes phone conversations, allowing users to easily revisit discussions whenever necessary. As the demands of business communication grow, having access to clear, documented records can help ensure that no crucial detail gets lost in the shuffle. This is particularly important for entrepreneurs managing contracts, negotiations, or service arrangements. While these features promise myriad benefits, small business owners should also weigh potential challenges. For instance, while Scam Detection aims to enhance security, no technological solution is foolproof. Fraudsters are continually evolving their tactics, and while alerts may increase awareness, they could also lead to false positives, causing unnecessary concern or disruption. Moreover, the Call Notes feature, while valuable for documentation, raises questions about privacy and compliance, especially in sectors where sensitive information is exchanged. Small business owners must ensure they’re adhering to local regulations when recording conversations, particularly when it involves third parties. Ignoring such guidelines could lead to legal complications that outweigh the benefits of enhanced note-taking capabilities. It is also worth considering the user experience. Some business owners may find that adapting to these new features requires time and training. For example, fully utilizing the Scam Detection capabilities may necessitate periodic reviews and updates to ensure they’re staying ahead of ever-evolving fraud tactics. As technology continues to advance rapidly, incorporating these changes efficiently into daily routines will be vital for maximizing their effectiveness. Incorporating these features could lead to improved operational efficiency and safety for small businesses. For instance, a proactive approach to managing phone interactions can lead to more informed decisions and better client relationships. By leveraging the unique capabilities of their Pixel phones, small business owners can boost productivity and reduce vulnerability. Ultimately, the latest offerings from Google encourage small business owners to embrace technology as a means of fortifying their operations. With the right tools and strategies, entrepreneurs can not only defend against potential threats but also streamline processes, enhancing overall effectiveness. To explore more about these features and their implications, visit the original post on Google’s blog here. As small business owners continue to adapt in a fast-changing environment, tools like those from Google can serve as vital assets in their arsenal. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Google Pixel Expands AI Features, Enhancing Security and Call Management" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When Riz Ahmed feels lost in his creative endeavors, he asks two questions: Does it stretch me? Does it stretch culture? Those questions have guided Ahmed to an Oscar and Emmy-winning acting career (The Long Goodbye; The Night Of, respectively), a boundary-pushing music catalog, and creating stories that have redefined who gets to be seen at the center of the frame. And now, in the latest chapter of his career, he’s posing those two questions to all creatives. Last year, WePresent, the arts platform of file sharing service WeTransfer, announced Ahmed as their guest curator. It’s a role previously held by the likes of Marina Abramović, Solange Knowles, and Olafur Eliasson. Ahmed is building his guest curator agenda around a manifesto rooted in stretching yourself and culture. But it goes beyond just stepping out of your comfort zone or doing something that scares you. Ahmed’s framework calls for you to surrender your ego and lean into the more mystical side of creativity. “I almost feel shy talking about it sometimes because it can sound pretentious or insane,” Ahmed says in the latest episode of Fast Company‘s podcast Creative Control. “But the further I go down the road of life, the more I know that life’s most transcendent moments are when you forget yourself. When you’re so present, it’s kind of like your sense of self dissolves into the moment. That’s the heart of creativity. That’s the heart of meaningful connection.” In this episode of Creative Control, Ahmed explores more of his creative manifesto and his upcoming film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that ties directly into his vision of stretching culture. Divine Creativity Ahmed says that viewing creativity through a more mythical lens requires stretching beyond yourself and past your ego. “What I find increasingly is that we’ve removed the language of transcendence and the language of mystery from how we think about creativity,” Ahmed says. What he’s calling for now is something of a blend of Taoism and Sufism, i.e. a flow state that places you beyond yourself and closer to something more divine. “What it means to surrender control and be part of something bigger, to invite something bigger,” Ahmed explains. Culture Shift Ahmed is most interested in creativity that pushes culture forward. “I’m interested in creativity in that it is a major way of shifting culture and creating ripples in culture,” he says. Take for example, The Long Goodbye. Ahmed and director Aneil Karia’s Oscar-winning short film focuses on a South Asian Muslim family preparing for a wedding. What should’ve remained a joyous day quickly devolves into chaos when a far right group storms the