Trade in your old flag and try something new at Red's American Grill
FOX21's Krista Witiak caught up with Red's American Grill manager Kyle Harp to talk about their Flag Day celebration and some exciting new additions coming to the menu this summer, including brunch!
Red's is starting brunch offerings on Sundays as well as adding refreshing summer cocktails to their menu, including the fan-favorite, Jen-A-Rita.
Craving more? Check out the full menu and upcoming events at redsamericangrill.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
How Rhonda Byrne turned belief into a billion-dollar business model in the United States
Rhonda Byrne is best known in the United States as the visionary behind The Secret , the self-help juggernaut that reignited America's obsession with the Law of Attraction. But beneath the glittering surface of her message— ask, believe, receive —lies a sophisticated commercial framework that turned a single idea into a multi-platform empire. This article explores the Rhonda Byrne business model, focusing specifically on how she monetised belief in the U.S. market through publishing, media, licensing, and digital strategies. With a sharp focus on monetisation mechanics rather than metaphysics, this article maps out how a spiritual concept evolved into a billion-dollar American business. The rise of Rhonda Byrne and The Secret 's influence on American consumer habits When The Secret first hit American bookshelves in 2006, few anticipated the cultural firestorm it would ignite. Based on New Thought philosophies and the age-old concept of manifestation, Byrne's brand of positivity offered something uniquely American: a promise that personal desire, if focused correctly, could translate into financial success, romantic relationships, or even health. The book's appeal was amplified by the Oprah effect—Byrne was featured twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show , instantly turning The Secret into a household name. But this was not merely a stroke of luck. Byrne's team had a meticulously prepared U.S. strategy: targeted marketing, viral DVD sales, and syndication-ready messaging that aligned perfectly with American consumer psychology, particularly in the post-9/11 era of anxiety and economic uncertainty. From self-publishing to global licensing: The monetisation of belief Initially self-published in DVD format in Australia, The Secret took a calculated leap into the U.S. through Byrne's independent media company, Prime Time Productions. This allowed full control over production and distribution—critical for maximising early profits and leveraging licensing rights. Once the product gained traction, Byrne negotiated with Simon & Schuster for U.S. book distribution, securing lucrative royalty terms while retaining key international rights. The licensing deals exploded from there: translated editions, branded journals, calendars, mobile apps, audio books, and classroom curricula. Byrne tapped into a global appetite, but it was U.S. licensing revenue—aided by Barnes & Noble deals and mass retail presence at Target, Walmart, and Amazon—that constituted the lion's share of initial earnings. She transformed a philosophical idea into an intellectual property portfolio. How The Secret was marketed as an American lifestyle product Rather than promoting The Secret as an esoteric text, Byrne positioned it as a lifestyle framework—accessible, digestible, and highly brandable. In the U.S., this meant aligning the brand with wellness, personal finance, self-empowerment, and productivity. Promotional materials often mirrored the aesthetics of life coaching and motivational content, appealing to the same demographic that consumed Tony Robbins seminars or Suze Orman books. The visual branding—sleek maroon tones, parchment-style fonts, and antique script—gave the illusion of ancient wisdom while being entirely repackaged for a modern American market. Byrne's U.S. strategy drew heavily on emotional branding, tapping into personal agency and aspirational living, two core pillars of American consumer culture. The spiritual economy and targeted wellness branding in the U.S. In America, the spirituality industry is less about doctrine and more about utility. Byrne's brilliance lay in her ability to reframe Law of Attraction as a toolset, not a belief system. This resonated especially with Millennials and Gen Xers looking for secular spirituality. Her products were marketed not through churches or religious circuits, but through wellness expos, YouTube testimonials, and self-help influencer networks. Additionally, the U.S. version of The Secret movement attracted an audience of women between the ages of 25 and 50—predominantly middle-class, self-motivated, and interested in holistic health, business success, and personal transformation. Byrne effectively monetised U.S. wellness branding trends decades ahead of today's meditation app and coaching subscription booms. The business backbone of the Rhonda Byrne empire Beyond the initial success of The Secret , Byrne expanded her brand into a multi-product