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Here is a selection of Posts from January 2025 that you will want to check out: Nine rules turnaround leaders can live by that don't involve 'fixing the culture' by @artpetty 4 Ways To Constantly Adapt by @JosephLalonde 5 Things Leaders Need to Quit Doing by @Mark_Sanborn It Don’t Take Much To Show A Little Love by @JohnBaldoni Success Through Synergy by @KevinPaulScott Genuine synergy rests on four essential pillars Sputnik Moments, Moonshot Visions by @jamesstrock What should our moonshot be? Minimum Levels of Stress by @morganhousel Thinking of Managing? Six reasons why you might love this role by @artpetty The Hard Truth About Mismanagement by MarleneChism @stopyourdrama Unlock Your Best Writing by Getting Enough Good Sleep. Here’s How. by @WallyBock Scale your impact as a manager—six areas where you need to do the heavy lifting by @artpetty How substitution is changing the game for me this year – and 4 ways to strategically use it in your leadership by @suzimcalpine A Part-Time Author’s Guide To Staying Motivated by @wallybock What Will You Commit to in 2025? 5 Leadership Steps to Your Best Year Yet by @gavin_adams The Top 10 Benefits Of Quality Leadership in 2025 by @BrianKDodd The Serve to Lead podcast with @jamesstrock: Historian and educator Elisabeth Griffith discusses American Women Making History: Past, Present & Future The Great Differentiator by @James_Albright Leadership and Main Visualizing the Strategy via @AdmiredLeader 60 Years Later: The Power of Churchill’s Leadership and Vision via @TheDaily_Coach Shake Off the TDS & Get to Work by @jamesstrock Senator Fetterman Shows How to Practice Politics in Our Fraught Moment. Persuasion is Plural by @chrbutler Noise is the default now. But the solution isn’t volume. 3 Tips To Increase Your Ability To Become More Resilient by @LaRaeQuy Resilience doesn’t mean feeling good all the time. Leaders Solve Problems by @KevinPaulScott How Do I Grow via @LeadershipMain by James Albright 3 Expressions Leaders Must Pay Attention To by @JosephLalonde Leadership 2025: Three Priorities You Can’t Ignore in the New Year by @Julie_WG What If I told You That You Could. . . .? by @DrNickMorgan Carry Yourself Like a Leader by @btreasurer Think Historically. Act Nationally. by @jamesstrock 15 Questions Leaders Can Use to Transform Challenging Team Members into High Performers by Sean Glaze @leadyourteam 5 Great Reads and Some Discoveries From 2024 by @wallybock Is your book idea ready for prime time? by @WallyBock See more on Twitter. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. View the full article

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

The cold weather has had me putting my Dutch oven through its paces the past couple weeks with a succession of stews, breads, and soups. Everything I make just seems to come out better during the winter, maybe because the thick cast iron emanates warmth long after I turn off the flame, or because removing the lid of the heavy pot always feels like opening a treasure chest. Whatever the reason, every meal has more than satisfied. This week, I tried out my crispy chicken and rice recipe, and I’d like to encourage you to do the same. Chicken and rice is one of those rare dishes with countless iterations from across the world. It’s an undeniably comforting combination, and if you have a family of picky eaters, it might be the one meal that everyone agrees on. Adding in a can of crushed tomatoes takes care of the "healthy" aspect, and a handful of olives adds a peppery, briny hit that elevates the entire dish. For me, the biggest allure of this recipe is the textural contrast of crispy chicken skin over juicy thigh meat, nestled in soft, yet perfectly resistant grains of tomato-coated rice. In order to get beautifully thin, crackling chicken skin, you have to render out the fat first. This will crisp the skin, develop the flavors, and give each piece of chicken a gorgeous, deeply browned color. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I find that using my Dutch oven for this delivers the best results. The thick cast iron does an excellent job at holding onto and evenly distributing heat so you aren't left with one crispy side of a chicken thigh, and the other all floppy. (Don’t fret if you don’t have a fancy Dutch oven; my brand-less one is a wonder. I might name it Dutchie.) Once you add the liquids and rice, you can count on the heat retention to cook the grains at a slow and steady pace, effectively achieving multiple different textures, all with one pot. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Aside from the initial sear, this dish spends most of its time on low heat. You can absolutely use a regular pot for this, but you may have to keep a closer eye on everything. For the crispiest possible chicken skin, I recommend salting it the night before and leaving it in your fridge, uncovered, overnight. The salt flavors the skin and draws out moisture, while leaving it unwrapped allows exterior moisture to evaporate. This way, when you’re ready to cook, you won’t trap steam between the skin and the hot pot. If you didn’t plan ahead, no worries: just use a paper towel to thoroughly blot the moisture off the skin before salting both sides of each chicken thigh. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann If you prefer chicken breast, you can use that instead of skin-on chicken thighs, but if you ask me, you are missing out. And if you’re in need of any other one-pot winter meals, check out this recipe for beans and sausage. Even among champions, it’s a winner. Dutch Oven Crispy Chicken and Rice RecipeIngredients: 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil 4 skin-on chicken thighs Enough salt for both sides of chicken ½ medium yellow onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 1 x 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 ½ to 2 cups broth 1 cup uncooked rice 1 teaspoon mixed seasonings (like onion powder, MSG, dried herbs, or chili powder) 10 jalapeño stuffed green olives, halved 1. Use a paper towel to blot the excess moisture from the thighs, especially on the skin side. Salt both sides of the chicken thighs. Add the oil to a Dutch oven and swirl the pot to coat the bottom. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and turn the heat to medium. Allow the chicken to cook like this for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the skin is very brown underneath. 2. Flip the chicken and cook the other side for about five minutes. Your chicken will cook through here, but if your thighs are particularly thick, check with a thermometer. 3. Remove the thighs carefully so you don’t break off the crisp skin. Place them on a plate to wait. Toss the onion and garlic into the pot and let them cook briefly, about one minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, 1 ½ cups broth, and the rice along with a teaspoon of any seasoning mix you typically enjoy. Mix it well, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover the pot with a lid. Cook the rice and sauce like this for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. At this point the rice will have absorbed the excess liquid and you should taste it. The rice should be just cooked, but not mushy. Add the chopped olives to the pot and mix them into the rice. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin-side up, into the rice so the meat is buried in the sauce but the skin is above the surface. Allow the dish to cook for another five minutes, uncovered. Serve immediately to enjoy the crispiest chicken skin and the most satisfying tomato rice. View the full article

Apple on Thursday disclosed its iPhone sales dipped slightly during the holiday-season quarter, signaling a sluggish start to the trendsetting company’s effort to catch up to the rest of Big Tech in the race to bring artificial intelligence to the masses. The iPhone’s roughly 1% drop in revenue from the previous year’s October-December period wasn’t entirely unexpected, given the first software update enabling the device’s AI features didn’t arrive until just before Halloween, and the technology still isn’t available in many markets outside the U.S. The countries still awaiting Apple’s AI suite include China, a key market where the company continued to lose ground. Although he didn’t mention China, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors on a conference call that a software upgrade enabling the AI features in more European markets, as well as Japan and Korea will be rolling out in April. But in the past quarter Apple also was only able to eke out a modest revenue gain across its entire business, although the results came in ahead of the analyst projections that guide investors. The Cupertino, California, company earned $36.3 billion, or $2.40 per share, a 7% increase from the previous year. Revenue edged up from the previous year by 4% to $124.3 billion. Those numbers included iPhone revenue of $69.1 billion. In China, Apple’s total revenue registered $18.5 billion, an 11% decrease from the previous year. Part of that erosion in China reflected the iPhone’s shrinking market share in that country, where homegrown companies have been making more headway. Apple’s iPhone year-over-year shipments in China declined nearly 10% in the most recent quarter, while native companies Huawei and Xiaomi posted year-over-year increases of more than 20%, according to the research firm International Data Corp. “While China is a potential risk, we think the appeal of Apple products as a luxury product and the potential of AI innovations will keep demand steady in the country,” Edward Jones analyst Logan Purk wrote in a research note assessing the company’s quarterly report. The holiday-season results served to confirm bringing AI to the iPhone and Apple’s other products may not boost the company’s recently lackluster growth as much as investors initially thought it might after Cook unveiled the technology before a rapt crowd last June. The anticipation that an AI-infused iPhone would prod hordes of consumers to ditch their current devices and splurge on an upgrade is the main reason Apple’s stock price surged by 30% last year. But the sinking realization that an uptick in demand may take longer than expected has caused Apple’s shares to backtrack by 5% during the first month of the new year. The stock initially slipped slightly in extended trading after the numbers came out, but later reversed course and rose by more than 3% after Cook said Apple is seeing a record number of people upgrading their iPhones. “I could not feel more optimistic about our product pipeline,” Cook said during the conference call. “So I think there’s a lot of a lot of innovation left on the smartphone.” A management forecast calling for revenue that will at least match or exceed analyst projections for the January-March quarter also seemed to bolster investor confidence in the company. The concerns hovering around Apple’s weakening iPhone sales come against broader worries about whether AI will be as lucrative for U.S. tech companies as once envisioned after Chinese startup DeepSeek released a version of the technology that was built at a far lower cost than had been previously thought possible. Unlike tech peers such as Microsoft, Google corporate parent Alphabet Inc., and Facebook corporate parent Meta Platforms, Apple hasn’t been investing as heavily in AI—one of the reasons it has been seen as an industry laggard. But that restraint could work to its advantage if DeepSeek’s early breakthroughs in driving down AI costs gains momentum. Apple’s services division remained the company’s biggest moneymaker outside the iPhone, with revenue of $26.3 billion in the past quarter, a 14% increase from the previous year. Although the services division has been thriving for years, it generates more than $20 billion annually by locking in Google as the automatic search engine on the iPhone and other products. That deal is now under threat of being banned as part of the proposed punishment for Google’s search engine being declared an illegal monopoly. —Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer View the full article

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa category in the United States, allowing U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations temporarily. These occupations typically require specialized knowledge and skills, often in fields such as technology, science, engineering, mathematics, and other related areas. Here, we’ll go over what is an H1B visa and all of the H-1B visa guidelines that small business owners should know before utilizing this option. Understanding the H1B Visa The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa category established by the United States to allow U.S. employers to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. These occupations typically require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields such as IT, finance, engineering, mathematics, science, medicine, and more. The primary intent behind the H-1B visa program is to help U.S. companies overcome labor shortages in certain high-skill sectors and to bring in diverse talents that can contribute to the U.S. economy. Key aspects of the H-1B visa include: Specialty Occupations: The visa is designated for jobs that necessitate a high level of specialized knowledge and at least the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in a related field. Duration: Typically, an H-1B visa is granted for an initial period of three years, which can be extended to a maximum of six years; exceptions exist for certain circumstances. Annual Cap: There is an annual limit on the number of H-1B visas issued (commonly 65,000 under the regular cap and an additional 20,000 for those with a U.S. master’s degree or higher). Wage Requirements: Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage or the actual wage paid to similar positions, whichever is higher, to ensure the employment of foreign workers does not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Dual Intent: In contrast to many other nonimmigrant visa types, the H-1B visa permits “dual intent.” This means that individuals holding an H-1B visa can pursue and secure a Green Card while residing in the U.S. on that visa. Dependents: H-1B visa holders can bring their immediate family members (spouse and children under 21) to the U.S. under the H-4 visa category. In certain cases, H-4 visa holders may obtain work authorization. The H-1B visa acts as a gateway for foreign professionals who wish to bring their specialized skills to the U.S. workforce, while also providing a possible route to permanent residency. This program highlights the importance of meeting the demands of U.S. employers for specialized talent while also safeguarding the interests of U.S. workers. The Role of Citizenship and Immigration Services The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency responsible for processing H-1B visa petitions and ensuring that employers and foreign workers meet the requirements for this visa category. USCIS is crucial in adjudicating H-1B visa applications and issuing approvals. Eligibility of Foreign Workers for an H 1B Visa To be eligible for an H-1B visa, foreign workers must meet certain criteria, including: Having a job offer from a U.S. employer. The job must be in a specialty occupation. Possessing the required education and qualifications for the position, with supporting documents. The employer must file a petition on behalf of the foreign worker. There must be an available slot under the H-1B visa cap if it falls under the annual numerical limit (details provided below). Educational and Professional Requirements H-1B visa applicants typically must possess at least a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification in their specific field. Certain roles may necessitate advanced degrees or specialized certifications based on the job requirements. The applicant’s educational qualifications must be directly related to the job they are offered, in theoretical and practical application. In certain situations, relevant work experience and professional accomplishments may be accepted as a substitute for formal education. The H-1B Visa Application Process The H-1B visa electronic registration process for application typically involves the following steps: Employer’s Labor Condition Application (LCA): To ensure compliance with labor conditions and to confirm that they will pay the H-1B worker the prevailing wage, the employer is required to submit an LCA to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Employer’s Form I-129 Petition: The employer submits Form I-129, known as the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, to USCIS. This form must include details regarding the job, the qualifications of the foreign worker for the position, and additional necessary information. USCIS Processing: USCIS reviews the petition and, if approved, issues an I-797 Notice of Action. If the H-1B visa is subject to the annual cap (explained below), it may be entered into the H-1B lottery. Consular Processing or Change of Status: If the foreign worker is outside the U.S., they must apply for an H-1B visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. If the worker is already in the U.S., they may apply for a change of status to H-1B. StepDescriptionResponsibilityKey Documents/Requirements Employer's Labor Condition Application (LCA)The employer must file an LCA with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to attest that they will pay the H-1B worker the prevailing wage and comply with specific labor conditions.Employer- LCA (Form ETA-9035) filed with DOL - Documentation to prove the prevailing wage for the occupation - Attestation of working conditions Employer's Form I-129 PetitionThe employer files Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, with USCIS, including details about the job and the foreign worker's qualifications.Employer- Form I-129 - LCA approval from DOL - Proof of the foreign worker's qualifications (degrees, work experience) - Job offer and description USCIS ProcessingUSCIS reviews the Form I-129 petition and, if approved, issues an I-797 Notice of Action. The petition may be entered into the H-1B lottery if subject to the annual cap.U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)- I-797 Notice of Action (approval notice) - If subject to the cap, potential entry into the H-1B lottery Consular Processing or Change of StatusDepending on the worker's location, they must either apply for an H-1B visa at a U.S. embassy/consulate or apply for a change of status to H-1B if they are already in the U.S.Foreign Worker- For consular processing: DS-160 form, passport, photo, I-797, interview at U.S. embassy/consulate - For change of status: I-539 form (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status), I-797 - Supporting documents (e.g., qualifications, job offer) The Role of Employers in the H1 B Visa Process Employers are responsible for: Paying the H-1B worker the prevailing wage for the occupation and location. Complying with the terms and conditions of the approved LCA. Providing a safe and conducive working environment. Obtaining labor certifcation by filing the necessary forms and fees with USCIS. Maintaining proper records and documentation. Prevailing Wage and the H-1B Visa Wages for H-1B workers are typically determined based on the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic location where the work will be performed. The DOL provides wage data to establish the minimum salary requirement for the foreign employee. H1B Visa Caps and Limitations There are two main types of H-1B visa caps: Regular Cap: This is the annual limit on the number of new H-1B visas available, set at 65,000. Master’s Cap: An additional 20,000 visas are available for foreign workers with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution. Certain organizations, such as universities and nonprofit research institutions, are exempt from these caps. H-1B workers performing labor or services in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam may also be exempt from the H-1B cap, according to the Consolidated Natural Resources Act. H-1B workers in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are exempt from the H-1B cap if