neighborhood. WePresent commissioned the project in 2019, setting in motion Ahmed’s relationship with the platform where he’s now guest curator. It’s a film that is sadly all the more relevant today given the increasingly divisive rhetoric and policies regarding immigration. Ahmed recalls being shocked WePresent greenlit their idea given the subject matter. But he recognizes the impact of what WePresent is doing and calls for more companies to do the same. “Who are those new Medicis? Who are those people that are stepping in to let artists be artists away from the demands of the marketplace?” Ahmed says. As part his guest curatorship with WePresent, Ahmed is sharing his platform with five artists he sees who are in line with his vision of stretching culture: filmmakers Nadir Nahdi, Warda Mohamed, Imran Perretta; musician Raf Saperra; and poet Sarah Ghazal Ali. His mission comes at a time when controlling forces across the social and political spheres are keen to greatly restrict what culture should and shouldn’t be. So how can one stretch culture when those in power have such a narrow view of it? “That’s a question for all of us as artists right now. And I think a question that almost comes before that is to ask what is the role of an artist?” Ahmed says. “I would say that the role of an artist is something that is not political. It’s actually transcends and predates the idea of the political. The role of the artist is to insist on our oneness. It’s to expand the scope of who and what is considered human.” A New Kind of Hamlet That mindset directly ties into Ahmed latest project: a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Directed by Karia and starring Ahmed as the titular character, this version of Hamlet holds on to Shakespeares words but infuses South Asian culture throughout. Creating a version of Hamlet has been a passion project for Ahmed since he was first introduced to the work in high school. “ I felt like it was not for me,” Ahmed says. “It felt like the epitome of everything I was outside of.” However, through his English teacher, he was able to see the overlap between Hamlet and his own lived experiences as a British South Asian. “It’s a story about family duty, honor; who you can and can’t marry; spirituality; the family business—there’s all these elements,” Ahmed says. “When you think about it in those terms, it felt very real to me rather than feeling outdated.” “And so it was really back then as a 17-year-old, I was like, ‘man, wouldn’t it be cool if we like did Hamlet, but set it in a community that wasn’t so different to mine. Wouldn’t that reframe it for people?” Tied to the release of Hamlet, Ahmed teamed up with WePresent to hold a series of workshops and produce a short doc to help a new generation see what he saw in the play as a teenager and to further his goal of showing how malleable culture can, and should, be. “I think at its best, that is what culture does,” Ahmed says. “We are asking people to step out of their comfort zone, out of their immediate experience and through that empathy engine of story, go to a new place and then recognize themselves in the other.” View the full article

If you’re traveling soon, some grueling wait times at the airport may be in your future thanks to a partial government shutdown. But to make matters even more complicated, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is not currently updating its sites during the partial shutdown, meaning fliers can’t easily check TSA wait times before heading to the airport. “Due to the lapse in federal funding, this website will not be actively managed,” the Department of Homeland Security, which manages TSA, wrote in a Feb. 17 statement. “This website was last updated on February 17, 2026 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date.” Why is the TSA not updating its site? While TSA sites, which includes the MyTSA mobile app, can’t currently be relied upon, airports are facing another major issue due to the lapse in funding: staff shortages. Two weeks ago, TSA employees received only partial paychecks. And now, about 50,000 airport security employees are working for free. As many are choosing to stay home, a number of airports simply don’t have enough employees. That, coupled with a surge in jetsetting Spring Breakers, has made for some very long lines. Over the weekend ABC News reported, airports like Houston’s Hobby Airport, George Bush International Airport, New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, all were plagued by excessively long wait times. How can fliers check wait times without TSA sites? Even though wait times aren’t being updated on the TSA website, there are still some other ways to prepare to head to the airport. Checking the actual airport’s website can be a good place to start, as most U.S. airports frequently update their sites with travel advisories, wait time updates, and other pertinent information. TSAWaitTimes.com is another helpful resource, as it provides travelers with up-to-date information on TSA wait times. In addition, the site features a list of the airports with the current longest wait times, shows a map of current airport delays, and enables travelers to search for any airport. Currently, a message on the site reads: “Due to the ongoing government shutdown, travelers should anticipate longer security lines and potential flight delays. Please plan to arrive at the airport 30–60 minutes earlier