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Every night some 74,000 gallons (280,000 liters) of water are frozen at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. The hospital used to get all of its air conditioning from a conventional system found in most U.S. buildings, but now 27 tanks of ice sustain a network of cold-water pipes keeping operating rooms at safe temperatures and patients comfortable. This type of thermal energy storage, also known as ice batteries, is being added to buildings in the U.S. for its ability to provide cool air without releasing planet-warming emissions. These systems cut electricity usage and lower the strain on the grid. With rising temperatures and the growing demand for electricity in the U.S., ice thermal energy storage offers a sustainable option for cooling buildings. Trane Technologies, a company that makes heating and cooling equipment, says it has seen a growing demand for this technology over the past few years. Its ice batteries are mostly used in schools as well as commercial and government buildings. Nostromo Energy, another company that makes ice batteries, is pursuing customers among energy-intensive data centers that have high cooling demands. Smaller systems are also made for homes by companies such as Ice Energy. Tanks of ice thaw to create air conditioning Ice thermal energy storage technology varies between manufacturers, but each follows a similar concept: At night, when electricity from the grid is at its cheapest, water is frozen into ice that thaws the next day to cool the building. The ice chills water that is circulating through pipes in the building, absorbing heat from the rooms and creating a cooling effect. Air cooled by the system is then pushed through vents. Norton Audubon Hospital uses a Trane ice battery system. Trane said its ice batteries are often used alongside traditional air conditioning, and the ice-based cooling is used to lower energy costs during peak demand times. The traditional AC components are typically left in place or downsized when ice batteries are added. The stored ice doesn’t require energy to thaw, which reduces the strain on the grid and minimizes the building’s electricity usage, ultimately lowering monthly bills. “Storing energy for further uses is where we’re going with the future of the grid,” said Ted Tiffany, senior technical lead at the Building Decarbonization Coalition. He said access to air conditioning is a major public health need that is being exacerbated by a warming planet, and ice batteries are a sustainable way to address health risks associated with extreme heat. Energy costs at Norton Audubon were $278,000 lower for the first year the ice battery system was in operation after it was installed 2018. The hospital estimates that the system and other energy-saving measures have saved it nearly $4 million since 2016. “The technology has been awesome for us,” said Anthony Mathis, a Norton Healthcare executive who oversees sustainability. He said he receives inquiries from other building operators about the technology and thinks more facilities will adopt it as awareness grows. Using ice to meet growing energy demands Experts on sustainable energy say ice thermal energy storage is among the options commercial buildings can use to reduce electricity demand or store excess energy. Some commercial buildings use lithium batteries, which can store excess solar or wind energy that are available intermittently. Dustin Mulvaney, environmental studies professor at San Jose State University, said ice batteries are a sensible option for health care settings and senior homes because lithium batteries can pose a fire risk. Manufacturers also see opportunities in data centers, which are increasing in number to support artificial intelligence and have high energy and cooling needs. A December report from the Department of Energy found that data centers consumed more than 4% of the electricity in the country in 2023 and that number could grow up to 12% by 2028. “Data centers are very energy-hungry and about 30% to 40% of their energy use is for cooling … that’s where a solution like ours could really help,” said Yoram Ashery, CEO of Nostromo Energy. Nostromo Energy said it is discussing deals to install its systems with several large data center operators, but declined to provide further details. Its ice battery technology is also used at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California. California is currently the biggest market for this technology because the grid there uses a lot of solar power during the day but switches to polluting energy sources such as natural gas after the sun sets. Ice batteries can be used for air conditioning in the late afternoon and evening instead of drawing from the grid. “A lot of utilities are really interested in this type of load-shifting technology,” said Joe Raasch, chief operating officer at Ice Energy, another ice thermal energy storage company. He said summer is typically the most expensive time for utilities to operate because of the air conditioning demand. “It’s really great technology that the grid really needs because so much of the future electric load is driven by cooling,” said Raasch. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Isabella O’Malley, Associated Press View the full article

Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. The October Amazon Prime Day is a great time to consider swapping your current phone for a shiny new model. I'm seeing discounts across a lot of the big names in smartphones—and having spent over a decade reviewing handsets, these are my current picks. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7Samsung's latest and greatest flip foldable only came out in July, but that hasn't stopped Amazon from discounting the 256GB model by 23%—it's now $849.99 rather than $1,099.99, in a choice of three colors. Go up to 512GB and you'll pay more ($919.99) but the discount is greater (25%). Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 $849.99 at Amazon $1,099.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $849.99 at Amazon $1,099.99 Save $250.00 As per price trackers, it's the lowest this phone has ever been, and you can't get a flip foldable from the likes of Google or Apple. The handset boasts a 6.9-inch main display and a 4.1-inch cover screen and a dual-lens rear camera, and is powered by the Samsung Exynos 2500 processor. Google Pixel 10Speaking of recently launched Android handsets now being sold for their lowest price yet, here's the Google Pixel 10. The 128GB version is down to $649 from $799. The 256GB model is now $749 rather than $899, a drop of 17%, so make your choice based on your budget and storage needs. Google has brought a lot to the table with the new Pixel 10. There's an upgraded triple-lens rear camera system which includes 5x telephoto capabilities, a brighter screen (though the 6.3-inch size stays the same from the Pixel 9), and a larger capacity battery. There's also a stack of Gemini AI on board as well. Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraIf you prefer the Samsung flavor of Android, then the 512GB version of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is down a substantial 27% from its original price. This flagship will now cost you $1,029.98 rather than $1,419.99, as long as you pick the Whitesilver or Silverblue colors, and it's the lowest price we've seen to date. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra $1,029.98 at Amazon $1,419.99 Save $390.01 Get Deal Get Deal $1,029.98 at Amazon $1,419.99 Save $390.01 As our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review will tell you, this is a seriously powerful smartphone, leading the way for Samsung's flagships this year. You get a quad-lens rear camera, a super-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from Qualcomm, and of course the integrated S Pen stylus for even more functionality. Google Pixel 9aMaybe you don't need the power bump of the Pixel 10, or don't have a budget big enough for it—in which case the Google Pixel 9a might fit you perfectly instead. This perfectly capable mid-ranger is now down to $349 from $499 for the 128GB version. Google Pixel 9a $349.00 at Amazon $499.00 Save $150.00 Get Deal Get Deal $349.00 at Amazon $499.00 Save $150.00 The Pixel 9a is powered by the same Google Tensor G4 as the flagship Pixel 9 is, so it's no slouch, and you also get 8GB of RAM, a dual-lens rear camera, and all the latest Gemini AI bells and whistles. If you prefer the 256GB model of the Pixel 9a, it's now $449 instead of $599, which is a drop of 25%. OnePlus 13We're expecting the OnePlus 15 in the not-too-distant future, but that doesn't mean you should discount this hefty discount on the OnePlus 13. Despite the numbering, it only launched last year, and remains one of the most polished and powerful Android handsets around, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite on the inside. OnePlus 13 $849.99 at Amazon $999.99 Save $150.00 Get Deal Get Deal $849.99 at Amazon $999.99 Save $150.00 You can currently get the 512GB OnePlus 13 for $150 less than normal, which is a significant savings: It's $849.99 as part of the Prime Day sale, rather than $999.99. If you don't need as much storage, the 256GB version is down to $749.99 from $899.99, a reduction of 17%. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. Over the years, I've subjected my ears to more headphones and earbuds than I care to admit, and they're not all winners. But these are. In my opinion, here are the best deals on headphones right now. The best Prime Day deals on headphones Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones (Blue) $188.00 at Amazon $349.99 Save $161.99 Get Deal Get Deal $188.00 at Amazon $349.99 Save $161.99 The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a pretty old headset at this point, but it's no less capable. It has some of the best noise canceling around, in a slick, minimalist design. Right now it's down to $188, which is a downright steal compared to the newer XM6, which—even at $20 off—is still north of $400. Over in the Apple ecosystem, the Beats Studio Pro are down to $170 from their normal $350. These also have excellent noise cancellation, and include a built-in digital-to-analog converter (or DAC) over USB-C for when you want better audio quality than Bluetooth can provide. There are also solid deals on the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 for $35, the Beats Solo 4 headphones for $130, and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 noise-cancelling headphones for $230. The best Prime Day deals on gaming headsetsIf you're looking for something a bit more gaming-focused, the HyperX Cloud Mix 2 ($140) is one of my favorites. It can get a whopping 110 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode, has solid ANC in 2.4GHz mode, and comes with a handy slot inside the left ear cup to hold the low-profile USB-C adapter. I still can't get over how the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless—now down to $143—get well over 300 hours of battery life on a single charge. I thought this claim was absurd until I tested it and it actually beat the estimate by multiple days. After a few years of using these, I can say the faux leather on the headband is coming apart a bit, but for battery life this headset just can't be beat. There are also some great deals on SteelSeries' excellent DAC-powered Arctis Nova Pro for $264, the more budget-friendly Nova 7P for $120, and the stylish Razer Blackshark V2 Pro headphones for $130. The best Prime Day earbud deals Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds $169.99 at Amazon $249.00 Save $79.01 Get Deal Get Deal $169.99 at Amazon $249.00 Save $79.01 Almost every day, I use the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, but don't let the name fool you. They're not just for gaming. In fact, I can't recall the last time I used them for gaming, but if you want to, you can use them with any console. The Xbox version is $128, but even that's a misnomer. The Xbox version's USB-C dongle has a switch to enable Xbox compatibility, but in PC mode, it works with the PlayStation just fine. So save yourself some cash and get support for every platform. For Apple users, both the AirPods Pro 2 ($170), and the AirPods 4 ($119) are on sale right now. The former has somewhat better active noise cancellation and longer battery life, but the latter is no slouch in either department. Both get up to 30 hours with the use of the charging case, though the Pro 2 can do that with ANC on, while you might need to keep a close eye on ANC usage with the Airpods 4 to get comparable battery life. For the more budget-inclined, the Soundcore by Anker P20i earbuds are down to$18, and on the other end of the spectrum, the Beats Studio Buds+ are down to $150. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. One of my minor superpowers is noticing when things are just a little ... off. Loose screws, crooked pictures, missing bolts—they jump out at me, and once I notice them, I can’t walk away. I have to fix them immediately, if not sooner. My wife used to think it was weird, but since buying a house she’s come around, and now regards it as a blessing. She doesn’t have to worry about stuff breaking around here, because she knows it’ll get fixed before she can even mention it. You probably know someone like that, too (or you’re one yourself). And buying gifts for folks like us can be a challenge, because we already have all the tools. It’s a compulsion, really: Every DIY repair is an opportunity to research and acquire new toys. But if you need a quick gift for a DIYer like that, don’t worry—Prime Day has a deal for you. This multitool pen from RAK is perfect for the handy people, contractors, and DIY enthusiasts in your life, and it’s 31% off for Prime Day. Aside from being a pen, this tool is also: A flashlight A screwdriver A level A ruler A bottle opener (you’d be surprised how often this comes in handy) RAK Multitool Pen 2-Pack - Fathers Day Gift, Multi-Tool Pens with LED Light, Flathead & Phillips Screwdrivers, Level, Ruler, Bottle Opener, and Stylus. Cool Gadgets Gifts for Men, Dad, EDC Pen Tool $17.98 at Amazon $25.99 Save $8.01 Get Deal Get Deal $17.98 at Amazon $25.99 Save $8.01 What I like about it is that I can throw it in my bag and it works just as a pen, so I use it every day regardless—but when something needs a quick adjustment, or if I’ve forgotten to bring a specific tool with me when I’m doing a project, I can use this instead of trekking back to retrieve what I forgot. It’s a perfect gift for anyone who likes to tinker or do work around the house—and at 31% off for Prime Day, you can get one for yourself, too. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Microsoft is officially winding down its DSP, Microsoft Invest, and naming Amazon DSP as its preferred transition partner – a move that deepens ties between the two tech giants and reshapes Microsoft’s advertising strategy. Starting Feb. 28, 2026, Microsoft will sunset Microsoft Invest as it shifts focus to its core advertising products: Microsoft Advertising Platform, Monetize, and Curate. The company says the partnership with Amazon DSP will ensure advertisers experience a smooth transition and continue achieving performance goals. Why we care. Microsoft’s move to sunset its DSP and align with Amazon DSP means advertisers who use Microsoft Invest, will need to migrate campaigns, data, and workflows – but in return, they’ll gain access to Amazon’s powerful audience insights, premium inventory, and stronger performance capabilities across both Amazon and Microsoft ecosystems. The details. Microsoft Monetize will also join Amazon Ads’ Certified Supply Exchange program, enabling Amazon DSP advertisers to access premium Microsoft inventory and curated deals that combine Amazon shopping insights with Monetize’s supply. Publishers using Microsoft Monetize gain expanded access to high-quality demand and improved monetization efficiency. What they’re saying. Microsoft emphasized its commitment to supporting customers through the transition, calling Amazon DSP a “natural fit” for advertisers seeking scale, performance, and transparency. Bottom line. As Microsoft pivots toward conversational and AI-driven advertising, this collaboration offers advertisers a seamless bridge between the two platforms. View the full article

OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into more than a chatbot. The company’s latest update lets users access third-party apps (e.g., Spotify, Canva, Zillow, Expedia) directly inside conversations. Why we care. This shift could make ChatGPT a high-intent marketing channel, reaching 800 million users where they’re already engaging – in chat. How it works. Users can call apps by name (“Figma, turn this sketch into a diagram”) or ChatGPT can suggest them automatically based on context – like surfacing Booking.com when discussing travel. Apps act like actions, not separate tools, within ChatGPT’s conversational flow. OpenAI calls this a step toward a “conversational operating system” – one interface where users access software and services. What they’re saying. Nick Turley, ChatGPT’s product lead, described the goal: “If we can evolve ChatGPT the right way… maybe you’ll be spending a lot of time in ChatGPT. But it won’t feel like you’re in a chatbot.” The marketing angle. This platform play could turn ChatGPT into a valuable discovery and conversion engine for brands. Some potential upsides for marketers: Massive reach: 800 million users. Apps appear at the moment of intent. Contextual discovery: Brands show up naturally as users describe needs — not through search. Interactive experiences: The Apps SDK supports visuals and dynamic UIs. Zillow can show listings with maps; Canva can design in chat. What’s next. More brand integrations are coming – including Target, Uber, Peloton, and Instacart. Developers can start building now; OpenAI plans an app store and publishing reviews later this year. Apps meeting high design and functionality standards will get higher visibility. OpenAI also hinted at “agentic commerce” – one-click transactions powered by AI. It already tested in-chat Etsy shopping for U.S. users and is hiring for ad tech and attribution tools. The big picture. This evolution opens new paths to brand interaction, contextual engagement and possibly commerce – all within a single, AI-mediated interface. This gives marketers a chance to meet consumers where they act, not just where they search. OpenAI’s announcement. Introducing apps in ChatGPT and the new Apps SDK View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran sidestepped whether policy setting pressure from the administration is a welcomed development, but reiterated that he wants to avoid succumbing to "groupthink." View the full article

LeBron James had another “decision” to announce. Turns out, it was an ad. The Los Angeles Lakers star teased that he would have something to say Tuesday. The “decision” reference is a nod to how he announced in July 2010 that he was joining the Miami Heat. It was supposed to come out at noon Eastern, but Hennessy — the cognac brand that James has been partners with for some time — made the announcement public about 90 minutes ahead of schedule. James’ training schedule for the day changed, the brand said, necessitating the change in release plans. “This fall, I’m going to be taking my talents to Hennessy V.S.O.P,” James said in the clip. Even the wording he used in that announcement mirrored how he announced that he was joining the Heat 15 years ago with his infamous “take my talents to South Beach” line. Hennessy announced that it would be releasing a limited edition orange bottle featuring James’ name on the label and his signature “crowning” gesture — a nod to his “King James” moniker. “Where the first moment marked a pivotal career move, this second decision celebrates a creative reunion and shared cultural legacy,” Hennessy said in the release announcing the move. James teased the campaign by posting on X that he would be making “the decision of all decisions.” The short video shows him walking toward a chair, then taking a seat opposite another man seated a few feet away — mildly reminiscent of the setup for his first “decision” when he sat opposite broadcaster Jim Gray for a televised announcement of the news that he was joining the Heat. Social media went wild with speculation after the Monday post, as would be expected. James — the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — turns 41 in December and is not only the NBA’s oldest current player but also is about to set a record by appearing in his 23rd season in the league. He is not under contract past this season, which prompted obvious wondering if this would be how he announces a retirement plan. Ticket prices for the Lakers’ final regular season game in April soared on Monday on secondary markets, with fans willing to spend big money just in case James does decide that this season is his last. There were also many guesses on social media — correct ones, it turned out — that the latest “decision” would be James participating in an ad campaign of some sort. “I like my decision,” James says at the end of the ad. View the full article

At SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite unveiled its latest AI-driven innovation designed to help subscription-based businesses—especially those in the SaaS and technology sectors—gain sharper visibility into their financial and operational performance. The new solution, NetSuite Subscription Metrics, provides finance leaders with a unified, AI-powered dashboard that turns complex subscription data into actionable insights. For small business owners managing recurring revenue models—whether for software, online memberships, or services—this new feature could make it easier to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) without juggling multiple spreadsheets or reporting tools. “NetSuite has long been the system of choice for the fastest-growing startups and hi-tech companies – in fact, 77% of the Forbes Cloud 100 rely on NetSuite to support their growth,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and executive vice president of Oracle NetSuite. “From pre-revenue startups to global enterprises, software businesses can’t afford to operate without real-time intelligence. With Subscription Metrics, we’re giving CFOs and CROs out-of-the-box metrics, actionable AI-generated narratives, multi-national reporting and insightful visualizations in a unified dashboard. Equipped with these insights, finance and operations leaders can understand where their business is today, anticipate where it’s headed, and make strategic decisions faster.” At its core, NetSuite Subscription Metrics consolidates financial and customer data—combining revenue, churn, and forecasting information—into one accessible view. The solution comes preloaded with industry-standard SaaS metrics like Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), Net Revenue Retention (NRR), Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Payback. These are critical benchmarks that allow growing companies to quickly measure financial health and growth momentum. For small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in particular, the appeal lies in automation and simplicity. Subscription Metrics eliminates the need for manually reconciling subscription data from different sources, reducing both administrative overhead and potential errors. With built-in AI-generated insights, users can receive narrative summaries that explain performance shifts—such as changes in churn or retention—and even generate board-ready visuals automatically. The solution also supports multinational businesses through NetSuite OneWorld, standardizing metrics across subsidiaries and currencies. For small firms expanding internationally or managing multiple revenue streams, this provides a consistent picture of global performance without the complexity of separate reports. A standout feature for data-driven leaders is the cohort analysis heatmap, which helps finance teams visualize retention trends and customer lifetime value across different signup periods. Meanwhile, roll-forward reporting allows users to track how recurring revenue evolves over time, showing exactly what’s fueling growth—or causing declines. Another notable capability is the integration with the NetSuite AI Connector Service, which lets users connect their preferred AI model to perform deeper analysis. This enables finance teams to query their data using natural language, generate new visualizations, or even request prescriptive recommendations—all within the NetSuite environment. From a practical standpoint, this could help small business owners and finance teams make better data-backed decisions without needing a dedicated data science team. AI assistance could speed up quarterly reporting, simplify investor updates, or identify warning signs in customer retention before they escalate. However, small businesses considering this feature may want to evaluate whether their teams are ready to interpret and act on AI-generated insights. While automation reduces manual work, understanding how to contextualize those insights—especially when making strategic or pricing decisions—still requires human oversight. NetSuite’s Subscription Metrics comes at no additional cost for current NetSuite users, a notable advantage for smaller companies already invested in the platform. The company says AI-generated narrative summaries will roll out within the next 12 months, promising to make analysis even more accessible. For SaaS startups, subscription box services, or digital agencies running on recurring revenue models, NetSuite’s new metrics suite offers a powerful way to blend financial clarity with AI-driven foresight. It represents another step toward making enterprise-grade intelligence available to growing businesses looking to scale smarter and faster. This article, "NetSuite Adds AI Metrics to Help SaaS CFOs Boost Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

At SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite unveiled its latest AI-driven innovation designed to help subscription-based businesses—especially those in the SaaS and technology sectors—gain sharper visibility into their financial and operational performance. The new solution, NetSuite Subscription Metrics, provides finance leaders with a unified, AI-powered dashboard that turns complex subscription data into actionable insights. For small business owners managing recurring revenue models—whether for software, online memberships, or services—this new feature could make it easier to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) without juggling multiple spreadsheets or reporting tools. “NetSuite has long been the system of choice for the fastest-growing startups and hi-tech companies – in fact, 77% of the Forbes Cloud 100 rely on NetSuite to support their growth,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and executive vice president of Oracle NetSuite. “From pre-revenue startups to global enterprises, software businesses can’t afford to operate without real-time intelligence. With Subscription Metrics, we’re giving CFOs and CROs out-of-the-box metrics, actionable AI-generated narratives, multi-national reporting and insightful visualizations in a unified dashboard. Equipped with these insights, finance and operations leaders can understand where their business is today, anticipate where it’s headed, and make strategic decisions faster.” At its core, NetSuite Subscription Metrics consolidates financial and customer data—combining revenue, churn, and forecasting information—into one accessible view. The solution comes preloaded with industry-standard SaaS metrics like Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), Net Revenue Retention (NRR), Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Payback. These are critical benchmarks that allow growing companies to quickly measure financial health and growth momentum. For small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in particular, the appeal lies in automation and simplicity. Subscription Metrics eliminates the need for manually reconciling subscription data from different sources, reducing both administrative overhead and potential errors. With built-in AI-generated insights, users can receive narrative summaries that explain performance shifts—such as changes in churn or retention—and even generate board-ready visuals automatically. The solution also supports multinational businesses through NetSuite OneWorld, standardizing metrics across subsidiaries and currencies. For small firms expanding internationally or managing multiple revenue streams, this provides a consistent picture of global performance without the complexity of separate reports. A standout feature for data-driven leaders is the cohort analysis heatmap, which helps finance teams visualize retention trends and customer lifetime value across different signup periods. Meanwhile, roll-forward reporting allows users to track how recurring revenue evolves over time, showing exactly what’s fueling growth—or causing declines. Another notable capability is the integration with the NetSuite AI Connector Service, which lets users connect their preferred AI model to perform deeper analysis. This enables finance teams to query their data using natural language, generate new visualizations, or even request