their employers file the petition before the end of the specified time frame. Specialty Occupations and H-1B Visa Allocations H-1B visas are typically granted for jobs in specialty occupations, which often include fields like technology, engineering, science, mathematics, medicine, and business. These occupations require specialized knowledge and skills. Renewal and Extension of an H-1B Visa H-1B visas are initially issued for a period of up to three years and can be extended for an additional three years, allowing for a maximum stay of six years. These extensions are generally contingent upon continued employment with the same employer. Transition from H-1B Visa to Permanent Residency H-1B visa holders can transition to permanent residency (green card) if their employer sponsors them for an employment-based green card. This process can take several years and involves multiple stages, including labor certification and a petition to USCIS.Resources Act. https://youtube.com/watch?v=RMnI5HFu4mU%3Fsi%3DST5T15sGIe_vDOwL FAQs: What is an H-1B Visa What is the duration of an H-1B visa? A standard H-1B visa is typically issued for a duration of up to three years. It can be extended for an additional three years, allowing for a maximum total stay of six years. In certain situations, H-1B visa holders may qualify for extensions beyond the six-year limit if they are actively pursuing permanent residency (green card). Can H-1B visa holders bring dependents to the U.S.? H-1B visa holders can bring their immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under 21) to the U.S. under H-4 dependent visas. H-4 visa holders can live in the U.S. but are not authorized to work, with limited exceptions. What happens if an H-1B visa holder loses their job? If an H-1B visa holder loses their job, they are typically required to leave the U.S. unless they find another employer willing to sponsor them for a new H-1B visa or a change of status to a different visa category. Some H-1B workers may have a grace period of up to 60 days to find new employment or depart the country, depending on their specific circumstances. Are there any other ways to temporarily employ foreign workers in the US? Apart from the H-1B visa, there are several other visa categories that allow U.S. employers to hire temporary foreign workers. These include: H-2A and H-2B visas for seasonal agricultural and non-agricultural workers, respectively. L-1 visas for intracompany transferees. O visas for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement. TN visas for Canadian and Mexican professionals under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). How does the H-1B visa differ from other work visa categories? The H-1B visa is specifically designed for foreign workers in specialty occupations, typically requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher. It is employer-sponsored and is often used in industries such as technology, engineering, and healthcare. Other visa categories have different eligibility criteria and purposes. For example, H-2A and H-2B visas are for temporary, non-professional workers. Read more about what is an h2b visa here. L-1 visas are for intracompany transfers, and O visas are for individuals with extraordinary skills or achievements. Each visa category has its own set of requirements, limitations, and application processes. Image: Depositphotos This article, "What is an H-1B Visa?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa category in the United States, allowing U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations temporarily. These occupations typically require specialized knowledge and skills, often in fields such as technology, science, engineering, mathematics, and other related areas. Here, we’ll go over what is an H1B visa and all of the H-1B visa guidelines that small business owners should know before utilizing this option. Understanding the H1B Visa The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa category established by the United States to allow U.S. employers to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. These occupations typically require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields such as IT, finance, engineering, mathematics, science, medicine, and more. The primary intent behind the H-1B visa program is to help U.S. companies overcome labor shortages in certain high-skill sectors and to bring in diverse talents that can contribute to the U.S. economy. Key aspects of the H-1B visa include: Specialty Occupations: The visa is designated for jobs that necessitate a high level of specialized knowledge and at least the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in a related field. Duration: Typically, an H-1B visa is granted for an initial period of three years, which can be extended to a maximum of six years; exceptions exist for certain circumstances. Annual Cap: There is an annual limit on the number of H-1B visas issued (commonly 65,000 under the regular cap and an additional 20,000 for those with a U.S. master’s degree or higher). Wage Requirements: Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage or the actual wage paid to similar positions, whichever is higher, to ensure the employment of foreign workers does not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Dual Intent: In contrast to many other nonimmigrant visa types, the H-1B visa permits “dual intent.” This means that individuals holding an H-1B visa can pursue and secure a Green Card while residing in the U.S. on that visa. Dependents: H-1B visa holders can bring their immediate family members (spouse and children under 21) to the U.S. under the H-4 visa category. In certain cases, H-4 visa holders may obtain work authorization. The H-1B visa acts as a gateway for foreign professionals who wish to bring their specialized skills to the U.S. workforce, while also providing a possible route to permanent residency. This program highlights the importance of meeting the demands of U.S. employers for specialized talent while also safeguarding the interests of U.S. workers. The Role of Citizenship and Immigration Services The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency responsible for processing H-1B visa petitions and ensuring that employers and foreign workers meet the requirements for this visa category. USCIS is crucial in adjudicating H-1B visa applications and issuing approvals. Eligibility of Foreign Workers for an H 1B Visa To be eligible for an H-1B visa, foreign workers must meet certain criteria, including: Having a job offer from a U.S. employer. The job must be in a specialty occupation. Possessing the required education and qualifications for the position, with supporting documents. The employer must file a petition on behalf of the foreign worker. There must be an available slot under the H-1B visa cap if it falls under the annual numerical limit (details provided below). Educational and Professional Requirements H-1B visa applicants typically must possess at least a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification in their specific field. Certain roles may necessitate advanced degrees or specialized certifications based on the job requirements. The applicant’s educational qualifications must be directly related to the job they are offered, in theoretical and practical application. In certain situations, relevant work experience and professional accomplishments may be accepted as a substitute for formal education. The H-1B Visa Application Process The H-1B visa electronic registration process for application typically involves the following steps: Employer’s Labor Condition Application (LCA): To ensure compliance with labor conditions and to confirm that they will pay the H-1B worker the prevailing wage, the employer is required to submit an LCA to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Employer’s Form I-129 Petition: The employer submits Form I-129, known as the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, to USCIS. This form must include details regarding the job, the qualifications of the foreign worker for the position, and additional necessary information. USCIS Processing: USCIS reviews the petition and, if approved, issues an I-797 Notice of Action. If the H-1B visa is subject to the annual cap (explained below), it may be entered into the H-1B lottery. Consular Processing or Change of Status: If the foreign worker is outside the U.S., they must apply for an H-1B visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. If the worker is already in the U.S., they may apply for a change of status to H-1B. StepDescriptionResponsibilityKey Documents/Requirements Employer's Labor Condition Application (LCA)The employer must file an LCA with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to attest that they will pay the H-1B worker the prevailing wage and comply with specific labor conditions.Employer- LCA (Form ETA-9035) filed with DOL - Documentation to prove the prevailing wage for the occupation - Attestation of working conditions Employer's Form I-129 PetitionThe employer files Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, with USCIS, including details about the job and the foreign worker's qualifications.Employer- Form I-129 - LCA approval from DOL - Proof of the foreign worker's qualifications (degrees, work experience) - Job offer and description USCIS ProcessingUSCIS reviews the Form I-129 petition and, if approved, issues an I-797 Notice of Action. The petition may be entered into the H-1B lottery if subject to the annual cap.U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)- I-797 Notice of Action (approval notice) - If subject to the cap, potential entry into the H-1B lottery Consular Processing or Change of StatusDepending on the worker's location, they must either apply for an H-1B visa at a U.S. embassy/consulate or apply for a change of status to H-1B if they are already in the U.S.Foreign Worker- For consular processing: DS-160 form, passport, photo, I-797, interview at U.S. embassy/consulate - For change of status: I-539 form (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status), I-797 - Supporting documents (e.g., qualifications, job offer) The Role of Employers in the H1 B Visa Process Employers are responsible for: Paying the H-1B worker the prevailing wage for the occupation and location. Complying with the terms and conditions of the approved LCA. Providing a safe and conducive working environment. Obtaining labor certifcation by filing the necessary forms and fees with USCIS. Maintaining proper records and documentation. Prevailing Wage and the H-1B Visa Wages for H-1B workers are typically determined based on the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic location where the work will be performed. The DOL provides wage data to establish the minimum salary requirement for the foreign employee. H1B Visa Caps and Limitations There are two main types of H-1B visa caps: Regular Cap: This is the annual limit on the number of new H-1B visas available, set at 65,000. Master’s Cap: An additional 20,000 visas are available for foreign workers with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution. Certain organizations, such as universities and nonprofit research institutions, are exempt from these caps. H-1B workers performing labor or services in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam may also be exempt from the H-1B cap, according to the Consolidated Natural Resources Act. H-1B workers in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are exempt from the H-1B cap if their employers file the petition before the end of the specified time frame. Specialty Occupations and H-1B Visa Allocations H-1B visas are typically granted for jobs in specialty occupations, which often include fields like technology, engineering, science, mathematics, medicine, and business. These occupations require specialized knowledge and skills. Renewal and Extension of an H-1B Visa H-1B visas are initially issued for a period of up to three years and can be extended for an additional three years, allowing for a maximum stay of six years. These extensions are generally contingent upon continued employment with the same employer. Transition from H-1B Visa to Permanent Residency H-1B visa holders can transition to permanent residency (green card) if their employer sponsors them for an employment-based green card. This process can take several years and involves multiple stages, including labor certification and a petition to USCIS.Resources Act. https://youtube.com/watch?v=RMnI5HFu4mU%3Fsi%3DST5T15sGIe_vDOwL FAQs: What is an H-1B Visa What is the duration of an H-1B visa? A standard H-1B visa is typically issued for a duration of up to three years. It can be extended for an additional three years, allowing for a maximum total stay of six years. In certain situations, H-1B visa holders may qualify for extensions beyond the six-year limit if they are actively pursuing permanent residency (green card). Can H-1B visa holders bring dependents to the U.S.? H-1B visa holders can bring their immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under 21) to the U.S. under H-4 dependent visas. H-4 visa holders can live in the U.S. but are not authorized to work, with limited exceptions. What happens if an H-1B visa holder loses their job? If an H-1B visa holder loses their job, they are typically required to leave the U.S. unless they find another employer willing to sponsor them for a new H-1B visa or a change of status to a different visa category. Some H-1B workers may have a grace period of up to 60 days to find new employment or depart the country, depending on their specific circumstances. Are there any other ways to temporarily employ foreign workers in the US? Apart from the H-1B visa, there are several other visa categories that allow U.S. employers to hire temporary foreign workers. These include: H-2A and H-2B visas for seasonal agricultural and non-agricultural workers, respectively. L-1 visas for intracompany transferees. O visas for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement. TN visas for Canadian and Mexican professionals under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). How does the H-1B visa differ from other work visa categories? The H-1B visa is specifically designed for foreign workers in specialty occupations, typically requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher. It is employer-sponsored and is often used in industries such as technology, engineering, and healthcare. Other visa categories have different eligibility criteria and purposes. For example, H-2A and H-2B visas are for temporary, non-professional workers. Read more about what is an h2b visa here. L-1 visas are for intracompany transfers, and O visas are for individuals with extraordinary skills or achievements. Each visa category has its own set of requirements, limitations, and application processes. Image: Depositphotos This article, "What is an H-1B Visa?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Last year’s election came with a Greek chorus: rampant speculation about what a second Trump term might actually look like. Would it be a leaky ship once again? Would a team of loyalists turn it into the well-oiled machine Trump boasted of at the time, but whose true lubrication was debatable? Or would it be more like the dystopia that Trump’s harshest critics warned about? If the first 10 days are any indication, what Trump’s second administration most closely resembles is . . . Twitter just after Elon Musk took it over. Ever since Trump first announced the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last November, it was clear the Tesla impresario would play a role in Trump’s second term. Musk contributed over $250 million to Trump’s campaign and boosted the candidate in other ways. Now he would have a seat at the table. Or that’s how it looked on paper, anyway. In practice, Musk appears to now occupy several seats. His influence has been unmistakable in the rocky early days of the new administration, and many of its familiar messes. We the tweeple A grinning Musk famously barged into the Twitter offices in October 2022 carrying a kitchen sink—a punny nod to the meme “let that sink in.” Days later, he laid off roughly half the staff. Although Trump’s return to the White House was thankfully devoid of any visual puns, it has a similarly disruptive focus on efficiency. At least 240 employees of the federal government have reportedly already been fired, reassigned, or designated to be laid off so far. And just as Musk offered Twitter workers in 2022, Trump’s administration on Tuesday presented two million government employees with what seemed to be a buyout option: eight months’ pay now, if they resign by next week. (Details of the murky ultimatum and its legality seem up for interpretation.) As if the two propositions weren’t similar enough, the language in the new memo echoes that of the one Musk once sent to Team Twitter. According to the New York Times, the email carrying the respective memos even bore the same subject line: “Fork in the Road.” Back in 2022, Musk shook up the lives of the Twitter workers who didn’t accept his buyout. He demanded a companywide return to office, ending pandemic-era remote work practices; made those remaining employees commit to an “extremely hardcore” work ethic, which translated to “long hours at high intensity”; and implemented a broad series of cost-cutting measures around everything from infrastructure to real estate and content moderation. Each of these aspects of Musk’s Twitter takeover has a counterpart in the new administration. One of Trump’s 26 day-one executive orders was a return to office mandate; many roles have new performance benchmarks; some employees have been made to justify their current projects in ambush meetings; and the cost-cutting-at-all-costs ethos has manifested in widespread funding freezes and budget cuts of dubious legality. As if all these initiatives didn’t smack of Musk already, helping to enforce them are a collection of loyal acolytes from Musk’s various businesses, similar to the crew he assembled years ago to hollow out Twitter. But why is that effort something the world’s sole superpower would ever want to emulate? Why what happened to Twitter matters Twitter’s transformation into X is not the typical aspirational business story. Musk bought the microblogging platform for $44 billion in 2022; as of last September, its estimated value was $9.4 billion. Ad revenue has reportedly plummeted amid eased content moderation and Musk’s erratic behavior, while subscription revenue for premium tiers of X has not brought in nearly enough to make up the shortfall. In a recent email to X staff, Musk reportedly described the company’s financial situation bluntly: “We’re barely breaking even.” Given the company’s tumultuous recent history, that gloomy assessment seems charitable. Beyond the financial decline, Twitter sustained even more grievous damage to its reputation over the past several years. While Musk claimed that part of his motivation for buying Twitter was to correct an alleged “bias against conservatives,” by any metric, he overcorrected. During last year’s election, X had become an atmosphere where the right-wing echo chamber thrives, and where legacy media accounts are throttled. While X remains something of a hub for news junkies, it no longer attracts the same heady mixture of athletes, artists, journalists, comedians, and scientists as it did during Twitter’s 2010s heyday. The United States of X The same chaos and confusion that engulfed Twitter in November 2022 has spread throughout the federal government since Trump’s inauguration. Beyond the flood of sweeping executive orders, the bedlam peaked earlier this week when a memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget paused all federal grants and loans—without clarifying the extent of who might be affected. Although the memo was eventually rescinded 36 hours later, amid an onslaught of lawsuits, the freeze is still ongoing. According to language in the memo, the freeze is meant to root out programs that have anything to do with the broadly defined concepts of “DEI” or “gender identity.” However, just about everything beyond a shortlist that includes Medicaid and food stamps is potentially on the chopping block. Anyone whose well-being or livelihood depends on government funding now knows what it’s like to work in an office where heavy layoffs are imminent. Except more than jobs are at stake. There are plenty of reasons why the U.S. government should not be run like a company. The objective of a business—profits, profits, profits—is fundamentally at odds with the government objective of serving the public interest and keeping people safe. The same cost-cutting measures that seem to please investors, for instance, can lead to crises like the 2014 water contamination in Flint, Michigan—a result of the city trying to save money by switching sources for its drinking water. Citizens are more than just a user base. A company like Twitter might troubleshoot how lean it can run without degrading its offering so much that users flee in mass, but the U.S. government has a slimmer margin of error. When its offering is degraded, the results can get far more catastrophic than soft quarterly profits. And sometimes it’s unclear exactly what or who is keeping degradation at bay until after they’re gone. When Musk took over Twitter in 2022, he fired and laid off so many workers the company actually couldn’t afford to lose, the HR team had to create an “accidental termination” category to re-onboard them all. How many layoffs and firings will he initiate in the new administration before learning the hard way which government employees were important after all? Perhaps there’s one bright spot in the ongoing efforts to pare down the government. Some of the former Twitter employees who took the buyout offer in 2022 ended up suing Musk for the severance he never paid. This time around, politicians like Senator Tim Kaine and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are warning anyone tempted not to take the bait. Some of them hardly seem to need the encouragement, however. Employees have been posting on Reddit about how this whole episode has only made them more fired up to stick around and see to the business of keeping the government functioning. View the full article

The Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek could not be accessed on Wednesday in Apple and Google app stores in Italy, the day after the country’s data protection authority requested information on its use of personal data. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said it had also requested information from DeepSeek about data processing in relation to Irish users. DeepSeek last week launched a free AI assistant that it says uses less data at a fraction of the cost of incumbent services. By Monday, the assistant had overtaken U.S. rival ChatGPT in downloads from Apple’s App Store, sparking panic among tech stock investors. “The news of the withdrawal of the app was only a few hours ago, I cannot say whether it is due to us or not,” the head of the Italian data regulator, Pasquale Stanzione, was quoted as saying by news agency ANSA. “Our office will launch an in-depth investigation to see if GDPR rules are being respected,” Stanzione added, according to ANSA, referring to European Union data protection regulation. The Italian regulator, known as the Garante, said on Tuesday it wanted to know what personal data is collected, from which sources, for what purposes, on what legal basis, and whether it is stored in China. It gave DeepSeek and its affiliated companies 20 days to respond. Stanzione also said the regulator was seeking reassurances on safeguarding for underage users of the app, on the avoidance of bias and avoiding electoral interference. A notice displayed to Italian customers on Apple’s App Store said the app was “currently not available in the country or area you are in.” A message on the Google app platform said the download “was not supported” in Italy. DeepSeek seemed to be still operational for Italian users who had previously downloaded the application, and was available for download and working on Wednesday in other European Union countries and in Britain. In Germany, an interior ministry spokesperson said the government was monitoring AI applications for potential interference before the February 23 national election. “Of course, the security authorities are concerned with AI applications and possible manipulation, possible influence on the formation of public opinion through AI applications, especially now in view of the Bundestag elections,” the spokesperson said, without naming any specific models. Italy’s Garante is one of Europe’s most active watchdogs on the use of AI. Two years ago it briefly banned the use of Microsoft-backed ChatGPT over suspected breaches of EU privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, but DeepSeek has not designated Ireland as its EU headquarters. ($1 = 0.9618 euros) —Elvira Pollina, Reuters View the full article

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

Learning how to sell SEO isn’t easy. Why? Your prospects don’t want to buy SEO—they want to buy results. I learned this the hard way. After years of trial and error, I found a system. It consistently delivers what people want: more customers, revenue, and growth. In fact, I’ve maintained a 75% close rate by focusing on one thing: demonstrating value before asking for the sale. Think about it: AI advancements. Nontraditional search results. Constant algorithm shifts. SEO looks different every year. But these changes have made skilled SEOs more valuable than ever. In this guide, you’ll learn my exact process for selling SEO services, backed by insights from industry veterans who’ve closed millions in SEO deals. 1. Prepare Your Sales Toolkit As the saying goes, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” In other words, don’t wing it. Sure, you can eventually throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. But if you want to successfully sell SEO services, you’ll need a few essentials. Build Trust with Case Studies Case studies are your bread and butter of selling. They’re proof you know what you’re doing and an opportunity to show exactly what you can accomplish for your clients. The key is to be specific. You didn’t just increase demo requests. You grew inbound leads by 40% with conversion-focused content marketing. See the difference? The more detail you provide, the easier it is for clients to envision these results for themselves. And the likelier they are to trust you. It’s especially helpful if you have a case study that addresses each client’s specific needs. Kevin Indig, a growth advisor who has worked with companies like Nextdoor, Dropbox, Hims, and Reddit, believes there’s nothing more powerful than demonstrating real results. Build out references and projects you can showcase. Very early on, it’s important to be able to show what the work for a client could look like at the hand of a live example. If you’ve done it for someone else, you can do it for them, too. Another perk? Case studies are versatile. Present them during client calls to get buy-in. And highlight them on your site for prospects to read. Pro tip: New to SEO? Exchange free or discounted SEO work for case studies and testimonials. For example, offer a free technical audit to a small business. Once they start seeing results, ask if you can document their success story. Collect High-Impact Testimonials Case studies are great. But testimonials hit differently. Why? Because they come directly from your happy clients. When clients explain the impact you’ve had on their business, it boosts your credibility with prospects. So, let them be your ambassadors. Follow these steps to collect testimonials: Text or email clients a short feedback form Ask them to share specific results (metrics help) Keep it simple: “What was your biggest win from working with us?” Offer to draft it for them (just get their approval) Even better: Ask for a video testimonial. If clients are willing to have their face and brand associated with your business, that’s a ringing endorsement. It doesn’t get much better than that. No matter how you collect the testimonial, what matters most is that it comes from a reputable person in the company. Aim for a VP of marketing or founder for the most significant impact. Pro tip: Place your best testimonials on high-traffic pages, such as pricing, services, and contact pages. Highlight them in post-discovery call emails and on social media to seal the deal. Create a Lead Qualification System Time is money. Don’t waste it on unqualified leads. Before you even have a first call with your prospects, ensure they fit your ideal client profile (ICP). Make sure they: Are the right type of company you want to work with Are actually in need of your services Aren’t looking to just sell you on something (it happens more often than you think) Pro tip: Asking for project details is usually the best way to qualify a lead. It also helps you set expectations for your role and prepare for the initial discovery call. This way, you come to the meeting with a personalized approach that reflects what they actually need and explains how you can help. So, how do you have a qualifying process before a prospect even reaches out to you? Your contact form is your best friend here. Add qualifying questions that will tell you from the get-go if this lead has potential. Here’s what your contact form should ask: Budget range Services they need Project details How they found you In my experience, the responses will tell you whether they’re a legitimate lead 95% of the time. Further reading: What Are Lead Magnets? Invest in a CRM I won’t lie—not having customer relationship management (CRM) software was probably the worst mistake I’ve made as a consultant. It took me around six months to finally realize this. That’s six months of lost revenue, wasted time, and unnecessary stress. If I ever had more than five leads contact me at once, it was just pure chaos managing them with a spreadsheet. If you’re a solo SEO consultant or freelancer, I can’t recommend using a CRM enough. You’ll be able to: Manage and track your prospects See which leads are hot, warm, or cold See how long it’s been since a lead contacted you Qualify that lead by seeing which company they’re from I would personally recommend HubSpot as the best all-in-one CRM–especially if you’re a new SEO. It can manage all your sales data and give you access to a full range of marketing tools. But a few other CRMs worth looking into would be: Semrush Apollo.io Salesforce ClickUp Decide on Your SEO Services Want to know why many SEOs struggle to close deals? They’re not specific enough about the SEO services they offer. Here’s what I mean: Don’t just say you “do SEO.” Instead, decide what services you’ll offer and be specific when you describe them: Technical SEO for enterprise companies Content creation for B2B SaaS Link building for ecommerce sites Niche down whenever possible. Once you control a niche, whether B2B SaaS, home care, or legal SEO, it will be much easier to grow from there. I learned that the hard way when I first started posting on LinkedIn. My niche and SEO posts were too broad. The posts helped grow my followers quickly but not my revenue. The majority of my followers were SEOs, not my actual ideal client profile. So, I wasn’t generating leads. That changed pretty quickly after I nailed down my niche. After focusing my posts on B2B SaaS to help target my ICP—marketing VPs—I saw better results. Instead of competing with every SEO agency out there, I have an easier time being seen by my ICP. Plus, they know my services are designed specifically for them. Another important decision will be how you want to structure your services. Kevin recommends creating a clear distinction between freelancer and consultant work. You need to know very clearly whether you want to do the work (freelancer) or guide/advise (advisor). Early on, I did a lot of the leg work because that’s where I felt most comfortable, but that didn’t match the advisor prices I charged and wasn’t what I actually wanted to do. So, it’s important to know what work you want to do and where you can provide the biggest impact. If you want to advise, don’t agree to do any busy work. Focus on the strategy. You’ll likely have to learn your preferences by trial and error at first. But don’t be afraid to adjust if you have to. Choose Your Pricing Model Like your services, you’ll want to have your pricing figured out upfront, too. This works well for a few reasons: You understand your worth before going into a client call You can use it to qualify leads before they reach out You avoid being lowballed during calls Let me break down the four main ways to price SEO services: First, there’s retainer pricing. Clients pay a fixed monthly fee for ongoing SEO work. You commit to a set number of hours each month. Next, there’s package pricing. This is what I use. Clients can choose from different packages that best suit their needs for SEO. Here’s how I structure it: SEO audit: $1,500 SEO consulting: $2,000 Fractional SEO: $3,500 Full management SEO: $6,000 Your third option is value-based pricing. It’s riskier but can pay off big. You set goal targets with clients and get bonus compensation when you hit them. Finally, there’s hourly pricing. You bill based on actual time spent on SEO tasks. This is great for one-off projects. Pro tip: Price your services based on value. Low rates might seem like a path to more clients, but they can attract lower-quality clients. My highest-paying clients are always my best clients—they pay on time, are pleasant to work with, and trust my expertise. Keep in mind that every model is dependent on what works for you. I’m personally a big fan of package pricing. But that’s because I want my work to prioritize value over output. Optional: Gather Proof You Can Rank Want to know one of my best-selling tools? My own SEO results. Think about it: What better way to prove your SEO skills than having prospects find your website through Google? It’s an instant trust signal. In fact, organic search is one of my most consistent channels for new leads. But here’s the catch: Don’t just rank for random topics. Rank for topics related to your services: Best SEO agencies for lawyers Technical SEO for Shopify websites B2B SaaS SEO consultant There’s no denying that building SEO authority from scratch is tough. I learned this firsthand when launching my site. Competing against established SEO websites with zero website authority? Not easy. Here’s my best advice: Run PPC campaigns while your SEO compounds. This keeps your lead pipeline full while you build organic visibility. Further reading: SEO vs. SEM: What’s the Difference? 2. Find Prospects Successful SEO sales require a reliable lead-generation system. Here’s how I use both inbound and outbound marketing to build a steady stream of qualified prospects. Inbound Prospects Inbound marketing is the process of creating valuable content that attracts potential customers to your site when they’re actively looking for solutions. This is the channel I’m most familiar with. And the one that provides the most long-term value. With inbound, you can build a long-term community that’s invested in your brand and create a stronger pipeline for leads at a much lower acquisition cost. So, how do you find high-quality leads? It depends on your services and industry. Personally, I’ve found the most success with: SEO: Targeting high-intent searches coming directly from my audience Reddit: Answering questions on subreddits where my ICP is YouTube: Creating videos that help my audience overcome industry challenges. Works great for repurposing content, too. Email marketing: Nurturing my email audience by sending them highly valuable content directly to their inbox LinkedIn: Posting thought leadership content that establishes me as an expert within my field As you can see, organic search and social are among my top traffic sources: [missing ss] When you’re starting out, I recommend playing around with each channel. Once you find the channel that works, double down on it. Pro tip: Don’t stretch yourself too thin. If you’re solo, it’s better to comfortably handle one or two channels than struggle with five. The goal is to build a community interested in your brand through quality content—not spam your audience. Outbound Prospects Outbound marketing is when you reach out to prospects through various methods rather than waiting for them to find you. While I’m pro inbound marketing, it can be inconsistent. Outbound can make up for that. There are a few different ways you can target outbound prospects. But the ones that work the best for me are: Cold outreach Social ads PPC For example, I use a template similar to this to reach out to potential prospects through email: Hi [Name],I noticed [company name]‘s content showing up for [specific keyword] but ranking on page 2. Looking at your competitors [(Competitor 1)] and [(Competitor 2)], there’s a clear opportunity to capture more organic traffic with some technical improvements. I’ve helped other [industry] companies like [reference company] improve their search visibility and recently published a case study breaking down the exact process we used to increase their organic traffic by [X]%. Would you be interested in seeing the case study? It includes specific tactics you could implement, whether you work with us or not. Either way, I’ve also spotted a few quick SEO wins for your site that I’m happy to share. Best, [Your name] You can also use LinkedIn for outreach, but don’t expect to take the same approach as email. Focus on social selling. Interact with your ICP and find something in common with them. Then, reach out to them. Don’t treat them as just another automated message. Focus on building an actual relationship with them. Then, once the time is right, see if they’d be open to a coffee chat. Ask if they’re facing any challenges with SEO and offer advice on how to help. Chances are, they might just be willing to delegate that to you, anyway. But when you’re deciding which marketing channels to use, I recommend this approach: Pro tip: Blend one outbound channel with one inbound. Outbound brings quick wins, while inbound builds long-term success. Together, they offer a balance of quick wins and sustainable growth for long-term success. 