business ecosystem. While many associate her only with books and DVDs, the full business structure involves real estate holdings, streaming services, limited-edition releases, and private publishing contracts—all orchestrated under her corporate entities registered across the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Two decades later, the Rhonda Byrne business model has evolved into a long-term revenue machine powered by repackaged content, re-releases, and evergreen messaging that continues to sell to new audiences. Product diversification: Beyond books and documentaries Byrne didn't stop with The Secret . Follow-ups like The Power , The Magic , and Hero were timed strategically for holiday seasons in the U.S., often bundled with journals, vision boards, or guided affirmations. These books were not standalone projects; they functioned as modular expansions of the same core message, enabling customers to buy into a continuity marketing loop. By 2020, Netflix premiered The Secret: Dare to Dream , a feature-length film starring Katie Holmes. The movie wasn't just content—it was an elaborate content marketing tool reinforcing the brand's legitimacy for a younger, more digitally native U.S. audience. Every product served a dual purpose: revenue and lead generation for future sales. U.S. publishing deals and royalty structures behind the scenes While Byrne retains much creative and brand control, her partnership with Simon & Schuster in the U.S. has been pivotal. Unlike typical first-time authors, Byrne reportedly negotiated above-industry royalties, sometimes as high as 25% on hardcover sales. Add to that the back-end licensing of audiobook rights through Audible and streaming rights via Netflix, and Byrne's U.S. royalty stack is deeply diversified. Also crucial: republication rights. Her business entities license older works in repackaged forms—gift editions, e-book bundles, and anniversary releases—ensuring long-tail profitability from existing content libraries. Her team leverages these deals across major American book fairs and online marketplaces, particularly Amazon and Apple Books. The role of exclusive distribution in building brand scarcity Unlike many self-help authors who flood multiple platforms, Byrne's strategy emphasized selective exclusivity. For instance, early editions of her DVDs were only available via the official The Secret website or specific American retailers. This helped build a sense of rarity and desire—similar to luxury fashion drops or limited edition sneakers. This scarcity strategy also applied to Byrne's speaking engagements and media appearances—they were infrequent but high-impact. By limiting access, she increased perceived authority and demand within American self-help and spiritual circles. Rhonda Byrne's digital strategy and influence on new-age entrepreneurship As digital platforms exploded in the 2010s, Byrne adapted quickly. She understood that the future of spiritual and motivational content wasn't on bookstore shelves but in online ecosystems. Her website, became the central node in an expanding web of content, courses, and streaming options tailored to a U.S. market increasingly hungry for 24/7 access to self-help. and monetising an online following Launched as a basic companion site in the 2000s, evolved into a subscription-based streaming platform offering exclusive content, including affirmations, masterclasses, guided visualisations, and member-only film access. Users could pay monthly or annually—introducing a recurring revenue model uncommon in spiritual publishing at the time. Beyond video content, the site hosts affiliate products, branded merchandise, and ticketed digital events, all monetised through e-commerce integrations and Stripe-based payment portals. The platform also leverages email funnels and behavioural tracking, retargeting U.S. users with product suggestions and exclusive offers. Byrne's influence on the U.S. motivational speaker circuit While Byrne herself is not a prolific public speaker, her influence shaped the U.S. motivational speaker economy. Speakers at events like Mindvalley Live or Hay House summits frequently cite The Secret , with some even licensing Byrne's messaging in seminars. In return, Byrne's team has engaged in content partnerships and cross-promotion across high-traffic U.S. podcasts and social media channels. This integration not only enhanced visibility but created downstream revenue—many motivational coaches now serve as de facto brand ambassadors, funneling new American audiences back to The Secret ecosystem. How her brand shaped online coaching and wellness marketing models The Byrne brand prefigured the now-common coaching economy—think Law of Attraction coaching, manifestation mentors, and mindset consultants. Many of today's digital wellness entrepreneurs credit The Secret as their inspiration and often structure their business models similarly: digital downloads, email courses, private Facebook communities, and branded merchandise. Her approach gave rise to a template for belief monetisation: package