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In the classic rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, there’s a moment when a band member demonstrates an amplifier that goes to 11—one louder than 10. While it’s a cheeky metaphor, I’ve often thought about how leadership can adopt a similar ethos, pushing beyond boundaries to foster exceptional teams. It’s definitely easier said than done. Yet one thing that really pushes us to 11 is moving from a set of individual leaders to a distributed leadership. But building a global team of self-starters isn’t just about ambition or delegation. It’s about cultivating a culture of teamwork that empowers independence, ownership, and creativity at every level. I’ve found the following five leadership principles to be pivotal in my company’s culture—particularly when it comes to building a team of self-starters. 1. Live and let others live Leadership isn’t about control, it’s about enabling others to do their best work. By eliminating micromanagement, we empower the team to take charge of their processes and outcomes. Firstly, asynchronous work—the practice of working that doesn’t require all team members to be online simultaneously—is a cornerstone of our culture. We don’t expect immediate communications—everyone fine-tunes their own processes focusing on results rather than attending endless meetings. We choose asynchronous work despite the ongoing trend toward returning to the office (RTO). Asynchronous work drives productivity beyond the confines of a physical office, making it particularly effective for distributed teams across different time zones. By embracing asynchronous communication—whether you operate remotely or, as in our case, in a hybrid model—companies can build autonomous, resilient, flexible teams capable of succeeding beyond the office. More importantly, asynchronous work powers the “flow state“—where a person is fully immersed in the activity. Asynchronous work protects time and concentration that requires you to get to that state and reduces interruptions. For example, we implement “no meeting Wednesdays,” which is a dedicated day that enables our team members to reach their flow state. 2. Make it your job Radical ownership isn’t just a buzzword; it’s our business philosophy. Accountability and responsibility for the outcomes empowers team members to own decisions that impact those outcomes—thus, growing a leadership mindset. As a result, those team members who never say “It’s not my job” grow into the most loyal ones, with a strongest sense of belonging. For us, radical ownership also means admitting mistakes and adjusting to avoid them in future. A mistake doesn’t equal failure. However, the inability to learn from it is. Constant striving for self-improvement, proactivity in detecting mistakes, and radical candor in assessing work is the most efficient professional growth route. One of the guiding principles that we abide by is “don’t sweep dirt under the rug.” This translates into taking immediate responsibility when something goes wrong and finding a solution. For example, if a product launch didn’t meet user expectations, the team takes ownership, analyzes feedback, and implements changes swiftly. This results in improved user satisfaction and a stronger product. 3. Deliver every day Leadership, at its core, is about delivering outcomes—a combination of quality, quantity, and timeliness. We expect our team to focus on daily outcomes, which in turn power weekly, monthly, and yearly results for the business. That way, each day is a productive end-to-end sprint, with goals and outcomes. “I did,” not “I was doing” principle cultivates ownership and accountability at every level. This principle has reshaped how we approach tasks: breaking them into smaller, manageable parts to accelerate delivery and validate hypotheses sooner. Companies like Microsoft adopt similar principles of micro productivity. Speed, combined with precision, becomes the ultimate differentiator. 4. Default to action Keeping up with the previous three cornerstones of our culture needs an action-focused attitude. “Always default to action” guiding principle ensures that we do the work, even if the team works asynchronously. There would be times when decision-makers are not immediately available. In these times, we encourage team members to take initiative and act based on common sense, then refactor and adapt later. Or, if it’s a very specific task hitting a dead end, to use the “waiting” time for something useful—like going for a walk or exercising. A study from Gallup reveals that personally accountable employees are 2.5 times likely to be engaged in their jobs. By instilling the action-driven culture, we’ve built a team that doesn’t wait for permission to succeed. 5. Know where to draw the line Finally, leadership is about balance, which means knowing when to ask for help and when to step up. For us, this means differentiating a request for help (“Which of two color options would work?”) from dumping the responsibility (“I don’t know what colors would work”). It also means resolving issues rather than making excuses, and taking calculated risks rather than resorting to inaction in the face of ambiguity. Building a culture of trust, accountability, and innovation required to develop a team of self-starters is definitely not an overnight project and needs commitment. However, it fosters a team where leadership isn’t confined to titles but is a shared responsibility. Looking ahead, I envision a corporate culture where radical ownership becomes the norm. By empowering individuals to lead from where they are, we can unlock extraordinary potential and redefine what’s possible, both in business and beyond. View the full article

In the history of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), eighth-grade reading scores have never been this low. According to new data, 33% of eighth graders in the United States have “below basic” reading levels. That’s even below the sub-proficient level, “basic,” at which 37% of eighth graders score. The NAEP has been administering their reading assessment since 1992, when 31% of eighth graders were “below basic.” But then it went down; in 2013, that “below basic” figure reached a low of 22%. Now, it’s reached an all-time peak. When reading scores go down, blame is inevitably pointed at teachers. Twenty-four years ago, then-President George Bush effectively tied schools’ Title I funding to their ability to show testing progress. But the smartphone era has brought us dwindling attention spans and plummeting reading levels. The issue isn’t the teachers; it’s the tech. How bad is tech for children’s reading? This dip in reading scores extends beyond the teachers. In a new paper for the American Enterprise Institute, researcher Nat Malkus tracked the rise and fall in student testing scores over the past decades. Since the pandemic, performance has sharply declined for students. But adults have also been scoring poorly on performance assessments, with those scores moving in a parallel trend to children. It must be something beyond the classroom, Malkus surmises, that is dumbing us (and our children) down. While Malkus is reluctant to point the finger at one specific external factor, there’s a strong case for tech. In the Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on youth mental health, they noted that excessive social media usage could lead to changes or malformation of the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with learning. Social media is also rapidly destroying our focus. Per psychologist Gloria Mark, the average computer-focused attention span in 2004 was 2.5 minutes; now, it’s 47 seconds. When we cannot focus on long-form tasks, reading is left by the wayside. But the research here is patchy. Much of it is limited to the medium; there’s a long-proven track record that students’ comprehension goes down when material is read off a screen, or that reading online ruptures the ability to consume large quantities of text. Discourse has also localized around mental health, like to set age restrictions on social media platforms, or even a cigarette-style hazard warning. (Across most of these conversations, Jonathan Haidt remains the perennial boogeyman, loved by his fans and reviled by his critics.) But these overlapping timelines are hard to ignore. Reading levels plummeted in the pandemic, the same period in which technology usage (and over-usage) spiked. The NAEP’s “below basic” reading statistic first began climbing in 2019, the same year TikTok reached one-billion installs. While more than half of American kids play Roblox, 29% of 13-year-olds say they’ve never or hardly ever read for fun. Can reading levels recover? There are small but mighty movements to break up the stranglehold tech has over America’s children. New York is pushing closer to an in-school cellphone ban. Other states across the partisan divide, from California to Florida, have already instituted their own versions of the policy. More parents are cutting their kids off from YouTube, TikTok, and Fortnite. But the damage may already be done. Eighth graders in 2019 (when the “below basic” reading level percentage started to tick up) are now in college. And, among today’s college students, reading is on the decline. Professors are dealing with classrooms full of students who are unwilling or unable to complete basic reading assignments. Those reading levels likely won’t turn around anytime soon. When the next, even-lower batch of statistics comes out, let’s not blame the teachers. It’s our iPhones that deserve the scrutiny. View the full article

Last year, when an apple orchard in rural Washington State invested in new cold storage equipment, the price was steep—$187,000. The farm had won a USDA grant that was supposed to cover half of the cost of the technology, which is being shipped to the farm now. But after the Trump administration paused spending on energy grants and loans, the farmers are questioning whether they’ll ever be paid back. The project will save the orchard thousands each year on energy bills, and the benefits extend beyond the orchard itself: The equipment can save 500 megawatt-hours of energy each year, or roughly as much electricity as a million-dollar solar farm could generate. In an area where data centers are proliferating and sucking up power, the energy efficiency could play a meaningful role in supporting the electric grid. The grant was one of dozens that a startup called Zero Emissions Northwest helped farmers and rural business owners secure through the USDA over the last 15 months. The projects were designed to help rural businesses save money by saving energy, using American-made equipment, from heat pumps to a Chevy Silverado EV that would save a farmer $12,000 a year in fuel costs. The USDA funding was one piece of the Inflation Reduction Act, which Congress passed in 2022 with bipartisan support. But because Trump signed an executive order on his first day that paused any spending through both the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for 90 days, some of the projects may never happen. Other business owners with projects underway, like the apple orchard, are now stuck with bills that they can’t afford. “Some people are very frustrated—they’ve spent $100,000 on a project, and they were expecting to get paid this month, and they haven’t,” says David Funk, founder and president of Zero Emissions Northwest. The grantwriting startup had been growing quickly over its 1.5-year existence. Before Trump took office, the startup submitted invoices for work that it had done in the last quarter of 2024; it had previously been told by government officials that grants that were already committed would be paid. But last week, it learned that the funding for its own operations was frozen. Funk was forced to furlough his employees. (The company is a contractor for USDA, and gets paid a fee by its clients only if they win a grant.) A long list of other companies are also being affected by the pause in funding. One source told me about an early-stage mapping startup that had won multiple different grants to bring its product to market; now it plans to shut down. (The startup didn’t respond to a request for an interview.) Several companies said they weren’t ready to talk publicly. “We can’t even predict what’s going to happen at this point,” one startup founder said. “All of the rules that we abided by in the past just went out the window.” That’s true both for small startups, like Zero Emissions Northwest, and larger companies with infrastructure projects that are underway or poised to begin. The uncertainty of clean energy tax credits adds to the challenge. “The impacts are huge,” says Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders and investors with a focus on both the environment and the economy. “You’re starting to see some companies cancel projects.” One E2 member with an EV charging company told Keefe that the company would likely have to furlough some staff and give other employees pay cuts. “They quite literally may be going out of business,” he says. The company went to six different banks to try to get a bridge loan, but all of them turned it down because of the uncertainty in the market. The funding freeze “created significant uncertainty, which is of course bad for business in the short term, but it also undermines business confidence in the long term,” says Tyler O’Connor, a partner at the law firm Crowell who focuses on energy. The first executive order—followed by multiple memos, including a pause on all federal grants and loans that was later rescinded—has caused confusion throughout the energy industry, he says. (The vague phrasing of the original executive order means that it also may impact projects that have nothing to do with clean energy, such as bridge repairs that were funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.) Still, some companies are more optimistic than others; the type of energy technology makes a difference. Plug Power, a company that makes green hydrogen and was awarded a $1.66 billion loan guarantee in the last days of the Biden administration, expects that it will still be able to move forward with building a new facility in Texas later in the year. “I don’t think hydrogen is as controversial as some other technology,” says CEO Andy Marsh. “Maybe if I was building a wind plant or EV charging stations, I’d be more concerned. Hydrogen is liked by oil and gas people.” Most Americans support clean energy like low-cost wind and solar power. Trump opposes wind, in particular; he’s also trying to fight the growing adoption of electric vehicles. Stopping wind development will make energy bills higher, and slowing down EV production will make the U.S. fall farther behind competitors like China, Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the nonprofit NRDC, said in a statement. “Nobody voted for this, but somebody else asked for it: the billionaire oil and gas donors Trump solicited to help bankroll his campaign,” Bapna wrote. With the shift in federal policy, some companies are beginning to talk about their work differently: Instead of talking about climate change, they’re focusing on the other benefits that they provide, from energy security to creating jobs. “We talk a lot about securing supply chains,” says Daniel Goldman, a managing partner at the VC firm Clean Energy Partners. “Companies like Nth Cycle, which does critical minerals recovery from recycled materials, are super important to develop in North America so we’re not dependent on China’s critical mineral supply.” Now, some of the companies that are being affected are pushing for political support. Zero Emissions Northwest is encouraging its customers—many of whom voted for Trump—to contact their local representatives and share their stories. E2 is bringing hundreds of company leaders to D.C. to lobby Congress to support clean energy tax credits, another policy that will be critical to whether some companies survive and grow. “There’s not a lot of reason for optimism right now, unless Congress steps in and does something in the next couple of weeks to reassure corporate America that we can get this country moving in the right direction again,” Keefe says. More than 350 major clean energy projects are underway or in planning across the country, with 112,000 jobs at stake—many in red districts. “Hopefully there are some people in Congress who can realize the risks to our economy, to their districts, to working class Americans, and do the right thing,” he says. View the full article

It’s okay to admit it: You want to stand out, get ahead, and achieve all you can. And while you may feel that you can’t mention these goals, they don’t actually make you a narcissist. In fact, it’s natural for people to want a sense of status at work. After all, status is an indication that the company and your peers respect and appreciate you. But you’re also wise to balance your desire for accolades with the appropriate humility. No one likes someone who is arrogant, self-serving, or disrespectful—and there is a delicate balance between being confident and being egotistical. AVOID ARROGANCE In a 2019 study published in Review of General Psychology researchers identified three forms of arrogance: First, people can lack knowledge about themselves and have an overblown sense of their skill or importance. This is called “individual arrogance”. Second, they can have an unrealistic assessment of how they compare with others—believing they are better than others. That’s called “comparative arrogance.” Or worse, they can act superior toward others, belittling them or acting with contempt, which is “antagonistic arrogance.” Any of these tend to result in negative reactions from teammates and colleagues. So how can you stand out without tipping into acting as a narcissist or egomaniac? These are the five strategies that will help you shine: BE CONFIDENT One of the first ways to stand out is to be confident. Prepare, speak up, have a strong point of view, and don’t be afraid to assert yourself. You’ll be most successful when you focus on ideas, not people. As you do this, you’ll also need to be sure and ask for others’ opinions. Avoid dominating the discussion or assuming your ideas are the best ones or the only ones. Instead, bring an appropriate sense of openness to others’ ideas along with your self-assurance. Another aspect of confidence is owning your opinions. Be self-possessed with your ideas. You won’t always be right, so admit mistakes. But put yourself out there, and be ready for others to react, disagree, and build on your theories. Confidence also includes being authentic. People prefer others who are easy to read, or “being legible,” we prefer people who are aligned in what they say and what they do, rather than following the crowd or saying what they think others want to hear. If you say you’re committed to innovation, ask questions and be curious. If you say you prioritize teamwork, give appropriate credit to others for the work you’ve done together. Be confident, but avoid being overbearing or just saying what you think others want to hear. BE COLLABORATIVE Another way to stand out may surprise you: by collaborating effectively. Practically everything today requires some work with others—and within a team. You’ll stand out when you’re the kind of person that people want to work with. You’ll be invited in and appreciated by the group. Engage, pitch in, and cooperate to get things done toward mutual goals. Make a brilliant contribution, but stop short of trying to be the center of attention or the smartest person in the room. In addition, build relationships. Pay attention to others, ask questions, listen, and express empathy. It’s important to be present and respectful—even if you disagree with the person. Your openness and willingness to engage in constructive disagreement are signals of both confidence and respect for others. Interestingly, science shows that when you cooperate, you’re more likely to get ahead. In an experiment, researchers put volunteers in a situation where they had to negotiate and choose to collaborate for a shared reward or hold back for a greater individual reward. When they collaborated, others tended to rate them more positively, chose to work with them above others, and reported they were influenced by the collaborators more than those who held back, according to work published in the journal Chaos. Be collaborative by engaging and committing to the group—and avoid trying to grab the spotlight. BE CREDIBLE Another surefire way to stand out is to be credible. Know your stuff, perform well, and deliver results. These may seem obvious, but they’re more uncommon than you might imagine—so they will set you apart. Also perform consistently. Be dependable. Show up again and again. Follow through when you say you’ll do something, and demonstrate professionalism even when things are tough. You’ll also want to communicate with your boss by letting them know what you’re doing and how you’re succeeding—as well as where you may have fumbled or need help. Don’t be afraid to track your work, so you can demonstrate your progress and your impact as well as advocate for yourself. This kind of data is terrific material to build your reputation with your boss. At the same time you’re doing great work and documenting your effectiveness, avoid grandstanding or seeking attention. Also avoid bragging about the stress you’re under or how hard you’re working, as this tends to put people off. BE COURAGEOUS You can also stand out by being courageous. Many people are happy to do their work and stay within their lane. But companies are looking for people who will take initiative and appropriate risks. Things are moving quickly, and organizations are under increasing pressure to adapt and compete—so they need employees who are flexible and proactive. Volunteer for the new project that your company is experimenting with and offer to contribute to areas that are adjacent to your own responsibilities. If you’re in HR, ask to join the tech team that is expanding AI solutions for the interview and selection process. Or if you’re in sales, seek out the new team member and offer to take them to customer meetings so they can boost their learning. Be curious about what’s coming next. Seek new learning, let your boss know about the next direction you want for your development, and ask questions about the status quo—pushing your work and your colleagues toward innovative ideas. And be resilient and unflappable. You’ll experience setbacks, you’ll be surprised by customer demands, or you’ll be disappointed by the solution that didn’t pan out. But if you can stay calm, keep going, and improve, you’ll shine as the kind of employee every company values. BE CONNECTED If you want to stand out, you will also absolutely need to build your network. An important strategy to set yourself apart is to have a lot of people who agree that you are adding value—and a lot of people who have positive experiences with you. And this necessitates branching out through your contacts. Connect with others by inviting them to coffee. Get to know colleagues in the midst of your project work together. Offer to help others when you know they have a lot on their plate—and ask for coaching when you need it as well. People value reciprocity in which there is a healthy exchange of support and a back-and-forth exchange within a relationship. Look for a mentor and build the kind of relationship where they will be an advocate for you. In addition, offer to mentor others as well. And build your network both within your organization and outside of it. Avoid a mindset where you’re taking all you can from your connections, and instead offer them value and invest in genuine relationships. The goal is to never treat your connections as just numbers in a ranking game. Having tons of connections who don’t know you isn’t nearly as valuable as having a smaller set of people who really care about you and for whom you care about also. View the full article

In the ’90s, Dyson transformed the way we clean our homes by launching the most powerful vacuum cleaner the world had ever seen—one that used a cyclone, rather than suction, to extract dust. Three decades later, Dyson has incorporated this same technology into almost every kind of vacuum you could imagine, from robots to heavy-duty mops. Today, Dyson adds a new vacuum to its portfolio: One focused specifically on cars. Priced at $280, it’s three or four times more expensive than similar handheld vacuums by brands like Shark or Bissell, but it’s one of the most affordable products within Dyson’s range. The vacuum comes with three tools designed specifically for cleaning car seats and mats: one for crevices, one with a brush to lift dirt, and one that has a wider nozzle. [Photo: Dyson] Dyson, which generated $8.8 billion in revenue in 2023, is now pouring a lot of capital into research and development. In 2017, it launched a private university in the U.K. called the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. Students can earn a bachelor of engineering degree, while working at Dyson for three days a week, receiving a salary, and having all their tuition fees paid. Nat Taylor, a design and development engineer, graduated from the Dyson Institute and moved to Malaysia, where the company has headquarters, and specializes in floor care. He worked on this particular vacuum and explained the challenges around creating a car-specific tool. “Our motors are so powerful, you cannot charge them in your car,” he says. “So, they need to have enough battery life to last a trip.” In the end, Taylor and his team managed to create a vacuum that lasts 50 minutes, which is long enough to clean a mid-sized car several times before it needs to be charged. But it also generates very powerful suction with a motor that spins at up to 110,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The company says this makes it the most powerful of any handheld vacuum on the market. (Other handheld Dyson vacuum motors spin at 105,000 rpm, and have a battery life of half the time.) [Photo: Dyson] Taylor also says that ergonomics were a consideration. The team focused on making this device lightweight; it’s just a few pounds depending on which attachments you use. The motor and the battery are placed close to the handle to make it easy to balance and manipulate. But like with other Dyson products—including its hairdryers—engineers have been focused on miniaturizing components of the motor to make it as light as possible. “We’re try to balance all these competing priorities,” he says. “We want to create a very powerful motor that is lightweight and can last a long time on a single battery charge.” Creating highly specific vacuum cleaners is part of Dyson’s broader strategy. Rather than creating one-size-fits-all tools, it wants to create devices tailored to families with pets, those who need heavy-duty cleaning in big houses, and now, those who are looking specifically for a cleaning tool for their car. “We now have this technology platform around our vacuums,” Taylor says. “We can use it to customize it to different products that better suit specific needs.” View the full article