3. Offer Strategy Calls This step is often called a “discovery call.” But I recommend using strategy call instead. Why? Well, you want to demonstrate perceived value before prospects even contact you—an additional incentive for them to take that next step. And “strategy” implies they’ll get something tangible out of this call. For example, point out issues they can fix right after the call. It’s an easy way to show you’re invested in them and have done your research. Use this call to discuss your services and offer a glimpse into what working with you looks like to see the best conversion rates. Learn More About Your Prospect Use the first call strictly as a way to understand the company and what’s currently going on with its marketing efforts. I even recommend using a questionnaire to help you run through the call. Here’s what I ask every prospect: What do you hope to achieve with this call? What are your long-term SEO goals? What’s your current SEO strategy? What makes your product unique? Who are your decision-makers? How does your sales process work? What sets you apart from competitors? I usually ask these questions to help prepare myself for the SEO audit in the next step. But prospects also appreciate that you seem invested in their company. You’re obviously not just pitching yourself and are actively looking to learn more about them—something that’s often rare during the discovery phase. Focus on Early Wins Here’s a persuasive tactic: Give prospects actionable tips during the call. Point out easy fixes they’ve missed to highlight your expertise and prove your worth. For example: “I noticed your product pages aren’t targeting money keywords. Here’s a quick fix that could boost your traffic…” Or “I researched some easy keywords you’d be able to rank for quickly. This includes…” This gives prospects a reason to develop early trust with you. This is something my friend Jacob Statler, founder of Stat Digital, highly recommends doing: Show your prospects how you can get them quick wins that tie back to revenue. If possible, get them a win before working together during the sales process. SEOs often give away high-level audits that they auto-generated with a tool, but these are usually not very actionable. I like to create mini-action plans of easy-to-implement opportunities. This builds trust and shows competency. And if that quick win translates to results, all the better for you. Highlight What Their Competitors Are Doing This is such an underrated strategy. If you think I’m joking, try it out for yourself. I’ve been stumped before getting clients to commit to something. But the moment I mention a direct competitor doing something they aren’t, they get tunnel vision. This includes: Their competitors’ top traffic channels Articles their competitors have that they don’t Articles their competitors created against them (this is my go-to if a client is ever opposed to creating alternative or category content) It’s almost an immediate way to motivate your prospects, especially if you’re facing early resistance to a tactic you’re recommending. You can conduct competitor research in a few ways, but I usually recommend using the following tools: Semrush competitor analysis tools SpyFu Pro tip: Offer the SEO audit at the end of your strategy call or follow up with an email to get it scheduled right away. 4. Schedule an SEO Audit Think about how many agencies and consultants are pitching your prospects right now. Chances are you aren’t the only one being considered. If you don’t make an impression, you’ll get lost in the crowd. The solution? SEO audits. Pro tip: Always lock in the audit with a hard date. Leaving the audit timeline open is a deal-killer. I schedule the audit presentation right after the discovery call. Vague follow-ups kill momentum. Position the Audit as a Roadmap, Not a Selling Technique Audits are my secret sauce for selling SEO services. Why do they work so well? I go above and beyond. While others send automated reports, I tailor each audit to my client. This means I: Never use a template; I always start fresh Look at their product/offering/industry/ICP to put together my recommendations Focus on specific tactics that drive value and have an expected outcome I’ve found it not only gets additional buy-in but also keeps leads moving through the pipeline. Once prospects see the issues affecting their site, they’re way more motivated to get started with services. But this isn’t a selling technique. If clients see the audit as a pitch, then you’re just another company pitching them. When you position your audit as a roadmap, it’s much easier to present a legitimate vision for the client. Ben Goodey, founder of the SEO growth agency Spicy Margarita, agrees that leading with value is essential. My top advice for those looking to sell SEO? Know your audience doesn’t want to buy SEO. They’re business owners or team leaders who want to buy results—that is what you should focus on selling. In my experience closing clients, the more freely you share your “how,” the more trust and enthusiasm you build with a client. So, share your tactics openly—people are typically willing to take a risk working with you if you’re an expert. The idea is that the audit should be so helpful prospects can take the information and use it on their own. “But why would you do that?” Sure, it sounds like it wouldn’t make sense. But think about most companies that lack internal marketing teams. Most of the time, they don’t want to handle marketing and SEO themselves. They would rather outsource it to another team. So, even though they COULD take the audit and run, chances are they’d rather have someone else manage it anyway. Plus, if they do decide to move forward, it shows their level of trust in what you’re proposing. Which is a great sign for longer-term engagements. If you didn’t schedule the audit at the end of your strategy call, use this template to follow up by email: Subject: Next Steps – [Company Name] SEO Strategy Hi [Name], Thank you for taking the time to discuss [Company Name]‘s SEO goals today. I wanted to follow up with a quick summary of what we covered and outline our next steps. Your main goal: [specific goal mentioned in call] Current challenges: [1-2 key challenges mentioned] Priority areas: [2-3 areas of focus] During our call, I noticed [specific quick win mentioned during call]. You can implement this immediately by [brief actionable step]. Next, I’ll prepare a comprehensive SEO audit for your site. Are you available to review the findings on [scheduled date/time]? In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Best, [Your name] Build a Reliable Stack for Conducting Your Audits I keep my tech stack pretty consistent for most audits. The ones I find helpful and recommend using are: Google Search Console: Find crawling/indexing issues, quick SEO wins, and potential content topics Screaming Frog: Uncover large-scale technical issues like missing canonicals or JavaScript issues Google Analytics 4: Extremely useful if a client has set up conversion tracking. See what pages have previously driven conversions and how you can double down on that. Semrush site auditing features: Identify housekeeping items to take care of, such as orphan pages, broken links, and redirect chains Focus on Value, Value, Value When you’re delivering the audit, focus on value. And I don’t mean to just stuff it with data and overwhelm the client. Remember: This is also for you, not just the client. I find it helpful to start with an overall strategy, like how I’ll increase revenue by X% through SEO. Then, I recommend SEO tactics that will help the client achieve the goal. But this isn’t the time to be vague—I show exactly how I’ll hit that number. When you start with a goal, the client has an easier time understanding what you’re recommending and why. So, let’s say the goal for a B2B SaaS company is to increase demos and freemium signups through SEO. You’d focus your audit on: Low-hanging fruit keywords tied to their money pages Ways they can improve their site from a conversion rate optimization standpoint Non-indexed pages that aren’t driving traffic A full competitor audit A content roadmap based on topics that would drive leads Side note: There will be times when clients still choose not to work with you despite all your work—and that’s okay. As long as your overall close rate increases, that’s all that matters. 5. Send a Proposal or SOW Now comes the easiest part. Sending out the SEO proposal or statement of work (SOW). If you ran your audit properly and the client showed interest in what you had to say, the proposal should be a piece of cake. Still, there are a few things to keep in mind during this step of the process. Include Audit Findings For the beginning of the proposal, include findings from the audit. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I usually use: Google Docs for the template Canva for custom graphics Data screenshots if I have access to GA4 and GSC Google Sheets if forecasting is involved You’ll want to touch on the recommended priority tactics and how you’ll approach them. You can also include a monthly timetable to visualize how you would structure each month of the engagement. For me, it usually looks like this: Month 1: Start with conversion rate optimization, technical SEO, optimizing your product pages, going after quick wins, and taking care of any on-page housekeeping Month 2: Continue going after quick wins, start building out BoFu content Month 3: Continue creating BoFu content, creating link assets, and backlink opportunities Month 4-6: Build out a solid profile of MoFu content, continue going after quick wins Help your clients understand how you’ll approach each month for the engagement. This way, they’ll have a better reference point for understanding what you’ll be working on. The success behind selling SEO comes from value, trust, and transparency. Don’t neglect any of them. Highlight Your Goals/Strategy/KPIs This will be similar to what you did for the audit but in more detail. First, lay them out as a goals section. Then, explain specifically how you’re going to work towards those goals. Here’s an example of what this looks like on my proposals: Now, let’s break this process down. First, I summarize each goal: “Goal #1: Increase the quantity and quality of demo requests and signups coming from SEO.” Then, I add more detail to show I understand what success looks like: “The main goal of this engagement will be to increase the quantity and quality of leads from SEO (and other channels). We’ll want to establish a benchmark for demo requests/signups and then measure that against the performance of the engagement.” Finally, I outline my action plan: “To do this, I’ll help your team focus on sales enablement content that can help convince users to take that next step. This will also involve building out bottom-of-funnel traffic that can bring in qualified users who are in the market for your type of product.” I also include a section that discusses the main opportunity behind the project. What’s the ultimate value that’s going to come out of this engagement? I’ll often structure it similarly to the goals listed above. But it’s usually a more general overview of the project as a whole. You can also have a section on KPIs. I generally save specific KPIs for the actual onboarding meeting (once they’ve signed the proposal), but I’ll usually have a section in the proposal that looks like this: So, there are no specific percentages tied to those KPIs, just what we’ll be prioritizing. Detail Contract Terms (Make Them Fair to the Prospect) Ahh, the contract terms. The fun part. I highly recommend working with a lawyer on this one. Your contract terms will be pretty consistent across most proposals, but they should be fair to you and the prospect. The lawyer can help you put terms in place that safeguard you and your business during any engagement. As for the actual general terms, I recommend including: The hard start date so both parties can prepare appropriately The length of the engagement so clients know how much to budget for The pricing terms and dates If the contract is rolling, month to month, or a fixed date project The flexibility of the contract, meaning if clients are locked in or able to cancel at any time Once you have that set, all you need now is a signature. Then, you’re basically ready to get started with your client. Bonus Tips to Keep in Mind When Selling SEO Services Are you tired of hearing me talk yet? I hope not. I have some bonus tips that will help you refine your selling approach and close more leads. Master the Follow-Up My personal motto is simple: Keep following up until you get a response. Why? Most leads won’t respond on the first try. Or the second. Or even the third. So, reach out to prospects once a week to see where they are in the process. This is where your CRM becomes your best friend. It helps you: Track when you last reached out Set follow-up reminders Note any previous interactions Monitor prospect engagement But here’s the catch: This aggressive follow-up strategy works best with warm prospects. Cold prospects? Not so much. I won’t tell you to annoy your prospects. But don’t be shy, either. Use Traditional Sales Psychology I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m extremely grateful for that Sales 101 class I took in college. I might’ve treated it as a joke in college, but that class has helped me drive thousands in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) just by using traditional sales techniques. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a schmoozer by any means whatsoever. But psychologist Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion work extremely well throughout this entire process: Reciprocity People feel compelled to return favors, which is why free audits work so well. When someone gives us something, we instinctively want to reciprocate. Not in a manipulative way but as a natural response to receiving something valuable. This subtle tactic can help you turn prospects into clients. Social Proof Your reputation is one of your greatest sales tools. People want reassurance that they’re making the right choice—especially for something as important as SEO. You can pitch yourself all you want, but if you don’t have any proof of results, why should they believe you? The more people who vouch for you, the more people will trust you. This could be: Case studies Brands you’ve worked with Testimonials Whatever it is, let your existing/previous clients be your most vocal supporters. Authority Establishing authority is huge for building trust. When people see you as an authority in your field, they’re more likely to trust what you have to say. You can: Post content specific to your ICP on LinkedIn Write for highly authoritative websites Collab with well-known industry leaders Be a guest on or host webinars or podcasts This establishes your expertise and authority in your field. With that positioning, people already have a sense of trust in me before we even meet on a call. It also makes prospects more excited to work with me. My professional reputation adds a perceived value to my services. As a result, prospects aren’t as likely to question my prices since they know the value my work delivers. People don’t want to work with the smooth-talking ‘SEO expert’ who promises the world but doesn’t deliver. They want a partner or team member they can relate to and trust. Someone who’s passionate about what they do, genuinely invested in helping them, and overall seems like a fun person to work with. That’s why I’ve been so focused on demonstrating value over selling. Focus on being seen as a partner, not just another vendor. Further reading: Guest Blogging: The Definitive Guide Scarcity Scarcity works surprisingly well. People get FOMO. It’s a common human experience. As a solo consultant, I’m not interested in scaling to take on unlimited client profiles. I want a small batch of handpicked SEO clients who are invested in working with me. Usually, this comes out to five to 10 monthly clients based on the scope of services. If I stretch myself too thin, I can’t give every client the attention they deserve. So, if I have multiple prospects who are interested in that last position, my availability becomes scarce. And as my scarcity increases, pricing can follow. That’s not to say you should have leads fight over that last spot. But it is something to mention to your prospects, as it can make you seem like a more desirable candidate. Keep Leads Interested While each hard-set date will help keep prospects interested, they can still get distracted. Other agencies may poach them, they can get pulled in new directions, or their schedule may become too tight. Even the slightest hesitation can derail your efforts. So, beyond moving them throughout the sales process, you can keep them interested in a few ways. Post Client Wins on LinkedIn Case studies work. We know this. But it’s another thing to put it out there for everyone to see–especially when you can use it as an opportunity to explain that case study in detail. It also makes you way more desirable, so it might even trigger FOMO for them if they feel like others might reach out to you because of that case study. Even from one case study post, I had three to four qualified leads reach out. Provide a Reference from a Previous Client This shows a huge amount of transparency that is surprisingly rare. Even before they ask, offer them a client referral from a similar industry. Focus on the Relationship, Not the Sale People buy from individuals they trust, not just from salespeople. Especially in the early stages, when a prospect can easily move on to another offering, you can keep yourself memorable by focusing on developing a relationship. Be likable. Be funny. Be authentic. Be personal. Go beyond just being seen as an SEO provider. Treat every prospect as an opportunity to develop valuable relationships, not generate sales. And even if the lead falls through, that relationship still has value. It can lead to future opportunities like a referral or a personal connection request. Even if that lead doesn’t work out, it’s still an opportunity to expand your network for future opportunities. Sell SEO Services Like a Pro Selling in SEO is just a matter of delivering early value to your prospect. I’m not even a salesperson. I’m just an SEO who had to force myself to learn sales. And honestly, if I can do it, you can do it, too. Learn how to translate the value of your work into a language your prospects understand. Now that you know how to sell SEO services, you can start landing clients more consistently. But first, make sure you have the right tools to deliver the results your clients deserve. Check out our article on the best SEO agency tools on the market. Including some free options you can use today. The post How to Sell SEO Services in 5 Steps<br>+ Expert Tips & Templates appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Meeting had been arranged before recent news about advances in artificial intelligence by China’s DeepSeekView the full article

We can no longer squander our strengths with self-imposed handicaps. There is too much at stakeView the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ As a freelancer, you’ll need to constantly improve your project management skills to manage your projects smoothly. This constant improvement is important because it can result in effortless transitions between projects and a better output. But there’s another way to handle project management with ease, no matter how many projects you need to take on. With project management software, you can skip the need to optimize your project management skills the hard way. Plenty of great apps are on the market and can help you manage your projects more efficiently. If you’ve been trying to find these apps, look no further. Here, we’ll explore the most convenient and easy-to-use project management software and apps for freelancers. Let’s get started! 