an ideology, attach it to a lifestyle, build community, and layer it with content upsells. This structure is now common among American wellness influencers and spiritual coaches. A unique business legacy: What Rhonda Byrne's model tells us about U.S. spirituality commerce Rhonda Byrne didn't just publish a book—she catalysed an entire economic movement rooted in individual agency, emotional branding, and spiritual consumerism. In the United States, where belief and capitalism often intersect, Byrne's business model offers a textbook case of how spiritual ideologies can be turned into commercial IP portfolios. Her influence on U.S. self-help media and Gen Z spiritual entrepreneurs From TikTok manifestation videos to Instagram pages filled with affirmation quotes, Byrne's legacy is imprinted across Gen Z spiritual commerce. Many younger entrepreneurs now build businesses by combining social media virality with spiritual frameworks—exactly what Byrne did before the era of influencers. Her success proved that there's a scalable audience in America for content that blends hope, empowerment, and consumerism—and that spiritual messaging can be both emotionally resonant and highly profitable. Precursor to influencer-driven wellness empires in America Byrne's empire predated the influencer economy, yet foreshadowed it. Like today's YouTubers or meditation app founders, she built a niche, created high-conversion content, and scaled vertically across platforms. From that perspective, Byrne can be seen as a proto-influencer—except her product wasn't herself, it was belief itself. Modern figures like Jay Shetty or Gabby Bernstein have replicated aspects of the Rhonda Byrne business model, monetising mindfulness, manifestation, or spiritual insight via digital memberships, workshops, and product sales. Why the Rhonda Byrne business model may become a Harvard case study Given its unique blend of ideology, IP management, media strategy, and emotional marketing, the Rhonda Byrne business model offers a rich case study for American business schools. It intersects key subjects: branding, publishing economics, cultural psychology, and platform monetisation. In many ways, it's a model of soft power capitalism, where personal transformation fuels commercial transactions. Conclusion: Rhonda Byrne and the monetisation of belief in America's digital spiritual economy Rhonda Byrne's billion-dollar success was never just about The Secret —it was about strategically packaging belief for a country where hope sells. Her brand preceded the modern wellness boom, prefigured the influencer monetisation playbook, and created a repeatable framework for how spiritual ideas can thrive in America's digital economy. Like Calm or Headspace, Byrne built a business not from tangible products, but from an emotional and cognitive experience. The difference? She did it before mobile apps or Instagram ever existed. As U.S. consumers continue to spend billions on spiritual self-help, Rhonda Byrne's model remains a blueprint for monetising metaphysics—one that continues to shape the future of belief-driven capitalism in America. This article is intended for informational and editorial purposes only. It does not constitute endorsement or promotion of any individual, company, or entity mentioned. Business Upturn makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Look: Busta Rhymes gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1 of 6 | Hip-hop icon Busta Rhymes attends an unveiling ceremony honoring him with the 2,818th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Friday. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Rap legend Busta Rhymes was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday. His fellow hip-hop pioneers Chuck D and LL Cool J attended the event, along with the New York musician's family and friends. "The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will be adding Busta Rhymes, one of Hip-Hop's most enduring and electrifying voices, as a new member of Hollywood's iconic sidewalk," Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in a press release. "His talent and influence are undeniable. His star on the Walk of Fame will stand as a testament to his lasting impact on hip-hop music and how important it is to the American culture." The entertainer has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Busta Rhymes, DJ Khalid perform alongside Marley family at Kaya fest Spliff Star and Busta Rhymes (R) perform. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Trump White House ballroom: A look back at Grand Ballroom Trump built at Mar-a-Lago