Harnessing the power of AI tools has become a game-changer for small businesses. This article goes into a compilation of the most effective AI tools for business users. From enhancing customer engagement to optimizing operations, these tools hold the potential to revolutionize various facets of modern enterprises. What are AI Tools for Business and Machine Learning? In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning (ML) tools are revolutionizing how businesses operate, make decisions, and interact with customers. AI tools for business encompass a wide range of applications designed to mimic human intelligence through tasks such as language understanding, pattern recognition, problem-solving, and decision-making. These tools leverage algorithms to enable systems to perform complex tasks autonomously without needing explicit instructions for every step. AI tools in business settings extend beyond simple automation, offering capabilities that include: Problem-solving: AI tools can analyze situations, identify problems, and devise effective solutions, mirroring human cognitive processes. Learning and Adaptation: These tools learn from interactions and data, refining their algorithms over time to improve performance and adapt to new information. Self-correction: AI systems are capable of recognizing errors and learning from them to avoid future mistakes. Reasoning and Decision-making: By evaluating data and possible outcomes, AI tools can make informed decisions, often in real time. Sensory Perception: Advanced AI applications can interpret external data through sight, sound, and other sensors, enabling richer interactions and responses to environmental stimuli. Machine Learning in Business Machine Learning, a critical subset of AI, focuses specifically on data analysis and pattern recognition. ML tools for business are designed to: Process Data Efficiently: ML tools can analyze large datasets to reveal trends and insights that would be difficult, if not impossible, for humans to discover on their own. Learn from Data: ML models improve by continuously processing new data, enabling them to make increasingly accurate predictions and decisions. Identify Patterns: These tools excel at recognizing patterns and regularities within data, providing a foundation for predictive analytics and personalized customer experiences. Adapt Over Time: Machine learning (ML) systems evolve with new data and shifting conditions, allowing businesses to stay agile and responsive. Automate Decision-making: ML enables the automation of complex decision-making processes, relying on data-driven insights to guide actions. AI and Machine Learning tools are essential for businesses seeking to enhance efficiency, innovate services, and create more engaging, personalized customer experiences. By harnessing these technologies, companies can unlock new opportunities for growth and competitive advantage. Essential AI Tools for Business We will now explore a curated list of the top 15 AI tools for business, each offering unique benefits and applications to transform various aspects of enterprise operations. ChatGPT ChatGPT is an advanced AI-powered tool developed by OpenAI. So, exactly what is Chat GPT, and how does Chat GPT work? It’s designed to have interactive conversations with users, providing human-like responses and solutions. For small businesses, ChatGPT offers diverse benefits. It can enhance customer support by addressing ChatGPT prompts instantly and accurately, ensuring better engagement. Additionally, it can assist in drafting content for marketing or communications, saving time and maintaining consistent quality. ChatGPT’s ease of implementation, customizability, and 24/7 availability make it an invaluable asset for small businesses looking to improve customer interactions and streamline various tasks, ultimately boosting efficiency and customer satisfaction. Bard Bard is a Google-powered assistant designed to collaborate with you using the PaLM 2 model. With Bard, you can harness the power of AI for creative projects, enhance productivity, and make complex topics simple to understand. Whether it’s planning an event, making decisions, or comprehending intricate concepts, Bard lends a hand. It can even assist with coding, though it’s still experimental. This makes it one of the most customizable tools out there. Midjourney Midjourney, a generative AI program, lets you turn simple text into stunning images without artistic skills. This AI innovation is like DALL-E and Stable Diffusion, creating images from written descriptions. Midjourney’s roots are independent, and it uses novel technologies like large language models and diffusion to turn ideas into visuals. It’s a game-changer for businesses seeking visual content effortlessly and has received positive feedback from users so far. Grammarly Grammarly is a powerful writing assistant that offers substantial advantages to small businesses. It goes beyond simple spell checks, providing advanced grammar and punctuation corrections and enhancing overall writing quality. This means professional and error-free communication for small businesses, improving credibility and customer perception. Grammarly also suggests clearer phrasing and vocabulary, ensuring concise and impactful messages. With its browser extension and integration with various platforms, Grammarly supports seamless writing across emails, social media, and more. The tool also has a positive reputation and the tool is easy to implement. Pictory Pictory is a cutting-edge platform that transforms any content into captivating videos powered by AI. Swift, scalable, and budget-friendly, Pictory aids in generating leads and elevating sales. It crafts engaging snippets for social media by extracting key moments from recordings, enhancing marketing efforts. It also streamlines video sales letter creation, adds captions seamlessly, and breathes life into blogs through video integration. Pictory offers an array of benefits, enabling small businesses to harness the power of AI for impactful video marketing. Surfer SEO Surfer SEO is a valuable tool for small businesses aiming to improve their online presence. It offers data-driven insights to optimize website content, ensuring higher search engine rankings. Surfer SEO helps small businesses tailor their content strategy for maximum visibility by analyzing competitor websites and identifying relevant keywords. This tool is easy to use and provides specific recommendations, such as word count and keyword density, enabling businesses to create content that resonates with their target audience and search algorithms. Small businesses can leverage Surfer SEO to enhance their online reach, attract more visitors, and boost conversions, making it an essential asset in the digital landscape. ElevenLabs ElevenLabs is a powerful Generative Voice AI that’s here to revolutionize how small businesses communicate. Whether you’re a content creator, storyteller, game developer, or author, ElevenLabs has you covered. Craft engaging audiobooks, enhance gaming experiences, and even design AI assistants with personality. This scalable, customizable tool ensures natural intonation and emotion, offering a range of voices in 28 languages. Elevate your content game with ElevenLabs and reach audiences in new, compelling ways. Perplexity Perplexity is an AI research assistant designed to make online information searches feel like an expert guides you. It understands your questions in everyday language and tailors its responses to your preferences. It even engages in conversations to clarify your needs. Small businesses can benefit from Perplexity by quickly getting personalized, relevant answers to their queries, saving time, and enhancing decision-making. HitPaw Photo Enhancer HitPaw Photo Enhancer is a user-friendly tool that brings immense value to small businesses seeking to enhance their visual content. It empowers businesses to upgrade the quality of their images effortlessly. HitPaw enhances the visual quality of product photos, marketing materials, and social media posts by eliminating noise, sharpening details, and enhancing colors. This allows small businesses to produce stunning visuals without requiring advanced editing skills. This tool streamlines the process, saving time and ensuring professional-looking images that resonate with audiences. HitPaw Photo Enhancer serves as a cost-effective solution for small businesses aiming to make a lasting impression through striking visuals. Plus AI Level up your presentations using Plus AI – a game-changing tool for small businesses. Whip up and tweak slides effortlessly with AI’s help, taking your Google Slides experience up a notch. When you plug in the add-on, you’re seamlessly bringing AI into your usual work routine, sparing you from juggling multiple design tools. Crafting custom presentations? It’s a walk in the park – just let us know what you’re after. And the AI-powered editing? It’s like having a personal slide guru. Jasper Jasper AI is a smart writing tool designed to help bloggers, marketers, and small businesses create top-notch content effortlessly. By providing basic details, Jasper generates original content perfect for blogs, marketing materials, and product descriptions. It’s easy to implement, cost-effective, and a great tool for idea brainstorming and content creation. Whether you’re a startup or an established business, Jasper AI has got you covered. With Jasper AI, you can boost your content game without breaking a sweat. Fireflies Fireflies is a valuable tool for small businesses seeking to optimize their meetings and communication. It offers automated transcription services that convert spoken conversations into written text, enhancing record-keeping and accessibility. With its integration capabilities, Fireflies seamlessly syncs transcriptions with various apps and platforms, making information readily available. This tool aids small businesses in maintaining accurate meeting records, extracting actionable insights, and facilitating collaboration. By saving time on manual note-taking and ensuring clarity in communication, Fireflies is a scalable tool that enables small businesses to focus on growth and efficiency, ultimately contributing to improved productivity and streamlined operations. Synthesys Synthesys offers a powerful solution for small businesses aiming to enhance their audio and video content. It utilizes advanced AI technology to generate realistic voiceovers and speech from text. This tool empowers small businesses to create professional audio content for marketing videos, podcasts, and presentations without the need for a recording studio or voice talent. With a variety of language and voice options, Synthesys offers flexibility and customization. Small businesses can save time and resources by creating high-quality audio content that engages their audience, enhances brand messaging, and provides a professional finish to their digital presence. ClickUp ClickUp is a comprehensive project management tool and AI writing assistant with substantial benefits for small businesses. It centralizes tasks, communication, and collaboration in one platform, improving team coordination and efficiency. With customizable features, support, and integrations, ClickUp adapts to diverse business needs. It offers task tracking, document sharing, and goal setting, ensuring projects stay on track. Small businesses can streamline operations, reduce information silos, and foster a cohesive work environment. ClickUp enhances productivity by providing a clear overview of tasks, deadlines, and progress, making it an essential tool for small businesses striving for effective project management and growth. Play.ht Play.ht is a tool that transforms text into lifelike speech, offering a valuable asset to small businesses. With Play.ht, written content such as articles, blogs, or product descriptions can be converted into engaging audio, enhancing accessibility for diverse audiences. This auditory experience can captivate visitors, making the website more interactive and fostering longer engagement. For small businesses, this means increased user retention, improved communication, and the potential to tap into a wider demographic. By adding a human-like voice to their online presence, Play.ht empowers small businesses to convey information more effectively and forge stronger connections with customers. Feature/ToolDescriptionPrimary Use Case for Small Businesses ChatGPTAI-powered tool by OpenAI for interactive conversations.Enhancing customer support, drafting content, and improving interactions. BardGoogle-powered assistant using the PaLM 2 model.Assisting in creative projects, productivity, decision-making, and coding (experimental). MidjourneyGenerative AI for transforming text into images.Creating visual content without artistic skills. GrammarlyAdvanced writing assistant.Ensuring professional communication, grammar correction, and enhancing writing quality. PictoryAI platform that transforms content into videos.Video marketing, extracting key moments for social media, and enhancing blog content. Surfer SEOData-driven SEO tool.Optimizing website content for better search engine ranking. ElevenLabsGenerative Voice AI.Crafting audiobooks, enhancing gaming experiences, designing AI assistants. PerplexityAI research assistant.Personalized and relevant answers to online queries. HitPaw Photo EnhancerAI tool for photo enhancement.Improving visual appeal of images without complex editing. Plus AIAI add-on for Google Slides.Enhancing presentations and AI-powered editing. JasperSmart writing tool.Content creation for blogs, marketing materials, and product descriptions. FirefliesAutomated transcription service.Transcribing meetings, enhancing communication, and syncing transcriptions. SynthesysAI tool for realistic voiceovers.Generating voiceovers for marketing videos, podcasts, and presentations. ClickUpComprehensive project management and AI writing assistant.Task tracking, communication, document sharing, goal setting, and overall project management. Play.htText-to-speech converter.Converting written content into engaging audio, enhancing accessibility, and user retention. Selecting the Best AI Tools for Business Enhancement: Our Methodology We looked at the following factors to craft the above list of the top tools available to today’s businesses. Each factor is listed below and rated on a scale of one to ten in terms of importance, with ten being of the highest importance. Here’s a look at our thought process: Ease of Implementation (Importance Scale: 9/10) User-friendly setup and integration. Minimal technical expertise is required for deployment. Cost-Effectiveness (Importance Scale: 8/10) Affordable pricing with clear ROI. Scalable pricing plans as your business grows. Customizability (Importance Scale: 7/10) Tools that can be tailored to specific business needs. Flexibility to adjust as your business evolves. Data Security (Importance Scale: 10/10) Robust data protection and privacy features. Compliance with relevant data protection regulations. Functionality and Features (Importance Scale: 10/10) Relevant AI capabilities that address your business challenges. Includes features like predictive analytics, automation, or chatbots as needed. Integration with Existing Systems (Importance Scale: 8/10) Compatibility with current business software and tools. Seamless data integration and migration capabilities. Scalability (Importance Scale: 7/10) Ability to handle increasing data volumes and complexity as your business grows. Vendor Support and Training (Importance Scale: 7/10) Access to reliable customer support. Availability of training resources or tutorials to maximize tool usage. Performance Tracking and Analytics (Importance Scale: 6/10) Tools to monitor and analyze the performance and impact of the AI solutions. User Reviews and Industry Reputation (Importance Scale: 5/10) Positive feedback from other users and businesses. Strong reputation within the industry for reliability and effectiveness. Using the above criteria, we’ve delved deep into the AI landscape and identified tools that can revolutionize different facets of business, from human resources and marketing to supply chain management and finance. How to Choose the Right AI for Small Business Picking the perfect AI tool for your small business is like selecting the right tool from a toolbox. Here’s how to find the best fit. Identify Your Business Needs and Goals Begin by understanding your business’s needs and aspirations. Do you seek enhanced customer service or streamlined task management? It’s vital to connect the dots between the AI tool and your specific objectives. Whether it’s boosting sales or optimizing operations, align the AI tool with your business ambitions for optimal results. Compare Features and Pricing of AI Tools Much like shopping for the best deal, delve into the details. Scrutinize the offerings of each AI tool – what features does it bring to the table, and how does the price align? Seek the sweet spot where functionality meets affordability. Ensure that the chosen AI tool provides the maximum value for your investment. Understand the Learning Curve of Artificial Intelligence Tools Navigating AI tools is a bit like learning driving skills. Some are intuitive, while others demand practice. Factor in the learning curve when making your choice. Opt for an AI tool that complements your expertise level. Going for a tool with a learning curve that matches your comfort zone will prevent unnecessary hurdles and ensure a smoother integration process. The Role of AI in Business Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been increasingly integral in reshaping how businesses operate, innovate, and grow. Much like a prodigious employee, AI is highly efficient, unerringly consistent, and always evolving. Its ability to process vast amounts of data in real time allows for insights and efficiencies that were previously unattainable. Data Analysis: Swift Processing: AI can sift through immense datasets at lightning speeds, extracting meaningful information within moments. Insight Generation: AI’s deep data analysis can reveal business trends, customer preferences, and operational inefficiencies, enabling informed decision-making. Predictive Analysis: Beyond just understanding current data, AI can predict future trends, helping businesses strategize and stay ahead of the curve. Retail Enhancements: Optimized Inventory: Based on buying patterns and predictions, AI can recommend inventory restocks or reductions, minimizing overheads. Personalized Shopping: AI can tailor shopping experiences for individual users based on their past behavior, increasing sales and customer satisfaction. Dynamic Pricing: AI algorithms can adjust prices in real-time based on demand, competition, and other market factors. Customer Service Improvements: Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-driven chatbots can handle a multitude of customer queries simultaneously, 24/7, ensuring customers receive timely responses. Sentiment Analysis: AI can analyze customer feedback, reviews, and interactions to determine overall customer sentiment and highlight areas for improvement. Automated Problem Solving: Beyond just answering queries, AI can assist in resolving customer issues, often without human intervention. Operational Efficiency: Automated Task Execution: Routine tasks can be automated using AI, freeing up human resources for more value-driven activities. Supply Chain Optimization: AI can forecast demand, detect potential supply chain disruptions, and suggest alternatives. HR and Recruitment: AI can screen vast numbers of job applications to shortlist candidates based on specific criteria, speeding up the recruitment process. Continuous Availability: 24/7 Operation: AI doesn’t need breaks, vacations, or sleep. It ensures that essential business processes and customer interactions continue around the clock. Consistent Performance: Unlike humans, AI doesn’t have off-days. It provides consistent, error-free performance every single day. AI is a powerhouse for modern businesses, propelling them to new heights of efficiency, personalization, and innovation. With AI, businesses optimize their current operations and pave the way for future growth and transformation. https://youtube.com/watch?v=thLUTRr3lz4%3Fsi%3DG6wkK0bJPSgeo95t Uses of AI Tools for Business: Examples Small businesses can gain big advantages from AI tools. Let’s explore some key areas where AI can be a game-changer. Creating AI Generated Content for Small Businesses: AI can be your writing assistant, crafting blog posts and product descriptions. This saves time and effort and ensures that the writing is not only engaging but also free from errors. Using an AI Tool to Automate Repetitive Tasks: Repetitive tasks can be draining, but AI is your virtual assistant. Whether it’s sorting emails or managing appointments, AI takes care of these tasks, freeing you to focus on more crucial aspects of your business. Leveraging AI Technology for Better Decision-Making: AI transforms data into insights like a crystal ball predicting optimal business choices. By sifting through data, AI helps you make informed decisions, steering your business towards success. Enhancing Customer Relationship Management with AI: AI becomes your customer insights guide. Tracking customer interactions and preferences, AI empowers businesses to effectively provide tailored services that cater to customer needs. Using an AI Tool for Social Media Management: Managing social media becomes effortless with AI. Not only does it schedule posts, but it also analyzes trends, suggesting content ideas that resonate with your audience. Using Artificial Intelligence for Editing Videos: AI simplifies the video editing process. It trims clips, adds captivating effects, and ensures a polished and professional appearance, even if you’re not a video editing expert. Using an AI-Powered Chatbot on Your Website: AI chatbots revolutionize customer service. They’re like your round-the-clock helpers, instantly answering customer queries and creating a seamless, user-friendly experience on your website. Future Trends in AI for Business As businesses continue to harness the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), staying ahead of emerging trends is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Here are some pivotal AI trends that are set to redefine business operations, customer interactions, and market dynamics: AI and Automation Synergy The convergence of AI with automation technologies is creating smarter, more efficient workflows. AI-driven automation extends beyond routine tasks, facilitating strategic decision-making processes. Businesses will increasingly rely on this synergy to optimize operations, reduce costs, and enhance productivity. Advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) NLP technologies are advancing to comprehend, interpret, and generate human language with remarkable accuracy. Future developments will allow businesses to enhance customer service chatbots, streamline content creation, and extract deeper insights from data analysis, leading to more intuitive and personalized interactions. AI-Powered Cybersecurity As cyber threats grow in sophistication, AI will play a pivotal role in detecting and mitigating risks. AI algorithms can analyze patterns and predict potential vulnerabilities, offering real-time protection against emerging threats. Businesses will increasingly adopt AI-powered security solutions to safeguard digital assets. Ethical AI and Governance With AI integration comes the responsibility to address ethical considerations. The trend towards developing ethical AI frameworks and governance models will gain momentum. Businesses will focus on transparency, accountability, and fairness in AI applications, ensuring that AI decisions do not perpetuate biases or inequalities. AI in Decision-Making AI’s ability to analyze vast datasets will be leveraged for strategic decision-making. Predictive analytics and decision intelligence tools will provide businesses with foresight into market trends, consumer behavior, and operational efficiencies, enabling informed, data-driven decisions. Overcoming Challenges in Adopting AI Tools for Business Adopting AI technology can present several challenges for businesses. However, with the right strategies, these obstacles can be overcome to successfully integrate AI into operations: Addressing Data Privacy Concerns Ensure compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. Adopt transparent data collection and processing practices and invest in secure AI systems that protect customer information. Simplifying Technical Complexity AI integration can be daunting due to its technical complexity. Partner with AI vendors that offer user-friendly platforms and robust support services. Consider hiring or training staff with AI expertise to facilitate smoother implementation and troubleshooting. Managing Change Resistance Change resistance can hinder AI adoption. Foster a culture of innovation by educating employees on the benefits of AI and involving them in the transition process. Highlight how AI can augment their work, not replace it, and provide necessary training to build confidence in using new technologies. Ensuring Ethical AI Use Develop ethical guidelines for the use of AI that prioritize fairness, accountability, and transparency. Regularly assess AI decisions for potential biases and take corrective actions as necessary. Involve stakeholders in discussions about ethical issues and potential solutions. How to Stay Updated with Developments in AI Tools for Business Keeping abreast of AI developments is essential for leveraging the latest technologies and staying competitive. Here are ways to stay informed: Follow Industry Publications and Blogs Subscribe to reputable AI and technology news sources, such as TechCrunch, Wired, and the AI section of MIT Technology Review. These platforms provide insights into the latest AI research, trends, and applications. Participate in Online Courses and Webinars Engage in continuous learning through online courses offered by platforms like Coursera, edX, and Udemy. Many institutions and companies offer webinars on AI advancements and practical applications, providing valuable learning opportunities. Join Professional Networks and Forums Become part of AI and tech-focused professional networks, such as LinkedIn groups or forums like Reddit’s r/MachineLearning. These communities are great for sharing knowledge, discussing trends, and networking with AI professionals. Attend Conferences and Trade Shows Attend AI and technology conferences, trade shows, and workshops, such as CES, TechCrunch Disrupt, and the AI Summit series. These events offer insights from industry leaders, showcase innovative solutions, and provide networking opportunities. By recognizing future AI trends, tackling adoption challenges, and staying updated on advancements, businesses can successfully navigate the complexities of AI integration and fully leverage its potential to foster growth and innovation. FAQs: AI Tools for Business Are the Best AI tools affordable for Small Business Owners? Affordability is a key concern for small business owners when exploring AI tools. While some options might seem pricey, it’s important to weigh the potential benefits against the costs. Look for tools that offer a range of pricing plans and consider the long-term value they can bring to your business. What Are Some Things Small Businesses Should Consider Before They Implement AI? Before diving into AI, small businesses should evaluate their needs. Identify specific areas where AI can make a difference, such as automating tasks or improving back office operations. Also, consider the learning curve – choose tools that match your team’s skill level to ensure a smooth integration. For example, you may research questions like, “What is a prompt in Chat GPT?” before getting started. Will an AI-Powered Solution Really Help with