3 must-have project management software for Mac When you want to plan your project workload, project management software for Mac can take the manual effort out of the project management process. So, if you’re ready to choose from the best options, let’s look closely at the benefits of four must-have apps to greatly facilitate your project management process. Manage and visualize your work with PagicoWith Pagico, you can complete your project management processes quickly and efficiently with features such as the Content option. The main benefit of this feature is that you can add notes, tasks, files, and contacts to each project, so you’ll always have a centralized location for all project-related information. This makes project management easier, ensuring you don’t need to swap between apps to access these pieces of information. Pagico also makes daily planning easier with its to-do list feature. You can click the plus “+” button and then type in “List” to add items to your checklist. For example, as a freelance developer, add items to the list such as “Design mockups” or “Submit project for code review. " Add the date these are due, and Pagico will sort each checklist item according to its due date. The benefit of the to-do list is the option to tick items off the list as you complete them, helping you manage projects and transition to a new project in a timely way. You’ll also have greater visibility into all projects in a Gantt chart accessible on the “Dashboard” tab. This feature is beneficial as you’ll see each project organized into blocks of time so you can be prepared and focus on each one accordingly. Receive persistent reminders with DueDue is a handy project management app with plenty of benefits, one of which is the simple checklist creation feature for your projects. But this app is also beneficial because those projects are automatically sorted according to the dates they are due. This gives you the benefit of being able to focus on the tasks that are due as soon as possible and work in order of deadline priority. So, say you’re a freelance writer trying to manage multiple project types for different clients. You can add each project type, such as blog posts or product descriptions, and add the date those projects are due. Due will automate the sorting process for you, and you’ll instantly know which task to focus on first to complete it before the deadline. Another advantage of the Due app is that you can make it send you reminders for each project. Reminders can be managed from the Reminder tab, which splits each reminder into those due for the next seven days and those due beyond this time — this facilitates project and task management. Start large projects with Merlin Project ExpressMerlin Project Express is a comprehensive app that lets you plan and track projects. It also offers a range of other benefits. For instance, it can break big projects into smaller tasks to keep things manageable, and it’ll even let you set deadlines and track your progress. With this app, you’ll always be able to visualize when projects are due. For instance, if you’re a freelance SEO expert, you’ll be able to manage your content strategy projects for various clients by adding each project to this app and setting the deadline. You’ll see when the most recent content calendars are due by looking at the end date and when you started the project by looking at the start date. A couple of extra benefits of the Merlin Project Express app are the templates that help you get started quickly and its tools that offer visibility into which team members are completing specific tasks. So, suppose you’re an SEO manager or project manager. In that case, you’ll be able to instantly assign projects to team members, such as keyword research or content strategy, by checking who requires additional work through this app. Must-have project management software: Which ones do you need?While project management skills shouldn’t be overlooked as a project manager, project management apps can make a world of difference to your freelancer projects. They come with various features that can make project management easier. Whether you need to prioritize tasks across projects, plan a project workload, or organize tasks into to-do lists, it’s worth considering these apps to optimize your output. So, where will you find these project management software for Mac? They’re all available at Setapp. From task tracker apps to project management tools, Setapp is home to the most convenient apps designed to streamline how you manage projects. If you want to try these apps, they’re available with a seven-day free trial, so you’ll not have to pay during this period! Go to Setapp now and download the must-have project management apps today. View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ As a freelancer, you’ll need to constantly improve your project management skills to manage your projects smoothly. This constant improvement is important because it can result in effortless transitions between projects and a better output. But there’s another way to handle project management with ease, no matter how many projects you need to take on. With project management software, you can skip the need to optimize your project management skills the hard way. Plenty of great apps are on the market and can help you manage your projects more efficiently. If you’ve been trying to find these apps, look no further. Here, we’ll explore the most convenient and easy-to-use project management software and apps for freelancers. Let’s get started! 3 must-have project management software for Mac When you want to plan your project workload, project management software for Mac can take the manual effort out of the project management process. So, if you’re ready to choose from the best options, let’s look closely at the benefits of four must-have apps to greatly facilitate your project management process. Manage and visualize your work with PagicoWith Pagico, you can complete your project management processes quickly and efficiently with features such as the Content option. The main benefit of this feature is that you can add notes, tasks, files, and contacts to each project, so you’ll always have a centralized location for all project-related information. This makes project management easier, ensuring you don’t need to swap between apps to access these pieces of information. Pagico also makes daily planning easier with its to-do list feature. You can click the plus “+” button and then type in “List” to add items to your checklist. For example, as a freelance developer, add items to the list such as “Design mockups” or “Submit project for code review. " Add the date these are due, and Pagico will sort each checklist item according to its due date. The benefit of the to-do list is the option to tick items off the list as you complete them, helping you manage projects and transition to a new project in a timely way. You’ll also have greater visibility into all projects in a Gantt chart accessible on the “Dashboard” tab. This feature is beneficial as you’ll see each project organized into blocks of time so you can be prepared and focus on each one accordingly. Receive persistent reminders with DueDue is a handy project management app with plenty of benefits, one of which is the simple checklist creation feature for your projects. But this app is also beneficial because those projects are automatically sorted according to the dates they are due. This gives you the benefit of being able to focus on the tasks that are due as soon as possible and work in order of deadline priority. So, say you’re a freelance writer trying to manage multiple project types for different clients. You can add each project type, such as blog posts or product descriptions, and add the date those projects are due. Due will automate the sorting process for you, and you’ll instantly know which task to focus on first to complete it before the deadline. Another advantage of the Due app is that you can make it send you reminders for each project. Reminders can be managed from the Reminder tab, which splits each reminder into those due for the next seven days and those due beyond this time — this facilitates project and task management. Start large projects with Merlin Project ExpressMerlin Project Express is a comprehensive app that lets you plan and track projects. It also offers a range of other benefits. For instance, it can break big projects into smaller tasks to keep things manageable, and it’ll even let you set deadlines and track your progress. With this app, you’ll always be able to visualize when projects are due. For instance, if you’re a freelance SEO expert, you’ll be able to manage your content strategy projects for various clients by adding each project to this app and setting the deadline. You’ll see when the most recent content calendars are due by looking at the end date and when you started the project by looking at the start date. A couple of extra benefits of the Merlin Project Express app are the templates that help you get started quickly and its tools that offer visibility into which team members are completing specific tasks. So, suppose you’re an SEO manager or project manager. In that case, you’ll be able to instantly assign projects to team members, such as keyword research or content strategy, by checking who requires additional work through this app. Must-have project management software: Which ones do you need?While project management skills shouldn’t be overlooked as a project manager, project management apps can make a world of difference to your freelancer projects. They come with various features that can make project management easier. Whether you need to prioritize tasks across projects, plan a project workload, or organize tasks into to-do lists, it’s worth considering these apps to optimize your output. So, where will you find these project management software for Mac? They’re all available at Setapp. From task tracker apps to project management tools, Setapp is home to the most convenient apps designed to streamline how you manage projects. If you want to try these apps, they’re available with a seven-day free trial, so you’ll not have to pay during this period! Go to Setapp now and download the must-have project management apps today. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I've looked into everything coming to Max this month, and the below TV shows and movies are the best of the bunch, or at least the most interesting. The premiere of the third season of HBO's beloved dark comedy series The White Lotus tops the list—everyone will be watching this one. There's also a new season of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and the premiere of Common Side Effects, an animated drama series that looks fascinating. The White Lotus, Season 3 Mike White's Emmy-winning series The White Lotus is the best. Its mix of biting commentary on wealth and privilege, well-drawn (but nearly always reprehensible) characters, and pitch-black humor add up to a nothing-else-like-it TV series. Season 3 sees a new group of pampered Americans arriving at a White Lotus luxury resort in Thailand. I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing they'll have unexpected and troubling times instead of a restful vacation. Season 3 also see the return of Natasha Rothwell, who played the spa owner from season one—one of the few sympathetic characters in the show's run. Other notable cast members include Walton Goggins (The Ghoul in Prime's Fallout series), Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, and Parker Posey. Starts streaming February 16. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 12 There's a new season of Last Week Tonight premiering this month, and I'm pretty sure sardonic host John Oliver will to have a lot to talk about in 2025 America. Oliver promises to ask the hard questions, like "Have two presidents ever kissed?" and "Did Tucker Carlson's mom really leave him $2 in her will?" (She actually left him $1.) Don't miss it if you like pointed political humor, because who knows how long pointed political humor will remain legal. Starts streaming February 16. Common Side Effects This Adult-Swim-produced cartoon looks intriguing. Common Side Effects' executive producer, Mike Judge, created both King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead, but Common Side Effects is not really a comedy. It's a moody, stylish looking drama about a pair of high school friends who discover both a drug that cures literally everything and a vast conspiracy from the pharmaceutical industry and the government to cover up its existence. Starts streaming February 3. Have I got News for You, Season 2If John Oliver doesn't provide enough comedic news coverage, why not give Have I Got News for You a try? Hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, this show takes the grinding misery out of "following the news" and makes it fun. Each episode features a different pair of celebrity guests who compete against each other in games and quizzes that test their knowledge of current events. It's a little like a TV version of NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Starts streaming February 15. We Live in Time (2024) If you're in the mood for a tragic drama about doomed romance in the vein of The Notebook, this is the movie for you. Anchored by solid performances from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, We Live in Time takes risks with structure, jumping around in time to tell the story of Pugh's character's cancer diagnoses and her decision to skip treatment to live her last days as fully as possible instead. We Live in Time was produced by A24, a company that rarely misses. Starts streaming February 7 The Takedown: American Aryans This HBO original docu-series details law enforcement's battle with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a neo-Nazi street and prison gang responsible for dozens of murders and hundreds of other crimes, including the brutal killing of Breanna Taylor. Through interviews with cops, Taylor's family, and members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, The Takedown: American Aryans examines the investigation, arrests, and trials that crippled the notorious criminal enterprise. Starts streaming February 6. We are the Best! (2014) There are no recognizable actors in We are the Best! It was made for very little money in Sweden. Although it got good reviews, hardly anyone saw it—it barely broke a million dollars at the box office. It's hard to explain why anyone would care about three twelve-year-olds in Stockholm starting a terrible punk rock band in 1982, but I promise you will care if you watch it. It captures something elusive and true about youth and hope in a way that few films ever have. Seriously, watch this movie. Starts streaming February 1. How I Left the Opus Dei I was brought up Catholic, but it was "try to go to church on Sunday because it makes your mom happy" style Catholicism, a world of the difference from the hardcore Catholics in Opus Dei: They mean it. Among other things, they sleep on boards instead of beds and are into "mortification of the flesh," and not in a fun/kinky way. Anyway, How I Left Opus Dei is a docu-series that tells the story of 13 women who got sick of being abused and left the group. I'm definitely checking it out. Starts streaming February 7 Puppy Bowl XXIIf you want a little break from the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles, you can switch over to HBO's coverage of The Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday, and watch cute little puppies on Teams Ruff and Fluff play with dog toys and wrassle around with each other, totally unaware that they're on TV and people are saying, "awwwwww." Don't miss the cat-centric halftime show, either. Starts streaming February 9. Last week's picksThe Pitt HBO Originals medical series The Pitt was created by ER producer R. Scott Gemmill. The tense, realistic drama takes viewers into the charged emergency room of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Each of The Pitt's 15 episodes is presented in real time: one episode is one hour of the same shift at the E.R. Noah Wyle stars as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, chief attending physician, who's having trouble dealing with the stress and trauma of his position. He's not alone: The Pitt delves into its characters' personal lives as well as the life-or-death decisions and day-to-day drama of the emergency room. Starts streaming January 9. A Different Man (2024) If you like your comedy pitch black and shot through with absurdity and social commentary, A Different Man is the movie for you. Sebastian Stan plays Edward, a struggling actor with an extreme facial deformity. A medical procedure transforms him into a handsome dude—a different man—but he's only pretty on the outside. Edward soon learns that beauty is skin deep, but ugliness can go right down to the marrow. Like just about everything released by A24, A Different Man received well-deserved raves from critics. Starts streaming January 17. Harley Quinn, season 5 The fifth season of adult cartoon Harley Quinn sees the titular character, voiced by Kaley Cuoco, moving to Metropolis with her friend Poison Ivy, voiced by Lake Bell. The pair soon find that something serious is going down in Superman-town, and Quinn will meet up with Lex Luthor, his sister, Lena Luthor, Brainiac, and other comic book favorites in this irreverent take on the DC Universe. Harley Quinn has a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's definitely worth your time. Starts streaming January 16. The Leopard Man (1943) Just as Leopard Man producer Val Lewton's most famous film, Cat People, didn't have any cat people in it, Leopard Man is not about a leopard man. Lewton spent most of his career as the head of B-movie production company RKO's horror department, where studio heads dictated their movie's titles, but let Lewton film whatever he wanted. Lewton chose to make Leopard Man an atmospheric, creepy, surprisingly progressive examination of misogyny and violence instead of a cheesy monster flick. Leopard Man is arguably the first movie about a serial killer, and remains among of the best examples of the genre ever made. Starts streaming January 1. The Front Room The directorial debut of Max and Sam Eggers, half-brothers of Nosferatu director Robert Eggers, The Front Room is a surrealist domestic horror story in which the worst mother-in-law imaginable moves in to "help" her pregnant daughter-in-law and her son. Despite the seriousness of the trailer, The Front Room is lightened by dark humor throughout. Solange, played by Kathryn Hunter, is a true nightmare, and will do anything to drive a wedge between her son Norman, played by Andrew Burnap, and his wife Belinda, played by Brandy Norwood. Starts streaming January 3. Sons of Ecstasy This documentary examines the rivalry between English stockbroker Shaun Attwood and Gerard Gravano, son of notorious New York mobster Salvatore “Sammy the Bull'' Gravano. The conflict played out in the 1990s against the backdrop of the ecstasy boom in Arizona, with both men fighting for control of a desert drug empire built on the rave scene's insatiable appetite for Molly. That's what I call a good subject for a documentary series! Starts streaming January 9. An Update on our FamilyAll "family YouTubers" are weird, but the Stauffer family were next-level reprehensible. This three-part documentary series examines how Myka and James Stauffer built a small vlogging empire by presenting themselves and their children as a perfect family, but took it a step too far when they adopted a baby from China with severe neurological problems. They tried to turn two year-old Huxley into the centerpiece of their content, but he soon disappeared from the family channel and the family. Starts streaming January 15. C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart This four-episode British series is based on the best-selling novels by J.K. Rowling, but there's not a wizard to be found. Instead, C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart offers the detective team of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, who are hired to investigate a murder involving the creator of a cult TV cartoon and an anonymous online troll called “Anomie.” The case reveals a complex web of online intrigue, shadowy business interests, and family conflicts that will test the limits of Strike and Robin's investigative skills and might cost them their lives. Starts streaming January 23. Look Into my Eyes I'm inclined to think of "psychics" as cynical ghouls who exploit grief for profit, but Look into my Eyes' director Lana Wilson has a more nuanced view of the craft. Her documentary examines the relationship between small-time, New York psychics and their clients without weighing in on whether the mediums' claims are true. Instead of exploitation, Wilson finds healing, faith, and human connection. No matter how skeptical you are, it's a fascinating take on the subject. Starts streaming January 10. View the full article

