
How Starbucks Supercharged Magic Johnson's Ambitions
Earvin 'Magic' Johnson will always be best-known for his basketball prowess. But when it comes to business, he credits football and coffee for his best deals so far.
In the three decades since his retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson has created a blueprint for what a former athlete can achieve off the field or court. He calls joining the ownership team of the Washington Commanders with Josh Harris 'the greatest deal I've ever done.' But it was winning over Howard Schultz to become a Starbucks franchisee in 1998 that was his seminal moment. 'It gave the stamp of approval,' Johnson says in the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, recorded in front of a live audience at the Milken Institute Global Conference last month in Beverly Hills, California.
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Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
Designing Sports Facilities That Support Athletes Holistically
As the Managing Partner of ZGF Architects, Sharron van der Meulen manages a firm of 750 people across seven offices in the U.S. and Canada. Professional and collegiate sports leagues and teams operate at the crossroads of business, entertainment and elite athleticism, putting players in a unique pressure-filled spotlight. Research indicates that as many as 35% of elite athletes report a mental health disorder. However, in recent years, numerous high-profile athletes have come forward to express their need to pause and prioritize their well-being—something that's helping destigmatize the mental health challenges many athletes face. This spotlight has encouraged some teams, leagues and universities to pay attention to the role they play and decipher whether they're doing all they can to support their athletes. Our firm ZGF Architects has designed a variety of sports facilities, so we've encountered many organizations that are ready and willing to look beyond the game day experience. They're recognizing that it is more crucial to support athletes holistically and consider their everyday needs because this can have a greater impact on long-term team performance. But how can the places where athletes train and compete make a difference in individuals' health and well-being—and ultimately in team stability? These are some of the strategies we've seen have an impact, and I encourage sports organizations and developers renovating, expanding or building new facilities to keep them in mind. To reach elite levels of competition, many players have been specializing in a single sport for most of their lives. Years of repetitive motion can increase athletes' risk of injury. This underscores the need for top-tier health and fitness equipment and spaces for personalized training and recovery. It also points to the opportunity to consider each athlete more holistically in order to address the connection between mental and physical health and reduce the pressure of high performance. In addition to spaces for stretching, massage, yoga and aquatics, at ZGF, we've been seeing greater demand for quiet zones for counseling, rest and meditation. Additional amenities becoming more common include full-service dining facilities with in-house chefs and nutritionists. And increasingly, dental and optical services are being included in order to offer athletes stress-free access to comprehensive care. Spaces dedicated to female athletes must address women's unique and complex health needs, including dietary requirements, strength training and ongoing education for our ever-changing bodies. Going beyond the standards, this translates to spaces that are comfortable and private and that acknowledge support and understanding. Throughout all of these spaces, design details should reflect soothing, elevated environments, with low-contrast material palettes and warm textures. I recommend putting a greater emphasis on access to nature through outdoor connections, biophilic design and natural light—including within practice courts and other indoor fitness facilities. Not only can this contribute to stress reduction, but natural light can also help athletes overcome the fatigue associated with frequent travel across time zones. Frequent travel can be a major stressor for elite athletes, which reinforces the need for training and performance centers to convey a sense of home. In many cases, we're designing for young adults who are apart from their families for the first time. As sources of connection and belonging, these facilities become their safe spaces. Design details should feature comfortable furnishings with spaces that are residential in feel and incorporate local, natural materials. A professional team's training center that we worked on in Texas, for example, features a mix of mass timber and local limestone that fits within the context of the location, while another complex in the Pacific Northwest takes inspiration from the surrounding mountains and forests. Playful and inviting lounges encourage athletes to unwind. Indoor-outdoor connections also encourage restorative breaks and connection to outdoor spaces. In many facilities, outdoor spaces offer chances for athletes to connect with the broader community, further expressing the support and enthusiasm that surrounds them. But, with athletes' health and well-being in mind, privacy and security are paramount. This means providing private parking areas, separate entrances and other accommodations that help shield athletes from their celebrity status and reinforce that their safety and well-being are taken seriously. In many sports, performance is said to peak for elite athletes in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s, which can heighten the pressure to maximize this short career. This also reinforces teams' opportunity—and, to some, obligation—to play a role in protecting athletes' long-term health and in setting them up for success later in life. At both the collegiate and professional levels, we're seeing greater demand for spaces that support academic education, life skills development, post-sports career training, financial planning and more. This is especially pronounced at universities, where student-athletes not only face intense pressure to stay healthy and fit for their sport but also to keep up their grades to maintain scholarships. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, one university we worked with demonstrated its support for these challenges by putting its academic center for student-athletes front and center on campus. Upstairs tutoring and studying spaces, a library and teaching labs are reserved specifically for athletes and feature abundant glass, daylight and an airy sense of openness. Downstairs, with a vibrant backdrop of graphics and art that celebrate past and present student-athletes, the first-floor cafe and community spaces are open to all, nurturing cross-campus connections. On full display, these connections ultimately lay a strong foundation for a well-supported and supportive athletic program. This also signals to others the university's dedication to the success of student-athletes after graduation. At the core of this foundation is an athletes-first approach. Yes, the game day experience matters. Creating a sports venue that engages the community and entertains fans matters. But a team's most significant investment is its players. Even for highly skilled, elite athletes, the pressure to compete at the highest level can take a toll on mental and physical health. But when facilities are designed to nurture mind, body and spirit, everyone wins. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?


Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
Can Economy Right The Ship In Wake Of Tariffs, Market Uncertainty?
Eldon Dryden Pence III serves as the Chief Investment Officer of Pence Capital Management . getty Uncertainty is painful, and the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration have injected a healthy amount of market uncertainty. Part of Trump's playbook for his robust policy agenda is moving faster than anyone can keep up, evidenced by the breathtaking number of executive actions during his first hours in office. While initial tariffs created a catalyst for a market correction, margin pressure has extended that further, with financial experts questioning whether the economy is on the brink of recession. Resolving trade differences with Europe and China, and codifying a sweeping tax bill to provide relief to the middle class are essential for the health of the economy. While I still expect new records for corporate earnings and the stock market to be set this year, let's analyze how the economy arrived here. With the fifth anniversary of the pandemic behind us, many might be surprised to learn that the $5.3 trillion fiscal response remains a fundamental driver of today's economy. The U.S. pandemic fiscal response was the equivalent of roughly 25% of the 2020 nominal GDP. A multiplier effect still lingers from that stimulus. History shows a similar pattern occurred in the middle of the 20th century when the stimulus from World War II remained into the 1970s. Known as the Golden Age of Capitalism, manufacturing and a rise in oil production were critical components of this decades-long economic boom. While global geopolitical events could create short-term ripple effects, data shows that the markets usually shake it off within six months. A new administration, tariffs and taxes could each play a role. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in January, the president proclaimed, 'America is back and open for business.' He was confident in that assertion, underpinned by an Economic Policy Institute report that confirms he inherited 'the strongest economy for an incoming administration since the George W. Bush administration.' According to an analysis of first-term administrations from Eisenhower through Trump, the first year of a new administration brings an average market return of 7%, and the first year of a second term provides an average 9.7% market return. Trump's second term differs from most of his predecessors because it has not been consecutive, begging the question: Will the markets react as though this is the first year of a second term or the first year of a new administration? Based on average historical returns, the difference between the two is 2.7%. Yet, economists have reservations. Mark Zandi, Moody's Analytics chief economist, warned of potential headwinds, citing that immigration and tariff policy could bring unintended consequences, including tax increases and job loss. The National Retail Federation also anticipated skyrocketing prices on clothing, household appliances, furniture and more. While headlines have investors consumed by China trade talks, it's the EU we should focus on, representing our aggregate No. 1 trading partner. The initial 25% tariffs on EU cars, steel, and aluminum and 20% broader goods in April have been delayed until early July to set the stage for a wider agreement. As rhetoric heats back up with China, we are far from a consensus. But tariffs are just one piece in a two-step policy of tariffs and tax cuts, and early estimates show that—on net—Trump's tax cuts are modestly more stimulative than his tariffs are restrictive. If passed, the president's 'big, beautiful bill' would extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and institute a rash of new tax reductions including increasing the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. It would also temporarily lift the standard deduction for people over 65, raise the child tax credit and eliminate taxes on tips and overtime. While the final bill could change after amendments in the Senate, a preliminary topline analysis from the Tax Foundation found that the House GOP's version would boost long-run GDP by 0.8% and add approximately 983,000 jobs. In comparison, the Tax Foundation estimates that Trump's tariff plans would lower long-run GDP by 0.8% and cost 713,000 jobs. Essentially, the combination of tax cuts and tariffs may result in a net addition of 270,000 jobs to the economy and neutral impact on growth. Consumer leverage will steady the ship. It's difficult to change habits, and behavior drives consumption. Despite tariff threats or actual tariffs, I remain cautiously optimistic that consumers will find the most straightforward, cheapest utility of what they want: bearing the brunt of cost increases without dramatically changing their behavior. Economists say reciprocal free trade is good, and in a perfect world, all trade would be free to allow countries to produce what they do best. But that's not how the world works. American businesses are competitive. We have the greatest global GDP. If all American companies need is a level playing field, maybe tariffs aren't bad. So, let's not be terrified of tariffs. With consumer leverage on our side, most partners need us more than we need them. Yes, uncertainty is painful, but consumers still haven't felt the broad repercussions. If the Trump Administration can make good on these two big deliverables of settling the tariff dispute with Europe or China and passing comprehensive tax reform, they hopefully won't see it at all. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly. The economic forecasts set forth in this material may not develop as predicted, and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful. Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?


Fox News
36 minutes ago
- Fox News
The Trump Deduction: A simpler path to tax-free tips and overtime
Print Close By Brandon Arnold Published June 13, 2025 The current version of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers on one of his core campaign promises – exempting tips and overtime pay from federal taxation. But he could score a victory on this promise in a more beautiful way by creating a new "Trump Tips and Overtime Deduction" that would be available exclusively to workers who receive tips or overtime pay. Tax-free tips and overtime are politically popular, but messy and problematic in almost every other way imaginable. They are exceedingly complicated from an administrative perspective, as employers and employees will undoubtedly go to great lengths to reclassify earnings as tipped or overtime pay. This is going to create a nightmare for the IRS, which is already one of the most incompetent agencies in the federal government. TAX-FREE OVERTIME COULD BE MIDTERM MAGIC FOR GOP On top of that, these are budget-busting policies at a time of nearly unprecedented levels of red ink. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" are scored at a combined $164 billion over 10 years; however, that number is somewhat misleading as the policies are scheduled to be in place for only four years. If they are extended across the 10-year window – which is very likely – they could easily reduce revenue collections by half a trillion dollars. That's an enormous amount of revenue, especially considering that these policies are not likely to generate substantial economic growth or job creation. These resources would be better utilized reducing our massive federal debt or enacting across-the-board, pro-growth tax policy. The "Trump Tips and Overtime Deduction" is a much better way to give President Trump a resounding win on one of his campaign promises. This ingenious policy would not only provide much-needed relief to working-class Americans, it would also do so without overcomplicating the tax code or heaping enormous amounts of additional debt on future generations. The Trump deduction is simple. It is a bonus deduction of $1,000 available to all workers who are eligible for overtime or who work in positions that customarily receive tips. That's it. There would be no added complexity involved while completing your taxes and no need to quantify what income is derived from overtime or tips versus via wages. You wouldn't even need to demonstrate that you earned $1,000 or more in eligible pay. If you meet the requirements for the Trump Deduction, you simply check a box on your tax form and collect the extra $1,000 deduction. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION With 6 million taxpayers reporting tip income and 80 million working hourly and eligible for overtime, an enhanced standard deduction would be a tax cut of around $13 billion a year, compared to the more complicated $45 billion a year currently projected. The mechanics for the federal government are also pretty straightforward. As with the current legislative text of the current "big, beautiful bill," the Treasury secretary would publish a list of traditionally tipped occupations. If you work in one of these categories, you check a box on your tax form. Workers who are nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act – that includes most full-time workers who make $35,568 or less – can check the corresponding box on their tax forms. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP If either box is checked, you get the Trump Deduction. It's a simple, beautiful way to deliver pro-worker tax relief without complicating the tax code or busting the budget. But perhaps most importantly, it provides a huge win for Trump and his campaign promise to end taxes on tips and overtime pay. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM BRANDON ARNOLD Print Close URL