the Content Creation Process? Absolutely! AI-powered tools can be a game-changer in content creation. They analyze data, generate ideas, and even craft text. While they’re not creative geniuses, they can save time and offer a fresh perspective. However, human touch is still valuable to ensure content resonates with your audience. Research tools like Chat GPT vs Jasper AI to find the best content creation tool for your business. How can natural language processing benefit small businesses in their customer support operations? Natural language processing (NLP) is like teaching computers to understand and talk like humans. For small businesses, NLP helps in customer support. Computers can chat with customers, understand their issues, and provide solutions – just like a human support agent. It improves customer experience measurement and frees up your team for more complex tasks. Image: Envato Elements This article, "The Best AI Tools for Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Harnessing the power of AI tools has become a game-changer for small businesses. This article goes into a compilation of the most effective AI tools for business users. From enhancing customer engagement to optimizing operations, these tools hold the potential to revolutionize various facets of modern enterprises. What are AI Tools for Business and Machine Learning? In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning (ML) tools are revolutionizing how businesses operate, make decisions, and interact with customers. AI tools for business encompass a wide range of applications designed to mimic human intelligence through tasks such as language understanding, pattern recognition, problem-solving, and decision-making. These tools leverage algorithms to enable systems to perform complex tasks autonomously without needing explicit instructions for every step. AI tools in business settings extend beyond simple automation, offering capabilities that include: Problem-solving: AI tools can analyze situations, identify problems, and devise effective solutions, mirroring human cognitive processes. Learning and Adaptation: These tools learn from interactions and data, refining their algorithms over time to improve performance and adapt to new information. Self-correction: AI systems are capable of recognizing errors and learning from them to avoid future mistakes. Reasoning and Decision-making: By evaluating data and possible outcomes, AI tools can make informed decisions, often in real time. Sensory Perception: Advanced AI applications can interpret external data through sight, sound, and other sensors, enabling richer interactions and responses to environmental stimuli. Machine Learning in Business Machine Learning, a critical subset of AI, focuses specifically on data analysis and pattern recognition. ML tools for business are designed to: Process Data Efficiently: ML tools can analyze large datasets to reveal trends and insights that would be difficult, if not impossible, for humans to discover on their own. Learn from Data: ML models improve by continuously processing new data, enabling them to make increasingly accurate predictions and decisions. Identify Patterns: These tools excel at recognizing patterns and regularities within data, providing a foundation for predictive analytics and personalized customer experiences. Adapt Over Time: Machine learning (ML) systems evolve with new data and shifting conditions, allowing businesses to stay agile and responsive. Automate Decision-making: ML enables the automation of complex decision-making processes, relying on data-driven insights to guide actions. AI and Machine Learning tools are essential for businesses seeking to enhance efficiency, innovate services, and create more engaging, personalized customer experiences. By harnessing these technologies, companies can unlock new opportunities for growth and competitive advantage. Essential AI Tools for Business We will now explore a curated list of the top 15 AI tools for business, each offering unique benefits and applications to transform various aspects of enterprise operations. ChatGPT ChatGPT is an advanced AI-powered tool developed by OpenAI. So, exactly what is Chat GPT, and how does Chat GPT work? It’s designed to have interactive conversations with users, providing human-like responses and solutions. For small businesses, ChatGPT offers diverse benefits. It can enhance customer support by addressing ChatGPT prompts instantly and accurately, ensuring better engagement. Additionally, it can assist in drafting content for marketing or communications, saving time and maintaining consistent quality. ChatGPT’s ease of implementation, customizability, and 24/7 availability make it an invaluable asset for small businesses looking to improve customer interactions and streamline various tasks, ultimately boosting efficiency and customer satisfaction. Bard Bard is a Google-powered assistant designed to collaborate with you using the PaLM 2 model. With Bard, you can harness the power of AI for creative projects, enhance productivity, and make complex topics simple to understand. Whether it’s planning an event, making decisions, or comprehending intricate concepts, Bard lends a hand. It can even assist with coding, though it’s still experimental. This makes it one of the most customizable tools out there. Midjourney Midjourney, a generative AI program, lets you turn simple text into stunning images without artistic skills. This AI innovation is like DALL-E and Stable Diffusion, creating images from written descriptions. Midjourney’s roots are independent, and it uses novel technologies like large language models and diffusion to turn ideas into visuals. It’s a game-changer for businesses seeking visual content effortlessly and has received positive feedback from users so far. Grammarly Grammarly is a powerful writing assistant that offers substantial advantages to small businesses. It goes beyond simple spell checks, providing advanced grammar and punctuation corrections and enhancing overall writing quality. This means professional and error-free communication for small businesses, improving credibility and customer perception. Grammarly also suggests clearer phrasing and vocabulary, ensuring concise and impactful messages. With its browser extension and integration with various platforms, Grammarly supports seamless writing across emails, social media, and more. The tool also has a positive reputation and the tool is easy to implement. Pictory Pictory is a cutting-edge platform that transforms any content into captivating videos powered by AI. Swift, scalable, and budget-friendly, Pictory aids in generating leads and elevating sales. It crafts engaging snippets for social media by extracting key moments from recordings, enhancing marketing efforts. It also streamlines video sales letter creation, adds captions seamlessly, and breathes life into blogs through video integration. Pictory offers an array of benefits, enabling small businesses to harness the power of AI for impactful video marketing. Surfer SEO Surfer SEO is a valuable tool for small businesses aiming to improve their online presence. It offers data-driven insights to optimize website content, ensuring higher search engine rankings. Surfer SEO helps small businesses tailor their content strategy for maximum visibility by analyzing competitor websites and identifying relevant keywords. This tool is easy to use and provides specific recommendations, such as word count and keyword density, enabling businesses to create content that resonates with their target audience and search algorithms. Small businesses can leverage Surfer SEO to enhance their online reach, attract more visitors, and boost conversions, making it an essential asset in the digital landscape. ElevenLabs ElevenLabs is a powerful Generative Voice AI that’s here to revolutionize how small businesses communicate. Whether you’re a content creator, storyteller, game developer, or author, ElevenLabs has you covered. Craft engaging audiobooks, enhance gaming experiences, and even design AI assistants with personality. This scalable, customizable tool ensures natural intonation and emotion, offering a range of voices in 28 languages. Elevate your content game with ElevenLabs and reach audiences in new, compelling ways. Perplexity Perplexity is an AI research assistant designed to make online information searches feel like an expert guides you. It understands your questions in everyday language and tailors its responses to your preferences. It even engages in conversations to clarify your needs. Small businesses can benefit from Perplexity by quickly getting personalized, relevant answers to their queries, saving time, and enhancing decision-making. HitPaw Photo Enhancer HitPaw Photo Enhancer is a user-friendly tool that brings immense value to small businesses seeking to enhance their visual content. It empowers businesses to upgrade the quality of their images effortlessly. HitPaw enhances the visual quality of product photos, marketing materials, and social media posts by eliminating noise, sharpening details, and enhancing colors. This allows small businesses to produce stunning visuals without requiring advanced editing skills. This tool streamlines the process, saving time and ensuring professional-looking images that resonate with audiences. HitPaw Photo Enhancer serves as a cost-effective solution for small businesses aiming to make a lasting impression through striking visuals. Plus AI Level up your presentations using Plus AI – a game-changing tool for small businesses. Whip up and tweak slides effortlessly with AI’s help, taking your Google Slides experience up a notch. When you plug in the add-on, you’re seamlessly bringing AI into your usual work routine, sparing you from juggling multiple design tools. Crafting custom presentations? It’s a walk in the park – just let us know what you’re after. And the AI-powered editing? It’s like having a personal slide guru. Jasper Jasper AI is a smart writing tool designed to help bloggers, marketers, and small businesses create top-notch content effortlessly. By providing basic details, Jasper generates original content perfect for blogs, marketing materials, and product descriptions. It’s easy to implement, cost-effective, and a great tool for idea brainstorming and content creation. Whether you’re a startup or an established business, Jasper AI has got you covered. With Jasper AI, you can boost your content game without breaking a sweat. Fireflies Fireflies is a valuable tool for small businesses seeking to optimize their meetings and communication. It offers automated transcription services that convert spoken conversations into written text, enhancing record-keeping and accessibility. With its integration capabilities, Fireflies seamlessly syncs transcriptions with various apps and platforms, making information readily available. This tool aids small businesses in maintaining accurate meeting records, extracting actionable insights, and facilitating collaboration. By saving time on manual note-taking and ensuring clarity in communication, Fireflies is a scalable tool that enables small businesses to focus on growth and efficiency, ultimately contributing to improved productivity and streamlined operations. Synthesys Synthesys offers a powerful solution for small businesses aiming to enhance their audio and video content. It utilizes advanced AI technology to generate realistic voiceovers and speech from text. This tool empowers small businesses to create professional audio content for marketing videos, podcasts, and presentations without the need for a recording studio or voice talent. With a variety of language and voice options, Synthesys offers flexibility and customization. Small businesses can save time and resources by creating high-quality audio content that engages their audience, enhances brand messaging, and provides a professional finish to their digital presence. ClickUp ClickUp is a comprehensive project management tool and AI writing assistant with substantial benefits for small businesses. It centralizes tasks, communication, and collaboration in one platform, improving team coordination and efficiency. With customizable features, support, and integrations, ClickUp adapts to diverse business needs. It offers task tracking, document sharing, and goal setting, ensuring projects stay on track. Small businesses can streamline operations, reduce information silos, and foster a cohesive work environment. ClickUp enhances productivity by providing a clear overview of tasks, deadlines, and progress, making it an essential tool for small businesses striving for effective project management and growth. Play.ht Play.ht is a tool that transforms text into lifelike speech, offering a valuable asset to small businesses. With Play.ht, written content such as articles, blogs, or product descriptions can be converted into engaging audio, enhancing accessibility for diverse audiences. This auditory experience can captivate visitors, making the website more interactive and fostering longer engagement. For small businesses, this means increased user retention, improved communication, and the potential to tap into a wider demographic. By adding a human-like voice to their online presence, Play.ht empowers small businesses to convey information more effectively and forge stronger connections with customers. Feature/ToolDescriptionPrimary Use Case for Small Businesses ChatGPTAI-powered tool by OpenAI for interactive conversations.Enhancing customer support, drafting content, and improving interactions. BardGoogle-powered assistant using the PaLM 2 model.Assisting in creative projects, productivity, decision-making, and coding (experimental). MidjourneyGenerative AI for transforming text into images.Creating visual content without artistic skills. GrammarlyAdvanced writing assistant.Ensuring professional communication, grammar correction, and enhancing writing quality. PictoryAI platform that transforms content into videos.Video marketing, extracting key moments for social media, and enhancing blog content. Surfer SEOData-driven SEO tool.Optimizing website content for better search engine ranking. ElevenLabsGenerative Voice AI.Crafting audiobooks, enhancing gaming experiences, designing AI assistants. PerplexityAI research assistant.Personalized and relevant answers to online queries. HitPaw Photo EnhancerAI tool for photo enhancement.Improving visual appeal of images without complex editing. Plus AIAI add-on for Google Slides.Enhancing presentations and AI-powered editing. JasperSmart writing tool.Content creation for blogs, marketing materials, and product descriptions. FirefliesAutomated transcription service.Transcribing meetings, enhancing communication, and syncing transcriptions. SynthesysAI tool for realistic voiceovers.Generating voiceovers for marketing videos, podcasts, and presentations. ClickUpComprehensive project management and AI writing assistant.Task tracking, communication, document sharing, goal setting, and overall project management. Play.htText-to-speech converter.Converting written content into engaging audio, enhancing accessibility, and user retention. Selecting the Best AI Tools for Business Enhancement: Our Methodology We looked at the following factors to craft the above list of the top tools available to today’s businesses. Each factor is listed below and rated on a scale of one to ten in terms of importance, with ten being of the highest importance. Here’s a look at our thought process: Ease of Implementation (Importance Scale: 9/10) User-friendly setup and integration. Minimal technical expertise is required for deployment. Cost-Effectiveness (Importance Scale: 8/10) Affordable pricing with clear ROI. Scalable pricing plans as your business grows. Customizability (Importance Scale: 7/10) Tools that can be tailored to specific business needs. Flexibility to adjust as your business evolves. Data Security (Importance Scale: 10/10) Robust data protection and privacy features. Compliance with relevant data protection regulations. Functionality and Features (Importance Scale: 10/10) Relevant AI capabilities that address your business challenges. Includes features like predictive analytics, automation, or chatbots as needed. Integration with Existing Systems (Importance Scale: 8/10) Compatibility with current business software and tools. Seamless data integration and migration capabilities. Scalability (Importance Scale: 7/10) Ability to handle increasing data volumes and complexity as your business grows. Vendor Support and Training (Importance Scale: 7/10) Access to reliable customer support. Availability of training resources or tutorials to maximize tool usage. Performance Tracking and Analytics (Importance Scale: 6/10) Tools to monitor and analyze the performance and impact of the AI solutions. User Reviews and Industry Reputation (Importance Scale: 5/10) Positive feedback from other users and businesses. Strong reputation within the industry for reliability and effectiveness. Using the above criteria, we’ve delved deep into the AI landscape and identified tools that can revolutionize different facets of business, from human resources and marketing to supply chain management and finance. How to Choose the Right AI for Small Business Picking the perfect AI tool for your small business is like selecting the right tool from a toolbox. Here’s how to find the best fit. Identify Your Business Needs and Goals Begin by understanding your business’s needs and aspirations. Do you seek enhanced customer service or streamlined task management? It’s vital to connect the dots between the AI tool and your specific objectives. Whether it’s boosting sales or optimizing operations, align the AI tool with your business ambitions for optimal results. Compare Features and Pricing of AI Tools Much like shopping for the best deal, delve into the details. Scrutinize the offerings of each AI tool – what features does it bring to the table, and how does the price align? Seek the sweet spot where functionality meets affordability. Ensure that the chosen AI tool provides the maximum value for your investment. Understand the Learning Curve of Artificial Intelligence Tools Navigating AI tools is a bit like learning driving skills. Some are intuitive, while others demand practice. Factor in the learning curve when making your choice. Opt for an AI tool that complements your expertise level. Going for a tool with a learning curve that matches your comfort zone will prevent unnecessary hurdles and ensure a smoother integration process. The Role of AI in Business Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been increasingly integral in reshaping how businesses operate, innovate, and grow. Much like a prodigious employee, AI is highly efficient, unerringly consistent, and always evolving. Its ability to process vast amounts of data in real time allows for insights and efficiencies that were previously unattainable. Data Analysis: Swift Processing: AI can sift through immense datasets at lightning speeds, extracting meaningful information within moments. Insight Generation: AI’s deep data analysis can reveal business trends, customer preferences, and operational inefficiencies, enabling informed decision-making. Predictive Analysis: Beyond just understanding current data, AI can predict future trends, helping businesses strategize and stay ahead of the curve. Retail Enhancements: Optimized Inventory: Based on buying patterns and predictions, AI can recommend inventory restocks or reductions, minimizing overheads. Personalized Shopping: AI can tailor shopping experiences for individual users based on their past behavior, increasing sales and customer satisfaction. Dynamic Pricing: AI algorithms can adjust prices in real-time based on demand, competition, and other market factors. Customer Service Improvements: Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-driven chatbots can handle a multitude of customer queries simultaneously, 24/7, ensuring customers receive timely responses. Sentiment Analysis: AI can analyze customer feedback, reviews, and interactions to determine overall customer sentiment and highlight areas for improvement. Automated Problem Solving: Beyond just answering queries, AI can assist in resolving customer issues, often without human intervention. Operational Efficiency: Automated Task Execution: Routine tasks can be automated using AI, freeing up human resources for more value-driven activities. Supply Chain Optimization: AI can forecast demand, detect potential supply chain disruptions, and suggest alternatives. HR and Recruitment: AI can screen vast numbers of job applications to shortlist candidates based on specific criteria, speeding up the recruitment process. Continuous Availability: 24/7 Operation: AI doesn’t need breaks, vacations, or sleep. It ensures that essential business processes and customer interactions continue around the clock. Consistent Performance: Unlike humans, AI doesn’t have off-days. It provides consistent, error-free performance every single day. AI is a powerhouse for modern businesses, propelling them to new heights of efficiency, personalization, and innovation. With AI, businesses optimize their current operations and pave the way for future growth and transformation. https://youtube.com/watch?v=thLUTRr3lz4%3Fsi%3DG6wkK0bJPSgeo95t Uses of AI Tools for Business: Examples Small businesses can gain big advantages from AI tools. Let’s explore some key areas where AI can be a game-changer. Creating AI Generated Content for Small Businesses: AI can be your writing assistant, crafting blog posts and product descriptions. This saves time and effort and ensures that the writing is not only engaging but also free from errors. Using an AI Tool to Automate Repetitive Tasks: Repetitive tasks can be draining, but AI is your virtual assistant. Whether it’s sorting emails or managing appointments, AI takes care of these tasks, freeing you to focus on more crucial aspects of your business. Leveraging AI Technology for Better Decision-Making: AI transforms data into insights like a crystal ball predicting optimal business choices. By sifting through data, AI helps you make informed decisions, steering your business towards success. Enhancing Customer Relationship Management with AI: AI becomes your customer insights guide. Tracking customer interactions and preferences, AI empowers businesses to effectively provide tailored services that cater to customer needs. Using an AI Tool for Social Media Management: Managing social media becomes effortless with AI. Not only does it schedule posts, but it also analyzes trends, suggesting content ideas that resonate with your audience. Using Artificial Intelligence for Editing Videos: AI simplifies the video editing process. It trims clips, adds captivating effects, and ensures a polished and professional appearance, even if you’re not a video editing expert. Using an AI-Powered Chatbot on Your Website: AI chatbots revolutionize customer service. They’re like your round-the-clock helpers, instantly answering customer queries and creating a seamless, user-friendly experience on your website. Future Trends in AI for Business As businesses continue to harness the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), staying ahead of emerging trends is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Here are some pivotal AI trends that are set to redefine business operations, customer interactions, and market dynamics: AI and Automation Synergy The convergence of AI with automation technologies is creating smarter, more efficient workflows. AI-driven automation extends beyond routine tasks, facilitating strategic decision-making processes. Businesses will increasingly rely on this synergy to optimize operations, reduce costs, and enhance productivity. Advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) NLP technologies are advancing to comprehend, interpret, and generate human language with remarkable accuracy. Future developments will allow businesses to enhance customer service chatbots, streamline content creation, and extract deeper insights from data analysis, leading to more intuitive and personalized interactions. AI-Powered Cybersecurity As cyber threats grow in sophistication, AI will play a pivotal role in detecting and mitigating risks. AI algorithms can analyze patterns and predict potential vulnerabilities, offering real-time protection against emerging threats. Businesses will increasingly adopt AI-powered security solutions to safeguard digital assets. Ethical AI and Governance With AI integration comes the responsibility to address ethical considerations. The trend towards developing ethical AI frameworks and governance models will gain momentum. Businesses will focus on transparency, accountability, and fairness in AI applications, ensuring that AI decisions do not perpetuate biases or inequalities. AI in Decision-Making AI’s ability to analyze vast datasets will be leveraged for strategic decision-making. Predictive analytics and decision intelligence tools will provide businesses with foresight into market trends, consumer behavior, and operational efficiencies, enabling informed, data-driven decisions. Overcoming Challenges in Adopting AI Tools for Business Adopting AI technology can present several challenges for businesses. However, with the right strategies, these obstacles can be overcome to successfully integrate AI into operations: Addressing Data Privacy Concerns Ensure compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. Adopt transparent data collection and processing practices and invest in secure AI systems that protect customer information. Simplifying Technical Complexity AI integration can be daunting due to its technical complexity. Partner with AI vendors that offer user-friendly platforms and robust support services. Consider hiring or training staff with AI expertise to facilitate smoother implementation and troubleshooting. Managing Change Resistance Change resistance can hinder AI adoption. Foster a culture of innovation by educating employees on the benefits of AI and involving them in the transition process. Highlight how AI can augment their work, not replace it, and provide necessary training to build confidence in using new technologies. Ensuring Ethical AI Use Develop ethical guidelines for the use of AI that prioritize fairness, accountability, and transparency. Regularly assess AI decisions for potential biases and take corrective actions as necessary. Involve stakeholders in discussions about ethical issues and potential solutions. How to Stay Updated with Developments in AI Tools for Business Keeping abreast of AI developments is essential for leveraging the latest technologies and staying competitive. Here are ways to stay informed: Follow Industry Publications and Blogs Subscribe to reputable AI and technology news sources, such as TechCrunch, Wired, and the AI section of MIT Technology Review. These platforms provide insights into the latest AI research, trends, and applications. Participate in Online Courses and Webinars Engage in continuous learning through online courses offered by platforms like Coursera, edX, and Udemy. Many institutions and companies offer webinars on AI advancements and practical applications, providing valuable learning opportunities. Join Professional Networks and Forums Become part of AI and tech-focused professional networks, such as LinkedIn groups or forums like Reddit’s r/MachineLearning. These communities are great for sharing knowledge, discussing trends, and networking with AI professionals. Attend Conferences and Trade Shows