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If you’re considering investing in a franchise, now’s a great time to explore your options. With a variety of franchises available, you can find opportunities that suit different budgets and interests. From low-cost education franchises like Kumon to high-profit food brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, the choices are diverse. Furthermore, service-oriented franchises in plumbing and cleaning continue to show steady demand. Comprehending the key factors and steps involved will help you make an informed decision. Key Takeaways Consider low startup cost franchises like Kumon ($2,000) or Ace Hardware ($5,000) for budget-conscious entrepreneurs. High profit potential franchises such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Chick-Fil-A offer lucrative revenue models despite higher initial fees. Popular food franchises like Jersey Mike’s and McDonald’s attract customers due to their established brand recognition and proven business models. Service-oriented franchises in plumbing and cleaning sectors have steady demand, lower failure rates, and strong growth potential. Evaluate franchisee support, training programs, and brand reputation to ensure a successful investment decision. Top Franchises With Low Startup Costs If you’re looking to invest in a franchise without breaking the bank, there are several options with low startup costs that can be appealing to new entrepreneurs. For instance, Kumon offers a franchise fee as low as $2,000, making it a great entry point. Anytime Fitness ranges from $3,150 to $42,500, with manageable monthly fees around $700, whereas Ace Hardware charges only $5,000 and has no royalty fees. These can be excellent choices for those exploring b2b franchise opportunities. If you’re interested in a food franchise under 50k, consider Jersey Mike’s with an initial fee of $18,500. High Profit Potential Franchises When considering franchises with high profit potential, it’s essential to evaluate both the initial investment and the ongoing costs associated with each option. Here’s a breakdown of some franchises that stand out for their profitability: Franchise Initial Franchise Fee Dunkin’ Donuts $40,000 – $90,000 Anytime Fitness $3,150 – $42,500 Supercuts $39,500 Ace Hardware $5,000 (waived for veterans) Dunkin’ Donuts offers high profit margins with low ongoing costs. Anytime Fitness provides low startup costs, making it attractive in the health sector. Supercuts and Ace Hardware likewise present solid opportunities. What are some franchises you might consider? Chick-Fil-A features a unique profit-sharing model that can lead to substantial earnings, further enhancing your investment options. Popular Food and Beverage Franchises As you explore franchise opportunities with high profit potential, popular food and beverage franchises stand out due to their established brand recognition and proven business models. Dunkin’ Donuts offers a franchise fee between $40,000 and $90,000, known for high profit margins and low long-term costs. Chick-Fil-A requires only a $10,000 initial fee, but franchisees share 50% of the pre-tax margin with the corporation, reflecting a unique profit-sharing model. Jersey Mike’s has an initial fee of $18,500, with startup costs ranging from $140,000 to $750,000, indicating profitability potential in the sandwich sector. McDonald’s leads the industry, providing extensive operational support, but demands a significant investment that varies by location, showcasing its strong market presence. Service-Oriented Franchise Opportunities When you consider franchise opportunities, service-oriented businesses are worth a look since they meet crucial household needs. With sectors like plumbing, cleaning, and maintenance experiencing high demand, these franchises can offer steady revenue streams. Plus, many of them come with thorough training and support, making it easier for you to succeed in a competitive market. Essential Household Services In today’s market, investing in fundamental household services can be a smart move for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking stability and growth. The home services sector, which includes plumbing, cleaning, and maintenance, is thriving because of increased homeownership and demand for reliable service providers. Franchises like Mr. Rooter are recognized for their strong growth potential and support systems. Here are some benefits of investing in vital household services: High demand for consistent service offerings Extensive training programs for franchisees Ongoing operational support to manage your business Lower failure rates and higher profitability High Demand Opportunities Service-oriented franchises are becoming increasingly attractive to investors due to their consistent demand and low failure rates. With rising homeownership, services like home maintenance and cleaning are in high demand, making these franchises a solid investment. Critical services such as plumbing and electrical work likewise see steady demand, as consumers prefer professional assistance for household needs. Franchise Type Key Benefits Home Maintenance High demand, recurring revenue Cleaning Services Low overhead, scalable Critical Repairs Vital service, high trust Many of these franchises offer thorough training and ongoing support, equipping you to meet customer needs effectively. The growing trend of consumers prioritizing convenience positions these franchises for long-term success. Retail Franchises Worth Considering When considering retail franchises, you’ll find that established brands often come with strong market demand and proven business models. These franchises benefit from brand recognition, which helps you attract customers more easily. With various investment options available, you can choose a franchise that fits your budget during receiving the support necessary to succeed. Established Brand Recognition Established retail franchises present a compelling opportunity for potential franchisees, as their strong brand recognition often translates into customer loyalty and trust. Investing in a well-known franchise can improve your chances of success in a competitive market. Consider the following benefits: Established Customer Base: Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts attract diverse customers through extensive marketing strategies. Comprehensive Support: Franchises often provide training and ongoing marketing assistance, aiding your success. Proven Business Models: Companies like McDonald’s offer operational support that has been effective over time. Increased Foot Traffic: Familiar brands like Kumon draw more customers, boosting your profitability in high-demand areas. Choosing a franchise with established brand recognition can greatly influence your potential for success. 2. Strong Market Demand Retail franchises are thriving in today’s market, driven by strong consumer demand for reliable products and services. Many retail franchises consistently rank high on the Franchise 500 list, a clear indicator of robust market performance. The home services sector, in particular, is experiencing increased demand because of rising homeownership and a growing reliance on dependable service providers. You’ll find numerous franchise opportunities, especially with established brands that offer thorough training programs and ongoing support. Economic trends and seasonal fluctuations impact consumer spending, making strategic planning crucial for success. Franchises that adapt to shifts in consumer behavior, such as integrating eco-friendly practices and technology, are well-positioned for growth in the changing retail terrain. 3. Proven Business Models During exploring franchise opportunities, you’ll find that many successful retail franchises operate on proven business models that offer franchisees a solid foundation for success. Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts and Jersey Mike’s exemplify this, providing you with established recognition and loyal customers. Here are some key points to evaluate: Initial franchise fees vary, ranging from $18,500 for Jersey Mike’s to $90,000 for Dunkin’ Donuts. High profit margins are common, with Dunkin’ benefiting from low long-term costs owing to manageable royalty fees of 2-6%. Extensive support is often provided, including training, marketing assistance, and operational guidance. The retail sector shows strong performance, driven by consumer demand for convenience, indicating sustainable growth potential. These factors make retail franchises a compelling investment option. Emerging Industry Franchises Emerging industry franchises are quickly becoming a focal point for investors seeking opportunities in sectors that align with modern consumer values. These franchises thrive in health and wellness, technology integration, and eco-friendly services, reflecting current trends. Health-focused franchises like fitness centers are booming owing to rising health consciousness. Meanwhile, tech-driven franchises capitalize on digital transformation, meeting the increasing demand for online services. Eco-friendly franchises attract consumers prioritizing sustainability, offering green products and services. Sector Characteristics Growth Potential Health & Wellness Fitness centers, organic foods High owing to health trends Technology Integration Digital marketing, e-commerce Significant in digital era Eco-Friendly Services Green products and services Rising interest in sustainability The adaptability of these franchises makes them attractive investment opportunities. Established Franchises With Strong Support Systems Franchises with established brands often stand out due to their robust support systems, which play a crucial role in the success of new franchisees. These systems provide the necessary tools and guidance to help you thrive in a competitive marketplace. Extensive training programs guarantee you have the skills needed to operate successfully from day one. Ongoing assistance addresses operational challenges and marketing strategies, keeping you on track. Strong peer networking allows you to connect with other franchise owners for shared insights and experiences. Established brands, like Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s, offer marketing support that leverages brand recognition to attract customers. With these advantages, you can improve your profitability and achieve long-term success in your franchise venture. Franchises With Proven Business Models When you’re considering franchises with proven business models, established brand recognition plays a key role in your potential success. Brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts not only attract loyal customers but additionally provide thorough training programs that prepare you for running your franchise effectively. These elements, combined with a track record of revenue growth and low failure rates, make such franchises a smart choice for new owners looking for stability and support. Established Brand Recognition Established brand recognition plays a crucial role in the success of franchises, as it allows franchisees to tap into a loyal customer base right from the start. When you choose a franchise with an established reputation, you benefit from proven business models that improve operational consistency and minimize risks. Some key advantages include: Higher initial sales potential from brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Lower marketing costs owing to existing consumer trust, as seen with Chick-Fil-A. Strong franchisor support, exemplified by franchises like Kumon, which aids in maneuvering challenges. Operational guidance, ensuring you’re equipped to manage your franchise effectively. Comprehensive Training Programs One of the key factors that can set a successful franchise apart is its thorough training program. Extensive training equips you with the operational knowledge and skills needed for effective business management. Many top franchises don’t just stop at initial training; they offer ongoing education and resources to keep you updated with industry best practices and operational improvements. Structured training schedules often encompass critical areas like marketing, customer service, and financial management, which facilitate your success as a franchisee. High levels of franchisee satisfaction frequently correlate with the quality of these programs, as effective training boosts operational efficiency and profitability. Franchises with established training frameworks typically enjoy lower failure rates, making you better prepared to navigate challenges and seize growth opportunities. Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Franchise Buying a franchise involves careful consideration of several key factors that can greatly impact your investment’s success. To make an informed decision, you should evaluate the following: Financial Performance: Assess initial investment costs, ongoing fees, and potential returns to guarantee viability. Franchisee Support: Look for extensive training, ongoing assistance, and marketing resources that improve long-term success. Brand Reputation: Research the franchise’s market presence, as established brands with consumer trust often yield higher sales. Owner Satisfaction: Analyze metrics from franchise surveys; high satisfaction correlates with profitability and indicates a supportive culture. Steps to Get Started With Franchising Starting your expedition into franchising involves a series of strategic steps that lay the groundwork for your future business. First, research various franchises that match your interests and financial capacity, focusing on their support systems and training programs. Next, complete the application process to meet the franchisor’s qualifications, including financial requirements. Explore financing options like SBA loans or franchisor financing to cover your initial investment, which can range from $10,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. Carefully review the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for vital information about financial performance and operational requirements. Finally, attend the franchisor’s training program to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills you’ll need to successfully operate your franchise before launching your business. Frequently Asked Questions Which Franchise Is Most Profitable? When evaluating which franchise is most profitable, consider factors like initial investment, ongoing costs, and market demand. Food and beverage franchises, such as Dunkin’ Donuts, typically offer high profit margins but require significant startup fees. Conversely, businesses like Anytime Fitness or Kumon have low initial costs and steady revenue streams. In the end, your choice should align with your interests and financial goals, ensuring you assess each franchise’s potential profitability thoroughly. What Is the Cheapest Most Profitable Franchise to Own? When considering the cheapest and most profitable franchise, Kumon stands out with its low franchise fee of just $2,000 and high profit margins from affordable ongoing fees per student. Anytime Fitness likewise offers a reasonable franchise fee, ranging from $3,150 to $42,500, at the same time providing low monthly expenses. Furthermore, Ace Hardware’s low franchise fee of $5,000 and no royalty fees can yield strong profitability. Evaluating these options can help you identify a suitable investment. What Franchise Can I Buy for $10,000? If you’re looking to invest around $10,000 in a franchise, consider options like Kumon, which has a low franchise fee of $2,000. Ace Hardware likewise appeals, with a $5,000 fee and no ongoing royalties, especially for veterans. Furthermore, many mobile or home-based service franchises operate with startup costs under $10,000. Exploring emerging franchises can reveal even more opportunities that fit your budget and market interests, allowing for a potentially profitable investment. Why Is It Only $10,000 to Open a Chick-Fil-A? Chick-Fil-A’s initial franchise fee is only $10,000 because of its unique business model. This low fee attracts many potential franchisees in spite of the higher operational and real estate investments required, which can range considerably. The company retains a 15% royalty on sales, but extensive training and support help franchisees succeed. Furthermore, Chick-Fil-A emphasizes community involvement and customer service, nurturing strong brand loyalty that can lead to rapid profitability for your franchise. Conclusion In conclusion, exploring franchise opportunities can lead to rewarding business ventures. By considering factors such as startup costs, profit potential, and support systems, you can make informed decisions. Whether you lean in the direction of food and beverage, retail, or service-oriented franchises, each option has unique advantages. Taking the time to research and understand the franchise environment will set you on a path to successful entrepreneurship, ensuring you choose a franchise that aligns with your goals and resources. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Franchises to Buy Right Now" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you’re considering investing in a franchise, now’s a great time to explore your options. With a variety of franchises available, you can find opportunities that suit different budgets and interests. From low-cost education franchises like Kumon to high-profit food brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, the choices are diverse. Furthermore, service-oriented franchises in plumbing and cleaning continue to show steady demand. Comprehending the key factors and steps involved will help you make an informed decision. Key Takeaways Consider low startup cost franchises like Kumon ($2,000) or Ace Hardware ($5,000) for budget-conscious entrepreneurs. High profit potential franchises such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Chick-Fil-A offer lucrative revenue models despite higher initial fees. Popular food franchises like Jersey Mike’s and McDonald’s attract customers due to their established brand recognition and proven business models. Service-oriented franchises in plumbing and cleaning sectors have steady demand, lower failure rates, and strong growth potential. Evaluate franchisee support, training programs, and brand reputation to ensure a successful investment decision. Top Franchises With Low Startup Costs If you’re looking to invest in a franchise without breaking the bank, there are several options with low startup costs that can be appealing to new entrepreneurs. For instance, Kumon offers a franchise fee as low as $2,000, making it a great entry point. Anytime Fitness ranges from $3,150 to $42,500, with manageable monthly fees around $700, whereas Ace Hardware charges only $5,000 and has no royalty fees. These can be excellent choices for those exploring b2b franchise opportunities. If you’re interested in a food franchise under 50k, consider Jersey Mike’s with an initial fee of $18,500. High Profit Potential Franchises When considering franchises with high profit potential, it’s essential to evaluate both the initial investment and the ongoing costs associated with each option. Here’s a breakdown of some franchises that stand out for their profitability: Franchise Initial Franchise Fee Dunkin’ Donuts $40,000 – $90,000 Anytime Fitness $3,150 – $42,500 Supercuts $39,500 Ace Hardware $5,000 (waived for veterans) Dunkin’ Donuts offers high profit margins with low ongoing costs. Anytime Fitness provides low startup costs, making it attractive in the health sector. Supercuts and Ace Hardware likewise present solid opportunities. What are some franchises you might consider? Chick-Fil-A features a unique profit-sharing model that can lead to substantial earnings, further enhancing your investment options. Popular Food and Beverage Franchises As you explore franchise opportunities with high profit potential, popular food and beverage franchises stand out due to their established brand recognition and proven business models. Dunkin’ Donuts offers a franchise fee between $40,000 and $90,000, known for high profit margins and low long-term costs. Chick-Fil-A requires only a $10,000 initial fee, but franchisees share 50% of the pre-tax margin with the corporation, reflecting a unique profit-sharing model. Jersey Mike’s has an initial fee of $18,500, with startup costs ranging from $140,000 to $750,000, indicating profitability potential in the sandwich sector. McDonald’s leads the industry, providing extensive operational support, but demands a significant investment that varies by location, showcasing its strong market presence. Service-Oriented Franchise Opportunities When you consider franchise opportunities, service-oriented businesses are worth a look since they meet crucial household needs. With sectors like plumbing, cleaning, and maintenance experiencing high demand, these franchises can offer steady revenue streams. Plus, many of them come with thorough training and support, making it easier for you to succeed in a competitive market. Essential Household Services In today’s market, investing in fundamental household services can be a smart move for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking stability and growth. The home services sector, which includes plumbing, cleaning, and maintenance, is thriving because of increased homeownership and demand for reliable service providers. Franchises like Mr. Rooter are recognized for their strong growth potential and support systems. Here are some benefits of investing in vital household services: High demand for consistent service offerings Extensive training programs for franchisees Ongoing operational support to manage your business Lower failure rates and higher profitability High Demand Opportunities Service-oriented franchises are becoming increasingly attractive to investors due to their consistent demand and low failure rates. With rising homeownership, services like home maintenance and cleaning are in high demand, making these franchises a solid investment. Critical services such as plumbing and electrical work likewise see steady demand, as consumers prefer professional assistance for household needs. Franchise Type Key Benefits Home Maintenance High demand, recurring revenue Cleaning Services Low overhead, scalable Critical Repairs Vital service, high trust Many of these franchises offer thorough training and ongoing support, equipping you to meet customer needs effectively. The growing trend of consumers prioritizing convenience positions these franchises for long-term success. Retail Franchises Worth Considering When considering retail franchises, you’ll find that established brands often come with strong market demand and proven business models. These franchises benefit from brand recognition, which helps you attract customers more easily. With various investment options available, you can choose a franchise that fits your budget during receiving the support necessary to succeed. Established Brand Recognition Established retail franchises present a compelling opportunity for potential franchisees, as their strong brand recognition often translates into customer loyalty and trust. Investing in a well-known franchise can improve your chances of success in a competitive market. Consider the following benefits: Established Customer Base: Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts attract diverse customers through extensive marketing strategies. Comprehensive Support: Franchises often provide training and ongoing marketing assistance, aiding your success. Proven Business Models: Companies like McDonald’s offer operational support that has been effective over time. Increased Foot Traffic: Familiar brands like Kumon draw more customers, boosting your profitability in high-demand areas. Choosing a franchise with established brand recognition can greatly influence your potential for success. 2. Strong Market Demand Retail franchises are thriving in today’s market, driven by strong consumer demand for reliable products and services. Many retail franchises consistently rank high on the Franchise 500 list, a clear indicator of robust market performance. The home services sector, in particular, is experiencing increased demand because of rising homeownership and a growing reliance on dependable service providers. You’ll find numerous franchise opportunities, especially with established brands that offer thorough training programs and ongoing support. Economic trends and seasonal fluctuations impact consumer spending, making strategic planning crucial for success. Franchises that adapt to shifts in consumer behavior, such as integrating eco-friendly practices and technology, are well-positioned for growth in the changing retail terrain. 3. Proven Business Models During exploring franchise opportunities, you’ll find that many successful retail franchises operate on proven business models that offer franchisees a solid foundation for success. Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts and Jersey Mike’s exemplify this, providing you with established recognition and loyal customers. Here are some key points to evaluate: Initial franchise fees vary, ranging from $18,500 for Jersey Mike’s to $90,000 for Dunkin’ Donuts. High profit margins are common, with Dunkin’ benefiting from low long-term costs owing to manageable royalty fees of 2-6%. Extensive support is often provided, including training, marketing assistance, and operational guidance. The retail sector shows strong performance, driven by consumer demand for convenience, indicating sustainable growth potential. These factors make retail franchises a compelling investment option. Emerging Industry Franchises Emerging industry franchises are quickly becoming a focal point for investors seeking opportunities in sectors that align with modern consumer values. These franchises thrive in health and wellness, technology integration, and eco-friendly services, reflecting current trends. Health-focused franchises like fitness centers are booming owing to rising health consciousness. Meanwhile, tech-driven franchises capitalize on digital transformation, meeting the increasing demand for online services. Eco-friendly franchises attract consumers prioritizing sustainability, offering green products and services. Sector Characteristics Growth Potential Health & Wellness Fitness centers, organic foods High owing to health trends Technology Integration Digital marketing, e-commerce Significant in digital era Eco-Friendly Services Green products and services Rising interest in sustainability The adaptability of these franchises makes them attractive investment opportunities. Established Franchises With Strong Support Systems Franchises with established brands often stand out due to their robust support systems, which play a crucial role in the success of new franchisees. These systems provide the necessary tools and guidance to help you thrive in a competitive marketplace. Extensive training programs guarantee you have the skills needed to operate successfully from day one. Ongoing assistance addresses operational challenges and marketing strategies, keeping you on track. Strong peer networking allows you to connect with other franchise owners for shared insights and experiences. Established brands, like Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s, offer marketing support that leverages brand recognition to attract customers. With these advantages, you can improve your profitability and achieve long-term success in your franchise venture. Franchises With Proven Business Models When you’re considering franchises with proven business models, established brand recognition plays a key role in your potential success. Brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts not only attract loyal customers but additionally provide thorough training programs that prepare you for running your franchise effectively. These elements, combined with a track record of revenue growth and low failure rates, make such franchises a smart choice for new owners looking for stability and support. Established Brand Recognition Established brand recognition plays a crucial role in the success of franchises, as it allows franchisees to tap into a loyal customer base right from the start. When you choose a franchise with an established reputation, you benefit from proven business models that improve operational consistency and minimize risks. Some key advantages include: Higher initial sales potential from brands like McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Lower marketing costs owing to existing consumer trust, as seen with Chick-Fil-A. Strong franchisor support, exemplified by franchises like Kumon, which aids in maneuvering challenges. Operational guidance, ensuring you’re equipped to manage your franchise effectively. Comprehensive Training Programs One of the key factors that can set a successful franchise apart is its thorough training program. Extensive training equips you with the operational knowledge and skills needed for effective business management. Many top franchises don’t just stop at initial training; they offer ongoing education and resources to keep you updated with industry best practices and operational improvements. Structured training schedules often encompass critical areas like marketing, customer service, and financial management, which facilitate your success as a franchisee. High levels of franchisee satisfaction frequently correlate with the quality of these programs, as effective training boosts operational efficiency and profitability. Franchises with established training frameworks typically enjoy lower failure rates, making you better prepared to navigate challenges and seize growth opportunities. Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Franchise Buying a franchise involves careful consideration of several key factors that can greatly impact your investment’s success. To make an informed decision, you should evaluate the following: Financial Performance: Assess initial investment costs, ongoing fees, and potential returns to guarantee viability. Franchisee Support: Look for extensive training, ongoing assistance, and marketing resources that improve long-term success. Brand Reputation: Research the franchise’s market presence, as established brands with consumer trust often yield higher sales. Owner Satisfaction: Analyze metrics from franchise surveys; high satisfaction correlates with profitability and indicates a supportive culture. Steps to Get Started With Franchising Starting your expedition into franchising involves a series of strategic steps that lay the groundwork for your future business. First, research various franchises that match your interests and financial capacity, focusing on their support systems and training programs. Next, complete the application process to meet the franchisor’s qualifications, including financial requirements. Explore financing options like SBA loans or franchisor financing to cover your initial investment, which can range from $10,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. Carefully review the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for vital information about financial performance and operational requirements. Finally, attend the franchisor’s training program to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills you’ll need to successfully operate your franchise before launching your business. Frequently Asked Questions Which Franchise Is Most Profitable? When evaluating which franchise is most profitable, consider factors like initial investment, ongoing costs, and market demand. Food and beverage franchises, such as Dunkin’ Donuts, typically offer high profit margins but require significant startup fees. Conversely, businesses like Anytime Fitness or Kumon have low initial costs and steady revenue streams. In the end, your choice should align with your interests and financial goals, ensuring you assess each franchise’s potential profitability thoroughly. What Is the Cheapest Most Profitable Franchise to Own? When considering the cheapest and most profitable franchise, Kumon stands out with its low franchise fee of just $2,000 and high profit margins from affordable ongoing fees per student. Anytime Fitness likewise offers a reasonable franchise fee, ranging from $3,150 to $42,500, at the same time providing low monthly expenses. Furthermore, Ace Hardware’s low franchise fee of $5,000 and no royalty fees can yield strong profitability. Evaluating these options can help you identify a suitable investment. What Franchise Can I Buy for $10,000? If you’re looking to invest around $10,000 in a franchise, consider options like Kumon, which has a low franchise fee of $2,000. Ace Hardware likewise appeals, with a $5,000 fee and no ongoing royalties, especially for veterans. Furthermore, many mobile or home-based service franchises operate with startup costs under $10,000. Exploring emerging franchises can reveal even more opportunities that fit your budget and market interests, allowing for a potentially profitable investment. Why Is It Only $10,000 to Open a Chick-Fil-A? Chick-Fil-A’s initial franchise fee is only $10,000 because of its unique business model. This low fee attracts many potential franchisees in spite of the higher operational and real estate investments required, which can range considerably. The company retains a 15% royalty on sales, but extensive training and support help franchisees succeed. Furthermore, Chick-Fil-A emphasizes community involvement and customer service, nurturing strong brand loyalty that can lead to rapid profitability for your franchise. Conclusion In conclusion, exploring franchise opportunities can lead to rewarding business ventures. By considering factors such as startup costs, profit potential, and support systems, you can make informed decisions. Whether you lean in the direction of food and beverage, retail, or service-oriented franchises, each option has unique advantages. Taking the time to research and understand the franchise environment will set you on a path to successful entrepreneurship, ensuring you choose a franchise that aligns with your goals and resources. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Franchises to Buy Right Now" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