prescriptive recommendations—all within the NetSuite environment. From a practical standpoint, this could help small business owners and finance teams make better data-backed decisions without needing a dedicated data science team. AI assistance could speed up quarterly reporting, simplify investor updates, or identify warning signs in customer retention before they escalate. However, small businesses considering this feature may want to evaluate whether their teams are ready to interpret and act on AI-generated insights. While automation reduces manual work, understanding how to contextualize those insights—especially when making strategic or pricing decisions—still requires human oversight. NetSuite’s Subscription Metrics comes at no additional cost for current NetSuite users, a notable advantage for smaller companies already invested in the platform. The company says AI-generated narrative summaries will roll out within the next 12 months, promising to make analysis even more accessible. For SaaS startups, subscription box services, or digital agencies running on recurring revenue models, NetSuite’s new metrics suite offers a powerful way to blend financial clarity with AI-driven foresight. It represents another step toward making enterprise-grade intelligence available to growing businesses looking to scale smarter and faster. This article, "NetSuite Adds AI Metrics to Help SaaS CFOs Boost Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Designing your business starts with refining your idea and grasping your target audience. You’ll need to draft a thorough business plan that includes your mission and market analysis. Next, it’s essential to assess your finances and choose an appropriate business structure. By following these steps, you can set a solid foundation for your venture. But there’s more to reflect on, especially regarding legal requirements and team building. Key Takeaways Clearly define your business purpose and conduct audience research to identify market needs and consumer preferences. Draft a comprehensive business plan that includes an executive summary, market analysis, and financial projections. Assess your finances by determining startup costs, creating a budget, and exploring funding options like loans or crowdfunding. Choose an appropriate business structure considering liability protection, tax implications, and regulatory requirements. Develop engagement strategies and select promotional channels to effectively reach your target audience while monitoring performance metrics for ongoing refinement. Refine Your Idea Refining your business idea is crucial to setting a solid foundation for your venture. Start by clearly defining your business purpose, ensuring it meets a specific market need. Consider how your aspirations align with marketplace motivations, identifying the unique value you can provide. Conduct thorough market research to find gaps and opportunities that can differentiate you from competitors. This clarity will guide your structure and mission. Once you’ve refined your idea, consider your business card design as a critical aspect of your branding. If you’re asking, “How can I design a business card?” take advantage of tools that allow you to create business cards online, ensuring they reflect your refined vision and effectively communicate your business’s core values. Draft a Comprehensive Business Plan Creating a thorough business plan is essential for the success of your venture. This document, typically spanning 15–25 pages, should include an executive summary, company description, market analysis, and financial projections. The executive summary offers a snapshot of your business, highlighting your mission statement and operational details to attract investors. To improve your plan, conduct a market analysis to identify industry dynamics and competitive advantages. Financial projections need to cover at least five years, detailing income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Regularly update your business plan to keep it relevant. If you’re wondering how can I make business cards, consider using a business card maker online, where to design business cards, for professional results that reflect your brand effectively. Conduct Market Research When you commence on the expedition of conducting market research, it’s crucial to gather thorough data that informs your business decisions. Start by analyzing competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses; this can reveal gaps in the market. Furthermore, focus on consumer preferences through surveys and focus groups, which provide valuable insights into customer needs and behaviors. Don’t overlook secondary research, as analyzing existing reports and databases can offer a broader perspective on market conditions. Investigate the market size and growth rate of your target industry to assess potential demand. Assess Your Finances After gathering valuable insights from market research, the next step involves evaluating your finances, which is vital for establishing a solid foundation for your business. Start by determining your startup costs, including equipment, inventory, and licenses, which can range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Assess your current financial resources, like personal savings or loans, to guarantee you can cover these expenses. Create a detailed budget to track initial costs and anticipate future cash flow. Conduct a break-even analysis to find out how much you need to sell to cover your costs. Finally, explore funding options, such as business loans or crowdfunding, to secure the capital necessary to launch. And don’t forget, consider business card cost—check where can I get business cards and how much does it cost to make business cards. Choose a Business Structure Selecting the right business structure is crucial for your venture, as it influences your liability, taxes, and overall operations. You’ll need to decide among options like sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation. A sole proprietorship is simple, giving you complete control, but it lacks personal liability protection. Conversely, limited liability companies (LLCs) offer flexibility and valuable protection, shielding your personal assets from business debts. Corporations provide the strongest personal liability protection, yet they come with more regulations and formalities. When choosing your business structure, consider how much liability protection you need, tax implications, funding requirements, and the number of owners involved. This choice will greatly impact your business’s future. Understand Legal Requirements Comprehending the legal requirements for your business is essential to guarantee you’re operating within the law and avoiding potential pitfalls. First, determine the appropriate business structure, like an LLC or sole proprietorship, to address liability concerns. Next, register your business name and obtain any licenses and permits required for your industry. You’ll also need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes, especially if you plan to hire employees. Understand your tax obligations, including federal, state, and local taxes, and file the necessary forms accordingly. Consulting with legal and financial professionals can simplify the intricacies of compliance. Furthermore, as a business cards creator, consider how can I create my own business cards to improve your brand with custom design and print services. Build a Competent Team To build a competent team, you need to clearly define roles and responsibilities, ensuring everyone knows what’s expected of them. This clarity boosts accountability and helps your team work in the direction of the same business goals. Furthermore, encouraging open communication creates a collaborative environment where ideas can flow freely, enhancing overall team performance. Define Roles Clearly Defining roles clearly within your team is fundamental for nurturing accountability and enhancing operational efficiency. Start by outlining each team member’s responsibilities, ensuring everyone understands their tasks. This clarity can improve team efficiency by up to 25%. Use a team structure diagram to visualize roles and reporting lines, which can help clarify expectations. Regularly review and adjust these roles as your customized business evolves, addressing any skill gaps. Implement feedback mechanisms for team members to express concerns, promoting job satisfaction. In addition, encourage cross-training among members to build versatility, which mitigates risks associated with turnover. Foster Open Communication Open communication is crucial for building a competent team that can adapt and thrive in a dynamic business environment. To promote open communication, create a space where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and feedback. Utilize regular team meetings for dialogue that discusses challenges and successes. Implement collaborative tools like project management software to improve transparency. Establish clear communication channels to guarantee everyone knows how to report issues or share updates. Finally, encourage active listening among team members to validate contributions. This approach can boost morale and create an inclusive workplace. Strategy Benefits Regular team meetings Improves team cohesion Collaborative tools Improves real-time discussions Clear communication channels Reduces misunderstandings Develop a Marketing Strategy To develop an effective marketing strategy, start by identifying your target audience; knowing who they’re will guide your messaging and promotional efforts. Next, select the right channels, such as social media or email, to reach them where they engage the most. Finally, track performance metrics to assess your strategy’s success and make necessary adjustments to optimize your approach. Target Audience Identification How can you effectively identify your target audience to improve your marketing strategy? Start by conducting thorough market research, which helps you understand your audience’s needs and preferences. Create detailed buyer personas that outline their demographics, behaviors, and pain points. This approach improves your marketing effectiveness and product development. Consider these strategies for target audience identification: Utilize surveys and focus groups to gather insights directly from potential customers. Analyze competitor audiences to uncover gaps in the market, allowing for differentiation. Engage with your audience through social media to gather feedback and cultivate relationships, improving customer loyalty. Promotional Channels Selection Identifying your target audience lays the groundwork for selecting the right promotional channels that resonate with them. To reach potential customers effectively, you should utilize a mix of digital channels like social media, email marketing, and SEO, as these platforms often align with audience preferences. Don’t overlook traditional advertising methods, such as print media and television, especially if you’re targeting specific local demographics. Furthermore, consider creating cheap personalized business cards to improve your offline presence. You can easily make business cards online by exploring various platforms that offer user-friendly design tools. Keep track of your promotional efforts by monitoring engagement levels, and be ready to adapt your strategies based on market trends and consumer feedback for ongoing success. Performance Metrics Tracking Effective performance metrics tracking is crucial for evaluating the success of your marketing strategy. Establish clear, measurable metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC) and conversion rates to assess your campaigns. Utilize key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide insights into your marketing efforts. Implement tools like Google Analytics for data collection. Regularly analyze trends to optimize your strategies. Set specific benchmarks to gauge progress over time. Frequently Asked Questions How to Design a Business Plan Step by Step? To design a business plan step by step, start with an executive summary that outlines your goals and mission. Next, create a company description detailing your structure and target market. Then, list your products or services, including pricing and competitive advantages. Conduct a market analysis to understand industry trends and competitors. Finally, develop a marketing strategy for customer engagement and prepare financial projections to demonstrate your business’s viability. How to Create Your Own Business Step by Step? To create your own business step by step, start by refining your business idea, clearly defining its purpose and target market. Next, develop a detailed business plan that outlines your goals and challenges. Assess your financial needs, considering startup costs and funding options. Choose an appropriate business structure and guarantee compliance with legal requirements. Finally, build a strong team by identifying key roles and recruiting individuals who can effectively collaborate to support your operations. Is $3,000 Enough to Start a Business? $3,000 can be enough to start a business, but it largely depends on your specific needs. If you’re launching a service-based business, this amount might cover marketing and legal fees. Nevertheless, for businesses needing significant inventory or equipment, $3,000 may fall short. To guarantee you’re prepared, outline your projected expenses and consider funding options like loans or crowdfunding if necessary. Conduct a break-even analysis to gauge profitability timelines based on your investment. How to Create a Business Model Step by Step? To create a business model step by step, start by identifying your target market and comprehending their needs. Next, define your value proposition, clarifying how your offerings solve specific problems. Outline your revenue streams, detailing how you’ll generate income. Establish key partnerships and resources crucial for delivering your value proposition. Finally, create a cost structure that lists fixed and variable expenses, which will help you assess your business’s profitability and viability. Conclusion In summary, designing your business requires a structured approach that covers various crucial steps. By refining your idea, drafting a solid business plan, and conducting thorough market research, you lay a strong foundation. Assess your finances and choose the right business structure to guarantee compliance with legal requirements. Building a competent team and developing a targeted marketing strategy will further improve your chances of success. Stay adaptable, and use feedback to refine your approach as you grow. Image Via Envato This article, "How to Design