President Donald Trump said his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Saturday, but he’s still considering whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes. “We may or may not,” Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office about tariffing oil from Canada and Mexico. “We’re going to make that determination probably tonight.” Trump said his decision will be based on whether the price of oil charged by the two trading partners is fair, although the basis of his threatened tariffs pertains to stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of chemicals used for fentanyl. The risk of tariffs on Canadian and Mexican oil could undermine Trump’s repeated pledge to lower overall inflation by reducing energy costs. Costs associated with tariffs could be passed along to consumers in the form of higher gasoline prices—an issue that Trump placed at the center of his Republican presidential campaign as he vowed to halve energy costs within one year. “One year from January 20, we will have your energy prices cut in half all over the country,” Trump said at a 2024 town hall in Pennsylvania. AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate, found that 80% of voters identified gas prices as a concern. Trump won nearly 6 in 10 voters who said they worried about prices at the pump. The United States imported almost 4.6 million barrels of oil daily from Canada in October and 563,000 barrels from Mexico, according to the Energy Information Administration. U.S. daily production during that month averaged nearly 13.5 million barrels a day. Matthew Holmes, executive vice president and chief of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said Trump’s tariffs would “tax America first” in the form of higher costs. “This is a lose-lose,” Holmes said. “We will keep working with partners to show President Trump and Americans that this doesn’t make life any more affordable. It makes life more expensive and sends our integrated businesses scrambling.” But Trump showed no concerns that import taxes on the United States’s trading partners would have a negative impact on the U.S. economy, despite the risk shown in many economic analyses of higher prices. “We don’t need the products that they have,” Trump said. “We have all the oil you need. We have all the trees you need, meaning the lumber.” The president also said that China would pay tariffs for its exporting of the chemicals used to make fentanyl. He has previously stated a 10% tariff that would be on top of other import taxes charged on products from China. Oil prices were trading at roughly $73 a barrel on Thursday afternoon. Prices spiked in June 2022 under President Joe Biden to more than $120 per barrel, a period that overlapped with overall inflation hitting a four-decade high that fueled a broader sense of public dissatisfaction with the Democratic administration. Gas prices are averaging $3.12 a gallon across the United States, roughly the same price as a year ago, according to AAA. Later on Thursday, Trump threatened more tariffs against countries looking at alternatives to the U.S. dollar as a means of global exchange. The president previously made the same threat in November against the so-called BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that sanctions against his country and others mean that nations need to develop a substitute for the dollar. “We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy,” Trump posted on social media. —Josh Boak, Associated Press View the full article

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) just got a new logo, and there’s more to it than meets the eye. The updated logo dropped just in time for the upcoming Super Bowl, when an influx of out-of-state fans will bustle through MSY on their way to the Caesars Superdome arena. MSY is taking advantage of the increased publicity, using it as an opportunity to scrap its old logo—a blobby, clunky take on the fleur-de-lis that’s more of an eyesore than an homage—for a sleeker, more intriguing graphic. From left: The new logo outshines its predecessor [Image: courtesy Louis Armstrong International Airport] Called the “Plane de Lis,” the new mark is packed full of winks to the city of New Orleans and the airport itself. As the name suggests, it’s meant to evoke both an airplane and a fleur-de-lis—a stark contrast to the former logo, which simply shoehorned a plane into a scene dominated by the iris design. “The ‘Plane de Lis’ is celebratory, almost musical,” MSY wrote on its Facebook page. It’s “a plane taking flight, upward and optimistic, modern and memorable.” [Image: courtesy Louis Armstrong International Airport] The new logo’s “wings” resemble two sprays of water shooting upward, a reference to the “fluidity and influence of the Mississippi River,” according to MSY’s new brand guidelines. The teardrop-shaped tip of the fleur-de-lis is inspired by the body of a plane taking flight. And, the guidelines note, the logo’s negative space “[mimics] the interior architectural details of MSY”—likely referring to the crisscrossing white beams that decorate the airport’s ceiling. [Image: courtesy Louis Armstrong International Airport] To complete the brand transformation, MSY ditched its previous tech-adjacent blue color scheme for a more upbeat palette, anchored in Pantone “Julep,” similar to kelly green. Accent colors include “Fresh Fern,” “Beignet,” “French Quarter Rouge,” and “Fleury Pink.” [Image: courtesy Louis Armstrong International Airport] These new details really shine in a series of speciality patterns made for the brand. Designers used only the logo and its accompanying colors to create a textile-esque “wrought iron pattern,” which lends the whole project a luxe, high-end feel. MSY’s fresh look is a decided improvement, tapping into New Orleans’s cultural history without any forced overdesigning. View the full article

Understanding the cost of goods sold (COGS) is essential for businesses. It plays a significant role in decisions related to inventory, pricing, and more. But what does it really mean? This article explains what COGS is, how to calculate it, and other important information you should be aware of. What is Cost of Goods Sold? Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is a critical financial metric for businesses. It directly reflects the cost of producing the goods or services a company sells. Here is an expanded explanation: Definition: The cost of goods sold (COGS) refers to the direct expenses incurred in the production of goods that a company sells. This encompasses the costs of materials and direct labor required for production. For retailers or distributors, COGS generally represents the total amount spent on the merchandise sold during a given period. Importance in Pricing and Inventory Levels: By understanding the cost to produce each unit sold, businesses can accurately price their goods to ensure they’re profitable. COGS also helps in maintaining optimal inventory levels. By tracking the costs associated with each product, businesses can decide which items to stock more or less of based on their profitability. Role in Determining Gross Margin: Gross margin is the revenue a company makes after deducting the COGS from its total revenue. It’s a key profitability metric that investors and analysts use to compare a company’s efficiency with its competitors. Relevance in Financial Performance: Understanding the cost of goods sold (COGS) and accurately calculating it for a specific accounting period helps businesses gain insights into their overall financial performance. An increase in COGS may suggest the need to seek more affordable suppliers or enhance operational efficiencies. Conversely, a decrease in COGS could indicate improved efficiency or the use of less expensive materials. Inclusion in Income Statements: COGS is typically reported in a company’s income statement. It’s deducted from the company’s gross revenue to determine its gross profit. To sum up, COGS is an important aspect of financial reporting and operational efficiency. It directly impacts a company’s bottom line and overall financial health. Thus, businesses must accurately calculate and closely monitor their COGS. Direct Costs Vs. Indirect Costs Direct costs and indirect costs are two fundamental types of expenses that businesses encounter. They serve different purposes and are accounted for in different ways in financial reporting. Let’s delve deeper: Direct Costs Definition: A direct cost is an expense that a business can specifically attribute to the manufacturing or production of goods or services. They are often variable costs, changing based on the level of production. Examples: Materials used in production and direct labor (wages for the employees who directly contribute to the production of goods) are common examples of direct costs. For instance, in a car manufacturing company, the cost of steel and wages for assembly line workers would be considered direct costs. Tracking and Accounting: Direct costs can be accurately traced and assigned to the production of specific goods or services. In financial statements, they are often included as part of the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). Indirect Costs Definition: Indirect costs are the overhead expenses that are not directly tied to the production of a specific good or service. These costs are generally fixed and are incurred irrespective of the level of production. Examples: Rent, utilities, administrative salaries, and advertising costs are examples of indirect costs. For instance, in the same car manufacturing company, the electricity bills for the office building and the salary of the CEO would be considered indirect costs. Tracking and Accounting: Because they cannot be directly linked to any one product, indirect costs are distributed across all units produced. These costs often show up on the income statement under operating expenses. Understanding the difference between direct and indirect costs is crucial for businesses as it allows them to: Calculate Gross Profit: Gross profit is calculated by subtracting direct costs (COGS) from revenue. Determine Overhead Rate: Overhead rate, which is used to apply indirect costs to products, is determined based on total indirect costs. Price Products Accurately: By comprehending both direct and indirect costs, businesses can set their product prices accurately to guarantee profitability. Manage Costs: Recognizing which costs are direct and which are indirect can help a business identify areas where costs can be managed more effectively. How to Calculate Cost of Goods Sold COGS can provide a deeper understanding of the business’s profitability as well as help to identify areas where cost control can be improved upon. It can be calculated easily by following these steps: Calculate the opening inventory To calculate the opening inventory, simply add up the cost of any goods that were in stock at the start of your chosen period. Add up total purchases The total purchases are all the costs associated with buying goods during your chosen period, such as purchase price, freight costs, and other related expenses. Subtract closing inventory The closing inventory refers to any goods still in stock at the end of your chosen period. You need to subtract this number from your opening inventory and total purchases to get your COGS figure. Cost of Goods Sold Formula Cost Of Goods Sold = Opening Inventory + Purchases – Closing Inventory What COGS Includes COGS is an important concept in accounting firms and finance and includes four major components – direct materials, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, and selling expenses. Let’s take a look at each of these components in more detail. Direct Materials Direct materials are the raw materials used to make a product. They can include items such as lumber for furniture, leather for shoes, or fabric for clothing. The fixed costs associated with these items are considered part of the cost of goods sold. Direct Labor Direct labor refers to the time and resources needed to manufacture a product. This may include direct labor costs like employee wages or commissions, payroll taxes, and other benefits associated with employees working on the product. Manufacturing Overhead Manufacturing overhead refers to general costs associated with running a business, such as equipment repairs and maintenance, plant rent, or utilities used during production. These costs are also included in the cost of goods sold calculation. Selling Expenses Selling expenses refer to advertising and selling activities associated with selling a product. This includes things like marketing campaigns, transportation costs related to selling the product, and any commissions paid to sales representatives or agents who help with sales efforts. What Cost Of Goods Sold Does NOT Include COGS excludes four key components: research and development costs, general and administrative expenses, non-manufacturing overhead, and income taxes. Let’s examine each of these components in more detail. Research And Development Costs Research and development costs refer to the costs associated with researching new products or processes. These costs are not included in the COGS calculation since they do not directly relate to the production of a product. General And Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses are those related to running a business, such as office rent or professional services, such as legal fees or accounting services. These expenses are considered separate from COGS. Non-Manufacturing Overhead Non-manufacturing overhead refers to expenses associated with running a business that do not directly relate to production activities, such as marketing campaigns or travel expenses for sales representatives. These costs are excluded from the cost of goods sold calculation. Income Taxes Income taxes are considered expense items that are not included in the cost of goods sold calculation, as they have already been accounted for in gross profit when determining net income. What is a Cost of Goods Sold Example? COGS is an important metric to help business owners assess the profitability of their operations. To understand this concept better, let’s look at a simple COGS example. A small business starts the fiscal year with 500 units of inventory at a cost of $4.50 each, for a total beginning inventory of $2,250. During the fiscal year, they purchase 1,500 additional units at a cost of $5 each, for a total purchase expenditure of $7,500. At the end of the fiscal year, their remaining inventory is 400 units at a cost of $5 each, bringing their total closing inventory to $2,000. Using the formula above, we can calculate that the Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) during this period is: COGS = $2,250 + $7,500 – $2,000 = $7,750 Pros of COGS COGS has many advantages that make it the ideal choice for many businesses. Here are five of the biggest pros of COGS: Easier Inventory Management: Tracking COGS helps businesses keep a better inventory of the goods they have in stock, as well as how much they cost. This makes it easier to adjust production and sales numbers accordingly. Accurate Financial Planning: By calculating the cost of goods sold, companies can better plan their finances. This calculation considers the expenses related to acquiring materials, manufacturing products, and selling them. Better Cash Flow Management: Keeping track of COGS helps companies manage their cash flow more effectively by providing a clear picture of how much money is being spent on inventory costs, production costs, and sales expenses. Reduced Risk of Losses: Knowing exactly how much money is going into purchasing materials, producing goods, and selling them gives companies a better idea of what potential losses could be in different scenarios. This can help businesses reduce risk and make better strategic decisions. More Efficient Internal Control System: Tracking COGS provides companies with greater internal control over their operations by allowing them to monitor expenditures closely and make sure that the costs associated with producing and selling goods remain within acceptable levels. Cons of COGS While COGS offers many advantages to businesses, there are a few potential drawbacks. Here are three of the cons of using COGS: Complexity: Setting up and maintaining a system for tracking costs can be complex and time-consuming. High Initial Setup Costs: There can be a significant upfront investment in both hardware and software that is needed to track costs with COGS. Disconnect from Actual Performance: As COGS track operational costs only, they do not provide an indicator of overall performance or customer satisfaction. Pros of COGSCons of COGS Easier Inventory Management: Tracking COGS helps businesses keep a better inventory of the goods they have in stock, as well as how much they cost. This makes it easier to adjust production and sales numbers accordingly.Complexity: Setting up and maintaining a system for tracking costs can be complex and time-consuming. Accurate Financial Planning: Calculating cost of goods sold allows companies to plan their finances more accurately by taking into account the costs associated with purchasing materials, producing goods, and selling them.High Initial Setup Costs: There can be a significant upfront investment in both hardware and software that is needed to track costs with COGS. Better Cash Flow Management: Keeping track of COGS helps companies manage their cash flow more effectively by providing a clear picture of how much money is being spent on inventory costs, production costs, and sales expenses.Disconnect from Actual Performance: As COGS track operational costs only, they do not provide an indicator of overall performance or customer satisfaction. Reduced Risk of Losses: Knowing exactly how much money is going into purchasing materials, producing goods, and selling them gives companies a better idea of what potential losses could be in different scenarios. This can help businesses reduce risk and make better strategic decisions. More Efficient Internal Control System: Tracking COGS provides companies with greater internal control over their operations by allowing them to monitor expenditures closely and make sure that the costs associated with producing and selling goods remain within acceptable levels. Cost of Goods Sold Accounting Methods COGS accounting methods refer to the various ways in which businesses can account for their costs. Here are five different accounting methods to consider: Operating Expenses vs. COGS Operating expenses are those costs related to running a business, such as salaries and rent, while COGS refers only to the costs incurred in producing goods or services that are sold directly to customers. FIFO FIFO stands for First In, First Out and is an accounting method whereby inventory items purchased first are assumed to be sold first. This method is most accurate when pricing products remains relatively stable over time. Special Identification The Special Identification method is utilized when it is essential to monitor the sale of a particular item or a specific group of items from the inventory. This technique enables businesses to document the precise prices at which each item was sold. Average Cost Average Cost assigns an average cost per unit based on all the purchases made during a given period of time. It simplifies accounting for relatively low-cost items and makes calculating sales revenue easier. LIFO LIFO stands for Last In, First Out and assumes that inventories purchased last should be recorded as being sold first. This approach can be beneficial under certain circumstances, but it can also create discrepancies between actual profits and taxes owed due to inflation. MethodDescriptionProsCons Operating ExpensesCosts related to running a business, such as salaries and rent.Provides a full view of the operational expenses required to run the business.Does not specifically consider the costs associated directly with producing the goods or services sold. COGSCosts incurred in producing goods or services that are sold directly to customers.Provides a clear view of the costs directly associated with producing the goods or services sold.May not provide a full picture of the costs to run the business overall. FIFO (First In, First Out)An accounting method whereby inventory items purchased first are assumed to be sold first.Most accurate when pricing products remains relatively stable over time.Can overstate profit if prices are rising because it assumes cheaper older inventory is being sold first. Special IdentificationUsed when it's important to track the sale of a specific item or group of items from the inventory.Allows businesses to record the exact prices at which each item was sold.It is labor-intensive and more complex than other methods. Average CostAssigns an average cost per unit based on all the purchases made during a given period of time.Simplifies accounting for relatively low-cost items and makes calculating sales revenue easier.May not accurately reflect cost of items if there are wide price fluctuations within the period. LIFO (Last In, First Out)Assumes that inventories purchased last should be recorded as being sold first.Can reduce income taxes in periods of inflation because it assumes more expensive newer inventory is being sold first.It can create discrepancies between actual profits and taxes owed due to inflation, and may not accurately reflect physical flow of inventory. Strategies for Optimizing Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) Optimizing the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is crucial for improving a business’s profitability and efficiency. Here are several strategies that businesses can implement to effectively manage and reduce their COGS: Efficient Inventory Management Just-In-Time Inventory: Adopt a just-in-time inventory system to reduce holding costs. This approach ensures that materials are purchased and received only as they are needed in the production process, minimizing