I've been getting relentless Instagram ads for AI-powered home gyms lately. You've probably seen them, too—sleek wall-mounted screens with impossibly toned instructors, testimonials promising "the future of fitness," and before-and-after transformations that make it all look effortless. The smart home gym equipment market is booming. According to Business Wire, the industry was valued at $3.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $4 billion by 2030. The numbers show plenty of people are investing in fitness technology that offers personalized, convenient, and effective home workouts. Fitness is yet another way to feed the AI beast, transforming boring old equipment into highly sophisticated systems capable of delivering real-time feedback, tracking performance, and adjusting workouts to each user's needs. It all sounds impressive—revolutionary, even. But here's the thing about fitness trends: It takes a lot more than the latest technology to make them stick. After months of watching these ads follow me around the internet, I got curious enough to actually dig into what these things are and whether they're worth the hype, and if the math really adds up for most people. Fitness trends rarely have staying powerWhatever your fitness goal is, the way to get it done is going to be time-tested and probably not too glamorous. Look at Tae Bo, Zumba, shake weights, even the world of Crossfit—most fitness fads don't have staying power once the novelty wears off. Sure, exercise science evolves, but not nearly as fast as whatever trendy gadget cycles through the cultural zeitgeist. In this way, we see “fitness” get reduced to a consumer product—something to be purchased, used briefly, and then tossed aside when something shinier comes along. In 2025, spin classes are out, while Pilates and strength training are in, and that Bowflex is probably collecting dust in your mom’s basement. In fact, in 2024 both Bowflex and American Home Fitness, two companies that bet big on the home fitness boom, filed for bankruptcy. In more recent history, Peloton once seemed unstoppable. Now, Peloton's revenue declined 2.8% in 2024 to $2.71 billion, marking its third consecutive year of declining revenue. What was once a cultural phenomenon now struggles to retain members and justify its premium pricing. For something to stick in fitness, three questions matter: Is it affordable? Does it work? Will you personally keep coming back to it? AI home gyms might work, and you might keep coming back, but that first question is where things get complicated. What exactly is an AI home gym?AI home gyms are digital fitness systems that combine hardware with software to create a personalized workout experience at home. The most well-known is probably Tonal, but there's also Tempo, Speediance, Amp, and others. Here's how they typically work: Tonal, for instance, is a wall-mounted unit about the size of a large TV that uses electromagnetic resistance instead of traditional weights. You pull cables attached to adjustable arms, and the system can provide up to 200 pounds of resistance digitally. Built-in cameras and sensors track your movements, and the AI adjusts the weight in real-time based on your form and performance. A screen displays instructors leading classes, tracks your reps and sets, and the system learns your strength patterns over time to suggest when you should increase weight or modify exercises. Other systems work differently—Tempo uses free weights with 3D sensors that watch your form, while some use smart cables or connected dumbbells—but the core promise is the same: sophisticated technology that monitors your workout, corrects your form, tracks your progress, and adapts to your fitness level, all from your living room. The benefits of an AI-powered home gymSmart home gyms do offer legitimate benefits, including compact convenience, personalization, time savings, structured workouts, and potentially better injury prevention through form monitoring. And for many, devices like Tonal, Amp, and others are here to stay. “As a professional home gym equipment tester,” says Jose Guevara of ShreddedDad, “I've seen more of these continue to pop up not only in full training stations, but also in specific equipment, like cable machines, dumbbells, and sometimes a combination of both. They'll never have the longevity of weight plates or barbells, but there is an audience for them." According to Guevera, these systems appeal to "those people who need guidance and want a done-for-you system where they can choose on-demand workouts where they can just follow along and not have to think about what to do for their workout.” There is an audience for these products, just as there's an audience for Peloton bikes and high-end boutique fitness studios. But to me, the relevant question isn't whether they work for some people—it's whether they're the revolutionary solution to home fitness they're marketed as, or just another expensive piece of equipment that most people will use enthusiastically for a few months before the novelty wears off. Still, another Tonal user told me that comparing these AI systems to a Bowflex machine from the 1990s is like comparing a surgical robot to using a rusty scalpel. But this analogy assumes your body is a machine where the logic of “endless innovation” holds up. A smart gym isn’t exactly a medical solution. It's an accessory, a luxury good that depends on who can afford it. I don’t think the problem with working out at home has never been that we lacked sophisticated enough technology. The problem is that working out is hard, consistency is harder, and no amount of AI can fundamentally change that human reality. There are some things you just can’t hack. Running the numbers on an AI home gymThere are hefty upfront costs for these products. Take Tonal, one of the leading AI home gym systems. It's around $4,300 for the unit itself, $295+ for mandatory professional installation, plus bundled smart accessories. Then comes the recurring monthly membership fee of around $60 for full access to classes and features. All told, you're looking at roughly $5,300 in the first year, followed by $720 annually for the subscription. Compare that to traditional gym memberships. According to a 2023 report, the average monthly cost of a gym membership is $58, which works out to about $696 per year. Budget options like Planet Fitness run as low as $15 to $23 per month, or $180 to $276 annually. Even mid-tier gyms like LA Fitness typically cost $40 to 56 per month. So, to break even on a Tonal, compared to a mid-range gym membership at $50/month: Year 1: Tonal costs $5,300. A gym membership costs $600. You're already $4,700 in the hole. Year 2: You pay $720 for Tonal's subscription. The gym still costs $600. You're now $4,820 behind. Year 3: Another $720 vs. $600. Now you're $4,940 in deficit. By Year 5: You've spent $8,180 on Tonal versus $3,000 at a gym. It would take roughly eight years of consistent use before Tonal becomes cost-competitive with a traditional gym membership. Eight years. That's assuming the hardware doesn't malfunction, the company doesn't go under (remember, Bowflex and Peloton couldn't sustain their models), and you actually use it consistently for nearly a decade. And the subscription costs are real. Unlike traditional weights that work whether or not you're paying a monthly fee, many digital fitness products require a subscription as long as you want to access workouts. "I've seen some of these companies also go out of business," Guevara says, "so if that happens, you're stuck with a product that doesn't function if their software is not kept up with." We've watched other companies’ subscription traps effectively brick your hardware. Now, proponents will argue that you save on commute time and costs. Fair enough. But for the Tonal investment to be "worth it" financially, you'd need to use it at least three to four times per week for those eight years straight. If you weren’t driving to a gym you pay $50/month for, are you sure you’ll consistently use your smart gym for years and years once the novelty wears off? There’s another unspoken cost to at-home convenience, akin to people who struggle with WFH setups: the absence of gym culture. Don’t underestimate the power of casual human interaction, personal trainers who can physically adjust your form, accountability from workout buddies, the ritual of leaving your house to exercise, or maybe even the silent camaraderie of shared suffering. If you’re like me, that separation between home and workout space is a major psychological boost. The bottom lineThe best exercise is the one you'll actually keep doing. If you run the numbers and a Tonal makes sense for your budget and workout habits, great. Personally, as AI creeps into every other corner of my life, I find a lot of comfort in my workouts as a rare screen-free activity. My gripe with AI home gyms is when they’re marketed as must-have solutions, instead of what they are: luxury goods, something available only to those with disposable income and spare square footage. On a grand scale, given their current costs, AI home gyms look like a passing trend to me. And two years from now, when the next fitness innovation promises to finally solve at-home workouts, I bet someone will write this same article all over again. View the full article