than usual. Pack light if possible, download your airline’s app, and keep your phone charged to stay informed of real-time updates and communications.” Another popular site is FlightAware, a comprehensive real-time tracking tool, which gives travelers both arrival and departure times on all U.S. flights. The site also features a list of all current airport delays “within, into, or out of the United States” to help fliers get where they need to be on time. When will TSA sites be up and running? As the shutdown continues, no announcements have been made about when funding for TSA will return or when TSA will begin actively updating its sites. However, some airline executives are making pleas to Congress, pressing for lawmakers to reach a deal as soon as possible. “More than 2.7 million people cleared through TSA yesterday, but too many had to wait in extraordinarily long—and painfully slow—lines at checkpoints,” said Chris Sununu, president and CEO of the Airlines for America trade group, in a statement to AP News on Monday. Sununu continued, “It’s unacceptable to have wait times of 2 or 3 hours. And it’s unacceptable that TSA officers will have $0 in their paychecks this week.” View the full article

The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved eight pilot programs across 26 states that will allow eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to begin real-world testing. The program will permit air taxi service in select cities, while data collected from participating companies will help the FAA develop regulations to scale the technology while keeping urban airspace safe. “This is a defining moment for American innovation,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation in a statement. “Instead of just reading about the future of flight, communities across America are going to be able to see it in the skies above their own cities this year.” Pilot programs will take place in areas approved by the Departments of Transportation in Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina, several of which cover multiple states. Additional pilots will be run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the City of Albuquerque. eVTOL craft (or flying cars, in plainspeak) have been the stuff of science fiction dreams for years. The aircraft can take off and land much like helicopters, meaning no runway is required. They offer the hope of avoiding gridlock and rush hour congestion as well as the dream of getting to and from places at a much quicker pace. From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Back to the Future, generations have grown up believing they were only a few years away. In recent years, major corporations have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the technology in hopes of finally turning that vision into reality. Toyota, for instance, spent $500 million to buy into Joby in October 2024. Delta Air Lines is also an investor, putting $80 million into Joby. United, meanwhile, invested $10 million in Archer Aviation and $15 million in Eve Air Mobility in 2022. Beyond the reduced stress they promise, flying cars are designed to be quieter than traditional aircraft, or even air-conditioning units. Because they are electric, they could also help reduce carbon emissions. In addition, they hold the potential to be valuable tools for emergency response providers. In its announcement, the DOT outlined several potential uses beyond passenger transport, including cargo and logistics networks, emergency medical response operations, and offshore transportation. “These partnerships will help us better understand how to safely and efficiently integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System,” said FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau. “The program will provide valuable operational experience that will inform the standards needed to enable safe Advanced Air Mobility operations. We appreciate the strong interest reflected in the many proposals we received.” Beyond Joby and Archer, companies including Beta, Electra, Elroy Air, Wisk, Ampaire, and Reliable Robotics will participate in the pilot program. With the prospect of wider operations on the horizon, competition among major players in the sector has intensified. Four months ago, Joby sued Archer for trade secret theft, alleging that a former Joby employee took proprietary information with him when he joined Archer. Archer, on Monday, filed a countersuit against Joby, claiming the company, which was founded in 2009 in California, defrauded the U.S. government by concealing its “deep ties” to China and relying on a Chinese manufacturing subsidiary for critical components. Alex Spiro, an attorney for Joby, tells Fast Company the company “doesn’t respond to nonsense.” “Archer’s ludicrous and defamatory claims are nothing more than an irresponsible attempt to distract from Joby’s trade secret theft lawsuit proceeding against Archer,” he says. “Joby is a U.S.-headquartered company that operates with strict compliance across its supply chain, and the company has been fully transparent with the U.S. Government about its operations. Joby has no ties to the Chinese Communist Party and has not received grants or subsidies from Chinese authorities.” View the full article