Your Business: A Step-by-Step Guide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Designing your business starts with refining your idea and grasping your target audience. You’ll need to draft a thorough business plan that includes your mission and market analysis. Next, it’s essential to assess your finances and choose an appropriate business structure. By following these steps, you can set a solid foundation for your venture. But there’s more to reflect on, especially regarding legal requirements and team building. Key Takeaways Clearly define your business purpose and conduct audience research to identify market needs and consumer preferences. Draft a comprehensive business plan that includes an executive summary, market analysis, and financial projections. Assess your finances by determining startup costs, creating a budget, and exploring funding options like loans or crowdfunding. Choose an appropriate business structure considering liability protection, tax implications, and regulatory requirements. Develop engagement strategies and select promotional channels to effectively reach your target audience while monitoring performance metrics for ongoing refinement. Refine Your Idea Refining your business idea is crucial to setting a solid foundation for your venture. Start by clearly defining your business purpose, ensuring it meets a specific market need. Consider how your aspirations align with marketplace motivations, identifying the unique value you can provide. Conduct thorough market research to find gaps and opportunities that can differentiate you from competitors. This clarity will guide your structure and mission. Once you’ve refined your idea, consider your business card design as a critical aspect of your branding. If you’re asking, “How can I design a business card?” take advantage of tools that allow you to create business cards online, ensuring they reflect your refined vision and effectively communicate your business’s core values. Draft a Comprehensive Business Plan Creating a thorough business plan is essential for the success of your venture. This document, typically spanning 15–25 pages, should include an executive summary, company description, market analysis, and financial projections. The executive summary offers a snapshot of your business, highlighting your mission statement and operational details to attract investors. To improve your plan, conduct a market analysis to identify industry dynamics and competitive advantages. Financial projections need to cover at least five years, detailing income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Regularly update your business plan to keep it relevant. If you’re wondering how can I make business cards, consider using a business card maker online, where to design business cards, for professional results that reflect your brand effectively. Conduct Market Research When you commence on the expedition of conducting market research, it’s crucial to gather thorough data that informs your business decisions. Start by analyzing competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses; this can reveal gaps in the market. Furthermore, focus on consumer preferences through surveys and focus groups, which provide valuable insights into customer needs and behaviors. Don’t overlook secondary research, as analyzing existing reports and databases can offer a broader perspective on market conditions. Investigate the market size and growth rate of your target industry to assess potential demand. Assess Your Finances After gathering valuable insights from market research, the next step involves evaluating your finances, which is vital for establishing a solid foundation for your business. Start by determining your startup costs, including equipment, inventory, and licenses, which can range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Assess your current financial resources, like personal savings or loans, to guarantee you can cover these expenses. Create a detailed budget to track initial costs and anticipate future cash flow. Conduct a break-even analysis to find out how much you need to sell to cover your costs. Finally, explore funding options, such as business loans or crowdfunding, to secure the capital necessary to launch. And don’t forget, consider business card cost—check where can I get business cards and how much does it cost to make business cards. Choose a Business Structure Selecting the right business structure is crucial for your venture, as it influences your liability, taxes, and overall operations. You’ll need to decide among options like sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation. A sole proprietorship is simple, giving you complete control, but it lacks personal liability protection. Conversely, limited liability companies (LLCs) offer flexibility and valuable protection, shielding your personal assets from business debts. Corporations provide the strongest personal liability protection, yet they come with more regulations and formalities. When choosing your business structure, consider how much liability protection you need, tax implications, funding requirements, and the number of owners involved. This choice will greatly impact your business’s future. Understand Legal Requirements Comprehending the legal requirements for your business is essential to guarantee you’re operating within the law and avoiding potential pitfalls. First, determine the appropriate business structure, like an LLC or sole proprietorship, to address liability concerns. Next, register your business name and obtain any licenses and permits required for your industry. You’ll also need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes, especially if you plan to hire employees. Understand your tax obligations, including federal, state, and local taxes, and file the necessary forms accordingly. Consulting with legal and financial professionals can simplify the intricacies of compliance. Furthermore, as a business cards creator, consider how can I create my own business cards to improve your brand with custom design and print services. Build a Competent Team To build a competent team, you need to clearly define roles and responsibilities, ensuring everyone knows what’s expected of them. This clarity boosts accountability and helps your team work in the direction of the same business goals. Furthermore, encouraging open communication creates a collaborative environment where ideas can flow freely, enhancing overall team performance. Define Roles Clearly Defining roles clearly within your team is fundamental for nurturing accountability and enhancing operational efficiency. Start by outlining each team member’s responsibilities, ensuring everyone understands their tasks. This clarity can improve team efficiency by up to 25%. Use a team structure diagram to visualize roles and reporting lines, which can help clarify expectations. Regularly review and adjust these roles as your customized business evolves, addressing any skill gaps. Implement feedback mechanisms for team members to express concerns, promoting job satisfaction. In addition, encourage cross-training among members to build versatility, which mitigates risks associated with turnover. Foster Open Communication Open communication is crucial for building a competent team that can adapt and thrive in a dynamic business environment. To promote open communication, create a space where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and feedback. Utilize regular team meetings for dialogue that discusses challenges and successes. Implement collaborative tools like project management software to improve transparency. Establish clear communication channels to guarantee everyone knows how to report issues or share updates. Finally, encourage active listening among team members to validate contributions. This approach can boost morale and create an inclusive workplace. Strategy Benefits Regular team meetings Improves team cohesion Collaborative tools Improves real-time discussions Clear communication channels Reduces misunderstandings Develop a Marketing Strategy To develop an effective marketing strategy, start by identifying your target audience; knowing who they’re will guide your messaging and promotional efforts. Next, select the right channels, such as social media or email, to reach them where they engage the most. Finally, track performance metrics to assess your strategy’s success and make necessary adjustments to optimize your approach. Target Audience Identification How can you effectively identify your target audience to improve your marketing strategy? Start by conducting thorough market research, which helps you understand your audience’s needs and preferences. Create detailed buyer personas that outline their demographics, behaviors, and pain points. This approach improves your marketing effectiveness and product development. Consider these strategies for target audience identification: Utilize surveys and focus groups to gather insights directly from potential customers. Analyze competitor audiences to uncover gaps in the market, allowing for differentiation. Engage with your audience through social media to gather feedback and cultivate relationships, improving customer loyalty. Promotional Channels Selection Identifying your target audience lays the groundwork for selecting the right promotional channels that resonate with them. To reach potential customers effectively, you should utilize a mix of digital channels like social media, email marketing, and SEO, as these platforms often align with audience preferences. Don’t overlook traditional advertising methods, such as print media and television, especially if you’re targeting specific local demographics. Furthermore, consider creating cheap personalized business cards to improve your offline presence. You can easily make business cards online by exploring various platforms that offer user-friendly design tools. Keep track of your promotional efforts by monitoring engagement levels, and be ready to adapt your strategies based on market trends and consumer feedback for ongoing success. Performance Metrics Tracking Effective performance metrics tracking is crucial for evaluating the success of your marketing strategy. Establish clear, measurable metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC) and conversion rates to assess your campaigns. Utilize key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide insights into your marketing efforts. Implement tools like Google Analytics for data collection. Regularly analyze trends to optimize your strategies. Set specific benchmarks to gauge progress over time. Frequently Asked Questions How to Design a Business Plan Step by Step? To design a business plan step by step, start with an executive summary that outlines your goals and mission. Next, create a company description detailing your structure and target market. Then, list your products or services, including pricing and competitive advantages. Conduct a market analysis to understand industry trends and competitors. Finally, develop a marketing strategy for customer engagement and prepare financial projections to demonstrate your business’s viability. How to Create Your Own Business Step by Step? To create your own business step by step, start by refining your business idea, clearly defining its purpose and target market. Next, develop a detailed business plan that outlines your goals and challenges. Assess your financial needs, considering startup costs and funding options. Choose an appropriate business structure and guarantee compliance with legal requirements. Finally, build a strong team by identifying key roles and recruiting individuals who can effectively collaborate to support your operations. Is $3,000 Enough to Start a Business? $3,000 can be enough to start a business, but it largely depends on your specific needs. If you’re launching a service-based business, this amount might cover marketing and legal fees. Nevertheless, for businesses needing significant inventory or equipment, $3,000 may fall short. To guarantee you’re prepared, outline your projected expenses and consider funding options like loans or crowdfunding if necessary. Conduct a break-even analysis to gauge profitability timelines based on your investment. How to Create a Business Model Step by Step? To create a business model step by step, start by identifying your target market and comprehending their needs. Next, define your value proposition, clarifying how your offerings solve specific problems. Outline your revenue streams, detailing how you’ll generate income. Establish key partnerships and resources crucial for delivering your value proposition. Finally, create a cost structure that lists fixed and variable expenses, which will help you assess your business’s profitability and viability. Conclusion In summary, designing your business requires a structured approach that covers various crucial steps. By refining your idea, drafting a solid business plan, and conducting thorough market research, you lay a strong foundation. Assess your finances and choose the right business structure to guarantee compliance with legal requirements. Building a competent team and developing a targeted marketing strategy will further improve your chances of success. Stay adaptable, and use feedback to refine your approach as you grow. Image Via Envato This article, "How to Design Your Business: 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. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. I enjoy tackling new DIY projects around my house, but there’s one aspect of home ownership that I have hated since I was a kid being forced to do it by my parents: yard work. Trimming grass and branches, raking up the trimmings and fallen leaves, and fighting nature’s tendency to be wild? No thanks. It’s sweaty, thankless work. Then I found the Ego Power+ cordless trimmer and blower, and, well, yard work still kind of sucks, but it’s a lot easier now. I didn’t realize how much worse power cord management made the job, for one thing—being cordless is magic when you’re walking around an outdoor space filled with obstacles and plants. The battery life is advertised at 75 minutes, though in my experience it’s closer to an hour, which is still more than enough, and the battery recharges in under half an hour so you can get back to it quickly if you do run it down. And having a blower that a) doesn’t require gas, b) doesn’t spew exhaust in my face, and c) lets me forget I own a rake is just as good. EGO POWER+ Combo, Cordless Trimmer and Blower, 15" Trimmer for Weeds and Grass with POWERLOAD and Cordless Electric 670 CFM Blower, Includes 56V 4.0Ah Battery and Charger - ST6703LB $299.99 at Amazon $409.99 Save $110.00 Get Deal Get Deal $299.99 at Amazon $409.99 Save $110.00 This combo deal is the trimmer, the blower, a battery, and a charger (plus two attachments for the blower)—all for $299.99, which is 27% off the regular price. If you’ve got an unruly outdoor space you want to whip into shape without having to run a hundred feet of extension cord or deal with leftover gas, jump on this deal. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