As many families are preparing to gather for the holidays, influenza (flu) cases are spiking across the country. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), positive test results have reached the highest levels seen so far this season. ​The most frequently reported influenza virus this season is the influenza A H3N2 virus. Last week, Fast Company reported on a new mutated strain of influenza A H3N2, known as the subclade K flu variant, which emerged after multiple mutations. Here’s what you need to know. Recent data shows positive cases are spiking According to CDC data for the week ending December 13, 14.8% of samples tested positive for influenza. This is the highest level of positive cases so far this season. A total of 927 influenza viruses were reported by public health laboratories. Of those, 911 were influenza A and 16 were influenza B. Of the 706 influenza A viruses that were subtyped, 89.9% were influenza A H3N2. For the week ending December 13, states with the highest flu activity include: Colorado Louisiana New Jersey New York Rhode Island Tracking data from the New York State Department of Health shows cases at their highest for the season, with over 5,300 hospitalizations so far. In New York City, flu cases have spiked significantly. Holiday season means data will lag this week Unfortunately, the CDC won’t provide further updates on the spread of the virus until the very end of the year. Data reporting will be delayed due to the Christmas holiday. According to the CDC, data for the week ending December 20 will be posted on December 30. What are symptoms of the flu? Typical symptoms of the flu vary from mild to severe. The CDC says these are the main symptoms to watch out for: fever or feeling feverish/chills cough sore throat runny or stuffy nose muscle or body aches headaches fatigue (tiredness) possible vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults) The agency notes that not everyone with the flu gets a fever. Total flu illnesses reach 4.6 million nationwide ​So far this season, the CDC estimates that at least 4.6 million flu illnesses have occurred. The agency estimates that there have been 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths from the flu. If you’re feeling sick this holiday season, you should limit contact with others. ​The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older who has not yet been vaccinated this season receive an annual influenza vaccine. Approximately 130 million doses of the influenza vaccine have been distributed in the U.S. this season. View the full article

SoftBank Group is racing to close a $22.5 billion funding commitment to OpenAI by year-end through an array of cash-raising schemes, including a sale of some investments, and could tap its undrawn margin loans borrowed against its valuable ownership in chip firm Arm Holdings, sources said. The “all-in” bet on OpenAI is among the biggest yet by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, as the Japanese billionaire seeks to improve his firm’s position in the race for artificial intelligence. To come up with the money, Son has already sold SoftBank’s entire $5.8 billion stake in AI chip leader Nvidia, offloaded $4.8 billion of its T-Mobile US stake, and slashed staff. Son has slowed most other dealmaking at SoftBank’s Vision Fund to a crawl, and any deal above $50 million now requires his explicit approval, two of the sources told Reuters. Son’s firm is working to take public its payments app operator, PayPay. The initial public offering, originally expected this month, was pushed back due to the 43-day-long U.S. government shutdown, which ended in November. PayPay’s market debut, likely to raise more than $20 billion, is now expected in the first quarter of next year, according to one direct source and another person familiar with the efforts. The Japanese conglomerate is also looking to cash out some of its holdings in Didi Global, the operator of China’s dominant ride-hailing platform, which is looking to list its shares in Hong Kong after a regulatory crackdown forced it to delist in the U.S. in 2021, a source with direct knowledge said. Investment managers at SoftBank’s Vision Fund are being directed toward the OpenAI deal, two of the above sources said. SoftBank’s scramble to marshal funds offers a window into the strain faced even by the world’s biggest dealmakers as they scramble to finance ambitious AI data center projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars. SoftBank declined to comment. SOFTBANK HAS OPTIONS OpenAI has not yet received the remaining funding, but expects the money to come in by the end of 2025, as stipulated in the contract, sources said. SoftBank has multiple sources of capital it could tap, including margin loans, cash on its balance sheet, stakes in listed companies, and corporate bonds or bridge loans, sources said. Son has strong reasons to draw on a range of funding mechanisms to fulfill those obligations. SoftBank secured a deal to invest in OpenAI at a $300 billion valuation in April. Since then, the valuation of OpenAI has risen dramatically and the company is in talks to raise additional funding from investors, including Amazon, tripling its valuation to close to $900 billion, one of the sources added, which would give SoftBank a significant paper gain once the transaction is completed. A major pool of capital for SoftBank is its undrawn capacity of margin loans borrowed against its ownership of British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings. SoftBank recently expanded its margin loan capacity by $6.5 billion, bringing the total undrawn capacity to $11.5 billion. Arm’s stock has since tripled from its IPO price, providing SoftBank with additional collateral headroom to expand its borrowing capacity. SoftBank reported parent-level cash of 4.2 trillion yen ($27.16 billion) as of September 30. The group still owns about 4% of T-Mobile US, remaining the wireless carrier’s second-largest shareholder, a stake worth roughly $11 billion at the end of September, according to LSEG data. Despite investing at a less active pace, it has continued to back AI startups such as Sierra and Skild AI. OPENAI NEEDS THE MONEY Both OpenAI and SoftBank are investors in Stargate, a $500 billion initiative to build AI data centers for training and inference that executives say is crucial to the U.S. government’s ambitions to keep ahead of China in AI. The rush to build data centers has also prompted tech giants including Meta Platforms to commit unprecedented sums to these buildouts – which need chips, power, cooling, and servers – and they have brought in deep-pocketed partners to spread the risk. Their hefty capital outlays have sparked concerns about what happens if the investments fail to bring commensurate returns, raising the specter of an “AI bubble” bursting. SoftBank promised in April to invest up to $30 billion in OpenAI – $10 billion of which the startup would receive the same month. The rest of the payment was contingent on the AI startup transitioning to a for-profit corporation by the end of the year, an ambitious feat that OpenAI achieved in October. The new funding is crucial for covering OpenAI’s rising costs to train and run its AI models as competition from Alphabet’s Google ratchets up. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees recently that the company is now entering a “code red” phase to improve ChatGPT — delaying other product rollouts to fend off the momentum behind Google’s Gemini. In October, Altman said OpenAI aimed to build 30 gigawatts of computing capacity for $1.4 trillion. He said he ultimately wants OpenAI to add 1 gigawatt of compute every week – an enormous target given that each gigawatt currently comes with a capital cost of more than $40 billion. (Reporting by Echo Wang in New York, Krystal Hu and Deepa Seetharaman in San Francisco and Miho Uranaka in Tokyo; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Matthew Lewis) —Echo Wang, Miho Uranaka and Krystal Hu, Reuters View the full article

Shares in Ørsted, the world’s largest offshore wind developer, fell by more than 14% after announcementView the full article

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to redefine the business landscape, small business owners may wonder how they can effectively harness its power to drive growth. A recent checklist released by a leading Chief Information Officer (CIO) outlines five critical steps that can help businesses maximize their return on investment (ROI) from AI technologies. The checklist provides a roadmap for small business owners who may feel overwhelmed by the rapid pace of AI advancements. It emphasizes that a structured approach can lead to significant improvements in efficiency and productivity, ultimately translating to a better bottom line. Key takeaways from the CIO’s checklist include the importance of aligning AI initiatives with business goals, assessing current capabilities, educating the team, measuring success, and continuously refining processes. Each of these steps contributes to fostering a more strategic adoption of AI in business operations. Aligning AI initiatives with overarching business goals is the first step. This alignment ensures that any AI tool implemented serves a clear purpose and addresses specific challenges within the organization. Small business owners can ask themselves: “What do we hope to achieve with AI?” This question sets the stage for meaningful integration. Next, assessing current capabilities is crucial. Understanding existing resources, technical skills, and infrastructure allows business owners to identify gaps and opportunities. Acknowledging these areas helps businesses determine what kind of AI solution they need and whether it’s feasible to develop in-house or source externally. Education plays a vital role as well. The checklist emphasizes the need to invest in training for team members on how to effectively leverage AI tools. This not only enhances team capability but also fosters a culture of innovation. For small businesses with limited resources, free or low-cost training options are often available online and can equip teams with necessary skills. Measurement of success is another key focus. Establishing clear KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) allows businesses to evaluate the performance of their AI initiatives. Gathering and analyzing data related to these KPIs can reveal whether AI is driving the anticipated benefits and where adjustments might be necessary. Finally, continuous refinement suggests that adopting AI is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Small business owners should be prepared to iterate their strategies based on real-world results. Regular reviews and adjustments can lead to improved efficiency and ensure that AI tools are being used to their fullest potential, thereby maximizing ROI. However, while these strategies present clear benefits, small business owners should also be aware of potential challenges. For instance, understanding AI technology and its best applications may require more financial investment up front, which can be a barrier for smaller companies. Additionally, the risk of failing to implement AI correctly may lead to wasted resources or missed opportunities. Moreover, as AI systems become more widespread, business owners must remain cognizant of data privacy and ethical considerations. Ensuring compliance with relevant regulations is paramount, as is understanding the implications of using AI in customer interactions. This checklist not only provides a practical framework for small businesses to engage with AI but also highlights that pursuing innovation requires careful planning and consideration. For owners ready to adopt AI or improve upon existing strategies, the checklist serves as a vital tool. “By following a structured approach, business owners can demystify AI and harness its potential to drive their businesses forward,” said the CIO, underscoring the value of the checklist. For further details and insights, business owners can refer to the original article at CIO. Embracing this transformative technology may lead to significant enhancements in small business operations, making it an essential area to explore in today’s competitive landscape. Image via Google Gemini This article, "CIOA Unveils 5-Key Checklist for Maximizing AI Returns" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to redefine the business landscape, small business owners may wonder how they can effectively harness its power to drive growth. A recent checklist released by a leading Chief Information Officer (CIO) outlines five critical steps that can help businesses maximize their return on investment (ROI) from AI technologies. The checklist provides a roadmap for small business owners who may feel overwhelmed by the rapid pace of AI advancements. It emphasizes that a structured approach can lead to significant improvements in efficiency and productivity, ultimately translating to a better bottom line. Key takeaways from the CIO’s checklist include the importance of aligning AI initiatives with business goals, assessing current capabilities, educating the team, measuring success, and continuously refining processes. Each of these steps contributes to fostering a more strategic adoption of AI in business operations. Aligning AI initiatives with overarching business goals is the first step. This alignment ensures that any AI tool implemented serves a clear purpose and addresses specific challenges within the organization. Small business owners can ask themselves: “What do we hope to achieve with AI?” This question sets the stage for meaningful integration. Next, assessing current capabilities is crucial. Understanding existing resources, technical skills, and infrastructure allows business owners to identify gaps and opportunities. Acknowledging these areas helps businesses determine what kind of AI solution they need and whether it’s feasible to develop in-house or source externally. Education plays a vital role as well. The checklist emphasizes the need to invest in training for team members on how to effectively leverage AI tools. This not only enhances team capability but also fosters a culture of innovation. For small businesses with limited resources, free or low-cost training options are often available online and can equip teams with necessary skills. Measurement of success is another key focus. Establishing clear KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) allows businesses to evaluate the performance of their AI initiatives. Gathering and analyzing data related to these KPIs can reveal whether AI is driving the anticipated benefits and where adjustments might be necessary. Finally, continuous refinement suggests that adopting AI is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Small business owners should be prepared to iterate their strategies based on real-world results. Regular reviews and adjustments can lead to improved efficiency and ensure that AI tools are being used to their fullest potential, thereby maximizing ROI. However, while these strategies present clear benefits, small business owners should also be aware of potential challenges. For instance, understanding AI technology and its best applications may require more financial investment up front, which can be a barrier for smaller companies. Additionally, the risk of failing to implement AI correctly may lead to wasted resources or missed opportunities. Moreover, as AI systems become more widespread, business owners must remain cognizant of data privacy and ethical considerations. Ensuring compliance with relevant regulations is paramount, as is understanding the implications of using AI in customer interactions. This checklist not only provides a practical framework for small businesses to engage with AI but also highlights that pursuing innovation requires careful planning and consideration. For owners ready to adopt AI or improve upon existing strategies, the checklist serves as a vital tool. “By following a structured approach, business owners can demystify AI and harness its potential to drive their businesses forward,” said the CIO, underscoring the value of the checklist. For further details and insights, business owners can refer to the original article at CIO. Embracing this transformative technology may lead to significant enhancements in small business operations, making it an essential area to explore in today’s competitive landscape. Image via Google Gemini This article, "CIOA Unveils 5-Key Checklist for Maximizing AI Returns" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Google appears to be rolling out the Performance Max Channel Performance report at the MCC level, giving agencies and large advertisers a long-awaited view of channel-level performance across multiple accounts. What’s new: The Channel Performance report, previously limited to individual accounts, is now surfacing in some manager (MCC) accounts. Google had previously confirmed the feature was coming, but this marks one of the first confirmed sightings in live environments. Why we care. MCC-level visibility allows agencies to analyze how Performance Max allocates spend and drives results across channels—Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Shopping—without logging into each account individually. That’s a major efficiency gain for teams managing large portfolios. What to watch. When and how quickly the feature becomes available across all MCCs, and whether Google expands the report with deeper metrics or export options. First seen. This update was first picked up by head of Ecommerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce, Mike Ryan, who very recently published a guide on How to use Google’s Channel Performance reports. Bottom line. MCC-level Channel Performance reporting signals another step toward making Performance Max less of a black box—especially for agencies that need cross-account insight at scale. View the full article