storage expenses. Regular Inventory Audits: Conduct regular inventory audits to prevent overstocking and obsolescence. Efficient inventory tracking can help identify slow-moving items that tie up capital. Streamlining Production Processes Lean Manufacturing: Implement lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste in the production process. Streamlining operations can reduce unnecessary labor and resource costs. Process Automation: Invest in automation where feasible. Automation can lead to more consistent production quality and lower labor costs in the long term. Strategic Sourcing and Purchasing Bulk Purchasing: Consider bulk purchasing for raw materials to take advantage of volume discounts. However, balance this with the risk of overstocking. Supplier Negotiations: Regularly negotiate with suppliers for better pricing or payment terms. Building strong relationships with suppliers can also lead to cost savings. Product Design Optimization Cost-Effective Materials: Evaluate if less expensive materials can be used without compromising product quality. Sometimes, minor adjustments in design can significantly reduce costs. Product Design Efficiency: Design products for ease of manufacturing. Simplifying the design can reduce production time and material wastage. Quality Control Improvements Reduce Defects and Waste: Implement quality control systems to minimize defects and rework. Reducing errors in production can save both materials and labor costs. Continuous Improvement Culture: Foster a culture of continuous improvement that inspires employees to pinpoint inefficiencies and propose methods for lowering costs. Outsourcing Non-Core Activities Contract Manufacturing: For certain businesses, outsourcing production to contract manufacturers can be more economical than handling it in-house, particularly for specialized or low-volume products. Outsource Peripheral Activities: Consider outsourcing peripheral activities like packaging or logistics if they can be done more efficiently by third-party providers. Energy and Utility Management Energy-Efficient Practices: Adopt energy-efficient practices in production facilities. Reducing energy consumption can lower utility bills significantly. Training and Workforce Management Employee Training: Invest in employee training to improve labor efficiency. Skilled workers can produce more in less time and with fewer mistakes. Cross-Training: Cross-train employees to handle multiple job roles, especially in areas with fluctuating workloads. This flexibility can reduce labor costs by aligning the workforce with production needs. Final Words Understanding what COGS is and how to calculate it can be an essential part of being a successful business owner. Having an understanding of the basics of a balance sheet, cost accounting, tax brackets, and payroll compliance, as well as business abbreviations and acronyms is also vital for companies to be able to create a business budget that will help make them more profitable. Understanding how to hire a business accountant, avoid common accounting mistakes, ways of increasing your profit margin with available tax deductions, and ensure accuracy in your calculations is important as well. With the right level of knowledge about COGS and other related topics, you will be able to make sure that your business runs smoothly. Is cost of goods sold an expense? Yes, cost of goods sold is an expense. It refers to the costs associated with products or services that have been sold to customers. This includes direct production costs, such as raw materials, as well as indirect costs, such as labor and overhead costs related to manufacturing and distribution. Is cost of goods sold an asset? No, cost of goods sold is not an asset. It is an expense and is reported on the income statement as part of the cost of sales. COGS represents the cost of the inventory that has been sold during a period and thus reduces a company’s profits. Is cost of goods sold a debit or credit? Cost of goods sold is a debit in the accounting journal entries. It typically reduces the inventory account and increases the cost of goods sold expense account. What is beginning inventory in relation to COGS? Beginning inventory is the cost value of the merchandise or goods that a business had on hand at the beginning of a period. Beginning inventory is important to calculate COGS, as it must be subtracted from ending inventory to arrive at COGS. What is cost of sales vs cost of goods sold? Cost of sales and cost of goods sold (COGS) are both measures of the total cost associated with the production and sale of goods. Cost of sales is calculated by adding the beginning inventory to purchases and then subtracting the ending inventory. Cost of goods sold is calculated by subtracting the ending inventory from the beginning inventory. Are Salaries Included in COGS? Salaries are not typically included in COGS and only include the costs associated with all products or services sold by the business during a period, such as raw materials, labor for production, and freight charges. How Does Inventory Affect COGS? If a business has more inventory on hand, the COGS will be higher. Conversely, if there is less inventory available, the COGS will be lower. Changes in the prices of raw materials and labor can also affect the overall COGS. Image: Envato Elements This article, "What is Cost of Goods Sold and How to Calculate It" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Understanding the cost of goods sold (COGS) is essential for businesses. It plays a significant role in decisions related to inventory, pricing, and more. But what does it really mean? This article explains what COGS is, how to calculate it, and other important information you should be aware of. What is Cost of Goods Sold? Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is a critical financial metric for businesses. It directly reflects the cost of producing the goods or services a company sells. Here is an expanded explanation: Definition: The cost of goods sold (COGS) refers to the direct expenses incurred in the production of goods that a company sells. This encompasses the costs of materials and direct labor required for production. For retailers or distributors, COGS generally represents the total amount spent on the merchandise sold during a given period. Importance in Pricing and Inventory Levels: By understanding the cost to produce each unit sold, businesses can accurately price their goods to ensure they’re profitable. COGS also helps in maintaining optimal inventory levels. By tracking the costs associated with each product, businesses can decide which items to stock more or less of based on their profitability. Role in Determining Gross Margin: Gross margin is the revenue a company makes after deducting the COGS from its total revenue. It’s a key profitability metric that investors and analysts use to compare a company’s efficiency with its competitors. Relevance in Financial Performance: Understanding the cost of goods sold (COGS) and accurately calculating it for a specific accounting period helps businesses gain insights into their overall financial performance. An increase in COGS may suggest the need to seek more affordable suppliers or enhance operational efficiencies. Conversely, a decrease in COGS could indicate improved efficiency or the use of less expensive materials. Inclusion in Income Statements: COGS is typically reported in a company’s income statement. It’s deducted from the company’s gross revenue to determine its gross profit. To sum up, COGS is an important aspect of financial reporting and operational efficiency. It directly impacts a company’s bottom line and overall financial health. Thus, businesses must accurately calculate and closely monitor their COGS. Direct Costs Vs. Indirect Costs Direct costs and indirect costs are two fundamental types of expenses that businesses encounter. They serve different purposes and are accounted for in different ways in financial reporting. Let’s delve deeper: Direct Costs Definition: A direct cost is an expense that a business can specifically attribute to the manufacturing or production of goods or services. They are often variable costs, changing based on the level of production. Examples: Materials used in production and direct labor (wages for the employees who directly contribute to the production of goods) are common examples of direct costs. For instance, in a car manufacturing company, the cost of steel and wages for assembly line workers would be considered direct costs. Tracking and Accounting: Direct costs can be accurately traced and assigned to the production of specific goods or services. In financial statements, they are often included as part of the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). Indirect Costs Definition: Indirect costs are the overhead expenses that are not directly tied to the production of a specific good or service. These costs are generally fixed and are incurred irrespective of the level of production. Examples: Rent, utilities, administrative salaries, and advertising costs are examples of indirect costs. For instance, in the same car manufacturing company, the electricity bills for the office building and the salary of the CEO would be considered indirect costs. Tracking and Accounting: Because they cannot be directly linked to any one product, indirect costs are distributed across all units produced. These costs often show up on the income statement under operating expenses. Understanding the difference between direct and indirect costs is crucial for businesses as it allows them to: Calculate Gross Profit: Gross profit is calculated by subtracting direct costs (COGS) from revenue. Determine Overhead Rate: Overhead rate, which is used to apply indirect costs to products, is determined based on total indirect costs. Price Products Accurately: By comprehending both direct and indirect costs, businesses can set their product prices accurately to guarantee profitability. Manage Costs: Recognizing which costs are direct and which are indirect can help a business identify areas where costs can be managed more effectively. How to Calculate Cost of Goods Sold COGS can provide a deeper understanding of the business’s profitability as well as help to identify areas where cost control can be improved upon. It can be calculated easily by following these steps: Calculate the opening inventory To calculate the opening inventory, simply add up the cost of any goods that were in stock at the start of your chosen period. Add up total purchases The total purchases are all the costs associated with buying goods during your chosen period, such as purchase price, freight costs, and other related expenses. Subtract closing inventory The closing inventory refers to any goods still in stock at the end of your chosen period. You need to subtract this number from your opening inventory and total purchases to get your COGS figure. Cost of Goods Sold Formula Cost Of Goods Sold = Opening Inventory + Purchases – Closing Inventory What COGS Includes COGS is an important concept in accounting firms and finance and includes four major components – direct materials, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, and selling expenses. Let’s take a look at each of these components in more detail. Direct Materials Direct materials are the raw materials used to make a product. They can include items such as lumber for furniture, leather for shoes, or fabric for clothing. The fixed costs associated with these items are considered part of the cost of goods sold. Direct Labor Direct labor refers to the time and resources needed to manufacture a product. This may include direct labor costs like employee wages or commissions, payroll taxes, and other benefits associated with employees working on the product. Manufacturing Overhead Manufacturing overhead refers to general costs associated with running a business, such as equipment repairs and maintenance, plant rent, or utilities used during production. These costs are also included in the cost of goods sold calculation. Selling Expenses Selling expenses refer to advertising and selling activities associated with selling a product. This includes things like marketing campaigns, transportation costs related to selling the product, and any commissions paid to sales representatives or agents who help with sales efforts. What Cost Of Goods Sold Does NOT Include COGS excludes four key components: research and development costs, general and administrative expenses, non-manufacturing overhead, and income taxes. Let’s examine each of these components in more detail. Research And Development Costs Research and development costs refer to the costs associated with researching new products or processes. These costs are not included in the COGS calculation since they do not directly relate to the production of a product. General And Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses are those related to running a business, such as office rent or professional services, such as legal fees or accounting services. These expenses are considered separate from COGS. Non-Manufacturing Overhead Non-manufacturing overhead refers to expenses associated with running a business that do not directly relate to production activities, such as marketing campaigns or travel expenses for sales representatives. These costs are excluded from the cost of goods sold calculation. Income Taxes Income taxes are considered expense items that are not included in the cost of goods sold calculation, as they have already been accounted for in gross profit when determining net income. What is a Cost of Goods Sold Example? COGS is an important metric to help business owners assess the profitability of their operations. To understand this concept better, let’s look at a simple COGS example. A small business starts the fiscal year with 500 units of inventory at a cost of $4.50 each, for a total beginning inventory of $2,250. During the fiscal year, they purchase 1,500 additional units at a cost of $5 each, for a total purchase expenditure of $7,500. At the end of the fiscal year, their remaining inventory is 400 units at a cost of $5 each, bringing their total closing inventory to $2,000. Using the formula above, we can calculate that the Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) during this period is: COGS = $2,250 + $7,500 – $2,000 = $7,750 Pros of COGS COGS has many advantages that make it the ideal choice for many businesses. Here are five of the biggest pros of COGS: Easier Inventory Management: Tracking COGS helps businesses keep a better inventory of the goods they have in stock, as well as how much they cost. This makes it easier to adjust production and sales numbers accordingly. Accurate Financial Planning: By calculating the cost of goods sold, companies can better plan their finances. This calculation considers the expenses related to acquiring materials, manufacturing products, and selling them. Better Cash Flow Management: Keeping track of COGS helps companies manage their cash flow more effectively by providing a clear picture of how much money is being spent on inventory costs, production costs, and sales expenses. Reduced Risk of Losses: Knowing exactly how much money is going into purchasing materials, producing goods, and selling them gives companies a better idea of what potential losses could be in different scenarios. This can help businesses reduce risk and make better strategic decisions. More Efficient Internal Control System: Tracking COGS provides companies with greater internal control over their operations by allowing them to monitor expenditures closely and make sure that the costs associated with producing and selling goods remain within acceptable levels. Cons of COGS While COGS offers many advantages to businesses, there are a few potential drawbacks. Here are three of the cons of using COGS: Complexity: Setting up and maintaining a system for tracking costs can be complex and time-consuming. High Initial Setup Costs: There can be a significant upfront investment in both hardware and software that is needed to track costs with COGS. Disconnect from Actual Performance: As COGS track operational costs only, they do not provide an indicator of overall performance or customer satisfaction. Pros of COGSCons of COGS Easier Inventory Management: Tracking COGS helps businesses keep a better inventory of the goods they have in stock, as well as how much they cost. This makes it easier to adjust production and sales numbers accordingly.Complexity: Setting up and maintaining a system for tracking costs can be complex and time-consuming. Accurate Financial Planning: Calculating cost of goods sold allows companies to plan their finances more accurately by taking into account the costs associated with purchasing materials, producing goods, and selling them.High Initial Setup Costs: There can be a significant upfront investment in both hardware and software that is needed to track costs with COGS. Better Cash Flow Management: Keeping track of COGS helps companies manage their cash flow more effectively by providing a clear picture of how much money is being spent on inventory costs, production costs, and sales expenses.Disconnect from Actual Performance: As COGS track operational costs only, they do not provide an indicator of overall performance or customer satisfaction. Reduced Risk of Losses: Knowing exactly how much money is going into purchasing materials, producing goods, and selling them gives companies a better idea of what potential losses could be in different scenarios. This can help businesses reduce risk and make better strategic decisions. More Efficient Internal Control System: Tracking COGS provides companies with greater internal control over their operations by allowing them to monitor expenditures closely and make sure that the costs associated with producing and selling goods remain within acceptable levels. Cost of Goods Sold Accounting Methods COGS accounting methods refer to the various ways in which businesses can account for their costs. Here are five different accounting methods to consider: Operating Expenses vs. COGS Operating expenses are those costs related to running a business, such as salaries and rent, while COGS refers only to the costs incurred in producing goods or services that are sold directly to customers. FIFO FIFO stands for First In, First Out and is an accounting method whereby inventory items purchased first are assumed to be sold first. This method is most accurate when pricing products remains relatively stable over time. Special Identification The Special Identification method is utilized when it is essential to monitor the sale of a particular item or a specific group of items from the inventory. This technique enables businesses to document the precise prices at which each item was sold. Average Cost Average Cost assigns an average cost per unit based on all the purchases made during a given period of time. It simplifies accounting for relatively low-cost items and makes calculating sales revenue easier. LIFO LIFO stands for Last In, First Out and assumes that inventories purchased last should be recorded as being sold first. This approach can be beneficial under certain circumstances, but it can also create discrepancies between actual profits and taxes owed due to inflation. MethodDescriptionProsCons Operating ExpensesCosts related to running a business, such as salaries and rent.Provides a full view of the operational expenses required to run the business.Does not specifically consider the costs associated directly with producing the goods or services sold. COGSCosts incurred in producing goods or services that are sold directly to customers.Provides a clear view of the costs directly associated with producing the goods or services sold.May not provide a full picture of the costs to run the business overall. FIFO (First In, First Out)An accounting method whereby inventory items purchased first are assumed to be sold first.Most accurate when pricing products remains relatively stable over time.Can overstate profit if prices are rising because it assumes cheaper older inventory is being sold first. Special IdentificationUsed when it's important to track the sale of a specific item or group of items from the inventory.Allows businesses to record the