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes picked up in February from the previous month as home shoppers took advantage of easing mortgage rates and a modest increase in properties on the market heading into the spring homebuying season. Existing home sales rose 1.7% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. Sales fell 1.4% compared with February last year, with every region except the South posting lower sales versus a year earlier. The latest sales figure topped the 3.84 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. “Good momentum, but nonetheless sales are still below one year ago,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said during a conference call. Home prices continued to rise last month, albeit more slowly. The national median sales price increased 0.3% in February from a year earlier to $398,000, an all-time high for any February on data going back to 1999, NAR said. Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 32 months in a row. The latest sales trends follow a dismal January, when existing home sales posted their biggest monthly decline in nearly four years and the slowest annualized sales pace in more than two years, although NAR has since revised January’s sales data modestly higher. The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes remained stuck last year at 30-year lows. Sales have been hovering close to a 4-million annual pace now going back to 2023. That’s well short of the 5.2-million annual pace that’s historically been the norm. A sharp run-up in home prices, especially in the early years of this decade, and a chronic shortage of homes nationally worsened by years of below-average home construction have left many aspiring homeowners priced out of the market. At the same time, mortgage rates have been trending lower, boosting the purchasing power for home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped two weeks ago to just under 6% for the first time since late 2022, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. First-time buyers were among those who took advantage last month of easing mortgage rates. They made up 34% of all home purchases in February, matching the highest level in the last five years, Yun said. However, the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use to price home loans, has climbed following the spike in oil prices since the Iran war started, which could lead to higher mortgage rates just as the spring homebuying season gets going. “Despite mortgage rates falling below 6% briefly, international conflict has sent them higher in recent days,” Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, said in an email. “If the conflict with Iran is limited, the housing market could rebound quickly. However, a prolonged conflict could stall home sales activity this spring.” Affordability remains a challenge for many aspiring homeowners, especially first-time buyers who don’t have equity from an existing home to put toward a new home purchase. Uncertainty over the economy and a job market increasingly showing signs of strain is also keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines, economists say. Those who can afford to buy are benefiting from more properties on the market, although home inventory levels remain well below historical norms. There were 1.29 million unsold homes at the end of February, up 2.4% from January and up 4.9% from February last year, NAR said. That’s still well short of the roughly 2 million homes for sale that was typical before the COVID-19 pandemic. February’s month-end inventory translates to a 3.8-month supply at the current sales pace. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers. “We really do need more inventory to show up,” Yun said, noting that if it doesn’t improve come spring, and more buyers jump into the market, it could push up home prices. —Alex Veiga, AP business writer View the full article

A federal judge granted Amazon a preliminary injunction barring Perplexity's Comet AI agent from accessing Amazon accounts and ordering data destroyed. The post Amazon Wins Preliminary Injunction Against Perplexity’s Comet appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Budget airline’s CEO says crisis is ‘more manageable’ than others after forecasting €50mn hit to its bottom lineView the full article

Issuance of around $60bn expected on Tuesday as companies take advantage of calmer marketsView the full article

When seeking a commercial loan for your business, you’ll need to meet specific requirements that lenders typically expect. A solid business plan, detailed financial documents, and evidence of cash flow are essential. Furthermore, maintaining a strong credit history and possibly providing collateral can greatly influence your chances of approval. Comprehending these elements can help you navigate the lending process more effectively, but there are more nuances to reflect upon as you prepare your application. Key Takeaways A strong business plan detailing growth potential and clear fund usage is essential for loan qualification. Provide three years of financial statements, including balance sheets and income statements, to demonstrate business health. Maintain a strong credit history with a score of 700 or higher, ensuring timely debt payments and responsible credit utilization. Offer collateral to secure the loan, which can lead to more favorable terms and lower interest rates. Present detailed cash flow and revenue projections to showcase financial stability and future earning potential. Understanding Commercial Loans