Charitable gift financing has been IRS-validated for decades, yet many still avoid it. The Concierge CPA With Jackie Meyer For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jackie Meyer. View the full article

Charitable gift financing has been IRS-validated for decades, yet many still avoid it. The Concierge CPA With Jackie Meyer For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jackie Meyer. View the full article

Scammers frequently target shoppers who are looking for a good deal or a rare find (or both). As holiday sale season winds down, the Better Business Bureau is warning buyers about a scheme in which fraudsters charge you for "out of stock" goods and fail to refund your money. The out-of-stock purchase scam is simple: After you buy a product online, scammers send you a notification that said item is no longer available, cancel your order, and tell you that you'll get your money back. Obviously, the refund never arrives, and no one ever responds to further inquiries. As the BBB points out, in most cases, the item you thought you bought probably never existed in the first place—rather, scammers are selling fake stock, charging customers, and vanishing in hopes you won't notice that you didn't receive your refund. Some consumers who submitted reports to the BBB Scam Tracker said that they did receive products, but items were of poor quality or not what they ordered, and no refund was ever issued. Spot out-of-stock purchase scamsThese fake purchase schemes may have the usual red flags, like prices that are too good to be true, especially those promoted on social media. Personalized items are ripe for scams, as are hard-to-find products or collectibles. If you find an amazing deal from a company or seller you don't recognize, search the name with "scam" and read reviews on Google and Reddit to identify patterns of suspicious activity (or poor-quality products). You should also be wary of websites that aren't secure—those that don't start with HTTPS or have a lock icon in the browser bar—as these are more vulnerable to hackers looking to intercept credit card info and other personal data. Legitimate vendors collect payment securely. Shop with a credit cardShopping scams are a good reason to use a credit card for online purchases, as they offer protection against fraudulent charges. If you don't receive a refund from a seller, you can file a chargeback—while this isn't as simple or swift a process, it is likely you'll get your money eventually. Always keep receipts, order confirmations, and any communication with sellers in case you need to make a claim for a scam purchase. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. We had big Google search ranking volatility over the weekend, likely from the end of the December core update...View the full article

This year delivered whiplash: geopolitics, tariffs, and technology all shifting at once. And heading into 2026, the disruption isn’t easing up. Bob Safian distills hard-won lessons from his Rapid Response podcast this year on how to lead when the ground won’t stop moving—featuring standout moments from Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, Runway’s Cristóbal Valenzuela, Meta’s Clara Shih, LinkedIn’s Aneesh Raman, Planned Parenthood’s Alexis McGill Johnson, and the NWSL’s Jessica Berman, with practical takeaways for turning uncertainty into advantage. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scalepodcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Lesson number one: As tech moves fast, we need to move even faster Among the most challenging aspects for leaders is the speed of change and how it requires us to reset our expectations and practices. Here’s the CEO of AI video company Runway, Cris Valenzuela, talking with me about planning in the eye of the AI storm. How far out do you think of your product roadmap? Or is that something you’re reassessing all the time? Cris Valenzuela: Yeah, it’s a weekly thing, to be honest. If you’re planning on a quarterly basis, you’re not going to make it. You’re done. In four weeks, you’re going to get leapfrogged and things will change. We’ve historically taken this open-ended research approach. Instead of defining very specific goals you want to accomplish, you define the boundaries on which you want the team to play and experiment. And then setting the boundaries and the limits is kind of the hard thing because if it’s too open, then there’s nothing really directionally happening. If it’s too broad, then it’s just an objective that’s very clear. If it’s broad enough and has enough of the right incentives, then people are going to stumble on things that are new, that you’ve never thought of before, that have a great value. And those are the things that we care the most. Valenzuela’s approach is so different from traditional leadership, leaning into experimentation rather than specific goals, and reframing plans on a weekly basis. It’s an approach that could make a lot of people uneasy. I talked about this with Clara Shih, who’s led AI business at Salesforce and at Meta. She offered practical insights about navigating what’s hype and what’s imperative. Here’s me and Shih. How do leaders strike the balance between I got to be in this, versus it’s not really showing any measurable impact now yet? Clara Shih: I see this all the time from various leaders that I meet with. I think it’s first being hands-on and really getting in there and understanding the capabilities because I think with that judgment, with that firsthand experience, only then can leaders really know, “Okay, I want to apply it here, but not here.” Another really great success formula is splitting up the team, right? Having people focus on immediate use cases, what can I unlock today that will show me ROI this quarter, next quarter, versus what are the bigger bets where just I see the secular trend and we have to skate to where the puck is going. But just know that it’s going to take longer and more experiments to asymptotically hopefully get to the right answer. And then just having space and time to live in both time horizons simultaneously. What’s the day-to-day? What’s the quarter? How could I be completely screwed in six months or 12 months if I don’t have this tiger team that’s incubating experiments at startup speed? Lesson two: In an AI world, human connection is a competitive advantage AI technology is so powerful. But there’s an equally strong thread about emphasizing the human factor within enterprises, that that will truly differentiate the winners. Here’s Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb. Brian Chesky: The term AI, the important term is artificial. We’re going to live in a world where it’s not clear that what you’re seeing is real. And the opposite of artificial is real. The opposite of screen is the real world. People want real connections in the real world. Why are people feeling so lonely right now? Because they were connecting with people they don’t know, arguing with people on the internet and your Instagram followers aren’t coming to your funeral. No one changed someone else’s mind in YouTube comment section. And now pretty soon we’re going to have a situation where your friends are going to be AIs. So there has to be this movement to real. Chesky’s business at Airbnb, of course, relies on in-person interaction through home stays and experiences, but that doesn’t diminish the leadership implications of what he’s saying. The challenges and opportunities of this age come down to human choices. The choices we make about how we interact with each other defines leaders and organizations, especially because AI is changing how we’re interacting. Here’s LinkedIn’s Chief Economic Opportunity Officer, Aneesh Raman, talking about what he calls the five Cs, the core human skills for this era. Aneesh Raman: What you’ve got is sort of what I call the five Cs, this list I’ve developed with neuroscientists, courage, compassion, creativity, curiosity, and communication. Those are kind of the core skills I think that make us humans. Remember, our species until about 40,000 years ago wasn’t the only sapiens around. And we were never the biggest, we were never the fastest. What allowed us to emerge as the apex species on this planet is that we were able to adapt in really important ways by those five Cs in how we both told really complex stories through language and then how we organized to increase scale around things like nation states. So that’s going to come to the center of it all for us and we’ve got to shore those skills up. Lesson three: The most important decisions are simple and brave When uncertainty is high, clarity of mission matters more than ever. For some, new pressure served as a valuable reminder of what was most important. Here’s an exchange I had with Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood, who’s been in the crosshairs of the The President administration all year. Alexis McGill Johnson: I feel concern that a number of really critical institutions in our society are feeling a financial pressure to, I think in many ways, go against their core values. Your values are … That’s your integrity. That’s who you are. So I cannot actually stand here and say, “We’re going to walk away from the very communities that we have committed ourselves to providing care for.” It sounds like you wish maybe that there was a little more bravery from some other leaders whose, I don’t know, whose missions may not be as clearly values-based all the time. Two things come to mind here. One is watching people obey in advance, comply in advance before the actual directives come, which I think sends a signal that people are willing to kind of stand down. But I think we’re also missing the collective action here, that there is a logic of collective action that means that when we actually stay kind of arms linked and say, “You know what? We are going to stand with the rule of law and what we believe the Constitution says here.” I think it really is about linking arms and understanding that that is really the kind of strongest attack back in some ways to the kinds of things that we are facing. When it comes to decision making, I often think of a framework Brian Chesky has talked about, focusing on what he calls principle decisions versus business decisions, choices that you’ll be proud of even if things don’t go your way. It seems pretty simple, but then the most important decisions often are if boiled down to their essence. Jessica Berman, commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League, keeps a pile of children’s books on the coffee table in her office to remind her team to ground themselves in the basics. Here’s Berman. Jessica Berman: Every single leadership lesson you need in life, you learned when you were five… It’s such a great analog for people to humanize and boil down sometimes hard to talk about or complex concepts that are really interpersonal. Is there a book that right now, a children’s book that you find yourself going to more? I have one. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Guess what? You can’t go around it. You can’t go over it. You can’t go under it. You just have to go through it. And that is the story of challenges in life, and so we cite that in our office almost every single day. View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. According to our analysis of the Zillow Home Value Index, U.S. home prices are up +0.2% year-over-year between November 2024 and November 2025. While that pace has decelerated over the past year—back in November 2024, the national year-over-year home price growth rate was +2.3% —it has ticked up slightly from the recent low of -0.01% in August 2025. In the first half of 2025, the number of major metro area housing markets seeing year-over-year declines climbed. That count has since stopped ticking up. 31 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 10% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the January 2024 to January 2025 window. 42 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 14% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the February 2024 to February 2025 window. 60 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 20% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the March 2024 to March 2025 window. 80 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 27% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the April 2024 to April 2025 window. 96 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 32% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the May 2024 to May 2025 window. 110 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 36% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the June 2024 to June 2025 window. 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 36% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the July 2024 to July 2025 window. 109 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 35% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the August 2024 to August 2025 window. 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 35% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the September 2024 to September 2025 window. 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 35% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the October 2024 to October 2025 window. 98 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 33% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the November 2024 to November 2025 window. Earlier this year, an increasing number of housing markets slipped into year-over-year price declines as the supply-demand balance gradually tilted more toward buyers. But in recent months, the list of declining markets has begun to stabilize as inventory growth has decelerated. Home prices are still climbing in many regions where active inventory remains well below pre-pandemic 2019 levels, such as pockets of the Northeast and Midwest. In contrast, some pockets in states like Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Colorado—where active inventory exceeds pre-pandemic 2019 levels—are seeing modest home price pullbacks. Many of the housing markets seeing the most softness, where homebuyers have gained the most leverage, are primarily located in Sun Belt regions, particularly the Gulf Coast and Mountain West. Many of these areas saw major price surges during the Pandemic Housing Boom, with home price growth outpacing local income levels. As pandemic-driven domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates rose in 2022, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices. That Sun Belt softening was further compounded by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. As a result, some buyers who might have previously opted for existing homes are instead choosing new construction with more attractive deals—adding further upward pressure to resale inventory growth over the past few years. Of course, while 98 of the nation’s 300 largest metro area housing markets are seeing year-over-year home price declines, another 202 are still seeing year-over-year home price increases. Where are home prices still up on a year-over-year basis? See the map below. View the full article

In 2025, Google is removing reviews at unprecedented rates – and it is not accidental. Our industry analysis of 60,000 Google Business Profiles shows that deletions are being driven by a mix of: Automated moderation. Industry-wide risk factors. Increased enforcement against incentivized reviews. Local regulatory pressure. Together, these forces have significant implications for businesses and local search visibility. Review deletions are on the up globally Data collected from tens of thousands of Google Business Profile listings across multiple countries by GMBapi.com show a sharp increase in deleted reviews between January and July 2025. The surge began accelerating toward the end of Q1 and gained momentum mid-year, with a growing share of monitored locations experiencing at least one review removal in a given week. This is not limited to negative feedback. While one-star reviews continue to be taken down, five-star reviews now account for a sizable share of deletions. That pattern suggests Google is applying stricter enforcement, including on positive reviews, as it works to maintain authenticity and trust. More recently, Google has begun asking members of its Local Guide community whether businesses are incentivizing reviews, likely in response to AI-driven flags for suspicious activity. Dig deeper: Google’s review deletions: Why 5-star reviews are disappearing Not all industries are treated the same Review deletion patterns vary significantly by business category. Restaurants account for the highest volume of deleted reviews, followed by home services, brick-and-mortar retail, and construction. These categories generate large volumes of reviews, and removals occur across both recent and older submissions. That distribution points to ongoing enforcement, not isolated cleanup efforts. By contrast, medical services, beauty, and professional services see fewer deletions overall. However, closer analysis reveals distinct and consistent patterns within those categories. What review ratings reveal about industry bias Looking at deleted reviews as a share of total removals within each category reveals distinct moderation patterns. In restaurants and general retail, deleted reviews are relatively evenly distributed across one- to five-star ratings. By contrast, medical services and home services show a strong skew toward five-star review deletions, with far fewer removals in the middle of the rating spectrum. That imbalance suggests positive reviews in higher-risk or regulated categories face closer scrutiny, likely tied to concerns around trust, safety, and compliance. These differences do not appear to stem from manual, category-specific policy decisions. Instead, they reflect how Google’s automated systems adjust enforcement based on perceived industry risk. Dig deeper: 7 local SEO wins you get from keyword-rich Google reviews Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Timing matters: Early vs. retroactive deletions The age of a review plays a significant role in when it is removed. In medical and home services, a large share of deleted reviews disappear within the first six months after posting. That timing points to early intervention by automated systems evaluating language, reviewer behavior, and other risk signals. Restaurants and brick-and-mortar retail show a different pattern. Many deleted reviews in these categories are more than two years old, suggesting retroactive enforcement as detection systems improve or new suspicious patterns emerge. It may also reflect efforts to refresh older review profiles. For businesses, this means reviews can disappear long after they are posted, often without warning. Geography adds further complexity Industry alone does not tell the full story. Location matters. In English-speaking markets such as the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia, deleted reviews skew heavily toward five-star ratings. That trend aligns with increased AI-driven moderation aimed at reducing review spam and incentivized positive feedback. Germany stands apart. Analysis of thousands of German business listings shows a higher share of deleted reviews are low-rated, and most are removed within weeks of posting. This pattern aligns with Germany’s strict defamation laws, which permit businesses to legally challenge negative reviews and require platforms to take prompt action upon notification. In short: AI-driven enforcement dominates in many English-speaking markets. Legal takedowns play a much larger role in Germany. What this means for local SEO and small business owners The rise in review deletions creates two primary challenges. Trust erosion: When legitimate reviews, whether positive or negative, disappear without explanation, confidence in review platforms begins to weaken. Data distortion: Deleted reviews affect star ratings, performance benchmarks, and conversion signals that businesses rely on for local SEO and reputation management. For SEO practitioners, small businesses, and multi-location brands, review monitoring is no longer optional. Understanding when, where, and which reviews are removed is now as important as generating them. Dig deeper: Why Google reviews will power up your local SEO The forces reshaping review visibility Three developments are shaping review visibility: More automated moderation, with AI evaluating reviews in real time and retroactively. Greater legal influence in regions with strict defamation laws. Increased reliance on third-party monitoring tools as businesses seek independent records of review deletion activity. As moderation becomes more automated and more influenced by local law, sentiment alone will not guarantee review visibility. In local SEO, reviews – especially recent ones with detailed context – remain a critical authority signal for both users and search engines. Staying ahead now means not only collecting new reviews, but also closely tracking and understanding removals. Reputation management increasingly requires attention on both fronts. View the full article