exact prices at which each item was sold.It is labor-intensive and more complex than other methods. Average CostAssigns an average cost per unit based on all the purchases made during a given period of time.Simplifies accounting for relatively low-cost items and makes calculating sales revenue easier.May not accurately reflect cost of items if there are wide price fluctuations within the period. LIFO (Last In, First Out)Assumes that inventories purchased last should be recorded as being sold first.Can reduce income taxes in periods of inflation because it assumes more expensive newer inventory is being sold first.It can create discrepancies between actual profits and taxes owed due to inflation, and may not accurately reflect physical flow of inventory. Strategies for Optimizing Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) Optimizing the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is crucial for improving a business’s profitability and efficiency. Here are several strategies that businesses can implement to effectively manage and reduce their COGS: Efficient Inventory Management Just-In-Time Inventory: Adopt a just-in-time inventory system to reduce holding costs. This approach ensures that materials are purchased and received only as they are needed in the production process, minimizing storage expenses. Regular Inventory Audits: Conduct regular inventory audits to prevent overstocking and obsolescence. Efficient inventory tracking can help identify slow-moving items that tie up capital. Streamlining Production Processes Lean Manufacturing: Implement lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste in the production process. Streamlining operations can reduce unnecessary labor and resource costs. Process Automation: Invest in automation where feasible. Automation can lead to more consistent production quality and lower labor costs in the long term. Strategic Sourcing and Purchasing Bulk Purchasing: Consider bulk purchasing for raw materials to take advantage of volume discounts. However, balance this with the risk of overstocking. Supplier Negotiations: Regularly negotiate with suppliers for better pricing or payment terms. Building strong relationships with suppliers can also lead to cost savings. Product Design Optimization Cost-Effective Materials: Evaluate if less expensive materials can be used without compromising product quality. Sometimes, minor adjustments in design can significantly reduce costs. Product Design Efficiency: Design products for ease of manufacturing. Simplifying the design can reduce production time and material wastage. Quality Control Improvements Reduce Defects and Waste: Implement quality control systems to minimize defects and rework. Reducing errors in production can save both materials and labor costs. Continuous Improvement Culture: Foster a culture of continuous improvement that inspires employees to pinpoint inefficiencies and propose methods for lowering costs. Outsourcing Non-Core Activities Contract Manufacturing: For certain businesses, outsourcing production to contract manufacturers can be more economical than handling it in-house, particularly for specialized or low-volume products. Outsource Peripheral Activities: Consider outsourcing peripheral activities like packaging or logistics if they can be done more efficiently by third-party providers. Energy and Utility Management Energy-Efficient Practices: Adopt energy-efficient practices in production facilities. Reducing energy consumption can lower utility bills significantly. Training and Workforce Management Employee Training: Invest in employee training to improve labor efficiency. Skilled workers can produce more in less time and with fewer mistakes. Cross-Training: Cross-train employees to handle multiple job roles, especially in areas with fluctuating workloads. This flexibility can reduce labor costs by aligning the workforce with production needs. Final Words Understanding what COGS is and how to calculate it can be an essential part of being a successful business owner. Having an understanding of the basics of a balance sheet, cost accounting, tax brackets, and payroll compliance, as well as business abbreviations and acronyms is also vital for companies to be able to create a business budget that will help make them more profitable. Understanding how to hire a business accountant, avoid common accounting mistakes, ways of increasing your profit margin with available tax deductions, and ensure accuracy in your calculations is important as well. With the right level of knowledge about COGS and other related topics, you will be able to make sure that your business runs smoothly. Is cost of goods sold an expense? Yes, cost of goods sold is an expense. It refers to the costs associated with products or services that have been sold to customers. This includes direct production costs, such as raw materials, as well as indirect costs, such as labor and overhead costs related to manufacturing and distribution. Is cost of goods sold an asset? No, cost of goods sold is not an asset. It is an expense and is reported on the income statement as part of the cost of sales. COGS represents the cost of the inventory that has been sold during a period and thus reduces a company’s profits. Is cost of goods sold a debit or credit? Cost of goods sold is a debit in the accounting journal entries. It typically reduces the inventory account and increases the cost of goods sold expense account. What is beginning inventory in relation to COGS? Beginning inventory is the cost value of the merchandise or goods that a business had on hand at the beginning of a period. Beginning inventory is important to calculate COGS, as it must be subtracted from ending inventory to arrive at COGS. What is cost of sales vs cost of goods sold? Cost of sales and cost of goods sold (COGS) are both measures of the total cost associated with the production and sale of goods. Cost of sales is calculated by adding the beginning inventory to purchases and then subtracting the ending inventory. Cost of goods sold is calculated by subtracting the ending inventory from the beginning inventory. Are Salaries Included in COGS? Salaries are not typically included in COGS and only include the costs associated with all products or services sold by the business during a period, such as raw materials, labor for production, and freight charges. How Does Inventory Affect COGS? If a business has more inventory on hand, the COGS will be higher. Conversely, if there is less inventory available, the COGS will be lower. Changes in the prices of raw materials and labor can also affect the overall COGS. Image: Envato Elements This article, "What is Cost of Goods Sold and How to Calculate It" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Imagine, just for a second, that Post Malone and Shane Gillis are your neighbors—not in a now-you’re-rich-and-live-among-pop-stars-and-comedy-elite way, just your average suburban cul-de-sac situation. This is what Bud Light has been asking of us in its recent Super Bowl ad teasers. In one, we see Post and Gillis through a doorbell cam. In another, Gillis is outlining the rules of actually drinking in a beer ad (no bueno). These were mere sips of what was to come. Today, Bud Light decided to jam a proverbial screwdriver into the side of the can and let the world shotgun its full big game ad ahead of time. Now we know what the tucked golf shirts and jorts hype was all about. Bud Light has turned Malone and Gillis into BMOCs—“Big Men on Cul-De-Sac,” the neighbors responsible for boosting a party. Here, they come to the aid of a needy neighbor by sending out invites, bringing over the lawn-cutting smoker, as well as the biggest cooler I’ve ever seen since that Yeti x Liquid Death casket. Even Peyton Manning takes a break from FanDuel’s “Kick of Destiny” to hang out. Todd Allen, Bud Light’s senior vice president of marketing, says you’d be hard-pressed to find better BMOCs than Malone and Gillis. “Not only are they the most likeable and authentically hilarious guys around, but also longtime fans and partners of Bud Light,” says Allen. “With humor being a staple of Bud Light advertising and the Super Bowl stage, we knew this was the duo that could help us bring to life what I truly believe is one of our funniest spots in years.” https://twitter.com/budlight/status/1883590760273994123 This is Post Malone’s fourth Super Bowl with Bud Light. We’ve taken a peek inside his brain, and seen him with legends. And since he first signed on as a brand partner in 2018, he’s had a limited apparel line and a dive bar concert tour with the brand. Laugh Strategy Gillis signed on with Bud Light a year ago, in the wake of the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco, with a sponsored comedy tour, and then created two hilarious spots for the college football season. If this past year is any indication, the brand should hang on to Gillis and his comedy partner John McKeever for as long as it can. Not only have the spots been hilarious, Gillis’s team is clearly capable of more. The comedian broke down the process behind his recent Notre Dame ad for Under Armour, which he told Pat McAfee was made in just a couple of days. This is what Ryan Reynolds would call “fastvertising,” in its ability to deliver entertaining ads that tap into culture here and now. Allen says fans made it clear they loved the Gillis partnership. “It was a no-brainer for us to keep the momentum going and continue to lean into the iconic humor fans expect from us,” he says. “There’s absolutely no bigger stage to deliver a laugh than Super Bowl, and when you combine a comedic powerhouse like Shane with Bud Light, I think we have a winning formula.” Bud Light sales have not rebounded since the Mulvaney controversy, in which a small promotion with the trans influencer in early 2023 became a lightning rod for “anti-woke” right wing media. Since then, the brand has leaned harder into humor, as well as sports and music sponsorships. https://twitter.com/budlight/status/1882428502487838849 The brand is navigating an overall slowing down of beer sales, thanks to factors that include the growing popularity of ready-to-drink cocktails. It’s also in direct competition with sibling brands. AB InBev has ramped up its marketing and advertising behind Michelob Ultra in the past few years, and that’s helped it outpace Bud Light sales. In this Super Bowl alone, Bud Light is up against fellow AB brands Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Michelob Ultra. With a decrease in craft beer sales, light beer brands like the Kelce brothers-backed Garage Beer see opportunity. But for Bud Light, it’s an ideal time to invest in its brand like this to stoke and deepen its fandom. “We’re staying laser-focused on bringing the best of what fans expect from us—leaning into our iconic humor and staying consistent in how we show up through our mega-platforms throughout the year, like UFC, NFL, college sports, country music and more,” says Allen. “This spot is centered in this objective, focusing on putting fans first, leaning into humor, showcasing epic talent and cementing our role in a relatable setting—the neighborhood.” It’s not quite as epic as the Bud Knight in Westeros, but it may still get you to grab your jorts, pull up your socks, and go find the cooler. View the full article

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Is your website traffic dropping, leaving you unsure of what went wrong? Every day without action means more lost rankings, leads, and revenue. This article outlines a seven-step framework to help you analyze the causes of your traffic drop and create an SEO plan to fix it. What’s causing your traffic to decline? Some website owners hope for a quick fix to restore traffic, but our analysis shows most drops are caused by one or more of the following: Changing search intent. User experience issues. New ads or Google SERP elements. Algorithm updates. Technical issues. Content changes Backlink decay. To fix the ranking drop and regain momentum, follow these steps. Step 1: Analyze your traffic quality The first step is to determine whether the drop affects quality traffic or if Google is simply better at identifying the right audience. Many sites attract random traffic that doesn’t engage. Check if conversions have dropped along with the traffic. If conversions remain stable, the traffic drop likely affects low-quality visitors. However, if exposure to your brand or offer has decreased, a deeper analysis may be needed. Dig deeper: Why traffic declines despite solid rankings and what to do Step 2: Evaluate your content through the user’s eyes Many site owners fail to see their content from the perspective of their ideal client. Search for one of your target keywords on Google. Review the top 3 results that are similar to your page, browsing them as a typical user would – skimming and reading key sections. Then, do the same for your own page. Where are the differences? Be honest: where are competitors better at explaining, presenting, or guiding the user? Use these insights to improve your page. Step 3: Audit and strengthen your backlink profile Backlink issues can be a key factor in why your site ranks above competitors, assuming your content already meets search intent. However, changes in your backlink profile (i.e., link composition, anchor text, or whether links come from link networks) can lead to traffic decline. As search engines become better at identifying legitimate and relevant links, they may devalue existing backlinks, lowering your site’s authority and rankings. Focus on consistently creating linkable assets and distributing them through outreach. Use SEO tools to analyze the backlinks your competitors are acquiring, and look for similar opportunities. Additionally, pitch your linkable assets to journalists through digital PR platforms. This approach can be surprisingly effective. Dig deeper: 13 questions to diagnose and resolve declining organic traffic Step 4: Optimize your content layout for clarity How you present your content matters. For example, expecting users to scroll through a 3,000-word article to find the answer at the end – especially on mobile – can hurt engagement. Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for early on. Include a visible table of contents or key takeaways at the top of the page to guide users. Step 5: Compare your performance against competitors Core updates often impact entire industries. For instance, in recent updates, law firms’ informational content was significantly affected by Reddit threads. While Reddit’s visibility may be declining, UGC platforms like it can still capture traffic from your informational articles. Q&A content, which had performed well for years, is now losing visibility as Google gives more weight to Q&A sites, pushing down rankings for similar content on other sites. Here’s an example of a site that lost some traffic (in blue), while a subreddit gained traffic at the same time (in green): Assess your reliance on Q&A content and monitor how sites like Reddit are impacting your traffic. If you notice this trend, consider: Actively engaging with your brand on these platforms to increase visibility. Diversifying your content to include more commercial and transactional pages, rather than relying solely on informational content. Step 6: Identify what’s still driving results A useful exercise is to analyze which pages are still performing well on your site. While a Google update might lower your site’s overall rankings, individual pages may still rank high on Page 1. Even if some backlinks have been devalued, others may still be driving authority to certain pages, allowing them to maintain strong rankings. Ask yourself: What is different about the pages that are still performing well? Did you follow a different process when writing these pages? Does the user intent differ from the pages that dropped? How do the backlinks to these pages compare to those of pages that lost traffic? Reverse-engineering these successful pages can provide valuable insights into what you can do better. Dig deeper: Get your B2B site unstuck: Top SEO tips for stagnant sites Step 7: Use AI to uncover insights and patterns AI tools can assist in analyzing drops, helping you identify which keywords, types of pages, and URLs are more likely to retain traffic. Export keyword data from tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console, comparing it to a date before the drop. Upload this data to a language model like ChatGPT for analysis. This can reveal patterns, topics that have dropped, and stable keywords, offering deeper insights. This method is especially helpful for sites ranking for thousands of keywords. Assessing recovery: What to do next If you’ve been affected, follow the steps and track changes over the next 4-6 weeks. If rankings don’t recover, it may be time for a deeper forensic SEO audit and a more tailored strategy. Dig deeper: How to fix a huge traffic drop after rebranding View the full article

Capital One has launched an AI agent designed to help consumers with one of the most frustrating, time-consuming processes in life: buying a car. The banking giant’s Chat Concierge provides information, makes decisions, and takes action using multiple AI agents. Mimicking human reasoning, the product aims to assist consumers in all aspects of the research process involved in making a car purchase, from comparing vehicles to scheduling test drives. “Buying a car is a stressful experience,” says Prem Natarajan, EVP, chief scientist, and head of enterprise AI at Capital One. “The possibility that we can make this really important purchase for people a frictionless experience, a more satisfying experience, a more easy experience is important.” The company is a major provider of auto loans, and already offers Dealer Navigator, a platform that provides car buyers and dealers with resources for the research, sale, and financing processes. Capital One’s new agent comes amid a wave of buzz around agentic AI, with many experts calling it “the way of the future.” Agentic AI can be “magical” for users because it shifts the purpose of artificial intelligence from being a general tool to performing specialized tasks, Natarajan says. In recent weeks, Google and OpenAI have announced their own agentic features that can browse the web and perform tasks on behalf of users. Instacart also recently announced that it would integrate agentic AI to create grocery lists and place orders on customers’ behalf. “Our journey into agentic AI started before it was being talked about,” Natarajan says. “The only way you’re part of any trend is if you were in the early part of shaping it.” [Image: Capital One] The Chat Concierge, which users will find on participating dealers’ websites, orchestrates task completion among multiple specialized AI agents. Capital One will scale up the feature nationwide throughout the year. Customers who walk into a car dealership with lots of questions often can’t find one employee who is able to address all of them. If a customer goes the online route, a typical chatbot will likely take their name and phone number and say that someone will get back to them. Sanjiv Yajnik, president of financial services at Capital One, says Chat Concierge is different because it starts conversing with a customer immediately about any question they might have. In a single conversation, the agent can perform tasks like estimating the value of a trade-in and scheduling appointments with salespeople. “It can look at the inventory and answer a whole bunch of questions,” says Yajnik. For example, if a user tells Chat Concierge that they want a “cheaper” car, the system understands what cheaper means, what to compare it to, and what to offer the user. Chat Concierge uses Meta’s Llama AI as a base, but it’s not out of the box—Capital One has customized the model with its own data. Natarajan and Yajnik say they hope that this system will allow people to enjoy the car-buying process that many find overwhelming. The main goal of Chat Concierge is shifting some of the “cognitive burden” of the job from humans to AI, Natarajan says. And if Capital One’s agent helps more people buy vehicles—well, that will presumably be good for the company’s loan business. View the full article

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