There’s a double whammy hitting the U.S. alcohol industry lately: Americans are drinking less, while foreigners have soured on our exported spirits amid higher tariffs. Those dynamics have worsened a crisis that’s already seen some distilleries go out of business this year and thousands of jobs eliminated. Exports of U.S. spirits to Canada plunged by 85% in the second quarter from a year ago, marking the steepest declines among four key markets, according to data released Monday by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DSCUS). Overall, exports of American spirits fell 9% in the second quarter as U.S. spirits makers pay the price of persistent trade tensions. Particularly problematic for U.S. spirits makers is the double-digit decline in exports to each of four key markets that represent 70% of total exports by value: the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan. After a record year for U.S. spirits exports in 2024, this steep slump in exports in the second quarter is “very troubling” for U.S. distillers,” Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the spirits council, said in a statement. “There’s a growing concern that our international consumers are increasingly opting for domestically produced spirits or imports from countries other than the U.S., signaling a shift away from our great American spirits brands.” This data shows the extent of the effect of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. spirits, along with the decision by liquor stores in many provinces to yank American brands from their shelves altogether. While Canada did remove its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. spirits last month, drinkers there may have found other options that are more appealing to their palettes. In April, for example, sales of U.S. spirits plummeted 68%, though sales of Canadian and other imported spirits rose about 3.6% each, according to DSCUS. TARIFFS RIPPLE THROUGH WHISKEY COUNTRY The spirits industry has emerged as a perhaps unlikely victim of President Donald The President’s aggressive tariff policy that he embarked on this spring. And that’s reverberating through the heart of America’s whiskey country, where the international market has become especially crucial especially as Americans have cut back on consumption. Tennessee led the country with spirits exports of $934 million in 2024, followed by Kentucky with $751 million, according to DSCUS. The plummet in exports is only part of the problem for American whiskey distillers. Through April of this year, whiskey distillers had produced 78 million proof gallons, a 28% decrease from the same period last year and the lowest level since 2019, according to figures from the Treasury Department’s 2025 monthly national statistics report and reporting by The Lexington Herald Leader. What’s more, American whiskey inventories have tripled since 2012, according to DSCUS, which means these distillers are sitting on a lot of product. Combined, these factors have spelled trouble. Big conglomerates like Brown-Forman, which owns Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve, have slashed jobs by double digits or, in the case of Diageo, halted production altogether at two of its whiskey distilleries in Tennessee and Texas. Kentucky Owl, which is owned by Stoli Group, filed for bankruptcy protection. What’s more, brands that might not be household names—Uncle Nearest, Limestone Farms Distillery, Garrard County Distillery, and Luca Mariano—have also faced problems ranging from bankruptcy to shutting down production to lawsuits related to millions of dollars in debts. AMERICANS ABSTAINING Another factor upending the spirits industry is that Americans are laying off booze like never before. Only 54% of U.S. adults say they consume alcohol, according to an annual poll released in August, the lowest level since Gallup began tracking drinking habits in 1939. The decline has been especially steep recently: In 2022, 67% of Americans reported drinking alcohol. Slowing demand for alcohol domestically means that it’s “critically important” that U.S. distillers have the certainty of zero-for-zero tariffs with key export markets, Swonger said. The spirits council is urging President The President to reconsider his tariff stance—something elected politicians from affected states haven’t been so universally vocal about. TARIFFS AND POLITICS While Kentucky’s top leaders—Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, along with Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul—came together in a rare act of bipartisanship in March to push back on The President’s tariffs, the same hasn’t happened in Tennessee. Republican Governor Bill Lee backed The President’s tariff policy in the spring and hasn’t been quoted on the impact to his state’s spirits industry more recently. In a 25-year span, the U.S. has seen the number of distillers explode from about 60 to more than 3,100 today in what’s been an “amazing growth story,” Swonger tells Fast Company. And the industry thrives best with a zero-for-zero tariff policy—zero tariffs on imports, zero tariffs on exports—something the council is hopeful President The President will be able to achieve once again with key trading partners, while furthering his goals to reduce the trade deficit. That might seem counterintuitive because tariffs on imported spirits could theoretically provide U.S. distillers with a competitive advantage, Swonger says. But the current 15% tariff imposed on imports of all spirits from the European Union, for example, has a ripple effect on restaurants, retailers, distributors, bartenders, and consumers. “We want to compete for taste,” he adds. The council is optimistic that The President will successfully navigate trade talks to alleviate the uncertainty and lack of predictability currently facing the industry—including in a highly anticipated meeting between The President and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week. Those talks might help ease the iciness that’s seen many state-owned liquor stores in various Canadian provinces continue to abstain from carrying American spirits altogether. “That’s unfortunate,” Swonger says of the current dynamic. “The emotions in Canada are high, and we hope the prime minister and president have a good meeting.” View the full article

At SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite unveiled “NetSuite Next,” its most ambitious evolution yet of the cloud ERP platform. The company says the new version is designed to make artificial intelligence feel less like a tool and more like an active business partner—one that listens, reasons, and takes action. For small business owners juggling financials, inventory, payroll, and customer data, NetSuite Next promises something rare in enterprise software: simplicity without sacrificing power. Oracle calls it “collaborative, insightful, adaptive, and trustworthy.” In practice, that means AI features that automate repetitive tasks, flag risks before they become problems, and even explain the reasoning behind its decisions. “NetSuite Next puts AI to work for businesses by making it a natural extension of the way they already work,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and EVP of Oracle NetSuite. “With the latest AI innovations built in, NetSuite Next can deliver powerful insights as well as autonomously complete repetitive and complex tasks, all with enterprise-level reliability.” One of the most notable additions is Ask Oracle, a conversational assistant built directly into the platform. Users can type or speak naturally—asking questions like “What caused the drop in Q3 sales?” or “Show me invoices awaiting approval”—and receive visualized answers, summaries, or recommended actions. Unlike typical chatbots, Ask Oracle understands business context, pulling from live data across finance, sales, HR, and supply chain functions. It can even navigate custom modules and partner extensions built through the SuiteCloud Developer Network. For small businesses, this could mean less time hunting through reports and more time making decisions. A retailer might use Ask Oracle to analyze supplier performance or identify seasonal sales patterns. A service-based business could use it to review outstanding invoices or forecast cash flow, all without running separate reports. NetSuite also emphasized that switching to the new platform won’t be disruptive. Businesses can upgrade “with the press of a button” without losing customizations or requiring data migration—a critical factor for smaller firms wary of lengthy system overhauls. Running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), NetSuite Next is built around a unified data model, explainable AI, and Oracle’s modern Redwood Design System. The company says this ensures transparency and consistency, allowing users to trust AI-driven decisions. For example, if the system recommends a specific vendor or flags a financial anomaly, it provides reasoning behind the suggestion—helping users understand “how” and “why” a decision was made. Among the platform’s key new capabilities are: AI Canvas: A visual workspace that lets teams brainstorm, analyze data, and trigger AI workflows within NetSuite. Users can collaborate on forecasts or simulate business scenarios, turning static data into action plans. Narrative Summaries and Insights: Automated explanations that surface trends and correlations in real time—helping users spot emerging risks or opportunities directly within records and reports. Agentic Workflows: Intelligent, proactive processes that handle complex tasks such as payment proposals, vendor selection, and reconciliations. Businesses can choose to manually approve actions or allow the AI agents to execute them autonomously. Document and Knowledge Integration: Using large language models, NetSuite can now extract and interpret data from contracts, receipts, training guides, and even customer testimonials. This feature effectively turns business documents into actionable workflows, cutting down on manual data entry. For small business owners, the promise is clear: faster insights, fewer administrative burdens, and AI that adapts to their unique workflows. But with that promise comes a few considerations. Relying on AI to handle financial or operational tasks requires trust in the system’s accuracy and governance. While Oracle emphasizes explainability and data controls, smaller companies may still need to ensure employees understand when to override or question AI recommendations. There’s also the question of cost. Oracle hasn’t yet announced pricing details, and for small businesses already balancing tight budgets, the affordability of advanced AI capabilities could determine adoption speed. Still, NetSuite’s move signals where cloud ERP is headed—toward systems that don’t just report what happened but can explain why it happened and what to do next. For time-strapped small business owners, that kind of intelligence could be a game changer. NetSuite Next will roll out to customers in North America within the next 12 months. This article, "Oracle Unveils NetSuite Next, Turning AI into a True Business Partner" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

At SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite unveiled “NetSuite Next,” its most ambitious evolution yet of the cloud ERP platform. The company says the new version is designed to make artificial intelligence feel less like a tool and more like an active business partner—one that listens, reasons, and takes action. For small business owners juggling financials, inventory, payroll, and customer data, NetSuite Next promises something rare in enterprise software: simplicity without sacrificing power. Oracle calls it “collaborative, insightful, adaptive, and trustworthy.” In practice, that means AI features that automate repetitive tasks, flag risks before they become problems, and even explain the reasoning behind its decisions. “NetSuite Next puts AI to work for businesses by making it a natural extension of the way they already work,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and EVP of Oracle NetSuite. “With the latest AI innovations built in, NetSuite Next can deliver powerful insights as well as autonomously complete repetitive and complex tasks, all with enterprise-level reliability.” One of the most notable additions is Ask Oracle, a conversational assistant built directly into the platform. Users can type or speak naturally—asking questions like “What caused the drop in Q3 sales?” or “Show me invoices awaiting approval”—and receive visualized answers, summaries, or recommended actions. Unlike typical chatbots, Ask Oracle understands business context, pulling from live data across finance, sales, HR, and supply chain functions. It can even navigate custom modules and partner extensions built through the SuiteCloud Developer Network. For small businesses, this could mean less time hunting through reports and more time making decisions. A retailer might use Ask Oracle to analyze supplier performance or identify seasonal sales patterns. A service-based business could use it to review outstanding invoices or forecast cash flow, all without running separate reports. NetSuite also emphasized that switching to the new platform won’t be disruptive. Businesses can upgrade “with the press of a button” without losing customizations or requiring data migration—a critical factor for smaller firms wary of lengthy system overhauls. Running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), NetSuite Next is built around a unified data model, explainable AI, and Oracle’s modern Redwood Design System. The company says this ensures transparency and consistency, allowing users to trust AI-driven decisions. For example, if the system recommends a specific vendor or flags a financial anomaly, it provides reasoning behind the suggestion—helping users understand “how” and “why” a decision was made. Among the platform’s key new capabilities are: AI Canvas: A visual workspace that lets teams brainstorm, analyze data, and trigger AI workflows within NetSuite. Users can collaborate on forecasts or simulate business scenarios, turning static data into action plans. Narrative Summaries and Insights: Automated explanations that surface trends and correlations in real time—helping users spot emerging risks or opportunities