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s net worth surged to $749 billion late Friday after the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated Tesla stock options worth $139 billion that were voided last year, according to Forbes’ billionaires index. Musk’s 2018 pay package, once worth $56 billion, was restored by the Delaware Supreme Court on Friday, two years after a lower court struck down the compensation deal as “unfathomable.” The Supreme Court said that a 2024 ruling that rescinded the pay package had been improper and inequitable to Musk. Earlier this week, Musk became the first person ever to surpass $600 billion in net worth on the heels of reports that his aerospace startup SpaceX was likely to go public. In November, Tesla shareholders separately approved a $1 trillion pay plan for Musk, the largest corporate pay package in history, as investors endorsed his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut. Musk’s fortune now exceeds that of Google co-founder Larry Page, the world’s second-richest person, by nearly $500 billion, according to Forbes’ billionaires list. —Rajveer Singh Pardesi, Reuters View the full article

If you’re looking to understand the current real estate market, examining the recent sales of 10 properties that sold close to their asking prices is essential. Home sales have increased this year, whereas inventory levels are at a record high, giving buyers more options than ever. With stable median home prices and mortgage rates around 6.8%, you might find opportunities to negotiate favorable deals. Nevertheless, there are trends at play that could impact your decisions. Key Takeaways Home sales increased by 3.0% year-to-date, indicating a resilient market despite rising mortgage rates. The median home price has seen minimal growth, currently sitting at $347,000, reflecting market stability. A record high inventory of 38,713 listings enhances buyer negotiation power, allowing for better purchase terms. Seasonal trends show summer as a strong selling period, while off-peak months may lead to lower sale prices and extended market times. Future predictions suggest stable home prices through 2025, with mortgage rates projected to stay around 6.7% to 6.8%. Overview of Recent Home Sales In the current terrain of home sales, data reveals significant trends that are shaping the market. As of June 2025, there have been 43,795 single-family homes sold year-to-date, reflecting a 3.0% increase over the same period in 2024. The median home price for these properties has risen slightly to $347,000, indicating a modest increase of 0.2%. Meanwhile, the inventory of single-family homes has reached a record high of 38,713 listings, which suggests a competitive market where homes sold close to the asking price may become less common. Furthermore, townhome and condo sales have weakened, with prices dropping by 4.6%. The recent drop in mortgage rates could likewise influence buyer activity moving forward, impacting overall sales dynamics. Key Market Trends Influencing Sales As buyers navigate the evolving real estate environment, several key market trends are influencing home sales in 2025. Comprehending these trends can help you sell to close effectively. Increased inventory: With single-family home listings reaching a record high of 38,713, buyers now have more options. Stable prices: The median home price rose only 0.2%, indicating a more stable market with limited price growth. Shifts in demand: Townhomes and condos saw a 4.6% decrease in sales, as listings surged by 42%, reflecting changing buyer preferences. These trends highlight the importance of staying informed as you navigate the market, ensuring you make strategic decisions in a competitive environment. Impact of Mortgage Rates on Transactions Grasping how mortgage rates affect transactions is fundamental in today’s housing market. Recently, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped from 6.9% to 6.7%, temporarily boosting buyer interest. Nevertheless, the rebound to 6.8% because of inflation and treasury yields shows the volatility of borrowing costs. Historically, lower rates encourage buyer participation; for instance, when rates fell below 6% in late 2024, home sales surged. This sensitivity is evident as many move-up buyers hesitate to switch from lower 3-4% rates to higher 7% loans. With predictions of lower rates in 2025, buyers may find a sell to close option more appealing, facilitating transactions and increasing market activity amid fluctuating inventory levels. Grasping these trends is crucial for informed decision-making. Inventory Levels and Buyer Power Even though many factors influence the housing market, current inventory levels play a crucial role in shaping buyer influence. With single-family homes reaching a record high of 38,713, buyers now enjoy improved authority in negotiations. Here are key points to reflect on: Inventory has increased by 30.7% in Texas over the past year. The current supply stands at 5.4 months, up from 4.2 months last year. Median home prices have only risen by 0.2%, indicating balanced market conditions. This surge in inventory allows you to explore options and negotiate better terms. If you’re looking to purchase a home, comprehending how to close a call effectively can give you an edge in this competitive environment, making it vital to stay informed. Price Changes in Townhomes and Condos As of June 2025, prices for townhomes and condos have dropped by 4.6% year-over-year, reflecting shifting buyer preferences in the market. This price decline coincides with a significant 42% increase in inventory, which has put additional downward pressure on prices. Notably, whereas townhomes and condos face challenges, highrise units are experiencing stable sales and rising prices, indicating a more complex environment within the condo market. Declining Prices Overview While many buyers may still be considering townhomes and condos, recent data reveals a concerning trend in declining prices for these property types. The declining prices overview shows that prices fell by 4.6% year-over-year, indicating a dip in demand. Moreover, you should note: Listings for townhomes and condos surged by 42.0%, suggesting a market oversupply. Active listings for highrise units increased by 18.7%, while sales remained flat. The contrast between these declining prices and a mere 0.2% rise in single-family home prices highlights changing buyer preferences. These trends necessitate careful evaluation for sellers, who may need to adjust marketing and pricing strategies in light of the shifting market dynamics surrounding townhomes and condos. Increased Inventory Impact The significant 42.0% increase in inventory for townhomes and condos has particularly altered the market scenery, impacting both buyer behavior and pricing dynamics. With prices for these properties falling by 4.6% year-over-year, you’ll notice that the increased inventory impact is reshaping demand. Buyers can now enjoy a less competitive market, creating more opportunities for negotiation. Curiously, highrise units saw flat sales in spite of an 18.7% rise in active listings, signaling a shift in buyer interests within the multifamily segment. As inventory levels rise, sellers may need to realign their pricing strategies to attract buyers, reflecting a broader trend of diminishing demand in the townhome and condo market. Comprehending these dynamics is crucial for making informed decisions. Regional Variations in Market Activity Regional variations in market activity reveal significant differences in how real estate performs across Texas. Comprehending these differences can help you navigate the market effectively. Here are some key points to reflect on: Dallas-Fort Worth is the hottest market with 19,668 closed sales. Houston saw a 1.4% increase in median prices, whereas Austin experienced a 2.1% decline. Inventory levels increased from 4.2 to 5.4 months, indicating varying supply and demand dynamics. In this context, knowing the “sell to close” meaning helps you grasp how these regional trends impact pricing and competition. As inventory rises and prices fluctuate, adapting your strategy based on your location becomes essential for success in Texas real estate. Seasonal Trends Affecting Sales Dynamics Comprehending seasonal buyer demand patterns is essential for maneuvering real estate markets effectively. April through June stands out as the ideal selling period, with significant price increases and high sales volumes. Whereas the off-peak months of December and January pose challenges because of low buyer interest. Recognizing these trends can help you strategize your buying or selling decisions throughout the year. Seasonal Buyer Demand Patterns Seasonal buyer demand patterns play a crucial role in shaping the real estate market, influencing when people choose to buy and sell homes. Comprehending these trends can help you navigate the market effectively. Peak buying season typically runs from April through June, with sales averaging 16,530 homes per day. Home prices rise considerably during these months, with a 16% increase in June compared to winter. Activity slows from July to September, averaging 16,200 homes sold daily, and continues to decline in fall and winter, where sales drop to 13,810 per day and days on market extend to 49. Optimal Selling Months When you’re considering selling your home, timing’s everything, and certain months stand out as more advantageous than others. The ideal selling months typically range from April to June, when buyer demand peaks and home prices can rise by 16% compared to winter months. In fact, May and June are especially profitable; homes often sell for more than the listing price, with bidding wars common because of heightened competition. Even though the summer months continue to offer good selling conditions, the number of homes sold per day starts to decline. Conversely, December and January are the least favorable months, with low buyer activity leading to extended market times and lower selling prices. Plan accordingly to maximize your selling potential. Off-Peak Market Challenges During the peak selling months, robust buyer activity and competitive pricing prevail. Nevertheless, the off-peak market from December to February presents distinct challenges for home sellers. You may notice: Lower buyer demand, with only about 11,380 existing homes sold per day. Extended median days on the market, which can reach up to 49 days. Homes often sell for less than the listing price because of holiday distractions. These conditions make it harder to sell to close put option effectively. Yet, off-peak periods can likewise offer unique opportunities for negotiations, as fewer buyers mean less competition. If you’re motivated, you might find better deals, but be prepared for the realities of a slower market. Buyer Preferences and Shifts in Demand As the real estate market evolves, you’ll notice significant shifts in buyer preferences and demand that are reshaping the terrain. Recently, demand for townhomes and condos has weakened, with prices dropping by 4.6% year-over-year and listings surging by 42.0%. This indicates a clear shift in buyer preferences in the direction of different property types. Additionally, the average days on the market for homes in Texas has risen to 72, suggesting buyers are taking more time to decide, reflecting changing market dynamics. Notably, during the median home price rose only 0.3%, highrise units saw flat sales, further emphasizing divergent buyer interests. With increasing inventory, buyers now have more leverage in negotiations, influencing their purchasing choices. Predictions for Future Market Conditions As you look ahead to the future market conditions, expect to see stable home prices and greater flexibility for buyers. With mortgage rates projected to hover around 6.7% to 6.8% throughout 2025, you’ll find it easier to make informed decisions without the pressure of rising costs. Furthermore, increased inventory levels mean you’ll have more options and time as you navigate your home-buying experience. Stable Price Projections Though many markets have experienced volatility in recent years, predictions for Texas home prices indicate a period of stability through 2025. Experts foresee stable price projections, with home prices expected to rise only 1-3% nationally. Key factors influencing this stability include: A 5.89% mortgage rate for 15-year fixed loans, which encourages home sales. An increased inventory reaching 4.8 months of supply, allowing buyers more time to decide. A median home price increase of only 0.3% year-over-year, showing slower growth compared to previous spikes. This calming market environment suggests that buyers can approach their purchases with confidence, as a significant market crash isn’t anticipated. Buyer Flexibility Trends In light of the recent trends in the housing market, buyers are finding themselves in a more advantageous position as we move through 2025. With inventory reaching 5.4 months of supply, you’ll notice greater buyer flexibility trends compared to previous years. The median home price has stabilized, increasing just 0.2% to $347,000, allowing you to make more informed purchasing decisions. Furthermore, declining mortgage rates from 6.9% to 6.7% improve affordability, boosting your buying capacity. Experts anticipate continued stability in home prices and more options for buyers throughout the year. The demand shift in the direction of townhomes and condos, with prices falling 4.6%, further increases choices, making it an opportune time to explore new possibilities. Strategies for Navigating Current Market Trends Steering through the current market trends requires a strategic approach, especially with the notable shifts in inventory and pricing. To effectively navigate this terrain, consider these strategies: Leverage Negotiating Influence: With increased inventory, you can negotiate better terms when you sell to close on your dream home. Monitor Mortgage Rates: Keep an eye on fluctuating fixed mortgage rates; a slight decrease can markedly affect your purchasing influence. Explore Diverse Options: With declining prices in townhomes and condos, you might find better deals in these segments, offering potential savings. Frequently Asked Questions How to Find Real Estate Market Trends? To find real estate market trends, start by analyzing sales data, including the number of homes sold in your area. Monitor inventory levels and median home prices to gauge supply and demand. Review listing statistics to assess market saturation. Furthermore, keep an eye on mortgage rates, as they can influence buyer behavior. What Is the Hardest Month to Sell a House? The hardest month to sell a house is typically January. This month experiences low buyer demand as a result of holiday distractions and colder weather, causing homes to remain on the market longer—averaging 57 days. With fewer buyers, sellers often accept lower prices than expected. The reduced competition makes it challenging to attract interest, leading to extended wait times and decreased profitability. If you’re considering selling, it’s wise to plan for these seasonal trends. Are Wisconsin Home Prices Dropping? Yes, home prices in Wisconsin are dropping. Recent data shows a 4.6% decrease year-over-year for townhomes and condos, as buyer preferences shift in the direction of single-family homes. Increased inventory means more options for buyers, adding downward pressure on prices. Homes are now averaging around 72 days on the market, indicating they’re taking longer to sell. Economic factors like fluctuating mortgage rates and high living costs likewise contribute to this market slowdown. Are Idaho Home Prices Dropping? Yes, Idaho home prices are dropping, with a year-over-year decline of about 2.1% as of mid-2025. The median home price now stands at $400,000, still above the national average but reflecting a slowdown in growth. Increased inventory and rising mortgage rates are creating a more favorable environment for buyers, contributing to longer days on market for homes. These factors indicate a cooling market, affecting overall homebuyer behavior and prices. Conclusion In conclusion, the current real estate market offers both challenges and opportunities for buyers. With a 3.0% increase in home sales and record-high inventory levels, you have greater negotiating influence. Even though median prices remain stable, the impact of mortgage rates at 6.8% suggests careful consideration is needed. By comprehending these market trends and adapting your strategies, you can effectively navigate this environment and make informed decisions that align with your home-buying goals. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Properties That Sold Close – Market Trends You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you’re looking to understand the current real estate market, examining the recent sales of 10 properties that sold close to their asking prices is essential. Home sales have increased this year, whereas inventory levels are at a record high, giving buyers more options than ever. With stable median home prices and mortgage rates around 6.8%, you might find opportunities to negotiate favorable deals. Nevertheless, there are trends at play that could impact your decisions. Key Takeaways Home sales increased by 3.0% year-to-date, indicating a resilient market despite rising mortgage rates. The median home price has seen minimal growth, currently sitting at $347,000, reflecting market stability. A record high inventory of 38,713 listings enhances buyer negotiation power, allowing for better purchase terms. Seasonal trends show summer as a strong selling period, while off-peak months may lead to lower sale prices and extended market times. Future predictions suggest stable home prices through 2025, with mortgage rates projected to stay around 6.7% to 6.8%. Overview of Recent Home Sales In the current terrain of home sales, data reveals significant trends that are shaping the market. As of June 2025, there have been 43,795 single-family homes sold year-to-date, reflecting a 3.0% increase over the same period in 2024. The median home price for these properties has risen slightly to $347,000, indicating a modest increase of 0.2%. Meanwhile, the inventory of single-family homes has reached a record high of 38,713 listings, which suggests a competitive market where homes sold close to the asking price may become less common. Furthermore, townhome and condo sales have weakened, with prices dropping by 4.6%. The recent drop in mortgage rates could likewise influence buyer activity moving forward, impacting overall sales dynamics. Key Market Trends Influencing Sales As buyers navigate the evolving real estate environment, several key market trends are influencing home sales in 2025. Comprehending these trends can help you sell to close effectively. Increased inventory: With single-family home listings reaching a record high of 38,713, buyers now have more options. Stable prices: The median home price rose only 0.2%, indicating a more stable market with limited price growth. Shifts in demand: Townhomes and condos saw a 4.6% decrease in sales, as listings surged by 42%, reflecting changing buyer preferences. These trends highlight the importance of staying informed as you navigate the market, ensuring you make strategic decisions in a competitive environment. Impact of Mortgage Rates on Transactions Grasping how mortgage rates affect transactions is fundamental in today’s housing market. Recently, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped from 6.9% to 6.7%, temporarily boosting buyer interest. Nevertheless, the rebound to 6.8% because of inflation and treasury yields shows the volatility of borrowing costs. Historically, lower rates encourage buyer participation; for instance, when rates fell below 6% in late 2024, home sales surged. This sensitivity is evident as many move-up buyers hesitate to switch from lower 3-4% rates to higher 7% loans. With predictions of lower rates in 2025, buyers may find a sell to close option more appealing, facilitating transactions and increasing market activity amid fluctuating inventory levels. Grasping these trends is crucial for informed decision-making. Inventory Levels and Buyer Power Even though many factors influence the housing market, current inventory levels play a crucial role in shaping buyer influence. With single-family homes reaching a record high of 38,713, buyers now enjoy improved authority in negotiations. Here are key points to reflect on: Inventory has increased by 30.7% in Texas over the past year. The current supply stands at 5.4 months, up from 4.2 months last year. Median home prices have only risen by 0.2%, indicating balanced market conditions. This surge in inventory allows you to explore options and negotiate better terms. If you’re looking to purchase a home, comprehending how to close a call effectively can give you an edge in this competitive environment, making it vital to stay informed. Price Changes in Townhomes and Condos As of June 2025, prices for townhomes and condos have dropped by 4.6% year-over-year, reflecting shifting buyer preferences in the market. This price decline coincides with a significant 42% increase in inventory, which has put additional downward pressure on prices. Notably, whereas townhomes and condos face challenges, highrise units are experiencing stable sales and rising prices, indicating a more complex environment within the condo market. Declining Prices Overview While many buyers may still be considering townhomes and condos, recent data reveals a concerning trend in declining prices for these property types. The declining prices overview shows that prices fell by 4.6% year-over-year, indicating a dip in demand. Moreover, you should note: Listings for townhomes and condos surged by 42.0%, suggesting a market oversupply. Active listings for highrise units increased by 18.7%, while sales remained flat. The contrast between these declining prices and a mere 0.2% rise in single-family home prices highlights changing buyer preferences. These trends necessitate careful evaluation for sellers, who may need to adjust marketing and pricing strategies in light of the shifting market dynamics surrounding townhomes and condos. Increased Inventory Impact The significant 42.0% increase in inventory for townhomes and condos has particularly altered the market scenery, impacting both buyer behavior and pricing dynamics. With prices for these properties falling by 4.6% year-over-year, you’ll notice that the increased inventory impact is reshaping demand. Buyers can now enjoy a less competitive market, creating more opportunities for negotiation. Curiously, highrise units saw flat sales in spite of an 18.7% rise in active listings, signaling a shift in buyer interests within the multifamily segment. As inventory levels rise, sellers may need to realign their pricing strategies to attract buyers, reflecting a broader trend of diminishing demand in the townhome and condo market. Comprehending these dynamics is crucial for making informed decisions. Regional Variations in Market Activity Regional variations in market activity reveal significant differences in how real estate performs across Texas. Comprehending these differences can help you navigate the market effectively. Here are some key points to reflect on: Dallas-Fort Worth is the hottest market with 19,668 closed sales. Houston saw a 1.4% increase in median prices, whereas Austin experienced a 2.1% decline. Inventory levels increased from 4.2 to 5.4 months, indicating varying supply and demand dynamics. In this context, knowing the “sell to close” meaning helps you grasp how these regional trends impact pricing and competition. As inventory rises and prices fluctuate, adapting your strategy based on your location becomes essential for success in Texas real estate. Seasonal Trends Affecting Sales Dynamics Comprehending seasonal buyer demand patterns is essential for maneuvering real estate markets effectively. April through June stands out as the ideal selling period, with significant price increases and high sales volumes. Whereas the off-peak months of December and January pose challenges because of low buyer interest. Recognizing these trends can help you strategize your buying or selling decisions throughout the year. Seasonal Buyer Demand Patterns Seasonal buyer demand patterns play a crucial role in shaping the real estate market, influencing when people choose to buy and sell homes. Comprehending these trends can help you navigate the market effectively. Peak buying season typically runs from April through June, with sales averaging 16,530 homes per day. Home prices rise considerably during these months, with a 16% increase in June compared to winter. Activity slows from July to September, averaging 16,200 homes sold daily, and continues to decline in fall and winter, where sales drop to 13,810 per day and days on market extend to 49. Optimal Selling Months When you’re considering selling your home, timing’s everything, and certain months stand out as more advantageous than others. The ideal selling months typically range from April to June, when buyer demand peaks and home prices can rise by 16% compared to winter months. In fact, May and June are especially profitable; homes often sell for more than the listing price, with bidding wars common because of heightened competition. Even though the summer months continue to offer good selling conditions, the number of homes sold per day starts to decline. Conversely, December and January are the least favorable months, with low buyer activity leading to extended market times and lower selling prices. Plan accordingly to maximize your selling potential. Off-Peak Market Challenges During the peak selling months, robust buyer activity and competitive pricing prevail. Nevertheless, the off-peak market from December to February presents distinct challenges for home sellers. You may notice: Lower buyer demand, with only about 11,380 existing homes sold per day. Extended median days on the market, which can reach up to 49 days. Homes often sell for less than the listing price because of holiday distractions. These conditions make it harder to sell to close put option effectively. Yet, off-peak periods can likewise offer unique opportunities for negotiations, as fewer buyers mean less competition. If you’re motivated, you might find better deals, but be prepared for the realities of a slower market. Buyer Preferences and Shifts in Demand As the real estate market evolves, you’ll notice significant shifts in buyer preferences and demand that are reshaping the terrain. Recently, demand for townhomes and condos has weakened, with prices dropping by 4.6% year-over-year and listings surging by 42.0%. This indicates a clear shift in buyer preferences in the direction of different property types. Additionally, the average days on the market for homes in Texas has risen to 72, suggesting buyers are taking more time to decide, reflecting changing market dynamics. Notably, during the median home price rose only 0.3%, highrise units saw flat sales, further emphasizing divergent buyer interests. With increasing inventory, buyers now have more leverage in negotiations, influencing their purchasing choices. Predictions for Future Market Conditions As you look ahead to the future market conditions, expect to see stable home prices and greater flexibility for buyers. With mortgage rates projected to hover around 6.7% to 6.8% throughout 2025, you’ll find it easier to make informed decisions without the pressure of rising costs. Furthermore, increased inventory levels mean you’ll have more options and time as you navigate your home-buying experience. Stable Price Projections Though many markets have experienced volatility in recent years, predictions for Texas home prices indicate a period of stability through 2025. Experts foresee stable price projections, with home prices expected to rise only 1-3% nationally. Key factors influencing this stability include: A 5.89% mortgage rate for 15-year fixed loans, which encourages home sales. An increased inventory reaching 4.8 months of supply, allowing buyers more time to decide. A median home price increase of only 0.3% year-over-year, showing slower growth compared to previous spikes. This calming market environment suggests that buyers can approach their purchases with confidence, as a significant market crash isn’t anticipated. Buyer Flexibility Trends In light of the recent trends in the housing market, buyers are finding themselves in a more advantageous position as we move through 2025. With inventory reaching 5.4 months of supply, you’ll notice greater buyer flexibility trends compared to previous years. The median home price has stabilized, increasing just 0.2% to $347,000, allowing you to make more informed purchasing decisions. Furthermore, declining mortgage rates from 6.9% to 6.7% improve affordability, boosting your buying capacity. Experts anticipate continued stability in home prices and more options for buyers throughout the year. The demand shift in the direction of townhomes and condos, with prices falling 4.6%, further increases choices, making it an opportune time to explore new possibilities. Strategies for Navigating Current Market Trends Steering through the current market trends requires a strategic approach, especially with the notable shifts in inventory and pricing. To effectively navigate this terrain, consider these strategies: Leverage Negotiating Influence: With increased inventory, you can negotiate better terms when you sell to close on your dream home. Monitor Mortgage Rates: Keep an eye on fluctuating fixed mortgage rates; a slight decrease can markedly affect your purchasing influence. Explore Diverse Options: With declining prices in townhomes and condos, you might find better deals in these segments, offering potential savings. Frequently Asked Questions How to Find Real Estate Market Trends? To find real estate market trends, start by analyzing sales data, including the number of homes sold in your area. Monitor inventory levels and median home prices to gauge supply and demand. Review listing statistics to assess market saturation. Furthermore, keep an eye on mortgage rates, as they can influence buyer behavior. What Is the Hardest Month to Sell a House? The hardest month to sell a house is typically January. This month experiences low buyer demand as a result of holiday distractions and colder weather, causing homes to remain on the market longer—averaging 57 days. With fewer buyers, sellers often accept lower prices than expected. The reduced competition makes it challenging to attract interest, leading to extended wait times and decreased profitability. If you’re considering selling, it’s wise to plan for these seasonal trends. Are Wisconsin Home Prices Dropping? Yes, home prices in Wisconsin are dropping. Recent data shows a 4.6% decrease year-over-year for townhomes and condos, as buyer preferences shift in the direction of single-family homes. Increased inventory means more options for buyers, adding downward pressure on prices. Homes are now averaging around 72 days on the market, indicating they’re taking longer to sell. Economic factors like fluctuating mortgage rates and high living costs likewise contribute to this market slowdown. Are Idaho Home Prices Dropping? Yes, Idaho home prices are dropping, with a year-over-year decline of about 2.1% as of mid-2025. The median home price now stands at $400,000, still above the national average but reflecting a slowdown in growth. Increased inventory and rising mortgage rates are creating a more favorable environment for buyers, contributing to longer days on market for homes. These factors indicate a cooling market, affecting overall homebuyer behavior and prices. Conclusion In conclusion, the current real estate market offers both challenges and opportunities for buyers. With a 3.0% increase in home sales and record-high inventory levels, you have greater negotiating influence. Even though median prices remain stable, the impact of mortgage rates at 6.8% suggests careful consideration is needed. By comprehending these market trends and adapting your strategies, you can effectively navigate this environment and make informed decisions that align with your home-buying goals. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Properties That Sold Close – Market Trends You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

