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Last month, after talking about bad corporate gifts, we also talked about corporate gifts you actually liked, and here are some of my favorites. Of course, even wildly popular gifts won’t be universally popular and this is not an attempt to claim they are. These are just gifts that happened to be enjoyed in these people’s offices that I found interesting to read about! 1. Choose your own desk plants Shortly after I started at one job, we got sent a link to an online garden shop and instructions for us each to pick 15 euros worth of potted plants we’d like to have at our desk. (This one is arguably more of an office perk, but I was allowed to take mine home with me when I quit.) For a few days, the office conversation was mainly about pros and cons of different decorative plant species, and I really loved how green the office was after they arrived. 2. Blanket hoodies I was the gift selector for a previous job and the biggest hit I ever managed was blanket hoodies. People went WILD for them and I got a lot of reports of family members “borrowing” theirs. People love being cozy! 3. Desk toolkit So random but I literally use all the time this little desk toolkit. It has an awl, a fine blade saw that’s like two inches long, both kinds of screw driver a little but heavyweight hammer, pliers, and a measuring tape. Office repainted and I need to rehang pictures? Hammer. Need to pop a keyboad key off so i can clean underneath it? Awl. Want to trim the end of a cable tie so it’s not sticking out? Mini saw. Online shopping during lunch and want to get see visually how big a 17 x 11 tote bag is? Measuring tape. I never would have thought to ask for something like this but it’s been so handy. 4. Local treats When I signed my offer letter for my current job, they sent me a welcome basket full of local treats. It was a very nice surprise and while I couldn’t eat all the treats (allergies), it made me feel very valued. 5. Funko Pop dolls Everyone on my team was gifted a Funko Pop doll of ourselves with customized accessories. It was a truly fun moment when we all opened our boxes. 6. Money for a meal My company is 100% remote. Every holiday season, our gift is a nice chunk of money for a holiday meal. We can spend it at the grocery store or a nice meal out. My husband and I have used it to enjoy a different “fancy” restaurant in town every year that we normally wouldn’t go to. I love it. 7. Yarn voucher My boss gives me $100 yarn vouchers for birthday and Christmas. A month before, I get an email “asking for store recommendations.” 8. Olive oil The last company I worked for was a Greek company and the owner also owned an olive grove in Greece. Every year all the employees would get a bottle of extra virgin olive oil! They would also give them out to big customers and it was always a hit. Before I left, I snuck an extra bottle for myself. 9. A custom mobile I worked at a public library when I had my son. The staff had a lot of crafters, so they made me a custom mobile with felted stars and moons. Each staff member chose their favorite children’s book and a quote. They printed them up as little mini books and added them to the mobile. I got a little teary eyed over that one — it was so thoughtful and sweet. 10. Matching dog hoodie Everyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with my dog. When I finished grad school, my office gave me a fancy hoodie with the name of my alma mater….with a matching one for my dog! My boss said, “Wow, that’s the happiest I’ve ever seen you–and I was at your wedding!” 11. Books I work in nonprofit publishing. Company gifting is rare. At the beginning of the pandemic, when the office had shut down and we were all working remotely, our director decided to repurpose some of the money that wouldn’t be spent on travel. She told us that we could each spend up to $100 on books at the independent bookstore of our choice. (Ordering online, obviously, as most bookstores were not open to the public.) All we had to do was send in the receipt and we’d get reimbursed. We loved it; it was a wonderfully supportive gesture for us and meaningful to the independent bookstores we cared about. I ordered five books from a bookstore in the town where my grandparents lived when I was a kid. 12. Personalized puzzle I worked at a small global tech company, and we usually had good gifts. My favorite was one year we got a puzzle that our amazing graphic designer had illustrated – it was a map of the world with each of us positioned on it reflecting something about us or our hobbies. I matted and framed it once it was finished. 13. An extra week of vacation They switched from super useless tokens for every five-year milestone to an extra week of vacation every five years. Best move ever. 14. Vanilla extract One of our higher-ups is a bourbon enthusiast and for the holidays gave each of us a glass bottle of homemade vanilla extract, using vanilla beans and his favorite bourbon. What’s great is that as you use it up, you can top off the bottle with extra bourbon, because the vanilla beans are still working their magic in the bottle. 15. A party replacement I’m not entirely sure how they swung this, but during the shelter in place order for Covid, my husband’s company put their holiday party money toward a gift mall. Employees could choose from a variety of gifts — Apple watches, Nintendo Switch, and Le Creuset pans were the ones I remember. I was honestly kind of bummed when they went back to in-person parties. 16. Personalized snack box As a reward for a huge project, we all got a set amount to spend on a site to make our own specialized snack box, which was then mailed to our homes. I really liked it because they had many options so there were no issues with food allergies, restrictions, or even just preferences. 17. Free trips I work for a travel company and have gotten free trips to Europe, Brazil, and New Zealand. 18. The very personalized gifts Picking agency gifts was handed over to department heads during the pandemic. We’re a community-services-based agency, and we couldn’t work remotely, so things were challenging. Other department heads got their staff members company-branded with windbreakers, polos, or other identical items. Our department head — who took the time to get to know us individually through brief chats, sitting with us in the lunchroom and similar interactions — got all 20 of us personal, individual gifts he found from small, local businesses. My coworker loves pens, so he bought him a very fancy fountain pen. Another is an avid reader, and he bought her a gift certificate to our local bookstore for “as many as she can carry out the door.” I love pottery and art. I was gifted pottery classes for whenever it was safe to gather again, and a gorgeous handmade coil vase that I still have today. He sent everything with handwritten personal cards, expressing how valuable we were to the community and the agency, and thanking us for the sacrifices we were making during the pandemic. Great boss, great guy. I still have the vase. I made him a very lopsided fruit bowl at one of my pottery classes. We laughed at it, and he proudly displays it on his desk. 10/10. No notes. The post fancy olive oil, matching dog hoodies, and other corporate gifts that actually worked appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Country music fans have something extra to be thankful for each November beyond turkey. Traditionally, the Country Music Association Awards—aka the CMA Awards—take place during the second-to-last month of the year. Wednesday, November 19, is the big day in 2025 for the 59th annual event. Let’s get you up to speed on everything you need to know about “country music’s biggest night” so you can confidently two-step your way through the evening. What’s the venue for the 2025 CMA Awards? The 59th CMA Awards will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Who’s hosting the 2025 CMA Awards? Lainey Wilson is back to emcee the awards. Last year, she shared the duties with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, but this year she is flying solo. Beyond presiding over the event, she is also nominated for multiple awards, including Entertainer of the Year. Who’s nominated for a 2025 CMA Award? Joining Wilson in the Entertainer of the Year category are fellow nominees Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen. Although Wilson is the only female in the top category, three women tied for the most nominations in 2025 with six each. Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Ella Langley all share that honor. Langley, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, and Stephen Wilson Jr. are all nominated for ​​New Artist of the Year. You can find a complete list of nominees on the association’s website. Who’s performing at the 2025 CMA Awards? Since Lainey Wilson is already in the neighborhood and hosting, she’s also going to grace the audience with her vocal talents. She’s not the only one. Kelsea Ballerini will perform her new song “I Sit in Parks” live for the first time. Meanwhile, Chris Stapleton is scheduled to perform twice. He will sing his cinematic song “Bad As I Used to Be” from the soundtrack of F1: The Movie and “A Song to Sing,” a duet with Miranda Lambert. Newly inducted Country Music Hall of Fame member Kenny Chesney will hoot and holler to celebrate the momentous occasion. Old Dominion is performing a medley of their greatest hits. Riley Green, the Red Clay Strays, Brandi Carlile, Patty Loveless, BigXthaPlug, Combs, Langley, Moroney, Shaboozey, Top, Wetmore, and Wilson Jr. are also scheduled to sing their hearts out. Who’s being honored at the 2025 CMA Awards? The 2025 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the “I Still Believe in You” singer and songwriter Vince Gill. Gill first broke out as the lead singer of the Pure Prairie League. He cemented his legacy in the 1990s as a solo act. He joined the Eagles in 2017 after the passing of Glenn Frey. How can I watch or stream the CMA Awards live? To see Gill and Wilson’s big night on a linear television, tune into the ABC broadcasting network at 8 p.m. ET. Traditional cable subscribers can watch it that way, and those with good reception and an over-the-air antenna can see it for free. The telecast will also be concurrently streamed for those with a subscription to Hulu+ Live TV. If that service is not in your streaming arsenal, consider FuboTV or Sling TV—just double-check that the streamer carries ABC in your region before committing to another monthly fee. Also, now that the ABC parent company has settled its carriage dispute with Google, you can watch the CMAs on YouTube TV. Additionally, if you find yourself busy on Wednesday night, never fear. The show will be available to watch the following day on Hulu. View the full article

Becoming a video creator involves several key steps that can lead to success in this competitive field. First, you need to identify your niche and comprehend your target audience, as this shapes your content. Next, investing in quality equipment is crucial for producing professional-looking videos. Moreover, you’ll want to develop a clear content strategy and promote your videos effectively to reach a wider audience. Grasping monetization strategies can further improve your path, but there’s more to explore. Key Takeaways Identify your niche by choosing a topic that aligns with your interests and resonates with a specific audience. Invest in essential equipment like a camera, microphone, and lighting to produce quality video content. Develop a content strategy by planning a consistent upload schedule and engaging with trending topics and audience feedback. Utilize SEO techniques to optimize video visibility and promote your content across multiple social media platforms. Foster community engagement through interactions, feedback, and dedicated spaces for viewers to connect and share experiences. What Is a Video Creator? A video creator is someone who produces and shares engaging video content on various platforms, such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch. These individuals leverage storytelling and visual effects to connect with audiences, often focusing on specific niches that attract targeted viewers. By doing so, they can earn money by making videos through various monetization strategies, including ad revenue, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and fan funding. Successful video creators actively engage with their viewers, responding to comments and nurturing community interactions to build loyalty and increase visibility. Crucial tools for a video creator include a camera or smartphone, reliable audio equipment, and editing software, which help guarantee high-quality content that resonates with audiences and maximizes their earning potential. Understanding Your Niche and Audience How can you effectively understand your niche and audience as a video creator? Start by identifying a specific topic that aligns with your interests and resonates with potential viewers, such as TechRadar reviews or Healthline tips. Next, define your ideal audience by examining their demographics, interests, and preferences, which will help you create customized content that attracts and engages them. Establishing specificity within your niche differentiates you from competitors, allowing you to target a dedicated audience. Research trending topics and keywords to inform your content creation and improve search visibility. Finally, engage with your audience through comments and social media to build community loyalty and gain insights into their preferences, allowing you to refine your content strategy effectively. Essential Equipment for Video Creation Quality equipment is vital for anyone looking to create engaging video content. A basic setup should include key items to guarantee professionalism and clarity. Consider the following necessities: Camera or Smartphone: Choose one with at least 1080p resolution for clear visuals. Microphone: Invest in a reliable microphone to capture crisp audio. Lighting: Use softbox lights or ring lights to improve video quality. Tripod/Stabilizer: This prevents shaky footage, enhancing viewer engagement. As you advance, upgrading to higher-quality gear like Blackmagic Design 4K cameras and better audio systems will help meet audience expectations. Moreover, video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve is vital for refining your final product. Developing a Content Strategy To develop a solid content strategy, you need to start by identifying your target audience, which allows you to create videos that truly resonate with their interests. Next, planning a content calendar is crucial; it helps you maintain a consistent upload schedule and explore various content types to keep your viewers engaged. Identifying Target Audience Identifying your target audience is crucial for developing a successful video content strategy. To effectively reach your viewers, consider the following steps: Define their age, interests, and content preferences to guarantee your videos resonate. Analyze existing content creators in your niche to gain insights into their audiences and