Grasping commercial loans is vital for any business looking to finance significant expenses, and they often involve larger sums than personal loans. So, what’s a commercial loan? It’s a financial product designed to support business needs, like expansion, equipment purchases, or covering operating costs. To qualify, you’ll need to meet commercial lending requirements, which include demonstrating financial health through a strong credit history and detailed financial statements. Additionally, having a clear business plan outlining your growth potential is fundamental. Interest rates are adjusted to your risk profile, and repayment periods can range from months to several years. Sometimes, lenders may require collateral to secure better terms. When applying, you’ll meet with loan officers and submit key documents like tax returns and your business plan for assessment. With the right preparation, you can navigate this process effectively and secure the funding needed for your business success. Importance of a Solid Business Plan A solid business plan is crucial for outlining clear growth objectives, which helps lenders understand your vision for the future. Accurate financial projections within the plan demonstrate your business’s potential to generate returns and repay the loan. Clear Growth Objectives Clear growth objectives are essential for any business seeking commercial lending, as they form the foundation of a solid business plan. When you outline clear goals, you help lenders evaluate the potential return on investment and overall viability of your business. A well-structured plan should highlight your unique value proposition, showing how you stand apart from competitors and positioning yourself in the market. Lenders want a detailed overview of how you’ll use the requested funds to support specific growth initiatives, like expansion or purchasing equipment. Not only does having clear objectives improve your chances of loan approval, but it furthermore serves as a strategic roadmap, guiding your decision-making and resource allocation for future success. Financial Projections Accuracy During the development of a solid business plan, ensuring the accuracy of your financial projections is vital for demonstrating your company’s potential to lenders. Your projections should clearly outline expected revenue, expenses, and cash flow, showcasing the likelihood of profitability and growth. Accurate financial forecasts enable lenders to assess your business’s repayment ability and overall financial health, which is important for securing favorable loan terms. Furthermore, including detailed assumptions and justifications can improve your credibility, giving lenders clear insights into your operating environment and market conditions. Regularly updating these projections reflects your adaptability to market changes, further strengthening your case for obtaining a commercial loan. Realistic, data-backed forecasts increase your chances of gaining lender confidence and loan approval. Required Financial Documentation When applying for a commercial loan, you’ll need to gather vital financial documentation to support your request. This typically includes three years of balance sheets and income statements, along with recent interim financial statements to showcase your business’s current health. Furthermore, business tax returns are critical for demonstrating profitability and compliance, providing lenders with a thorough view of your financial standing. Financial Statements Overview To secure a commercial loan, you’ll need to present a thorough overview of your financial statements, which serve as fundamental documentation for lenders evaluating your business’s financial health. Typically, lenders require three years of balance sheets and income statements to assess your operational performance. In addition, recent interim financials are critical, as they provide an up-to-date view of your company’s current status. While business tax returns will be covered in the next section, they too help illustrate your profitability. Moreover, lenders may ask for personal financial statements and tax returns from business owners to evaluate financial stability and risk. All-encompassing documentation is pivotal for loan approval, offering insights into your cash flow, revenue trends, and overall financial management. Business Tax Returns Business tax returns play a key role in the loan application process, providing lenders with important financial data that reflects your company’s profitability and overall health. Typically, lenders require the last three years of tax returns, which help them assess revenue trends and evaluate your cash flow for loan repayment potential. Accurate and timely submission is critical; discrepancies or missing information can delay your loan approval. Lenders often request tax returns for all types of business entities, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, to gain a thorough view of your fiscal responsibilities. Consistent growth in reported income can improve your business’s credibility and enhance your chances of securing favorable loan terms, making it necessary to present strong tax documentation. The Role of Collateral Collateral plays a crucial role in commercial lending by providing security for lenders against potential borrower defaults. When you pledge an asset as collateral, lenders can seize it if you fail to repay the