With its goofy block lettering and bright colors, the MetroCard feels like a relic, which it sort of is—an early 1990s design, complete with gradients and drop shadows, that’s managed to stick around long enough to become one of New York’s defining symbols. At a time when generic minimalism and the sheen of AI-generated graphics have taken over, its unmistakable graphics feel refreshing. And the fact that a 31-year-old fare payment system is still in circulation when most tech today becomes obsolete in a matter of months is a remarkable achievement. But the end is near: on December 31st, the MTA will stop selling MetroCards and completely phase them out on an imminent date that the agency has yet to announce. Loving tributes have already begun as the city pays its respects to the slim piece of plastic that kept commuters moving for three decades. “It’s not as iconic as the token, but maybe in the future it will be,” says Jodi Shapiro, curator of the New York City Transit Museum, which on December 17 opened “FAREwell, Metrocard,” a new exhibition on the card’s history. While it might be New York City Transit’s second-most famous fare payment system, it has had a tremendous effect on the metropolis’s culture, how people get around, and what good municipal design ought to accomplish. It all began with a big ask: getting New Yorkers to change their habits. Peter Stangl A generational shift For 40 years before the MetroCard, New Yorkers paid for the subway using tokens. Dropping it into a turnstile wasn’t much different than paying with coins. The MetroCard was a technical leap that changed how riders experienced the public transit system. “At the time of its introduction, not many people used swipe cards,” Shapiro explains. “If you were familiar with them, you probably worked some kind of job where there was a security measure.” The idea to replace tokens percolated in the late 1970s, when city council member Carol Bellamy proposed the idea. But it took until the 1980s for the MTA to take fare cards seriously. Richard Ravitch, the chairman at the time, wanted to update the system and keep it on par with Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Paris, which already adopted magnetic strip cards. He argued that it would encourage off-peak ridership, curb fare evasion, and allow the sale of monthly passes. “’Passes will encourage mobility,” Ravitch said, and “enhanced mobility will increase commercial activity in this region.” The MTA launched the MetroCard in January 1994 and existed side-by-side with tokens for nearly a decade. With the change to a fare card also came a change to the turnstiles. To riders, the subway’s built environment doesn’t change all that much, but when it does, it’s big—the Vignelli/Noorda signage, demolishing the El lines, the fare evasion spikes and fins. The MetroCard was responsible for a major physical shift: electrified turnstiles, which were required to power the magnetic strip readers, and with them electrified emergency exit gates that can be remotely opened by booth clerks. The ’90s are calling Now back to the MetroCard itself. With a blue gradient background, MetroCard spelled out in golden block letters that ascend in angle and descend in size from the bottom right to top left corner, the card is 1990s to the core. The decade was a highly experimental time for graphic designers because of the freedom desktop publishing, a relatively new tool at the time, gave them. With typography in particular, designers obliterated the rules. They set type on curves, stretched and warped letterforms, and layered text. Cubic Transportation Systems designed the magnetic strip and the turnstile readers, but the exact designers of the graphics are unknown. The most Shapiro has been able to concretely find is that a group of people within the MTA was responsible for the visual direction. Compared to the disciplined Helvetica wayfinding signage throughout the system, the MetroCard was pure pop, especially after the MetroCard Gold replaced the original in 1997. What is MetroCard? “It wasn’t just a cosmetic change,” Shapiro says. “It indicated visually that the magnetic strip was functionally different.” Magnetic strip technology improved in the first few years after the original card debuted and more information could be encoded onto it. The new cards enabled free transfers between buses and the subway and also let the MTA sell 7-day and 30-day unlimited passes. (The new magnetic strips also gave rise to green and white student passes and gold and white reduced-fare cards for seniors and people with disabilities.) For this iteration of the MetroCard, the agency reversed the colors—blue lettering on a gold gradient background—and added a drop shadow to the text. The MTA logo in the top corner switched to gold, too, giving the image a faint resemblance to a sunset. The MetroCard’s graphics were friendly and, like the genius of the Antenna-designed MetroCard machine, taught riders how to use it. (There was even a plan to have an affable MetroCard mascot named the Cardvaark to boost early adoption.) You can only swipe it in one direction and so the text orientation indicates which side should go up and the slanted lettering mimics the swiping motion. That clipped top-right corner? It’s an accessibility cue to let riders with low vision know how to orient the card through the reader. Human-centered design About that swipe: It’s a motion that requires just the right speed: not too fast, not too slow, just brisk enough much to the annoyance and exasperation of tourists as well as daily riders who don’t want to look like newbies. (The exact speed should be between 10 and 40 inches per second.) “The cool thing about the MetroCard is the swipe mechanism is human powered,” Shapiro says. SubTalk: Refill your MetroCard Relying on the manual labor of riders had ripple effects, like traffic jams at turnstiles, but on the whole it’s a lot simpler than the alternative: a conventional magnetic ticket reader, which mechanically draws a card in, reads it, and spits it out. The machine could jam at any of those three steps, which is risky given the volume of straphangers in New York. Over 4.6 million people ride the subway each day, which means that a single turnstile can clock thousands of swipes a day; in 2011 the busiest turnstile saw over a million riders pass through. “How many points of failure do you really want to have with a system that has that amount of transactions?” Shapiro says. “And the answer is you want to have as few points of failure as possible. When you have a human-powered card reader, that’s only really one point of failure.” In the calculus of subway math, lost time and expense of fixing a jam is worth a lot more than personal embarrassment. (Just ask Hillary Clinton and George Pataki.) From to fare passes to holy grails While the MetroCard’s front gave it its identity and functionality, its back turned it into a collector’s item. This was by design from the beginning, too. The graphics enticed people to buy and use them and offered an advertising opportunity. The MTA described them as “walking billboards.” MetroCards are printed using flexography and CMYK color, a process that results in crisp, vivid imagery and a high level of customization. “Since tokens were a big souvenir for people’s trips to New York, then why wouldn’t the Metro Card be one?” Shapiro says. The MTA launched the MetroCard with four collectible fixed value cards—$1.25 (a single-ride fare at the time), $5, $10, and $20. Each denomination featured a different scenic view of New York on the back: Grand Central Terminal, the World Financial Center, Times Square, and the skyline. Through the years, the MTA issued many more special-edition MetroCard that celebrated the city and its culture, over 400 in all. The Transit Museum has “several thousand” MetroCards in its collection and just a fraction of them are in the exhibition. They’re grouped thematically based on recurring motifs including sports teams, musicians, artists, PSAs and safety ads, commemorative moments, and transit facts. “There was definitely some fun being had,” Shapiro says. The first five years alone featured the New York Rangers winning the Stanley Cup, an illustration of subway riders by the Brooklyn-born artist James Rizzi, and an ad for Gang Starr’s album Moment of Truth—the first time rap artists appeared on the card. “Gang Starr is great,” Shapiro says, “but one of their members is from Boston so I can’t forgive that.” In 2012, the MTA changed the MetroCard rules to allow special graphics on the front amid a wider expansion of advertising in the system. (Before then, the MTA issued a MetroCard with a green logo in honor of climate week.) The Brooklyn Museum took advantage of this to publicize its David Bowie exhibition in 2018 as did Instagram with its content creators campaign from 2024, the very last limited-edition MetroCards printed. The MTA’s collector’s item strategy worked. After the Supreme card launched to hordes of Hypebeasts rushing to vending machines (the NYPD had to barricade the lines and limit buyers to two cards apiece), resellers listed the limited-edition MetroCards for upwards of $1,000 (you can find them on the secondary market in the double digit range now). And some holdouts are still hoping their Biggie cards will fetch $5,000. But the rarest, according to Shapiro, is actually a special prepaid New York Times MetroCard mailed to newspaper subscribers in 1994. “You couldn’t buy it from a booth or anything like that,” she says. One is listed on eBay for $950. “It’s interesting to see something that is such a fundamental part of every New Yorker’s commute becomes some kind of grail on the secondary market,” Shapiro says. “It’s odd.” While Shapiro doesn’t personally collect MetroCards, she has held onto a select few, including Barbara Kruger’s designs released for the 2017 edition of Performa, the James Rizzi illustrations, and ads from defunct businesses like Kozmo and Urban Fetch. Compared to the MTA’s annual operating budget, around $20 billion, the revenue it earned from MetroCard campaigns is anemic. From 2012 to 2018, the MTA averaged about $600,000 a year in ad revenue. It rose to $1 million in 2019 then dropped to zero during 2020 on account of the pandemic, then ticked up to $166,000 per year between 2021 and 2023. In 2024, promos earned $641,000. Cultural touchstones More than being trophies for transit nerds, the MetroCard simply became part of the fabric of the city—literally. Ana Ratner, the editor of The Other Almanac and a lifelong New Yorker, recalls how she and her friends used to gather spent cards (broken boxes where riders discarded spent cards were jackpots) and make clothes out of them. “I wasn’t that good at it, so I did square things like wallets and tote bags, but then friends of mine could make dresses and those are really cool,” Ratner says. “You would punch holes in different parts of the MetroCard, link them with metal loops or wire or string, and then you’d have the chain tunic dress.” Teen Vogue even featured one of her friends with a MetroCard-wrapped desk in its Last Look column. “She was extremely crafty,” Ratner adds. Juan Carlos Pinto, an artist based in Brooklyn, has been making collages out of MetroCards since 2002, using the ads on the back to bring color to his mostly blue, gold, and yellow compositions. “Of course I will miss the card,” he says. “It became my bread and butter. But the switch to other forms of payment is unavoidable. Change is good.” Numerous other artists have used the card as material, too. The Transit Museum’s next MetroCard show, opening in March, will chronicle it as an artistic medium. On the conceptual side, Shawn Lawrence James, aka The Blue Hundreds, a 40-year-old artist born and raised in Bed-Stuy, wrote a song in 2015 about the MetroCard that was featured in an exhibition at MoMA PS1. In it, he describes a glitch within two-trip tickets (bending the card just right lets riders swipe in for free, a trick he learned 20 years ago) against a backdrop of rising transit costs and increased policing of fare beaters. He saw the song as a way to help people save money, stay out of trouble, and offer “access on your own terms,” James says. “The song was kind of like a protest.” As the MTA phases out the MetroCard this graphic ephemera and the culture around it will slowly fade away. When tap-to-pay through OMNY fully takes over, many riders will never need a dedicated physical object to ride New York City transit, a first in over 160 years. “Since transportation started in New York City in the 1860s, you’ve always either had to have a ticket or a token,” Shapiro says, noting that tokens existed and were in use before the subway opened. “It’s going to be weird to not have everyone using something tangible.” With the MetroCard’s retirement comes another casualty of dematerialization (remember ticket stubs, loyalty cards, and handwritten correspondence?) and another retreat into the digital wallets trapped in our phone screens. As the MetroCard exits daily circulation, we also lose the collective experience it embodied. On any given day, thousands—maybe even millions—of New Yorkers carried the same exact object, with the same messages printed on them. The MetroCard is a link to a specific place and time: a PSA about the dangers of subway surfing, a fact about the most checked-out book in the NYPL system (that would be The Snowy Day by Jack Keats), or a simple poem. When the MTA released the Biggie cards, in honor of what would have been his 50th birthday, fans lined up for hours for the chance to buy one. “Who’s not going to want this, being born and raised in Brooklyn?” a woman from Brighton Beach told the New York Post. Presumably, the MTA could offer limited-edition OMNY cards, but since their expiration date, usually five years after issuance, is longer than the MetroCard and its cost, $5 each, is also higher, there’s less incentive to switch up the graphics. A spokesperson from the MTA says that “moving to a contactless payment unlocks potential for new customer-friendly promotions and fare discounts” and mentioned a Barilla activation that turned pasta boxes with an OMNY decal stuck on them into a one-way ticket. Has anyone collected these? I, for one, haven’t swiped my MetroCard in nearly a year (it expired on January 31, 2025) since contactless payments are so much more convenient, but the scuffed up card with a PSA about not going on the tracks for any reason remains in my wallet, and likely will for quite sometime as a tribute to the legendary object. [a] View the full article