what captivates viewers. Use social media analytics tools to gather demographic information and engagement metrics from your current followers. Create viewer personas that represent segments of your audience, detailing their motivations and challenges. Additionally, engage directly with your audience through surveys or comment interactions to refine your comprehension of their preferences. Content Calendar Planning Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is organizing your video content through effective content calendar planning. A content calendar helps you plan and schedule your uploads, ensuring they align with audience expectations and platform algorithms. Start by identifying 2-3 key themes or content pillars that represent your niche, maintaining cohesive messaging throughout your videos. Don’t forget to incorporate important dates, holidays, or trending events into your calendar to boost viewer engagement. Use analytics from your previous videos to find the best posting times, optimizing visibility and reach. A well-structured calendar likewise facilitates better collaboration with team members, streamlining the production process and ensuring deadlines are met efficiently. Promoting Your Videos Effectively Promoting your videos effectively is crucial for reaching a wider audience and maximizing your content’s impact. Here are some strategies to elevate your video visibility: Utilize SEO techniques by incorporating relevant keywords in video titles, descriptions, and tags for better search visibility on platforms like YouTube. Share your videos across multiple social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, to tap into their diverse audiences and drive traffic back to your primary content. Engage with your viewers by encouraging comments, likes, and shares, as higher engagement rates boost your video’s visibility in platform algorithms. Collaborate with other creators or influencers in your niche to cross-promote content, exposing your videos to new potential subscribers and audiences. Implementing these tactics can greatly improve your video’s reach and effectiveness. Monetization Strategies for Video Creators When it pertains to monetizing your videos, comprehension of the key strategies can greatly enhance your income. You can earn ad revenue through platforms like YouTube once you meet the eligibility criteria, as sponsorships and partnerships become viable as your audience grows. Ad Revenue Generation To successfully generate ad revenue as a video creator, you need to understand the specific requirements and strategies that can maximize your earnings. Start by meeting platform criteria, like YouTube‘s 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Then, focus on the following strategies: Create high-quality content that keeps viewers engaged and increases watch time. Use SEO techniques to improve video rankings, boosting views and ad impressions. Experiment with different ad formats, such as display, overlay, skippable, and non-skippable video ads to see what works best for your audience. Monitor viewer demographics and engagement rates to optimize your content and ad placements. Sponsorship and Partnerships Even though ad revenue can provide a steady income stream for video creators, sponsorships and partnerships often offer even greater financial rewards. Typically, these deals yield higher payouts, especially when you have an audience of 5,000 to 10,000 subscribers. It’s essential to select authenticity brands that align with your niche and audience to maintain authenticity. Sponsorships can take various formats, such as product placements or dedicated videos, allowing you creative flexibility. To nurture long-term relationships, communicate consistently and deliver quality content. Furthermore, developing a media kit showcasing your audience demographics and engagement metrics can attract potential sponsors. Building a Community and Engaging With Viewers Building a community and engaging with viewers is essential for any video creator looking to establish a loyal audience. To effectively connect with your viewers, consider these strategies: Regularly respond to comments to nurture loyalty and encourage return visits. Host live chats or Q&A sessions, allowing real-time interaction and direct engagement. Encourage viewers to like, comment, and share your videos, increasing visibility and building community. Create dedicated spaces, like Discord servers or Facebook groups, for viewers to interact and share thoughts. Additionally, utilize polls and feedback requests to understand your audience’s preferences, ensuring your content remains relevant and engaging. Frequently Asked Questions How to Start Being a Video Creator? To start being a video creator, first, choose a niche that matches your interests and expertise. Invest in good equipment, like a quality camera and reliable audio tools, to improve video quality. Next, develop a content plan that includes key themes and incorporates SEO strategies for better visibility. Focus on creating engaging, valuable content that resonates with your audience. Finally, promote your videos on social media and interact with viewers to build a community. How to Create a Video Step by Step? To create a video step by step, start by selecting a topic that interests you. Next, outline your video’s purpose and main points, or draft a script. Gather necessary equipment like a camera, microphone, and lighting. Record your footage, ensuring good audio and visuals. Then, edit your clips into a cohesive story using software. Finally, add effects and audio improvements before sharing your finished video on your chosen platforms to engage your audience. How Do I Become a Video Editor With No Experience? To become a video editor with no experience, start by learning crucial editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, which offer free trials. Build a portfolio by working on personal projects or volunteering for local businesses. Utilize online tutorials on platforms like YouTube to grasp editing techniques. Join online communities to network, seek feedback, and discover opportunities. Finally, consider applying for internships to gain hands-on experience and mentorship from professionals in the field. How to Become a Video Editor Step by Step? To become a video editor step by step, start by choosing a specific area, like freelancing or post-production. Next, acquire skills through formal education or self-study, focusing on software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Build a strong portfolio showcasing your work. Network with industry professionals on platforms like LinkedIn, and share your projects on social media. Finally, stay updated on trends and software to maintain your competitive edge. Conclusion In summary, becoming a successful video creator involves comprehending your niche, investing in quality equipment, and developing a structured content strategy. By promoting your videos effectively and engaging with your audience, you can build a loyal community. Exploring monetization strategies will further improve your efforts. Remember, consistency and dedication are key elements in growing your channel and reaching your goals in the competitive environment of video creation. Focus on these steps to establish a strong presence as a video creator. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Become a Video Creator – A Step-by-Step Guide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Becoming a video creator involves several key steps that can lead to success in this competitive field. First, you need to identify your niche and comprehend your target audience, as this shapes your content. Next, investing in quality equipment is crucial for producing professional-looking videos. Moreover, you’ll want to develop a clear content strategy and promote your videos effectively to reach a wider audience. Grasping monetization strategies can further improve your path, but there’s more to explore. Key Takeaways Identify your niche by choosing a topic that aligns with your interests and resonates with a specific audience. Invest in essential equipment like a camera, microphone, and lighting to produce quality video content. Develop a content strategy by planning a consistent upload schedule and engaging with trending topics and audience feedback. Utilize SEO techniques to optimize video visibility and promote your content across multiple social media platforms. Foster community engagement through interactions, feedback, and dedicated spaces for viewers to connect and share experiences. What Is a Video Creator? A video creator is someone who produces and shares engaging video content on various platforms, such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch. These individuals leverage storytelling and visual effects to connect with audiences, often focusing on specific niches that attract targeted viewers. By doing so, they can earn money by making videos through various monetization strategies, including ad revenue, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and fan funding. Successful video creators actively engage with their viewers, responding to comments and nurturing community interactions to build loyalty and increase visibility. Crucial tools for a video creator include a camera or smartphone, reliable audio equipment, and editing software, which help guarantee high-quality content that resonates with audiences and maximizes their earning potential. Understanding Your Niche and Audience How can you effectively understand your niche and audience as a video creator? Start by identifying a specific topic that aligns with your interests and resonates with potential viewers, such as TechRadar reviews or Healthline tips. Next, define your ideal audience by examining their demographics, interests, and preferences, which will help you create customized content that attracts and engages them. Establishing specificity within your niche differentiates you from competitors, allowing you to target a dedicated audience. Research trending topics and keywords to inform your content creation and improve search visibility. Finally, engage with your audience through comments and social media to build community loyalty and gain insights into their preferences, allowing you to refine your content strategy effectively. Essential Equipment for Video Creation Quality equipment is vital for anyone looking to create engaging video content. A basic setup should include key items to guarantee professionalism and clarity. Consider the following necessities: Camera or Smartphone: Choose one with at least 1080p resolution for clear visuals. Microphone: Invest in a reliable microphone to capture crisp audio. Lighting: Use softbox lights or ring lights to improve video quality. Tripod/Stabilizer: This prevents shaky footage, enhancing viewer engagement. As you advance, upgrading to higher-quality gear like Blackmagic Design 4K cameras and better audio systems will help meet audience expectations. Moreover, video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve is vital for refining your final product. Developing a Content Strategy To develop a solid content strategy, you need to start by identifying your target audience, which allows you to create videos that truly resonate with their interests. Next, planning a content calendar is crucial; it helps you maintain a consistent upload schedule and explore various content types to keep your viewers engaged. Identifying Target Audience Identifying your target audience is crucial for developing a successful video content strategy. To effectively reach your viewers, consider the following steps: Define their age, interests, and content preferences to guarantee your videos resonate. Analyze existing content creators in your niche to gain insights into their audiences and what captivates viewers. Use social media analytics tools to gather demographic information and engagement metrics from your current followers. Create viewer personas that represent segments of your audience, detailing their motivations and challenges. Additionally, engage directly with your audience through surveys or comment interactions to refine your comprehension of their preferences. Content Calendar Planning Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is organizing your video content through effective content calendar planning. A content calendar helps you plan and schedule your uploads, ensuring they align with audience expectations and platform algorithms. Start by identifying 2-3 key themes or content pillars that represent your niche, maintaining cohesive messaging throughout your videos. Don’t forget to incorporate important dates, holidays, or trending events into your calendar to boost viewer engagement. Use analytics from your previous videos to find the best posting times, optimizing visibility and reach. A well-structured calendar likewise facilitates better collaboration with team members, streamlining the production process and ensuring deadlines are met efficiently. Promoting Your Videos Effectively Promoting your videos effectively is crucial for reaching a wider audience and maximizing your content’s impact. Here are some strategies to elevate your video visibility: Utilize SEO techniques by incorporating relevant keywords in video titles, descriptions, and tags for better search visibility on platforms like YouTube. Share your videos across multiple social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, to tap into their diverse audiences and drive traffic back to your primary content. Engage with your viewers by encouraging comments, likes, and shares, as higher engagement rates boost your video’s visibility in platform algorithms. Collaborate with other creators or influencers in your niche to cross-promote content, exposing your videos to new potential subscribers and audiences. Implementing these tactics can greatly improve your video’s reach and effectiveness. Monetization Strategies for Video Creators When it pertains to monetizing your videos, comprehension of the key strategies can greatly enhance your income. You can earn ad revenue through platforms like YouTube once you meet the eligibility criteria, as sponsorships and partnerships become viable as your audience grows. Ad Revenue Generation To successfully generate ad revenue as a video creator, you need to understand the specific requirements and strategies that can maximize your earnings. Start by meeting platform criteria, like YouTube‘s 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Then, focus on the following strategies: Create high-quality content that keeps viewers engaged and increases watch time. Use SEO techniques to improve video rankings, boosting views and ad impressions. Experiment with different ad formats, such as display, overlay, skippable, and non-skippable video ads to see what works best for your audience. Monitor viewer demographics and engagement rates to optimize your content and ad placements. Sponsorship and Partnerships Even though ad revenue can provide a steady income stream for video creators, sponsorships and partnerships often offer even greater financial rewards. Typically, these deals yield