Attend AI and technology conferences, trade shows, and workshops, such as CES, TechCrunch Disrupt, and the AI Summit series. These events offer insights from industry leaders, showcase innovative solutions, and provide networking opportunities. By recognizing future AI trends, tackling adoption challenges, and staying updated on advancements, businesses can successfully navigate the complexities of AI integration and fully leverage its potential to foster growth and innovation. FAQs: AI Tools for Business Are the Best AI tools affordable for Small Business Owners? Affordability is a key concern for small business owners when exploring AI tools. While some options might seem pricey, it’s important to weigh the potential benefits against the costs. Look for tools that offer a range of pricing plans and consider the long-term value they can bring to your business. What Are Some Things Small Businesses Should Consider Before They Implement AI? Before diving into AI, small businesses should evaluate their needs. Identify specific areas where AI can make a difference, such as automating tasks or improving back office operations. Also, consider the learning curve – choose tools that match your team’s skill level to ensure a smooth integration. For example, you may research questions like, “What is a prompt in Chat GPT?” before getting started. Will an AI-Powered Solution Really Help with the Content Creation Process? Absolutely! AI-powered tools can be a game-changer in content creation. They analyze data, generate ideas, and even craft text. While they’re not creative geniuses, they can save time and offer a fresh perspective. However, human touch is still valuable to ensure content resonates with your audience. Research tools like Chat GPT vs Jasper AI to find the best content creation tool for your business. How can natural language processing benefit small businesses in their customer support operations? Natural language processing (NLP) is like teaching computers to understand and talk like humans. For small businesses, NLP helps in customer support. Computers can chat with customers, understand their issues, and provide solutions – just like a human support agent. It improves customer experience measurement and frees up your team for more complex tasks. Image: Envato Elements This article, "The Best AI Tools for Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Dried paint was becoming a problem for Billie Asmus. An entrepreneur who was running a small furniture refinishing company from her basement studio, she kept having to toss out paint trays that were caked with dried paint. “I looked over at my garbage can and it was just filled with plastic paint dry liners. And I was like, oh my gosh, there seriously has to be a better way. Something that’s more sustainable, something with a lid, something that’s reusable,” she says. It was 2021. She searched in all the typical places online for a product that could cut down her modest business’s immodest waste stream. “Nothing showed up,” she says. “That sent me down this huge rabbit hole of seeing if anything was even out there, or how I could make something like this exist.” Billie Asmus [Photo: Repaint Studios] And that’s how Asmus created a silicone-based paint tray system that is endlessly reusable, capable of keeping paint fresh for weeks, and cleanable by simply peeling off pain after it’s dried. The Repaint Tray is a clever reinvention of a utilitarian tool. It could be the last paint tray some painters ever need to buy. The idea for the tray was spurred by a speed bump Asmus hit while renovating her home. She was painting over an unfortunate orange color scheme in the bathroom and trying to get the new shade as close to the shower’s edge as possible. Her clean paint job was foiled by a line of silicone caulking. “Paint would not adhere to it no matter how much you tried,” she says. The experience stuck in her mind, and jumped out when she was looking at just how many paint trays she was going through in her furniture refinishing work. Silicone, she figured, could be the basis for a better, reusable tray. With $50 worth of medical grade silicone and some foam board she bought at a dollar store, she made her first mockup. The concept worked, and she saw the inkling of a business. [Photo: Repaint Studios] Asmus then enrolled in an entrepreneurship course, and spent a year interviewing DIYers, manufacturers, and business people to better understand the market. She also refined her prototype to a familiar metal paint tray, a bright green silicone liner that fits snugly inside it, and a matching lid that creates and airtight seal over the top. By January 2023, she had enough momentum and a solid enough design to approach manufacturers. That fall she had a preproduction model in hand that is capable of being used with water-, acrylic, and latex-based paints, but not oil-based paints or varnishes. [Photo: Repaint Studios] That was enough to get her accepted into a product pitch competition run by the home improvement chain Lowe’s. Her reusable paint tray concept won the competition’s paint category, and she got her first official order from the national retailer. “We launched February 1 of 2024, and I ordered the minimum amount of trays I could possibly get, which was 5,000 units,” she says. “I ended up selling out within four months.” A year later, more that 10,000 Repaint Trays have been sold, including in more than 400 Lowe’s stores, as well as through Asmus’s website. DIYers are the main market for the tray system, but Asmus says a fair number of commercial painters are also using it. Their experience reusing the tray over and over again has been validating, she says. It may also be opening a door for her business to expand. “The biggest thing I hear from them that they want something bigger,” she says. “We are already working on developing new products.” View the full article

Excess capacity remains in the mortgage origination cycle, and lenders need to cut costs and end the boom-and-bust hiring, Boston Consulting Group said. View the full article

The Doomsday Clock is perhaps the most sobering graphic symbol ever created: a quarter of a clock with four big dots to mark the countdown to midnight, an euphemism for the end of world You might think that the significance of a clock that counts down the moments until humanity’s annihilation can’t be understated, yet its physical form has always been lightweight compared to its intent. For 78 years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists have presented a new tic-tock of doom in a press conference, informing the public of the latest doom countdown based on the events of the past year. Each year, they accompanied the news with a physical representation of the clock that is not much of a clock at all. Rather, it’s a flimsy panel with paper hands and dots stuck to it. The occasion needed a much stronger visual, one that would attract the attention of photo editors everywhere. That happened last week, when a new clock appeared one tic closer to apocalypse: It is 89 seconds to midnight. [Image: courtesy Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists] “The physical clock that they were using was basically like a whiteboard,” says Juan Noguera, Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. “They would unveil it by pulling this black cloth and it was just a wobbly setup, with stuff almost falling off it.” Together with Tom Weiss, Associate Department Head at the Rhode Island School of Design and founder of Altimeter Design Group, Noguera redesigned the physical clock in 2024. It came at the request of Rachel Bronson, then the President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Bronson wanted something more iconic; something that would capture the gravity of the clock’s message. The physical clock had to be as powerful as the symbol it represents; it need to command the attention of photographers and journalists who could echo the message of this timepiece of doom. The bulletin’s June 1947 cover page [Image: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists] Tic-toc to apocalypse American artist Martyl Suzanne Langsdorf conceived of the very first Doomsday Clock back in 1947. It followed the aesthetic of public clocks of that era. It featured a minimalistic large face with smaller dots and a white minute hand that was much thinner than the black hour hand, which was anchored at 12. That design served as a stark reminder of nuclear danger for nearly 80 years, becoming a universally recognized symbol of existential threat. The clock’s hand has moved closer to and further from midnight over the years, reflecting the changing global landscape of nuclear risk and climate change. As things got really grim during the worst years of the Cold War, the clock design went from showing only the second half hour of a face to showing just the quarter, Noguera says. It never went back past the 45 minute mark again. The 2017 iteration [Image: Pentagram] In 2017, design studio Pentagram updated the Doomsday Clock’s graphic symbol, modernizing its look while maintaining its iconic essence. “I believe [Pentagram] hastily produced a physical version of it that had been used by the bulletin in events since then,” Noguera says. The Pentagram symbol was strong then and now, however, and it served as the foundation for Noguera and Weiss’s design of the physical clock from the very beginning of the process. Noguera and Weiss started with traditional sketches, which were then brought to life using a generative AI tool called Vizcom that lets designers add color, texture, and lighting to their sketches. The front of the physical clock is a flat surface that features the graphic symbol designed by Pentagram. Under it, Noguera and Weis introduced two lines of text that spell out the time in English. According to Noguera, this element turned out to be a big success, as most of the photographers focused on it during the presentation. The typography on the clock face uses the Bulletin’s specific Helvetica subvariant, ensuring consistency with their brand identity. On the back of the clock there’s the logo of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set over a gently curved surface that gets thinner towards the top. Their design also included a pedestal. At the beginning they played with the idea of making the entire thing a large monolith but ultimately decided to separate the two pieces. Leaving the face as its own object meant Bulletin could more easily bring the two parts around the world to different events. It also allowed for a unique aesthetic. “We wanted that dichotomy of the handmade traditional and the 3D printed object,” Noguera says. “A deliberate juxtaposition of modern technology and traditional craftsmanship.” [Image: courtesy Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists] A star is born Once they locked this design, they created CAD models for manufacturing. The clock was 3D printed in a single piece that’s 33 inches tall. Embedded within the clock face are close to 100 magnets that hold the hands and the interchangeable numbers and text, which allows the date and text to be easily updated. This clock rests on a handcrafted wooden pedestal. “The pedestal for the clock itself is completely handmade, intentionally, very traditionally,” Noguera says. The legs of the pedestal were hand-turned, and the walls were steam-bent. The entire piece is an imposing 6.5 feet tall. The new Doomsday Clock made its debut at the Bulletin’s 2025 press conference on January 28, where it was the star. Its striking design and prominent display ensured that the clock’s message was front and center in media coverage, Noguera told me with satisfaction: “Instead of seeing some people talking on the photos like every other year before, now you see the clock featured in every single shot.” View the full article

Adapted from Nonlinear: Navigating Design With Curiosity and Conviction (MIT Press, February 4, 2025). When I open my smartphone in the morning, every social media app is full of advertisements marketing something to me. I feel like I’m trapped in a circuitous loop from ads and information coming through my devices: “Buy this, buy that!” We’re all stuck in this loop. Can we fix it? John Maeda (vice president of engineering, computational design, and AI at Microsoft) once created a computational artwork of an infinity loop that he often uses in his keynotes. We talked about my interpretation of his visual during a video livestream together back in 2020. I likened it to the accelerating paradigm of “marketers marketing and consumers consuming.” I often think about the harm of such paradigms accelerating and impinging on society and our planet. How might we envision actually showing up for people when and where they need us the most? What are the vectors that will lead us to that place? Instead of being encouraged to buy things people don’t need, how can we creatively and intuitively deliver what they do need? We can imagine a wide range of answers to that question. In my own work at dreams • design + life, I pay particular attention to those opportunities that potentially foster a better way of showing up for people and communities. I try to prioritize our time for those projects that meet people where they are versus feeding into unsustainable cycles of consumption. In my mind, there are a couple qualities I tend to lean on that illuminate how brands might show up. Utility When we design something new that captures someone’s attention, what path of new utility are we actually creating for them? What are we making that’s actually useful for their needs? How are we helping them complete a step that’s naturally part of the journey they want to fulfill? Can that step be accomplished faster, better, and more meaningfully than the things they are already doing today? One of my first client partners was a biotech venture called Invoy, founded by Lubna Ahmad. Invoy helps people lose and maintain weight without depending on food journals, bathroom scales, or single diet solutions. Instead, Invoy uses breath technology and expert coaching to generate high engagement and a positive member experience, leading to sustainable weight loss and weight management. Stepping on an outdated bathroom scale [Image: courtesy MIT Press] With Invoy, I wake up every morning and exhale into the breath device for a few seconds. Using the Invoy app, I answer a series of questions, reflecting on my behaviors over the past 24 hours, after which I allow the breath device to finish analyzing my breath sample. The app reveals a breath score at the end of the analysis (which takes no more than two minutes to finish). Later in the day, you can engage your Invoy program analyst through the chat feature in the app, and they will help you interpret your results and give you actionable recommendations that cut across diet, exercise, and many forms of habits. By breathing into the device every morning, I found myself empowered with a level of agency that I didn’t have before. Information Relevance To understand any new form of utility we can bring to someone’s journey, we also have to understand the full context of paradigms and realities they are experiencing. In the digital age, they likely have information impinging upon them in a million different directions. To give someone confidence that your new solution is appropriate for them, they need relevant information (benefits, reviews, ratings, feedback, etc.) that shows this utility is specifically for them and their needs. If we think back to Invoy and its focus on the morning moment of truth, the new utility of a breath device requires enveloping that within a delicate orchestration of information that would give someone confidence that it’s worthwhile to breathe into the device every morning. The Invoy team could easily overwhelm their members with all the data that was at their disposal from every breath test. Instead, Invoy’s platform outputs a very simple breath score (on a scale of 0.0 to 15.0) that gives you a sense of whether you’re burning fat, staying neutral, or storing fat. If the resulting breath score falls below 3.0, that means you are probably using different energy stores (e.g., glucose from carbohydrates) other than fat. That may or may not be fine, but at least you know what’s exactly happening if you notice your weight trending up due to the likely storage of fat. If the breath score falls between 4.0 and 15.0, then you are surely using fat as an energy source and you should expect the fat composition in your body to decrease. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs [Image: courtesy MIT Press] Emotional Resonance Assuming that we create a new utility that proves itself beneficial, that’s great. To give someone confidence that the new utility is for them, we need relevant and succinct information that would provide them necessary context about the solution’s fit for their needs. We have to earn their respect and trust that our brand deserves the right to belong within their preferred journey. How we show up matters. With Invoy, eliciting a conversation with someone about their weight raises all types of stigmas and emotions. Every one of us can probably identify a life stage in which we had difficulty managing our weight. In those moments, we probably felt like failures. The reality is that we were probably working with outdated tools, such as the bathroom scale or food journal. When we look at that number on the scale, we feel judged and insecure. In reality, our weight challenges are not necessarily our fault as much as we are led to believe. Deep down (and many members have said this), members recognize their need for structure and an objective coach, who can be a bit more data-driven than a cheerleader—not someone that will blame them for their missteps and make them feel worse. Program analysts must be objective with the data, providing clear facts about what’s happening in each of their member’s bodies, but they also need to be compassionate in the delivery of key insights and behavioral recommendations. A good coach never beats up someone who falls off track. They must affirm and encourage a member when that member is doing something right, and they must offer constructive guidance whenever there’s a deviation. Add a healthy dose of empathy and compassion to be helpful, and that has garnered Invoy program analysts’ success in building emotional resonance with Invoy’s members over the long run. * * * Finding opportunities to break out of the infinity loop is not easy. Serendipity, proactiveness, and market timing may be the variables manifesting together that allow an innovation to succeed. These are vectors we have to sense, spot, and anticipate in the forest of ambiguity. We have to anticipate which technologies and key differentiators are potentially ready for prime time and cultivated by the right team. I find myself constantly scanning for potential client partners who I feel are playing the long game in what they invest in for their future customer experiences, thinking beyond their short-term goals. Bullishly, I want to find those companies that are putting in the hard work to build differentiated capabilities and intellectual property that could be meaningfully leveraged in the future to inform a new experience. Kevin Bethune [Photo: Harrison Boyce/courtesy MIT Press] The vectors that lead to these opportunities are out there, but they will not find you: you have to put yourself in the forest and move about to increase the chances of finding them. Ideally, you talk with people in the know, scan market movements, and find vectors that will lead you to new signals. Signals lead to incredible opportunities if you keep scanning, exploring, and experimenting proactively. View the full article

Former Tory leader increased taxes before imposing reforms in deregulatory drive that Keir Starmer wants to emulate View the full article

Shopify themes play a pivotal role in the e-commerce platform provided by Shopify, enabling businesses to host and run their online stores with ease. They not only allow you to organize your store’s layout but also empower you to craft beautiful, mobile-friendly online storefronts. Whether you opt to build from scratch or customize an existing theme, the flexibility ensures you can sell products across various channels — be it the web, mobile, social media, online marketplaces, physical locations, or even pop-up shops. What is a Shopify Theme? Once you get the answer to what is Shopify, knowing what Shopify themes are will help you better use the platform more efficiently. Shopify themes are the backbone of your online storefront on the Shopify platform. They act as pre-designed website structures, allowing you to present your products and brand in a visually appealing and organized manner. Beyond just appearances, the chosen theme governs various functionalities of your website. From the organization of your product listings to how customers browse different sections to the ease of the checkout process—everything is influenced by the theme’s design and integrated features. Given the importance of mobile browsing in today’s e-commerce landscape, many Shopify themes are built to be responsive, automatically adjusting to fit different device screens, ensuring a seamless shopping experience. The Importance of Responsive Shopify Themes With the ubiquity of mobile devices, the need for a website to be responsive has become paramount. A responsive Shopify theme ensures that your online store is easily accessible and visually appealing across all devices, be it a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Mobile shopping has seen a significant rise, and if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you risk alienating a vast segment of potential customers. Simply put, responsive design is about offering a consistent and efficient shopping experience, irrespective of the device being used. What is the Shopify Theme Store Shopify offers a range of tools through its themes to assist you in setting up and managing your online business. With Shopify, you can choose from both free and paid Shopify themes that provide you with the necessary tools to display your products online, process payments, and much more. Shopify offers both free and paid themes which come with the ability to customize themes without having to touch a line of code. Paid themes, compared to free themes, do offer more options for modifications and customization. To get Shopify themes, you will first need to sign up on Shopify, and subscribe to the plans available on offer. If you are on the fence about using Shopify, a 14-day free trial is also available. Shopify offers a wide range of themes that you can use for your particular business. With them, you can explore free and paid Shopify themes to find the right look and feel for your store. You can also find inspiration, discover styles, and start building your brand. Benefits of Shopify Themes: Variety of tools for online business setup and management. Option of using free or paid Shopify themes. Customization without needing to code. Wide range of themes suitable for various businesses. Opportunities to discover styles and build a brand. How Do I Get Themes on Shopify? There are two ways to get Shopify themes: You can add a free theme from your Shopify admin or try out a paid theme from the Shopify Theme Store. You can find the right theme for your business in the Shopify Theme Store. The Theme Store offers a wide variety of Shopify themes that you can add to your online store. It includes free themes that are developed by Shopify and paid themes that are developed by third-party designers. Before you decide on a theme and start customizing, you will need to decide on the features and designs you would like to see on your online store. Through Shopify themes, you can easily modify the content and layout of the different pages on your store. How to Get Shopify Themes: Choose from free themes in your Shopify admin. Explore paid themes in the Shopify Theme Store. Themes developed by both Shopify and third-party designers. Decide on the features and designs before customization. Modify content and layout easily with themes. Our Methodology: How We Chose the Best Shopify Themes Shopify stands as one of the most popular e-commerce platforms today, and a well-chosen theme can make all the difference in converting visitors to customers. With countless themes available, pinpointing the optimal choice can be daunting. To assist in this selection, here’s how we evaluated the best Shopify themes: Design and Aesthetics (10/10) First impressions matter. We prioritize themes that offer a clean, modern design, ensuring a visually appealing shopping experience. Mobile Responsiveness (10/10) With a significant portion of shoppers making purchases on mobile devices, themes that excel on both desktop and mobile screens rank highly in our list. Load Speed and Performance (9/10) Slow load times can deter potential customers. We favor themes optimized for speed, ensuring pages load swiftly and smoothly. Customization Capabilities (9/10) Every business has its unique touch. We value themes that provide comprehensive customization options, allowing brands to tailor their online store to their vision. Built-in Features (8/10) Additional tools, such as product zoom, quick view, or color swatches, can enhance the shopping journey. We highlight themes that come equipped with these beneficial features. SEO-friendliness (8/10) Visibility on search engines is vital for driving organic traffic. Themes that adhere to SEO best practices and ensure an optimized structure are preferred. Ease of Use (8/10) User-friendly backend interfaces ensure that even those without technical know-how can manage and update their store effortlessly. Support and Documentation (7/10) A robust support system and comprehensive documentation can be crucial when setting up or troubleshooting. We place emphasis on themes backed by these resources. Integration Compatibility (7/10) Businesses often use various apps and plugins to extend functionality. We lean towards themes that are compatible with a broad range of Shopify apps and integrations. User Reviews and Feedback (7/10) Firsthand experiences provide valuable insights. We take into account user reviews and feedback, focusing on themes that have garnered positive responses. Price and Value Proposition (6/10) While quality is essential, affordability and value for money play a role in our evaluation. We balance the theme’s pricing against its features and potential benefits. A Shopify theme isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about functionality, user experience, and driving sales. In our meticulous selection process, we’ve endeavored to highlight themes that offer an ideal blend of design and practicality, helping businesses create a captivating online presence. Best Shopify Themes for Small Businesses Shopify themes are ideal e-commerce solutions for small businesses. It offers you a set of tools that help you accomplish everything you need to launch, run, and manage a successful e-commerce business. Ease of use is also a major appeal as you launch and manage your online store without requiring you to know coding or tech skills. Its solutions also include offline sales with the Shopify POS system and 24/7 customer support by phone, email, and live chat. Plans start with the Basic Shopify plan at a cost-effective $29 monthly subscription. Here, you get to post unlimited products, a custom domain, Shopify Payment (so you can easily accept credit cards without setting up a third-party payment gateway), two