Twenty years after the opening of the Grand Ballroom at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Trump announced another new ballroom on a grand scale — this time at the White House. The Trump Administration on July 31 said construction on a $200 million, roughly 90,000-square-foot White House State Ballroom will begin in September. The project will be paid for by donors including Trump and have a seating capacity of 650 people, the White House said. The U.S. Secret Service will oversee security features of the new structure, officials said. "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail," Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said in a White House news release. "The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come." The style and architecture of the exterior of the new ballroom will be "almost identical" to the rest of the White House, Trump officials said. The work will include major renovations to the White House's East Wing, where presidents have historically held large receptions. Trump has frequently complained the White House lacks a proper large-scale ballroom for entertaining. While the outside of the new ballroom at what is known as the people's house will feature the same iconic styling as the rest of the property, renderings released by the White House show that the interior style is undoubtedly reminiscent of the Versailles-inspired Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom that was completed at Mar-a-Lago in late 2004 and had its grand opening in 2005. Here's what to know about Mar-a-Lago's large ballroom and its history. When was Mar-a-Lago completed, and what are some of its features? Construction on Mar-a-Lago began in 1922. The house was designed for cereal heiress Marjorie Meriweather Post in the Spanish-Moorish style by architect Joseph Urban, who also designed the nearby Bath & Tennis Club and the Paramount Theatre farther north in Palm Beach. When completed in 1927 on its 17-acres, the crescent-shaped main house had 115 rooms, with 58 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms. Urban drew on classical designs, looking to the Thousand Winged Ceiling at the Accademia in Venice as inspiration for the 34-foot ceiling in Mar-a-Lago's living room, and the Palazzo Chigi in Rome as inspiration for the hand-painted ceiling in the dining room, according to a 2002 Daily News report about Mar-a-Lago's history. After a major redecoration in 1956, Post added Mar-a-Lago's White and Gold Ballroom as a venue to host to her popular charity events and the square dances for which she was so well-known, according to the 2002 profile. She also added three bomb shelters during the Korean War. What has Trump added to Mar-a-Lago? Trump paid a reported $10 million for Mar-a-Lago in 1985: $5 million for the property itself, an additional $3 million for the furnishings, plus $2 million for the beachfront stretch that years prior was sold to a neighbor. When Mar-a-Lago's club opened in 1995, it had amenities such as a spa, tennis courts and nine-hole golf course. In 2000, construction began on the $3 million beachfront project at Mar-a-Lago that added a new swimming pool, a pair of two-story buildings with cabanas and a snack bar, a spa, fountains, and ramps and stairs down to the beach, the Daily News reported in 2002. In 2004, Trump received approval from Palm Beach to tear down an aging slat house on Mar-a-Lago's property to build a kitchen to help serve the estate's new ballroom, which opened in 2005. Over the years, some of Trump's plans for Mar-a-Lago have been shot down by state and town officials, including a proposal for a 120-slip marina and, before opening the club, a concept that would have subdivided Mar-a-Lago's acreage to build estate homes. What about Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom? The Daily News first reported in 1996 that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was reviewing plans for a new ballroom or expansion of the dance pavilion at Mar-a-Lago. Because Mar-a-Lago is a national landmark, all major changes must be reviewed and approved by the trust. "We're just looking art different concepts, different ideas. It's very preliminary," Trump told the Daily News in 1996. "We need a ballroom because of the success of Mar-a-Lago. It has been so successful that the crowds are potentially hazardous to the facility, and the ballroom could remedy this problem." Mar-a-Lago's team "did a lot of shuttle diplomacy with the National Trust for Historic Preservation," said Wes Blackman, who was Mar-a-Lago's project manager for the ballroom. The trust has easements at Mar-a-Lago, including two to protect the views to the east and west, and one to protect the tree line along the south property line, he said. After Mar-a-Lago opened as a club in 1995, the events coordinator at the time brought Blackman and Trump to the ballroom built by Post and said it would not be able to meet the demand for large events . "There isn't room to put them that is weatherproof," Blackman recalled the coordinator saying. When the ballroom was officially pitched to the town in 1999, it was set to replace a large white tent that Mar-a-Lago had temporarily erected to host large events on the property, Blackman said. Because the structures could not be permanent, air conditioner compressors for events in the tent were placed on trailers, and temporary bathrooms were brought in, he said. The ballroom was "a very large building," he said, with records showing that it was 17,000 square