higher payouts, especially when you have an audience of 5,000 to 10,000 subscribers. It’s essential to select authenticity brands that align with your niche and audience to maintain authenticity. Sponsorships can take various formats, such as product placements or dedicated videos, allowing you creative flexibility. To nurture long-term relationships, communicate consistently and deliver quality content. Furthermore, developing a media kit showcasing your audience demographics and engagement metrics can attract potential sponsors. Building a Community and Engaging With Viewers Building a community and engaging with viewers is essential for any video creator looking to establish a loyal audience. To effectively connect with your viewers, consider these strategies: Regularly respond to comments to nurture loyalty and encourage return visits. Host live chats or Q&A sessions, allowing real-time interaction and direct engagement. Encourage viewers to like, comment, and share your videos, increasing visibility and building community. Create dedicated spaces, like Discord servers or Facebook groups, for viewers to interact and share thoughts. Additionally, utilize polls and feedback requests to understand your audience’s preferences, ensuring your content remains relevant and engaging. Frequently Asked Questions How to Start Being a Video Creator? To start being a video creator, first, choose a niche that matches your interests and expertise. Invest in good equipment, like a quality camera and reliable audio tools, to improve video quality. Next, develop a content plan that includes key themes and incorporates SEO strategies for better visibility. Focus on creating engaging, valuable content that resonates with your audience. Finally, promote your videos on social media and interact with viewers to build a community. How to Create a Video Step by Step? To create a video step by step, start by selecting a topic that interests you. Next, outline your video’s purpose and main points, or draft a script. Gather necessary equipment like a camera, microphone, and lighting. Record your footage, ensuring good audio and visuals. Then, edit your clips into a cohesive story using software. Finally, add effects and audio improvements before sharing your finished video on your chosen platforms to engage your audience. How Do I Become a Video Editor With No Experience? To become a video editor with no experience, start by learning crucial editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, which offer free trials. Build a portfolio by working on personal projects or volunteering for local businesses. Utilize online tutorials on platforms like YouTube to grasp editing techniques. Join online communities to network, seek feedback, and discover opportunities. Finally, consider applying for internships to gain hands-on experience and mentorship from professionals in the field. How to Become a Video Editor Step by Step? To become a video editor step by step, start by choosing a specific area, like freelancing or post-production. Next, acquire skills through formal education or self-study, focusing on software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Build a strong portfolio showcasing your work. Network with industry professionals on platforms like LinkedIn, and share your projects on social media. Finally, stay updated on trends and software to maintain your competitive edge. Conclusion In summary, becoming a successful video creator involves comprehending your niche, investing in quality equipment, and developing a structured content strategy. By promoting your videos effectively and engaging with your audience, you can build a loyal community. Exploring monetization strategies will further improve your efforts. Remember, consistency and dedication are key elements in growing your channel and reaching your goals in the competitive environment of video creation. Focus on these steps to establish a strong presence as a video creator. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Become a Video Creator – A Step-by-Step Guide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Giving the gift of tools can be tricky, because the person you’re buying for might have specific preferences and needs. Knowing the type of thing that a handy person likes to do—such as woodworking or car maintenance—can get you started, but you can also take a peep at the tools they already have. Accounting for what cordless battery system they already own and what brand of hand tools they use can help guide your choice when picking out a tool to gift—the key to choosing the right cordless tool for a DIY enthusiast is figuring out what battery system they already have. Once you know that, you can look for tools and batteries that will work with their existing tools and any new ones they add. Here are a few of the best cordless power tools to gift from the most popular battery systems. Best drill and driver combo to giftA drill and driver are the cornerstone of any cordless power tool set. DeWalt makes some of the most reliable tools on the market, and their drivers and drills are well known for being reliable and durable. The DeWalt drill and driver set I use every day in my professional shop is a great gift for a DIYer who wants to replace their drill and driver or to start a cordless tool kit, and you can get it for $149. The DeWalt 20-volt drill and driver set on Amazon comes with a drill, impact driver, two 2-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. DEWALT 20V MAX* 3-Tool Combo Kit (DCK307D1P1) $332.10 at Amazon $449.00 Save $116.90 Shop Now Shop Now $332.10 at Amazon $449.00 Save $116.90 Best finishing tool to giftFor woodworking and DIY home projects, finishing your work is one of the most satisfying parts of the process. A good sander is key to everything from drywall repair to building furniture. The 18-volt Milwaukee orbital sander that I use in my personal tool kit for furniture making is a hard working tool that I use almost every day. Milwaukee tools have had a reputation for being durable since they made the first portable drills for the Ford assembly lines in 1924, so it’s considered a quality brand for DIY maintenance and woodworking, and you can gift it for $99 at Home Depot. Best tool set for the money to giftIf you’re looking for a cordless tool set for a DIYer building their first kit, Ryobi is a good quality option for the money. In addition to being a more affordable option for cordless battery systems, Ryobi 18-volt batteries work with over 300 tools, allowing you to expand your tool set without needing new batteries. The Milwaukee 18-volt 6-tool combo kit includes a drill, impact driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, a work light, an oscillating multitool, a 2-amp-hour battery, a 4-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag, and you can get the whole kit for $200. Best cordless automotive tool to giftIf you’ve ever been stranded with a flat tire, or even gotten a puncture from driving over a nail in your own garage after a DIY project, you know that having a portable tire inflator can be a life saver. For a new driver, or for someone who needs a little extra safety built into their life, the 20-volt DeWalt portable tire inflator is a great gift for $169 at Ace Hardware. This tool works with a 20-volt DeWalt battery, so it’s a good addition to an existing kit, or along with a set of DeWalt batteries. Best cordless landscaping tool to giftIf you have someone on your list who loves to trim and snip out in the yard, the Ryobi 18-volt oil-free pole saw is a good idea for a gift. This is a good tool for tree and shrub trimming, and it goes with the Ryobi 18-volt battery system, which includes lots of other cordless landscaping tools. Since this is a tool-only package, you’ll need an 18-volt Ryobi battery and charger to use it, so it’s a good gift for someone who already has Ryobi tools—and it’s a good deal at Home Depot for $99. Best woodworking tool to giftThe best cordless router around is the Milwaukee 18-volt router. For a portable option that doesn’t require dragging a cord around behind you that can get snagged on things, this router is the best. This set comes with a router, two 6-amp-hour batteries, and a charger for $299 at Home Depot, but you’ll need bits for the router to use it. This is a great gift for someone who likes to do woodworking projects, as it allows you to trim and shape edges as well as cutting your own trim profiles. Best metalworking tool to giftThe Milwaukee 18-volt portable band saw is a good gift for someone with a home shop metalworking set because it’s compact and powerful. The saw can accept material up to five inches thick and five inches deep, allowing metal cutting for a wide range of projects from fence poles to decorative cuts for shelving. This is a tool-only package for $399, but you can add a free six-amp-hour battery right now with the free with purchase deal from Home Depot. Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds — $117.00 (List Price $129.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Shark AV2501AE AI XL Hepa- Safe Self-Emptying Base Robot Vacuum — $294.99 (List Price $649.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Wireless Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99) Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus 1080p Security Camera (White) — $99.99 (List Price $179.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $24.99 (List Price $49.99) NEW Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones — $298.00 (List Price $429.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Ukraine’s president must act decisively to repair trust lost over corruption scandalView the full article

Millions of Americans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare,” stand to lose their premium subsidies, with less than three weeks to go until they expire at the end of 2025. And the result of that would be skyrocketing health care costs for 22 million marketplace users. If Congress does not extend the enhanced premium tax credits, it will also trigger a so-called “subsidy cliff,” or strict income maximum that abruptly cuts off subsidies to households with incomes that are over 400% of the federal poverty level. That would raise the costs of those healthcare plans by an estimated 75%, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. Currently, 92% of Americans enrolled the ACA marketplace plan receive some type of enhanced subsidies. That’s 22 out of 24 million people. However, not all would be affected by the subsidy cliff. Letting the credits expire could send insurance skyrocketing to such high levels that many Americans wouldn’t be able to afford their current plans, or worse, keep their healthcare at all. One estimate found average family premiums could triple from $1,200 to $3,553 a month if the credits expire. Congress is set to vote on extending the subsidies in mid-December, but it’s unclear if the House will pass it as is, or tack on conditions. The run-up to that deadline has created a crisis as Republicans, backed by President Donald The President, have seemed to play Russian roulette with 22 million American taxpayers’ healthcare. (The credits were not extended in The President’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.”) The dispute over the credits was at the heart of the recent federal government shutdown, with the upcoming vote being a condition for Senate Democrats to end the standoff. The president has said he doesn’t want to extend the credits, and would instead give that money “directly to the people” so they can “purchase their own, much better, health care.” However, according to independent fact-checking publication PolitiFact, without a formal proposal, there’s no way to determine if “The President’s social media musings” would actually work. Some Republicans are pushing for Americans to rely more on health savings accounts, or HSAs, but these can’t typically be used to pay for the actual health insurance plans themselves. Other Republicans are floating the idea of temporarily extending the credits through the 2026 midterm elections, when many are up for reelection. If Republicans and Democrats in Congress don’t strike a deal, many Americans can expect to pay a lot more for their current plans on the exchange, or end up paying the same for less coverage. View the full article

Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles because an instrument panel can fail, increasing the risk of a crash. Federal auto safety regulators said that the instrument panel may not display at startup, leaving the driver without critical safety information. The recall includes 128,607 Ford Bronco Sports, model years 2025-2026 and 101,002 Ford Broncos, also model years 2025-2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Ford is not aware of any injuries caused by the instrument panel failure. Owners will be notified by mail beginning Dec. 8 and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the software updated. The NHTSA recall number is 25V540. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran argues that banks holding excess reserves are keeping the central bank's balance sheet bigger than it should be, and suggested that regulatory changes could help bring those reserves down. View the full article

TikTok's algorithm is infamously addicting. The app picks up on your interests quickly, and before you know it, you're falling down an hours-deep rabbit hole every time you launch it. But the algorithm doesn't always get it right: Sometimes, you end up seeing too much of one type of content, no matter how many times you hit "Not Interested." With the rise of AI-generated content, this problem only gets more frustrating. AI video generators like Sora are empowering people to produce more hyperrealistic AI slop than ever, which means you've likely encountered it on your feeds—whether you know it or not. I've certainly laughed at some AI clips here and there, but for the most part, I can't stand coming across them in the wild. And they aren't just a nuisance, they can be legitimately dangerous—some have even tricked users into installing malware on their smartphones. As this content become more normalized, I worry for our collective ability to spot misinformation across our social media platforms, so whenever you can take a step to reducing or removing this content from your feeds, I encourage you to do so. And as it happens, TikTok is now experimenting with a tool to help you control the AI slop on your For You Page. Per a Wednesday press release, the company says it will roll out the new option in the existing "Manage topics" menu of the app's settings page. Manage topics already lets you finely tune parts of your individual TikTok algorithm to show you more of one subject or less of another—you can manage things like creative arts, current affairs, dance, fashion and beauty, food and drinks, health and fitness, humor, lifestyle, nature, pets, sports, travel. Soon, the section will add a slider for AI-generated content as well, if the option isn't live for you already. How to limit AI slop in TikTokTikTok says this new option is rolling out "in the coming weeks," which is unfortunately vague. I don't have the option, even after installing the latest version of TikTok. However, that also means it could hit your app at any time. When it does, here's how to use it: Open TikTok, then tap "Profile" in the bottom right. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top right, then choose "Settings and privacy." Under "Content & Display," choose "Content preferences," then choose "Manage topics." When the option is available on your app, adjust the "AI-generated content" slider. Move it left to see less AI-generated content, or move it right to see more of this content. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to completely remove AI content from your TikTok feed. Hopefully with this slider in place, however, you'll greatly reduce the amount of AI content you see, to the point where it's effectively gone entirely. View the full article