users, customer support, and more. This is in addition to the cheaper Shopify Lite plan available for $9 per month, which lets you sell on Facebook, accept credit cards, and use buy buttons on any website. Highlights of Shopify’s Themes for Small Businesses: Tools for complete e-commerce solutions. User-friendly interface that doesn’t require coding skills. Integration with offline sales through Shopify POS. 24/7 customer support across various channels. Plans range from Shopify Lite to Basic Shopify with diverse features. Below are our top picks of premium Shopify themes for small businesses in alphabetical order. Banita Banita is a customizable Shopify theme for creating any type of online store with Shopify. Primarily configured for a fashion and clothing online shop, users can easily use this theme for a wide range of different Shopify stores as well. With it, you can convert your site into a simple catalog without adding to cart and login/register functionality. A key selling point with Banita is its banner generator tool, which you can use to design custom banners for promoting offers and products from your store. Another perk with Bantia is that it integrates with Instagram and YouTube. Basel Basel is a minimalist responsive theme built to create a modern, powerful e-commerce website. It comes with well-designed layouts for your single product page. It features product hovers with unlimited options for the shop page and chooses from eight different product hover effects. Through the theme settings, you can choose one of 11 different layouts for your website header where you can also set your header color, text color scheme, logo, size, and others. Belle Belle’s Shopify theme is easy to install and highly customizable, with unlimited options. To tweak the look and feel of your online store, you can use its built-in Mega Menu options in five awesome styles to create customizable columns, backgrounds, colors, and more. With the Masonry banner gallery style added with new updates, you can showcase your collections in a different way to highlight your front page. Boost Boost’s theme hotspots images by tagging images and creating link labels for the easier in-context discovery of your products. With it you can highlight promoted products, offers, and collections in your main menu. You can also showcase selected featured products on blog and article pages. It comes with predictive search capabilities where you can display live search results and links for products, pages, and articles. District District features come with 20 sections that you can drag and drop to create your site’s layout. You can add images and auto-playing background videos to promote your brand, latest products, and current sales. You can use it to showcase your brand’s style with a grid of your latest Instagram images. District also offers built-in color swatches, a size chart popup, and an instant dynamic checkout button. You can even split your product description into two parts and add extra images and videos to the product page. This theme is ideal for jewelry and accessories, fashion, and clothing sites. Ella Ella Shopify theme offers multiple layouts and styles to create different structures and satisfies any brand-specific requirements, as well as provides you with numerous Child Themes for different kinds of business. This theme, popular among apparel and fashion businesses, comes with banner and product blocks on more than Homepage layouts, over seven stunning Shopping pages, more than nine product pages, in addition to multiple headers and footers. Empire Empire is an Amazon-inspired theme optimized for large product catalogs for businesses in business equipment and supplies, electronics, homes, and gardens. Its best-selling point is its navigation and filtering, which will help customers find what they want, discover new items, and check out faster. Additional tools under the hood include quick buy, slide-out cart, marketing and conversion, recently viewed, recommended products, store locator, image hotspot, zoom, and rollover, product videos, and more. Eva Eva theme is a responsive Shopify and includes modules with Drag & Drop builder to make customization possibilities. This theme is suitable for businesses in clothing, electronics, furniture, and accessories. It offers a clean design, simple user experience, advanced functionality, extensive documentation, and speedy support. Everest Everest theme comes with a built-in slider, a theme editor that lets you control the color style fonts and other sections of your site. Popular among fashion and apparel and other retailers, this theme gives you a whole load of e-commerce capabilities. These features include a countdown timer, the number of products remaining in stock, estimated delivery times, security badges, product image zoom, and direct buttons for adding items to the cart or proceeding to checkout, among others. Flow Flow’s theme is popular among food and drinks e-commerce businesses for its sharp, minimalist design that helps to put your products front and center. Its unique product grid helps to showcase products in a masonry-style grid that highlights individual products when you hover over them. Its unique collection page sidebar also helps you to share collection-specific details in a dedicated sidebar on your collection page while also featuring YouTube or Vimeo videos. With the promotional banner, you can post the latest sales, promotions, or discounts at the top of the page. Furnitto This furniture store packs an awesome collection of features and functionalities to boost your online sales. Furnitto includes a navigable mega menu, 55 collections catalog, cross-browser compatibility, SEO-friendly coding, bootstrap design, product quick view, and more. Gecko Gecko theme is fully optimized for both mobile devices and desktops. a paid theme. It is designed for an array of different online retailers in clothing and fashion. It is packed with features that include fast loading and you can choose for thumbnails to be displayed on the left, right, or bottom of a listing or use the Sticky feature to keep your product detail where it is when scrolling. With it, you can also display product videos on product pages. Additional tools available include sale popups, integration with Instagram, image zooming, product filters, sticky cart, and more. Goodwin The Goodwin multipurpose theme allows you to create stores in all categories, with many features. It is responsive to mobile users and popular with fashion, apparel, electronics, furniture, and e-commerce retailers. This theme includes a visual builder for mega menus in both horizontal and vertical designs. It also includes a new banner-generating tool, as well as the ability to add dynamic payment buttons to the basket. Handy The Handy theme comes with a mobile-first design optimized for small-screen experiences, which is popular among fashion and apparel businesses. It lets customers easily search your store for products, tags, and more on mobile devices. You can also feature product images in a large, multi-column drop-down menu. In terms of promotions, you can promote sales, discounts, and featured products with special promotional tiles while displaying contact information, store hours, and location with icons. Icon Icon’s theme is great for art and photography, clothing and accessories, home and garden, and health and beauty businesses. This theme lets you accommodate any catalog size, facilitates Dropshipping, and provides valuable support to high-volume stores. If your business focuses on visuals, then Icon supports large photographs and images, includes native slideshow functionality, and offers a quick view feature for product details. Kodo Kodo theme is an ideal choice for businesses in cosmetics, furniture, handmade goods, interior design, and electronics. Besides aster loading, it offers a mobile-optimized design, unlimited header styles, category layouts, product page layouts, an Instagram shop, and more. Loft Loft Shopify theme is popular among home and garden, clothing and accessories, and health and beauty industries that help in editorial content and visual storytelling for your online store. With it, you get cart notes, quick view, recommended products, stock counter, in-menu promos, promotional banners and tiles, product reviews, image galleries, rollover, and zoom, slideshow, product tabs, and more. Material Material multi-purpose theme is fully customizable and is popular among businesses in furniture, clothing, and fashion businesses. It comes with a fully responsive feature, integrated media slider, product quick view functionality, a book page, a well-structured product layout, and a lightbox effect. This is in addition to an advanced filter module, Instagram Feed, QuickShop, and Color Swatches and can work smoothly on all devices like MAC, PCs, and iPads. Outstock Outstock theme offers online store solutions for businesses in furniture and fashion e-commerce stores. It comes with a clean and modern design and includes features that include a powerful admin control panel, built-in slider, responsiveness, drag and drop features, mega menu builder, newsletter popup, grid and list modes, and more. Pacific Pacific theme comes with a modular, expansive theme for clothing and fashion e-commerce businesses and stores with large inventories. Its multi-level sidebar menu helps customers easily navigate your store, while its multi-column menu helps you to place product images in a large, multi-column drop-down menu. With the home page slideshow, you can showcase large, high-resolution images at the top of your home page. In addition, you can feature videos from YouTube or Vimeo. Parallax Popular among sports and recreation service providers, Parallax helps to create an animated depth effect as you scroll down the page. It also comes with a multi-level drop-down menu to help customers navigate your store. Its promotional banner helps you to announce the latest sale, promotion, or discount at the top of your store’s home page while featuring multiple videos on your home page. With it, customers can also easily add to their cart without leaving their current page. Porto Porto Shopify theme offers users a powerful package to run an e-commerce store. It has all the required tools and features to create a fast, responsive website with user experience. It comes with more than 20 niche demos and layouts; gain full control over your entire website through your own Content Management System that lets you change the navigation, site content, images, products, collections, and so much more. Roxxe Roxxe is a Shopify theme with a whopping collection of over 68 demos. This theme is applicable for auto parts, cleaning, cosmetics, fashion, furniture, and pretty much any online store you can also customize to your liking as well. Some tools that come with Roxxe include an exit pop-up, newsletter subscription bar, countdown timer, testimonials, and product quick view. Its free shipping bar application allows you to display your free shipping offer in the form of a customizable bar. The shipping bar can be displayed in any position of your responsive homepage that can be optimized for all screen sizes including desktop, tablet, and mobile. Shella Shella premium theme is responsive and popular with the fashion industry. This theme lets you create your homepage with content blocks; Instagram integration, promo box, product listings, and custom content. With it, you can boost your sales through a countdown timer, number left in stock, recent purchase, free shipping progress bar, estimated delivery time, and more. It comes with a mega menu builder with navigation menus, four types of promo boxes, and product lists. Plus, you can configure your popup layout using a twelve-column grid. Split Split’s theme is ideal for businesses engaged in the home and garden, clothing and accessories, toys and games, and for visual brands with a story to tell. It offers a one-of-a-kind balanced split-screen layout to create a truly engaging user experience. Its smart adaptive grid helps organize sections based on the number of used items, so you don’t have to worry that your store is too large or small. It also helps customers see products commonly purchased together with an option to purchase without leaving the page. Additional features include cart notes, in-store pickups, a slide-out cart, recommended products, a stock counter, a store locator, in-menu promos, an FAQ page, product reviews, and more. Story The Story theme is popular among Home and Garden e-commerce businesses and noteworthy brands. With it, you can create custom forms that include tailored contact, inquiry, or sign-up forms that suit your business needs. You can also filter collection pages by brand, price, and other customizable options. With the Lookbook feature, you can showcase your products in a lookbook that displays collections in an editorial-style spread. Its familiar timeline tool helps to tell the story of your brand. Turbo Turbo’s theme features two-speed settings: Ludicrous and Sport. Both settings are intended to ensure your shop operates smoothly and efficiently. This highly customizable theme is user-friendly and optimized for mobile devices, delivering exceptional performance. With it, you can add numerous menus to your website, making it easy for customers to navigate from one page to the next. It comes with a predictive search full-width image section with multiple action buttons, text and color settings, and product row sliders. Its popup feature can be used to encourage your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. Universe Universe is a multipurpose Shopify theme that offers a flexible solution for travel, fashion, and accessories businesses both large and small. It offers fully customizable features and offers a complete solution that works out of the box. These include a powerful mega menu, interactive product carousels, Google Maps and YouTube integration, Product image zoom, slide-out shopping cart display, social media integration, the ‘Coming soon template, and more. Venue Venue is a great choice for businesses in clothing and fashion as well as brands active across multiple channels. With it, businesses can sell online and in-person, by offering features such as dates and events section to get customers to your brick-and-mortar location. There are also unique features like custom filters and tags, built-in age-checker popup for businesses selling age-restricted products, allow customers to quickly add items to their cart without leaving their current page, and advance menu promotions that can highlight promoted products, offers, and collections in your main menu. Vogue Vogue offers a lookbook theme to your clothing and fashion online store for seamless browsing. With it, you can showcase high-resolution product imagery throughout your store with a full-width layout. You can also feature multiple products, posts, or promotions in a grid-style layout on your home page. Its sidebar menu can feature products, collections, social media links, and more. You can also Improve discoverability with infinite scrolling between product pages. Wokiee Wokiee theme works well for apparel, clothes, electronics, fashion, and fashion online stores. It includes tools and modules to create fast, responsive, and mobile-ready websites with an amazing user experience. It comes with features with a single product store layout, integrated sales notification, advanced mega menu functionality, and more. You can choose one of the presets to create a store, copy-paste any skin, and the branding. Wokiee has a lot of e-commerce features, such as mega menus, banner sections, AJAX search, AJAX filter, Google rich snippet tools, and much more. Yanka Yanka’s Shopify theme sways heavily towards the fashion industry. It comes with over 18 pre-built demo content and useful eCommerce elements like product grids, collections or sliders, and templates. In terms of solutions, it provides responsive design, product quick views, a live search tool, Instagram integration, product comparison, custom headers, newsletter integration, and more. Zeexo Zeexo’s Shopify theme is popular among the apparel, electronic, fashion, and furniture industries as it offers more than 100 different pre-made shop templates. This theme comes with mobile user experience optimization, Google mobile-friendly, SEO optimization, multiple header designs, social and theme icons, and more. Best Free Shopify Themes for Your eCommerce Store Shopify provides several free themes that are responsive and customizable. These free Shopify themes are a great option for those looking for an online website builder while staying within a budget. Brooklyn Brooklyn offers solutions for fashion and apparel businesses with a focus on brand imagery. Its headers slideshow helps to display multiple products or brand images at the top of your home page. It also features a slide-out cart, so customers can easily add items without having to leave the page, Brooklyn lets you use videos from YouTube and Vimeo for greater impact. Debut Debut theme offers solutions to your online store by showcasing a carefully curated selection of products. This theme helps you engage with customers by showing where items are available for pickup. You can also promote sales, promotions, or discounts at the top of your store’s home page. You can also feature product and brand videos from YouTube and Vimeo. Customers can also filter products by type, and sort by best sellers and price on the collection page. It comes with a predictive search feature that lets you display live search results and quick links for products and store pages. Express Food and drink businesses can find the perfect fit with the Express theme, and it is ideal for stores with a small number of products, like menu items. It is optimized for one-page stores where you can showcase your products and your content on one page for quick ordering. Express is designed specifically for smaller devices and mobile commerce, requiring little content and photography. With it, you can display multiple featured collections all on your home page and even add them to their cart without leaving their current page. Minimal With the Minimal theme, you can organize your products thanks to their clean and simple design. Mostly used for art and photography e-commerce businesses it comes with features such as optional sections for a home page video or slideshow, along with built-in product filtering. Addition features under the hold include in-store pickups, cart notes, marketing and conversion, stock counter, and recommended products Narrative Narrative’s theme offers users some great options for brand and product storytelling. Popular among home and garden and art and photography e-commerce businesses, it is particularly ideal for stores with a single product or a small number of products. It lets you tell your story by featuring an auto-play, full-screen video at the top of your home page. With it, you can showcase the finer details of your product with customizable image blocks, quote slides, and more. In terms of navigation, you can create a better browsing experience by surfacing your menu, logo, and cart when customers begin to scroll up the page. Simple Simple’s theme offers a clean and minimal them to showcase your products to customers. With its product image zoom feature, you can give customers a closer look and extra product details when they hover over an image. You can also animate images of your product and brand into the page to create a sleek transition effect. It also showcases recommended products on product pages to increase discoverability as well. This theme is popular among the fashion and clothing industries. Supply Theme Shopify Supply theme can help you easily organize your products and filter large inventories by brand, price, and other customizable options. With featured collections available on your homepage along with collection filtering in the sidebar customers can easily search and add to their cart items easily. Supply themes can be used by jewelry, clothing, fashion, and accessories sellers. Venture Venture is a free Shopify minimal theme that is tailor-made for businesses with large product catalogs. It comes with multi-column menu options that allow you to showcase product-specific details through a drop-down menu. You’ll also be able to highlight a single flagship product by featuring it front and center on your home page or showcase multiple products or brand images on your home page through a slideshow. You can also filter products by type and sort by best sellers and price on the collection page. Voonex Voonex is a free theme that is perfectly designed to fit an eCommerce website featuring an event of any kind. This theme is built to fit in any eCommerce website about the event, conference, meeting, summit, exhibition, concert, or expo. It helps to provide solutions in regards to the essential parts of an event and conference theme like Event Information, Speaker Profiles, Sponsors, Schedules, The Venue, and Blog Pages are well structured in order for your attendees to follow the events easily with full information. This theme is free for its basic version which comes with some limited features. If you want to upgrade to more sophisticated options, you’ll have to pay for the Premium version for $ 56. What You Should Look for in a Shopify eCommerce Theme Choosing the right Shopify theme is crucial for creating a lasting impression and driving sales. While aligning with your business aesthetics is vital, financial investment should also be a consideration. You shouldn’t have to empty your pockets to get a theme that represents your brand adequately. Key Features to Consider for Shopify Themes To ensure you pick the best Shopify theme for your business, here’s a concise checklist of essential features to keep in mind: FeatureBrief Description Ease of CustomizationAdjust to fit your brand without complex coding. ResponsivenessAdapts to all screen sizes, ensuring a consistent browsing experience. Mobile-FriendlinessOptimized for mobile devices where most online shopping occurs. SEO CompatibilityEnhance search rankings with tailored meta titles and descriptions. Marketing & Social IntegrationConnect and sync with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest. Customer TestimonialsBoost credibility with social proof from satisfied customers. Product Page FeaturesDetailed visuals, descriptions, shipping info, and payment options. Navigation FeaturesIncludes features like Mega menus for a streamlined user experience. Niche AppropriatenessThemes tailored to specific business needs. Dynamic VisualsStandout templates that highlight the store's unique offerings. Customer SupportPrompt tech support accessibility for theme-related issues. Visual Page BuilderUser-friendly interface to design and edit store layouts. Advanced Product FilteringSort products by categories, pricing, popularity, etc. Homepage LayoutsEngaging designs that showcase products and boost credibility. Ease of Customization Selecting the ideal Shopify theme is all about striking a balance between aesthetic alignment with your brand and affordability. The right Shopify theme should seamlessly incorporate vital elements such as crisp product images, clearly displayed price tags and an easily distinguishable Call-to-Action (CTA) button. These elements should be showcased in a manner that efficiently communicates crucial information to prospective customers without making the page feel overloaded or chaotic. Moreover, when looking for the perfect Shopify e-commerce theme, it’s essential to consider the breadth of customization options available to ensure it can adapt to your business’s unique needs. Responsiveness In today’s digital landscape, an effective online store is one that employs responsive Shopify themes. Such themes are meticulously designed to adapt seamlessly to any screen size, be it expansive desktop monitors or compact screens of smartphones and tablets. Investing in responsive Shopify themes is a prudent choice as they inherently come with attributes that enhance customer engagement, simplify navigation, and provide an intuitive user experience, ensuring visitors stay longer and explore more. Mobile-Friendliness With the surge in mobile internet usage, prioritizing mobile-friendliness in your online store is not just an option but a necessity. The reality is stark: a significant majority of online browsing and shopping transactions now happen via mobile devices. Therefore, to truly thrive in the online marketplace and tap into this vast demographic, your store needs to be impeccably optimized for mobile, ensuring swift loading times, efficient checkouts, and a pleasing user interface. SEO Compatibility Visibility is key in the vast digital marketplace. To ensure that your online store is easily discoverable by potential customers, it’s imperative to secure good rankings in search engine results. The intrinsic design of some Shopify themes can assist in this endeavor by allowing store owners to customize SEO parameters effortlessly. This functionality enables you to infuse specific, keyword-rich information about your products into meta titles and meta descriptions, enhancing search engine visibility. Marketing and Social Media Features In this age of connectivity, integrating social media into your business strategy can significantly amplify your reach. By intertwining your Shopify store with your business’s blog and various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, you not only foster deeper connections with your existing customer base but also attract potential customers who discover your products through shared content, reviews, or recommendations. Excellent Customer Testimonials Showcasing genuine feedback from your customers is one of the most impactful strategies you can employ on your online store. When you weave in authentic customer testimonials, you not only highlight the quality of your products or services but also leverage the power of social proof. These testimonials serve as evidence that your product delivers as promised, making potential customers more confident in their purchase decisions. Product Page Features An effective product page is a blend of aesthetics and functionality. It’s a space where customers should find comprehensive details about the product and its features. Besides basic details, the page should be equipped to guide the customer’s journey with sorting options, promotional announcements, captivating visuals, detailed descriptions, and an array of color options. Furthermore, it’s essential to provide logistical details like shipping information and a variety of payment gateways. These features, when combined, ensure that the customer has a smooth and informed shopping experience. Navigation Features Seamless navigation can significantly influence the user experience on your online store. A clutter-free and intuitive navigation system can make browsing easy, leading to longer site visits and potential conversions. Introducing features like Mega menus can be especially beneficial. These are expansive dropdown panels that appear on hover, providing users with an organized view of categories and subcategories, making their browsing journey straightforward and enjoyable. Appropriateness for Your Niche Every business has unique requirements, and your online store should reflect that. While diving into the vast pool of Shopify themes, it’s pivotal to prioritize those that resonate with the ethos of your brand and the niche you operate in. An apt theme will inherently align with your business’s