loan. Common types of collateral include real estate, equipment, inventory, and vehicles, all of which should hold enough value to cover the loan amount. Moreover, if your business lacks an established credit history, lenders might ask for personal guarantees, using your personal assets to further mitigate risk. Having collateral can likewise lead to more favorable loan terms, like lower interest rates and longer repayment periods, thanks to the reduced risk for lenders. Here’s a quick overview of collateral types: Type of Collateral Description Typical Value Requirement Real Estate Land and buildings High Equipment Machinery and tools Medium to high Inventory Goods for sale Variable Vehicles Cars or trucks Medium Personal Guarantee Owner’s personal assets Variable Maintaining a Strong Credit History Since lenders closely examine your credit history when considering loan applications, maintaining a strong credit profile is vital for securing favorable terms. A credit score of 700 or higher is typically viewed as favorable, increasing your chances of loan approval and lowering interest rates. To achieve this, it’s important to utilize credit responsibly; aim to keep your credit utilization below 30% and make timely payments on all debts. Regularly reviewing your credit reports can help you spot inaccuracies and address any errors without delay, which is fundamental for a healthy credit profile. Consistently repaying debts on time not just boosts your credit score but likewise builds trust with lenders, enhancing your prospects for future financing. Assessment of Cash Flow When evaluating cash flow, you need to understand its importance in determining your business’s ability to meet debt obligations. Lenders often look at historical, current, and projected cash flow statements to evaluate whether your business can sustain operations and service new debt. Importance of Cash Flow Comprehending cash flow is essential for any business seeking financing, as it directly reflects your ability to meet financial obligations and service debt. Lenders assess your cash flow through historical, current, and projected cash flow statements, looking for a positive trend over time. A healthy cash flow signals financial stability, making your business more attractive to lenders and increasing the likelihood of securing favorable loan terms. To calculate your cash flow, subtract cash outflows (expenses) from cash inflows (revenue). Regular fluctuations in cash flow may raise concerns about operational efficiency. Furthermore, maintaining a cash reserve acts as a buffer during unexpected expenses, enhancing your creditworthiness when approaching lenders for loans. Cash Flow Projections Comprehending cash flow projections is crucial for evaluating your business’s financial health and its ability to meet obligations, particularly when seeking loans. These projections require detailed analysis of expected cash inflows and outflows, usually on a monthly basis for the first year and quarterly thereafter. A robust cash flow projection accounts for seasonal revenue fluctuations, anticipated expenses, and planned investments, ensuring a realistic forecast. Lenders prefer to see a positive cash flow trend, where inflows consistently exceed outflows, demonstrating your ability to service debt. To strengthen your projections, back them up with historical financial data and a clear explanation of your assumptions. Regular updates to cash flow projections can help you identify potential shortfalls early, allowing for timely adjustments. Revenue Projections and Their Importance Grasping revenue projections is essential for both borrowers and lenders in the commercial lending process, as these estimates offer a glimpse into a business’s potential future earnings. Accurate revenue projections typically span three to five years and should be grounded in historical financial data and thorough market analysis. Lenders favor consistent growth rates in these projections, ideally mirroring industry trends and realistic sales forecasts, which indicate stability and potential for expansion. A well-structured revenue projection includes assumptions regarding market conditions, pricing strategies, and customer acquisition, providing an all-encompassing view of expected performance. Presenting detailed revenue projections alongside a solid business plan can greatly improve your chances of securing favorable loan terms. This approach demonstrates your preparedness and strategic planning, reassuring lenders of your ability to meet repayment obligations. In the end, sound revenue projections not just reflect your business’s potential but also play an important role in building lender confidence. Avoiding Simultaneous Loan Applications When you’re considering applying for a commercial loan, it’s crucial to avoid submitting multiple applications at the same time. Doing so can negatively impact your credit score, as lenders might interpret these simultaneous requests as a sign of financial distress. Each application triggers a hard inquiry on your credit report, which can reduce your score temporarily, making it tougher to secure favorable loan terms. Instead, take the time to thoroughly assess your funding needs and focus on one loan application at a time. This approach not only increases your chances of approval but additionally allows you to present a well-prepared application, showcasing your business strategy