directly within records and reports. Agentic Workflows: Intelligent, proactive processes that handle complex tasks such as payment proposals, vendor selection, and reconciliations. Businesses can choose to manually approve actions or allow the AI agents to execute them autonomously. Document and Knowledge Integration: Using large language models, NetSuite can now extract and interpret data from contracts, receipts, training guides, and even customer testimonials. This feature effectively turns business documents into actionable workflows, cutting down on manual data entry. For small business owners, the promise is clear: faster insights, fewer administrative burdens, and AI that adapts to their unique workflows. But with that promise comes a few considerations. Relying on AI to handle financial or operational tasks requires trust in the system’s accuracy and governance. While Oracle emphasizes explainability and data controls, smaller companies may still need to ensure employees understand when to override or question AI recommendations. There’s also the question of cost. Oracle hasn’t yet announced pricing details, and for small businesses already balancing tight budgets, the affordability of advanced AI capabilities could determine adoption speed. Still, NetSuite’s move signals where cloud ERP is headed—toward systems that don’t just report what happened but can explain why it happened and what to do next. For time-strapped small business owners, that kind of intelligence could be a game changer. NetSuite Next will roll out to customers in North America within the next 12 months. This article, "Oracle Unveils NetSuite Next, Turning AI into a True Business Partner" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into the core of business software—and Oracle NetSuite is giving small businesses new ways to take advantage of it. At SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite announced major updates to its SuiteCloud Platform, introducing a wave of new AI capabilities that make it easier for companies to build, connect, and control intelligent tools inside their NetSuite environments. For small business owners already using NetSuite—or considering an ERP solution that adapts to their workflows—this expansion could mean faster automation, smarter insights, and less time spent managing repetitive tasks. The goal, according to Oracle NetSuite founder and executive vice president Evan Goldberg, is to make AI not just accessible, but adaptable. “It has always been important to me that NetSuite is flexible and adaptable so that our customers can support their unique and ever-changing business needs,” said Goldberg. “Today, we are taking that flexibility and adaptability to a new level. The new capabilities in SuiteCloud will help our customers and partners transform how AI works for business by giving them the ability to quickly and easily build AI agents, connect external AI assistants, and orchestrate AI processes.” The announcement centers on five main upgrades designed to bring AI directly into how businesses customize and extend NetSuite—without needing deep technical expertise or external infrastructure. The AI Connector Service allows organizations to connect NetSuite with leading AI models and assistants, such as those from OpenAI or Anthropic, using open standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Businesses can decide what data AI models can access and how they interact with the system, giving administrators new levels of control and security. NetSuite plans to add Custom MCP prompts, allowing teams to guide how external assistants respond to ensure consistency with a company’s tone and policies. Next, the SuiteAgent Frameworks introduce the concept of “SuiteAgents”—custom AI agents that can be built directly within NetSuite. These agents can monitor workflows, analyze data, or even carry out tasks such as generating invoices or summarizing reports. For developers and partners, this offers a new way to build tailored, intelligent solutions for specific industries. Meanwhile, AI Toolkits bring AI capabilities to developers building on SuiteCloud, providing APIs for document analysis, reasoning, and reporting. Rather than setting up separate AI infrastructure, businesses can embed intelligence into custom NetSuite apps and extensions. Available now are Document AI APIs, with more—like Narrative Insights AI and Knowledge AI—coming soon. To make things easier for non-developers, NetSuite is adding AI Assistants. These include the SuiteCloud Developer Assistant, a coding companion that helps developers write and test faster, and the SuiteFlow Assistant, which lets administrators design workflows using natural language. For a small business owner with limited IT resources, this could reduce the learning curve and speed up everyday automation. Finally, AI Studios give users direct control over how AI behaves inside NetSuite. Administrators can fine-tune how summaries, explanations, and insights are generated, or test and preview AI responses before deployment. These tools—Prompt Studio and Narrative Insight Studio—are designed to make AI outputs more transparent and predictable, helping companies maintain trust in AI-driven decisions. For NetSuite’s partner ecosystem, these capabilities open up new opportunities to build industry-specific solutions. With AI Toolkits, SuiteAgents, and AI Studios, partners can create intelligent workflows or specialized automation that align with their clients’ unique needs. The updates come at a time when many small businesses are cautiously experimenting with AI but remain wary of data privacy, cost, and complexity. SuiteCloud’s focus on open standards and admin control could help bridge that gap by letting businesses adopt AI at their own pace. However, success will depend on how easily smaller organizations can implement and manage these tools without a dedicated tech team. Still, NetSuite’s move signals a broader shift: AI is no longer an add-on—it’s becoming part of the infrastructure. For small businesses, that means new opportunities to automate, analyze, and act faster than ever, all within a platform they may already use. With many of the new capabilities available now and others rolling out over the next year as part of “NetSuite Next,” Oracle NetSuite is betting that flexibility and control will win over business owners eager to make AI work on their terms. This article, "NetSuite Adds Custom AI Tools to Help Businesses Automate Faster" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into the core of business software—and Oracle NetSuite is giving small businesses new ways to take advantage of it. At SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite announced major updates to its SuiteCloud Platform, introducing a wave of new AI capabilities that make it easier for companies to build, connect, and control intelligent tools inside their NetSuite environments. For small business owners already using NetSuite—or considering an ERP solution that adapts to their workflows—this expansion could mean faster automation, smarter insights, and less time spent managing repetitive tasks. The goal, according to Oracle NetSuite founder and executive vice president Evan Goldberg, is to make AI not just accessible, but adaptable. “It has always been important to me that NetSuite is flexible and adaptable so that our customers can support their unique and ever-changing business needs,” said Goldberg. “Today, we are taking that flexibility and adaptability to a new level. The new capabilities in SuiteCloud will help our customers and partners transform how AI works for business by giving them the ability to quickly and easily build AI agents, connect external AI assistants, and orchestrate AI processes.” The announcement centers on five main upgrades designed to bring AI directly into how businesses customize and extend NetSuite—without needing deep technical expertise or external infrastructure. The AI Connector Service allows organizations to connect NetSuite with leading AI models and assistants, such as those from OpenAI or Anthropic, using open standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Businesses can decide what data AI models can access and how they interact with the system, giving administrators new levels of control and security. NetSuite plans to add Custom MCP prompts, allowing teams to guide how external assistants respond to ensure consistency with a company’s tone and policies. Next, the SuiteAgent Frameworks introduce the concept of “SuiteAgents”—custom AI agents that can be built directly within NetSuite. These agents can monitor workflows, analyze data, or even carry out tasks such as generating invoices or summarizing reports. For developers and partners, this offers a new way to build tailored, intelligent solutions for specific industries. Meanwhile, AI Toolkits bring AI capabilities to developers building on SuiteCloud, providing APIs for document analysis, reasoning, and reporting. Rather than setting up separate AI infrastructure, businesses can embed intelligence into custom NetSuite apps and extensions. Available now are Document AI APIs, with more—like Narrative Insights AI and Knowledge AI—coming soon. To make things easier for non-developers, NetSuite is adding AI Assistants. These include the SuiteCloud Developer Assistant, a coding companion that helps developers write and test faster, and the SuiteFlow Assistant, which lets administrators design workflows using natural language. For a small business owner with limited IT resources, this could reduce the learning curve and speed up everyday automation. Finally, AI Studios give users direct control over how AI behaves inside NetSuite. Administrators can fine-tune how summaries, explanations, and insights are generated, or test and preview AI responses before deployment. These tools—Prompt Studio and Narrative Insight Studio—are designed to make AI outputs more transparent and predictable, helping companies maintain trust in AI-driven decisions. For NetSuite’s partner ecosystem, these capabilities open up new opportunities to build industry-specific solutions. With AI Toolkits, SuiteAgents, and AI Studios, partners can create intelligent workflows or specialized automation that align with their clients’ unique needs. The updates come at a time when many small businesses are cautiously experimenting with AI but remain wary of data privacy, cost, and complexity. SuiteCloud’s focus on open standards and admin control could help bridge that gap by letting businesses adopt AI at their own pace. However, success will depend on how easily smaller organizations can implement and manage these tools without a dedicated tech team. Still, NetSuite’s move signals a broader shift: AI is no longer an add-on—it’s becoming part of the infrastructure. For small businesses, that means new opportunities to automate, analyze, and act faster than ever, all within a platform they may already use. With many of the new capabilities available now and others rolling out over the next year as part of “NetSuite Next,” Oracle NetSuite is betting that flexibility and control will win over business owners eager to make AI work on their terms. This article, "NetSuite Adds Custom AI Tools to Help Businesses Automate Faster" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. Garmin’s Venu X1, its high-end watch that launched a few months ago, is enjoying its first-ever sale to coincide with October’s Prime days. Today it’s $699.99, a full $100 off the regular price. Garmin® Venu® X1, Thin and Lightweight GPS Smartwatch, AMOLED Display, Advanced Health and Fitness Features, Black with Slate Titanium Caseback and Black ComfortFit Nylon Band $699.99 at Amazon $799.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $699.99 at Amazon $799.99 Save $100.00 The X1 is a large, rectangular watch aimed toward lifestyle and recreational fitness. (If you want a large, round watch geared toward runners and athletes, check out the Fenix line. Here’s a 51-millimeter Fenix 8 for over $1,000—unfortunately not on sale today.) Besides Garmin’s biggest screen, the X1 boasts a few premium features that help it to earn its price tag. It’s got an LED flashlight, built-in maps, a scratch-resistant sapphire lens, and a speaker and microphone that you can use for calls or a voice assistant. It comes with coaching for running, cycling, and strength, plus all the usual Garmin health and fitness tracking and analytics. It goes without saying that Garmin watches tend to have excellent GPS accuracy and reliable heart rate readings. The battery on the X1 lasts up to eight days, and the screen is 41 x 46 millimeters, giving it a two-inch diagonal measurement. Besides the usual activity profiles and running-specific training data, the X1 also supports other sports including motorcycling and rock climbing, and has extra features for golfing. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. There are tons of big-ticket items for less on sale right now. But if you're looking to spend less and still score a bargain, there are all kinds of deals for you. I scoured all my resources to find the best Prime Day tech deals that are under $25: Apple EarPods Wired Headphones With Lightning Connector $15.96 at Amazon $19.00 Save $3.04 Get Deal Get Deal $15.96 at Amazon $19.00 Save $3.04 Soundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds, 10mm Drivers with Big Bass, Bluetooth 5.3, 30H Long Playtime, Water-Resistant, 2 Mics for AI Clear Calls, 22 Preset EQs, Customization (White) $17.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $22.00 Get Deal Get Deal $17.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $22.00 Apple AirTag $19.99 at Amazon $29.00 Save $9.01 Get Deal Get Deal $19.99 at Amazon $29.00 Save $9.01 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K AI-Powered Streaming Stick $24.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $25.00 Get Deal Get Deal $24.99 at Amazon $49.99 Save $25.00 Amazon Echo Pop Alexa Smart Speaker (2023) $24.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $15.00 Get Deal Get Deal $24.