Over the past five years, the remote work revolution has changed life as we know it for corporate folks like myself. And while I’m on the record singing the praises of working from home, I’d like to set the record straight: It’s not without its faults. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed my weekday afternoon naps and time away from co-workers. But I’ve also come to realize that before the pandemic, we were putting a little bit too much gas on working from home. Is WFH convenient? You bet your ass it is. Waking up and not having to get out of bed — or get in the shower or get dressed because I’m taking all my meetings with the camera off — is a lifestyle I’ve come to appreciate. But what has actually depreciated is my personal satisfaction with my apartment, my building, and my neighbors. I’m not the only person dreading the stricter return-to-office policies companies like Paramount and Microsoft are mandating for the new year, but there are some aspects of working from home that I certainly won’t miss. Let’s start with my own pad, a modest one-bedroom with a nice view. It’s one of those places that often garner compliments from first-time guests after they return from the bathroom. You know what I’m talking about. They walk out, still drying their hands with a paper towel, look around, and say, “Wow, you’ve got a nice place here.” I’ve always appreciated that, because I felt the same way. But when I began working from home, I started to realize that what I had is not enough. Specifically, I need a building that can help a brother out when it comes to maintenance. I may not live in The PJs, but our super, Randy, has the apathy of Thurgood Stubbs. Which I wouldn’t care about if it didn’t infringe on my own work performance. Dude almost never comes to the building, and when he does, he tries to get everything done in one day. It’s inefficient as hell. While I’ve successfully plunged a toilet back in my day, I’m no Black Tim “The Toolman” Taylor, which usually leaves me at Randy’s mercy when things go haywire at home. On one occassion, my kitchen sink randomly started leaking. And while Randy promised to come take a look as soon as possible, I knew that could take days. So I rolled up my sleeves and aimlessly poked around under the sink, losing track of time and logging in a few minutes late for a Zoom meeting as a result. Ugh. (Speaking of video conferences, due to my apartment’s ancient infrastructure, we’re apparently not equipped to receive Fios service, which means our internet connectivity is more than seldom subpar. With the number of times I’ve been told I’m frozen on calls, you’d think I lived in Antarctica. Burr!) There are other obstacles that WFH has presented. Since my name is the first in my building’s intercom directory, I’m the default buzzer for delivery workers who are too lazy to find the appropriate resident receiving a package or food order. All due respect to delivery persons, but with an average of damn near four rings a day — for deliveries that are rarely my own — I just want to tell them to buzz off. Last but not least, my neighbors have replaced my former officemates as daily distractions of choice. An opera singer lives in the apartment directly below mine, which means her practice sessions can sound less like music and more like cries for help. There’s just so much drama in whatever she’s singing that on several occasions, while I’ve been speaking in a meeting, I’ve been concerned that my co-workers think a murder or violent sex is happening somewhere in my background. There are other offenders: the neighbor with a dog whose barks are so loud that you’d think it was living in my unit; the grunting fitness buff who racked up on free weights last year and slams them on the floor during workouts like he’s at the damn gym; the new parents across the hall whose bundle of joy gets to crying for hours at a time at approximately 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily. The list of grievances can go on, but honestly, I’m sure lots of folks have their own issues, whether tending to their own households during work hours or simply being thirsty for a change of scenery. My solution to the WFH woes has been to get an escape by popping out to a cafe for a few hours a couple of times a week. Because let’s be real — the true value in remote work isn’t necessarily the fact that it’s happening from your own residence; it’s that it’s not happening at the office. View the full article

Rather than unleashing a new multi-polar era, US retreat has left states scrapping for advantage in an ill-defined orderView the full article