Sweeping 28-point proposal would include territorial concessions and rollback of American military assistanceView the full article

Travis Hill's nomination to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was recommended favorably by the Senate Banking Committee to the full Senate Wednesday morning in a 13-11 party-line vote. View the full article

Historically, Google Search has driven innovation by rewarding high-quality content with visibility and traffic. In the last article in this series, we talked about the risks of Google AI over-personalizing results and reinforcing filter bubbles. In this article, we’ll look at the opposite risk. If Google’s new AI results skew away from diversity and towards standardized results that favor big brands and consensus views, it could limit creativity and innovation and accelerate the commodification of the web. Some may find this concern naive because the internet is already very commodified, but historically, even small websites and businesses believed that they had a chance to rank and drive traffic. The web has long been seen as a digital marketplace of ideas. Yet because AI language models naturally look for consensus, being surfaced in AI search when you fall outside the mainstream could become much harder. AI systems & consensus You can look at all of the companies that lost all their traffic and/or rankings in the Helpful Content Updates to illustrate this point. Small affiliate websites that worked hard to add value to the internet with product reviews, articles, and comparisons were mostly wiped out in organic rankings. Now, to drive traffic through Google, many of these companies have to buy ads and arbitrage their earnings, or shift focus to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Most have chosen the latter, abandoning efforts to rank in Google altogether. And while not all sites that lost visibility in the Helpful Content Updates were entirely editorially written, high-value, human-oriented content, some definitely were. The problem is this: if the types of companies go out of business or their sites disappear from the web, the corpus of information indexed by Google—and now used in AI search—will become less diverse. Forcing smaller publishers to pay to migrate entirely to social platforms could further reduce diversity in the web’s knowledge base. If independent creators are consistently excluded from rankings, they’ll have less incentive to share their unique perspectives anywhere but social media. Social media may be an intentional counterbalance in Google’s plan, which is somewhat encouraging. Google recently announced that it will be ranking and showing YouTube Shorts in Discover, and already includes a ‘Short Video’ tab on many results. It has also shown increasing interest in ranking posts from Reddit and LinkedIn. And maybe this is not accidental. Maybe, in Google’s view, unique and new opinions should come from more independent creators, while mainstream or consensus views come from bigger companies with better brand recognition. Only time will tell. The impact of advertising Ads in AI Overviews have already begun to roll out, and when they are fully released next quarter, then we will really get a peek into Google’s plans for monetizing their AI. Until then, we can look at the recent history of how Google has changed ads and ecommerce with and for AI. First off, the shift to Performance Max (PMAX) bidding in Google Ads was very frustrating for many people running paid campaigns—not only because of the black-box nature of the system, but also because of the lack of control and the lack of data. It seems like Google wants to lull advertisers into complacency by handling everything for them, ideally delivering better returns with less effort. It could be great for some, especially if they never want to learn anything about their audience and what works for them. But what if they do? When Google runs PMAX bidding without sharing nuanced details of what’s working and what’s not, it means that Google is using your ads, budgets, and creative to learn about your customers— without telling you what they have learned. That means there is less for you to take away, cross-apply or use to inform decisions and campaigns in other advertising channels. In some industries, Google may learn enough to completely disintermediate you from your customers, like they have done with Google Travel, which now includes Flights, Hotels, Vacation Rentals, and food & activities (in Explore). AI is a double-edged sword. This may also be part of the plan with Google Merchant Center. By aggregating data from all of the online retailers, Google can learn about how users shop for specific products, and use that to fine-tune PMAX campaigns—serving the right ads to the right people at the right time. This improves conversion and engagement for advertisers, using data collected from both paid and organic interactions in Merchant Center. Google is extending this approach with AI-powered tools designed to enhance shopping experiences, such as Circle to Search, Google Lens, Price Alerts, and Virtual Try-on. Google already seems more aggressive in pushing digital marketers to its advertising options. I was served the ad below as part of a full-screen takeover on an organic SERP! This is something that I have never seen for an ad in Google before; the only time they ever use modals and/or full-screen takeovers in a search result that I can recall has been for warnings or opt-ins when their Terms and Conditions have changed. In its recent Terms and Conditions updates, Google has been clear that it shares user data across Alphabet properties and uses that information to enhance advertising. It also combines this with modeled data about user journeys—on both micro and macro levels—to refine its targeting. It’s reasonable to believe that Google will continue on this course until it stops working or until they are somehow stopped. The benefit of having such a huge market share is that searchers, publishers, and advertisers are all locked in, with limited other options and huge switching costs. This allows Google to continue to degrade organic traffic referrals in favor of monetized AI results and/or making searchers work harder to get to a good result through organic search. But even without that, you can see in the screenshots from this RustyBrick tweet that Google is even changing how sponsored results are being labeled and displayed, potentially to make them less distinct from regular organic results. The Terms and Conditions update shown below is one that Google has shown to users in the EU, reminding them about how they are using all of their data across all of their platforms. The inclusion of Google Ad services really does show us how our ad data might be filtering out to impact and benefit all of Google’s platforms. As advertisers, we are paying for them to benefit from that data, even when we are given limited access to it ourselves. So what can we do to protect the health of the internet? AI and all the things it can do are such a new and fascinating topic that most of us have been sucked in and are embracing it with enthusiasm, and sometimes even reckless abandon. While I do openly admit that my personal beliefs lean towards being an “AI doomer,” I don’t think that doom and gloom is the only way things can go; I do, however, think that it is likely, given our lazy human natures and the lack of meaningful oversight or recourse. Once a technology exists, its existence can’t be undone, and especially when it is on the internet, it can’t be forgotten. Humans have fallible understanding and recall, but the internet remembers forever. For better or worse, the AI toothpaste can’t be put back in the tube. So how can we plan now for the future of AI innovation and create frameworks, guidelines, and even rules that will help preserve the health of the internet? How can we leave room for fair and balanced discovery of diverse content, without limiting AI innovation? I believe the digital marketing industry should partner with the publishing industry, which is already beginning to unite around protecting its own copyright interests. Continuing to operate in silos will not create the protections the internet needs—on both the supply and demand sides of the ecosystem. Until meaningful regulation of AI is created and enforced, the best bet for the internet is collective and collaborative standards that protect the ecosystem as a whole, rather than individual interests. Just as workers unionize to protect themselves from unfair exploitation by powerful companies, we also need collective bargaining and protection. Some groups are starting broader digital and AI regulation in the EU, but it might benefit the digital marketing and SEO industries to develop and publish their own standards, which can be community-enforced rather than enforced by Google. Rather than labeling tactics as simply “black hat” or “white hat,” maybe we can adopt a more nuanced approach—especially when it comes to AI. At the very least, it’s a conversation worth having. View the full article

The path to scalable computers is paved with high-tech equipment not just high-impact academic papersView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As someone who's still rocking an M1 MacBook Air, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, the Apple Watch SE (Gen 1), and the AirPods Pro (Gen 1), I can proudly say that using older devices is a great lifestyle decision. It saves me a lot of money and I still get access to premium products with almost all of the features I need. And now that the AirPods Pro 3 are out, it's a great time to start looking for deals on the older AirPods Pro 2 before stocks are cleared. This Walmart deal brings the AirPods Pro 2 to an all-time low price of $139 (which is $100 off the list price), and they're an absolutely fantastic piece technology for that price. AirPods Pro 2 early Black Friday deal AirPods Pro 2 $139.00 at Walmart $239.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $139.00 at Walmart $239.00 Save $100.00 Although the AirPods Pro 2 launched a few years ago, they've received enough software updates to make them far more capable than they were at launch. Now, the AirPods Pro 2 are also approved for use as a hearing aid in the US, and still offer excellent noise isolation with great sound quality. I live in a really noisy city and I cannot roam around without wearing my AirPods for fear of triggering my migraines. My AirPods Pro (Gen 1) do a good job at cutting out the noise, but the AirPods Pro 2 take the cancellation to another level. I've used and compared all three generations of AirPods, and the noise cancellation on the Pro 2 is solid. It's not as good as that on the Pro 3, but it's better than on the Pro 1, and the difference isn't big enough to spend nearly twice the price for the latest product. The AirPods Pro 2 are everything I need to keep migraines away. They block out the worst of the loud noises around me while being light and comfortable enough to wear all day. My city has extremely humid weather, which makes it near impossible to wear over-ear headphones outdoors. However, I feel quite comfortable with my AirPods, and I've been waiting for nearly four years to upgrade mine. While I was saving up for the AirPods Pro 3, this deal is too good to resist, and I may just get the Pro 2 instead and save the rest of my cash to upgrade my Apple Watch. View the full article

A reader writes: I recently received an email from an employee wanting to discuss her future with the company and opportunities for advancement. I responded that we will be reorganizing the team soon (which is true) and relying heavily on her input on what responsibilities she wants to take on (also true). My issue is that it’s unlikely there will be any opportunities for advancement on our team. The organization is very hierarchical and positions are determined at an organization-wide level with little flexibility for job duties or pay increases. Her current position is at the bottom of the org chart and any opportunities to advance would probably be in a different geographic area. We have a culture of employees working here for their entire career, and turnover gets even lower the further up the org chart people get. This employee is very valuable and has a lot to offer. I’m just concerned that she’s looking to be promoted on our team, which is unlikely. We’re a small team and I’m unsure if the positions she would advance into will even remain after some impending retirements. How do I let her know that I think she does have a lot to offer, but would have my full support looking for opportunities elsewhere and would serve as a reference if she needed it? I want to be honest but I don’t want to seem like I’m pushing her out. I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here. Other questions I’m answering there today include: Giving an award to someone who’s on a performance improvement plan Hiring when we’re open to full-time or part-time The post how can I tell a good employee she’s not likely to advance here? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Boss sets out in memo need for luxury group to reduce ‘over-dependency’ on Italian brandView the full article