character, making customization smoother and more effective. Dynamic Visuals to Showcase Products In the digital retail space, first impressions are often made through visuals. Opting for themes that allow dynamic displays can enhance your product presentation, emphasizing its unique features and benefits. When selecting visual elements, it’s crucial to ensure they harmonize with the overall style and aesthetic of your chosen template, creating a cohesive and engaging shopping environment. Customer Support Navigating the intricacies of an online store can sometimes be challenging. During these times, having reliable and prompt customer support can make all the difference. Ensure the theme you select is backed by a robust support system, offering guidance and solutions whenever you encounter hurdles. This not only saves time but also ensures your store runs smoothly, offering customers an uninterrupted shopping experience. Visual Page Builder Features In today’s digital era, building your online storefront should be as easy as arranging blocks on a canvas. A competent visual page builder offers you that simplicity. With drag-and-drop features, you can shape your store’s appearance and functionality without delving into the intricacies of coding. These tools bring a layer of versatility, allowing you to experiment with various layouts, elements, and content until you find the perfect fit. The true strength of a visual page builder lies in its ability to adapt. As your brand grows or trends change, you should be able to swiftly modify your store’s look and feel, ensuring it always resonates with your target audience. Advanced Product Filtering The modern shopper values efficiency. They wish to find their desired products without wading through countless irrelevant listings. This is where advanced product filtering comes into play. An efficient Shopify theme empowers your customers to fine-tune their search based on specific criteria, be it bestsellers, price ranges, or product groups. This not only speeds up the shopping process but also enhances the user experience, making it likely for customers to return for future purchases. Great Homepage Layouts The homepage acts as the grand entrance to your online store. It sets the tone, introduces your brand, and guides visitors towards making a purchase. To ensure your homepage leaves a lasting impression, it needs to be a harmonious blend of aesthetics and functionality. Elements like captivating headers, striking graphics, and immersive videos can draw visitors in. However, it’s the subtle touches that often make the difference. Features like showcasing best-selling products or highlighting unique value propositions give potential customers a quick snapshot of what you offer. Furthermore, instilling trust is essential. Incorporating elements like security badges assures visitors that their transactions are safe, encouraging them to explore your store further. How to Buy Custom Themes for Your Shopify Store To get themes, you will first need to sign up on Shopify, and subscribe to the plans available on offer. You can then buy either through the Shopify Theme Store or third-party developers. What are the best Shopify themes? Some of the best Shopify themes include Wokiee, Universe, Porto, and Brooklyn. Can you customize a free Shopify theme? Yes, free Shopify can be customized to a certain degree so that you can align the design of your eCommerce store with your business goals and increase sales. Which free Shopify theme is responsive? Simple, Supply , Venture, and Narrative are free responsive Shopify themes. Why are Shopify themes so expensive? A lot of costs go into designing and developing themes in addition to the considerable amount of time and resources in developing code, testing it, and providing support, all of which may not be provided or as high quality with lower-cost options. Which is the best converting Shopify theme? Wokiee is widely regarded as the best converting Shopify theme. Its design and features are optimized to enhance user experience, leading to higher customer engagement and increased sales conversions. What is the best-paid theme on Shopify? Empire is considered the best-paid theme on Shopify. This is because it comes with an Amazon-inspired theme optimized for literally any type of e-commerce store. Image: Shopify This article, "Best Shopify Themes for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Shopify themes play a pivotal role in the e-commerce platform provided by Shopify, enabling businesses to host and run their online stores with ease. They not only allow you to organize your store’s layout but also empower you to craft beautiful, mobile-friendly online storefronts. Whether you opt to build from scratch or customize an existing theme, the flexibility ensures you can sell products across various channels — be it the web, mobile, social media, online marketplaces, physical locations, or even pop-up shops. What is a Shopify Theme? Once you get the answer to what is Shopify, knowing what Shopify themes are will help you better use the platform more efficiently. Shopify themes are the backbone of your online storefront on the Shopify platform. They act as pre-designed website structures, allowing you to present your products and brand in a visually appealing and organized manner. Beyond just appearances, the chosen theme governs various functionalities of your website. From the organization of your product listings to how customers browse different sections to the ease of the checkout process—everything is influenced by the theme’s design and integrated features. Given the importance of mobile browsing in today’s e-commerce landscape, many Shopify themes are built to be responsive, automatically adjusting to fit different device screens, ensuring a seamless shopping experience. The Importance of Responsive Shopify Themes With the ubiquity of mobile devices, the need for a website to be responsive has become paramount. A responsive Shopify theme ensures that your online store is easily accessible and visually appealing across all devices, be it a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Mobile shopping has seen a significant rise, and if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you risk alienating a vast segment of potential customers. Simply put, responsive design is about offering a consistent and efficient shopping experience, irrespective of the device being used. What is the Shopify Theme Store Shopify offers a range of tools through its themes to assist you in setting up and managing your online business. With Shopify, you can choose from both free and paid Shopify themes that provide you with the necessary tools to display your products online, process payments, and much more. Shopify offers both free and paid themes which come with the ability to customize themes without having to touch a line of code. Paid themes, compared to free themes, do offer more options for modifications and customization. To get Shopify themes, you will first need to sign up on Shopify, and subscribe to the plans available on offer. If you are on the fence about using Shopify, a 14-day free trial is also available. Shopify offers a wide range of themes that you can use for your particular business. With them, you can explore free and paid Shopify themes to find the right look and feel for your store. You can also find inspiration, discover styles, and start building your brand. Benefits of Shopify Themes: Variety of tools for online business setup and management. Option of using free or paid Shopify themes. Customization without needing to code. Wide range of themes suitable for various businesses. Opportunities to discover styles and build a brand. How Do I Get Themes on Shopify? There are two ways to get Shopify themes: You can add a free theme from your Shopify admin or try out a paid theme from the Shopify Theme Store. You can find the right theme for your business in the Shopify Theme Store. The Theme Store offers a wide variety of Shopify themes that you can add to your online store. It includes free themes that are developed by Shopify and paid themes that are developed by third-party designers. Before you decide on a theme and start customizing, you will need to decide on the features and designs you would like to see on your online store. Through Shopify themes, you can easily modify the content and layout of the different pages on your store. How to Get Shopify Themes: Choose from free themes in your Shopify admin. Explore paid themes in the Shopify Theme Store. Themes developed by both Shopify and third-party designers. Decide on the features and designs before customization. Modify content and layout easily with themes. Our Methodology: How We Chose the Best Shopify Themes Shopify stands as one of the most popular e-commerce platforms today, and a well-chosen theme can make all the difference in converting visitors to customers. With countless themes available, pinpointing the optimal choice can be daunting. To assist in this selection, here’s how we evaluated the best Shopify themes: Design and Aesthetics (10/10) First impressions matter. We prioritize themes that offer a clean, modern design, ensuring a visually appealing shopping experience. Mobile Responsiveness (10/10) With a significant portion of shoppers making purchases on mobile devices, themes that excel on both desktop and mobile screens rank highly in our list. Load Speed and Performance (9/10) Slow load times can deter potential customers. We favor themes optimized for speed, ensuring pages load swiftly and smoothly. Customization Capabilities (9/10) Every business has its unique touch. We value themes that provide comprehensive customization options, allowing brands to tailor their online store to their vision. Built-in Features (8/10) Additional tools, such as product zoom, quick view, or color swatches, can enhance the shopping journey. We highlight themes that come equipped with these beneficial features. SEO-friendliness (8/10) Visibility on search engines is vital for driving organic traffic. Themes that adhere to SEO best practices and ensure an optimized structure are preferred. Ease of Use (8/10) User-friendly backend interfaces ensure that even those without technical know-how can manage and update their store effortlessly. Support and Documentation (7/10) A robust support system and comprehensive documentation can be crucial when setting up or troubleshooting. We place emphasis on themes backed by these resources. Integration Compatibility (7/10) Businesses often use various apps and plugins to extend functionality. We lean towards themes that are compatible with a broad range of Shopify apps and integrations. User Reviews and Feedback (7/10) Firsthand experiences provide valuable insights. We take into account user reviews and feedback, focusing on themes that have garnered positive responses. Price and Value Proposition (6/10) While quality is essential, affordability and value for money play a role in our evaluation. We balance the theme’s pricing against its features and potential benefits. A Shopify theme isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about functionality, user experience, and driving sales. In our meticulous selection process, we’ve endeavored to highlight themes that offer an ideal blend of design and practicality, helping businesses create a captivating online presence. Best Shopify Themes for Small Businesses Shopify themes are ideal e-commerce solutions for small businesses. It offers you a set of tools that help you accomplish everything you need to launch, run, and manage a successful e-commerce business. Ease of use is also a major appeal as you launch and manage your online store without requiring you to know coding or tech skills. Its solutions also include offline sales with the Shopify POS system and 24/7 customer support by phone, email, and live chat. Plans start with the Basic Shopify plan at a cost-effective $29 monthly subscription. Here, you get to post unlimited products, a custom domain, Shopify Payment (so you can easily accept credit cards without setting up a third-party payment gateway), two users, customer support, and more. This is in addition to the cheaper Shopify Lite plan available for $9 per month, which lets you sell on Facebook, accept credit cards, and use buy buttons on any website. Highlights of Shopify’s Themes for Small Businesses: Tools for complete e-commerce solutions. User-friendly interface that doesn’t require coding skills. Integration with offline sales through Shopify POS. 24/7 customer support across various channels. Plans range from Shopify Lite to Basic Shopify with diverse features. Below are our top picks of premium Shopify themes for small businesses in alphabetical order. Banita Banita is a customizable Shopify theme for creating any type of online store with Shopify. Primarily configured for a fashion and clothing online shop, users can easily use this theme for a wide range of different Shopify stores as well. With it, you can convert your site into a simple catalog without adding to cart and login/register functionality. A key selling point with Banita is its banner generator tool, which you can use to design custom banners for promoting offers and products from your store. Another perk with Bantia is that it integrates with Instagram and YouTube. Basel Basel is a minimalist responsive theme built to create a modern, powerful e-commerce website. It comes with well-designed layouts for your single product page. It features product hovers with unlimited options for the shop page and chooses from eight different product hover effects. Through the theme settings, you can choose one of 11 different layouts for your website header where you can also set your header color, text color scheme, logo, size, and others. Belle Belle’s Shopify theme is easy to install and highly customizable, with unlimited options. To tweak the look and feel of your online store, you can use its built-in Mega Menu options in five awesome styles to create customizable columns, backgrounds, colors, and more. With the Masonry banner gallery style added with new updates, you can showcase your collections in a different way to highlight your front page. Boost Boost’s theme hotspots images by tagging images and creating link labels for the easier in-context discovery of your products. With it you can highlight promoted products, offers, and collections in your main menu. You can also showcase selected featured products on blog and article pages. It comes with predictive search capabilities where you can display live search results and links for products, pages, and articles. District District features come with 20 sections that you can drag and drop to create your site’s layout. You can add images and auto-playing background videos to promote your brand, latest products, and current sales. You can use it to showcase your brand’s style with a grid of your latest Instagram images. District also offers built-in color swatches, a size chart popup, and an instant dynamic checkout button. You can even split your product description into two parts and add extra images and videos to the product page. This theme is ideal for jewelry and accessories, fashion, and clothing sites. Ella Ella Shopify theme offers multiple layouts and styles to create different structures and satisfies any brand-specific requirements, as well as provides you with numerous Child Themes for different kinds of business. This theme, popular among apparel and fashion businesses, comes with banner and product blocks on more than Homepage layouts, over seven stunning Shopping pages, more than nine product pages, in addition to multiple headers and footers. Empire Empire is an Amazon-inspired theme optimized for large product catalogs for businesses in business equipment and supplies, electronics, homes, and gardens. Its best-selling point is its navigation and filtering, which will help customers find what they want, discover new items, and check out faster. Additional tools under the hood include quick buy, slide-out cart, marketing and conversion, recently viewed, recommended products, store locator, image hotspot, zoom, and rollover, product videos, and more. Eva Eva theme is a responsive Shopify and includes modules with Drag & Drop builder to make customization possibilities. This theme is suitable for businesses in clothing, electronics, furniture, and accessories. It offers a clean design, simple user experience, advanced functionality, extensive documentation, and speedy support. Everest Everest theme comes with a built-in slider, a theme editor that lets you control the color style fonts and other sections of your site. Popular among fashion and apparel and other retailers, this theme gives you a whole load of e-commerce capabilities. These features include a countdown timer, the number of products remaining in stock, estimated delivery times, security badges, product image zoom, and direct buttons for adding items to the cart or proceeding to checkout, among others. Flow Flow’s theme is popular among food and drinks e-commerce businesses for its sharp, minimalist design that helps to put your products front and center. Its unique product grid helps to showcase products in a masonry-style grid that highlights individual products when you hover over them. Its unique collection page sidebar also helps you to share collection-specific details in a dedicated sidebar on your collection page while also featuring YouTube or Vimeo videos. With the promotional banner, you can post the latest sales, promotions, or discounts at the top of the page. Furnitto This furniture store packs an awesome collection of features and functionalities to boost your online sales. Furnitto includes a navigable mega menu, 55 collections catalog, cross-browser compatibility, SEO-friendly coding, bootstrap design, product quick view, and more. Gecko Gecko theme is fully optimized for both mobile devices and desktops. a paid theme. It is designed for an array of different online retailers in clothing and fashion. It is packed with features that include fast loading and you can choose for thumbnails to be displayed on the left, right, or bottom of a listing or use the Sticky feature to keep your product detail where it is when scrolling. With it, you can also display product videos on product pages. Additional tools available include sale popups, integration with Instagram, image zooming, product filters, sticky cart, and more. Goodwin The Goodwin multipurpose theme allows you to create stores in all categories, with many features. It is responsive to mobile users and popular with fashion, apparel, electronics, furniture, and e-commerce retailers. This theme includes a visual builder for mega menus in both horizontal and vertical designs. It also includes a new banner-generating tool, as well as the ability to add dynamic payment buttons to the basket. Handy The Handy theme comes with a mobile-first design optimized for small-screen experiences, which is popular among fashion and apparel businesses. It lets customers easily search your store for products, tags, and more on mobile devices. You can also feature product images in a large, multi-column drop-down menu. In terms of promotions, you can promote sales, discounts, and featured products with special promotional tiles while displaying contact information, store hours, and location with icons. Icon Icon’s theme is great for art and photography, clothing and accessories, home and garden, and health and beauty businesses. This theme lets you accommodate any catalog size, facilitates Dropshipping, and provides valuable support to high-volume stores. If your business focuses on visuals, then Icon supports large photographs and images, includes native slideshow functionality, and offers a quick view feature for product details. Kodo Kodo theme is an ideal choice for businesses in cosmetics, furniture, handmade goods, interior design, and electronics. Besides aster loading, it offers a mobile-optimized design, unlimited header styles, category layouts, product page layouts, an Instagram shop, and more. Loft Loft Shopify theme is popular among home and garden, clothing and accessories, and health and beauty industries that help in editorial content and visual storytelling for your online store. With it, you get cart notes, quick view, recommended products, stock counter, in-menu promos, promotional banners and tiles, product reviews, image galleries, rollover, and zoom, slideshow, product tabs, and more. Material Material multi-purpose theme is fully customizable and is popular among businesses in furniture, clothing, and fashion businesses. It comes with a fully responsive feature, integrated media slider, product quick view functionality, a book page, a well-structured product layout, and a lightbox effect. This is in addition to an advanced filter module, Instagram Feed, QuickShop, and Color Swatches and can work smoothly on all devices like MAC, PCs, and iPads. Outstock Outstock theme offers online store solutions for businesses in furniture and fashion e-commerce stores. It comes with a clean and modern design and includes features that include a powerful admin control panel, built-in slider, responsiveness, drag and drop features, mega menu builder, newsletter popup, grid and list modes, and more. Pacific Pacific theme comes with a modular, expansive theme for clothing and fashion e-commerce businesses and stores with large inventories. Its multi-level sidebar menu helps customers easily navigate your store, while its multi-column menu helps you to place product images in a large, multi-column drop-down menu. With the home page slideshow, you can showcase large, high-resolution images at the top of your home page. In addition, you can feature videos from YouTube or Vimeo. Parallax Popular among sports and recreation service providers, Parallax helps to create an animated depth effect as you scroll down the page. It also comes with a multi-level drop-down menu to help customers navigate your store. Its promotional banner helps you to announce the latest sale, promotion, or discount at the top of your store’s home page while featuring multiple videos on your home page. With it, customers can also easily add to their cart without leaving their current page. Porto Porto Shopify theme offers users a powerful package to run an e-commerce store. It has all the required tools and features to create a fast, responsive website with user experience. It comes with more than 20 niche demos and layouts; gain full control over your entire website through your own Content Management System that lets you change the navigation, site content, images, products, collections, and so much more. Roxxe Roxxe is a Shopify theme with a whopping collection of over 68 demos. This theme is applicable for auto parts, cleaning, cosmetics, fashion, furniture, and pretty much any online store you can also customize to your liking as well. Some tools that come with Roxxe include an exit pop-up, newsletter subscription bar, countdown timer, testimonials, and product quick view. Its free shipping bar application allows you to display your free shipping offer in the form of a customizable bar. The shipping bar can be displayed in any position of your responsive homepage that can be optimized for all screen sizes including desktop, tablet, and mobile. Shella Shella premium theme is responsive and popular with the fashion industry. This theme lets you create your homepage with content blocks; Instagram integration, promo box, product listings, and custom content. With it, you can boost your sales through a countdown timer, number left in stock, recent purchase, free shipping progress bar, estimated delivery time, and more. It comes with a mega menu builder with navigation menus, four types of promo boxes, and product lists. Plus, you can configure your popup layout using a twelve-column grid. Split Split’s theme is ideal for businesses engaged in the home and garden, clothing and accessories, toys and games, and for visual brands with a story to tell. It offers a one-of-a-kind balanced split-screen layout to create a truly engaging user experience. Its smart adaptive grid helps organize sections based on the number of used items, so you don’t have to worry that your store is too large or small. It also helps customers see products commonly purchased together with an option to purchase without leaving the page. Additional features include cart notes, in-store pickups, a slide-out cart, recommended products, a stock counter, a store locator, in-menu promos, an FAQ page, product reviews, and more. Story The Story theme is popular among Home and Garden e-commerce businesses and noteworthy brands. With it, you can create custom forms that include tailored contact, inquiry, or sign-up forms that suit your business needs. You can also filter collection pages by brand, price, and other customizable options. With the Lookbook feature, you can showcase your products in a lookbook that displays collections in an editorial-style spread. Its familiar timeline tool helps to tell the story of your brand. Turbo Turbo’s theme features two-speed settings: Ludicrous and Sport. Both settings are intended to ensure your shop operates smoothly and efficiently. This highly customizable theme is user-friendly and optimized for mobile devices, delivering exceptional performance. With it, you can add numerous menus to your website, making it easy for customers to navigate from one page to the next. It comes with a predictive search full-width image section with multiple action buttons, text and color settings, and product row sliders. Its popup feature can be used to encourage your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. Universe Universe is a multipurpose Shopify theme that offers a flexible solution for travel, fashion, and accessories businesses both large and small. It offers fully customizable features and offers a complete solution that works out of the box. These include a powerful mega menu, interactive product carousels, Google Maps and YouTube integration, Product image zoom, slide-out shopping cart display, social media integration, the ‘Coming soon template, and more. Venue Venue is a great choice for businesses in clothing and fashion as well as brands active across multiple channels. With it, businesses can sell online and in-person, by offering features such as dates and events section to get customers to your brick-and-mortar location. There are also unique features like custom filters and tags, built-in age-checker popup for businesses selling age-restricted products, allow customers to quickly add items to their cart without leaving their current page, and advance menu promotions that can highlight promoted products, offers, and collections in your main menu. Vogue Vogue offers a lookbook theme to your clothing and fashion online store for seamless browsing. With it, you can showcase high-resolution product imagery throughout your store with a full-width layout. You can also feature multiple products, posts, or promotions in a grid-style layout on your home page. Its sidebar menu can feature products, collections, social media links, and more. You can also Improve discoverability with infinite scrolling between product pages. Wokiee Wokiee theme works well for apparel, clothes, electronics, fashion, and fashion online stores. It includes tools and modules to create fast, responsive, and mobile-ready websites with an amazing user experience. It comes with features with a single product store layout, integrated sales notification, advanced mega menu functionality, and