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $15.00 INIU Portable Charger $18.69 at Amazon $29.99 Save $11.30 Get Deal Get Deal $18.69 at Amazon $29.99 Save $11.30 BolaButty Portable Speaker $19.99 at Amazon $26.99 Save $7.00 Get Deal Get Deal $19.99 at Amazon $26.99 Save $7.00 COOSPO Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap, Bluetooth ANT+ Heart Rate Monitor Chest Sensor with 400H Battery, HRM Works with Strava/Wahoo Fitness/Polar Beat/Peloton/DDP Yoga App $26.39 at Amazon $32.99 Save $6.60 Get Deal Get Deal $26.39 at Amazon $32.99 Save $6.60 SEE 5 MORE Apple and Anker earbudsWired earbuds are very early 2000s, but on the other hand, they never run out of batteries. If you're still rocking an iPhone 14 Plus or below (or an iPhone SE 3rd generation), you'll be able to pick up some official Apple EarPods Headphones with a Lightning connector for $15.96 (originally $19), or one with USB-C connector for a few cents more. If you prefer wireless earbuds but don't want to pay too much for something you might end up losing, the Soundcore by Anker P20i are a solid pair with some impressive features for their $17.99 price (originally $39.99). You get Bluetooth 5.3, 30 hours of battery, water resistance, and a full EQ with its companion app. AirTags You don't need to be a spy to use tracking devices. As an Apple user, you can let AirTags use Find My to track anything that you can put these devices on. Right now, Amazon has single AirTags for $19.99 (originally $29) or a four-pack for $64.99 (originally $99), bringing the cost of each to $16.25. Fire TV Sticks and Echo Pops If you have a TV that isn't smart, or you don't like its OS, you can get the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $24.99 (originally $49.99). It supports Dolby Atmos audio, almost all the HDR formats, Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming, Wi-Fi 6, and you can install Kodi to virtually watch anything for free. The Amazon Echo Pop is Amazon's most budget-friendly smart speaker. You can use the multi-room music feature if you have multiple speakers in different rooms, so grab a few: You can get one for $24.99 right now (originally $39.99). This portable phone charger I recently lost my Iniu Portable Charger while traveling in Europe. Fortunately, it was at the end of my trip, and it had served its purpose well, saving my phone's battery (and therefore my life) multiple times. You can get one now for $18.69 (originally $29.99). This portable outdoor speaker If you're looking for a cheap portable outdoor speaker that can get wet, consider the BolaButty Portable Speaker, currently going for $19.99 (originally $26.99). It's waterproof with an IPX5 rating and will last 20 hours before running out of juice. This heart rate monitor Okay, I cheated a little bit. The best chest strap for monitoring your heart rate, the CooSpo chest strap, is not in fact under $25; it's $26.39 (originally $32.99), but it's so good that Lifehackers Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki uses it to get a baseline when she tests other fitness gadgets. If monitoring your heart is a priority, don't sleep on this chest strap. Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member. Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free. Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset — $249.00 (List Price $299.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) DJI Mini 4K 3-Axis Gimbal Camera Drone (Under 249 Grams) — $239.00 (List Price $299.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $148.94 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Wyze Cam v4 2K Wired Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera (White) — $25.95 (List Price $35.98) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. Employee gets special privileges because she’s dating an NBA player I didn’t have time to go to my manager regarding your advice because days after your response was posted, Cersei’s boyfriend broke up with her. As a side note, she lived with him in his very nice house. So I imagine it was a very painful breakup and was further complicated by the logistics of having to move out. Morale has slightly lifted but not by much because of the anticipation that special treatment for Cersei will manifest in a different way. It certainly leaves a bad taste in your mouth to know that her summer WFH status stopped because her relationship imploded, not because the executives realized how unfair it was. A week ago, I discussed with my boss that we almost lost three people because of this. I mentioned that we need to avoid this happening in the future, with Cersei or anyone else, and with WFH or anything else that could be deemed as special treatment. He agreed it was in poor taste of the executive team, but didn’t think much could be done. Unfortunately, companies like mine don’t care about high turnover. Losing seasoned employees doesn’t phase them one bit. They just shrug their shoulders and attempt to hire replacements as quickly as possible. I am currently planning my exit. As you can imagine, this is one of several issues at my workplace. To clear up some confusion from the comment section — pro athletes have a couple months off during the summer. Since her boyfriend is not from the city of his NBA team, he would often go to his hometown during his time off. Cersei was granted the ability to WFH so she could travel with him during this time. 2. Can I learn to thrive under a hyper-critical boss? First of all, thank you so much for responding to my letter so quickly. I was really in the pits of despair. I took screenshots of a number of the comments and used them as (sometimes daily) reminders. Some things that really helped, based on commenter suggestions: – focused on “my best work” instead of “make Jane happy” – changed my delivery method to Jane — I looked at how she communicated to her boss and copied that – continuous reminders to myself that this is a Jane problem, not a me problem, which helped me to separate her extreme criticism from my actual performance Things also improved in part because once the division grew, her intensity was spread out over more people, projects and funders. From my vantage point, her style is the same, and it definitely impacts those around her. When Jane became too busy to micromanage me, things got so much better. The work remained rigorous and complex, and I can now look back on the past few years and see a clear upward trajectory in my skills and level of responsibility, even if that responsibility was begrudgingly given. I am very aware that I have picked up on some of Jane’s style, and am continually monitoring myself to make sure I’m not sacrificing kindness and flexibility for efficiency or “being right.” Thanks again to Alison and all of the commenters. I read this blog regularly and recommend it to anyone I come across with work questions or struggles. It has helped me through so many workplace interactions that require leadership, compassion, communication and consistency. 3. Quitting my job while my manager is on vacation (#5 at the link) Turns out you were right, I did get the offer and it did take longer than expected (it was three weeks after I sent that question!), so the timing worked out fine after all. That’s good, since my boss’s boss was also on vacation, and I would’ve felt a little silly going higher up than that! But it’s good to know most reasonable places are going to also be reasonably flexible about when I can give an answer. I’m on my second week at the new place, and it’s better than my old job in every way imaginable. I used a ton of your advice to help me through the entire interview process, so thank you again for everything you do! It’s much appreciated. The post updates: employee gets special privileges because she’s dating an NBA player, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Bisignano will continue to lead the Social Security Administration while managing day-to-day operations at the IRS. View the full article

The launch of a digital art department at upscale auction house Christie’s was precisely as well-publicized as its eventual shuttering was devoid of fanfare. On March 11, 2021, Christie’s made history as the first major auction house to sell art in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT). Digital artist Beeple managed to offload his massive mosaic, Everydays: The First 5000 Days, for a whopping $69 million, generating hundreds of astonished headlines and getting those three letters, NFT, in front of untold scads of early-adopter eyeballs. It was the sale heard ’round the world, a starter pistol kicking off the NFT gold rush. Cut to last month, when Christie’s quietly closed its digital art department. It was as if the moment when NFTs briefly became the molten core of culture, tech, and commerce had never happened at all—as if the vague memory of surly apes with unconscionable price tags had just been a fever dream. There may be a lesson, however, in examining how quickly the hype cooled on NFTs—especially considering what the market has evolved into in the years since. Here comes the boom For those who may have forgotten—or never bothered to learn—NFTs are unique digital certificates stored on a blockchain, proving ownership or authenticity for an array of items, including art. Unlike the typical crypto asset, where each Bitcoin or Ethereum is identical and equal, these tokens are not interchangeable. Hence, they are—say it with me—non-fungible. Though the first-ever NFT—a short, looping generative animation called Quantum—was created in 2014, the technology only started making waves a few years later, with the arrival of CryptoKitties. Minted on the Ethereum blockchain, CryptoKitties were playfully animated feline NFTs, designed not only to collect and trade, but also to breed new kitties with inherited traits, lending them a gamified aspect that proved to be a game-changer. “We saw all the craziness going on at that time with ICOs [initial coin offerings] and we said, ‘Hey, look, not everything has to be a coin,’” recalls Roham Gharegozlou, CEO and cofounder of Dapper Labs, the pioneering NFT company behind CryptoKitties and other digital collectibles. “CryptoKitties was the first time we showed that crypto could be a lot more than just currency, and it attracted the attention of a lot of people who saw the potential of digital ownership as applied to these massive, billion-fan communities like the NBA, the NFL or Disney.” By the time the notorious Beeple auction took place, Dapper had collaborations in the works with all three companies, and had already launched NBA Top Shot, turning video clips from NBA games into NFTs. One such moment, a gnarly LeBron James dunk from February 2021, went for $208,000, a headline-worthy sum that preceded the art world’s own NFT coming-out party by about three weeks. It was official: NFTs were the Next Big Thing. Soon enough, fashion houses, entertainment companies, and more major brands wanted in. As did the speculative set. Among the names most associated with NFTs is Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). Launched in April 2021 by the four pseudonymous founders of Yuga Labs, the project consisted of 10,000 singular cartoon apes, stylized to evoke esoteric personality types. On the surface, the apes were similar to CryptoKitties, but unlike that venture, Yuga marketed BYAC as an exclusive club. Those willing to pay prices that started art $190 in the early days received promises of perks like merch drops and a private Discord, along with access to special events. They also got to feel like they shared space on an ever-unfurling red carpet with celebrities like Justin Bieber and Serena Williams, who started touting their newfound Apes as status symbols. As consumer interest in NFTs soared, so did the value of Ethereum and the tokens on its blockchain. The prices of some Bored Apes skyrocketed from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands in a matter of months. Green-eyed investors started tracking their value like stocks. By the end of 2021, the trading volume of NFTs altogether reportedly surpassed $13 billion. “I’d been looking into these kinds of things for years, and then suddenly my barista was asking about NFTs,” says Merav Ozair, an expert on responsible innovation and the founder of Emerging Technologies Mastery, a Web3 consultancy shop. “Everyone wanted to know about it and how they could benefit from it. People from every industry suddenly came to me with questions, and then I understood this had become much more than it was supposed to be.” Omar Kholief, a curator, professor, and author of the book Internet_Art: From the Birth of the Web to the Rise of NFTs, had a similar experience during the NFT feeding frenzy of 2021. “It was not surprising that [the Beeple sale] would make news. What shook me, however, was the vast speculation around this sale, and the number of start-ups professing to be specialists in NFTs all of a sudden, who wanted to enlist my knowledge, labor and support,” Kholief says. “I was being offered jobs by company after company—and today, well, none of them exist.” Things fall apart At their mainstream peak, NFTs were everywhere and could seemingly be anything. Rock band Kings of Leon released an NFT album. Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine made a deal to adapt NFTs into movies and TV shows. (To date, no Hello Sunshine NFT adaptations have seen the light of day.) Author Neil Strauss released a book as an NFT, and an NFT of New York Times writer Kevin Roose’s column about NFTs sold for $560,000. The cumulative effect of so much all-in hype from high places was that anyone tuned into pop culture at the time might have started to feel like a schmuck for not diving in, wallet first. Of course, many holdouts eventually saw their hesitancy validated, once it turned out these digital assets were not as sturdy an investment at the time as the loudest hype-peddlers portrayed them. “Everyone jumped on the bandwagon, causing market saturation supremely quickly, as well as confusion and boredom,” Kholief says. “Because the mouthpieces at the front of the companies had not a clue what an NFT actually was.” When the Federal Reserve started hiking interest rates in March 2022 to fight pandemic inflation, it lowered investor confidence in crypto. Prices of tokens fell sharply as more hikes followed, alongside geopolitical chaos including a then-new war between Russia and Ukraine. A major downturn in the crypto market had begun, one that would peak with the November 2022 crash of FTX. By that point, NFT trading volume for the year had collapsed by 97%. And where were the celebrities who’d proudly and quite publicly shown off their Bored Apes? By December 2022, when most BYAC tokens were worth a fraction of what their owners paid for them, several bold-face names were listed in a class action lawsuit against Yuga Labs. Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Post Malone, and many others were alleged to have participated in a scheme to “artificially increase the interest in and price of” Bored Ape NFTs without disclosing “the nature, source, and amount of any compensation paid, directly or indirectly, in exchange for the endorsement.” Even before the lawsuit, which was dismissed on October 1, though, celebrities had pumped the brakes on their NFT enthusiasm. As quickly as the decibel-shattering hype had begun, it was over. “It had already started to wind down, but after FTX, people decided they weren’t touching this space anymore,” says Ozair. “They figured, ‘Maybe all these NFTs are just a scam.’” In it for the long term The NFT market collapsed for many reasons, but chief among them were excessive hype and rapid expansion. “It was definitely too much too soon,” Dapper Labs’ Gharegozlou says of peak NFT hype. “Because crypto is this odd industry where, even though the technology was immature for many years, there was opportunity to make money, so that brought a rush of people in, whereas with most new technologies, people leave them alone until they’re a lot more mature.” What had started as a new frontier in digital ownership quickly got conflated with a faddish money-printing machine. As the dust settled in 2023, it became clear that just because an image was digital and unique didn’t make it inherently valuable—and also that maybe Starbucks didn’t need an NFT program, something the company finally conceded in early 2024. So, what might the NFT market look like in maturity? Over time, a smaller, more pragmatic set of use cases has emerged among collectors and various fandoms. Gaming companies are figuring out how to better integrate NFTs in their open worlds, and fashion brands like Louis Vuitton are tying (wildly expensive) physical garments to their NFTs. Meanwhile, regulatory changes like this year’s GENIUS Act are helping to firm up crypto’s infrastructure, making the waters safer for consumers. NFTs now trade in smaller volumes, to more niche audiences, with the speculative crowd mostly having moved on to things like meme coins. Dapper Labs had found success with NBA Top Shot and NFL All Day prior to peak NFT hype, but the company only unveiled its Disney collaboration, Disney Pinnacle, in November 2023—a year after the bottom fell out of the market, when people were reassessing NFTs. The turn in public opinion apparently had an impact on the company’s efforts to launch a new venture. “It sort of reset expectations,” Gharegozlou says. “We had to approach things from a very cautious standpoint, because we wanted our customers as well as our partners—in the case of Disney—to know that we’re in this for the long term.” The team at Dapper Labs moved thoughtfully and slowly as it created a line of collectible digital pins for various Disney IP, free from the speculative craze that enveloped previous projects. Disney Pinnacle seems focused on serving fans reasonably priced collectibles, while inspiring deep-pocked collectors to bid tens of thousands on limited drops. (NBA Top Shot also still produces NFTs that occasionally fetch six figures on the market.) As the Disney fandom embraces Pinnacle, Disney+ has harnessed these digital pins as a perk for subscribers. It’s a hint of how a more grounded, practical market for NFTs might play out in the future. What can the NFT boom tell us about AI? As NFTs settle into their niche within the greater crypto ecosystem, it’s important to remember what happened when they were previously in the global spotlight. Silicon Valley, after all, appears to be making similar mistakes with artificial intelligence. While many have compared the AI craze to the dot-com bubble, it also closely resembles the NFT boom. At their 2021 height, NFTs thrived on novelty over utility. They were a shiny new concept that could not maintain mass interest when the hype died down. A similar phenomenon now plagues AI. Nearly three years after Chat GPT’s arrival, the incorporation of AI in any product or service is still meant to signal value—even if, in practice, most shoehorned-in AI components tend to just make consumers want to opt out. The market is now willing to bet billions on, say, an energy real estate investment trust, seemingly because AI is involved at all, rather than because it’s involved in a particularly useful or innovative way. Beyond prizing novelty over utility, the executives touting AI the loudest have been over-promising what the technology can deliver. Instead of emphasizing the practical use cases of today, they are claiming AI will cure cancer tomorrow, for starters. “There is a lot of overpromising,” Ozair says.“When Sam Altman says GPT-5 is like having PhDs in your pocket for every discipline, that is false advertising. It doesn’t have that capability. The fact that it got a gold medal for mathematics and physics [at the Olympiad] doesn’t say anything about what it can actually do.” For all the mistakes the NFT movement made that AI can learn from, though, the fact that the industry is still standing after it took such a reputational drubbing should be inspirational for those who see AI as a bubble on the brink of bursting. After falling back to Earth in 2022, the supposed end of NFTs in the mainstream might eventually just be seen as a blip. “I think everything’s working out the right way,” Gharegozlou says. “There were speculative excesses within the industry, but I think that also was a stress test for everything to come.” If the AI industry is to survive its own current phase of rapid experimentation and expansion, it would do well to heed the lessons of the last Next Big Thing. View the full article

At this year’s SuiteWorld conference in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite unveiled major updates to its SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN), marking another step toward accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among businesses. The updates aim to help partners build, verify, and deliver AI-powered applications faster—potentially giving small and midsize businesses (SMBs) new ways to automate workflows, strengthen compliance, and enhance decision-making through trusted AI integrations. For small business owners already using or considering NetSuite’s cloud ERP, the announcement signals a clear shift: AI is no longer just an optional add-on—it’s becoming an embedded part of daily business operations. Scott Derksen, vice president of Partnerships and Business Development at Oracle NetSuite, emphasized the partner-driven nature of this growth. “NetSuite partners will play an essential role in helping our customers adopt trusted AI solutions that drive immediate business value,” Derksen said. “The latest updates to the SuiteCloud Developer Network will help our partners expand their opportunities for growth by providing them with the tools and resources to bring secure, high-performing AI solutions to market faster.” Key Takeaways for Small Businesses The SuiteCloud Developer Network is a long-standing developer ecosystem that allows independent software vendors (ISVs) to build apps on the NetSuite platform. The latest update introduces several key enhancements that could benefit small businesses indirectly by expanding the marketplace of available tools: SuiteApp.AI Marketplace: A new, dedicated marketplace for partners to showcase AI-powered SuiteApps that integrate directly into NetSuite. This means small business users could soon see a wider range of AI tools—covering everything from compliance and customer engagement to finance automation—available in one place. AI Certification Badges: NetSuite is introducing two new AI-specific badges that highlight trusted and secure apps. AI Elite designates solutions using large language models (LLMs) hosted within Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), emphasizing enhanced data security and governance. AI designates apps using SuiteCloud APIs or third-party LLMs. These badges could help small businesses identify which AI tools are built to higher privacy and performance standards before integrating them into their operations. Expanded Development Resources: NetSuite is equipping developers with tools and engineering support to build and manage AI models directly within OCI. For business users, this provides added assurance that their data and AI interactions stay within NetSuite’s secure ecosystem. Practical Applications for SMBs Many of the early partner applications show how AI could deliver tangible benefits to small business users. For example: Avalara has embedded its AI tax compliance agent, Avi, directly into NetSuite. Avi can guide users through onboarding, configuration, and compliance analysis—potentially saving small businesses hours on tax management and audit preparation. Contivio created CloudConnect, which combines phone, chat, and SMS with AI transcription and chatbots to streamline customer communication. This could be especially useful for small support teams that need to handle multiple communication channels efficiently. Legion built embedded AI agents for finance teams, offering instant data retrieval, workflow automation, and improved visibility across business systems. Gatekeeper’s AI Extract helps turn old contract data into searchable digital records by automatically identifying key clauses and terms, reducing manual data entry. Cauzzy designed AI agents that flag unusual expenses and analyze sales orders—tools that can help small business owners catch inefficiencies early and make more informed decisions. As Derksen noted, partners will be instrumental in bringing these innovations to market quickly. Through NetSuite’s 43,000+ customer base, even small vendors developing niche solutions can reach a global audience—something that could ultimately expand the diversity of tools available to small business users. These latest enhancements to the SuiteCloud Developer Network demonstrate a clear commitment from NetSuite to make AI more accessible, secure, and impactful for growing businesses. As partners continue to roll out new applications through the SuiteApp.AI Marketplace, small business owners will have more opportunities to adopt AI tools designed specifically for their needs—tools that not only streamline daily operations but also unlock smarter, data-driven growth across every area of the business. This article, "NetSuite Expands Partner Program to Boost AI Tools for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

At this year’s SuiteWorld conference in Las Vegas, Oracle NetSuite unveiled major updates to its SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN), marking another step toward accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among businesses. The updates aim to help partners build, verify, and deliver AI-powered applications faster—potentially giving small and midsize businesses (SMBs) new ways to automate workflows, strengthen compliance, and enhance decision-making through trusted AI integrations. For small business owners already using or considering NetSuite’s cloud ERP, the announcement signals a clear shift: AI is no longer just an optional add-on—it’s becoming an embedded part of daily business operations. Scott Derksen, vice president of Partnerships and Business Development at Oracle NetSuite, emphasized the partner-driven nature of this growth. “NetSuite partners will play an essential role in helping our customers adopt trusted AI solutions that drive immediate business value,” Derksen said. “The latest updates to the SuiteCloud Developer Network will help our partners expand their opportunities for growth by providing them with the tools and resources to bring secure, high-performing AI solutions to market faster.” Key Takeaways for Small Businesses The SuiteCloud Developer Network is a long-standing developer ecosystem that allows independent software vendors (ISVs) to build apps on the NetSuite platform. The latest update introduces several key enhancements that could benefit small businesses indirectly by expanding the marketplace of available tools: SuiteApp.AI Marketplace: A new, dedicated marketplace for partners to showcase AI-powered SuiteApps that integrate directly into NetSuite. This means small business users could soon see a wider range of AI tools—covering everything from compliance and customer engagement to finance automation—available in one place. AI Certification Badges: NetSuite is introducing two new AI-specific badges that highlight trusted and secure apps. AI Elite designates solutions using large language models (LLMs) hosted within Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), emphasizing enhanced data security and governance. AI designates apps using SuiteCloud APIs or third-party LLMs. These badges could help small businesses identify which AI tools are built to higher privacy and performance standards before integrating them into their operations. Expanded Development Resources: NetSuite is equipping developers with tools and engineering support to build and manage AI models directly within OCI. For business users, this provides added assurance that their data and AI interactions stay within NetSuite’s secure ecosystem. Practical Applications for SMBs Many of the early partner applications show how AI could deliver tangible benefits to small business users. For example: Avalara has embedded its AI tax compliance agent, Avi, directly into NetSuite. Avi can guide users through onboarding, configuration, and compliance analysis—potentially saving small businesses hours on tax management and audit preparation. Contivio created CloudConnect, which combines phone, chat, and SMS with AI transcription and chatbots to streamline customer communication. This could be especially useful for small support teams that need to handle multiple communication channels efficiently. Legion built embedded AI agents for finance teams, offering instant data retrieval, workflow automation, and improved visibility across business systems. Gatekeeper’s AI Extract helps turn old contract data into searchable digital records by automatically identifying key clauses and terms, reducing manual data entry. Cauzzy designed AI agents that flag unusual expenses and analyze sales orders—tools that can help small business owners catch inefficiencies early and make more informed decisions. As Derksen noted, partners will be instrumental in bringing these innovations to market quickly. Through NetSuite’s 43,000+ customer base, even small vendors developing niche solutions can reach a global audience—something that could ultimately expand the diversity of tools available to small business users. These latest enhancements to the SuiteCloud Developer Network demonstrate a clear commitment from NetSuite to make AI more accessible, secure, and impactful for growing businesses. As partners continue to roll out new applications through the SuiteApp.AI Marketplace, small business owners will have more opportunities to adopt AI tools designed specifically for their needs—tools that not only streamline daily operations but also unlock smarter, data-driven growth across every area of the business. This article, "NetSuite Expands Partner Program to Boost AI Tools for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article