This year’s SEO Trends ebook translates SEO expertise into the practical, high-impact strategic guidance marketers need for 2026. The post Google’s Old Search Era Is Over – Here’s What 2026 SEO Will Really Look Like appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Facebook’s Marketplace is set to transform the online shopping experience for small businesses, offering enhanced features designed to cultivate community engagement and facilitate easier transactions. The recent updates focus on empowering users to interact with listings more effectively, making it a prime time for small business owners to reassess their digital sales strategies. Every day, approximately 25% of young adult users in the U.S. and Canada utilize Facebook Marketplace, showing its potential as a bustling platform for buying and selling. These updates aim to streamline that experience, particularly for items like home decor, clothing, and vehicles—categories that resonate strongly with younger demographics. One of the standout features introduced is the ability to create collections. This allows users to curate groups of Marketplace listings and invite friends to join in the conversation. Small business owners can leverage this feature to showcase their products in a more visually appealing way. By enabling customers to share their collections through platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp, businesses can create a sense of community around their offerings. “Start a new collection, choose whether to make it public or private, and share updates easily,” the announcement states, emphasizing the collaborative aspect. Additionally, Facebook now allows reactions and comments directly on listings, providing more transparency about product quality. This can be crucial for small businesses as real-time feedback can drive engagement. A potential customer may learn more about your product just through a few comments and reactions from other users. The platform will learn from user interactions, showing individuals more items aligned with their interests. This personalization could translate into higher conversion rates for small business owners, as their products will be paired with users who are genuinely interested. A significant enhancement comes from AI integration. Marketplace now offers suggested questions when buyers start a conversation with sellers. This feature facilitates smoother negotiations and can empower buyers to make informed decisions. For small business owners, anticipating these questions can help prepare them better for customer interactions and improve buyer satisfaction. Particularly noteworthy for automotive small businesses, there are advancements in vehicle listings. Users will see AI-curated insights offering crucial details like engine options, safety ratings, and reviews—all in one view. This feature aims to simplify the car-buying journey, but it also requires small automotive sellers to ensure their inventory is updated and accurately represented on the platform. For those focusing on fashion, Facebook has integrated inventory from eBay and Poshmark to expand the selection on Marketplace. This partnership marks a strategic move for small businesses offering unique or vintage items. With over 200 million fashion items already listed, being part of this growing marketplace can significantly elevate visibility. Partner listings will clearly incorporate an icon, ensuring customers know they are browsing expanded options, enhancing credibility and variety. Another essential update is the improved shipping experience. Sellers and buyers can expect a more transparent process with clearer shipping costs and automatic notifications about order status changes. For small business owners, this provides an opportunity to offer seamless transactions and potentially attract customers who may have hesitated in the past due to unclear costs. However, while these updates enhance the buying experience, small business owners should be prepared for potential challenges. With a more crowded marketplace due to expanded inventories and increased options, they may need to navigate more competition. Engaging effectively with customers—be it through collections or in conversation—will be crucial. As Facebook Marketplace continues to evolve, small business owners should consider how these features can be integrated into their sales strategies. From leveraging collections to optimizing listings for AI insights, these changes hold the potential to elevate local businesses into community favorites. For more details on these updates, you can view the original announcement here. As these features roll out into 2026, businesses can capitalize on the increasing trend toward social shopping and community engagement. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Facebook Marketplace Revamps Shopping Experience with AI and Social Features" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Facebook’s Marketplace is set to transform the online shopping experience for small businesses, offering enhanced features designed to cultivate community engagement and facilitate easier transactions. The recent updates focus on empowering users to interact with listings more effectively, making it a prime time for small business owners to reassess their digital sales strategies. Every day, approximately 25% of young adult users in the U.S. and Canada utilize Facebook Marketplace, showing its potential as a bustling platform for buying and selling. These updates aim to streamline that experience, particularly for items like home decor, clothing, and vehicles—categories that resonate strongly with younger demographics. One of the standout features introduced is the ability to create collections. This allows users to curate groups of Marketplace listings and invite friends to join in the conversation. Small business owners can leverage this feature to showcase their products in a more visually appealing way. By enabling customers to share their collections through platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp, businesses can create a sense of community around their offerings. “Start a new collection, choose whether to make it public or private, and share updates easily,” the announcement states, emphasizing the collaborative aspect. Additionally, Facebook now allows reactions and comments directly on listings, providing more transparency about product quality. This can be crucial for small businesses as real-time feedback can drive engagement. A potential customer may learn more about your product just through a few comments and reactions from other users. The platform will learn from user interactions, showing individuals more items aligned with their interests. This personalization could translate into higher conversion rates for small business owners, as their products will be paired with users who are genuinely interested. A significant enhancement comes from AI integration. Marketplace now offers suggested questions when buyers start a conversation with sellers. This feature facilitates smoother negotiations and can empower buyers to make informed decisions. For small business owners, anticipating these questions can help prepare them better for customer interactions and improve buyer satisfaction. Particularly noteworthy for automotive small businesses, there are advancements in vehicle listings. Users will see AI-curated insights offering crucial details like engine options, safety ratings, and reviews—all in one view. This feature aims to simplify the car-buying journey, but it also requires small automotive sellers to ensure their inventory is updated and accurately represented on the platform. For those focusing on fashion, Facebook has integrated inventory from eBay and Poshmark to expand the selection on Marketplace. This partnership marks a strategic move for small businesses offering unique or vintage items. With over 200 million fashion items already listed, being part of this growing marketplace can significantly elevate visibility. Partner listings will clearly incorporate an icon, ensuring customers know they are browsing expanded options, enhancing credibility and variety. Another essential update is the improved shipping experience. Sellers and buyers can expect a more transparent process with clearer shipping costs and automatic notifications about order status changes. For small business owners, this provides an opportunity to offer seamless transactions and potentially attract customers who may have hesitated in the past due to unclear costs. However, while these updates enhance the buying experience, small business owners should be prepared for potential challenges. With a more crowded marketplace due to expanded inventories and increased options, they may need to navigate more competition. Engaging effectively with customers—be it through collections or in conversation—will be crucial. As Facebook Marketplace continues to evolve, small business owners should consider how these features can be integrated into their sales strategies. From leveraging collections to optimizing listings for AI insights, these changes hold the potential to elevate local businesses into community favorites. For more details on these updates, you can view the original announcement here. As these features roll out into 2026, businesses can capitalize on the increasing trend toward social shopping and community engagement. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Facebook Marketplace Revamps Shopping Experience with AI and Social Features" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

US sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil companies have added to fears of shortages from refinery shutdownsView the full article

Consecutive weeks of mortgage rate increases resulted in a 5.2% decrease in mortgage loan application volume, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

When I talk with small business owners about their tech stack, I hear the same frustrations over and over: too many apps, too many logins, and not enough time to make sense of all the data scattered across them. Instead of technology simplifying their day, it often feels like they’re spending half their week just stitching tools together, chasing down information, and trying to keep everything secure with limited IT support. At the same time, the pressure to “do more with less” keeps rising—especially as AI, remote work, and customer expectations all move faster than most small teams can reasonably keep up with. That’s why I wanted to sit down with someone who lives at the intersection of product strategy and real-world business needs. In this conversation, I talk with Ali Shabdar, Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho, about a major new update to Zoho One, the company’s all-in-one operating system for business. Over the course of our discussion, we dive into how Zoho is trying to move from a bundle of apps to a true unified platform, what that means for day-to-day workflows, and how features like Spaces, Unified Dashboards, Vani, native integrations, smarter security, and Zia AI aim to cut complexity instead of adding to it. If you run a small business or lead a lean team, the details matter: how your calendar connects to your projects, how you off-board a departing employee without leaving security gaps, and how you get a meaningful snapshot of customers or sales without becoming a data analyst. Ali and I explore those very practical pain points through the lens of Zoho One’s latest changes. In the transcript below, you’ll see how Zoho is positioning these updates—not just as “new features,” but as steps toward making technology more invisible, so you can spend more time serving customers and growing your business, and less time wrestling with software. Leland McFarland: All right, I am here with Ali from Zoho. We have some brand-new news coming out of Zoho, involving Zoho One, and we’re going to talk with Ali about all of this and see what he has to say about it. All right, Ali, great to have you on. Why don’t you start off by introducing yourself and telling what you do at Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great to be here, Leland, and with your audience. My name is Ali Shabdar, I’m the Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho. Leland McFarland: All right, thank you. So from a small business perspective, what problems is Zoho trying to solve with this new major update to Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great question, and let me go back a little bit. It’s been almost eight years, full eight years, since we launched Zoho One. We had a number of products that each served parts or entire parts of the funnel, a function, or an activity like sales, marketing, etc., etc.. And we decided at some point to bundle these up for a number of reasons. Number one was to reduce complexity. One of the main issues of any business of any size—could be a solopreneur to even an enterprise—is that we end up dealing with a lot of products, with a lot of software, to solve our day-to-day problems or our long-term problems. The promise of technology was to make our lives easier, but in the past quarter century, I can remember, that technology actually made things more complex in a lot of cases. Which means we have to throw more technology at the existing technology to make it less complex. So Zoho One’s promise was to remove that complexity by starting with bundling products together. And this bundle allows the user to have a singular view toward multiple functions that they might be dealing with. At the executive level, you’re looking at your entire business, almost live, and being able to connect the dots from your sales pipeline, to your cash flow, to your marketing activities, etc., etc., depending on what you’re doing. In the eight years, one of the key tenets of our progress with Zoho One was to remove that complexity even more. So, moving from a bundle of products, bundle of apps, to a unified platform. That unification where the products talk to each other better and better, they’re tightly integrated out of the box. So you don’t need to worry about connecting sales to the finance function; it just works. And then that means that your data gets tighter and tighter, clearer and clearer. Data hygiene and data governance also gets better. These are scary, scary labels, as SMBs might not worry about data governance, but what I mean is that you have all your data in the same place. We all know what single source of truth is. We want to open one cupboard, one wardrobe, and have everything there, and that’s what Zoho One is doing with your data: putting it all next to each other and giving it a context based on the lens you want to be looking at that entire system that is helping you to run your business. So it’s been an evolution, again, from bundle to a unified platform where everything is connected, and a small business goes back to what they need to do: working on their products and services, making their customers happy, rather than dealing with connecting technology together and having what we call the spaghetti solution—multiple vendors, multiple products, multiple invoices, so many support teams. You just deal with Zoho, and that’s about it. Leland McFarland: Great. So, I mean, yeah, that’s going to hopefully save small businesses a whole bunch of time, a whole bunch of money, and a lot of whole bunch of effort. So diving into some of the changes that you’ve done, one aspect was in user experience and productivity. How many small businesses struggle with many small businesses struggle with app overload. How does this new Spaces concept simplify daily workflows for a small team? Ali Shabdar: Great question. So, again, moving toward the same direction, it is all about context and simplification, as you said. Now, I’ll give you an example, a calendar. As any knowledge worker, regardless of who you are, you’re the business owner, you’re the CEO, or you’re one of the knowledge-working team, you’re doing sales, you’re answering emails, calendar is an inseparable part of our lives. Without a calendar, I can’t live an organized life at all. Now, if if I’m a user working for again, any company of any size, imagine I have my Zoho Calendar where my meetings are, where Zoho meeting links are going. Then there might be a calendar that comes from Zoho Projects if I’m working on certain projects with a number of other team members, internal or external. If I’m collaborating with my own close team, I might have some Kanban lists, which are again with deadlines and all, as another calendar on Zoho Connect. But all I care about is a calendar. I just want a view to my all my tasks, all my deadlines in one singular place. So Spaces allows you to basically bring all of those together and see everything from through one lens: the lens of the calendar. Now, another part of Spaces, which I personally appreciate and I could see on my day-to-day it added to my productivity, is the idea of having your personal space and your organizational space. Like the way I live in my house, we have the living room, we have the kitchen, where this is more of a place of gathering, the rest of the family and friends there, we converse, we do things, we cook together. And then there’s the bedroom for, it’s a personal space, or there’s my office. And then there’s the bathroom, more, of course, more personal. So, the division here into two major spaces or the context or areas, if you will, of personal and organizational, allows me to quickly switch between Click, Connect, Email, and my Vault where I keep my passwords, versus a Connect versus Projects or our expense management, which is more of an organizational thing. So, again, same products, different lenses, which allows my subconscious mind to work faster and connect the dots better. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, moving on to Action Panels and Quick Navigation features. What practical gains might a small business owner see from these new features? Ali Shabdar: I think the the most visible improvement is the fact that they are more accessible, more visible, and organized in a more intuitive way. So, you can, of course, make modifications, but everything boils down into better access to what you already have in a more logical way. It’s more organized. Leland McFarland: Awesome. So, dashboards can be overwhelming for a non-technical user. How does the new Unified Dashboard help a small business owner get actionable insights without needing a data analyst? Ali Shabdar: I hope no small business owner needs a dedicated data analyst, but that could be good news for expansion and scaling. But again, I’ll go back to the point that I mentioned: it’s again about context. By having, by providing you, the user, with a clear context that is divided into concepts and ideas that that our brain is more familiar with—tasks and deadlines, calendar, data that is coming from different places—the context helps beyond just I won’t I don’t want to say beyond our imagination, but it’s surprising how putting things in different contexts helps you just see the data faster and make decisions quicker. So, clarity is a result of that contextual look into the same data, and by clarity means that your your errors are are are less, you’ll make less mistakes, and and you will be able to make better decisions. Of course, we can get carried away and still make those dashboards really complicated, but those are best practices that I would say we should start simple, small, seeing our messages, again, the tasks, and and the data that is coming from, uh, if if you’re using CRM, if you’re using finance information, to put them in one dashboard where the data is is kind of gelled into each other. Leland McFarland: Perfect. So, Vani is a new tool. It was just announced last month, and we we actually got to sit down with Arthi to to be able to do an interview with that, and it seems like a really great tool. And it’s been announced that it’s been incorporated into Zoho One. So, for small businesses with a distributed or hybrid team, what does Vani enable that they didn’t have before? What does it bring to the table for a small business? Ali Shabdar: I’m very glad that we added Vani to Zoho One. It’s one of my favorite apps, I used it since pre-beta when it was still not quite stable. But now it has grown into a full-on product. I’ll I’ll tell you about our idea and why we added it, and also I’ll share you my own experience as a user, not a user that works for a large company, this the scenario also applies for smaller setups. We did not have any tool in our Zoho One platform that allowed teams and even individuals to create content that was about ideate on content and collaborate. We use Writer, drafting things, you know, collaborating live, probably use some we got on Meetings and and all. But Vani allows you to create ideas, put them on digital paper. If you’re doing a brainstorming session with your with your team or with yourself, putting a diagram, a mind map. If you’re working on a draft of your next invitation to your next event or or a flyer, you don’t need fancy graphic design software, especially if you’re not a designer or you do not have designers because you have a small business. You can ideate on Vani, have as many collaborators as you want, and and then do whatever you want with with the output. We did not have such thing in Zoho One, so I I think we the addition makes Zoho One more complete in terms of helping teams work better with each other. And some of the practical examples: we have our internal magazine, Zoho Business Pulse, and I saw the team actually putting the draft design on Vani and sharing it with respective team members. We could have done this in some other expensive software, which we have access to, but out of the box, because everybody is on Zoho One, and this could be a company of 10,000, 20,000, or a company of five, because everybody has access to the same platform, you just share the document. You you open a space on Vani, you ideate, you put your magazine ideas, and then me, as one of the members, I can go in and share a comment about, can we move this a bit to the right, without even touching the the content, actually, leave a comment and get out. And whoever is in charge of that content, they can take my feedback, use it or not, it’s their decision, of course. So, long story short, probably we added the best collaborative ideation tool that we have till date to Zoho One. Now, somebody might use Canva, somebody might use Miro, Visio, all of those are available, they have their own capabilities, some of them are cool, really cool packages. But you’re getting this product as a part of Zoho One. All you need to do is use it. You already are familiar with with the interface, you’re not paying anything extra, and it integrates with everything else as well. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so let’s move on to Native Integrations and Security. Small businesses often mix many tools together, leading to disjointed workflows. How does Zoho One’s new approach to native integration help reduce that fragmentation? Ali Shabdar: This is an excellent point and and often overlooked point, because security, first of all, is not in the back of our mind. Secondly, we usually are not skilled enough, so we can just forget about it until something bad happens. We want to solve that challenge as much as possible for the user, for the customer, without getting them involved in the technicalities. So bringing native integrations to Zoho One is in line with that with that strategy. I’m sure you’ve seen the demo in previous sessions of how Zoho Directory actually took everything to the next level. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. We are using it in the background as users. However, I saw all these features where you can integrate, of course, Zoho to Zoho products, no problem. Zoho to third-party product, still not a problem. But there’s a much tighter grip on the security and how things work. And then third-party to third-party integrations. So, you can bring both of your third-party products within Zoho Directory, which is the underlying layer of of Zoho One, and the entire platform, and then make sure that you’re on top of that integration and nothing bad happens there. Of course, there’s a bit of Zoho admin knowledge needed, but you don’t need to be an IT person, you don’t need to be a data scientist for that matter. It’s really intuitive, just a quick look will logically explain everything to you and and you’ll be able to do those things. I think Directory has grown leaps and bounds compared to how it was for the users even a week ago. The team has been working really hard on on adding those features, one of them is is what you mentioned, and that’s integration and security. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so the the press release that you guys put out mentioned Unified Portals. How is this different from traditional integration or dashboards, and what pain points does it solve for small teams? Ali Shabdar: I think again, it’s about context. Until now, portals were there again, it looked to me as a user as a bundle of apps present together in an environment. Now, I can easily find myself forgetting about those barriers between certain apps and just look at them as concepts. I want to do X, I want to check my day, I want to work on my projects, I want to work on my finance. So, we move from product-focused workflows into context-focused workflows. And and the portals and the interface is trying to communicate that and drive that behavior for the users. Now, mind you, this is the best version we can come up with so far, but I’m sure that our users, starting today, we’ve officially launched it, are going to come back to us with a lot of comments and and and tell us how it can be improved. We can’t wait to hear from our users and our partners how we can take this to the next level. Leland McFarland: All right, perfect. All right, and final question in the native integration and security. So we have Smart Off-boarding, which sounds particularly useful to SMBs that lack a robust IT department. How would this feature protect small businesses during employee transitions? Ali Shabdar: Not a favorite feature of mine. I remember probably five or six years ago, talking with a customer who had multiple different products. They were using a couple of Zoho products, but most of their stack was outside Zoho, and they did not use Zoho One. And they realized, one of their marketers, who departed, left the organization almost a year before. Of course, they removed their access from their email, the first, you know, obvious thing is, okay, remove the access to email and CRM. But they still had access to the entire marketing stack, including the Facebook accounts and other things. Thankfully, nothing bad happened, but you know, you don’t want to wake up one day and see that some somebody had access to your speakerphone, which is your marketing channel, or to your financial information. Now, Zoho One again tries to reduce that risk by allowing you to just disable one user account, and boom, boom, boom, their access is gone from all the products. This was existing. But now, if if you open the Zoho One, well, in the back end, in the admin space, you can see off-boarding. You start the off-boarding process, it takes you through a checklist of, of course, removing app access, software access, changing the reporting structure. Imagine if the person was a manager, and a couple of other people were reporting to the person. You can choose the new reporting structure, a bunch of other settings, and I need to remember how many, probably more than 10 different items in that checklist, where you slowly remove everything, terminating their accesses and all of that. And of course, all the legal considerations also happen in that space. So you make sure that the person is off-boarded in the best way possible, hopefully in good terms, so you can have a good conversation, log all the experience as well, and making sure that there is not a single gap left when the person is moved down from your organization. The admin space is is really great, really intuitive. Leland McFarland: All right, that sounds very useful and really good when it comes to security, especially when you know, if if an employee doesn’t leave on good terms, you want to make sure that they can’t cause any damage on their way out. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, moving on to Zia and your AI. Small teams typically work across multiple apps, email, CRM, documents. How does Zia help unify this data so they spend less time searching and more time acting? Ali Shabdar: Right out of the box, because you’re using Zoho One, which means all the apps, all the products are integrated. When you open, ask Zia textbox, and you ask any question, it’ll pull data from across your your entire stack. So if you’re checking, “tell me more about Ali”. The data is pulled from CRM if I’m your contact, if we had some ongoing deals in the past year or so, if there are notes about what kind of prospect I was. If I’m a customer, it pulls data from Desk where it can show you some of the recent tickets. If if I’m an employee or a contractor, it can pull data from HR, from Projects. So you get an almost immediate full picture about the question you have to the system. Of course, you can pull data the pull information that that rely on data about sales seasonalities and sales data and analytics and all of that. But to me, if I want to, let’s say, I’m about to get on a call with you, and I don’t remember much because the last time we spoke was three months or six months ago, or I’m somebody handed over your your your account to me, I’m just going to ask, “tell me more about Leland”. And it’s it’s going to give me whatever information we have about you. And the good thing is, not only it’s pretty accurate today, but also it’s learning more and more and more. So it’s not just one snapshot in in the history. So if I ask the same question two weeks from now, and if there’s a development in our relationship, from the point of data, then the information will be different. So, and and I think in the past couple of years, most of us have learned to talk to AI more or less. It is in English, but sometimes you have to be more specific to come up with the prompt. I I see Zia to be quite forgiving when it comes to writing a prompt. It understands you fairly easily. You don’t have to really get very regimented in formulating your sentence. Again, productivity. Leland McFarland: Nice. And that really does sound nice, not having to open up 50 different apps to get 50 different pieces of information and then bring them together manually or anything like that. Just having Zia pull it out automatically just sounds like a dream. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, so wrapping it up. With these updates, where do you see Zoho One heading in the next few years, especially in supporting small businesses growth? Ali Shabdar: Our focus is small businesses, multi-medium businesses, especially when it comes to, you know, development of Zoho One features. And we want to we want to make sure Zoho One gets out of the way of the customers, the users as much as possible. The best technology is invisible technology. So, if you can open the environment, if it’s a Spaces in five years, or it’s something else, or if it’s constantly, you know, on call to listen to you, to to be able to not only answer your questions, give your data in the best way possible, visually clear and all of that, but also become more and more proactive and, you know, kind of tap on your shoulder and remind you of things. The things you know that you don’t know, and the things that you didn’t know that you did not know. So I think again, simplification, more context. In the age of AI, the focus on human-computer interface is even more because the the lines are blurring. We are entering an age where we are literally talking to our computers, to our machines, and where where our workspace is becoming hybrid. By hybrid, I’m not talking about remote work. I’m talking about having digital colleagues, digital employees, where probably my my copywriter, my social media marketer, or a bunch of other people are actually agents. So we are moving towards that space with Zia Agents, with Ask Zia, with Zia as a whole empowering the entire platform. Today, if I want to use the overused iceberg cliché, you see the tip of Zoho, is Zia. A lot of it is is hidden with with the things it does in the background. It’s been doing for a long time before LLM advent. And we want to keep it that way. We want Zia to be there when you need it, but do a good bunch of things in the background and help you more and more to focus on what matters: doing your business and and scaling. Leland McFarland: Sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see what comes next. I I’ve got to dive into what you’ve got put out now a little bit more for myself, but it’s it’s very interesting to see where Zoho is going with Zoho One. And you’re just adding more and more to it, making it such a good value, especially at what was it, $37 per person, I think it is? Ali Shabdar: It is. Leland McFarland: Yeah, I got that right. It’s it’s insane. That’s less than like a dollar an app. But perfect. Thank you for coming on. That’s all I got for you. And and yeah, thank you for for sharing. Ali Shabdar: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Stepping back from this conversation with Ali, what stands out to me most is how much of Zoho One’s roadmap revolves around a simple, almost old-fashioned idea: get out of the user’s way. Small business owners don’t wake up excited about integrations, dashboards, or AI prompts. They care about finishing projects on time, serving customers well, protecting their data, and keeping costs predictable. The updates we discussed—Spaces for contextual work, more intuitive action panels and navigation, unified dashboards, Vani for collaborative ideation, stronger native integrations, and Smart Off-boarding—are all attempts to turn those goals into something the software quietly supports in the background. From my perspective, a few themes matter for small businesses. First, context is becoming just as important as features. Whether it’s viewing all your deadlines through a single calendar, or seeing customer information pulled together in one Zia query, the value lies in how quickly you can understand what’s going on and act on it. Second, security and governance can’t be “someday” topics anymore. Tools like Zoho Directory and Smart Off-boarding may not feel glamorous, but they directly address real risks around user access and fragmented stacks—problems that hit small teams hardest when something goes wrong. Finally, the way Zoho talks about Zia and “digital colleagues” hints at where small business software is heading: toward AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but anticipates needs, nudges you with timely insights, and handles more of the repetitive mental load. We’re still early in that journey, and there will be a learning curve for every team. But if Zoho One continues down the path Ali describes—more unification, more simplicity, more invisible intelligence—then the real opportunity for small businesses is not just saving a few hours a week. It’s being able to run a modern, data-driven operation without needing an enterprise-level IT department or a budget to match. As I continue to dig into these updates hands-on, that’s the lens I’ll use: does this help small business owners focus more on their business—and less on the spaghetti of software behind it? This article, "Interview with Ali Shabdar: Zoho One’s Big Update for Small Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When I talk with small business owners about their tech stack, I hear the same frustrations over and over: too many apps, too many logins, and not enough time to make sense of all the data scattered across them. Instead of technology simplifying their day, it often feels like they’re spending half their week just stitching tools together, chasing down information, and trying to keep everything secure with limited IT support. At the same time, the pressure to “do more with less” keeps rising—especially as AI, remote work, and customer expectations all move faster than most small teams can reasonably keep up with. That’s why I wanted to sit down with someone who lives at the intersection of product strategy and real-world business needs. In this conversation, I talk with Ali Shabdar, Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho, about a major new update to Zoho One, the company’s all-in-one operating system for business. Over the course of our discussion, we dive into how Zoho is trying to move from a bundle of apps to a true unified platform, what that means for day-to-day workflows, and how features like Spaces, Unified Dashboards, Vani, native integrations, smarter security, and Zia AI aim to cut complexity instead of adding to it. If you run a small business or lead a lean team, the details matter: how your calendar connects to your projects, how you off-board a departing employee without leaving security gaps, and how you get a meaningful snapshot of customers or sales without becoming a data analyst. Ali and I explore those very practical pain points through the lens of Zoho One’s latest changes. In the transcript below, you’ll see how Zoho is positioning these updates—not just as “new features,” but as steps toward making technology more invisible, so you can spend more time serving customers and growing your business, and less time wrestling with software. Leland McFarland: All right, I am here with Ali from Zoho. We have some brand-new news coming out of Zoho, involving Zoho One, and we’re going to talk with Ali about all of this and see what he has to say about it. All right, Ali, great to have you on. Why don’t you start off by introducing yourself and telling what you do at Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great to be here, Leland, and with your audience. My name is Ali Shabdar, I’m the Director of Strategic Growth at Zoho. Leland McFarland: All right, thank you. So from a small business perspective, what problems is Zoho trying to solve with this new major update to Zoho? Ali Shabdar: Great question, and let me go back a little bit. It’s been almost eight years, full eight years, since we launched Zoho One. We had a number of products that each served parts or entire parts of the funnel, a function, or an activity like sales, marketing, etc., etc.. And we decided at some point to bundle these up for a number of reasons. Number one was to reduce complexity. One of the main issues of any business of any size—could be a solopreneur to even an enterprise—is that we end up dealing with a lot of products, with a lot of software, to solve our day-to-day problems or our long-term problems. The promise of technology was to make our lives easier, but in the past quarter century, I can remember, that technology actually made things more complex in a lot of cases. Which means we have to throw more technology at the existing technology to make it less complex. So Zoho One’s promise was to remove that complexity by starting with bundling products together. And this bundle allows the user to have a singular view toward multiple functions that they might be dealing with. At the executive level, you’re looking at your entire business, almost live, and being able to connect the dots from your sales pipeline, to your cash flow, to your marketing activities, etc., etc., depending on what you’re doing. In the eight years, one of the key tenets of our progress with Zoho One was to remove that complexity even more. So, moving from a bundle of products, bundle of apps, to a unified platform. That unification where the products talk to each other better and better, they’re tightly integrated out of the box. So you don’t need to worry about connecting sales to the finance function; it just works. And then that means that your data gets tighter and tighter, clearer and clearer. Data hygiene and data governance also gets better. These are scary, scary labels, as SMBs might not worry about data governance, but what I mean is that you have all your data in the same place. We all know what single source of truth is. We want to open one cupboard, one wardrobe, and have everything there, and that’s what Zoho One is doing with your data: putting it all next to each other and giving it a context based on the lens you want to be looking at that entire system that is helping you to run your business. So it’s been an evolution, again, from bundle to a unified platform where everything is connected, and a small business goes back to what they need to do: working on their products and services, making their customers happy, rather than dealing with connecting technology together and having what we call the spaghetti solution—multiple vendors, multiple products, multiple invoices, so many support teams. You just deal with Zoho, and that’s about it. Leland McFarland: Great. So, I mean, yeah, that’s going to hopefully save small businesses a whole bunch of time, a whole bunch of money, and a lot of whole bunch of effort. So diving into some of the changes that you’ve done, one aspect was in user experience and productivity. How many small businesses struggle with many small businesses struggle with app overload. How does this new Spaces concept simplify daily workflows for a small team? Ali Shabdar: Great question. So, again, moving toward the same direction, it is all about context and simplification, as you said. Now, I’ll give you an example, a calendar. As any knowledge worker, regardless of who you are, you’re the business owner, you’re the CEO, or you’re one of the knowledge-working team, you’re doing sales, you’re answering emails, calendar is an inseparable part of our lives. Without a calendar, I can’t live an organized life at all. Now, if if I’m a user working for again, any company of any size, imagine I have my Zoho Calendar where my meetings are, where Zoho meeting links are going. Then there might be a calendar that comes from Zoho Projects if I’m working on certain projects with a number of other team members, internal or external. If I’m collaborating with my own close team, I might have some Kanban lists, which are again with deadlines and all, as another calendar on Zoho Connect. But all I care about is a calendar. I just want a view to my all my tasks, all my deadlines in one singular place. So Spaces allows you to basically bring all of those together and see everything from through one lens: the lens of the calendar. Now, another part of Spaces, which I personally appreciate and I could see on my day-to-day it added to my productivity, is the idea of having your personal space and your organizational space. Like the way I live in my house, we have the living room, we have the kitchen, where this is more of a place of gathering, the rest of the family and friends there, we converse, we do things, we cook together. And then there’s the bedroom for, it’s a personal space, or there’s my office. And then there’s the bathroom, more, of course, more personal. So, the division here into two major spaces or the context or areas, if you will, of personal and organizational, allows me to quickly switch between Click, Connect, Email, and my Vault where I keep my passwords, versus a Connect versus Projects or our expense management, which is more of an organizational thing. So, again, same products, different lenses, which allows my subconscious mind to work faster and connect the dots better. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, moving on to Action Panels and Quick Navigation features. What practical gains might a small business owner see from these new features? Ali Shabdar: I think the the most visible improvement is the fact that they are more accessible, more visible, and organized in a more intuitive way. So, you can, of course, make modifications, but everything boils down into better access to what you already have in a more logical way. It’s more organized. Leland McFarland: Awesome. So, dashboards can be overwhelming for a non-technical user. How does the new Unified Dashboard help a small business owner get actionable insights without needing a data analyst? Ali Shabdar: I hope no small business owner needs a dedicated data analyst, but that could be good news for expansion and scaling. But again, I’ll go back to the point that I mentioned: it’s again about context. By having, by providing you, the user, with a clear context that is divided into concepts and ideas that that our brain is more familiar with—tasks and deadlines, calendar, data that is coming from different places—the context helps beyond just I won’t I don’t want to say beyond our imagination, but it’s surprising how putting things in different contexts helps you just see the data faster and make decisions quicker. So, clarity is a result of that contextual look into the same data, and by clarity means that your your errors are are are less, you’ll make less mistakes, and and you will be able to make better decisions. Of course, we can get carried away and still make those dashboards really complicated, but those are best practices that I would say we should start simple, small, seeing our messages, again, the tasks, and and the data that is coming from, uh, if if you’re using CRM, if you’re using finance information, to put them in one dashboard where the data is is kind of gelled into each other. Leland McFarland: Perfect. So, Vani is a new tool. It was just announced last month, and we we actually got to sit down with Arthi to to be able to do an interview with that, and it seems like a really great tool. And it’s been announced that it’s been incorporated into Zoho One. So, for small businesses with a distributed or hybrid team, what does Vani enable that they didn’t have before? What does it bring to the table for a small business? Ali Shabdar: I’m very glad that we added Vani to Zoho One. It’s one of my favorite apps, I used it since pre-beta when it was still not quite stable. But now it has grown into a full-on product. I’ll I’ll tell you about our idea and why we added it, and also I’ll share you my own experience as a user, not a user that works for a large company, this the scenario also applies for smaller setups. We did not have any tool in our Zoho One platform that allowed teams and even individuals to create content that was about ideate on content and collaborate. We use Writer, drafting things, you know, collaborating live, probably use some we got on Meetings and and all. But Vani allows you to create ideas, put them on digital paper. If you’re doing a brainstorming session with your with your team or with yourself, putting a diagram, a mind map. If you’re working on a draft of your next invitation to your next event or or a flyer, you don’t need fancy graphic design software, especially if you’re not a designer or you do not have designers because you have a small business. You can ideate on Vani, have as many collaborators as you want, and and then do whatever you want with with the output. We did not have such thing in Zoho One, so I I think we the addition makes Zoho One more complete in terms of helping teams work better with each other. And some of the practical examples: we have our internal magazine, Zoho Business Pulse, and I saw the team actually putting the draft design on Vani and sharing it with respective team members. We could have done this in some other expensive software, which we have access to, but out of the box, because everybody is on Zoho One, and this could be a company of 10,000, 20,000, or a company of five, because everybody has access to the same platform, you just share the document. You you open a space on Vani, you ideate, you put your magazine ideas, and then me, as one of the members, I can go in and share a comment about, can we move this a bit to the right, without even touching the the content, actually, leave a comment and get out. And whoever is in charge of that content, they can take my feedback, use it or not, it’s their decision, of course. So, long story short, probably we added the best collaborative ideation tool that we have till date to Zoho One. Now, somebody might use Canva, somebody might use Miro, Visio, all of those are available, they have their own capabilities, some of them are cool, really cool packages. But you’re getting this product as a part of Zoho One. All you need to do is use it. You already are familiar with with the interface, you’re not paying anything extra, and it integrates with everything else as well. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so let’s move on to Native Integrations and Security. Small businesses often mix many tools together, leading to disjointed workflows. How does Zoho One’s new approach to native integration help reduce that fragmentation? Ali Shabdar: This is an excellent point and and often overlooked point, because security, first of all, is not in the back of our mind. Secondly, we usually are not skilled enough, so we can just forget about it until something bad happens. We want to solve that challenge as much as possible for the user, for the customer, without getting them involved in the technicalities. So bringing native integrations to Zoho One is in line with that with that strategy. I’m sure you’ve seen the demo in previous sessions of how Zoho Directory actually took everything to the next level. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. We are using it in the background as users. However, I saw all these features where you can integrate, of course, Zoho to Zoho products, no problem. Zoho to third-party product, still not a problem. But there’s a much tighter grip on the security and how things work. And then third-party to third-party integrations. So, you can bring both of your third-party products within Zoho Directory, which is the underlying layer of of Zoho One, and the entire platform, and then make sure that you’re on top of that integration and nothing bad happens there. Of course, there’s a bit of Zoho admin knowledge needed, but you don’t need to be an IT person, you don’t need to be a data scientist for that matter. It’s really intuitive, just a quick look will logically explain everything to you and and you’ll be able to do those things. I think Directory has grown leaps and bounds compared to how it was for the users even a week ago. The team has been working really hard on on adding those features, one of them is is what you mentioned, and that’s integration and security. Leland McFarland: Perfect. All right, so the the press release that you guys put out mentioned Unified Portals. How is this different from traditional integration or dashboards, and what pain points does it solve for small teams? Ali Shabdar: I think again, it’s about context. Until now, portals were there again, it looked to me as a user as a bundle of apps present together in an environment. Now, I can easily find myself forgetting about those barriers between certain apps and just look at them as concepts. I want to do X, I want to check my day, I want to work on my projects, I want to work on my finance. So, we move from product-focused workflows into context-focused workflows. And and the portals and the interface is trying to communicate that and drive that behavior for the users. Now, mind you, this is the best version we can come up with so far, but I’m sure that our users, starting today, we’ve officially launched it, are going to come back to us with a lot of comments and and and tell us how it can be improved. We can’t wait to hear from our users and our partners how we can take this to the next level. Leland McFarland: All right, perfect. All right, and final question in the native integration and security. So we have Smart Off-boarding, which sounds particularly useful to SMBs that lack a robust IT department. How would this feature protect small businesses during employee transitions? Ali Shabdar: Not a favorite feature of mine. I remember probably five or six years ago, talking with a customer who had multiple different products. They were using a couple of Zoho products, but most of their stack was outside Zoho, and they did not use Zoho One. And they realized, one of their marketers, who departed, left the organization almost a year before. Of course, they removed their access from their email, the first, you know, obvious thing is, okay, remove the access to email and CRM. But they still had access to the entire marketing stack, including the Facebook accounts and other things. Thankfully, nothing bad happened, but you know, you don’t want to wake up one day and see that some somebody had access to your speakerphone, which is your marketing channel, or to your financial information. Now, Zoho One again tries to reduce that risk by allowing you to just disable one user account, and boom, boom, boom, their access is gone from all the products. This was existing. But now, if if you open the Zoho One, well, in the back end, in the admin space, you can see off-boarding. You start the off-boarding process, it takes you through a checklist of, of course, removing app access, software access, changing the reporting structure. Imagine if the person was a manager, and a couple of other people were reporting to the person. You can choose the new reporting structure, a bunch of other settings, and I need to remember how many, probably more than 10 different items in that checklist, where you slowly remove everything, terminating their accesses and all of that. And of course, all the legal considerations also happen in that space. So you make sure that the person is off-boarded in the best way possible, hopefully in good terms, so you can have a good conversation, log all the experience as well, and making sure that there is not a single gap left when the person is moved down from your organization. The admin space is is really great, really intuitive. Leland McFarland: All right, that sounds very useful and really good when it comes to security, especially when you know, if if an employee doesn’t leave on good terms, you want to make sure that they can’t cause any damage on their way out. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, moving on to Zia and your AI. Small teams typically work across multiple apps, email, CRM, documents. How does Zia help unify this data so they spend less time searching and more time acting? Ali Shabdar: Right out of the box, because you’re using Zoho One, which means all the apps, all the products are integrated. When you open, ask Zia textbox, and you ask any question, it’ll pull data from across your your entire stack. So if you’re checking, “tell me more about Ali”. The data is pulled from CRM if I’m your contact, if we had some ongoing deals in the past year or so, if there are notes about what kind of prospect I was. If I’m a customer, it pulls data from Desk where it can show you some of the recent tickets. If if I’m an employee or a contractor, it can pull data from HR, from Projects. So you get an almost immediate full picture about the question you have to the system. Of course, you can pull data the pull information that that rely on data about sales seasonalities and sales data and analytics and all of that. But to me, if I want to, let’s say, I’m about to get on a call with you, and I don’t remember much because the last time we spoke was three months or six months ago, or I’m somebody handed over your your your account to me, I’m just going to ask, “tell me more about Leland”. And it’s it’s going to give me whatever information we have about you. And the good thing is, not only it’s pretty accurate today, but also it’s learning more and more and more. So it’s not just one snapshot in in the history. So if I ask the same question two weeks from now, and if there’s a development in our relationship, from the point of data, then the information will be different. So, and and I think in the past couple of years, most of us have learned to talk to AI more or less. It is in English, but sometimes you have to be more specific to come up with the prompt. I I see Zia to be quite forgiving when it comes to writing a prompt. It understands you fairly easily. You don’t have to really get very regimented in formulating your sentence. Again, productivity. Leland McFarland: Nice. And that really does sound nice, not having to open up 50 different apps to get 50 different pieces of information and then bring them together manually or anything like that. Just having Zia pull it out automatically just sounds like a dream. Ali Shabdar: Absolutely. Leland McFarland: All right, so wrapping it up. With these updates, where do you see Zoho One heading in the next few years, especially in supporting small businesses growth? Ali Shabdar: Our focus is small businesses, multi-medium businesses, especially when it comes to, you know, development of Zoho One features. And we want to we want to make sure Zoho One gets out of the way of the customers, the users as much as possible. The best technology is invisible technology. So, if you can open the environment, if it’s a Spaces in five years, or it’s something else, or if it’s constantly, you know, on call to listen to you, to to be able to not only answer your questions, give your data in the best way possible, visually clear and all of that, but also become more and more proactive and, you know, kind of tap on your shoulder and remind you of things. The things you know that you don’t know, and the things that you didn’t know that you did not know. So I think again, simplification, more context. In the age of AI, the focus on human-computer interface is even more because the the lines are blurring. We are entering an age where we are literally talking to our computers, to our machines, and where where our workspace is becoming hybrid. By hybrid, I’m not talking about remote work. I’m talking about having digital colleagues, digital employees, where probably my my copywriter, my social media marketer, or a bunch of other people are actually agents. So we are moving towards that space with Zia Agents, with Ask Zia, with Zia as a whole empowering the entire platform. Today, if I want to use the overused iceberg cliché, you see the tip of Zoho, is Zia. A lot of it is is hidden with with the things it does in the background. It’s been doing for a long time before LLM advent. And we want to keep it that way. We want Zia to be there when you need it, but do a good bunch of things in the background and help you more and more to focus on what matters: doing your business and and scaling. Leland McFarland: Sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see what comes next. I I’ve got to dive into what you’ve got put out now a little bit more for myself, but it’s it’s very interesting to see where Zoho is going with Zoho One. And you’re just adding more and more to it, making it such a good value, especially at what was it, $37 per person, I think it is? Ali Shabdar: It is. Leland McFarland: Yeah, I got that right. It’s it’s insane. That’s less than like a dollar an app. But perfect. Thank you for coming on. That’s all I got for you. And and yeah, thank you for for sharing. Ali Shabdar: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Stepping back from this conversation with Ali, what stands out to me most is how much of Zoho One’s roadmap revolves around a simple, almost old-fashioned idea: get out of the user’s way. Small business owners don’t wake up excited about integrations, dashboards, or AI prompts. They care about finishing projects on time, serving customers well, protecting their data, and keeping costs predictable. The updates we discussed—Spaces for contextual work, more intuitive action panels and navigation, unified dashboards, Vani for collaborative ideation, stronger native integrations, and Smart Off-boarding—are all attempts to turn those goals into something the software quietly supports in the background. From my perspective, a few themes matter for small businesses. First, context is becoming just as important as features. Whether it’s viewing all your deadlines through a single calendar, or seeing customer information pulled together in one Zia query, the value lies in how quickly you can understand what’s going on and act on it. Second, security and governance can’t be “someday” topics anymore. Tools like Zoho Directory and Smart Off-boarding may not feel glamorous, but they directly address real risks around user access and fragmented stacks—problems that hit small teams hardest when something goes wrong. Finally, the way Zoho talks about Zia and “digital colleagues” hints at where small business software is heading: toward AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but anticipates needs, nudges you with timely insights, and handles more of the repetitive mental load. We’re still early in that journey, and there will be a learning curve for every team. But if Zoho One continues down the path Ali describes—more unification, more simplicity, more invisible intelligence—then the real opportunity for small businesses is not just saving a few hours a week. It’s being able to run a modern, data-driven operation without needing an enterprise-level IT department or a budget to match. As I continue to dig into these updates hands-on, that’s the lens I’ll use: does this help small business owners focus more on their business—and less on the spaghetti of software behind it? This article, "Interview with Ali Shabdar: Zoho One’s Big Update for Small Business" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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