more. You can choose one of the presets to create a store, copy-paste any skin, and the branding. Wokiee has a lot of e-commerce features, such as mega menus, banner sections, AJAX search, AJAX filter, Google rich snippet tools, and much more. Yanka Yanka’s Shopify theme sways heavily towards the fashion industry. It comes with over 18 pre-built demo content and useful eCommerce elements like product grids, collections or sliders, and templates. In terms of solutions, it provides responsive design, product quick views, a live search tool, Instagram integration, product comparison, custom headers, newsletter integration, and more. Zeexo Zeexo’s Shopify theme is popular among the apparel, electronic, fashion, and furniture industries as it offers more than 100 different pre-made shop templates. This theme comes with mobile user experience optimization, Google mobile-friendly, SEO optimization, multiple header designs, social and theme icons, and more. Best Free Shopify Themes for Your eCommerce Store Shopify provides several free themes that are responsive and customizable. These free Shopify themes are a great option for those looking for an online website builder while staying within a budget. Brooklyn Brooklyn offers solutions for fashion and apparel businesses with a focus on brand imagery. Its headers slideshow helps to display multiple products or brand images at the top of your home page. It also features a slide-out cart, so customers can easily add items without having to leave the page, Brooklyn lets you use videos from YouTube and Vimeo for greater impact. Debut Debut theme offers solutions to your online store by showcasing a carefully curated selection of products. This theme helps you engage with customers by showing where items are available for pickup. You can also promote sales, promotions, or discounts at the top of your store’s home page. You can also feature product and brand videos from YouTube and Vimeo. Customers can also filter products by type, and sort by best sellers and price on the collection page. It comes with a predictive search feature that lets you display live search results and quick links for products and store pages. Express Food and drink businesses can find the perfect fit with the Express theme, and it is ideal for stores with a small number of products, like menu items. It is optimized for one-page stores where you can showcase your products and your content on one page for quick ordering. Express is designed specifically for smaller devices and mobile commerce, requiring little content and photography. With it, you can display multiple featured collections all on your home page and even add them to their cart without leaving their current page. Minimal With the Minimal theme, you can organize your products thanks to their clean and simple design. Mostly used for art and photography e-commerce businesses it comes with features such as optional sections for a home page video or slideshow, along with built-in product filtering. Addition features under the hold include in-store pickups, cart notes, marketing and conversion, stock counter, and recommended products Narrative Narrative’s theme offers users some great options for brand and product storytelling. Popular among home and garden and art and photography e-commerce businesses, it is particularly ideal for stores with a single product or a small number of products. It lets you tell your story by featuring an auto-play, full-screen video at the top of your home page. With it, you can showcase the finer details of your product with customizable image blocks, quote slides, and more. In terms of navigation, you can create a better browsing experience by surfacing your menu, logo, and cart when customers begin to scroll up the page. Simple Simple’s theme offers a clean and minimal them to showcase your products to customers. With its product image zoom feature, you can give customers a closer look and extra product details when they hover over an image. You can also animate images of your product and brand into the page to create a sleek transition effect. It also showcases recommended products on product pages to increase discoverability as well. This theme is popular among the fashion and clothing industries. Supply Theme Shopify Supply theme can help you easily organize your products and filter large inventories by brand, price, and other customizable options. With featured collections available on your homepage along with collection filtering in the sidebar customers can easily search and add to their cart items easily. Supply themes can be used by jewelry, clothing, fashion, and accessories sellers. Venture Venture is a free Shopify minimal theme that is tailor-made for businesses with large product catalogs. It comes with multi-column menu options that allow you to showcase product-specific details through a drop-down menu. You’ll also be able to highlight a single flagship product by featuring it front and center on your home page or showcase multiple products or brand images on your home page through a slideshow. You can also filter products by type and sort by best sellers and price on the collection page. Voonex Voonex is a free theme that is perfectly designed to fit an eCommerce website featuring an event of any kind. This theme is built to fit in any eCommerce website about the event, conference, meeting, summit, exhibition, concert, or expo. It helps to provide solutions in regards to the essential parts of an event and conference theme like Event Information, Speaker Profiles, Sponsors, Schedules, The Venue, and Blog Pages are well structured in order for your attendees to follow the events easily with full information. This theme is free for its basic version which comes with some limited features. If you want to upgrade to more sophisticated options, you’ll have to pay for the Premium version for $ 56. What You Should Look for in a Shopify eCommerce Theme Choosing the right Shopify theme is crucial for creating a lasting impression and driving sales. While aligning with your business aesthetics is vital, financial investment should also be a consideration. You shouldn’t have to empty your pockets to get a theme that represents your brand adequately. Key Features to Consider for Shopify Themes To ensure you pick the best Shopify theme for your business, here’s a concise checklist of essential features to keep in mind: FeatureBrief Description Ease of CustomizationAdjust to fit your brand without complex coding. ResponsivenessAdapts to all screen sizes, ensuring a consistent browsing experience. Mobile-FriendlinessOptimized for mobile devices where most online shopping occurs. SEO CompatibilityEnhance search rankings with tailored meta titles and descriptions. Marketing & Social IntegrationConnect and sync with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest. Customer TestimonialsBoost credibility with social proof from satisfied customers. Product Page FeaturesDetailed visuals, descriptions, shipping info, and payment options. Navigation FeaturesIncludes features like Mega menus for a streamlined user experience. Niche AppropriatenessThemes tailored to specific business needs. Dynamic VisualsStandout templates that highlight the store's unique offerings. Customer SupportPrompt tech support accessibility for theme-related issues. Visual Page BuilderUser-friendly interface to design and edit store layouts. Advanced Product FilteringSort products by categories, pricing, popularity, etc. Homepage LayoutsEngaging designs that showcase products and boost credibility. Ease of Customization Selecting the ideal Shopify theme is all about striking a balance between aesthetic alignment with your brand and affordability. The right Shopify theme should seamlessly incorporate vital elements such as crisp product images, clearly displayed price tags and an easily distinguishable Call-to-Action (CTA) button. These elements should be showcased in a manner that efficiently communicates crucial information to prospective customers without making the page feel overloaded or chaotic. Moreover, when looking for the perfect Shopify e-commerce theme, it’s essential to consider the breadth of customization options available to ensure it can adapt to your business’s unique needs. Responsiveness In today’s digital landscape, an effective online store is one that employs responsive Shopify themes. Such themes are meticulously designed to adapt seamlessly to any screen size, be it expansive desktop monitors or compact screens of smartphones and tablets. Investing in responsive Shopify themes is a prudent choice as they inherently come with attributes that enhance customer engagement, simplify navigation, and provide an intuitive user experience, ensuring visitors stay longer and explore more. Mobile-Friendliness With the surge in mobile internet usage, prioritizing mobile-friendliness in your online store is not just an option but a necessity. The reality is stark: a significant majority of online browsing and shopping transactions now happen via mobile devices. Therefore, to truly thrive in the online marketplace and tap into this vast demographic, your store needs to be impeccably optimized for mobile, ensuring swift loading times, efficient checkouts, and a pleasing user interface. SEO Compatibility Visibility is key in the vast digital marketplace. To ensure that your online store is easily discoverable by potential customers, it’s imperative to secure good rankings in search engine results. The intrinsic design of some Shopify themes can assist in this endeavor by allowing store owners to customize SEO parameters effortlessly. This functionality enables you to infuse specific, keyword-rich information about your products into meta titles and meta descriptions, enhancing search engine visibility. Marketing and Social Media Features In this age of connectivity, integrating social media into your business strategy can significantly amplify your reach. By intertwining your Shopify store with your business’s blog and various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, you not only foster deeper connections with your existing customer base but also attract potential customers who discover your products through shared content, reviews, or recommendations. Excellent Customer Testimonials Showcasing genuine feedback from your customers is one of the most impactful strategies you can employ on your online store. When you weave in authentic customer testimonials, you not only highlight the quality of your products or services but also leverage the power of social proof. These testimonials serve as evidence that your product delivers as promised, making potential customers more confident in their purchase decisions. Product Page Features An effective product page is a blend of aesthetics and functionality. It’s a space where customers should find comprehensive details about the product and its features. Besides basic details, the page should be equipped to guide the customer’s journey with sorting options, promotional announcements, captivating visuals, detailed descriptions, and an array of color options. Furthermore, it’s essential to provide logistical details like shipping information and a variety of payment gateways. These features, when combined, ensure that the customer has a smooth and informed shopping experience. Navigation Features Seamless navigation can significantly influence the user experience on your online store. A clutter-free and intuitive navigation system can make browsing easy, leading to longer site visits and potential conversions. Introducing features like Mega menus can be especially beneficial. These are expansive dropdown panels that appear on hover, providing users with an organized view of categories and subcategories, making their browsing journey straightforward and enjoyable. Appropriateness for Your Niche Every business has unique requirements, and your online store should reflect that. While diving into the vast pool of Shopify themes, it’s pivotal to prioritize those that resonate with the ethos of your brand and the niche you operate in. An apt theme will inherently align with your business’s character, making customization smoother and more effective. Dynamic Visuals to Showcase Products In the digital retail space, first impressions are often made through visuals. Opting for themes that allow dynamic displays can enhance your product presentation, emphasizing its unique features and benefits. When selecting visual elements, it’s crucial to ensure they harmonize with the overall style and aesthetic of your chosen template, creating a cohesive and engaging shopping environment. Customer Support Navigating the intricacies of an online store can sometimes be challenging. During these times, having reliable and prompt customer support can make all the difference. Ensure the theme you select is backed by a robust support system, offering guidance and solutions whenever you encounter hurdles. This not only saves time but also ensures your store runs smoothly, offering customers an uninterrupted shopping experience. Visual Page Builder Features In today’s digital era, building your online storefront should be as easy as arranging blocks on a canvas. A competent visual page builder offers you that simplicity. With drag-and-drop features, you can shape your store’s appearance and functionality without delving into the intricacies of coding. These tools bring a layer of versatility, allowing you to experiment with various layouts, elements, and content until you find the perfect fit. The true strength of a visual page builder lies in its ability to adapt. As your brand grows or trends change, you should be able to swiftly modify your store’s look and feel, ensuring it always resonates with your target audience. Advanced Product Filtering The modern shopper values efficiency. They wish to find their desired products without wading through countless irrelevant listings. This is where advanced product filtering comes into play. An efficient Shopify theme empowers your customers to fine-tune their search based on specific criteria, be it bestsellers, price ranges, or product groups. This not only speeds up the shopping process but also enhances the user experience, making it likely for customers to return for future purchases. Great Homepage Layouts The homepage acts as the grand entrance to your online store. It sets the tone, introduces your brand, and guides visitors towards making a purchase. To ensure your homepage leaves a lasting impression, it needs to be a harmonious blend of aesthetics and functionality. Elements like captivating headers, striking graphics, and immersive videos can draw visitors in. However, it’s the subtle touches that often make the difference. Features like showcasing best-selling products or highlighting unique value propositions give potential customers a quick snapshot of what you offer. Furthermore, instilling trust is essential. Incorporating elements like security badges assures visitors that their transactions are safe, encouraging them to explore your store further. How to Buy Custom Themes for Your Shopify Store To get themes, you will first need to sign up on Shopify, and subscribe to the plans available on offer. You can then buy either through the Shopify Theme Store or third-party developers. What are the best Shopify themes? Some of the best Shopify themes include Wokiee, Universe, Porto, and Brooklyn. Can you customize a free Shopify theme? Yes, free Shopify can be customized to a certain degree so that you can align the design of your eCommerce store with your business goals and increase sales. Which free Shopify theme is responsive? Simple, Supply , Venture, and Narrative are free responsive Shopify themes. Why are Shopify themes so expensive? A lot of costs go into designing and developing themes in addition to the considerable amount of time and resources in developing code, testing it, and providing support, all of which may not be provided or as high quality with lower-cost options. Which is the best converting Shopify theme? Wokiee is widely regarded as the best converting Shopify theme. Its design and features are optimized to enhance user experience, leading to higher customer engagement and increased sales conversions. What is the best-paid theme on Shopify? Empire is considered the best-paid theme on Shopify. This is because it comes with an Amazon-inspired theme optimized for literally any type of e-commerce store. Image: Shopify This article, "Best Shopify Themes for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A new browser from the Norwegian company Opera just launched today, and it wants you to stop stressing out so much. The free browser, called Opera Air, is billed as the first-ever “mindful browser.” While existing mindfulness apps like Calm and Headspace can help you take a break to reduce feelings of stress, Opera Air proposes a product that integrates mindfulness directly into working online. The browser comes with a sleek, minimal UI and built-in mindfulness tools—like breathing exercises and binaural beats—so users can code, type, or browse the web and get a brain boost simultaneously. Nikita Walia is a brand strategist at U.N.N.A.M.E.D, the creative partners behind Opera Air. According to Walia, who led the strategy behind the new browser’s launch campaign, the team landed on the key insight that most people don’t actually want to disconnect from technology—instead, they want “room to think clearly” in a busy digital world. “We noticed that there was a pretty binary relationship to technology as it’s presented by people’s opinions online,” Walia says. “Either you want to throw your phone in the ocean and disappear, or you’re super, super addicted to technology. We thought Opera could present a third way, where technology can be really supportive to your overall goals and your wellbeing.” For the sizable portion of the workforce that relies on computers for their livelihoods, chucking your Macbook into the sea isn’t exactly the solution to a better workday experience. As a remote journalist myself, ditching technology isn’t a sustainable solution, and even tried-and-true mindfulness practices like meditation can feel difficult to incorporate into a busy schedule. So, I gave Opera Air a try to see if it’s worth abandoning Google Chrome once and for all. [Image: Opera] A browser for minimalists The first thing you’ll notice when you open Opera Air is that there aren’t many bells and whistles—and that’s by design. According to Tomasz Stawarz, Opera Air’s senior director of product, Opera Air is a purposefully pared-down version of Opera’s other browser options, a choice that’s intended to combat the “chaotic” and “overwhelming” nature of the web. The browser’s default settings include one simple Google search bar, an uplifting quote at the bottom of the screen, and a sidebar with five preloaded icons, including Opera’s AI, Aria, and the browser’s two mindfulness tools. This sidebar can be updated to include any combination of apps, but Stawarz suggests that users get a feel for their most-used programs before updating it to keep the screen decluttered. [Image: Opera] Users can choose from a set of custom-designed CGI wallpapers by U.N.N.A.M.E.D and the creative studio Future Romance as their backdrop (I chose a green mountainscape). Opera Air’s features and launch campaign both emphasize a visual bubble metaphor, which pulsates and bounces to mimic the tempo of relaxed breathing. And all of the browser’s UI elements, including search bars, tabs, and icons, are rendered in what Stawarz calls a “frosted glass” effect, which is essentially a minimal, semi-transparent look. “We’ve kept distractions to a minimum by limiting the color palette and embracing clean, minimalistic design,” Stawarz says. [Image: Opera] As a loyal Chrome user, I found Opera Air quite easy to navigate. My main qualm with the browser itself is that, once you’ve racked up enough tabs, it becomes difficult to select one without inadvertently clicking the “X” and exiting out of it—a minor annoyance that got pretty frustrating after about the tenth time it happened. Still, I appreciated the simplicity of the default settings and the browser’s streamlined aesthetics. [Image: Opera] Putting Opera Air to the test The true test of Opera Air is in its two mindfulness features, called “Boosts” and “Take a Break.” I decided to give these tools a trial by fire by testing them out for the first time during a workday with several quick turn-around deadlines. The first feature, “Boosts,” uses something called binaural beats to help users achieve sensations ranging from “Energized Focus” to “Deep Relaxation.” Binaural beats are an auditory technique wherein two slightly different frequencies are played in each ear, causing the brain to generate its own perceived third frequency. According to a press release from Opera, “This is known to influence brainwave activity, helping to promote relaxation, focus, or a meditative state”—although, it should be noted that scientists are still debating exactly how effective binaural beats actually are, and under what conditions. [Image: Opera] Currently, Opera Air comes with 19 Boosts, each of which is composed of three elements: background music, ambient noise (like bird sounds or waves), and binaural frequencies. The Boosts have been created by the Opera Air team with different effects in mind. “Focused Calm,” for example, includes a slower music track and comes with more prominent binaural beats. “Energized Focus,” on the other hand, features a more upbeat soundtrack and less noticeable beats. Users can browse the Boosts’ descriptions to select one that’s right for their current task, and even customize them by adjusting the volumes of the three components of the beats. Both Boosts and “Take a Break” are easily accessible as icons in the browser’s sidebar, so it’s pretty simple to change your Boost or tweak its volume from whatever tab you’re working in. [Image: Opera] I frequently use binaural beats to get into a “flow state” while writing, so, predictably, I found myself better able to focus on my work while a Boost was playing. Still, I’m not entirely sold on the utility of this tool, considering that thousands of similar compositions are just a few clicks away on YouTube. Opera Air’s second mindfulness feature, “Take a Break,” is a bit more involved. This tool takes users to a variety of exercises, including guided breathing sessions, meditation, neck exercises, and a full-body scan, all designed to encourage a moment of relaxation. Each of the four categories includes several different session options, ranging from a three-minute “destress” breathing session to a 15-minute full body scan. During my workday trial, I was pleasantly surprised by a four-minute neck exercise, which gave me some much-need tension release after a few hours spent hunched over my laptop (though the program relies on tracking your facial movements, which I noticed could be somewhat finicky, especially for those with longer hair). Similarly, I observed a noticeable difference in my stress levels before and after a five-minute “box breathing” exercise. All of the sessions include voiceovers from a male or female narrator—you can toggle between “Alex” or “Emma”—which made it easy to close my eyes and really commit to slowing down for a moment. Going into this test, I was concerned that I might be irritated by the browser’s reminders to use “Take a Break,” but I actually found myself wishing it would badger me more. Opera Air lets you decide whether you want to be reminded to do your activities, and you can determine the frequency of reminders, ranging from every 45 to 180 minutes. When your time is up, the “Take a Break” icon on the browser sidebar will begin subtly flashing. Despite setting my reminder frequency to 45 minutes, I found that I often missed the flashing cue, and then ultimately decided to just skip the exercise and do it next time. Granted, there’s only so much a browser can do to convince us to actually practice self-care, but I hope the next iteration of Opera Air will include an option for more aggressive notification. Do I think Opera Air is the answer to my work-induced stress? No. But could it help make staring at my screen for hours more manageable? Definitely. View the full article

Water scarcity is often viewed as an issue for the arid American West, but the U.S. Northeast’s experience in 2024 shows how severe droughts can occur in just about any part of the country. Cities in the Northeast experienced record-breaking drought conditions in the second half of 2024 after a hot, dry summer in many areas. Wildfires broke out in several states that rarely see them. By December, much of the region was experiencing moderate to severe drought. Residents in New York City and Boston were asked to reduce their water use, while Philadelphia faced risk to its water supply due to saltwater coming up the Delaware River. Before the drought, many people in the region weren’t prepared for water shortages or even paying much attention to their water use. As global temperatures rise, cities throughout the U.S. are more likely to experience hotter, drier conditions like this. Those conditions increase evaporation, drying out vegetation and soil and lowering groundwater tables. The Northeast drought was easing in much of the region in early 2025, but communities across the U.S. should take note of what happened. They can learn from the experiences of cities that have had to confront major water supply crises – such as Cape Town, South Africa; São Paulo, Brazil; Melbourne, Australia; Las Vegas; and New Orleans – and start planning now to avoid the worst impacts of future droughts. Lessons from cities that have seen the worst Our new analysis of these five cities’ experiences provides lessons on how to avoid a water supply crisis or minimize the effects through proactive policies and planning. Many cities have had to confront major water supply crises in recent years. Perhaps the most well-known example is Cape Town’s “Day Zero.” After three years of persistent drought in the region, Cape Town officials in fall 2017 began a countdown to Day Zero—the point at which water supplies would likely run so low that water would be turned off in neighborhoods and residents would need to fetch a daily allocation of water at public distribution points. Initially it was forecast to occur in April 2018. Water rates were raised, and some households installed flow restrictors, which would automatically limit the amount of water that could be used. Public awareness and conservation efforts cut water consumption in half, allowing the city to push back its estimate for when Day Zero would arrive. And when the rains finally came in summer 2018, Day Zero was canceled. A second example is São Paulo, which similarly experienced a severe drought between 2013 and 2015. The city’s reservoirs were reduced to just 5% of their capacity, and the water utility reduced the pressure in the water system to limit water use by residents. Water pricing adjustments were used to penalize high water users and reward water conservation, and a citywide campaign sought to increase awareness and encourage conservation. As in Cape Town, the crisis ended with heavy rains in 2016. Significant investments have since been made in upgrading the city’s water distribution infrastructure, preventing leaks, and bringing water to the city from other river basins. Planning ahead can reduce the harm The experiences of Cape Town and São Paulo—and the other cities in our study—show how water supply crises can affect communities. When major changes are made to reduce water consumption, they can affect people’s daily lives and pocketbooks. Rapidly designed conservation efforts can have harmful effects on poor and vulnerable communities that may have fewer alternatives in the event of restrictions or shutoffs or lack the ability to pay higher prices for water, forcing tough choices for households between water and other necessities. Planning ahead allows for more thoughtful policy design. For example, Las Vegas has been grappling with drought conditions for the past two decades. During that time, the region implemented water-conservation policies that focus on incentivizing and even requiring reduced water consumption. Since 2023, the Las Vegas Valley Water District has implemented water rates that encourage conservation and can vary with the availability of water supplies during droughts. In its first year alone, the policy saved 3 billion gallons of water and generated $31 million in fees that can be used by programs to detect and repair leaks, among other conservation efforts. A state law now requires businesses and homeowner associations in the Las Vegas Valley to remove their decorative grass by the end of 2026. Since 2002, per capita water use in Las Vegas has dropped by an impressive 58%. Solutions and strategies for the future Most of the cities we studied incorporated a variety of approaches to building water security and drought-proofing their community—from publishing real-time dashboards showing water use and availability in Cape Town to investing in desalination in Melbourne. But we found the most important changes came from community members committing to and supporting efforts to conserve water and invest in water security, such as reducing lawn watering. There are also longer-term actions that can help drought-proof a community, such as fixing or replacing water- and energy-intensive fixtures and structures. This includes upgrading home appliances, such as showers, dishwashers and toilets, to be more water efficient and investing in native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Prioritizing green infrastructure, such as retention ponds and bioswales, that help absorb rain when it does fall and investing in water recycling can also diversify water supplies. Taking these steps now, ahead of the next drought, can prepare cities and lessen the pain. Sara Hughes is an adjunct professor of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan. Michael Wilson is a professor of policy analysis at Pardee RAND Graduate School. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