and financial stability. Engaging With a Loan Officer Engaging with a loan officer is a vital step in securing a commercial loan, as it allows you to clearly outline your business goals and financial needs. Typically, this starts with a meeting where you’ll discuss how a loan can address your specific requirements. Loan officers will ask for critical documents, such as your financial statements, tax returns, and a detailed business plan, to evaluate your eligibility and repayment capability. They’ll likewise assess your creditworthiness, which includes your credit history, to determine the interest rates and terms available. A personalized approach from loan officers, especially those familiar with the local market, can help customize the loan structure to fit your objectives. Throughout the application process, loan officers provide guidance and support, ensuring you understand all terms and conditions laid out in the loan agreement, finally helping you make informed decisions for your business. Tailoring Your Loan Application Tailoring your loan application is essential for clearly communicating your business’s objectives and how the funding will facilitate growth. Start by crafting a compelling business plan that outlines how the loan will support your goals and generate returns. Make sure you provide accurate financial documentation, including three years of balance sheets, income statements, and tax returns, to demonstrate your financial health and ability to repay. Highlight your unique value proposition and competitive advantages to show lenders what sets you apart in the industry. Furthermore, a thorough explanation of your cash flow management and revenue cycles can alleviate lenders’ concerns about your repayment capacity. It’s also wise to anticipate and address potential questions or concerns within your application, as this proactive approach strengthens your case for approval and can lead to more favorable loan terms. Building Long-Term Relationships With Lenders Building long-term relationships with lenders is essential for your business’s financial stability and growth. Consistent communication is key; regularly updating lenders on your financial performance and operational changes cultivates trust and transparency. Establishing a strong credit history by making timely repayments shows responsibility and improves your credibility, making it easier to secure favorable loan terms in the future. Engage with lenders during the planning stages of projects to develop customized financial solutions that align with both your needs and their risk criteria. Demonstrating stability through well-prepared financial statements and a clear business plan signals your diligence in managing financial health. Moreover, participating in lender-sponsored events or networking opportunities can help you build rapport, nurturing a sense of partnership that may benefit future financing endeavors. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 4 Cs of Commercial Lending? The 4 Cs of commercial lending are Character, Capacity, Capital, and Collateral. Character evaluates your credit history and reliability in managing debt. Capacity measures your ability to repay the loan, often through financial statements and cash flow analysis. Capital reflects your equity in the business, showing your financial commitment. Finally, Collateral involves assets you can pledge to secure the loan, providing lenders protection if you default. Comprehending these elements is essential for securing funding. What Are the 5 Cs of Commercial Lending? The five Cs of commercial lending are character, capacity, capital, collateral, and conditions. Lenders assess your character through your credit history, which reflects your reliability. Capacity evaluates your ability to repay, often through financial statements and cash flow. Capital refers to your investment in the business, showing commitment. Collateral involves assets you can offer to secure the loan. Finally, conditions consider external factors that might impact your repayment ability, like market trends. What Are the Three Cs of Commercial Lending? The three Cs of commercial lending are Character, Capacity, and Capital. Character reflects your credit history and reliability, often assessed through credit scores. Capacity measures your ability to repay based on cash flow and financial statements, ensuring you can handle debt without strain. Capital represents your equity investment in the business, showcasing your financial commitment through personal assets or cash reserves. Lenders evaluate these factors to make informed loan decisions. What Are the Requirements for a Business Loan? To secure a business loan, you’ll need a solid credit history, as it indicates your reliability in repaying debts. You must furthermore provide detailed financial statements, including three years of balance sheets and income statements, to prove your financial health. A thorough business plan outlining the loan’s purpose and your growth strategy is crucial. In addition, accurate documentation like tax returns and collateral may be required to guarantee loan approval. Conclusion In summary, comprehending key commercial lending requirements is crucial for securing financing for your business. A solid business plan, accurate financial documentation, and a good credit history greatly improve your chances of approval. Be prepared with collateral and maintain open communication with lenders. Avoid applying for multiple loans simultaneously to keep your credit score intact. By tailoring your application and nurturing long-term relationships with lenders, you can enhance your potential for favorable loan terms and successful financing outcomes. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "Key Commercial Lending Requirements for Your Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman is planning to take his Pershing Square management company (PS) public. But in doing so, Ackman is taking an unusual route: He is also starting a new fund, Pershing Square USA (PSUS), and if you want to get in on the Pershing Square management company’s initial public offering (IPO), the only way to do so is to buy shares in the new fund first. Here’s what you need to know about Pershing Square’s IPO: Pershing’s combined IPO When announcing its intention to go public, Pershing Square Inc. also announced that it will launch a new fund called Pershing Square USA (PSUS), and investors in the new fund will receive a set number of shares in Pershing Square Inc. (PS). As the company noted in its IPO announcement: “The PSUS Shares are being offered at a price of $50.00 per PSUS Share, and investors in the PSUS IPO will receive, for no additional consideration, 20 PSI Shares for every 100 PSUS Shares purchased.” This, of course, doesn’t mean that PS shares will be unavailable for purchase forever. Rather, if you want to get in on them for the IPO, your only way to do so is to buy shares in PSUS. But once both entities begin trading on the stock exchange, anyone will be able to buy shares in PS and PSUS directly. What are Pershing Square’s biggest holdings? Pershing Square, the management company run by Ackman, owns significant holdings in a number of major U.S. companies. Under Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd, the hedge fund owned shares in several companies between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, according to its S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Those companies included: Alphabet Inc. Uber Technologies, Inc. Amazon.com, Inc. Meta Platforms, Inc. Nike, Inc. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. When is Pershing Square’s IPO? Pershing Square USA, Ltd.’s and Pershing Square Inc.’s initial public offering date has not been determined yet. It is likely that shares in both companies will go public on the same day. What is Pershing Square’s stock ticker? Pershing Square USA, Ltd. will trade under the stock ticker “PSUS.” Pershing Square Inc. will trade under the stock ticker “PS.” What market will Pershing Square’s shares trade on? Both PSUS and PS shares will trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). What is the IPO share price of PSUS and PS? The initial public offering price for PSUS shares will be $50. For every 100 PSUS shares investors buy during its IPO, they will get 20 shares in PS. How much will PSUS raise in the IPO? Pershing Square says it is aiming for PSUS to raise between $5 billion and $10 billion. View the full article

A reader writes: I was hired about six months ago at a prestigious organization in my field. My coworker, Fred, started at the same time in a similar position. We work closely and we get along well, for the most part. I consider him something of a friend — or, at least, I felt that way until recently. We have been working together on a big report that needs to get done in the next few months. Last week, I had been working on other projects and logged back our the shared file to begin work again. We were sitting together and as I was logging in, he said (unprompted) that he had been hard at work on the report and updated and added information to a key section. I noticed that very few things had been changed, so I checked the version history and found that he had worked on it for a total of two minutes in the 24 hours before I checked. So I asked him in the moment about what exactly he had done on the report, and this is where I caught him in the lie. He doubled down and said that he had changed four or five big things, and when I pushed and said those sections looked exactly the same, he said that he had been working on it offline. I asked him to always work on the shared document and moved on. I’m having a hard time letting the lie go. It was small and not very significant in the long run, and I don’t want to harm our working relationship. But I hate being lied to, especially because he doubled down when I wouldn’t have cared if he hadn’t done the work in the first place. I’ve also had issues with him in the past for being oddly obsessed with delineating the work that he did versus the work we did together, and for taking a lot of the credit. As a result, I’ve started being less collaborative with him and more clear about assigning credit to myself. How should I handle this? I’m paying a lot of attention to any potential future lies that he might make, but should I speak with him directly? I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here. Other questions I’m answering there today include: Can I apologize to a colleague for how my company treated her — when I was involved in what happened? Can I ask how my interviewer has changed since I worked for them 15 years ago? The post my coworker lied and said he’d done work he hadn’t done appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article