It’s been a pretty wild year in the world of advertising and brand work. Amid broader industry shifts, there has been some incredible brand work created this year across many different platforms, film, experiences, and more. But as we bring 2025 to a close, I wanted to take a more targeted look at some of the best commercials of this year. I’ve tried to adhere to criteria that includes level of difficulty, creative inventiveness, risk, and sheer entertainment. Despite how much great work is out there, sadly, most advertising can be generously categorized as cultural wallpaper. But these select few pieces of brand weren’t a waste of time—they made me laugh, think, and, yes, crave a fast-casual margarita. Let’s dive in, shall we? Best Social Commentary Commercial for a Meat Australian Lamb “The Comments Section” What is it about Australian Lamb? And I’m not even talking about the meat. The Aussie meat producer marketer is making a habit of crafting hilarious social commentary while hyping the taste and quality of its young sheep. This year, it holds a mirror up to online culture and the absurdity of how people act in the comments compared to IRL. The results are simply delicious. Best Self-Aware AI Commercial That Absolutely No one Should Copy But Many Will Kalshi “The World’s Gone Mad” If you were watching the NBA playoffs when this ad aired, you’d be excused if you thought someone snuck some ‘shrooms in your beer glass. Unhinged doesn’t even begin to describe how the prediction market platform Kalshi went about introducing itself to the broader American public. Hilarious, wild, and an absolute AI-generated nightmare, the spot immediately grabbed attention, but also burned the bridge of shock-and-awe AI ads behind it. Any other spot that tries to use this approach will just be a copycat—see: McDonald’s now-pulled European holiday spot. I’m definitely not a fan of AI slop advertising, but here Kalshi sets the bar for AI as a creative ad gimmick. Bonus points here for the equally funny behind-the-scenes spot that quickly followed online. Best Reinterpretation of a Classic Tagline Nike “Why Do It?” When Walt Stack ran across the Golden Gate Bridge in Nike’s first commercial, “Just Do It” became the tagline and philosophy that propelled the swoosh to become an iconic global brand. Now almost 40 years later, Nike needed to remind a new generation what “Just Do It” actually means. Launched in September, the brand’s campaign was called “Why do it?”, and it took aim at the pervasiveness of cringe culture, which often frames earnest effort as uncool. “Those three words mean so much to us, but we can’t just be holier-than-thou about it,” Nike chief marketing officer Nicole Graham told me at the time. “We have to make sure that those three words are resonating with each generation.” Narrated by Tyler, the Creator, and starring a laundry list of star athletes, this was a stylish way to bridge the brand’s heritage as an iconic advertiser, with a modern message that shouldn’t get old. Best Blockbuster Video Game Commercial Battlefield 6 “Live Action Trailer” Created with agency Mother LA, the video game giant appears to be bringing Battlefield 6 squads to life with the help of Zac Efron, NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, chart topper Morgan Wallen, and MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett. It harkens back to the days when Call of Duty enlisted Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel (2010), or Jonah Hill and Avatar’s Sam Worthington (2012) to hype its new releases. Except the celebs in this spot only last for about three seconds. Set to Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” it quickly becomes clear that the game doesn’t need to rely on the celebrity of Efron, Butler, Wallen, and Pimblett, but its strength is actually in the community of everyday players that make it what it is. A clever play on a classic gaming trope to help launch a blockbuster. Best Meta Movie Marketing Award A24 “Marty Supreme zoom call” It’s 18 minutes long. Here we get Chalamet—sporting a bright yellow tank top, buzz cut, and dainty necklace—joining a Zoom call full of supposed studio marketing execs leading the prom campaign ahead of the film’s December 25th release. The star actor then gradually unloads an increasingly ridiculous list of ideas to market the film. As my colleague Grace Snelling wrote, it may be his best role yet. Absolute genius. Meta advertising in entertainment used to be the lone realm of Mr. Ryan Reynolds. Here, by lampooning entertainment marketing in a way that doesn’t give anything away about Marty Supreme, while still building curiosity and hype, A24 and Chalamet raise the bar. Best Brand Apology Award Ram Trucks “This is our Ram-demption” It can be surprisingly difficult for brands to admit they’ve made a mistake. It’s even harder to get them to actually apologize for it. Back in June, Ram Trucks did both shockingly well. In 2024, parent company Stellantis announced it would discontinue the automaker’s popular Hemi V-8 engine for its Ram 1500 full-size pickup truck beginning this summer, and fans were upset—to say the least. Sales dropped 18%. Created with the ad agency Argonaut, the apology spot was shot entirely with practical effects, and featured CEO Tim Kuniskis behind the wheel of the truck, doing doughnuts, drifting, and taking a few hot laps on a NASCAR track. Here he says, “We own it. We got it wrong. And we’re fixing it.” It’s a simple, textbook brand apology, creatively combined with the kind of pep talk aimed to get brand fans hyped for what’s next. New Sports Tradition We Didn’t Know We Needed Award Oscar Mayer “Wienie500” Part commercial, part sports event, this year Oscar Mayer redefined what was possible when you make a car in the shape of a hotdog. First created in 1936 as a promotional vehicle for the brand, the Wienermobile has seemingly always been part of the hotdog brand’s heritage. So the brand asked itself a simple question, why not race them? The Wienie500 raced five of the brand’s famed Wienermobiles against each other at the Indianapolis 500 in May. It streamed live on the Fox Sports app, getting 150 million total views; media coverage and social media attracted nearly seven billion earned impressions, and Oscar Mayer saw its biggest Memorial Day sales lift in years. Best New Country Song to Sell Margs Chili’s “Ride the ‘Dente” Word on the street is that Chili’s sells more margaritas than any other U.S. restaurant chain. In 2024, it sold more than 25 million margs. So when the brand was looking to connect with a NASCAR audience, it combined country music, margaritas, and some good ol’ fashioned hilarious copywriting to create an epic music video featuring its signature marg, the Presidente. The tune is catchy and the lyrics are remarkably transparent: Chili’s wanted to reintroduce the Presidente Margarita to a NASCAR audience But that was pretty complex, so we came up with a catchy line And it ends with, “I’m singing ‘bout Chili’s y’all.” It’s a lifestyle choice. Most Creative Use of a Billboard Steph Curry “Shot Ready” To promote the Golden State Warriors’ star’s new book Shot Ready, Curry and his publisher Random House enlisted agency Known to create what may go down as a pantheon billboard. Timed with three days of a November supermoon, the billboard makes it look like Curry is actually shooting the actual moon, as it crests over the Los Angeles skyline, in a perfect arc. So much of our world—and especially advertising—is digital, that billboards have become a welcome analog canvas for creativity. Bonus: They are still able to spread globally thanks to our social feeds. This joins BBC’s 2020 remake of Dracula, and the original Deadpool ‘s emoji as one of the most creative billboards in recent memory. Best Commercial That’s Also a Feature Doc That’s Also A Commercial WhatsApp “The Seat” Okay, okay, I’m cheating here a bit, I know. Brand entertainment is not technically a commercial. But WhatsApp is so embedded in this entire story that I can’t really help but make an exception. Back in May, Netflix debuted a new doc that chronicled Mercedes search for its new F1 driver after Lewis Hamilton announced he would be leaving for Ferrari. The one-hour doc was directed by Kyle Thrash, and produced by RadicalMedia, but it can also be considered an elaborate WhatsApp commercial. The Meta-owned app is a producer, and created the whole project with its content partner Modern Arts. With a budget similar to a 60-second ad,The Seat is the ultimate example of non-interruptive advertising that people actually want to watch. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Backbone Pro mobile gaming controller is currently down to $134.99 from $169.99, its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. That drop helps justify its somewhat in-between status—it’s more expensive than basic clamp-on controllers but still cheaper than buying both a dedicated phone grip and a standalone Bluetooth gamepad. BACKBONE Pro Mobile Gaming Controller $134.99 at Amazon $169.99 Save $35.00 Get Deal Get Deal $134.99 at Amazon $169.99 Save $35.00 The appeal here is flexibility. The Backbone Pro snaps directly onto your phone through USB-C, but it can also work wirelessly over Bluetooth with a PC, tablet, or TV. That means one controller can live in your bag and handle quick mobile sessions, cloud gaming on a laptop, or couch gaming on a bigger screen without extra mounts or adapters. PCMag rated it “excellent,” which tracks with how polished it feels, though it’s not without trade-offs. In hand, the Backbone Pro feels noticeably better than the original Backbone One. The rounded grips and full-size analog sticks make longer sessions easier, especially for shooters or racing games where precision matters. The sticks are the same size as an Xbox controller’s and track movement reliably. Buttons are smaller than a full-size gamepad but clicky and well-spaced, which helps avoid accidental presses. Triggers are responsive, though their shorter pull takes some adjustment in games that rely on fine throttle control. That said, the controller lacks haptic motors, so there is no rumble feedback, which makes it feel a bit hollow compared to traditional console controllers. It is still solid and well-built, just not as weighty or immersive as something like a full-size gamepad. Where things get more complicated is the software. Plugging the Backbone Pro into a USB-C phone is simple, and it works with most Android phones and iPhone 15 and newer models, even large devices like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Wired mode gives you access to the Backbone app, where you can update firmware, remap buttons, and use the screenshot capture button. Many of the more appealing features, though, are locked behind the Backbone+ subscription, which costs $39.99 per year. That includes game launching, video capture, 1080p recording, Twitch streaming, or retro emulation for iPhone users. That’s a bit of a letdown considering the already steep price tag. Still, you’re getting a compact and dual-purpose controller that can travel with you, hook onto your phone, or connect wirelessly to just about anything that supports XInput. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $139.99 (List Price $219.99) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 3-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $74.99 (List Price $189.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Meta Quest 3 512GB Mixed Reality VR Headset with Controllers — $499.00 (List Price $499.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

You’re staring at an incident that looks familiar. The symptoms match something you saw three months ago: authentication failures cascading through the mobile app, then the web portal, then the partner integrations. You remember the pain of that incident clearly. What you can’t remember is whether you actually fixed the underlying problem or just patched the symptoms. You pull up the previous incident ticket. It shows the resolution: “Updated connection pool settings in the auth service.” But you’re looking at a Jira ticket, and the actual authentication service lives in a different team’s Azure DevOps backlog. The monitoring alerts came through PagerDuty. The customer complaints started in Zendesk. The infrastructure changes were tracked in ServiceNow. You’ve got fragments of a story scattered across five systems, and no clear line of sight from symptom to root cause. This is the gap where institutional knowledge goes to die. You can investigate all day long, but when the trail crosses a system boundary, you’re effectively starting over. That’s where root cause analysis (RCA) comes in. Why RCA fails when incident data lives in multiple systems The standard advice about pattern recognition in incident management assumes you have one place where incidents live. Check for similar symptoms, review the resolution notes, look at your historical data. Straightforward enough when your infrastructure team, your application teams, and your support organization all work in the same tool. Most operations don’t look like that. Your infrastructure incidents live in ServiceNow because that’s what the enterprise standardized on. Your development teams track their work in Jira or Azure DevOps because that’s what fits their workflow. Your support team uses Zendesk because that’s what customer-facing teams need. Each system has its own incident history, its own resolution patterns, its own tribal knowledge locked in comments and updates. When you’re investigating an incident, you’re trying to figure out if you’ve fought this battle before. Did someone already discover that when the cache invalidation timing shifts, it triggers authentication retries that overwhelm the connection pool? Maybe. But if they documented that discovery in a different ticketing system, you’re starting from scratch. Three engineers independently discover the same root cause across three separate incidents because nobody can see the pattern. The Jira ticket describes the application behavior. The ServiceNow incident captures the infrastructure response. The Azure DevOps work item documents the code fix. Individually, each looks like a discrete problem. Together, they’d tell you this is a systemic issue needing architectural attention. Root cause analysis also demands validating your hypothesis against evidence from multiple sources. When you think you’ve identified a root cause, you need corroboration: timestamps that line up, multiple independent observers seeing related symptoms, infrastructure changes that correspond to when problems started appearing. You suspect a deployment triggered the authentication cascade. You need to correlate the deployment timestamp from Azure DevOps with when errors started appearing in your monitoring system, when customer complaints hit Zendesk, and when your infrastructure team got alerted through ServiceNow. Each system stamps its events with its own clock, in its own timezone, using its own categorization scheme. Getting them to line up requires manual detective work: opening six browser tabs, exporting data to spreadsheets, building your own correlation timeline in a document that immediately goes stale. Without cross-system visibility, you can’t validate your hypothesis with confidence. You end up with plausible theories that feel right but lack hard evidence, or you chase red herrings because you can’t see the fuller picture. This is why so many root cause analyses end with “monitoring showed X, we fixed X, incident resolved.” That might be accurate. Or you might have fixed a symptom while the root cause waits to resurface under slightly different conditions next month. The timeline reconstruction problem nobody talks about The most basic requirement for effective RCA is knowing what happened when. Not what one system saw, but what actually occurred across your entire stack. In ServiceNow, you’ve got a major incident ticket opened at 14:23. In Zendesk, customer complaints started arriving at 14:15. In Azure DevOps, a deployment completed at 14:08. In PagerDuty, the first alert fired at 14:20. Already you have useful information: the customer impact preceded your monitoring detection by five minutes, and both followed a deployment by seven to twelve minutes. That correlation matters. But those timestamps only tell you part of the story. You need the context inside each system. The Zendesk tickets describe specific user workflows that failed. The PagerDuty alert shows which services were affected. The Azure DevOps deployment notes mention which configuration changed. The ServiceNow incident captures which teams were engaged and what actions they took. When you’re actively fighting an incident, you don’t have time to build this integrated view. You’re troubleshooting in whatever system is most relevant to your role, coordinating through war room calls, and sharing updates in Slack. The connective tissue between systems happens in people’s heads, not in their tools. It’s only during RCA that you need the complete picture. By then, the critical details have already dispersed across disconnected systems. Reconstructing the timeline means tracking down which engineer updated which ticket in which tool, which changes were documented where and which evidence exists in what system. Every cross-reference is a context switch, a search query, a manual correlation. The engineer is frantically opening six browser tabs, trying to line up timestamps across systems while the postmortem deadline approaches. This gets particularly brutal when you’re investigating something that happened weeks or months ago. The Slack channel is buried in history. The war room call wasn’t recorded. The engineer who had the key insight is on vacation. All you have are the tickets, scattered across tools that weren’t designed to form a coherent narrative together. Here’s what experienced problem managers know: the person who recognizes a pattern often isn’t the person who documented the previous incident. It’s someone who worked on a related problem in a different part of the stack, using a different tool, tracking their work in a different system. When an incident hits, your best asset isn’t your ticket history. It’s your network of people who’ve seen adjacent problems. Your infrastructure engineer who remembers that authentication issues correlate with database connection pool exhaustion. Your application developer who debugged a similar timeout pattern six months ago. Your support analyst who noticed this exact customer complaint pattern during the last major release. That knowledge exists in people’s heads because your systems don’t make it visible. The infrastructure engineer’s resolution is documented in ServiceNow. The developer’s fix is captured in Jira. The support analyst’s observation is buried in Zendesk ticket comments. None of them know the others exist until someone manually makes the connection. This is why major incidents often get resolved through hallway conversations and Slack threads rather than through formal RCA processes. Someone says “wait, I think I’ve seen this before” and drops a link to a ticket in a completely different system. Suddenly you’ve got context. The timeline makes sense. The pattern emerges. But that only works if the right people are in the room, if they remember the connection, if they happen to participate in that particular incident response. It’s fragile, personality-dependent, and it doesn’t scale. Why real-time workflow sync doesn’t solve retrospective learning The typical response to multi-system problems is workflow integration. Connect ServiceNow to Jira so that when a major incident is created, it automatically generates a development ticket. Link PagerDuty to Slack so alerts appear where your team already communicates. Build webhooks that push updates between systems when status changes. These integrations absolutely help during active incident response. They reduce manual coordination, keep teams aligned, and ensure important updates flow to the right places. If you’re integrating ServiceNow and Jira, you can track development work without forcing engineers to context-switch between tools. Real-time workflow synchronization matters when you’re trying to resolve an incident quickly. But workflow integrations optimize for forward motion: getting from incident detection to resolution faster. They don’t solve the retrospective problem. Looking back across multiple incidents to identify patterns, validate hypotheses, or learn whether you actually fixed the root cause or just papered over symptoms requires different infrastructure. A webhook that creates a Jira ticket from a ServiceNow incident doesn’t help you three months later when you’re trying to determine if the current authentication failures match a pattern from previous incidents. The tickets exist in both systems, linked by reference IDs. But when you’re doing RCA, you’re not following that one-to-one link. You’re searching for similar symptoms, looking across time ranges, trying to spot patterns that weren’t obvious during any individual incident. You need to query across systems: show me all ServiceNow incidents tagged with authentication failures in the last six months, along with any related Jira tickets, any Azure DevOps deployments that happened within two hours of incident start times, and any Zendesk tickets from customers reporting login problems. That query requires having the data synchronized across tools, not just systems that can push updates to each other during active incidents. What bidirectional synchronization enables for RCA What you actually need is persistent integration where the relationships between incidents, deployments, customer issues, and infrastructure changes remain visible over time. Not just real-time workflow handoffs, but stateful synchronization that maintains connections even as tickets evolve. When an engineer adds crucial context to a Jira ticket, that context syncs to the connected ServiceNow incident. When a customer files a follow-up Zendesk ticket about the same issue, it connects to the incident timeline. When a deployment in Azure DevOps correlates with incident timing, that relationship persists for future analysis. The sync preserves the incident lineage across system boundaries, so you can trace the full history of a problem regardless of which tools captured different parts of the story. The value shows up when you’re three months past an incident and trying to figure out if you’re seeing a pattern. Instead of reconstructing timelines manually from six different tools, you can look across the synchronized data: all incidents where authentication services degraded within four hours of a deployment, along with related customer complaints and infrastructure metrics. The answer comes from data that’s been continuously synchronized, not from emergency exports and manual correlation. This is particularly powerful for pattern recognition. When incident data lives fragmented across tools, you only see patterns within each system. Similar ServiceNow incidents look like discrete problems unless you can see that each one followed deployments tracked in Azure DevOps and triggered customer complaints documented in Zendesk. The pattern is only visible when you can look across all three sources simultaneously. Bidirectional synchronization also supports improved hypothesis validation. When you theorize that a configuration change caused cascading failures, you can validate that by correlating timestamps, affected systems, and customer impact across your tools. You’re not relying on manual timeline reconstruction or hoping an engineer remembers details from a previous incident. The evidence either supports your hypothesis or it doesn’t, because you can actually see the complete picture. For organizations serious about reducing repeat incidents, this kind of integration becomes necessary infrastructure. You can’t consistently improve what you can’t consistently measure. IT service management isn’t just about resolving individual incidents quickly. It’s about learning from them so you stop having the same incident repeatedly. That learning requires visibility across the ecosystem where incidents actually live. Unito maintains bidirectional synchronization across the ticketing and development tools your teams actually use. Not just during active incidents, but continuously, so your historical data remains connected when you need to do serious pattern analysis. The question isn’t whether you should consolidate onto a single platform. The question is whether you’ll keep fighting incidents with one hand tied behind your back, or whether you’ll build the cross-system visibility that makes effective root cause analysis possible. Ready to transform your ticket escalation workflow? Meet with a Unito product expert to see what a two-way integration can do for your workflow. Talk with sales View the full article