feet, larger than the 11,000-square-foot ballroom built by Post. West Palm Beach-based architect Rick Gonzalez of REG Architects was the lead designer on the project. Blackman said he and Gonzalez took a lot of trips to Washington, D.C., and the trust visited the property as well, as they worked to finalize a design the trust would approve. Together with Gonzalez, Blackman said Mar-a-Lago's team "chased that building all over the property" with the trust until the location was settled. "It's in a hollow, a low spot, and it's behind the wall, and you really have a hard time even knowing the building is there when you pass the property," Blackman said. Before finalizing the architectural plans, Trump sent Gonzalez and Blackman to New York to meet with famed architect Philip Johnson, whose Glass House in Connecticut remains an iconic example of the International Style of design. Johnson, who died in January of 2005, declined to take on the task of designing the new ballroom, which was essentially "locked into the Mediterranean revival framework" because of the rest of the property, Blackman said. "He wasn't into that," Blackman said. "He was in his 'monster phase,' which were a lot of oblique angles, and he wasn't into having to fit into a mold like that." Trump also asked Blackman to consult with another friend: crooner Paul Anka, whom Trump hoped would weigh in on the new ballroom's acoustics. "I did call him," Blackman said. "It was a unique experience." He added that because Trump had already made the decision to have marble floors in the ballroom: "There's nothing you can do with that. It's gonna be a reflective surface," Blackman said of Anka's advice. Trump was adamant that the new ballroom needed to be larger than the 15,000-square-foot Ponce de Leon Ballroom at The Breakers Palm Beach resort, Blackman said. While that was part of the inspiration, he said that Trump also wanted to bring the annual International Red Cross Ball to Mar-a-Lago. Trump was successful, and one of the highlights of Palm Beach's social season soon moved to Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom. "We always thought that it helped getting the National Trust to approve something first, and then that kind of gave us the 'Good Housekeeping' certificate that we could cash in with the Landmarks Commission," Blackman said of the town's approval process. While the project to build the new ballroom received approval from Palm Beach's council in October of 1999, the timeline was pushed back several times because of construction of a new Royal Park Bridge, the Daily News reported in September 2002. The project received final approval from Palm Beach's landmarks board in April of 2002, and construction began the next year, with the building permit issued in August of 2003, Blackman said. While his 10-year tenure with Mar-a-Lago ended soon after receiving the permit, Blackman returned to work on other projects at Mar-a-Lago, including the ballroom's kitchen and the massive flag pole that led to a legal battle between Trump and Palm Beach. What does the Grand Ballroom look like? The exterior of the ballroom building, which is on the property's south side between the main house and Southern Boulevard, was designed by Gonzalez to mimic the Spanish-Moorish style of the rest of the estate, the Daily News reported at the time. But the ballroom's interior was designed with France in mind. The decor drew on Versailles, with shining marble floors, intricate gold leaf designs, crystal chandeliers and soaring 40-foot coffered ceilings. The Daily News reported at the time that the gold leaf alone carried a $7 million price tag, and the overall project cost stood at $35 million. "I modeled the interior after Versailles, and there is nothing like it in the United States," Trump said of the ballroom in a 2005 interview with Florida Design magazine. When it opened, guests were reportedly awestruck by the 17 Stras chandeliers, each with a cost of $250,000 and imported from Czechoslovakia. The first major event in the new ballroom was Mar-a-Lago's annual New Year's Eve Gala to ring in 2005, according to news reports. From a Dec. 31, 2004, Daily News report: "A 1,200-square-foot loggia leads into the two-story foyer through a series of Palladian-style mahogany doors with wrought-iron borders. A staircase leads to a 45-foot observation tower. For New Year's Eve, there will be stages at opposite ends of the ballroom, one for the dance orchestra and one for headliner Vanessa Williams." The next event: a grand party to mark the marriage of Trump to his then-fiancée, Melania Knauss. Their marriage ceremony was Jan. 22, 2005, at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, and celebrants then made the short drive to Mar-a-Lago for the reception. Anka, a guest at the wedding, treated guests to two songs at the reception: "Diana," and a version of the song "Lady Is a Tramp" that Anka dubbed "Donald is a Trump." USA Today contributed to this report. Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@ Subscribe today to support our journalism.