My mom used to always say, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” She was a very busy person who seemed to have endless energy and a knack for outperforming others in her real estate firm. While the origin of the quote isn’t clear, the idea is that someone who juggles several projects effectively probably has systems in place for prioritization and efficiency. This makes sense. But there is a point when said “busy person” hits overload. Tossing them one more ball could cause the person to drop all of them. About two-thirds of workers feel empowered to decline extra work, according to a recent report from résumé builder Resume Now, yet 59% feel frequent burnout. Gen Z is the hardest hit, reporting the highest levels of stress as well as difficulty managing their workloads. A recent study from the résumé-building service LiveCareer found that 77% of employees are asked to take on extra work each week, 56% reluctantly agree due to pressure from managers or leadership, and 8% admit they don’t even know how to say no. Why Is Extra Work Hard to Decline? Extra work can be hard to define, which is why it’s challenging to say no, according to Keith Spencer, Resume Now’s career expert. “It’s essentially work that is outside the normal scope of your role,” he says. “Some people are perfectly okay with taking on extra work, because it can allow you to try new things and learn new skills and work with different people. Gaining that new experience can be beneficial.” People often say yes because they’ve developed a pattern of wanting to help others, says Jenn Gunsaullus, a sociologist and relationship expert. “Many folks grew up believing that their main value is in giving and giving,” she says. “There are many positive things in that, but others can take advantage of it in the workplace.” Shira Gill, author of LifeStyled: Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life, agrees. “Most of us are wired as people pleasers, and we don’t want to disappoint,” she says. “We also want to represent ourselves as somebody who’s capable of doing all of the things and rising to the occasion. People sometimes confuse saying no with failure, disappointment, and not rising to the occasion. It’s typically the opposite.” Get to the Root of Your ‘Yes Reflex’ To start saying no to extra work, you need to get clear on why you’ve been saying yes. Gunsaullus suggests asking yourself a series of questions, such as, What stories am I telling myself about why I need to say yes? Who am I by saying yes? “There’s an underlying narrative that’s been trained into your brain throughout your lifetime, but it’s not necessarily factual,” Gunsaullus explains. “We need to pause and reflect on the story and where it came from, then do a little personal growth and work around those patterns.” Gunsaullus says it’s important to get clear on the emotions you have attached to this narrative. Ask yourself, “What emotions am I feeling? Am I scared? Am I anxious? Do I have shame, fear of disappointment or disappointing others?” Next, Gunsaullus suggests trying to pinpoint your physical response. A question like “Where do I feel a reaction inside of me?” shifts an abstract feeling to tangible sensations you can address. “Can you take some deep breaths? Can you pat yourself on the back for reflecting on this and bringing kindness to yourself? That’s a way of breaking the pattern in the moment by orienting to the sensations you’re feeling inside you,” Gunsaullus says. Finally, Gunsaullus says you can start to regain your personal power by determining how you want to respond differently in the future. “How can you respond in a way that you feel proud of yourself?” Gunsaullus asks. “How can you be strategic and productive for your big picture goals of workplace advancement?” Saying No Resume Now’s report found that 42% feel relieved after declining extra work, which means that 58% don’t. “[Saying no] can make people feel guilty,” says Spencer. “Maybe you really respect your manager and now they have to take it on. Or you want to be a team player, and you’re concerned about the perceptions people have of you. It comes down to finding that balance, setting some boundaries, and advocating for yourself to protect your mental well-being.” If you’re noticing the early warning signs of burnout, such as chronic fatigue or feeling irritable or detached at work, have a conversation with your manager as soon as you can. “You don’t want to sacrifice or jeopardize the quality of your work just to be able to deliver a larger quantity of work,” Spencer says. Setting clear boundaries starts with defining the most important outcomes and the amount of time, energy, and output you need to accomplish those, says Gill, who says, “Look at your time critically to assess if there is time and energy left for other smaller or less-meaningful tasks. We all have a slightly different capacity.” Gill also suggests asking your boss for help reprioritizing your workload by saying something like “My understanding was that this was the No. 1 priority. If I take on this new task or responsibility, I fear that it will stall or prevent this outcome from happening.” Gill adds, “Give the boss the onus of deciding by outlining very specifically what will happen if you take on this new task.” Work does need to get done, so Gunsaullus recommends these three considerations. “First, are these types of tasks being spread around?” she says. “Is there equality around it? Second, are you overwhelmed with your workload? Are you already having trouble keeping up with what you’re doing? And third, is there anything in what you’re being asked to do that would be beneficial to your career advancement?” She notes, “Be strategic. It’s saying, ‘I’ve done this the last three times and it’s taken me away from my workload and what I’m committed to doing here.’ Be very clear, factual, and logical.” The Risk of Not Saying No If you seem to be the go-to person for extra work, especially tasks that won’t further your career, it’s important to start to decline assignments. “Folks [who consistently say yes] are some of the most loving, giving people, but they can get taken advantage of in the workplace and become resentful,” says Gunsaullus. “Other people seem to not respect them as much, because they always say yes. They get pigeonholed as the person who always does these things.” Saying no is like building a muscle, Gunsaullus says, explaining, “It’s gaining comfort with discomfort in emotional, mental, social contexts, where we’re feeling triggered in some way and we have patterns, and then we have discomfort around trying something new. The more we train our brains and our neural networks to be able to be more comfortable with discomfort, the easier it becomes. The discomfort might never go away completely, but it’s not as overwhelming.” Gill says creating a not-to-do list and a personal mission statement can help you stay on track. Put them on a Post-it note or index card near your computer or workspace. “People often make long to-do lists, but they don’t make outcome or results lists. Instead of mindlessly doing all of these things, focus on achieving and finishing what’s important,” she says. “When we take on too much, we end up failing at everything.” View the full article

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Search today sure ain’t what it used to be. On the one hand, you’ve got the escalating sense that Google’s once-reliable results are stuck in a downward spiral. It’s a perception we’ve been seeing take shape for some time now, even before Google Search started pushing accuracy-challenged AI answers into its search engine and steering people away from first-party sources. On the other hand, you’ve got AI-powered info engines ranging from ChatGPT and Perplexity to Google’s own Gemini chatbot now browsing the web for you and offering up immediate (if occasionally also inaccurate) answers. For the first time, that’s raising pressing questions about the long-term fate of the conventional search experience—all while Google and other providers struggle to keep junky AI-generated info from clouding their results. It’s a rare moment when something that’s long felt like an unshakable part of our lives suddenly seems vulnerable, and the way we seek out info online is open to reassessment. Amid all of that, Kagi—a company with a minuscule fraction of Google’s resources—sees an opportunity to convince people to stop turning to Google for search, quit leaning on inconsistent AI answers for important information, and start seeking out a smarter way to find what they need without all the cascading compromises. Kagi’s founder insists it isn’t a “Google killer”—and, quite critically, it was never meant to be. But two arenas’ worth of early adopters see it differently, including plenty of Redditors, Hacker News commenters, and even Apple oracle John Gruber, who recently declared Kagi “the best search engine in the world.” And the more you hear about this utopian vision for what the web could be, the easier it is to understand the enthusiasm. “red pill moment” Vladimir Prelovac started sensing a shift in the online search arena as far back as 2018, long before the name ChatGPT had entered the common vernacular or most people thought Google might be in any way vulnerable to a serious search competitor. Prelovac had just sold his former company, a WordPress management platform called ManageWP, to GoDaddy and was raring for a fresh challenge. While the exact price of the acquisition was never made public, Prelovac had enough cash in his coffers to bootstrap a new startup, without any outside funding, and he knew exactly what problem he wanted to pursue. “I had my red pill moment,” Prelovac says, referring to the scene in The Matrix when Keanu Reeves’s character takes a red pill, unplugs from the simulation he’s been living in, and sees the world as it actually exists for the first time. “I realized Google is basically insulting my intelligence, and the [Google Search] product wasn’t being built for me. It was pretty eye-opening.” (Kagi did eventually raise a small round of $670,000 in 2023 and then a second round of $1.9 million in 2024.) As Prelovac recounts the revelation, he increasingly saw signs that Google’s actual customers were the businesses paying to advertise on its search result pages—not the people looking to those same pages for information. He grew disillusioned with what he describes as a deteriorating experience and a lack of exceptional alternatives. So he decided to do something about it. “I thought it was ridiculous that we didn’t have a product that’s actually serving the users, not the advertisers,” he says. “I quickly realized the only way to [fix that] is to create a paid subscription-based service, because that’s the only business model that would align incentives.” Prelovac set out to prove his theory. Within about a year, he had an early prototype of a new service called Kagi—a Japanese word that rhymes with “froggy” and means key, suggesting the way Prelovac hoped to unlock a friendlier, more user-centric web model. Now, seven years later, Kagi boasts 38,000 paying subscribers, a figure that continues to grow, with rates running from $5 to $25 per month. (Most people should probably pick the middle-of-the-road $10 “Professional” plan, allows unlimited searches and access to some of the simpler AI features.) Those figures pale in comparison to the throngs of people who visit Google each day and the billions of dollars Google makes from its search product, of course. But in Prelovac’s mind, that’s precisely the point—and the key to Kagi’s future. Unlocking a smarter search journey The best way to describe Kagi is as a less cluttered, more capable, and more customizable version of what we’re all used to seeing from Google Search—only without the ads, the shopping results, and other assorted distractions. Kagi sports a refreshingly clutter-free and customizable interface. You also won’t find artificial intelligence “answers” forced in your face above regular web results, though you can get to Kagi’s own version of the chatbot concept if you like. (More on that and how it differs from the typical AI chatbot experience in a moment.) Primarily, Kagi is about taking you to the first-party web info related to whatever you’re seeking and making that experience as effective, premium-feeling, and pleasant as possible. It really is a refreshing change, too, once you get past the inevitable initial adjustment and the occasional muscle-memory-jarring moment—one that opens your eyes to the type of web experience that almost feels more aspirational than realistic in this day and age. And yet, here it is. “If the user is paying you as a search product company, then you’re incentivized to make search better and better,” Prelovac reasons. “Otherwise, they walk away with their wallet.” To that end, in addition to the lack of ads and sponsored elements within its results, Kagi empowers you to do things like block specific websites from your results, increase the weight of sites you like in results, and customize nearly everything about the interface—ranging from which widgets and types of results show up to all sorts of settings around the site’s appearance and behavior. Kagi continuously works to remind you that it’s your search experience, and you should be in control. It’s a lovely upgrade from the effort-requiring work-arounds we’ve all grown accustomed to pursuing for any manner of meaningful customization or unreliable-AI-answer avoiding in the standard search arena, and it’s something you really resent losing when you go back to Google or any other more conventional search service. You can customize practically everything about the way Kagi looks and functions. Kagi even allows you to create your own custom “lenses,” which are search filters that show you results only from specific sets of websites, making it easy to limit a search to something like academic sites, forums, or your own personal domains on demand and with virtually no ongoing effort. Kagi’s lenses are an interesting way to limit certain searches to specific sorts of sites. And all of that is still just scratching the surface of how Kagi works to reshape search, both inside and out. A revamped window to the web Even if you don’t customize a thing or exert much energy thinking about the interface, you’ll notice some significant differences in what Kagi’s like to use compared to the status quo. The service combines its custom web index with search results from “almost every other search engine in the world,” as Prelovac describes it—which, rather ironically, suggests you’re actually seeing at least some Google results within Kagi. But Kagi puts all of that data through its own special blender before serving it up to you—and, as you’d imagine, it includes assurances that your search data will never be saved or used for any manner of advertising. The aim is to create the perfect mix of high-quality results that actually answer what you’re after without making you want to gouge your eyes out. “We push down sites that have a lot of ads and trackers, because that usually correlates with low-quality content, and we push up results that have very little ads or no ads and tracking on them, which usually correlates with high-quality content and somebody writing because it’s their passion,” Prelovac says. Kagi’s index also brings in an added emphasis on what Prelovac calls the “noncommercial” or “small” web—personal blogs, discussions, and other off-the-beaten-path sites that tend to get buried in results from Google as well as the newer breed of large language model chatbots. This atypical approach is apparent with practically every search you perform within Kagi. If I search for “best usb-c to 3.5mm adapter,” for instance, Google gives me a screen that’s heavy on ads and other sales-oriented offerings. Kagi, in contrast, focuses on Reddit threads and recommendations from lots of lesser-known sites that would never show up in a standard search setup. Google’s results, left, compared to Kagi’s If I enter a more specific, black-and-white question—like “Is the Galaxy S25 worth buying?”—Google gives me a bunch of YouTube videos followed by related queries, a block of news stories, and then a single Reddit thread and some more YouTube videos. Kagi serves up a simple summary of different opinions, with clear citations alongside each point, followed by articles at a variety of sites both big and small that seek to answer the inquiry. Kagi also offers a one-click “Quick Answer” option to get a summary of all the top results for any inquiry on the spot. Plus, within each individual result, it provides a handy “Summarize page” command that shows you the high points of any page’s contents right there, no extra clicks or browser tabs required. By and large, though, Kagi really does make its AI elements easy to avoid. The options are available if you want ’em—some tucked away into the service’s $25-per-month “Ultimate” subscription. That plan gives you access to Kagi’s Gemini- and ChatGPT-like Assistant chatbot, which combines large language models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and other organizations together with Kagi’s own web results. The system keeps all of your data private and lets you see info from any of those sources with Kagi’s custom filtering in place, which Prelovac hopes will lead to more refined results than what you’d get directly from any of the associated chatbots. “AI is limited by what you feed into it,” Prelovac explains. “It all goes back to incentives.” The big question, then, is how many people are willing to cough up the cash to enjoy these enhancements. The search for sustainability Prelovac says Kagi is already profitable, achieving a level of success never experienced by the higher-profile Neeva, a paid search service launched by former Google executives in 2021 and shut down roughly two years later. In Prelovac’s view, the key differences between Neeva and his creation are the motivation and the metric for success. Neeva raised $77.5 million in funding, with investments from venture-capital bigwigs like Greylock and Sequoia. So despite amassing a pool of 2 million paying users—a number that dwarfs Kagi’s current base of paying members—it never managed to make enough money to be seen as sustainable. “It’s funny that for them, it’s a failure—[and] for us, it’s a success,” Prelovac says. On that note, Prelovac deliberately doesn’t think of his service as attempting to be a “Google killer,” as I alluded to earlier. In his eyes, Kagi and Google don’t share the same customers, so there’s no way they could be competing with each other directly—despite the fact that they serve similar surface-level purposes. “Google’s customers are the advertisers. Ours are the users,” he says. “The source of money for Google and source of money for us comes from totally different market segments.” ​Kagi is also working to set itself apart by developing its own WebKit-based browser, Orion, which includes a smattering of privacy-minded additions while putting the Kagi search service front and center. It’s available only for macOS and iOS at the moment, which means I wasn’t able to use it, personally, as I’m more of a Windows and Android kind of guy. But Prelovac says it’ll make its way to other platforms eventually. ​ ​Without Orion in the mix, getting other browsers to rely on Kagi for their native search functions can be a bit of an adventure. Kagi offers an extension that handles the setup for you, and if you’re using Safari, that’s the only choice you’ve got. With Chromium-based browsers and also Firefox, you can instead just make a few reasonably easy adjustments in your browser’s settings to accomplish the same feat. ​ The same applies for most mobile browsers—again with the exception of Safari, which requires the use of the Kagi extension—or you can just download the native Kagi Android and iOS apps and start your searches there. The real challenge, then, is continuing to convince people to deal with those hurdles while also paying for something they’ve so long seen as a freebie. “We are going against one of the most entrenched habits in society—that search is somehow God-given and free, almost like a right—where in reality, it’s just a service provided by one of the wealthiest tech companies in the world,” Prelovac says. One stat he finds encouraging is that once people get in the door at Kagi, they tend to stick around at unusually high numbers. All Kagi subscriptions start with a 100-search free trial, and Prelovac says about 20% of people who start a trial continue on to a paid plan from there. Even just in the few weeks that I’ve been watching the service closely, I’ve seen its self-reported stats of paying members climb by around 1,000 people—which is somewhere in the ballpark of 3% growth, at this scale. (Kagi has also grown internally, with 40 employees as of the start of 2025, up from 25 when Fast Company wrote about the company just over a year ago.) Still, convincing people to pony up $5 to $25 per month for something they’ve been trained to expect at no cost is a constant mountain to climb. “It’s easy to compete with cheap and bad [by offering] high-quality and expensive,” Prelovac says. “But there are very little analogies in the past where a company has tried to compete with free.” The real saving grace may be Kagi’s goal, which is less about stealing a significant share of Google’s users and more about simply finding enough interest to make itself sustainable long into the future. Speaking of that long-term view, Kagi’s next ambitions include releasing a stand-alone version of its Assistant AI chatbot later this year, launching more native apps across all desktop and mobile platforms after that, and eventually building up an entire integrated portfolio of cross-platform products that equip people to say so long to Big Tech in all sorts of areas beyond just search. But for now, it’s one day and one won-over user at a time. And as for the question of if and when a mass of internet citizens might join the movement and decide search is something worth paying for—for the moment, at least, that’s a question even Kagi can’t answer. Discover all sorts of off-the-beaten-path productivity treasures with my free Cool Tools newsletter—a single new inspiring discovery in your inbox every Wednesday! View the full article

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Botox can be expensive. You know what isn’t? Bananas. A new beauty hack making the rounds online involves rubbing the inside of a banana peel all over your face for a few minutes to brighten and tighten skin. You’ve heard of chemical peels for your skin? Now it’s all about the banana peel. “This actually made my face feel so much tighter,” one TikToker said after giving the hack a go. “Me, after seeing a banana peel can help with hydration, brightening, hyperpigmentation & be preventative Botox,” wrote another over a video of them rubbing the peel on their skin. “POV: When you’re 37 years old & do banana peel scrubs instead of Botox,” a third creator posted. “Why didn’t I see this 5,000 bananas ago,” read one of the comments. Can it be that the key to glowing skin has been sitting in our fruit bowls all this time? Dermatologist Geeta Yadav posted a TikTok video sharing her thoughts on the hack: “First off, ew,” she says. And while yes, she acknowledges that bananas contain antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and antimicrobial properties, Dr. Yadav wouldn’t recommend using banana peels in place of an over-the-counter skincare product. As for being “nature’s Botox”? “There’s no topical or food supplement that is going to give you the same effect Botox can when [it’s injected],” she adds. One TikToker points to the lutein in the banana peel as the reason for its possible brightening, hydrating, and soothing properties. “It’s more like preventative Botox,” she says. Skin and aesthetics expert Nina Prisk, founder of Update Aesthetics clinics in the U.K., cautions that while bananas do contain lutein, an antioxidant that may help brighten the skin, it won’t be absorbed properly simply by rubbing a banana all over your face. “It may, in fact, result in skin irritation, especially for those with sensitive skin,” she adds. Unless you are allergic to bananas, this beauty hack is unlikely to do any harm. As for the Botox claims, “rubbing banana skins on the face is simply not comparable to something which has scientific backing and has been used for over 20 years with proven results,” Prisk says. “Although some people might experience a temporary feeling of skin tightening, this will be short-lived, and it will not offer long-lasting results like injectable aesthetic treatments can.” That doesn’t mean bananas don’t have a host of benefits when used as nature intended (i.e., eaten). Naturally rich in potassium, bananas can help keep your skin moisturized and hydrated from the inside out. So just eat the banana, compost the tossed peel, and book an appointment with a professional for any Botox needs. View the full article